The Reel

Reel Review: Fabric 61 - Visionquest

2012-01-20T09:12:00.006+10:00

The Motor City itself may be in a distressing state of urban decay, but the city widely-lauded as giving birth to techno — and to pioneers like the Belleville Three (Jaun Atkins, Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May) and Carl Craig — can still, in 2012, lay claim to blooding some of the EDM scene’s most talented young stars.

Enter Visionquest, comprising the evergreen Seth Troxler, Lee Curtiss, Ryan Crosson and Shaun Reeves, four “Detroit Refugees” who started organising parties across Detroit about ten years ago. The international acclaim has come thick and fast since then, with extended stints in Berlin providing the four with the club scene and inspiration required to hold floors in their own right. It’s been over the past 18 months as Visionquest, however, that the quartet has emerged as one of the house and techno scenes’ most original and progressive collectives.

On the back of remixes completed for the likes of Everything But The Girl’s Tracey Thorn and Kiki, as well as a number of original cuts released on their burgeoning self-titled imprint and labels like Crosstown Rebels, Get Physical and Wolf+Lamb, the lads have drawn well-deserved plaudits for their deep, dark, adventurous and fun take on EDM.

It’s here then, on their stellar Fabric 61 mix, that we’re treated to the full Visionquest experience. There’s plenty of deep, dark, bass bangers here; the eerie ‘Portside Waves’ from STL kicks things off, before offerings from Soul Center and Vancouver’s Konrad Black give way to a little-known remix by Franco Cinelli of Cassius’s 'The Sound Of Violence'.

The atmospheric, almost hypnotic, sounds keep coming, courtesy of more obscure names like Terje Bakke and Kollektiv Turmstrasse. Visionquest aren’t afraid to enlist the big guns either, with Carl Craig chipping in his remix of Catz’n’Dogz 'I’m Free' featuring Paul Randolph.

Pick of the album, however, is Phreek Plus One featuring Mr White — 'Passion' — here given the remix treatment by Frankfurt’s DJ T. This is late-night fare, perfectly suited to one of Troxler or Curtiss’s sets at Fabric or at Ibiza institution DC10 (those who know, know). Elsewhere, Green Velvet’s 'Abduction' sets a spaced-out tone, and Aquarius Heaven’s 'Can’t Buy Love' is a bona fide party starter.

A few choice offerings from the Visionquest label feature too, in the form of My Favourite Robot’s 'Forest Fires', Footprintz’ 'Heaven Felt Like Night' and the absolutely brilliant 'Tale/Foot Break' from Tale Of Us & Footprint. Reinforcing their expect the unexpected playing style, the lads round off the mix with Wildcookie’s ‘Song With No Ending'; if only that was the case.

Fabric 61 stands out from other recent series instalments because you can sense throughout the fun the Detroit four have had putting it together. Their large personalities and playful approach to interviews (this hack has first-hand experience) has long endeared them to music lovers, and it’s this same fun-loving spirit that shines through on Fabric 61; highly recommended.

Reel Review: Laszlo - 'Radial Nerve'

2011-10-21T00:07:00.005+10:00

Radial Nerve, the debut album from London-based Aaron Wheeler, or Laszlo, very nearly never was. When the young multi-instrumentalist broke his right arm – the radial nerve to be precise (join the dots) – neither his arm nor fingers would move.

Wheeler, who had previously fashioned a career composing music for TV programs and adverts around the world, was faced with the prospect that his days of playing piano, guitar, mandolin, bass, drums, low whistle, dulcimer and percussion were all over, as doctors suspected he would never have the reactions to play any instrument again.

Luckily, the quacks were wrong. Had they been right, the world would never have this, a wonderfully diverse LP released on he and friend Liam Nolan’s burgeoning Lydian Label. The release is near impossible to define, at least by genre; put simply, it’s unlike anything I’ve heard before. Mixing elements of jazz, classical, world, Balearic electronica, funk, folk and ambient techno with heaps of piano (Wheeler admits many of the tracks began as solo piano pieces), accordion, various atmospheric effects and God knows what else, Wheeler has fashioned one hell of a musical journey.

While much of this album was previously showcased as three individual EPs, including last year’s Mr Sunshine EP (the title track of which is a positive stand out with its broken beats, mandolin line and other instrumentation), the way the tracks fit together as one long soundtrack is impressive.

Zeitgesit is my pick though, with its cool rolling bass, chimes, soft vocals and steadily building intensity that then turns into some kind of nursery rhyme hybrid before morphing back again. Like I said, this album is brilliant in its complexity.

Rhodesy is another brilliant effort – a low-slung, down-tempo tune which benefits greatly from the near ubiquitous piano loop, clapping effects and some wonderful, understated strings. Lydia’s Dream, too, is fantastic, a laid-back number that sets the scene for the minimalist Anatolia, and the closer, Bohemian Groove, which with its funk-laden bass line, ups the tempo just when it’s needed.

Radial Nerve is a real slow burn; each time you listen, some other instrument comes to the fore or another subtle effect becomes apparent, making it an adventure to savour. I can’t say I’d heard of Laszlo before this promo found me, but I’ll never forget him now. Open-minded music lovers feel this one.

Laszlo 'Radial Nerve' is out now through Lydian Label.

Reel Review: Parklife, Brisbane - 1.10.11

2011-10-03T23:35:00.003+10:00

Amid the sea of ubiquitous shirtless, gurning toffs, 'RoidBoyz', scantily clad festival bunnies and other people (of both sexes) wearing, quite frankly, next to nix (all of whom were freezing their proverbials off after sun down as the wind picked up), was a more discerning crowd at Brisbane's Parklife at the Botanic Gardens. These weren't hipsters here to see Duck Sauce play, nor were they dubstep tragics burning to see Nero. No, some of us were here to to see if, years after first coming to town and clashing keys like a teenage bedroom DJ, Mylo had managed to come to grips with his 1210s and CDJs.

Thankfully, he has; praise his name. Taking to the stage in a sharp looking suit, the Scot proceeded to lay down just over a hour of smooth, well-mixed nu-disco and house grooves, just the ticket for the late afternoon crowd. Much has been made of the dearth of new material coming from Mylo since his brilliant debut LP, 2004's Destroy Rock & Roll; indeed, some people were beginning to wonder if he was just having a lend of us all (a-la Dr Dre's Detox, or any Massive Attack album), but his set presented a few new productions - including the wicked 'Wings Of Fire' - so I guess he's off the hook. Please Sir, I'd like some more, though.

Enter Philly’s finest, Santigold, who kept the lower crowd bouncing with tunes from her new album, including the quality first single ‘Go’ featuring Karen O and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and produced by none other than Switch and Q-Tip. Fellow Philadelphian (and, on account of his ego, definitely not Philly’s finest) Diplo took the stage just as the sun was going down, and it was party time. Mixing in his dancefloor-inspired ‘riddims’ – including several cuts from he and Switch’s Major Lazer outfit (including Pon de Floor), he showed his willingness to taunt the crowd in between mixing in the likes of Beastie Boys’ ‘Intergalactic’ and a slamming remix of Goyte's ''Somebody That I Used To Know'. A quintessential festival set, which was soon to be followed by Beth Ditto and the Gossip.

Reel Review: Crazy P - 'When We On'

2011-09-28T20:36:00.004+10:00

Crazy P – the club-focused production outfit that first broke out of Nottingham in the late 1990s with singles on Manchester’s Paper Recordings, went onto sample Willy Wonka in There’s a Better Place in the early noughties, and has long since grown into the five-piece oozing with soulful disco and house sounds – is back.

When We On – their sixth studio album and the second to be released on Ralph Lawson’s 2020 Vision imprint following 2008’s Stop Space Return – showcases a more mature sound from the group; over 11 tracks we’re treated to uplifting dancefloor-aimed fare as well as deeper, atmospheric and mid-tempo tunes, all making this another triumph for the British group.

Chris Todd and Jim Baron have always been the brains trust behind Crazy P’s house and disco-based productions (both having released their own solo albums on San Francisco's OM Records and ISM in the period between Stop Space Return and When We On), and the quality grooves, crisp beats and uplifting melodies on this new LP again reflect their enduring links with – and love of – the EDM scene.

It’s been the voice and stage presence of frontwoman Danielle Moore, however, that has fashioned the group into the soulful, accessible crowd favourites they are on stage, and who has been largely responsible for endearing the group to Australian crowds in particular over the years.

When We On again demonstrates her versatility, and while there’s a wealth of soulful, emotionally-charged lyrics and synth and piano-laden beats on this new release, Baron explains the writing and production process for this LP differed markedly from that of Stop Space Return, resulting in an album that is, in his words, “probably a bit more….grown up”.

“We wrote the majority of that as a band,” he explains of Stop Space Return. “For this, we decided to strip it back to me and Toddy writing with Danielle. We gave Danielle the Loop Station and she’s really taken to it. You can layer vocals, you can hear harmonies immediately, so she can jam along with us now. It shaped a lot of the vocal sound for the album.”

First single Open For Service is already gaining widespread support, and the remix package which includes efforts from Todd and Baron’s studio alter-egos – Hot Toddy and Ron Basejam respectively – promises that Crazy P’s early fans, the ones who first got down to the likes of Summer Bummer in the late ‘90s, will again find something deeper and darker to make their bodies move.

Change is deep and funky, with Moore’s vocals layered over a fat bassline and energetic beat, while The Unbearable Lightness Of Being is a slower tempo, Moore’s vocal shining over layered production which demonstrates Todd and Baron’s versatility in the studio. Eruption, meanwhile, is classic Crazy P: a piano loop combines effortlessly with guitar and a walking bassline for what will surely be a summer favourite down these parts.

Track of the album, however, is Heartbreaker. Largely instrumental apart from a sample and a few powerful lines from Moore (“You’re No Good!”), this is deepness with a guitar riff that will make the hairs on your neck stand to attention.

Towards the end, WeCanOnlyBeWhoWeAre sees Moore cooing over a low BPM and a funk-fuelled bassline before Future Beat rounds off the album, its urgent beat combining with acoustic guitar to build and build before climaxing with some synth stabs and….it’s over. Damn.

Fans of Crazy P will feel right at home here. Those who might not be familiar with the group, but who might have heard the likes of Lady T or The Time Is Right out on the town and wondered who this talented group was (or perhaps knew them vaguely when they were known as Crazy Penis), should pick this up. This hack has it on very good authority that the group are about to announce an Australian tour, too, so stay tuned.

'When We On' is out 14 October through 20/20 Vision & Balance Music. Distributed through EMI.

Reel Review: Fabric 59 - Jamie Jones

2011-09-20T21:25:00.004+10:00

Summer may be just around the corner in these parts, but for wild-haired Welsh producer Jamie Jones, a jam-packed European summer season is just drawing to a close, and with a flash, too.

The coming week will see him continue his residency at Ibiza institution DC10, taking the house and techno sounds of his own Hot Creations and Hot Natured labels to the late, baked summer crowds. He’ll then head to Tamariz in Portugal for a mid-week set, and then to London, where this Saturday he’ll headline Fabric.

It was in the dark depths of the pioneering British club, as a recently transplanted Welsh national, that Jones first developed the loyal following that today sees him lauded as one of the EDM scene’s most exciting names. Regular appearances at Fabric over the past few years have endeared him big-time to Europe’s chin-stroking clubbers, and his relationship with the brand has developed to the point that he’s now been enlisted to contribute to its legendary mix series. Fabric 59 is a winner to be sure, and showcases Jones’ own varied love of electronic sounds, but fans expecting an intense and bouncy 70 minutes of sounds a-la his much hyped (and much deserved) debut LP ‘Don’t You Remember The Future?’ might be left disappointed.

But not that disappointed. Over the past five or six years, Jones has showcased on labels like Freak’n’Chick, quality London imprint Crosstown Rebels, Steve Bug’s Poker Flat, Sven Vath’s Cocoon and, more recently, his own labels, that he’s happy, indeed eager, to lead the dancefloor on musical journeys that feature a slew of sounds. While it’s quality house and techno that might first come to mind when Jones’ name comes up, he shows on this new Fabric release his ear for melodic downtempo grooves, catchy nu-disco, pop-tinged vocal remixes, and tracks by lesser known and up-and-coming artists. The result is a fantastically accessible mix.

Jones’ own Hot Natured project kicks off proceedings in the form of ‘Time Intro’, before French producer Sebastien Tellier’s ‘La Ritournelle’ is given the remix treatment by pop darlings Metronomy. The top shelf, late-night, head-in-hands-inducing ‘Is This Something’ by Coat Of Arms’ follows, before Cajmere and Jamie Principle’s wicked ‘God Sent Me’ washes through, complete with dirty bassline and playful vocal. Felix Da Housecat’s 2002 classic ‘Madame Hollywood’ follows, and then the funk continues with Waifs & Strays’ ‘Body Shiver’.

Jones varies the tempo soon after. The energy is still there, yet he appears to delve into his own, after-hours tastes a little, shifting the mood but doing so seamlessly and without sounding self-indulgent. Nottingham nu-disco group Crazy P feature in the form of their new single – ‘Open For Service’ – taken from their forthcoming LP ‘When We On’, to be released on Ralph Lawson’s 2020 Vision imprint. This change in groove works; Danielle Moore’s upbeat vocal is altogether brilliant, evoking for the first time on the mix a laid-back, summery feeling, one maintained by the disco-edged Holy Ghost remix of Panther’s ‘Goblin City’ which follows.

Chipping in his own track ‘The Lows’, Jones then gets ultra soulful in the form of ‘Get Up Disco’ by little-known soho808; it’s a smooth, sexy and emotional vocal layered over deep bass and the perfect warm up for the 80s-inspired mix closer, ‘Fear Of Numbers’ courtesy of Montreal-based Footprintz.

So, to repeat, Fabric 59 is not all bangers and mash; to have chipped in 17 dark thumpers would have been far too easy for Jones and no doubt led to this compilation being labelled “unadventurous”. Rather, Jones has sought, successfully, to showcase both the variety of sounds currently streaming forth on his own labels and the diversity of talent he himself is seeking to nurture through Hot Natured and Hot Creations. When matched with quality upfront tunes and the odd gem from yesteryear, Jones succeeds where far too many have failed in the past. A quality mix.

Fabric 59 is out now on fabric/Balance Music, distributed by EMI.

Solar Fields – Scandinavian Surprise

2011-09-13T21:14:00.003+10:00

Over the course of 12 years, nine solo albums and even a video game score, the Swedish multi-instrumentalist has fashioned a sound all his own.

Magnus Birgersson’s ‘evolving dreams’ (what he calls his productions) have been labeled everything from electronic ambient and atmospheric to deep, ecstatic, broken-beat industrial and organic. The truth is, however, that this artist – who confesses to having “no primary musical influences’ – looks to change his output with each passing release, cherry-picking sounds from around the world to challenge himself, and his listeners.

His latest album and the first in a planned series – 2010’s ‘Origins #1’ – continues this quest.

“The Origins series is a little different from my other album,” he explains.

“I started to go through all my computers and hard-drives…and discovered that I had so much unreleased music from the 12 years of doing Solar Fields.

“So it is basically a collection of my discovering from the past.”

About to return to Australia to headline Manifest — one of Queensland’s biggest community, arts and music festivals — Birgersson is set to further build on the success of his well-received tour here last year.

“I’m coming with pleasure to experience the Australian audience once again,” he says.

“The Australian crowd was fantastic when I was there last year [and] I will do a mixture of ambient, downtempo, uptempo set, with both new unreleased stuff and some rare mixes from my already released music.”

Confirming his eclectic tastes – and demonstrating an impressive knowledge of the Australian music scene - Birgersson admits to have “really enjoyed” Wolfmother’s debut album, and also confesses to digging Infusion, having completed a remix for Jamie Stevens a few years ago.

Eschewing the trend of hopping labels, he has stuck with French imprint Ultimae Records since the release of his debut LP ‘Reflective Frequencies’ in 2001, and it’s a relationship that, over a decade later, continues to evolve just like his productions.

“They are really great people [to] work with,” he says.

“It is a label that releases different kinds of electronic music…I’m doing a lot of different things under the electronic spectrum. I don’t want to just do one kind of style; it’s not what it’s about for me. I like to go in and capture small parts from here and there and fuse them together to [make] something new.”

Solar Fields headlines Manifest at Best Brook Mountain resort from 23-25 September.

Reel Review: Vincenzo - 'Wherever I Lay My Head' (Dessous)

2011-08-16T08:44:00.003+10:00

Italo-German producer Vincenzo Ragone has kept fans of quality house well-oiled since the late 1990s with a slew of EP releases on some of the finer underground labels including Poker Flat, Winding Road and his home label, Steve Bug’s Dessous.

It’s been nearly 10 years, however, since his second album ‘Welcome To Zanarkand’ dropped, and many have surely wondered whether he had eschewed the album concept like so many other musicians struggling with the new digital paradigm.

But then, a little while back, came ‘Wherever I Lay My Head’, at once expelling any doubts we might have had. This third album, released as per the previous two on the Hamburg-based Dessous, is, as they put it, the shit. Vincenzo has put together an LP of beautiful electronic sounds ranging from ambient techno to more energetic house and atmospheric downtempo sounds, all of which reflect the talent of a producer who takes his time for all the right reasons.

Enlisting San Francisco vocalist Lisa Shaw (of Naked Music fame and regular tour vocalist for Miguel Migs) to open up proceedings with the deep yet mellow ‘Hello’, Vincenzo then ramps things up with a nod to his new home – Australia – with ‘Tasmania’, a track reportedly written while hiking in the hills around Hobart.

Whatever the inspiration, the now Melbourne-based producer has used it to his advantage, turning in a dark, late-night cut with haunting string segments throughout.

Elsewhere, ‘The Clearing’ further ups the tempo, while Shaw again steps up with the more peak-time ‘Keep Moving’, which is one of the more up-tempo offerings on the LP.

‘Seduction’ is another urgent, techy offering, while ‘Baited Breath’ is an ethereal number that reminded me of early Atjazz singles. ‘Where You Are’ bounces forth after that, and it’s abundantly clear by now just how much Vincenzo digs such laid-back electronic sounds. Two of the best such offerings – ‘106 Downtown’ and ‘Calimero’ – demonstrate just how versatile the German is in the studio. ‘The Clearing (Reprise)’, meanwhile, is my pick; no beat, no bass, just sounds of wildlife permeating through an echoing soundscape complete with the sound of feet crunching on soil and deep piano segments. This is beautiful stuff and a perfect track to bring a massive night to a close.

I could go on, but I won’t. I’ll go out on a limb, however, and say this is one of the best albums I’ve heard all year. ‘Wherever I Lay My Head’ is a wonderful mix of electronic sounds obviously made with love by a now-adopted Australian who is at the top of his game. Get on this.

Alps - Reaching New Heights

2011-08-03T20:52:00.003+10:00

Through blending elements of experimental electronica with folk, pop, rock, world and even country music, Newcastle’s Alps has fashioned himself into something of a musical enigma.

Over the course of nearly eight years and four independently-released albums – the latest being this year’s ‘Alps of New South Wails’ – Alps (aka Chris Hearn) has at once delighted discerning music lovers as much as challenge those hacks wanting to pigeonhole his sound. A member of several punk bands in a previous life, Hearn is now happy to largely eschew genres in favour of experimentation and collaboration.

“I don't really fit into a genre in the sense that every song sounds pretty much the same,” he explains.

“I mostly listen to Australian and New Zealand music, I have a lot of respect for the folks making synth, noise, punk, and I guess indie music around here... I feel like geography is important in music.”

“There are pop undertones throughout all the songs...I like to take pop music and
pull it all down to the core elements, see what you can take away from pop music and have it still remain pop music - and then build it back up with bits and pieces from all different genres, sounds, and contexts.

“The new record takes this the furtherest (sic) with this process...every track goes to a completely different place.”

A keen journeyman with an impressive touring record, Hearn just finished a mammoth US tour which saw him play a gruelling 25 shows in about 30 days. Now home again, he is firmly focused on his appearance at GOMA’s Surrealism Up Late event where, he promises, fans can look forward to immersing themselves in an ‘anything goes’ style.

“The set is completely different every night, so in a way it's always
evolving,” he says.

“There's always a big improvisational element, there's never any setlists, I take
different instruments out often, and since I made the ‘Wails’ album, which is a lot more fleshed out with live drums and lots of guitars...I've been taking different people out on tour too.”

“This show is going to be the first live show with the newest incarnation of the
Alps band, which is myself on guitar/keys/vox, Mark Whittaker from
Hopes on bass and Robert Nedeljkovic from Bare Grills on drums.”

“Alps shows are always on the edge, I like to keep it that way, and I think
people are getting used to that.”

Alps plays GOMA’s Surrealism Up Late, Friday 5 August.

Jason Herd - Evergreen

2011-07-29T08:46:00.003+10:00

Many are saying ‘welcome back’ to Jason Herd, but the truth is, the multi-talented DJ-producer never left.

Known since the late 1990s for his steady output of club releases recorded under a number of monikers and released on a number of labels including his own J:Funk and J:Soul Recordings, Manchester-born Herd appeared to largely retire from his packed international touring schedule a few years ago. As he explains during his current Australian tour, however, things aren’t always what they seem.

“I’ve got an alter ego which I don’t really talk about, and I’ve been making a bit more underground music, a bit more techy stuff,’ he explains.

His recent stellar run has seen singles drop on Erick Morillo’s Subliminal Records, and while Herd enjoyed chart success in 2004 alongside collaborator John Fitz with ‘I just can’t get enough’, it’s the underground that is resonating with him in 2011. His fresh remix of the Chemical Brothers ‘Star Guitar’, completed alongside Prok & Fitch and to be released on Mark Knight’s Toolroom Records, is the most recent evidence of his evolving talents in the studio.

“To be honest…I think the underground is getting better and I think the commercial is getting worse,” he says.

“On the less commercial side of things, I think it’s getting back to the old school House feel, which I personally adore; it’s where I come from.”

His Australian tour, his first since his appearance at 2009’s Stereosonic festival, promises to see Herd reunite with many of his Australian contemporaries, including the Gold Coast’s own Stafford Brothers, with whom Herd released ‘I Gave You Everything’ on Defected Records under his Juan Kidd moniker last year.

“Every time I’m over, I go see them,” he says of the DJ-production duo cum-reality-TV stars.

“They’re like family. Since I’ve been coming over, I’ve been staying with them and when they come to England they stay at my house.”

A regular headliner throughout Europe, Herd is confident of the future of the global electronic scene, regardless of the commercial influence that is making an impact, including in Ibiza, where he recently rocked Pacha.

“Bringing people like Usher…it just doesn’t work,” he says of recent major events in Ibiza attracting US musicians.

“[He] was singing at this party the other day after Guetta…nobody wanted it. It just wasn’t right.

“Take house music to America - cause that’s what they want - but please don’t bring R&B to Ibiza!”

Friday July 29th @ Zuri, Brisbane
Saturday July 30th @ Platinum Nightclub, Gold Coast

Reel Review: Balance 19 - Mixed By Henry Saiz (Balance Music)

2011-06-27T20:45:00.003+10:00

After Nick Warren's banging effort on Balance 18, the 'lucky' DJ-producer to be called on to compile and mix the 19th installment in the superb Balance series was always going to have big shoes to fill. Thankfully, Spaniard Henry Saiz has bloody big feet; his double disc journey of melodic and deep progressive house and techno is a worthy addition to a compilation series that is fast becoming known as the industry benchmark.

Featuring a mix of main room movers and more ambient offerings interspersed with poetic elements, Saiz takes listeners on a journey through many of his own productions and collaborations, which feature heavily throughout both discs. Whether it’s alongside Jesse Somfay, fellow Spaniard Pional or with hugely-popular Dutch vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen, Saiz’s programming ability is first class, with his hook up with Dosa on ‘Zen Boat’ particularly impressive. Saiz is Australia-bound late next month; catch him if you can; muy bien.

Friday July 22nd @ Roxanne Parlour, Melbourne
Saturday July 23rd @ CHA Boat Party, Brisbane
Saturday July 23rd @ Chinese Laundry, Sydney

Reel Review: Lamb - '5'

2011-05-31T20:17:00.004+10:00

After a long hiatus (8 years to be exact), Manchester duo Lamb has released their aptly-titled fifth LP, demonstrating that, whatever they’ve been up to in their down time (lots of solo work), they’ve lost none of their brilliant ability in the studio.

Andy Barlow’s deep and dark production skills again combine with Lou Rhodes’ intimate and searching vocal performances to produce an album full of searing highs - like ‘Back To Beginning’ featuring Damien Rice - and synth-heavy lows like ‘She Walks’ and the dark and hypnotic ‘Butterfly Effect’, which reminded me of ‘100th Window’-era Massive Attack.

The overt emotion within Lamb’s work has always been one of their most endearing qualities and ‘5’ sees the duo take this to new levels. While there’s nothing here that rivals the duo’s classics like ‘Gabriel’ or ‘Gorecki’ (at least on the back of a few listens; Lamb’s music has that creeping quality that endears itself over time), opening track ‘Another Language’ comes pretty close and is a real shiverer. Welcome back.

'5' is out now through Strata Music / MGM.

Jaytech - A Mixed Bag

2011-05-09T19:59:00.005+10:00

Straddling the boundaries between House, Trance and Progressive with ease, erstwhile Australian DJ-producer Jaytech poses a dilemma for those wanting to pigeonhole his sound; his recently-released ‘Anjunadeep 03’ compilation is the latest example.

“The main goal for this new compilation was to make it more of a divergence in the styles between CD1 and CD2,” he says of the new release he co-mixed with Anjunadeep’s head of A&R James Grant.

“James’ style is more deep house….and mine is more upbeat and more on the uplifting side of house music, and even trancier throughout the CD.

“To have that distinction means both CDs have their own place, which is what we both wanted. At the moment I like sitting between house music and trance music because it allows me to tap into both markets and it also means I can play peak time at a house event or early on at a trance event.”

For Jaytech – real name James Cayzer – it’s all a long way from humble beginnings in Canberra. His deep, driving and emotionally-charged productions have flowed steadily over the last five years on labels including New York’s Currve Recordings, Sydney’s own Hussle Black and, most notably, Anjunadeep, on which he released his acclaimed debut LP ‘Everything Is OK’ in 2008.

While global prog, house and trance fans’ seemingly insatiable thirst for his eclectic sounds see him based in Europe these days, Jaytech keeps a close watch on the local scene from afar.

“I would say Australians are just as educated as anywhere (sic) else in the world,” he says.

“[But] for me personally I feel like my particular kind of music isn’t something I can flog to the Australian public every single weekend, or at least not yet,” he confesses.

“I’ve found with progressive house or melodic house music, it makes it a bit more special to come back every three months or every six months and make a big deal of it rather than have it in peoples’ faces week in week out.

“The club scene in Australia is limited to certain hot spots. Anything outside of those particular hot spots has a very high price to surviving. I found…with such a volatile club scene, it’s very hard to get really underground styles of music out there in a way that can be viable for people who are putting them on.

“I know so many promoters in Australia who do it just for the love of it and don’t really expect to make a cent out of it.”

With a second artist album primed for release later this year on Anjunadeep, he’s forthright and honest on what Above & Beyond’s melodic house imprint and its wide following has contributed to his success thus far.

“The benefit of being with Anjunadeep for me has been not only a platform for putting out my music but also a fanbase that is already dedicated to that sound as well as the countless connections and advice that they have provided for me over the years,” he says.

“If you’re going to release tracks…with one of these bigger labels, you want to make sure they’re not just releasing your music but they’re also helping you as an artist…they have to perform more of a function nowadays than they used to.

“I think it is definitely possible to make a big splash with your own imprint [but]if you are going to bypass a label and bypass having an imprint that does it for you, you have to be prepared to do it yourself and you have to be prepared to do that well.”

‘Anjunadeep 03: Mixed By James Grant and Jaytech’ is out now through Anjunadeep.

Nick Warren : A Fine Balance

2011-05-03T21:49:00.003+10:00

Routinely checked as one of electronic music’s finest and most consistent artists, Nick Warren shows he’s only getting better with his new mix compilation.

Having been enlisted to compile and mix the 18th installment in the lauded Balance series, Warren has presented a double disc release oozing with melodic, driving house and tech-leaning tracks which will please clubbers and chin strokers alike.

“This album treads a techier and deeper path while sticking to my template of sourcing music from every corner of the globe, once more finding some new and exciting producers,” he says.

“It’s the coolest end of the compilation market and an honour for me to be involved.”

This is high praise indeed from a man who has previously mixed a whopping eight editions of the Global Underground series as well as put his hand to the genre-defining Renaissance series. To now join the Balance stable, which has previously called upon the likes of Timo Maas, Agoria, Will Saul, Joris Voorn and James Holden, is proof of Warren’s continuing broad appeal and a further indication of his own determination to seek and release future-facing releases from the scene’s little-known names.

Balance 18 does it in droves. While his own offerings in the form of ‘Flowers’ – his new single released on Danny Howell’s Dig Deeper imprint - and the new ‘Buenos Aires’ (released on Hope Recordings and here given the Terry Lee Brown Jnr remix treatment) impress, it’s tracks by the likes of Dutchman Paul Hazendonk, German producer Solee and Greece’s Steve Mill that cement Warren’s reputation as a selector who truly understands the challenges and subtleties of a successful and enduring mix compilation.

Warren continues to oversee a steady output of material on Hope Recordings, with whom he is head of A&R, while his bi-monthly Radio show 'Soundgarden' on Friskyradio continues to attract over 150000 unique tune-ins to each airing. It’s certainly a long way from his beginnings in the early 1990s in Bristol, when he started out as a tour DJ for Massive Attack.

One hugely-successful residency at Liverpool’s Cream, thousands of banging club gigs and four albums completed under his Way Out West moniker (under which he works with Jody Wisternoff) later and Warren has demonstrated on this latest Balance release that he remains relevant to the rapidly changing electronic music industry and is indeed only getting better.

Balance 18 is out now through EQ Recordings.

Published in Scene Magazine, Wednesday 27 April, 2011.

www.scenemagazine.com.au

New Thievery Corporation LP To Land In Time For Splendour

2011-04-18T20:01:00.006+10:00

Lauded Washington electronic duo Thievery Corporation was one of many standout acts announced last week as part of the massive 2011 Splendour In The Grass lineup, and their spectacular live show - complete with 20-piece band - promises to be even more entertaining come late July with news filtering through that their latest LP – ‘Culture Of Fear’ – will drop on their own Eighteenth Street Lounge Music imprint in June.

Eric Hilton and Rob Garza have fashioned a sound all their own throughout their 15 years together, effortlessly blending downtempo and electronic elements with bossa, soul and reggae influences, all underscored by worldly instrumentation and socially-aware lyrics.

Seminal lounge and downtempo tracks like ‘Lebanese Blonde’ and ‘The Outernationalist’ sit alongside more recent urgent and activist offerings like ‘Radio Retaliation’ and ‘Revolution Solution’, all of which show the duo’s versatility in the studio.

Judging from ‘Culture Of Fear’s’ title, it’s evident we can expect more of the same on this seventh album. Garza and Hilton have posted a mash up of tracks to be featured on the new album on their website, www.thieverycorporation.com and suffice to say it's sounding dope.

Whether sideshows are announced is anyone’s guess but, in what will be their first visit to our shores since touring as part of 2008’s Good Vibrations Festival, you’d think the chaps would want to stick around and play the new album for everyone, wouldn’t you? Stay tuned.

Jonathan Ulysses: From Ibiza With Love

2011-04-12T21:18:00.003+10:00

With his White Isle residency at Space about to enter its 13th year, it’s fair to say Jonathan Ulysses knows a thing or two about rocking parties.

A mainstay on the Ibiza and international circuits for well over a decade, Ulysses’ driving brand of main room house continues to keep bodies moving. As the European summer draws near, however, he’s leaving his base and heading down under for a whirlwind tour. Following the hot reception that greeted his last visit as part of Sydney’s Space festival, Ulysses is excited to be returning.

“The last time that I was in Australia I had an absolute ball,” he explains.

“The crowd was really up for it and really took to my sound [so] I am really looking forward to Australia and coming to Vanity club and hope I get the same result.”

As for the impending European summer, Ulysses will again take to Space’s famed terrace as well as appear at a number of Ibiza’s most revered clubs and events.

“Things are shaping up fine for the summer,” he explains.

“I will be continuing my Space residency for We Love, Mondays Calling [and] also the back room for Carl Cox at Pukka Up. I will be doing Judgment Sundays back room also as well as some private villa parties and some events at Bora Bora Beach club. I will also continue to tour in London, Germany and I will be doing the Space on Tour throughout the summer."

With such a packed Ibiza and European touring schedule, it’s a wonder Ulysses has time to commit to the studio, yet he reveals several originals productions and collaborations are nearing release.

“I have been working with Prok & Fitch on a project called the Union Jackers. The track is called “Scream” [and] I have also been working with a DJ from London called DJ Lewi on track called “Q Mas” that will be released on Suka Records in the summer.”

As EDM approaches the cusp of commercial acceptance in many regions – with the likes of Lady Gaga and Black Eyed Peas (ahhem!) jumping on the house and electro bandwagon – Ulysses predicts big things for the year ahead.

“For us in Europe we have been championing these sounds for a while, just as you guys have in Australia with great producers like Chris Lake and many others.”

“It is up-tempo and is really groovy and that is what I am into at the moment.”

Reel Review: Moby - 'Destroyed' (EMI)

2011-04-07T22:33:00.006+10:00

Moby’s always been, well, a bit odd. I sat in on a press conference with him in Miami at the Winter Music Conference a few years ago and boy, that guy can talk. Trouble is, a lot of what he talked was rubbish. It’s good news, then, that his music has, for the most part, always made up for the fact he, well, talks a lot of rubbish, both on his blog and in interviews. His latest album, ‘Destroyed’, again makes up for this fact, even if he himself describes the LP as 'broken down melodic electronic music for empty cities at 2am'.

There’s nothing too out-of-the-box here, apart from a 100-page photo booklet included with the physical album that sees Moby - a long-time photographer - document some of those moments no one likes to associate with big-time musicians, like lonely hotel rooms, airports, stark backstage areas and dark, nameless city landscapes.

In any event, the album itself is pretty good and full of great instrumentation and melody, which Moby’s music generally is. The urgent ‘Sevastopol’ will keep the club kids happy, while ‘The Violent Bear It Away’ is brilliant, with its searing, lush soundscape, shivering piano loop and soft drums. ‘Lacrimae’ is also Moby at his best. Fans of Moby's previous work will love this, for it's a safe sound for him, and one that continues to work. Moby is giving away the first single - 'Be The One' - free via his website, http://www.moby.com. Get on it.

'Destroyed' is out 13 May through EMI.

Reel Review: The Chemical Brothers, Brisbane Riverstage - Friday 4 March 2011

2011-03-12T11:41:00.002+10:00

The Chemical Brothers’ 2011 headline Australian tour was big news when first announced in July last year. After all, Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands had just released their seventh album Further and the chance to see their electrifying new live show in a setting other than a festival was a mouth-watering prospect.

The unsurprising announcement that followed two weeks after the announcement of their tour – that the duo would also headline the Future Music Festival the day after their set at the Riverstage – immediately raised questions as to just how much pulling power the Chems’ stand-alone show would retain given a similarly-sized set (only 20 minutes shorter) was on offer the following day, along with sets from dozens of other acts like Sven Vath, Mark Ronson and even Leftfield.

But after seeing the crowd of thousands marching into the Riverstage on Friday night, it was clear that Brisbane – too often the embarrassing weak link in national tours taking in the main three capital cities – would provide a worthy beginning to the Chems’ 2011 tour. With Simons and Rowlands themselves taking to Facebook after the night to label the Brisbane show as one of their top ten ever, it’s safe to say the night was a blinding success.

The continuing wet weather and heavy rain over the previous few days had made the Riverstage soggy under foot, but the welcome result was the noted absence of swarms of shirtless, gurning morons and scantily-clad bunnies, who were no doubt saving themselves for an all-out assault on Doomben Racecourse the next day for Future Music Festival.

It was instead ponchos, imaginative headwear and sensible footwear that, ahem, rained supreme on Friday night. Early sets from long-time Chemical Brothers warm up DJ James Holroyd, Art vs Science and BBC Radio 1’s Zane Lowe set the mood, with tracks from Major Lazer and Duck Sauce speaking the perfect language to the Friday night crowd.

Shortly after 8pm, Rowlands and Simons took the stage to the opening beats of Galvinise and what followed was a energetic 80 minutes of classic and new Chemical Brothers music, complimented by a brand new and utterly stunning visual and lighting show which, when matched with impressive sound and deep, thumping bass, created an altogether special atmosphere and a show worthy of the preceding hype.

The big tunes were all there and demonstrated in spectacular fashion the depth and variety of Simons and Rowlands’ discography, something sometimes forgotten by newer fans. Chemical Beats from the duo’s 1995 debut Exit Planet Dust, the classic Block Rockin’ Beats from their sophomore LP Dig Your Own Hole (which sounds as fresh today as it did upon its release in 1997), Hey Boy Hey Girl from 1999’s Surrender, Star Guitar from 2001’s Come With Us, Believe from 2004’s Push The Button and Do It Again from 2007’s We Are The Night all dropped, and all impressed. Last year’s single Swoon, meanwhile, sent the crowd absolutely crazy when its bassline dropped.

The show was building and building until, at the 80 minute mark, something strange happened. With about a half hour to go, the duo left the stage for some sort of interlude/cigarette break/toilet stop. When they returned five minutes later, the energy they had so expertly built from the opening bars of Galvinise had been lost and I thought they struggled to recreate it for the last half hour or so, which was a shame.

Not that the closing half hour was bad at all; it just lacked the crazy atmosphere the first 80 minutes had so expertly created, but I’m sure this had something to do with the noted absence of bigger, more well-known tunes played during this time.

Regardless, the new show is right up there with the recent works of Daft Punk and Massive Attack. Those who saw them last time they were out – in 2008 as Future Music Festival headliners – will be either happy or a tad creeped-out (I’m in the latter group) to learn Simons and Rowlands have retained small parts of that visual show, including that creepy clown with his decaying teeth.

What was particularly good to see was the number of older Chemical Brothers fans – the ones who no doubt prefer Song To The Siren to The Salmon Dance (the absence of which from the Chems’ set sent my Johnny-come-lately friend-fan into a mild rage) who had left the kids at home and turned out in their droves.

After more than 20 years on the scene, Rowlands and Simons retain an impressive ability to walk that razor-thin line between being a forward-facing, genre-defining electronic act and one that still appeals to the older, slightly nostalgic tea-sipping clubbers of yesteryear.

When we’ll see them again is anyone’s guess, but they’ve still got it – in droves – and Friday night was an overwhelming bright spark on an otherwise damp, gloomy evening. A good crowd, drink lines that looked worse than they were and – for once at the Riverstage – sound levels deserving of the performers made this a night to remember. Sydney and Melbourne: you’ve been warned.

Reel Review: 'Stephan Bodzin vs Marc Romboy - Luna' (Systematic Recordings)

2011-03-09T20:51:00.003+10:00

It’s been over five years in the making, but long-time friends and noted stalwarts of the German techno scene – Stephan Bodzin and Marc Romboy – have finally released their triple CD opus on Romboy's own Systematic Recordings imprint. Named after Bodzin’s wide and Romboy’s daughter, ‘Luna’ includes the duo’s revered underground singles ‘Callisto’, ‘Atlas’ and the abstract and utterly brilliant ‘Puck’, productions which have endeared the two to minimal and tech-house lovers the world over. Two brand new tracks – ‘Triton’ and ‘Oberon’ – also satisfy on disc 1, while disc 2 features an upfront mix of these tracks and more.

Disc 3, however, is the winner, where we’re treated to remixes of the duo’s tracks by some of the finest global underground talent out there; Desolat’s Martin Buttrich, Kompakt’s Gui Boratto, Stimming and New York’s Abe Duque all feature, and all impress. The uneducated will write 'Luna' off as boring, miserable German music, but they clearly don’t understand, for this great release is one for the ‘heads. Get on it.

Tracklisting

CD 1
1.) Triton
2.) Oberon
3.) Callisto (Synthapella)
4.) Luna (Album Edit)
5.) Atlas (Album Edit)
6.) Miranda
7.) Ferdinand (Album Edit)
8.) Hydra
9.) Phobos (Synthapella)
10.) Telesto
11.) Puck

CD 2 (Mix)
1.) Hydra (Minilogue Remix Part 1)
2.) Hydra
3.) Io
4.) Hyperion (Stimming Remix)
5.) a.) Callisto
5.) b.) Callisto (Joris Voorn Remix)
5.) c.) Callisto (Dominik Eulberg Remix)
6.) Puck (Chris Liebing Remix)
7.) a.) Phobos (Pan-Pot Remix)
7.) b.) Phobos (Synthapella)
8.) Telesto (Martin Buttrich Remix)
9.) Pandora
10.) Mab (Speedy J Remix)
11.) Triton
12.) a.) The Alchemist
12.) b.) The Alchemist (Robag´s Kopakkmuuf-Rekksmo)
13.) Hydra (Minilogue Remix Part 2)

MP3 CD
1.) Phobos (Moritz Von Oswald Remix)
2.) The Alchemist (Robag´s Kopakkmuuf-Rekksmo)
3.) Callisto (Joris Voorn Remix)
4.) Oberon (Ribn Remix)
5.) Telesto (Martin Buttrich Remix)
6.) Atlas (Gorge Remix)
7.) Ferdinand (Gregor Tresher Remix)
8.) Luna (Mutant Clan Remix)
9.) Hyperion (Stimming Remix)
10.) Miranda (Oliver Huntemann Remix)
11.) Callisto (Dominik Eulberg Remix)
12.) Phobos (Pan-Pot Remix)
13.) The Alchemist (Roman Flügel Remix)
14.) Atlas (Gui Boratto Remix)
15.) Pandora (Brendon Moeller Remix)
16.) Luna (Oxia & Nicolas Masseyeff Remix)
17.) Hydra (Minilogue Remix)
18.) Ariel (Abe Duque Remix)
19.) Mab (Speedy J Remix)
20.) Puck (Chris Liebing Remix)
21.) Phobos (Synthapella)
22.) Callisto (Synthapella)
23.) Hyperion (Synthapella)
24.) Triton (Gaiser´s Trial Tone Remix)

'Luna' is out now through Systematic Recordings.

Reel Review - 'Fabric 56 : Derrick Carter' (Fabric/Balance)

2011-03-07T20:02:00.005+10:00

Since its release in 2004, Derrick Carter’s ‘Live At Om’ compilation alongside Mark Farina has been my favourite mix from the Chicago House legend. While Farina has since diversified his sets to include more and more Mushroom Jazz sounds, Carter has largely stuck to the ‘boompty boomp’ sound that has arguably defined him, and its this consistency which sees this 56th installment in Fabric’s lauded series now overtake that killer OM mix.

Proving he’s as relevant as ever after more than 20 years on the scene, Carter’s first mix compilation since his 2005 ‘Sessions’ mix for Ministry Of Sound sees him compile an engaging, 17-track energetic journey starting with the infectious ‘Jack Your Big Booty’ courtesy of Jody ‘Fingers’ Finch. Subsequent offerings from the likes of Roger Sanchez, Cajmere, DJ Sneak, Iz & Diz and Osunlade – many of which have been specially re-edited for this release - all similarly satisfy and serve as a nod to Carter’s Chi-town roots as well as an acknowledgement of his broader appeal across the global House community. Boompty-Boomp indeed.

“I was trying to get as close to a set as I could," Carter explains.

"One that spans time and goes from maybe 10 years ago, to some stuff that’s not released, to some stuff that won’t be released other than on this album. That’s how a real set is for me, I have some new stuff, some old stuff, some special stuff. I tried to give it that kind of treatment so it’s authentic, and real and valid and present. It’s Derrick. All day.”

Tracklisting

01 Jody 'Fingers' Finch - Jack Your Big Booty (Derrick's BHQ Acid Vocal / BHQ
Bonus Of Beats) [Let's Pet Puppies]
02 Almost September - Love (Derrick's BHQ Remix) [unreleased]
03 DJ Sneak - Respect Bonito (Justin Long Remix) [Magnetic]
04 Nick Garcia - Playin' Tricks (Hector Moralez Remix) [The Bomb Digital]
05 Scope - 8 Track [Large]
06 Cricco Castelli - First Love [NRK]
07 Osunlade pres. Nadirah Shakoor - Pride (Johnny D Remix) [Strictly Rhythm]
08 Iz & Diz - Cosmid [Vizual]
09 Roger Sanchez - My Organ [TNT]
10 Scrubfish - Testify To The Soul Provider [Flapjack]
11 Olene Kadar feat. D-Low - Baby Keep It Up [Defected]
12 Cajmere - Percolator (Derrick Carter Bonus Mix) [Cajual]
13 1200 Warriors - HardDrum (B-Boy Mix) [1200 Traxx]
14 Tripmastaz - Back on My BS [Magnetic]
15 Piek meets Stan Garac - La Gondola [Clarisse]
16 Légo - Bang Bang [Poontin Muzik]
17 Abraham Inc. - Moskowitz Remix (D's BHQ Re-edit) [Table Pounding]

Also featured throughout the mix:
Green Velvet - La La Land (Derrick Carter 'D's BHQ Business' Remix) [Cajual]
Dennis Ferrer - Church Lady (Tommy Davis & DJ Spen Bom Bom Bom Tool) [Defected]
Warren Fellow & Michel Steinbach feat. Todd Terry - Got A Soul [EC]

'Fabric 56: Derrick Carter' is out March 14 through Fabric/Balance.

Reel Review - 'Paul Oakenfold - The Goa Mix 2011' (Balance / EMI)

2011-02-11T00:00:00.004+10:00

There was a time – albeit a few years ago now – when Paul Oakenfold’s hair was cropped as short as a US Marine’s, and when sweaty, down-and-dirty club sets would dominate his touring diary as opposed to the celebrity VIP events and stadium shows he seems to like playing these days. While his continued pandering to the US market – notably his Perfecto residency at Rain in Las Vegas – appears a world away from the Balearic trance sound that defined him during his late 1980s sojourns in Ibiza, his longevity and important role in shaping the international electronic music scene cannot be argued.

This new release based on his much-lauded BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix of 1994 - which was voted the best ever such Essential Mix by Radio 1 listeners – captures the energy and spirit of the mid-90s trance scene during a time when Oakie basically owned it. The re-recorded double disc release features plenty of bangers by the likes of Mr. V, Infected Mushroom and Oakenfold’s own Perfecto Symphony Orchestra, while select dreamy soundscapes courtesy of Carl Biscuit and Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic’s ‘Adagio For Strings’ are more in tune with Oakenfold’s own developing love of film scores. Not bad at all; now if only he’d get to a barber. 3.5 Stars

'Paul Oakenfold - The Goa Mix 2011' is out now through Balance/EMI.

Reel Review: Defected In The House - Brazil '11, Mixed By Sandy Rivera & DJ Meme

2011-01-31T17:15:00.003+10:00

Long a label renowned for its ability to uncover and champion the next global House hot-spots and producers, London’s Defected Records follow recent well-received In The House stops in Singapore, Miami, Goa and Bali with a sojourn in South America’s jewel, Brazil.

They’ve made a good choice, for Brazil is on the up, not just musically but culturally and economically too. It’s now the world’s eighth-largest economy by nominal GDP, and far-reaching reforms first launched by just-retired President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – and to be continued by new President Dilma Rousseff – have raised living standards, opened the country up to foreign investment and succeeded in lifting the country’s international stature. The 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics are beckoning and as the country prepares to open itself up to the world, its local club scene is similarly developing at a rapid rate.

The burgeoning Rio Music Conference has in just a few years cemented itself as South America’s premier dance music event, and with the rise of a new - increasingly knowledgeable - middle class keen to spend their cash in the clubs of Sao Paolo, Belo Horizonte, Rio and beyond, it’s little wonder Defected have chosen to go In The House in Brazil, a country synonymous with music and partying.

Enlisting Brazil’s own DJ Meme and Blackwiz chief Sandy Rivera to compile and mix a disc each, DITH Brazil is another fine addition to the classic series. Rivera, whose impressive discography includes such classics as Kings Of Tomorrow’s ‘Finally’ and ‘Changes’, impresses with a selection of upfront cuts mixed with some gems of yesterday.

His mix on Disc One starts off nice and smooth courtesy of his brand new production - ‘Take Me Back’ - featuring the vocals of April. Before long, we’re transported into the sweaty clubs of Brazil courtesy of Simon Mattson’s ‘Downforce’, which with its tribal drums belies the fact this young producer hails from Poland; go figure.

Timo Maas’s dark ‘Lady Luck (City Lights)’ – here given the remix treatment by Solee - takes things on a darker slide before one of Defected’s latest singles – ‘Chiuso’ by Laidback Luke’s Nouveau Yorican side project – ups the tempo. Rivera then drops a few of his own cuts; his rework of the classic ‘Hide U’ featuring Rae, his collaboration with Virus J – ‘Put Your Hands Up’ - and then a new East & Young remix of ‘Finally’. Any remix of the original ‘Finally’ is a poor mix in my opinion, but the mere fact the vocal is intact promises a hands-in-the-air moment.

Rivera’s remix of Quentin Harris and Ultra Nate’s ‘Give It To You’ continues before Nic Fanciulli’s remix of Lusine‘s ‘Two Dots’ begins a wicked end to disc one, starting with arguably the track of the compilation, the Warehouse Dub of Copyright’s ‘Nobody’. This is peak-time house at its finest, and no doubt the Copyright duo would’ve rocked it during their recent three-date tour of Brazil. Tom Middleton’s ‘Cicadas’ keeps the energy high with its tribal feel before D-Rashid and Lex Empress leave us in no doubt where we are with their Samba-influenced ‘O Verão’, here remixed by Nick & Danny Chatelain.

If Rivera’s mix makes you dance, Meme’s mix is sure to make you dance with a dirty great big smile on your face. He’s long been compared to the likes of Dimitri From Paris or even Dave Lee for his love of disco samples, edits and rolling basslines and alongside Gui Boratto, is perhaps Brazil’s finest electronic music export. His is a typically discofied mix with a few bangers thrown in for good measure.

Frankie Knuckles & The Shapeshifters’ ‘The Ones You Love’ starts proceedings before the whirling piano loop of Joey Negro’s Z Factor gem ‘Piano Principle’ mixes through. Scientific Soul’s remix of Sergio Flores’ ‘Give It Back’ and The Jinks’ remix of Havana Funk’s ‘All About You’ follow before DJ Fopp’s ‘Discofied Funk’ washes over you like so much fine Brazilian Skol; up-beat, positive house, no more, no less.

Swing City’s big man Grant Nelson keeps it coming with his remix of Studio Apartment’s ‘Brand New Start’, and this is fucking brilliant. A sax-drenched, positive vocal courtesy of Miho Fukuhara makes this a standout track, but Meme is not finished there.

No, he’s just about to drop his Dub Mix of Loui & Scibi’s ‘This Is How We Do It’, a beautiful track that had me thinking of Julian Jabre’s ‘Swimming Places’ on account of its keys and happy vibe; the vocals don’t lie: ‘This is how we do it, and this is true’.

Matos’ mix of Copyright’s ‘He Is’ delivers a brief detour before Fabio Bacchini’s ‘Funk Is The Message’ continues the funk and disco flavour. Meme then finishes off in fine style with his remix of Fish Go Deep’s ‘Cure & The Cause’, The Boss’ ‘Congo’, DJ Chus & Supernova’s ‘Carnavalesco’ and Sergio Flores’ mix of Hanna Haїs’ ‘Rosa Nova’.

Finally, the drums have stopped, the beat ends and another Defected In The House installment closes to, I would assume, rapturous applause. Open that bottle of Cachaça, pound those limes, mix that Caipirinha and get ready to get down, for this is a fantastic release sure to heat up dancefloors throughout 2011. Four-and-a-half stars.

Laidback Luke - The Internationalist

2011-01-19T14:51:00.002+10:00

Born in the Philippines but bred on the streets of The Netherlands, Laidback Luke is synonymous with big room House.

Since emerging in the mid-1990s with singles on Touche and Groove Alert Records, Luke van Scheppingen has endeared himself to club kids around the world and developed a reputation amongst his peers as one of the hardest-working DJ-producers on the scene.

He has remixed the likes of Madonna, Coldplay, Jay-Z, Moby and Calvin Harris and, through his own Mixmash label, released forward-facing clubs cuts by himself as well as from burgeoning producers including Alex Armes and his own Nouveau Yorican project alongside Gina Turner.

Following a stand out 2010 which saw him link with Robyn on ‘Indestructible’ and enjoy massive club success on the back of his remix of Wynter Gordon’s ‘Dirty Talk’, van Scheppingen is Australia-bound and looking forward to another huge year.

“I’m just focusing on singles and videos at the moment,” he explains.

“Both my tracks ‘Timebomb’ and ‘Turbulence’ with Steve Aoki and Lil’ Jon are set to be released; I’m currently remixing again and finishing off remixes for Jump Jump Dance Dance and Benny Benassi. Loads of great releases coming up on my label Mixmash as well!”

Long known for his accessible productions which blend electro with percussive, techy house, van Scheppingen is enjoying much success in the US at present, due in part to the thawing of that market’s resistance to electronic music brought about by David Guetta, Steve Angello and the Swedish House Mafia. The Australian scene, however, still has much room to develop, says van Scheppingen.

“I think dance music is doing really well,” he says.

“Especially in Europe and the US, these are the golden days! I think, if I can be so free to comment [on] the Australian scene, it needs a bit of time off from the festivals [to] see if electronic music can move back to the clubs again. [It needs to] restart from there. To only have a festival scene is like driving a car without a license in all honesty.”

Determined to maximize his exposure in 2011, van Scheppingen will continue his relentless touring schedule to the Miami Winter Music Conference in March before preparing for another hectic European summer season.

“I’d like to cross over more to get a bit more mainstream airplay,” he says of his aims for 2011.

“I think the time is right now. We’re also planning on doing a couple of bigger shows and more Ibiza nights. It should just be bigger and better and I am ready!”

Laidback Luke starts his Australian tour next Tuesday, Australia Day eve!!

Tuesday 25 January - Old Adelaide Gaol, Adelaide
Wednesday 26 January - Salt on the Beach, North Fremantle
Friday 28 January - The Met, Brisbane
Saturday 29 January - Platinum, Gold Coast
Friday 4th February - Billboard, Melbourne
Saturday 5th February - Soho, Sydney

Reel Review : Faithless – The Dance Never Ends (Liberator Music)

2011-01-11T12:44:00.002+10:00

In what proved to be one of the biggest releases of 2010, ‘The Dance’ confirmed the return of Faithless to dancefloors around the world. When it was announced a few months later that Sister Bliss, Maxi Jazz and Rollo would be bringing their live show back to Australia after a six-year hiatus as headliners for the Good Vibrations Festival, Aussie fans thought all their prayers had been answered.

Whether or not someone prayed for a follow up remix album such as ‘The Dance Never Ends’ is questionable, but its release late last year was welcome. Sure, Faithless had parted ways with their major label and had put ‘The Dance’ out independently on their own Nate’s Tunes imprint; they’d inked deals with Italian car maker Fiat and UK supermarket Tesco, leading to the inevitable ‘sell out’ calls from the misinformed around the world.

But what could be summed up by some as a cash grab is anything but, for this remix album is remarkable as it confirms Faithless’ relevance on the global electronic scenes. The trio have pulled off somewhat of a coup, enlisting the talents of some of electronica’s biggest names – and a few surprises - to rework tracks off the original LP. Sister Bliss, speaking with ITM late last year, put it like this:

“Having been around for 15 years we still feel really relevant and also [we] feel like DJs are still playing our music and they’re up there in the clubs with the rest of them, which was the aim of this album.”

“It’s sometimes easier to start with a more club oriented album in the first place when you’re doing remixes and it’s really gratifying that the best people in the business all turned around and said ‘yes’, they wanted to work with us.”

It’s gratifying for fans, too. This release is a double delight; disc one showcases ‘The Dance’ in all its glory. Disc two, meanwhile, takes those tracks and puts them in the hands of Eric Prydz, Tiesto, Armin van Buuren and Toolroom Records chief Mark Knight, among others.

All remixes deliver their maker’s distinct sound. Eric Prydz’s take on ‘Not Going Home’ is deep and dark, allowing Maxi Jazz’s vocal to shine through. Defected artist ATFC, meanwhile, delivers a main-room house interpretation of ‘Feel Me’.

Somewhat out of place, at least if we're talking electronic genres, is Australia’s own Temper Trap, who turn in a remix of ‘Comin Around’, the original on which lead singer Dougy Mandagi appears as vocalist. Their effort is brilliant for its simplicity and, as Sister Bliss remarked, is a “lovely take on the original”.

Elsewhere, Italian duo Crookers turn in a wicked remix of ‘Tweak Your Nipple’, while Mark Knight follows up his 2009 remix of ‘Music Matters’ with a tough remix of ‘Sun To Me’. Armin van Buuren and Tiesto impress with their respective remixes of ‘Not Going Home’ and ‘Tweak Your Nipple’, but it’s emerging US producer Penguin Prison and his playful remix of ‘Feel Me’ which is this hack's pick. Other efforts from German trance mainstayers Kyau & Albert and up-and-coming producer Calida also impress.

All in all this is a top-shelf effort and one which again confirms Faithless’ relevance amid an increasingly saturated electronic scene. Maxi Jazz and Dido’s vocals never lose their shine; respective remixers are true to the original tracks but build from them, instead of breaking them down completely and shaping the mix from their ashes. If you’ve already got ‘The Dance’, this is well worth downloading. If you don’t, pick this up as a double CD and it will surely entertain as festival season rolls on, and onto one in February in particular.

Thomas Schumacher - Getting Physical

2011-01-02T12:43:00.002+10:00

The Berlin-based DJ-producer has long been regarded as one of the top names in European house and techno.

By Tim McNamara

Since the mid 1990s, Schumacher has impressed with his brand of Detroit-inspired club music released on some of Europe’s finest underground imprints including Bush Records and Superstition. It has been with pioneering Berlin label Get Physical, however, where he has felt most at home and the label’s just-released 8th anniversary compilation – which Schumacher mixed – again demonstrates what’s possible when an artist at the top of his game links with a label bold enough to push the musical boundaries.

The double-disc release features upfront cuts from the likes of Emerson Todd and Tim Green, Groove Armada’s Andy Cato and label owners Booka Shade, DJ T and M.A.N.D.Y., making it a typically eclectic release and one Schumacher thoroughly enjoyed compiling.

“That’s why I love Get Physical so much and this is why I consider it my home label,” he says.

“They’ve always been globally regarded as a house or tech-house label but what they also do is always release electronica and leftfield stuff and I love that.

“I really wanted to showcase the diversity of Get Physical because of course people around the world know the house side of it but there’s another side of it too.”
Currently in Australia playing dates in support of the compilation, Schumacher – whose wife is Australian – admits he had a choice of whether to play festival or club dates, and the choice was obvious.

“The last two years I’ve felt like the festivals are obviously taking off in Australia; they’re getting bigger and bigger, but I always feel like it’s super important that you support the club scene because that’s the core,” he says.

It’s now been over four years since the release of Schumacher’s third studio album ‘Home’ and he reveals the wait is nearly over for the follow up, even though he admits the digital era has shifted the momentum from albums to singles.

“I see it all the time when you have artists whose singles are hugely successful…but then they release the album and it’s just not happening,” he says.

“It’s just the way people are consuming music right now that doesn’t really support the album format but I’m sure that will change again.”

“My plan is to finish the album by May-June so it should be out in Autumn of 2011. I’m really excited because it’s been way too long since my last album but I produced DJ T’s album last year; there’s always so much to do!”

Get Physical's 8th Anniversary release is out NOW!

Tracklist
01. M.A.N.D.E.A.R - Buddies
02. Lee Curtiss - The Disco Dub
03. Delete aka Sergio Muñoz - Lunchbox
04. Andy Cato - Bassline Track
05. Noa Siano - Deep Down
06. Kris Wadsworth - It's Time
07. Thomas Schumacher - You Got Me
08. Emerson Todd vs Tim Green - Make Me
09. Steed Lord - You (Keine Musik Remix)
10. Elektrochemie vs. Tiger Stripes - Pleasure Seeker vs. Me & I
11. Italoboyz - Stand Clear
12. Booka Shade - Teenage Spaceman (Booka In Space Remix)
13. Nôze - Kitchen (Pop Version)
14. Damian Lazarus - After Rave Delight
15. Raz Ohara And The Odd Orchestra - The Burning (Desire)
16. DJ T. - Gorilla Hug (Nicolas Jaar Remix)
17. Nôze - You Have To Dance (Mathias Kaden's Mouthacapellapolka Remix)
18. Lopazz - Wasted Days
19. Adultnapper vs M.A.N.D.Y. - 201

Thomas Schumacher is currently in Australia playing select dates; check his Myspace for full details! http://www.myspace.com/ultimatethomasschumacher

*Published in Scene Magazine, Wednesday 15 December 2010.

Digitalism - We're Not Electro

2010-12-30T15:44:00.003+10:00

It’s been nearly three years since Jens ‘Jence’ Moelle and İsmail ‘Isi’ Tüfekçi seemingly ruled the world with their brand of techno-infused electronica showcased on their debut LP ‘Idealism’.

By Tim McNamara

The duo had already been in high demand since first emerging from Germany in 2004 on the back of well-received releases like ‘Idealistic’ and ‘Zdarlight’ on French imprint Kitsune. It was 2007’s ‘Pogo’, however, with its punk-like vocal and driving synths, that really struck a chord with fans around the world and saw their profile rise meteorically almost overnight. Big room remixes for the likes of Daft Punk, Cut Copy, The Presets, Klaxons and The Cure further endeared them to mainstream audiences and their album subsequently enjoyed widespread critical and commercial success.

Alongside fellow poster boys Justice and the Ed Banger crew, Digitalism were touted as ‘next big things’ during the electro boom that took Australia – and many other parts of the world - by storm during this period. As Moelle explains from his studio in Hamburg, however, being placed in the electro box never sat well with he and Tüfekçi.

“I would say we’re a two-person electronic band; we don’t really like the term electro,” he says.

“Electro house…for us sounds a bit cheesy sometimes. It sounds…a bit like Moet champagne, parties and VIP areas. We’re into much more than creating only (sic) music for the dancefloor. We’re really into singing/songwriting stuff as well but we still try to combine it with synthesizers, compression. We’re basically like a pumped-up electronic garage band; that’s how I would see it.”

Many would agree, but as the whining dross of electro thankfully subsided in recent years and impressionable young DJ-producers instead turned their attention to more quality sounds like dubstep and traditional deep house, Digitalism were seen by many as casualties of a scene they never professed to champion. Moelle explains electro’s fading fortunes like this:

“Everything gets too much at a certain time and then it drops into something new and people don’t want to be part of it anymore,” he says.

“When there’s too many people following a certain thing people try and do the opposite. Everything goes in waves.”

Right he is, for since 2008 Digitalism have retreated from the international spotlight, juggling reduced touring commitments with heavy studio time. Their ‘Blitz EP’ - released a few months ago on Kitsuné – is the first single to emerge. Already receiving good play on Triple J, it is main room madness at its finest, with a killer loop that announces in no uncertain fashion that Digitalism are back.

While some would assume the single aims to build a bridge between the prolific output evident on ‘Idealism’ and new material to be showcased on Digitalism’s anticipated follow-up LP to be released early next year, Moelle maintains it’s nothing of the sort.

“It was kind of a very quick decision to release it; that’s why it’s called Blitz,” he explains.

“It’s a very quick release. It’s not meant to be anything more than just a small in-between release. It’s not meant to be [a] comeback 12-inch; it’s not meant to be linked to anything else coming up later on. It’s just the Blitz EP.

“Having that in mind, the reactions were very very good. We didn’t really expect much from it...We did some synthesizer tests…in the studio [and] at one point we had this amazing loop we wanted to work on a bit more. We just tried it out over the summer.”

Moelle admits Digitalism’s absence from Australia for nearly two years – coupled with a limited production output during that time – may make it a little more difficult for he and Tüfekçi to reconnect with fans. Nevertheless, he promises the wait will be worth it as they have plenty of new material to roadtest while in Australia over the Christmas and New Year period.

“That’s why we’ve not been to Australia for two years…basically [we’ve] been back home in Hamburg in the studio because we thought it’s time to write some new music,” he says.

“That’s what we’re working on at the minute. We’ve been testing lots of things over the (European) summer [and] we’ve stepped into the next phase of production here so there’s lots of interesting new stuff to be dropped in our DJ sets when we’re over there.”

Products of Germany’s infamous music scene, Moelle says current sounds throughout Deutschland reinforce dance music’s continuing penetration into the commercial realm, a penetration Digitalism are keen to be a part of, but not at the expense of losing their underground credibility.

“It was always been very big but more underground big if you know what I mean,” he explains of the German scene of yesteryear.

“It had a very good reputation…but nothing emerged from the underground or no club hits have turned into chart success.

“But that’s changed now because this pretty in-your-face sound that emerged over the last few years. Even old school people like Armand van Helden and Steve Aoki, they’re really big in Germany right now.

“There’s the original minimal, deep, techno scenes in Germany and then there’s all these young kids, new producers appearing on the surface which is very interesting. There’s a big buzz about it.”

As the digital era sees many of their contemporaries experiment with laptop sets and visual elements, Digitalism remain proud purists at heart.

“Sometimes it might make sense to do a set on Ableton or Tractor but we just don’t like it,” Moelle say.

“It might be more convenient but it’s not as much fun as actually having to mix. I think there’s lots of people DJing now who didn’t even have to learn that because you don’t have to. You can also DJ without learning how to mix.

"[Ours is] a very basic DJ set up. We don’t bring any laptops or any of that kind of stuff. We want to keep it quite physical and let the music speak. That’s where we’re coming from.”

Digitalism are touring Australia NOW: check www.myspace.com/digitalism.

*Published in Scene Magazine, Wednesday 22 December (www.scenemagazine.com.au)

Miike Snow - Recognise, Bitch!

2010-12-25T20:14:00.004+10:00

Still riding the wave of acclaim that accompanied their 2009 self-titled debut LP, Miike Snow’s lead singer Andrew Wyatt reveals the new year will see the three-piece launch a second assault on the international charts.

Singles ‘Animal’, ‘Silvia’, ‘Black & Blue’ and ‘The Rabbit’ have all enjoyed success outside Miike Snow’s traditional indie-pop audience, but it’s hardly surprising given the group’s links with the commercial and electronic scenes.

Miike Snow’s production team of Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg have previously worked with Madonna and Kelis and even won a Grammy for Best Dance Music Recording for their work with Britney Spears on ‘Toxic’. Mark Ronson, Italy’s Crookers, Tiga and Netsky, meanwhile, are just a few to have remixed Miike Snow’s singles, making their music accessible to tech heads and drum & bass aficionados alike. It’s this broad appeal which no doubt contributed to the success of their first visit to Australia earlier this year.

“We were quite pleased; never having been down there before we didn’t know what to expect at all,” Wyatt recalls.

“Our first show was at Splendour In The Grass and it was 2:00pm or something… and we didn’t think there were going to be that many people there.

“We didn’t really expect anything and then we came out there and there were 12000 people out there and they all knew most of the songs.”

Confirmed to play next year’s Good Vibrations Festival, Wyatt reveals that tour will mark the end of a manic 32 months of touring and will be the last time the first album is performed live before he, Winnberg and Karlsson bunker down in the studio to work on the follow up. As he explains, the mixture of a hit first record and being signed to renowned Downtown Records does create some pressure.

“You feel like you want to change it to suit yourself but you also don’t want to lost your audience that likes what you do already,” he says.

“You’re never content to just keep doing the same thing again so there’s always this temptation and that balance that you have to walk.

“It’s a little daunting but also very exciting [and] we do have a bunch of songs and a bunch of ideas. We’re always constantly putting ideas down in one form or another.

[But] it’s too early to say what it’s going to sound like but I think the way we came together to play live is going to greatly affect the second LP.”

Miike Snow play Good Vibrations around Australia from mid February.

Freestylers: Still Pushing

2010-12-20T10:04:00.002+10:00

They may have enjoyed major commercial chart success on the back of crossover singles like ‘Push Up’, but the Freestylers have always preferred dark clubs to Top Of The Pops appearances, says foundation member Aston Harvey.

“I know we’ve always crossed between underground and pop sort of stuff, but I think mainly we’ve been more underground than we have over, if you can say that,” he reflects from London.

Nevertheless, the success of ‘Push Up’ – which reached number 2 on the national charts back in 2004 – and other singles like ‘Get A Life’ and the earlier ‘B-Boy Stance’ have seen Harvey and fellow foundation member Matt Cantor tour the world as champions of breakbeat and party-starting electronica.

Since forming 15 years ago, the duo has released four studio albums - including 2006’s ‘Adventures In Freestyle’ - half a dozen mix compilations and dozens of singles, all of which have struck a particular chord in Australia, a region where the duo remain hugely popular. As Harvey explains, however, their forthcoming summer tour promises a few surprises.

“What we’ve been doing for the past year or so is perfecting this ‘decks and effects’ [show] where Matt will be spinning the tunes and I’ll be doing sound effects and scratching, accapellas,” he says.

“People will be hearing older tracks but in a newer way because they’ve got new things going over the top.”

“We’re also trying out a whole visual thing; we’ve had a visual reel done for us so we’ve upped the ante. It’s the first one we’ve had done so we’ll see how we go.”

Having been firmly ensconced in the breakbeat camp for so long, Harvey is happy to reveal the Freestylers’ new material - including recent single ‘Cracks’ featuring Belle Humble – demonstrates an evolving versatility in the studio. Dubstep is just one of many new influences present in their new music and their fifth album – slated for release some time in 2011 – aims both to connect with older fans as well as attract a new legion of Freestylers fans.

“We’ve been coming there (Australia) since about ’98; obviously the crowd has changed,” he says.

“A lot of people are maybe just getting into us so it’s kind of good that we’re attracting new fans as well.

“You have to be wary. You’re playing club music…you have to be playing what’s current. Obviously dub step is massive now everywhere so you put that in your sets.

“[But] we stick to what we do best.”

The Freestylers play Blah Blah Blah at Riverlife, Brisbane, Tuesday 28 December.

Reel Review: Robert Owens - 'Art' (Compost Records)

2010-12-16T11:48:00.002+10:00

For a chap nearly pushing 50, the artist once (and still popularly) referred to as ‘the voice of house music’ still has it. In droves. That unmistakable voice, those rich, honey-tones that first emerged in the 1970s when Robert Owens started singing at his church in Ohio are as smooth as ever on his new LP 'Art'.

Beautifully-written, heartfelt songs and crisp production supplied by former Fingers Inc collaborator Larry Heard, the UK’s Atjazz and others culminate in 19 tracks over two discs which remain true to the dancefloor but retain strong R&B and urban influences. Gospel elements also permeate powerfully to deliver a wonderful release right at home on Munich’s fine Compost label.

The house element is always going to be strong simply because, to many people, Robert Owens is house music. Since forming Fingers Inc with Larry Heard and Ron Wilson in Chicago in the mid 1980s – and releasing classic singles like 'Can You Feel It' during the golden age of Chicago house – Owens has since established himself as an ever-dependable vocalist and has been responsible for some of the most enduring, deep club cuts ever produced. 'Tears', 'I’ll Be Your Friend' and, to a lesser extent, yesteryear’s 'A Greater Love' released on London’s MN2S, have all been added to that exclusive but difficult list to crack – that of the house anthem.

It’s been over three years since Owens’ last album 'Night-time Stories', but Art demonstrates he remains an artist at the top of his game. Heard, Atjazz and Compost label producers Beanfield and Show-B (who feature on the tech-edged 'It Takes Me High' and 'Exhale And Breath') demonstrate a knack for producing powerful tracks that support Owens’ strong vocal performances.

'Be Your Own Hero' and the title track are two of Heard’s strongest contributions on the release, while Atjazz demonstrates his enduring nous on the stripped-back, emotional 'One Love', the late night 'Moments' (sure to create a few on dancefloors) and the Sunday afternoon, down-tempo pearler 'Same Old Thing'.

Every track, however, benefits greatly from Owens’ empowering, positive outlook on life and obvious spiritual connection he continues to champion after decades on the scene. Vocal tracks with that emotional element have been glaringly absent from the international scene in recent years but Owens confirms their enduring relevance on Art. Wonderful.

'Art' is out now through Compost/Inertia.

PNAU - Take Four

2010-12-14T10:05:00.003+10:00

Many questions have been asked of PNAU over the last two years, but very few have been answered. Now, from his studio in Montreal, Nick Littlemore sets the record straight.

By Tim McNamara

Yes, he did run away to join the circus, kind of. Yes, the fourth PNAU album is nearing completion and yes, thank the Lord, PNAU will play in Australia for the first time in over two years when Littlemore returns from self-imposed exile to play the Big Day Out from late January.

“I’m so hanging to come back,” he says.

“So looking forward to it; it’s going to be a real homecoming for me. The Big Day Out is gonna be the best Christmas present ever for me.”

And well it might be, for the eccentric artist has been doing many things since the runaway success of PNAU’s 2007 self-titled third album threw him and partner Peter Mayes into the international spotlight, but spending time in Australia hasn’t been one of them.

After the relative failure of 2003’s ‘Again’ LP, PNAU fans were left wondering if the duo had lost their touch first demonstrated on their 2000 debut ‘Sambanova’. The success of ‘PNAU’, however, saw Littlemore and Mayes grab worldwide attention on the back of singles ‘Wild Strawberries’, ‘Baby’ and ‘Embrace’ and corresponding remixes courtesy of French wonderboy Breakbot and Littlemore’s brother Sam La More. The duo was suddenly being promoted by Sir Elton John and, as a result, was feted by labels around the world for a follow up as fans clamoured for more of PNAU’s original, pop-influenced electronica.

But Mayes and Littlemore had other ideas back then, most notably their Empire Of The Sun project with Luke Steele. That little group took pride of place for two years, in the process winning a massive seven ARIAs and two APRAs. While Steele took the EOTS show on the road, Littlemore stayed in the UK working on the fourth PNAU LP in between contributing vocals to Groove Armada’s album and working with Sir Elton John. Rumours swirled around whether the album would ever see the light of day, and Littlemore’s own occasional rants did nothing to quell the hype surrounding his working relationship with Elton John or the future of PNAU and EOTS.

Now, as 2011 dawns, Littlemore confirms the fourth PNAU album, tentatively titled ‘Soft Universe’, is set for release some time next year and will feature a raft of collaborations, including several with PNAU’s chum “Elton”.

“We’ve got a single coming out soon,” he promises.

“It’s really exciting…the record is a very lyrical record. It’s really about trying to find some joy. Purely on a personal level, making these songs, it’s given me a will to want to go on, you know?

“I want to make these as pure thoughts, pure golden moments. I want them to shine; I really want them to connect with everyone in the world, you know?”

Golden moments take time to produce, however, and Littlemore admits the album has been slow going. With Mayes based primarily in Australia and Littlemore being kept busy as musical director for Cirque Du Soleil’s new production opening next year in New York, the duo struggled to find time to get the runs on the board in between weathering the international success of Empire Of The Sun.

“I think it’s chaos, as it’s always been,” Littlemore reflects on the creative process.

“It’s just throwing things at the wall, and sometimes they stick and then sometimes you rub them off but a little bit remains and then that connects to this and then all of a sudden you’ve got a line and maybe with that line you can have a curve.

“You just kind of make shit; it just happens. Some way or another you find it and if you find it and you truly make it, and you dig it, then maybe you put a beat with it and beyond that, I don’t know man.

“When it turns out good you guys get to hear it; when it turns out bad, there’s all these train wrecks.”

Currently preparing for a small number of European shows, Littlemore reveals the PNAU live show has undergone a transformation of sorts and that Big Day Out audiences are in for an energetic display.

“Oh my God, it’s cool; it’s going to be like Bon Jovi, you know the Slippery When Wet tour? It’s going to be just like that,” he says, strangely.

“[But] it’s going to be cool man; the likes of which you’ve never seen.”

2011, it appears, will see him spend more and more time in Australia. After two years abroad, where he confesses he hasn’t “been in the one place for more than three weeks at a time”, there are big plans afoot, which Littlemore discusses in typical cryptic fashion.

“We’re planning a very big event next Homebake actually,” he reveals.

“I think that’s going to blow everything out of the water, with a very very special guest.”

I suggest Elton John as that possible special guest, but Littlemore won’t give any more away, instead launching into a piano solo in his studio, which he continues for a minute or so. When he returns, it’s in a philosophical mood.

“It’s been a trip,” he says of the last two years.

“I’ve met all kinds of people; amazing people I never thought I’d meet and worked with them. The journey’s explosive. I can’t find a place to put a point because the universe just keeps expanding at such a rate that you can’t find your feet anymore.”

Okay.

When it’s suggested he and Mayes are under considerable pressure to follow up the third album with a fourth of similarly accessible hits, Littlemore is quick to respond.

“We never had a hit”, he says dismissively.

“I don’t think I’ve reached the heights of a….small flowering shrub…there’s a very long journey to go, I hope, I wish, I pray, everyday, to be able to be blessed to be able to make music. It’s a beautiful job man, there’s nothing better than this; I’m very lucky.”

Following another brief piano solo, Littlemore reveals, contrary to reports he and Luke Steele are on non-speaking terms, that Empire Of The Sun will indeed reign again.

“I talked to Luke the other day; we’re doing a new record,” he says.

“We’ve already written a couple of tunes; you know when it’s right I guess.”

“All projects, I think they find their way...you just create the environment and the record, it kind of makes itself.”

And with that – and another brief piano flourish - Nick Littlemore was off into the Montreal night. If he’s only half as entertaining on stage as he is over the phone, the BDO massive are in for a rare treat come January.

PNAU play the Big Day Out around Australia from late January.

*Published in Scene Magazine, Wednesday 8 December (www.scenemagazine.com.au)*

Reel Review: Gotan Project @ Brisbane Powerhouse, Saturday 4 December

2010-12-06T12:27:00.003+10:00

The French-Argentinean outfit brought their critically-acclaimed live show to Brisbane for the first time on Saturday night, the first stop of a four date Australian tour in support of their third album, ‘Tango 3.0’. In a word: brilliant.

Gotan’s brand of electronic-influenced tango music conjures images both of smoky Parisian cafes and dark Buenos Aires tango halls, and foundation members Philippe Cohen Solal, Christoph H. Müller and famous Argentine guitarist Eduardo Makaroff – replete in tango suits and hats – did well to recreate such an atmosphere over the course of their 90 minute set.

Accompanying visuals competed for the audience’s attention as the band comprising of a wildly-talented violinist, pianist, bandoneón player and, perhaps most importantly, world-famous tango singer Claudia Pannone, impressed with classic tunes from all three Gotan Project albums including the now modern-classic, 2001's groundbreaking 'La Revancha del Tango'. ‘Santa Maria’, ‘Triptico’, the rap-infused ‘Mi Confession’ and the new crowd-pleaser, ‘Panamerica’ all featured to polite - yet building - applause.

By the time of the second encore the crowd were on their feet. This may have been Gotan’s first visit to Brisbane but, judging from the reception, it won’t be their last. We can only hope.

Flying Lotus : Game Changer

2010-12-01T10:35:00.003+10:00

Much of Steven Ellison’s music sounds like it’s from the future, but as his latest Australian tour beckons, Flying Lotus is content to reflect on the past.

“It’s so funny man because I remember the first time I played (Australia) there was nothing like what I do,” the LA-based multi-genre experimentalist recalls.

“I played a show in Australia and people were still playing breaks and…they were like
“what? This is weird!”.

“Now there’s kids over there who do this kind of music. It’s really interesting; I’m curious as to what the scene is going to be like when I get there this year. I’ve been thinking about that quite a bit to be honest.”

Ellison’s music, similarly, provokes much thought. Since emerging with his debut LP – ‘1983’ – in 2006, the 27 year-old has proven adept at dodging genres, experimenting with everything from downtempo and hip-hop to dreamy electronica complete with computer game beeps, tweeps and squelches. His third album – ‘Cosmogramma’ – released earlier this year, was another critically-acclaimed offering and continued his abstract ways.

In keeping with his unpredictable nature, the great-nephew of the late great John Coltrane reveals 2011 will see him branch out into other forms of artistic expression. Increasingly, it appears, Ellison will pursue his other love – film-making – while working to incorporate a visual element to his live performances.

“I’m trying to see…where I need to be the next year,” he explains.

“I never wanted to be like a celebrity-DJ type person. I don’t want that to be my M.O.. I don’t want to live that life.

“There’s a lot of opportunities that have opened up for me this year. I want to take some time and do things that are obviously creative but not necessarily having to tour so much.

“I’ve been lucky enough to meet a lot of amazing filmmakers that I’ve been inspired by and able to connect with now. It’s really got me thinking about working on something like that for next year.

“There’s an idea already but I don’t like talking about that stuff just yet!”

Ellison’s music evokes memories of early offerings from Four Tet but aside from the two having released on Warp Records, that’s where the similarities end. His ‘Pattern + Grid World’ EP released in September offers a glimpse into the mind of an artist who uses music to fuel many other artistic pursuits.

“I think I definitely put myself in a position to be inspired by all art, whether it’s commercial art, new art, old, vintage art, music, film, fashion,” he says.

“I spend so much time devouring everything [and] I definitely like to be present but I know when to keep my head down too I think.”

Australian fans have the chance to catch FlyLo, as he’s affectionately called, throughout early January where, in addition to performances by Hudson Mohawke and fellow angeleno Gaslamp Killer, Ellison will be playing alongside noted brothers Ronald Brunner Jr and Stephen ‘Thundercat’ Brunner.

“When I play I like to party too, you know, and I imagine we’re going to get down when we get there; it’s going to be very fun,” he says.

While the tour promises to feature cuts from all three albums – and will no doubt lead to offers to collaborate with Australia’s own experimental musicians, Ellison reveals much of his tour down time will be spent developing visual artwork and not, surprisingly, on making new tunes.

“I definitely have a lot of producer friends there but I’m not really in that space at the moment where I want to be working on that kind of music,” he says.

“I’m really interested in the visual work right now so I’m anxious to link up with a lot of visual artists when I’m there this time round and build some things for next year with some friends.”

By his own admission, 2011 promises to be full of surprises.

“I feel like I’ve spent so much time out [on the road] that I haven’t gone inward in awhile so I need to do that for some time and just realize my mission,” he says.

“I want to be able to, not necessarily just make an album but I want to produce for other people, I want to do some rap stuff….and kind of give a little bit in all areas that I’m interested in.”

Flying Lotus plays at The Tivoli, Brisbane, on Sunday January 2; full tour info available at his MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/flyinglotus

Plump DJs : Nice & Ripe

2010-11-22T12:19:00.003+10:00

It wouldn’t be an Australian summer without a visit from the UK’s Plump DJs.

Since the release of their acclaimed ‘A Plump Night Out’ live mix album in 2000, Lee Rous and Andy Gardner have fashioned a well-deserved reputation as one of the UK’s premier electronic acts. While their energetic brand of electronica is most often labeled breakbeat, the Plumps have always resisted being pigeonholed, instead preferring to mix up various musical styles, all underlined, mind you, by heavy beats and driving bass.

Over the course of three studio albums - 2003’s ‘Eargasm’, 2005’s ‘Saturday Night Lotion’ and 2008’s ‘Headthrash’ – Rous and Gardner have constantly evolved their sound. After parting ways with long-time label Finger Lickin’ following the release of ‘Headthrash’, the Plumps have since focused their energies on pushing their own Grand Hotel imprint, hard work which is already paying off.

“We’ve been on such a great run with Finger Lickin’ Records, and everybody realized that it was time to get on with the new,” Rous explains from Miami, where he and Gardner are on tour.

“We’ve also moved away from Fabric this year…we’ve been working really hard this summer to set up a new platform for ourselves musically [and] Grand Hotel has come together really nicely. We’re getting some support from the Crookers, Bloody Beetroots, Fatboy Slim, Moby, A-Trak; all sorts of DJs are playing Grand Hotel records.”

Set to touch down in Australia on Boxing Day for a mammoth six date tour, Rous promises punters will be treated to a heap of new material. Fans not able to catch them on tour, meanwhile, will be able to catch an exclusive set broadcast on Triple J. As Rous explains, Australian tours have long proven a great opportunity for the Plumps to push their developing sound with knowledgeable music fans, and this forthcoming visit will be no different.

“It’s not really a conscious decision to move away from breakbeat,” he says of their evolving studio work.

“The new release we’ve just had out on Grand Hotel – ‘Boomer’ – is a breakbeat tune; it’s just that we’ve been experimenting with different styles of music and just trying to let our creativity flow. We’ve trying not to restrict ourselves by thinking of genre at all.”

Such an approach has paid big dividends so far, and Rous admits the success he and Gardner have enjoyed has been “incredible”.

“We didn’t even think the first stages of our career would blossom as they did let alone 12 years down the line,” he says.

“Considering as well that the two of us have never had any chart success. We’ve always tried to experiment and come out with innovative dance music and as a result our sound has always been a little bit underground.”

The Plump DJs will be in Australia from 26 December; for more info and dates check out their site, http://www.plumpdjs.co.uk/

Reel Quote: Sister Bliss (Faithless)

2010-11-17T12:32:00.005+10:00

“When we first started we weren’t even a live band. We were just a studio project, me, Maxi and Rollo in the studio. We only put a band together because we were so incredibly unsuccessful selling our albums. We were selling like 15 copies a week of Reverence!

"....We basically cobbled together a band of people who were just hanging around the studio - and there happened to be quite a lot of them - so you get that kind of multi-textured sound that Faithless is well-known for.

"We did our first gig at the Jazz Café which is a tiny venue and people were just clamouring at the door. Paul Oakenfold and Sasha were outside and couldn’t even get in!

"Then our European record label…found out that we had a band and they said ‘You must come to Germany, the record’s going up the charts’ and we were like ‘Really? OK’.

"It was like a baptism of fire from playing a tiny little 400 seater venue to playing 1000 to 5000 people in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It was kind of crazy.

"Suddenly we became this mammoth touring operation; it suddenly became serious...We suddenly realised that through touring as well as having a strong club fan base, we were actually reaching more people. We didn’t know that anyone would be interested in the first album, let alone the live band, let alone the show, but we began to tour and luckily we began to tour off the back of a burgeoning hit record which was 'Insomnia'.

"It was an incredibly formative time and then we went onto make a second album, and then a tour and then people were asking us to headline - we started to move up the bill at festivals – and there was a real buzz. We honed our show and realised that we did have an audience.

"Something that started as an accident has become, if you like, a very important part of what people love about Faithless, [that] is, the live experience."

Sister Bliss reminisces on the origins of the now-revered Faithless live show ahead of the group's anticipated return to Australia as headliners of the Good Vibrations Festival.

*Full feature to follow in coming weeks.

Reel Review: Various - 'Re:Play : Five Years Of Made To Play'

2010-11-16T17:52:00.003+10:00

Notching up five years is a major feat for any independent label these days; the digital age may have made many things easier for musicians and label owners, but making money isn’t one of them.

Mention the label releases ‘underground house’ and the fact it survives five years becomes even more impressive, but impressive is a word regularly used to describe Jesse Rose and his Made To Play imprint. This fifth anniversary double disc compilation is no different and is a fine collection of cuts that have made the label one of the most consistent house imprints of recent years.

Indeed, Made To Play’s success can be seen as an example of how a label can make money; its 36 releases and several compilations are just the beginning. There’s Made To Play stickers, t-shirts and even pillow cases. Rose has turned his labour of love into a truly international operation comprising a management agency with offices in Berlin, London and, shortly, in LA.

Coupled with Rose’s own global club-hopping antics (which the Parklife tour saw not long ago), the label – which he runs alongside his already-lauded Front Room Recordings imprint – has taken on a life of its own, to the point that this compilation is as much a celebration of the last five years as a warning that we ain’t seen nothing yet.

But onto the compilation. Rose, who is British-born but has lived in Berlin for years, has been a vocal supporter of evolving house sub-genres like fidget throughout his career, and the influence his time in the German capital has had on Made To Play’s output is hard to ignore. It’s as if each track draws inspiration from his notorious Made To Play residency at Berlin’s Panorama Bar, where fresh is best and chin-strokers applaud adventurous – and at times weird – takes on classic house.

Many major Made To Play artists feature over disc one, a DJ-friendly unmixed collection of 10 new tracks and remixes that were put together solely for this fifth anniversary compilation. Rose and Riva Starr start things off with arguably the track of the compilation – 'Start The Weekend' – which, with its disco hook and party-starting vibe sets the scene for other offerings by Round Table Knights, Oliver $ and Zombie Disco Squad. Rose and Riva Starr feature heavily throughout disc one, the latter for the fact his successful 'If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade' LP was released earlier this year on Made To Play, the former for more obvious reasons.

Disc 2, a mix by Rose, is more retrospective than disc 1; Oliver $ opens the mix with 'Lost Arrival', before Riva Starr’s 'I Was Drunk' drops, here given the remix treatment by Horatio and Katoline. Rose’s own 'Where Were You (Last Night)' follows, before tracks and remixes by Cevin Fisher, Deepgroove and Jamie Anderson’s Idiotproof project and Round Table Knights raise the tempo.

Rose drops his own 'Non Stop' Dub towards the end before we get a one-minute taste of Claude von Stroke’s remix of Magik Johnson’s 'Scanning For Viruses'. Jan Driver’s 'Rat Alert' follows before Riva Starr’s 'Tribute' ends the mix with a dose of heavy synth goodness.

Included with the physical CD is a 48-page book charting the rise and rise of the label. Overall, this compilation will please fans of left-of-centre house; main room ‘heads may find it a little hard to swallow in places, but this is arguably Rose’s intention. Made To Play has sought to evolve the house genre and this five-year anniversary compilation does that nicely. Here’s to five more.

Re:play: Five Years Of Made To Play is out now on Made To Play.

Major Lazer - ATTENTION!!

2010-11-15T11:00:00.003+10:00

Take two genre-hopping electronic music producers, add lashings of dancehall, reggae and hip hop beats, throw in some wicked vocalists and leave to settle in a recording studio in Jamaica. What do you get?

You get Major Lazer, one of 2010’s most-hyped acts and a duo that are set to return to Australia late this month as part of the Stereosonic Festival lineup.

UK fidget house boffin Switch (Dave Taylor) and fast-rising American DJ-producer Diplo (Wesley Pentz) – already known independently as producers and remixers of choice for the likes of Kanye West, Madonna, Christina Aguilera and M.I.A. - surprised, delighted, confused and even appalled some critics when they dropped their debut Major Lazer LP “Guns Don’t Kill People….Lazers Do” in mid 2009.

Recorded in Jamaica at Bob Marley’s Tough Gong Studios, the LP blended dancehall beats, weird samples, reggae, hip hop, dubstep and electronic rhythms with vocal performances by Santigold and noted Jamaican vocalists including Vybz Cartel, Mr. Vegas and Einstein. Dutch DJ-producer Afrojack and Italian house duo Crookers also contributed production-wise. The result was a genre-resisting release that, for awhile, many struggled to understand.

Shakers like “Pon de Floor” and “Keep It Goin’ Louder” certainly worked in clubs (the latter single achieving some commercial success), but was Major Lazer a club act? And, if it wasn’t, just what the hell were two underground producers like Switch and Diplo doing?

Those that already knew the duo’s respective penchants for pushing musical envelopes, however, could see the Major Lazer project as just another challenge for two producers who have long refused to be pigeonholed. For Diplo at least, Major Lazer was born out of a long love for international music and, in particular, Baile Funk (Favela Funk), a sound he discovered while travelling in Brazil throughout 2004 and one he brought back to the US soon after and even made a documentary about.

“When I was digging for old records as a hip hop guy, I always wanted to have something cooler than everybody else…and to surprise people as a DJ,” he explains.

“I have bigger ideas about what I wanna do, what I wanna hear, so that’s what Major Lazer is; sort of like big ideas that are funny [and] stupid.

“Whatever makes us laugh in the studio…usually makes the track. It’s cool because we have full control over it. No one’s telling us what to do. No A&Rs; we do the artwork, we do the videos, we do the music. I needed something where I can have control and not have to worry about someone else fucking it up.”

This autonomy has seen the duo go to great efforts to develop Major Lazer’s cartoon persona, a-la previous efforts by the likes of Gorillaz and even Daft Punk. While he’s touted as a Jamaican commando who parties hard and fights zombies and vampires, Diplo explains there’s another, geographical connection to Major Lazer that appeals to he and Switch.

“It’s kind of like a badge we wear,” he says.

“We’re making a cartoon with Adult Swim about him, all our artwork is about him; our videos are a tribute to him. He’s like the guy we wear on our hats.”

“But,” he adds, “I think that me and him (Switch) both…love going to Jamaica.

“We’ve been working on Jamaican projects for years. I think we just needed a new creative outlet. When M.I.A.’s stuff started to really fucking suck we had to do something else with our beats.”

Yes, you read correctly; that pointed dig at M.I.A. does deserve an explanation. The truth is, Major Lazer might not exist today if it weren’t for the British-Sri Lankan performer.

It was Switch and Diplo’s respective collaborations with M.I.A. on her acclaimed 2005 debut album “Arula” that led to the duo forming a tight working relationship that would eventually lead to Major Lazer. Switch was the driving writing and production force behind M.I.A’s follow up – 2007’s “Kala” - and Diplo and M.I.A. were even rumoured to be an item for awhile.

But when M.I.A.s third album – “Maya” – moved in a different direction to Diplo’s sound, it signaled the end to their studio collaborations, and relationship. Even though she features on “Sound Of Siren” on Major Lazer’s new “Lazers Never Die” EP, it’s clear talking to Diplo there’s some unresolved issues between the pair.

“It’s hard to get things going with her,” he explains of plans to collaborate again.

“She’s really kind of stubborn at the moment so she’s not doing anything that’s actually good, so we’ll let it cool off for a little bit; maybe we’ll come back to her in a little while.”

Beefs and possible reconciliations aside, Major Lazer’s success has seen both Diplo and Switch maintain punishing touring schedules this year. The duo’s energetic live shows have seen them in demand everywhere from Miami’s Ultra Music Festival to Beijing’s Creators Project event. Couple this with remix and production requests by the likes of Mark Ronson and one might be forgiven for Diplo and Switch sometimes struggling with laying down dancehall “riddims” one night and proper house the next. Not so, says Diplo.

“If you’re going to switch up genres I think it takes research,” he says.

“This year I’ve done sessions with Snoop Dogg, I did a punk band, then I did Tiesto (their hugely-successful single, “C’mon”), then I do Major Lazer, then it’s Santigold, then it’s like a soul record. People want me to produce stuff because they trust me, I guess, [for] what I do or the opinion I have about music or what I do creatively.

“Every day I wake up and figure out what I’m going to do and I spend time doing that. I just like to do as much random stuff as possible.”

He’s not lying. Diplo reveals that, in between running his own Mad Decent record label, contributing to the Australian-based Heaps Decent charity he helped found in 2007 (which nurtures the creativity of underprivileged and Indigenous young people and emerging artists) and playing “block parties and shit”, he has his sights set on the next challenge.

“There’s a lot of things I want to do; there’s a lot of TV stuff we’re doing…we’re doing a show with Travel Network,” he says.

“I want to see myself in a year not making music any more but working on films and TV. I think I’ll have three years off.”

You heard it here first; get to Stereosonic to catch Major Lazer while he’s still seeing active duty.

Saturday 27 November, Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney
Saturday 4 December, Melbourne Showgrounds, Melbourne
Sunday 5 December, RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane.

Reel Review: 'Gilles Peterson Presents Worldwide: A Celebration Of His Syndicated Radio Show' (BBE)

2010-11-12T09:34:00.003+10:00

Gilles Peterson is routinely checked as one of the foremost purveyors and champions of global music, and for jolly good reason. His hugely-popular ‘Worldwide’ radio show broadcast weekly on Radio 1 is syndicated, ahhem, worldwide to 17 other stations in 15 countries, and this double CD released last month on the UK’s ever-dependable BBE is a fitting introduction both to that hugely-popular show and Peterson’s own varied tastes.

The French-born, British-raised DJ cut his teeth during the UK’s Acid Jazz boom of the late 1980s, when as A&R for Acid Jazz Records he released forward-facing music by the likes of Brand New Heavies, A Man Called Adam and The Lay-zee Muthas.

His Talkin’ Loud imprint, meanwhile, which he went on to launch in 1990 with fellow tastemaker Norman Jay (then without the MBE), furthered his pioneer status by releasing cuts by MJ Cole, Incognito and Bryan Powell.

To cut a long and unbelievably successful story short, Peterson has since cultivated a global following through his eclectic DJ sets, his latest label Brownswood Recordings and through his tireless support of new and, perhaps most importantly, different music, featured both on his Worldwide program and through the release of several compilations in support of everything from Cuban salsa to Brazilian bossa nova.

‘Worldwide’, then, is a snapshot of some of the tracks Peterson has featured on the program throughout its ten-year history. Nitin Sawhney’s ‘Tides’ – in all its piano-laden glory – starts disc 1 off nicely, before launching into a phat rap by Roots Manuva layered over a nine minute, smoked-out masterpiece (with a killer percussion and horn stab towards the end) by Cinematic Orchestra.

Q-Tip features a bit later on with the party-starter ‘Let’s Ride’, before Erykah Badu, Jill Scott and then Matthew Herbert all step up, the latter in the form of his 2001 smash ‘The Audience’. Elsewhere on disc 1, Amy Winehouse’s 2004’s soul –fuelled ‘Take The Box’ gets a look in, as do Gotan Project in the form of ‘Triptico’. Dizzee Rascal’s ‘I Luv U’, M.I.A.’s ‘Galang’ and Vikter Duplaix’s broken-beat ‘Manhood’ round off the first disc.

Disc 2 continues the global theme. Sa-Ra’s ‘Rosebud’ starts proceedings, its lazy hip-hop theme the perfect intro to Spacek’s rolling ‘Dollar’. Recloose’s hit of yesteryear – ‘Dust’ - adjusts the tempo nicely, leading into Amerie’s commercial crossover ‘1 Thing’, which is sure to get bodies moving. Sebastien Tellier, Little Dragon and Jose James all follow before Theo Parrish’s downright weird ‘Goin’ Downstairs (Part 1)’ sets the scene for a finish by Benga’s ‘Emotions’ and Darkstar’s ‘Aidy’s Girl Is A Computer’.

Never heard of the Worldwide program, and only vaguely of Gilles Peterson? This compilation is for you. It contains a wonderfully diverse range of sounds ranging from broken-beat to hip hop, soul to jazzy electronica and quality, lush downtempo. For existing fans, it’s more of the same from one of world music’s premier tastemakers.

Big ups to the BBE crew for getting such a quality release out to the masses.

Swedish House Mafia - One

2010-11-09T09:46:00.003+10:00

As one third of the Swedish House Mafia alongside childhood friends Steve Angello and Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso is taking over the world, one club at a time.

The three Swedes have just finished another massive Ibiza season where their weekly Masquerade Motel party attracted guests including Kylie Minogue, Benny Benassi and Felix Da Housecat.

Amazingly, in between rocking clubs worldwide, the three have found time to release a new album of edits, bootlegs and remixes – ‘Until One’ – and produce a documentary – ‘Take One’ - to accompany it. As Ingrosso explains, it’s all part of maximizing exposure during the latest electronic music renaissance.

“Dance music is the biggest thing right now,” he says.

“Everybody from the R&B guys to the rappers, hip-hop [and] rock people want to do it now.”

The United States, Ingrosso explains, is where SHM are spending increasing amounts of time, again owing to the industry’s renewed acceptance of big room, commercial-edged house sounds first cleared by the likes of David Guetta and Paul Oakenfold.

“America is so fresh right now,” he explains.

“It’s just like Australia and the UK was 15 years ago. They want to have music everywhere, all the time. It’s so fun to go there now.”

A regular visitor to our shores – most recently last new years eve as part of the massive Sensation White event in Melbourne - Ingrosso is set to return next month as part of the bulging Stereosonic tour. Be prepared for a love in.

“I’m not saying this because you’re an Australian, but I swear, it’s the best country ever, in the world,” he says.

“I’ve been there a lot, I love it there. One of my best friends is from Australia – Dirty South…[and] I really want to move there when I get older.”

Ingrosso may be able to retire to Byron Bay sooner than he think if his own merchandise lines take off. While Angello and Axwell are releasing shoes and clothing lines, Ingrosso-designed and labeled earphones are awaiting release, as is a range of sunglasses.

“All of us have always been so into design and architecture as well,” he says.

“I think it’s combined with music very good. With Steve and Ax, they love clothing and shoes more than anything. I don’t have time right now to do clothing but I’m doing headphones and I’m doing sunglasses….. because I’m a freak, I love sunglasses.”

Sebastian Ingrosso plays the Stereosonic Festival around Australia starting late this month:

Saturday 27 November – Sydney
Sunday 28 November – Perth
Saturday 4 December – Melbourne
Saturday 4 December – Adelaide
Sunday 5 December – Brisbane

Swedish House Mafia’s ‘Until One’ is out now through EMI.

Leftfield - Straight Outta.....

2010-11-01T15:31:00.002+10:00

Surely one of the most surprising – and well-received – names on the 2011 Future Music Festival lineup is Leftfield who, after an eight- year hiatus, is back on stage. Hands in the air people.

British duo Neil Barnes and Paul Daley ruled the world throughout the 1990s on the back of Leftfield’s pioneering productions showcased on their debut LP “Leftism” and 1999’s UK chart-topping follow up “Rhythm And Stealth”. Singles including “Not Forgotten”, “Afrika Shox” and “Phat Planet” blended progressive elements with tribal, breaks, dub, house and even trance influences, making Leftfield one of the 1990s’ most successful electronic acts alongside the likes of Underworld and The Chemical Brothers.

In 2002, however, it ended. Barnes and Daley went their separate ways and nothing else was heard from them, apart from a 2005 Greatest Hits release, which, while brilliant, only served to reinforce the void left by their absence on the scene.

Bowing to persistent requests, however, Barnes resurrected the Leftfield live show earlier this year with appearances at Creamfields and Scotland’s Rockness festivals.

Such was the response that Leftfield will next month embark on a huge UK tour, while their appearance at Future Music Festival early next year is sure to lure some slightly more mature 90s fans out of their easy chairs. As Barnes explains, the Australian tour will be Leftfield’s first.

“We’ve never played Australia before,” he explains.

“It was the biggest mistake; I’m buzzing about it; I’ve wanted to go to Australia and play for a long time so this is a dream for us really.

“I’ve got goose pimples running down my back at the thought of coming over to Brisbane to play for you lot!”

While Daley is not contributing to the Leftfield revival, and Barnes admits there is no new Leftfield material in the pipeline, he confirms the live show has been completely reworked.

“I’ve taken the original tracks and redone them in a way that keeps the idea of what Leftfield was,” he says.

“The original Leftfield shows were very remixed; at the time, they were an opportunity to get away from the albums whereas what I’ve done is go back to the albums.

“I decided I wanted to do it as a live band, as much as possible. Being electronic music you obviously you do have to use computers, which is part of what Leftfield’s music is really.

“It’s a very very technical show [but] it’s not pressing a computer and standing behind a mixing desk; it’s evolved through intensive rehearsals to get it to this level; I can’t wait.”

Leftfield play Future Music Festival in early 2011; organise babysitters now!

Saturday March 5 - Doomben Racecourse, Brisbane
Sunday March 6 - Arena, Joondalup, Perth
Saturday March 12 - Randwick Racecourse, Sydney
Sunday March 13 - Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne
Monday March 14 – Rundle and Rymill Park, Adelaide

Ice Cube - So West Coast

2010-10-27T10:59:00.003+10:00

It’s an uncompromising love for the West that makes Ice Cube the best.

Expressing love for one’s home town is nothing new in music; Lynyrd Skynyrd love “Sweet Home Alabama” and Jay-Z and “New York” are “like that”, as we’ve recently learned. Few artists, however, have used their roots to shape a career quite like Ice Cube has done with his beloved West Coast of the United States.

Born in South Central Los Angeles, the acclaimed rapper was responsible for introducing gangsta rap to the world when, in the late 1980s, he founded Niggaz Wit Attitude (N.W.A) alongside Dr Dre, Eazy-E, MC Ren and DJ Yella.

NWA’s 1988 classic debut LP “Straight Outta Compton" - and the several singles it spawned including "Express Yourself” and the controversial “Fuck Tha Police" - saw Ice Cube develop a reputation as one of the west coast’s original hardmen, one he has since exploited to shape a successful, multi-faceted solo career which today sees him billed as a rapper, actor, producer, director, screenwriter and committed father of four.

While credits for television series “Are We There Yet” and for films Boyz In The Hood, Higher Learning, Three Kings and the Friday and Barbershop franchises have made him a bankable name on Hollywood hill, it’s been Ice Cube’s music that has continued to endear him to a wide international demographic. Early albums “AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted” and “Death Certificate” were two of the defining hip-hop releases of the 1990s, while the “War and Peace” albums and “Laugh Now, Cry Later” continued to champion west-coast rap and hip-hop to the world.

His newly-released ninth studio album – the aptly titled “I Am The West” – takes this long-held love for everything West Coast that little bit further and confirms his reputation as one of the United States’ most socially-aware artists.

The album is a homage to the west coast and contains all the bravado and fronting we’ve come to expect from Ice Cube, along with ubiquitous crisp production and playful, intelligent lyrics. While “Too West Coast” sees him proudly proclaim his “Ego is as big as Heathrow” - and the entire album continues to propel the east-west rivalry - Ice Cube maintains it’s a rivalry today played out only through music as opposed to on the streets, where such “beefs” resulted in the deaths of Tupac Shakur, the Notorious B.I.G and others throughout the mid 1990s.

“It’s not the east-coast west-coast beef that everybody remember from the ‘90s,” he explains from his home in LA where he’s just watched his beloved Oakland Raiders snatch a win in the NFL.

“I think everybody now can represent where they from without pissing anybody off.

“Those beefs are behind everybody; it’s really not where you from, its where you’re at. People represent where they from without offending nobody; it’s cool.”

So, while poignant cracks at Kanye West and Jay-Z throughout “I Am The West” could be seen as stirring the pot, Ice Cube maintains it’s all very much tongue-in-cheek.

“That’s what we call ‘style and grace’, you know what I mean?” he says.

“It’s basically saying, you know, ‘I’m not this one, I’m not that one’, you know, but you gotta know who I am, so it ain’t really dissin’ nobody.”

“I Am The West” - released on Ice Cube’s own Lench Mob Records - is a sharp social commentary on the problems facing the United States early in the 21st century but production-wise, as he explains, it’s also a reflection of how the music industry has changed since the early days of NWA and Westside Connection.

“A few things have changed but not a lot. [It’s] still pretty much a process of kind of discovering what the song should be,” he explains.

“I used to go to the studio back in the day with a crate full of records trying to figure out, you know, what could we use to enhance our record. Now we get musicians in the studio, so it’s more of a traditional session.

“But I [still] approach it like I’ve always approached it, you know; I love to record pretty much with the studio clear of people; just me and my engineer.

“I go in there and then after that just try and build the best song, for what it is, that I can.”

Currently in the middle of an Australian tour alongside Dub C and Crazy Toones, Ice Cube promises Australian fans – for whom he is full of praise - are in store for a night of classic and upfront Ice Cube tunes.

“We’re just trying to come down there and bring some of this Californian love out there,” he says.

“I always plan on doing all my repertoire of hip hop, from NWA to Westside Connection to early solo years and some “I Am The West”; hopefully give people a nice dose of everything.”

“The Australian audience is extremely sophisticated when it comes to hip-hop; what’s hot, what’s not, what they like - I like - because they don’t really take their lead from America. They just kinda figure out who they like.”

Rumours have swirled in recent months about plans to bring the NWA story to the big screen, an ironic development for Ice Cube, whose life has been played out on stage and on screen for over 20 years. While he confirms a biopic of the group Rolling Stone named number 83 in the 100 Greatest Artists Of All Time is “moving forward”, he is hesitant to say more at this stage other than that he “hopes” Dr Dre is involved. The movie business, as he explains, is one he continues to be wary of.

“I would love to act more, but I’m real picky about my movies ‘cause Hollywood, you know, they’ll try to play you,” he says.

“Ultimately I want to always be proud of what I do (movies) [but] I… have hit a total comfort zone when it comes to acting, that I’m assuming some of my best work is ahead of me.”

Catch Ice Cube as he continues his Australian tour:

Wednesday 27 October @ Palace Theatre, Melbourne
Thursday 28 October @ HQ Complex, Adelaide
Friday 29 October @ Metro City, Perth
Saturday 30 October @ Tivoli, Brisbane

“I Am The West” is out now through Lench Mob Records.

Vinyl Slingers - Still Giving It Back

2010-10-21T11:27:00.003+10:00

The Brisbane party machine are back on stage and eyeing a busy summer season before celebrating their ten-year anniversary in 2011.

Few acts better sum up Brisbane’s determined music scene like the Vinyl Slingers. Long accustomed to rocking parties with their energetic and uplifting brand of tuneage, they have been crowd favourites at all the clubs that matter, most recently even outliving their beloved Moon Bar in Fortitude Valley.

After the briefest of hiatuses, during which time DJ Rasp (Soren Osterman) travelled the world and got married while another member welcomed a baby into his family, the group are now set to make an anticipated return to the stage at Alhambra tomorrow night.

While it might appear the Slingers are all grown up, Rasp assures punters that he, Mohair (Rod Evans), Bushboy (Matt Fernz) and Didgerifuze (Adrian Schuster) will be ready to turn it on for their loyal Brisbane fanbase.

“We’ve had a bit of time out for ourselves and family; a bit of quiet time,” he explains.

“[But] we’ve been wanting to get back for awhile. We’ve been putting lots of tunes together for it [and] we’re all very excited.”

Rasp - himself a successful solo DJ, promoter and supporter of quality Australia music – admits Brisbane’s scene has changed greatly since he and the Slingers broke out, but remains optimistic about its future.

“I think Brisbane has a fantastic production scene. There’s a lot of really good artists [but] the club scene itself for me is a little bit hard; it’s tough going,” he says.

“It’s such a popular scene...so it’s hard going if you’re trying to do something a little bit different. That’s a lot more difficult these days.

“One thing we’ve noticed too is that there’s not a lot of live acts. The acts that used to get up in the Moon Bar were great but it’s now dominated by the popular, mainstream stuff. That side of it is getting stronger and stronger.”

“[But] there’s a lot of great stuff being produced and we’re certainly making our mark on the international scene with all of those popular genres so that’s great to see.”

With summer around the corner, Rasp promises the Alhambra gig won’t be the Vinyl Slingers’ last.

“We really love doing the festival circuit and summertime fits our vibe so we’ll kick off with this one,” he says.

“Next year is our ten year birthday so we’ll be doing quite a bit for that, including a tour in the new year.”

Welcome back Brisbane’s own Vinyl Slingers when they play at Alhambra tomorrow, Friday 22 October.

*Photo by Dean Hammer

B6 - The Sound Of Shanghai

2010-10-18T21:10:00.003+10:00

Fusing together techno, minimal and experimental elements has seen B6, aka Lou Nanli, establish himself as one of China’s premier electronic music producers.

Although he's based in China’s pulsating international metropolis of Shanghai, B6 might feel more at home in the depths of Berlin’s Panorama Bar, such do his productions resonate with the celebrated German underground scene.

His debut album, 2008’s ‘Post Haze’, won praise throughout China and beyond for its mix of techno, house and electro rhythms but unfortunately had another result; that of keeping B6 out of the studio to complete the anticipated follow up. All that’s about to change, however, as he explains ahead of his appearance as part of the Gallery Of Modern Art’s Up Late program this Friday.

“Post Haze…set a new ‘me’ as a minimal techno dance music producer from my previous role as an experimental musician,” he explains.

“The album speaks for my technical and music status at that time [but] I haven’t got much time to stay in the studio ever since the release of “Post Haze”; I’ve always been on the tour or performing on stage”.

“After the Up Late performance in Australia, I will have to temporarily stop doing gigs, and get back to my studio for the new album.”

The new album, B6 explains, is top of the agenda in 2011, along with the launch of B6’s own techno label based in Shanghai. If it’s anything like his own Isolation Music imprint which he launched to release experimental and noise art work from 2000 to 2005, fans are in for a treat.

“This city needs one good electronic label and now I have got some producer fellows and possible ways to make it happen,” he says.

While his sound is welcomed with open arms in Europe, B6 admits the Chinese scene is a tougher nut to crack. Shanghai, however, is a notable exception.

“Electronic music took off in china only about a decade ago [but] the entire electronic music scene is still not so well developed,” he laments.

“My music is just very Shanghai [and] electronic music scene there does not necessarily need another transforming progress, it’s naturally grown by the entire multinational population, the unique culture of the city.

“You will find some hints of the past and current Shanghai from my music. Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Hong Kong also have big dance music scenes, but it’s way too commercial just like Shanghai 10 years ago.”

But is commercialism a good thing in a booming market such as China, or is electronic music being left behind?

"I think my answer could be as long as a book," he says.

"As the economic boom as people see in china now, I would say, most of the people is (sic) still experiencing the enjoyments brought by material goods and services.

"Spiritually, music, among other things, is not the most important or one of the very important things for most people.

"At the same time, I must admit that, in general, Chinese people are not really that opened for western culture than you might have thought. We have our own aesthetic system on pop music and traditional music, and it’s totally different to the rest of the world.

"However, this aesthetics is not a pure heritage from our 5000-year history, neither a pure influence from cultures from abroad. It’s more of the result from the economic boom in China in the last 20 years."

B6 plays Up Late at the Gallery Of Modern Art, Brisbane, this Friday 22 October.

http://www.myspace.com/b6music

Reel Review - "Various - Global Underground 39: Lithuania" - Mixed By Dave Seaman

2010-10-13T01:05:00.003+10:00

Following Carl Cox’s thumping Black Rock Desert mix for GU38, the acclaimed label has enlisted British progressive house and techno stalwart Dave Seaman to compile GU39, in what is his fourth GU release following previous stops in Buenos Aires, Cape Town and Melbourne efforts.

Like slipping into a pair of comfortable shoes, Seaman doesn’t disappoint in his anticipated return to the GU stable as he uses the emerging Eastern European scene of Lithuania as inspiration for a two-disc mix of bumping progressive house, techno and beats.

Tracks and mixes from the likes of Dubfire, Trentemoller, Gui Boratto, Boy 8 Bit, Josh Gabriel, Carl Craig, Erol Alkan, Steve Ward, Boysnoize and 16 Bit Lolitas all feature, as do Seaman’s own cuts. Standouts – of which there are many - include Sasha’s blinding remix of Yousef’s ‘Come Home’ that opens disc 2 and German Stimming’s mix of Georg Levin’s 'Falling Masonry’. Thoroughly enjoyable, late night fare. That is all.

Tracklisting

CD1
1) DJ Koze 'Blume Der Nacht' c/w James Teej 'B4 Spring'
2) Mikroboy 'Vom Leben Und Verstehen'
3) Audio Junkies 'Deeper'
4) Audio Junkies 'Chabad'
5) 16 Bit Lolitas 'From the ground up’
6) Fiord 'Chatterbox (King Unique mix)
7) Javier Logares 'El Sueno Espanol'
8) Georg Levin 'Falling Masonry (Stimming mix)
9) Project 'Understand This Groove' c/w Minilogue 'Seconds' (Max Cooper mix)
10) Erol Alkan & Boyznoise 'Avalanche' (Loop) c/w Jemmy & Aztec 'Annexe' (Padapella)
11) King Unique '2000000 Suns Dub'
12) Alexander Kostruba feat. Max Richter 'What Had They Done?'
13) Moonbeam 'Tiger' (Roland M Dill mix)'
14) Roland M Dill Taurine On A Sunday (Egbert mix)'
15) Glenn Morrison 'Triangle & Strings (Tom Middleton mix)'

CD2
1) Yousef 'Come Home (Sasha remix)'
2) Trentmoller 'Sycamore Feeling (Gui Boratto mix)'
3) Fabrice Lig 'Digital Forest'
4) James Talk 'Polar'
5) Barry Jamieson & Charlie May 'Homecoming'
6) Applescal 'Welcome to the Woods'
7) Glenn Morrison 'Under A Pink Cherry Tree'
8) Dubfire 'Rejekt' c/w Quivver 'Yeah Yeah'
9) Fusion F & Come T 'Wonder' c/w Bomb The Bass feat.The Battle of Land & Sea 'Up The Mountain'
10) Dave Seaman & Josh Gabriel 'Vorahnung'
11) Ajello 'Early Sept (Bocca Grand Reprise)'
12) Peter Horrevorts 'Bloody Hands' c/w Solee 'Jule (Pig & Dan mix)
13) Boy 8 Bit 'Baltic Pine (Run Hide Survive mix)' Seaman Re-Edit
14) Carl Craig 'At Les (Christian Smith mix)' c/w Spitzer feat. Kid A 'Too Hard To Breathe (acappella)'
15) Steve Ward 'The Window Between Us & Them'

GU39: Lithuania - mixed by Dave Seaman - is out now through Global Underground/Balance Music and is distributed by EMI.

Hybrid : Reborn

2010-10-08T10:12:00.005+10:00

They’re regular visitors to Australian shores but Hybrid’s latest tour - starting TONIGHT in Brisbane - promises a few surprises.

Chris Healings and Mike Truman have long prided themselves on Hybrid’s versatility. Since forming in Swansea in the late 1990s, the duo’s sound has straddled the boundaries between breaks, progressive house and even trance, but always steadfastly refused to confirm to one particular genre.

Their atmospheric, worldly and often orchestral-backed productions have found their way into film scores, television ads, video games and have even been used to promote Lamborghinis. Despite their dalliances with the commercial world, Hybrid have always retained underground credibility and a pulsating energy that has made them one of the world’s most exciting live electronic acts.

Four studio albums - including this year’s ‘Disappear Here' - have endeared the duo to fans around the world and while Australians will have to wait a little longer to witness the new live show that debuted at Glastonbury earlier this year – and which included new Hybrid member, vocalist Charlotte James - Healings assures fans are set for some surprises during his Hybrid DJ tour kicking off at Bar Soma this weekend.

“It’s me doing a lot more of the club mixes myself,” he says of the Hybrid Sound System format he will bring to Australia.

“It’s a bit of a new sound, a new DJ set up with computer, effects unit [and] samplers. A lot of new Hybrid music is going to be played on this tour.

“At the moment I’m hoarding all these new tunes. I’m trying to desperately finish a couple of brand new Hybrid Soundsystem mixes, which is really, I think, forward-thinking electronic music and that’s what I plan to play down there because I think people appreciate it.

“As Mike has said previously, we’ve never had a bad show in Australia and I don’t think we ever will because the people know what’s going on down there.

“You go to a couple of countries, Florida in the US for example, where they’re really stuck in their old Miami bass or breakbeat days and want us to do the music we were doing 10 years ago.

“We don’t get that in Australia; they’re forward-thinking people musically, and that reflects.”

The addition of James to the Hybrid lineup earlier this year signaled the start of a new era for the group. With their commitments to long-time label Distinct’ive Records all but over, 2011 will see Hybrid’s own label – Kill City Records – launch. The imprint will be an outlet through which Hybrid’s future artist albums, more club-facing remixes and productions released under Healings’ Hybrid Sound System moniker and film scores and ads completed under Hybrid Scores, will see the light of day.

“There’s a lot of different sides to Hybrid at the moment and it’s a very exciting time,” Healings explains.

“There’s a load of mad music that we’ve got ready, that we’ve been hoarding… that we didn’t want to give to anyone else because it’s quite precious.

“But also at the same time there’s a lot of other stuff we want to do like glitchy techno, ambient techno. Charlotte wants to do some folk-y- techno stuff. There’s going to be a whole wealth of different music that you’ve never heard before.”

Despite independent labels continuing to struggle, Healings believes Kill City Records will prove a worthy outlet for Hybrid’s future releases and champions the music industry’s current “independent evolution”.

“Everyone has to fight for their corner, everyone has to work that little bit harder, [but] I think is great; in any business you go through stages like this.”

“We’re not multi-selling, platinum artists, but I like where we are at the moment and I like the way we’ve got things set up and I like the fact we can do exactly what we want to do.

“It’s almost like we’ve been reborn, not because we got out of the record deal but just because of the scope of work that we can achieve now [between] the three of us.

“I think it’s a great time for everybody. There’s a whole wealth of music that we’ve never had the opportunity to put out, that we have bubbling away from the whole of
Hybrid's career that we can now release.”

Hybrid's Chris Healings kicks off the Hybrid Sound System tour this weekend:

Friday 8 October - Bar Soma, Brisbane
Saturday 9 October - Savvy, Adelaide
Friday 15 October - Academy, Canberra
Saturday 16 October - Chinese Laundry, Sydney

www.hybridsoundsystem.com
www.myspace.com/hybridsoundsystem

Reel Review: Various - Tensnake In The House

2010-10-08T09:54:00.003+10:00

With another huge Ibiza season now behind them, London’s Defected Records have turned their attention to their brilliant In The House series and unleashed another snapshot of some of the best electronic music around.

The series widely-known as “the definitive guide to upfront and classic house’ has rolled with the punches throughout its ten year history. While the likes of House legends Kenny Dope, Dimitri From Paris, Danny Krivit, Martin Solveig, Joey Negro, Bob Sinclar, Dennis Ferrer and Louie Vega have all contributed well-received mixes, Defected have never been shy to offer the mantle to left-of-centre names, with Jazzy Jeff, Gilles Peterson and, most recently, The Shapeshifters also chipping in.

The latest, compiled and mixed by Germany’s Tensnake, aka Marco Niemerski, is another bold effort and one not many might expect but, unsurprisingly, it works. Over two discs, the Hamburg-based DJ-producer features an eclectic range of nu-disco, electro, tough Chicago and classic 90s house and even the odd downtempo number, making this another must have for ‘heads.

Disc One sets the scene nicely with some nice spacey beats courtesy of Mugwump. ‘Boutade’ then flows into Zev’s (of Wolf + Lamb fame) 'Don't Break It', remixed by Kenny Glasgow and Jonny White. From there, Niemerski features his own Dub Mix of 'Need Your Lovin' and Carol Williams’s disco classic ‘Can’t Get Away’ before continuing the party with tracks by Al Usher, Boom Clap Bachelors and fellow countrymen Lovebirds, whose ‘Want You In My Soul’ is given a fantastic touch up by Crazy P’s own Hot Toddy.

Disc One finishes superbly with none other than The Chemical Brothers, whose current single ‘Swoon’ is remixed by Norwegian nu-disco kings Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas. The duo honour the original but nonetheless give it a serious dose of Scandinavian funk, messing with the bassline and inserting acoustic guitar riffs on top of THAT whining hook. So far, so very good.

Disco Two heads into tougher territory, but not before Mount Kimbie’s gentle ‘Carbonated’ starts proceedings, edged on with Divine Essence’s tough accapella rap as part of Osunlade’s ‘My Reflection’. German Sonar Kollektiv artist Ame follow on with the darker ‘Fiori’, given a treatment by fellow Kraut Dixon. Peak time tracks by Louie ‘Balo’ Guzman, Butch and the one and only DJ Sneak all follow before Niemerski’s biggest track yet, the Ibiza anthem and potential crossover hit ‘Coma Cat’ kicks in with its euphoric bells. Rounding off Disc Two is one of the most uplifting house tracks of all time, Phase II’s ‘Reachin’’. The group - made up of all three members of Blaze in addition to Jerry Edwards and Vincent Herbert - released the single on New Jersey’s Movin’ Records in 1988 before Dave Lee picked it up and it received a UK release on his Republic Records imprint the following year. Classic garage it is and more than 20 years later it still sounds fresh.

This is yet another sterling notch in Defected’s belt, the best In The House since 2008’s effort by Gilles Peterson and a fine continuation of a truly fantastic series. As the Australian summer approaches this compilation – and particularly Disc One – will soundtrack many a good time. Do yourself a favour and get involved.

www.myspace.com/tensnake

Reel Review: Various – Fabric 53 : Mixed By Surgeon

2010-10-05T23:56:00.003+10:00

The iconic Fabric brand has been in the news for all the wrong reasons over the past few months. The London club’s financial troubles and rumours of the label’s possible demise had tongues - and tweets - a-flutter for awhile there as it seemed for a minute (and just a minute) that London's scene was in deep deep trouble (think Matter, Plastic People etc.).

Good news is everything appears to be sorted out for now (at least with regards to Fabric), freeing the team to focus on their acclaimed compilation series. Taking the reigns of number 53 is British techno legend Surgeon (Anthony Childs), who delivers a booming, energetic selection of driving beats from a worldly array of names and labels.

It’s not all techno though; Surgeon has included some dubstep selections from the likes of Scuba, Greena and Starkey in between his own tracks including ‘Bad Hand Part 2’ and ‘Compliance Momentum’. Quick edits, layering and atmospheric samples permeate the mix, making it another winner for the dependable label; four stars.

Ian Carey: Travelling Man

2010-09-25T23:07:00.004+10:00

Clubbers might know him best as the producer of 2008’s crossover hit ‘Get Shaky’, but Ian Carey is no Johnny-come-lately.

Au contraire, the American producer has been hard at it for over a decade and is known by fans and peers alike as one of the foremost purveyors of big room house and electro.

While ‘Get Shaky’ reached the Top Five here and saw Carey receive the Australian MTV Award for 2009’s Best Dance Video, the track is just one of dozens of productions and remixes he has released on respected labels including Spinnin’ Records, Fluential, Soulfuric Deep and Gossip.

His productions are worldly and accessible, no doubt a result of Carey’s own cultured approach to life; indeed, he is an ‘international’ in every sense of the word. Having cut his teeth in the Washington DC/Baltimore club scenes, Carey has since spent a number of years in both The Netherlands and Spain, each country providing him with fresh inspiration for his productions. For the past year though, he’s been based in Miami where the reawakened American scene is providing him and others like Steve Angello and Erick Morillo with opportunities galore.

“I’m trying to do a little bit more here Stateside; it’s really big right now, there’s a lot changing,” he says of the US dance music scene.

“A lot of the big artists are looking for more of a dance music sound. David Guetta did a lot by working with the big American urban audiences and it’s kind of really opened the doors. They’re coming after us and we’re going after them [and] there’s a lot of new collaborations coming out of that.”

One such collaboration is Carey’s next single, which will feature the one and only Snoop Dogg. While there’s no firm release date as yet, Carey predicts it will be another summer favourite for audiences down under and looks forward to featuring it on his forthcoming album, to drop in 2011.

For his forthcoming Australia tour, however, Carey promises to showcase plenty of new material, including that from his own GFAB imprint. While he admits it barely breaks even, he maintains the label is an important outlet to showcase emerging talent.

“It’s almost a bit of a hobby label; I’ll find some singles that come in as demos and we think ‘we need to sign this; we need to get that out there’, just so some new artists can be heard.”

Check Ian Carey as he embarks on a two-week Australian tour from mid October:

Thursday October 14, UNSW Roundhouse, Sydney
Saturday October 16, New York Hotel, Launceston,
Thursday October 21, Apple, Adelaide
Friday October 22, V8 Party, Gold Coast,
Saturday October 23, Fat As Butter, Newcastle
Saturday October 23, Pure Ivy, Sydney
Sunday October 24, New Albury Hotel, Melbourne
Friday October 29, Neverland, Melbourne

Reel Profile: Justin Michael

2010-09-21T19:01:00.002+10:00

‘Underage in the underground’ is where it all began for Justin Michael. During the early 1990s, when most 15 year olds were hitting the books, this Billboard-charting artist and native Angeleno was earning his stripes hitting the decks in underground Californian clubs. The fake IDs and security escorts necessary back then may now be just a memory, but Justin Michael is anything but.

The proud Californian born-and-raised artist has long been a favourite in clubs for his soulful, melodic and vocal house productions released on the finest labels in the world. 2010, however, has seen Justin continue to widen his musical repertoire and, in doing so, emerge as a producer of choice for established and emerging artists both inside and outside the electronic music realm. Having recently been commissioned by major labels Warner, Jive and Atlantic for remixes of Jason Derulo’s chart-topping ‘Ridin’ Solo’, Ludacris and Ciara’s ‘Ride’ and Toni Braxton’s ‘Make My Heart’, Justin’s penchant for producing credible, catchy music - regardless of genre – is gaining attention worldwide.

The past 12 months have seen him complete production work for former Pussycat Doll Carmit Bachar and Taiwanese Mandopop singer Elva Hsiao, as well as turn in a remix of J Scott G’s (formerly of “Deepsky”) collaboration with American Idol runner up Adam Lambert. This, in addition to numerous collaborations with current ‘it’ artist and friend Bruno Mars (of ‘Billionaire’, ‘Nothin’ On You’ and current hit ‘Just The Way You Are’ fame) – including production work with Asian pop star Vanness Wu - further demonstrate that, while the house scene will forever claim him as one of their own, Justin is now straddling the boundaries between underground credibility and commercial accessibility.

This tireless supporter of the underground scene is not turning his back on his house roots, however, and remains a high-profile Ultra Records artist alongside the likes of Deadmau5, Kaskade, Tiesto and David Guetta. His third single on Ultra – ‘Her World Goes On’ featuring Bruno Mars – is proof: the single is being hyped as his best work yet and has already chalked up over a million views on YouTube, in addition to receiving widespread radio play and peer support. Hot on its heels is Justin’s recently-released fourth single – ‘Trouble’ featuring Heather Bright – which is doing similar damage in clubs worldwide.

All this success seems a lifetime ago from the 1990s, when Justin started his career DJing in and around Los Angeles. Booked as a fresh-faced teenager at some of the City Of Angels’ finest clubs, the underage attraction learned the art of working a crowd at an early age and, by the time he was 18, had established himself as one of the most promising DJs in LA. His first residency at club night RED lasted six years and saw him routinely headline to crowds of thousands as well as support some of the world’s greatest DJs. Progressing from the decks to the studio from 2004, early releases saw Justin quickly cement his name amongst the global house music scene’s elite.

‘Everything’ – his debut 2007 album featuring Rock, Pop, Hip Hop and R&B influences – was lauded by critics on both sides of the Atlantic. Choice house cuts released on Miguel Migs’ Salted Music, London’s MN2S, Jamie Lewis’ Purple Music and Justin’s own Hermosa Recordings have all since followed and wowed clubbers.

Justin’s forthcoming remix work - much of it completed with long-time friend and collaborator Kemal – continues to be dancefloor-oriented but is accessible to a much wider demographic. His remix of friend and label-mate Kaskade’s ‘Don’t Stop Dancing’, his interpretation of progressive house mainstay Nadia Ali’s ‘People’ and his hot new mixes of Dave Dresden’s (formerly of Gabriel & Dresden) ‘Redhead’ and ‘That Day’ - both collaborations with Dresden’s production partner Johnston - are keeping his name in the minds of musicians seeking a unique but balanced sound.

Indeed, the demand for Justin’s production and remix work is matched only by the demand for his tight DJ sets. With 15 years experience behind the decks, Justin is routinely booked to tour throughout the United States and to house hot-spots including London, Amsterdam, Taipei, Bali, Singapore, Hong Kong and emerging eastern European scenes in Hungary and Romania.

As 2011 approaches, Justin’s sound is increasingly hard to pigeonhole and immune from cultural, geographic and language barriers. Rather, his ability to speak the universal language that is music is seeing his name roll off the tongue of music lovers and tastemakers alike. In today’s digital world where it’s more difficult than ever to sort the musical contenders from the pretenders, this multi-talented DJ, producer, remixer and engineer is letting his music speak for itself, and the world is listening - and loving - what they hear.

Tensnake In The House; Dropping 4 October on Defected Records

2010-09-17T13:28:00.000+10:00

The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project

2010-09-14T10:27:00.003+10:00

Aside from the ubiquitous brau-fuelled mayhem, what might a German-designed and themed party be like if it were held here in Australia? What about a Brazilian party, or an Indian bash? Smirnoff are going to find out.

The vodka brand believes in doing things differently, and you can’t get much more different than this. In a world first, Smirnoff has partnered with respected nightlife figures in 14 countries to create the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project.

Designed to celebrate the best elements of a country’s nightlife, the project will see the public contribute ideas for what represents the best of their local nightlife, including, for example, a certain genre of music, favourite cocktail or fashion trend. Curators from each of the 14 countries – which include USA, UK, Argentina, Venezuela, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Ireland, Lebanon, Poland, South Africa and Thailand - will then take the best ideas, pack them in a crate and transform them into a quintessential experience. On 27 November, the world will swap nights, resulting in a global party of epic proportions.

Australia usually punches well above its weight in the partying stakes and with the announcement that Ksubi co-founder, Modular artist and founder of the celebrated Gang Bang DJ collective, Dan Single, will be curating Australia’s effort, it’s safe to say the country that swaps with Australia is in for a wild night.

Speaking from New York where, in between DJing and dining with fashion royalty (it’s Chanel on this occasion) he’s managed to polish off a plate of ribs, two margheritas and is now wolfing down some “hot chicken wings” with Sneaky Sound System’s Daimon Downey, Single admits to being stoked to be selected to curate Australia’s effort.

“My old DJ manager was one of the people to be asked to find someone and he put me up for it and I was like ‘fuck yeah I’d love to this’,” he says.

“Having travelled and partied around the world, I can proudly say that Australia rivals any other country in the nightlife stakes. I’m really excited about being involved in the project and discovering what my fellow countrymen will nominate to go in our crate.”

“Once I’ve got the public’s idea on what makes Australian nightlife great, [I’ll] then choose the best ideas and then theme a party around these different ideas.

“It then gets sent off to another country. It’s all pretty secretive still but extremely exciting.”

Single admits to favouring Argentina, Brazil and Thailand as Australia’s ‘exchange’ party, but concedes every respective country will put on a fantastic event.

The public can contribute ideas to help shape this unique global experience, as well as find more information on how to join the worldwide party on the 27th November, by becoming a fan at www.facebook.com/smirnoffAustralia.

For Single, landing this Smirnoff gig is just another impressive notch in an increasingly large belt, something he might need if he keeps eating ribs and hot wings. After attracting worldwide attention in 2001 when he and Ksubi partner George Gorrow let a few hundred rats loose on the Australian Fashion Week runway, Single went onto found the Bang Gang DJ collective, who are widely reputed to hold some of the wildest parties in Australia.

Their Bang Gang 12 Inches label has released over 30 original productions and remixes by the likes of Bag Raiders, Muscles and Single’s Dangerous Dan moniker but, after five years, Single reveals he and fellow members are busy with side projects at the moment.

“We’ve finished doing our regular night,” he explains.

“We all got too old and too tired. It was five years of late nights and never having a weekend so it took its toll.”

While Ksubi’s much-publicised fall from grace into voluntary administration earlier this year has kept Single busy enough, he reveals all is now looking much brighter for the Australian label. His YouOnlyLiveOnce side project, meanwhile, is set to be officially unleashed in the coming months.

“It’s like a lifestyle guide to the best of the best,” he says cryptically.

“Not necessarily the most expensive or luxury or the most underground; it’s just quality. It’s a guide to the best in life.”

One could safely say Single’s had his fair share of trying “the best in life” over his career; the forthcoming Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project is sure to be more of the same.

Check out the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project Facebook page at www.facebook.com/smirnoffAustralia for more information.

Reel News: Parklife 2010 - Back To Brisbane

2010-09-06T10:55:00.003+10:00

Less than a month before it was set to kick off the summer festival season at Gold Coast Parklands, Parklife promoters Fuzzy have announced the event on Saturday 25 September will move back to its original home at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens.

In news that surprised thousands of punters, Fuzzy said construction on the Gold Coast Light Rail and the Gold Coast Hospital, in addition to other road works taking place around the Parklands, had foiled attempts to devise an effective traffic management plan, resulting in the last minute venue change.

Fuzzy Co-founder and Creative Director John Wall said the comfort of festival-goers – and not poor ticket sales – had formed the basis of the decision.

“After the traffic management plan was completed….it turned out that the problems caused by the road works – and a few other issues – are a lot worse than they looked like they were going to be when we booked the venue,” he said.

“It looked like a big chance of it being really hard work for people to get in the front gate.”

Acknowledging that some who have already booked tickets and accommodation on the Gold Coast could be out of pocket, Wall said Fuzzy would be providing a free shuttle bus from Surfers Paradise to Parklife Brisbane and encouraged anyone with questions to contact Fuzzy via parklifebrisbane@fuzzy.com.au.

“We really regret upsetting anybody and we’re doing our best to make arrangements to help people as best we can,” he said.

“We’re going to listen to what people have to say.”

Despite Parklife 2009 being criticized for capacity and crowd-flow problems which resulted in many being locked out of the Riverstage, Wall assures punters that steps have been taken to address concerns, including limiting capacity to 26,000, down 2000 from last year. While Fuzzy are now on a tight schedule to move venues, Wall is adamant that Parklife 2010 will be a success.

“Selling less tickets [will] reduce the pressure on the whole place,” he said.

“Then…we’re modifying the set times to move some of the artists that were going to be on Riverstage to other stages.

“There’s a lot of frantic activity going on. [But] because we’ve done it before, it’s more refinements rather than starting from scratch.”

Wall also concedes that, given the largely positive reaction thus far to the venue change, it’s “pretty unlikely” that Parklife will held on the Gold Coast in 2011.

“What we’ve discovered since we’ve announced the move is tickets have gone crazy,” he said.

“It’s pretty clear that a lot of people prefer the Botanic Gardens regardless of any issues that they might of encountered last year.”

Parklife hits the Brisbane Botanic Gardens on Saturday 25 September before touring the country; more information available from www.parklife.com.au.

Perth – Sunday 26 September
Melbourne – Saturday 2 October
Sydney – Sunday 3 October
Adelaide – Monday 4 October

The Upbeats: D&B Upstarts

2010-09-01T10:34:00.002+10:00

New Zealand’s burgeoning electronic music scene continues to impress local and international listeners alike; leading the charge is Wellington-based drum’n’bass veterans The Upbeats.

Alongside fellow New Zealand drum’n’bass luminaries Shapeshifter and electronic duo Minuit, The Upbeats – consisting of Jeremy Glenn and Dylan Jones (a.k.a Terror Snake and Downie Wolf) - have been flying the flag for Kiwi electronic music for well over 10 years.

Their 2004’s self-titled LP was just a taste of the duo’s capabilities. After releasing cuts on respected labels including Virus, Bad Taste and Soul Recordings, The Upbeats went onto release two further albums - 2007’s ‘Nobody’s Out There’ and last year’s acclaimed ‘Big Skeleton’ – in doing so gaining fans worldwide and the attention of Europe’s D&B elite.

Now Bali-bound for the Paradise In Bali drum’n’bass festival in mid-November - where The Upbeats will play alongside Black Sun Empire, Stamina MC, Netsky, Utah Jazz and many more – Glenn assures punters making the trip to expect “stage diving and general shenanigans” as The Upbeats continue their relentless touring schedule which has seen them play over 40 shows over the past four months.

“[We’re] very excited,” he says.

“To be honest it’s by far the busiest we’ve ever been and it’s absolutely mad at the moment. Since April we’ve pretty much been playing every weekend and it looks like we’ve going to be until almost the end of the year.”

Their own Non Vogue label has proven an effective outlet for their own productions and as Glenn explains, he and Jones’ determination to continue pressing vinyl is, surprisingly, still paying off in the tough digital music marketplace.

“Vinyl is still doing reasonably well [but] it’s definitely a challenge,” he explains.
We’ve always been really strong believers in releases being a whole package. We like to do special artwork. We’re building a little portfolio of ‘non-vogue’ art as well as music. We want to keep that alive as much as possible because I really feel like with digital releases that’s kind of lost.”

Glenn promises Australian fans that The Upbeats will be jumping the ditch for a tour in December where they’ll do a mix of both DJ sets and live performances featuring vocalists, MCs and live keys. As with any Upbeats set, spontaneity is the name of the game.

“There’s a lot of music that we write that isn’t suitable for a DJ set but that works really well in the live format so it’s really cool for us to have an outlet for that deeper stuff,” he says.

“When we’re DJing, however, we never plan what we’re playing so we always like to take a big selection of music and vary our sets.”

The Upbeats play the Paradise In Bali Drum’n’Bass Festival at GWK (Lotus Pond), Bali from 14-15 November. Travel packages are available; check www.paradisefestival.com.au for more information.

Reel Review - Trentemøller - 'Into The Great Wide Yonder'

2010-08-26T11:17:00.006+10:00

Anders Trentemøller, the Copenhagen-based multi-instrumentalist and producer, has delivered a moody, atmospheric sophomore album that will impress lovers of his first, 2007’s 'The Last Resort'.

For those perhaps more in tune to Trentemøller’s earlier club-based house productions released on San Fran’s Naked Music and Steve Bug’s Poker Flat Recordings however, Into The Great Wide Yonder may disappoint, for it signals a further – and perhaps final – departure from that earlier sound.

It continues to great effect the Dane’s love affair with ethereal, at times melancholic soundscapes and film-score-like productions, and refuses to be pigeonholed into a particular genre. The first single – the brooding Sycamore Feeling featuring the vocals of Marie Fisker – is lush, both dark yet hopeful and demonstrates Trentemøller’s extraordinary talents in the studio.

Speaking with The Reel recently, Trentemøller explained Into The Great Wide Yonder was an opportunity for him to reconnect with the live instrumentation he grew up with while playing in bands.

“I actually used the computer much more of a simple recorder this time, so the whole album is quite different to the electronic sound of the first album,” he says. “I’ve tried to bring on a bit more of an organic, warm sound [which] was actually just a part of a natural development for me.”

“I was starting (sic) playing in rock bands before I started in electronic music and somehow I was dreaming about playing the instruments myself again and not only sitting with a mouse and a computer and just programming everything but actually using my hands again and getting this physical feeling back into my music.”

“Even if it sounds a lot more analogue, all the mixing and all the editing has been done in the computer. I’m not afraid of using the computer at all but it was just a way for me to achieve a sound that was not so electronic.”

Indeed, this album is aimed squarely for the living room and would sound quite out of space on the dancefloor. Anders is, in the opinion of this humble hack, destined to further develop in coming years as a producer of film scores, such is his meticulous attention to detail in production and obvious love of dreamy soundscapes.

Even the man himself admits that this is not an “easy” album, evidenced by the fact that he is not heading out to play it live (accompanied by his 7 piece band) until October. Australian fans will have their chance to witness the live show when Anders plays the Peats Ridge, Pyramid Rock, Field Day and Summafieldayze festivals late this year and early in 2011.

“This album needs a little bit more time to grow on people,” he says, “because it is not an album that you put on and when you put it on first time and think ‘wow’. It is an album that needs more time.”

He’s right; after a few listens one starts to get the album. It’s perhaps one meant to be listened to in its entirety, as each track blends nicely into the next. In terms of feeling and emotion, Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider Go!! is full of energy and reminds me of old surfing movie soundtracks, while Shades Of Marble is eerie and melancholic, but brilliant nonetheless.

While we may never see another Le Champagne from Anders Trentemøller, it’s clear he’s maturing as a musician and it will be on stage – and not behind the decks – where in years to come we’re likely see his best work. Into The Great Wide Yonder shows he’s on track, and is an album well worth picking up.

'Into The Great Wide Yonder' is out now through Ander's own In My Room imprint and is distributed by Stomp.

Reel Feature: The Chemical Brothers - Swooning About

2010-08-26T10:48:00.004+10:00

It's been nearly 20 years since Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands began DJing together at Manchester's Naked Under Leather pub as The 237 Turbo Nutters.

Little known - or probably liked - back then, their success since has encouraged countless bedroom DJs and nerdy tech-heads to follow their dreams. Since their humble beginnings The Chemical Brothers have climbed the highest echelons of the music industry to become the ultimate champions of evolving, exciting and accessible electronic music.

Last in Australia in 2008 to headline the Future Music Festival, Simons and Rowlands threw Australian fans into a frenzy last month when they announced their three-date 2011 Australian tour. With their seventh studio album - the aptly-named 'Further' - currently attracting rave reviews, an exciting new live show being readied and a promise to take fans further than ever before, it's expected all three dates will sell out; not bad for a pair of London geeks now approaching their 40s.

'Swoon' - the first single from 'Further' - demonstrates that, 20 years on from their Manchester study days, Simons and Rowlands continue to push the proverbial musical envelope. The new album is a breath of fresh air, having been labeled an ‘eight track masterpiece of modern psychedelia’. For the first time Simons and Rowlands have eschewed vocalists in favour of melody and ‘found vocal sounds’ and the result is an LP that is as much a nod to the future as it is a celebration of where The Chemical Brothers have come from.

It all seems a long time since their modest beginnings and 'Song To The Siren', the pair's first single to make waves in the early 1990s. Originally rejected by dance labels for its low beat-per-minute tempo, the then pioneering - and recently revived - house label Junior Boys Own saw its appeal. JBO's Andrew Weatherall hammered it in his sets and immediately signed the single - and the duo - to the label. The hype had begun.

As The Dust Brothers, Simons and Rowlands were soon packing out the Heavenly Sunday Social Club event at London's Albany pub, which then drew high-profile visitors like Tim Bugess and Noel Gallagher. Offers to remix cuts by the Manic Street Preachers, The Prodigy and Primal Scream followed in 1994 before Simons and Rowlands toured the US for the first time, sharing the bill with the likes of Orbital and Underworld.

In hindsight, it's easy to see the long-term impact the duo would have given the strength of their debut album, 1995's 'Exit Planet Dust'. A threat of legal action by the original Dust Brothers forced Simons and Rowlands to drop the name in favour of The Chemical Brothers, but despite the adoption of a new moniker and the disruption it might have caused, the LP dropped like a bomb on the masses, entering the UK charts at number nine and subsequently going gold.

It's no exaggeration to say that over the course of their seven studio albums, the Chems - alongside contemporaries including The Prodigy and Daft Punk - have been responsible for dragging electronic music into the mainstream. While many electronic acts have long struggled with achieving mainstream radio play and chart success, Simons and Rowlands have managed to attract consistent support from radio and TV, helped in part by their habit of producing adventurous and downright weird ('Salmon Dance' or 'Believe' anyone?) video clips. Furthermore, the list of collaborators who have worked with Simons and Rowlands spans multiple genres and has exposed their music to a whole new legion of fans. Beth Orton, The Flaming Lips, Midlake, The Magic Numbers and Klaxons are just a few notable names who have bunkered down in the studio with Simons and Rowlands.

Every Chems album has its gems and enduring singles. 'Exit Planet Dust' saw 'Chemical Beats' unleashed on the masses, while 1997's ‘Dig Your Own Hole’ brought arguably the most successful Chems single - the timeless and UK #1 smash 'Block Rockin' Beats' - to dancefloors around the world. 1999's 'Surrender' had more than its fair share of hits. From the opening 'Music: Response' to the hyped collaboration with Oasis's Noel Gallagher on 'How Does It Feel' to the thrilling 'Hey Boy Hey Girl', this third LP saw Simons and Rowlands pursue a more big room sound, and one that saw their sometime reputation as crossover artists gain more steam.

2001's 'Come With Us' spawned successful singles 'Star Guitar' and 'Galaxy Bounce', while 2004's 'Push The Button' continued this evolution, but still contained that exciting pulse and excitement that the Chems should have a patent on. 'Galvanise' saw the duo team up with Q-Tip for mid-tempo groove of massive proportions, while 'Believe' harped back to the earlier days, employing warbling synths and acid house influences. Such was the album's success that Simons and Rowlands were awarded their first Grammy in 2006 for Best Electronic/ Dance Recording, beating competition by the likes Fatboy Slim, Kraftwerk and Daft Punk.

Despite 2007's 'We Are The Night' attracting a ho-hum response from some critics, the album nevertheless saw Simons and Rowlands win their second Grammy in the same category and singles 'Do It Again' and 'The Salmon Dance' were notable for their wide airplay across underground and mainstream media.

In a first - and consistent with the Chems' focus on their electrifying live performances, 'Further' has been put together in the same way the duo would usually program a live set. As Rowlands explains, this approach is set to take the live show to an entire new level.

“We were very aware when we were programming the record of how it would lock together,” he says.

“We wanted there to be something different about this record, not just in how it sounded. From the off, we had the idea that the record had to slot together as we knew we wanted to initially present it live as a complete body of work.

“Electronic music can be absorbing without you ever having heard it before, maybe that's its evolution through clubs into the live arena but it definitely attracts very open-minded people. We want ‘Further’ to have the same transcendent effects as the rest of our music on people hearing it.”

'Further' is out now through Vrigin/EMI; The Chemical Brothers play a three date Australian tour in March 2011; tickets available through www.preferredseating.com.au :

Friday 4 March, 2011 - Riverstage, Brisbane
Wednesday 9 March, 2011 - Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Thursday 10 March, 2011 - Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney

Reel Satire - Tony Abbott

2010-08-20T22:13:00.003+10:00

Oh Dear Tony......

Jesse Rose - Made To Play

2010-07-26T21:54:00.003+10:00

After appearances at Exit Festival in Serbia, Oxygen Festival in Dublin and a club set at Pacha in Ibiza – all in the one weekend – one wouldn’t deny house DJ-producer Jesse Rose a day off, but as the man says on his MySpace, “sleep less”.

It’s with typical English swagger that Rose fronts for his interview commitments the night after his birthday, in want of sleep and feeling “pretty pissed” but “ready to go” nonetheless.

Since emerging over a decade ago, the Berlin-based Rose has been ranked by his peers and clubbers alike as one of the most consistent – and innovative - producers on the house scene. Deep, dark, tough and techy cuts released on his own hugely-popular Front Room Recordings and Made To Play imprints have seen his star rise –and his frequent flyer miles tick over – at a steady pace. Likewise, releases on Solid Groove’s Dubsided label have allowed Rose to indulge his love of ‘weird house’ whilst demonstrating his versatility in the studio.

It’s no surprise to hear that he remains “crazy busy” as the European festival season trudges on. Last weekend saw him play at the Dour Festival in Belgium, Melt! Festival in Germany and London’s own Lovebox Festival, while the coming weekends see him booked at Global Gathering and Amsterdam’s 10 Days Off Festival. As Rose explains, he tries to be consistent with his sets, whether they’re outside in the sun or in the darkest recesses of a club.

“You’re building a fan base,” he explains.

“In the past I’d tried to play a more underground sound in clubs but now I’m trying to keep the two pretty similar. People come out and they do expect a certain sound.”

That certain sound, in Rose’s case, continues to be shaped and influenced by Berlin, the city he has called home for over five years and a city which is still ranked as the global epicentre of progressive electronic music and club culture. It’s comforting to hear from Rose that - as clubs around the world continue to struggle and even Berlin is nowadays not immune from adverse press attention – the hype surrounding the German city is to be believed and the scene remains healthy.

“It’s the place which is a mecca for clubs,” he says.

“You can go out for a week and never come home. It’s one of those places where, to do that however, you have to know the right people because there are clubs hidden everywhere.”

Echoing sentiments by other producers including Steve Angello, Rose anoints Los Angeles as the next “it” city and one which is currently experiencing its own electronic renaissance.

“LA is the exciting place right now,” he says.

“There’s become a sub culture in LA where a lot of emerging producers are coming up. I’m probably there three time a year and each time I go back I can see it’s developing.”

Indeed, studio time on both sides of the Atlantic is keeping Rose busy. He reveals he
has just “finished a batch of remixes” and the coming months will see the release of one for a “major label” in addition to remixes for DJ Sneak and Boys Noize. Made To Play, meanwhile, will celebrate its fifth anniversary – no small feat for an independent label - with a new compilation to be released shortly.

For now, though, Rose is firmly focused on continuing his relentless touring schedule. September and October will see him return down under for the Parklife Festival and Rose – ever the discerning festival goer – maintains it’s right up there with the best of them, even if our club scene lags a little.

“Parklife is one of the festivals I look forward to most,” he says.

“Get ready for something a little different this year. We’re going to take it a little groovier and little more underground.”

We’ve been warned.

Jesse Rose plays Parklife around Australia from late September.

Saturday 25 September 2010, Gold Coast
Sunday 26 September 2010, Perth
Saturday 2 October 2010, Melbourne
Sunday 3 October 2010, Sydney
Monday 4 October 2010, Adelaide

Read more: http://www.myspace.com/jesseroseandcontent

Reel Review: Various Artists - 'Get Down With The Philly Sound; A Very Special Collection From Dimitri From Paris'

2010-07-06T20:13:00.003+10:00

The ever-dependable BBE has delivered another brilliant release courtesy of everyone’s favourite Frenchman, the inimitable Dimitri From Paris. In what is his fifth compilation with the powerhouse London label, Get Down With The Philly Sound sees Dimitri in his element. He’s compiled a two-disc collection of some of his essential disco-era tracks – all originating from Philadelphia – that created and defined the sound of disco.

Disc one sees ‘The Originals’ by the likes of Teddy Pendergrass, Carl Bean, John Davis & The Monster Orchestra and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes take pride of place, while on disc two – ‘The Reworks’ – Dimitri demonstrates his enduring talent for the subtle edit. He re-works five of the original multi-track tapes of revered Philly production duo Gamble and Huff with a further four being edited from the original two-track stereo masters.

Admirers of American remix pioneer Tom Moulton will love this compilation. Indeed, Dimitri has admitted Moulton is the reason the whole project got off the ground. Throughout the 1970s, Moulton was responsible for mixing down some of the biggest hits of the disco era including those by Melba Moore, The O’Jays, First Choice and Loleatta Holloway, in doing so coining the term ‘A Tom Moulton Mix’. Here on ‘Get Down With The Philly Sound’, his influence is hard to miss, with Philly Devotions’ ‘Hurt So Bad’ a notable standout.

Standouts are somewhat difficult to pinpoint, however, on what is an altogether fantastic release from the Barely Breaking Even stable. The Jacksons’ Living Together' embodies the spirit of the ‘70s, a time when the likes of The Salsoul Orchestra and The Trammps delivered hit after hit. Dimitri From Paris’s track selection is as much an acknowledgment of the enduring quality of this special music as it is a reminder of how much it continues to influence contemporary music today.

In an age of nameless WAV files, BBE are one of a shrinking number of independent labels still putting significant effort into making the CD a tangible experience. The 32-page booklet accompanying this compilation includes an intro from Dimitri From Paris (where he interestingly begins with the words ‘I used to really hate disco’) in addition to a brief history of disco courtesy of Million Dollar Disco owner and fellow contemporary disco interpreter Al Kent. Fantastic photographs dating back to the late 1960s are also included as well as select quotes from the likes of Sigma Sound Studios founder and owner Joe Tarsia.

Get Down With The Philly Sound will please disco devotees and novices alike. Perhaps most important, however, is the fact BBE and Dimitri From Paris have ensured ‘The Sound Of Philadelphia’ will continue to be heard by a new generation of music lovers. Five stars.

'Get Down With The Philly Sound' is out now through BBE/Inertia.

The Chemical Brothers - Going Further

2010-06-20T18:09:00.004+10:00

For a duo used to dealing in psychedelics, The Chemical Brothers have really pushed the envelope with their seventh studio album.

17 years after the release of their debut single ‘Song To The Siren’, Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons continue to astound. After selling millions of albums, winning several Grammy awards and collaborating with everyone from Noel Gallagher and Beth Orton to The Flaming Lips and Q-Tip, the Chems’ now front up with ‘Further’, an eight-track masterpiece of modern psychedelia and an LP that explores the endless possibilities of their unique sound.

The album’s first single – ‘Escape Velocity’ – is arguably the most unrelenting 12 minutes of music ever to pick up serious national radio support and is, as Rowlands explains, indicative of the energy that pervades the new album.

“This is definitely a very synthesizer heavy-record,” he says.

“From the off, we had the idea that the record had to slot together as we knew we wanted to initially present it live as a complete body of work.”

“[So] we put the record together in the same way we’d put a live set. We were very aware when we were programming the record of how it would lock together. We wanted an enveloping sound like one of our live shows.”

“Sometimes in the past we’d reign the synths in on tracks. On this record, we just let it all splurge out. We’d find things that made us feel good and not worry about other people’s ideals for how the record should sound, we just let it go.”

By focusing less on structured songs and more on twisting the most melody out of its eight tracks, ‘Further’ resembles The Chemical Brothers where they’re at their most freeform, in the live arena. Anyone who has witnessed the duo either at festivals or in their own gigs will be familiar with the sensory overload of their live experience and as Simons explains, ‘Further’ is the Chems’ first album to be created with an eye on the ebbs and flows of a live set.

“The thing we realized when we’re playing live is that sometimes it’s the random things that cause the biggest reactions,” he says.

“A delay or a drop, something that no one is expecting. The randomness factor definitely adds an edge to things.”

Rowlands agrees: “We wanted to make something where it didn’t matter if it wasn’t making total sense. I like records where things just ‘come in’ unannounced. Those are good things!”

In a diversion from their own well-trodden path, ‘Further’ marks the first time in the Chems’ recording career where Rowlands and Simons have eschewed guests in favour of electronic melody and snatches of found vocal sounds.

“From early on there was a guiding idea to not have any collaborators on the record,” Rowlands explains.

“It’s not a reaction against prior records, we’re not trying to get rid of it or saying we won’t go back down that route but this felt right for this record, at this point in the band’s history.”

Simons continues: “After working with a lot of people over the last two albums, I remember Tom saying, ‘Let’s not think in those terms for this record’ [and] that felt really liberating. There are vocals on there. The lyrics that Tom wrote, the way the vocals are woven into the tracks… for us, that was enough to satisfy any needs we might have to hear songs on the record.”

Now about to hit the European summer festival circuit, The Chemical Brothers will road test the new album alongside an exciting new set of visuals. While Rowlands and Simons are coy about when their next visit to Australia will be, the 2011 summer season is firmly on their radar. In the interim, Simons hopes ‘Further’ will continue the evolution of electronic music into the mainstream.

“Electronic music can be absorbing without you ever having heard it before,” he says.

“Maybe that’s its evolution through clubs into the live arena but it definitely attracts very open-minded people. We want ‘Further’ to have the same transcendent effects as the rest of our music on people hearing it.”

‘Further’ is out now through Virgin/EMI.

Seth Troxler - Getting Loose

2010-06-15T21:16:00.003+10:00

Born in Michigan, nurtured in Detroit and made in Berlin; so goes the tale of techno DJ-producer Seth Troxler.

Since beginning his production career in 2005, the outspoken and charismatic American has released original cuts and remixes on labels including Spectral, Wagon Repair, Crosstown Rebels, Bpitch Control, Circus Company, Items and Thing, Esperanza, Leftroom, Adults Only and Beretta Grey. The plaudits have come thick and fast since then, however, and 2009 saw Troxler’s star rise further in the form of a Top 10 finish in Resident Advisor’s DJ Poll.

The free-speaking personality is currently in the country as part of the Winter Sound System and We Love Sounds lineups. When The Reel catches up with him, however, he’s driving round the Motor City with friends Ryan Crosson and Shaun Reeves as they prepare for their appearances at 2010’s Movement event, better known as The Detroit Electronic Music Festival.

Much has changed in Detroit since Troxler emerged in the early 2000s working at Melodies and Memories record store. The city’s continued decline has seen its music scene take many hits, and Troxler admits events like Movement are few and far between in Detroit these days.

So, while it was through working at Melodies with the likes of Theo Parrish and Reggie Harrell that led him to embark on a DJ and production career, it was his decision to move to Berlin a few years ago that really saw him hit his straps as a producer and emerge as an exciting new talent on the minimal house scene.

Along with long-time friends Crosson, Reeves and Lee Curtiss – who also moved from the US to various parts of Europe - Troxler now spends his weekends playing anywhere from Milan to Barcelona. It is all, he admits, a long way from Detroit club The Works, but while he laments the current lack of a wider scene in the US, he does see some hope there yet.

“There’s something kinda new happening in Detroit, it seems like a little bit,” he says.

“Because over the years there has been such a death in what was Detroit dance music culture.

“It was really kind of sad to see; there’s not been anything going on here for maybe eight years, anything really kinds of super significant.

“I think it’s due to a lot of factors, and particularly the lack of enthusiasm towards dance music in America.”

“It is a reflection of the country as the whole but right now, overall there’s a lot cool things happening in New York, LA and San Francisco; you can feel a vibe here that’s unlike any place else in the world at the moment ….it’s interesting to see what the future holds.”

While the US is very much a hit and miss affair for Troxler, Berlin and Europe appear to be floating the man’s boat. His latest Boogybytes mix CD released on BPitch Control is still being raved about and with regular tours keeping him up to date with the latest big tunes, Troxler’s musical education continues. What’s surprising is his suggestion that Berlin’s revered club scene may already have peaked and that new areas in Europe are now jostling for its crown.

“Berlin is Berlin,” he says, “but it’s not quite the scene it used to be.”

“Places like Romania, however, are going off; it’s so cool to go there. Europe is always so super fun.”

While constant touring is providing exposure to fresh sounds, Troxler reveals he, Crosson and Reeves have a few side projects on the cards.

“We’re all starting label together,” he says, “[and] I think we’ll go to Burning Man together; we’re just hanging out more than anything, making music.

Hanging out, I ask?

“Yeah, maybe some pool parties with some girls; kinda just trying to make other peoples’ dreams come true while losing our own.”

One thing’s for sure: Troxler has vowed step up for his appearances Down Under; just make sure there’s some 1210s on hand.

“I don’t actually know how to use CDJs,” he admits. “I play a mixure of vinyl and Serato.”

“I’m an old record store guy so expect tech house, deeper house, techno….anything disco….whatever the crowds up for more than anything.

“But I DO wanna get loose!”

“I was really into that when I was down there so I’ll get loose again!”

*Photo courtesy of Will Calcutt.

Trentemøller: Master Of The Wide Yonder

2010-06-07T21:13:00.005+10:00

The unpronounceable volcano in Iceland is causing enough trouble for Europe’s touring DJs, but a telephone ‘crash’ in Hamburg causes the first attempt to reach multi-instrumentalist and producer Anders Trentemøller in Copenhagen to end in disaster.

24 hours later, however, Anders is back on the line, gracious as ever and beaming about the forthcoming release of his sophomore album, ‘Into The Great Wide Yonder’.

The Danish musician has come a long way since his debut release, 2003’s classic ‘Trentemøller EP’ released on San Francisco’s once-famed Naked Music Recordings.

Then hyped as one of the next big things in house music, Trentemøller has always marched to the beat of his own, ahhem, drum. While his debut album, 2007’s ‘The Last Resort’, straddled the line between club accessibility and afterhours electronica, this second album sees him push the envelope further, incorporating moody, atmospheric soundscapes using various vocalists and guest musicians. The result is a further departure from clubland and an altogether brilliant foray into new territory incorporating influences from his early years playing in bands.

“It was actually just a part of a natural development for me,” he says.

“Even if it sounds a lot more analogue, all the mixing and all the editing has been done in the computer.

“I’ve tried to bring on a bit more of an organic, warm sound; it was actually just a part of a natural development for me.

“I was starting playing in rock bands before I started in electronic music and somehow I was dreaming about playing the instruments myself again and not only sitting with a mouse and a computer and just programming everything but actually using my hands again and getting this physical feeling back into my music.”

“I’m not afraid of using the computer at all but it was just a way for me to achieve a sound that was not so electronic.”

Trentemøller reveals his new live show will be just that: not so electronic. His time behind the decks appears to be drawing to a close and he’s happy to let listeners get their heads around the new LP before he takes the new live show – featuring seven musicians on stage - on the road from October.

“This album needs a little bit more time to grow on people because it is not an album that you put on and think ‘wow’,” he says.

“It is an album that needs more time."

Trentemøller’s ‘Into The Great Wide Yonder’ is out now through In My Room/Stomp.

Strange But True: Anders' new album cover is a photo of an ash cloud! "We made it two months ago before anyone thought about an ash cloud. It was so weird!" he says.

The Social (Network) Butterfly

2010-05-26T16:26:00.003+10:00

The recently released 2010 Social Media Report confirms what many of us have assumed for quite awhile: we are increasingly living – and revealing – more and more of our lives online and interacting with more people via social networking channels.

Whether it’s LinkedIn, MySpace, Bebo, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook or God-knows-what-else-is-just-around-the-corner, the Nielsen report found 9 million Australians now interact via social networks. The report also found Twitter usage grew by a whopping 400 per cent in 2009 and that similarly high growth is likely in 2010.

There were some interesting findings within the report, pointing to how we are increasingly sharing ever more of ourselves online:

* Content sharing is the most popular activity
* 4 in 5 Australian Internet users have shared a photo
* Nearly 75 per cent of Australians read a wiki
* 2 in 5 Australians interact with companies via social networks

The writing is on the (web) wall, it would appear. We’re online, we’re interacting and we’re sharing more content with more people. Everyone’s doing anything they want, and only good things can come of it, right?

WRONG! You could write an e-book about the spectacular gaffes that have been committed by social networking boffins; the only irony is that, rather than appearing in books, such gaffes inevitably break on the social networking sites in question and go viral in a matter of hours.

It’s becoming a tired old warning, but every week we’re reminded why it’s so very important to guard against what we say and do online. Think of yourself as your own personal ‘brand’; whatever you do online then – be it comment on someone’s status, post a photo or video or simply ‘like’ something – contributes, either positively or negatively, to that brand.

For those creatives utilising social media channels to build relationships, seek out contacts and, God forbid, find a job, it’s interesting to hear the differing opinions on what constitutes online ‘protocol’; it’s an extremely grey area. ‘Brand you’ might not be brand new, but it’s becoming more and more importance in cyberspace, where a misjudged comment can take on a life of its own in no time, often with unintended – and catastrophic – results.

For example, is posting a tweet to a potential client appropriate or too colloquial? Is a direct email, a message sent through LinkedIn or an old-fashioned phone call more suitable? These are the questions we must ask ourselves as we connect with more people in more ways than ever before. We’re spoilt for choice, but which is the right choice?

As a creative job seeker, are you being noticed online? It’s a hard question to answer and one that isn’t quite as clear-cut as the number of followers one might have on Twitter. One might have an online folio available for viewing on www.carbonmade.com, an active Twitter account, hundreds of friends on Facebook and even their own site, but if that same person isn’t pounding the pavement, attending networking events and meeting people face-to-face, all that effort online can have little impact on one’s job prospects.

Contrary to the spin of the social media ‘gurus’ (read: bandwagon jumpers) and ‘masters’ popping up on Twitter these days, online communication – while all the buzz at present – will never replace effective face-to-face communication. Online social networks are just another tool in an ever-expanding toolkit that can be used to one’s advantage, or disadvantage. A creative can put hours and hours into building up a following on Facebook or Twitter, but is that effort going to be at the expense of real relationships, those meaningful ones developed over cups of coffee in cafes as opposed to in java chat rooms where emotions are relayed using acronyms and funny symbols? ;) LOL!

Your online brand is definitely important in terms of expanding your list of contacts and cultivating and developing relationships, but your offline brand is even more important and where, as a jobseeker, you’re more likely to find career success. Think of it like this: how many ‘friends’ have you got on Facebook that you never talk to, never email and never have any contact with? Are they really friends and valuable contacts, or just acquaintances? Would you notice if they ‘de-friended’ you? I’m guessing not.

Au contraire, if you had regular face-to-face or phone contact with a person, chances are you would notice a sudden halt in communication. Social networking is here to stay and the above figures point towards it becoming even more prevalent within our daily lives, but it’s passive; real communication is proactive.

The distinction between effective social networking and social timewasting is one not so easily made in an increasingly online world. We must be careful; putting too much effort into one’s ‘second’ online life’ can have unfortunate results on the first – and more important offline – existence.

DJ Freestyle – Just Doing It (again and again)

2010-05-17T09:38:00.003+10:00

Over a career spanning nearly two decades, Brisbane’s revered DJ Freestyle has headlined at nearly every Brisbane club and venue that matters; last Saturday he added Paddington’s newest lounge bar Halo to that list.

He is the towering giant of the Australian underground house scene known for his wide-ranging love of soul, funk and boogie, but DJ Freestyle – aka Colin Russell – is known internationally as one of the premier producers of jackin’ house and is routinely checked by his local peers as Australia’s most under-rated producer.

He has released dozens of original productions and remixes on dozens of labels including legendary San Francisco imprint OM Records, France’s Brique Rouge, Jay-J’s Shifted Music and Grab Recordings and is connected locally and internationally with some of the scene’s most respected names.

His recent collaboration with Melbourne’s Ricardo Rae – ‘Feels Right’ - released on DJ Mes’s west coast label Guesthouse is still making bodies move and, as he explains, between his regular appearances at Alhambra, Sundae at Watt and Jade Buddha, studio work is keeping Freestyle busy.

“I’m feeling pretty good [and] I really want to come out swinging this year with my tunes,” he says.

“I’ve got an upgraded studio set up and I’m really excited about it; you might not hear from me for six months but that’s because I’ll be working on my own productions.”

Being bunkered down in the studio for the past few months is about to pay off, however, for Freestyle has several cuts primed for release in the coming months.

Sydney’s Random Soul duo will soon release his remix of their track ‘Just Doin’ It’ on their self-titled label while San Francisco’s Andrew Phelan is set to drop his remix of he and collaborator Origami’s track ‘Let’s Do It’ on Phelan’s own Prismatic Tracks. With a third remix about to drop on powerhouse west coast label Tango Recordings, ‘heads have plenty to look forward to from Brisbane’s best.

“I’m also doing mixes for people in my studio, not remixes but actual mix downs of their tracks,” he explains..

“I enjoy doing that too [but] I’m going to try and concentrate on some more of my own music this year because I’ve been getting a lot of remixes [done]. I really haven’t done any of my own stuff apart from that Guesthouse cut with Ricardo (Rae).”

Whatever comes next, we can be sure it’s worth the wait.

DJ Freestyle plays NonSense at Bar Soma, Saturday 5 June; wallflowers beware!

Kingdom: Does Cometh

2010-04-27T21:21:00.004+10:00

Being signed to one of the coolest labels out there – A-Trak’s Fool’s Gold Records – has propelled DJ-producer Ezra Rubin, better known as Kingdom, into the big league.

Hailing from New York, Rubin dropped his debut release – the ‘Mind Reader EP’ – on Fool’s Gold earlier this year and it has been receiving plaudits ever since.

The UK’s Guardian labelled it “a dancefloor anthem of epic proportions” while other media outlets similarly gushed about Rubin’s impressive ability to fuse various elements of electronica and beats with his “first love”, R&B.

The Mind Reader EP has been described as “a Brooklyn take on the UK garage sound” and Rubin, speaking from Massachusetts where he’s enjoying some down time with his family before his maiden Australian tour, is flattered by the comparison.

“I like that comparison because UK Garage is definitely the kind of music I’m inspired by; I love to mix influences” he says.

“I made Mind Reader and the B side ‘Slow’ a couple of years ago so the sound hasn’t really changed that much but the time has!

“I never expected it to be released; I wasn’t really shopping them but it all just happened.”

A-Trak liked the track so much he signed it immediately, and Rubin suddenly found himself in the company of fellow Fool’s Gold artists Diplo, Kid Cudi, Malente, Duck Sauce and even Australia’s own Bag Raiders. It’s all come thick and fast but Rubin remains grounded and warns his best is yet to come. A video for Mind Reader is about to drop, as well as a new six track EP to be co-released by Fool’s Gold and London’s Night Slugs label.

“I would say it’s slightly less banging,” he says of the new release.

“The sounds range from dubby to more tropical UK Garage sounds to more electronic and slightly more ambient.

There’s a whole Kingdom visual world I want to keep expanding; I like to do the whole cover artwork and everything.”

Having never been Down Under before, Rubin confesses to having a lot to learn about our fair country.

“I know the flight is long; that’s what everyone keeps drumming into me,” he laughs.

Being a beach lover, a trip to Surfers Paradise is no doubt in order but his first priority is to make bodies move, a responsibility he takes seriously.

“It’s very satisfying to make people want to dance.”

Reel Quote: Ayatollah Kazem Sedighi

2010-04-27T21:11:00.002+10:00

"Many women who do not dress modestly . . . lead young men astray.

"(They) corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which (consequently) increases earthquakes.”

The outspoken Iranian cleric shares his interesting view of the world.

Steve Angello - Renaissance Man

2010-04-25T12:45:00.003+10:00

There’s Steve Angello the DJ, the producer, the label owner and the larger than life member of the Swedish House Mafia, but Steve Angello the designer? At just 28, this shining light of the electronic scene has grand plans for world domination.

“I’m doing a couple of collaborations with a couple of different designers and a couple of labels,” he says.

“I’m going to have sneakers done, tracksuits, varsity jackets. People ask for it so there’s a demand.”

Angello knows a bit about being in demand. Alongside Sebastian Ingrosso and Axwell as the Swedish House Mafia, he has rocked clubs from Miami to Sheffield. As a solo producer, DJ and label owner, meanwhile, he has built a deserved reputation as one of the hardest-working names on the scene.

His Size imprint is routinely checked as one of the finest purveyors of quality house, electro and techno, while his steady production output - both under his name and his Mescal Kid moniker - see his tunes hammered by the best in the business.

Currently in Australia for the Creamfields national tour, Angello reveals Aussie audiences can look forward to some exclusive content from his eagerly-anticipated artist album as well as a taste of his Size Matters events, which he has been road-testing throughout Europe and the US over the past six weeks.

“I’ve been developing a set for Australia,” he says.

“The first time I’ll ever play it will be for Australia; I’m holding it really really tight, I haven’t even played it for Sebastian or Axwell.”

“The thing is when you leave Australia the only thing you think about is to come back. I’ve really been looking forward to it. It’s been awhile so I’m excited to be back.”

Speaking from Los Angeles, where he is now based for six months a year, Angello is refreshingly confident about the future of the global electronic scene, despite doomsdayers continuing to predict its demise.

The United States in particular, he says, is a region about to explode, pointing to the recent crossover success of artists like David Guetta as examples of how dance music can penetrate the fickle American music industry.

“I’ve been working so hard with the American scene,” he says.

“I’ve been coming here for years and … I think if you make it in America – with 300 million people – you’re going to have a great time.

“I think it’s a good time right now for dance music in America. … there’s going to be a lot of dance music penetrating the charts this year.”

“We’re in a good spot right now to communicate with bigger brands and get people to see what we’re doing in dance music. It’s a good time for artists and labels to grow.”

While acknowledging that times have certainly changed, Angello believes dance music artists are better placed than most to evolve with the changing musical landscape.

“When I used to DJ when I was a kid I went to buy ten vinyls and I kept those ten vinyls for a whole year; it was something special,” he says.

“Music today is becoming fast-food, unfortunately. An album is out and it’s old in three weeks.”

“Dance music has a big chance because all of us guys are so productive already.”

America, Angello believes, is where the next chapter of his career will be written. While he still plays around Europe – and in Sweden – he is now firmly focused on his artist album, and it’s in LA where he believes he will do his greatest work.

“LA is a great place for me,” he says.

“I needed a change and I needed a changed environment to stay inspired.

“[Here] I have the biggest record labels in the world, I have all the biggest artists in the world. There’s a lot going on in America right now.

“I’m going to continue to be here for a few years and see what we can do about this dance music thing.”

While the workaholic has booked a studio and hopes to get to work with our own Dirty South in his down time in Australia, he is on a tight schedule for a much more important reason.

“I’m having a baby the day after I finish my tour so I need to get home pretty quick after I’m done over there.”

Strip Steve - On The Up

2010-04-16T22:20:00.003+10:00

It’s every bedroom producer’s dream: to have their tracks signed after being listened to online by a label boss. Bah, "never happens", you say? It did for Strip Steve.

Boysnoize Records owner Alexander Ridha came across the French-born producer’s tough blend of house on Myspace in 2007. Liking what he heard, the Berlin-based Ridha signed Strip Steve – real name Théo Pozoga – to his label and quickly dropped his debut release, the four-track ‘Skip School EP’.

Since then Pozoga has been on something of a roll, turning in remixes and productions on labels including France’s Arcade Mode, Disque Primeur, Satellite Of Love and even Australia’s Modular Recordings.

It has been with Boysnoize, however, where Pozoga has enjoyed most success. His second eagerly-anticipated release on the label – the ‘Delta Disco EP’ – dropped late last year and is about to be followed up by a hot remix package featuring cuts by Ian Pooley, Belgian producer Sedat The Turkish Avenger, Lorenz Rhode and fellow Frenchman Das Glow, with whom Pozoga will tour Australia later this month.

As he explains, the second release was a long time in the making and was inspired by his move from Bordeaux to Berlin two years ago.

“I was very happy with that because I worked quite a long time on that,” he says in his thick, at times difficult to understand, French accent.

“It was awhile from my first EP to that one and all the feedback has been really good.

“I think people were also happy that there were four tracks on it after that long wait.”

Living in Berlin has proven to be been something of an epiphany for the Frenchman. While he refers to some parts of the city's electronic scene as “narrow-minded”, he admits the variety of music available to digest and inspire is unique to the German capital.

“The interesting thing that happened is that people started to open more and more to different sounds, be it minimal or Detroit techno,” he says.

“Now it’s interesting to hear the sound changing in clubs now. I like electro and I actually like going out here because then I hear different stuff. I like minimal but it’s not really the scene I’m into.”

In what will be his third tour to Australia, Pozoga is looking forward to road-testing some new material, including some new tracks that will feature on a new EP to drop towards the end of the European summer.

As he continues his emergence as one of Europe’s more promising producers, Pozoga is quick to thank Boysnoize chief Riha for giving him the initial opportunity to shine.

“He’s taken me under his wing and showed me around the music business,” he says.

“Now I’m more grown up on all this topics (sic). Sometime we just talk and he just tells me ‘just go for it’; he’s very open-minded.

“He told me what ever you want to do, just do it. As long as you like what you’re doing and you’re happy with it, then I’d be happy with it.”

Catch Strip Steve alongside Das Glow as they wing their way around Australia from next week!

Thursday 22 April, Monastery, BRISBANE
Friday 23 April, Home, SYDNEY
Saturday 24 April, Yellow, MELBOURNE
Thursday 29 April, La La Land, BYRON BAY
Friday 30 April, TBA,
Saturday 1 May, Lot 33, CANBERRA

Reel Review: 'I Learned The Hard Way' - Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings

2010-04-14T23:20:00.003+10:00

This is Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings’ fourth full-length album on Brooklyn's independent Daptone Records and follows 2007’s critically-acclaimed ‘100 Days, 100 Nights’.

For those familiar either with the revered Daptone Records imprint or with Jones and The Dap Kings’ soul-drenched rhythms, this new LP will wholeheartedly satisfy. It’s no insult whatsoever to say Jones and her band sound exactly the same. Their brilliant ability to transport us back to the good old days of soul is amazing and only seems to get better with each release.

Suffice to say then that, for those who aren’t so familiar with either the label or group, this latest album will prove a fitting orientation and will have you hunting down previous albums – and the label’s back catalogue - in no time.

The title says much about this new album and its direction. Jones is in a contemplative mood, recalling love lost and found (and then lost again), heartache and heartbreak, bad choices and frustrations. Whether she’s talking cash in ‘Money’ or a man’s wandering eye in ‘Window Shopping’, all her lyrics are sound-tracked to classic soulful beats and razor sharp production provided by the mighty Dap Kings, who include Homer Steinweiss (Drums), Binky Griptite (Guitar), Bugaloo Velez (Congas), Dave Guy (Trumpet), Tommy 'TNT' Brenneck (Guitar), Neal Sugarman (Tenor) and Ian Hendrickson-Smith (Baritone). Some might remember seeing several Dap Kings previously when they played as part of Amy Winehouse's stage band (especially Binky Griptite).

Bosco Mann (real name Gabriel Roth), meanwhile, is the Daptone label founder and Dap Kings bassist who produced and recorded ‘I Learned The Hard Way’ on an Ampex eight-track tape machine in Daptone Records' House of Soul studios.

The album’s title track and first single ‘I Learned The Hard Way’ is a fitting scene setter: Jones’ ‘moaning soulfulness’ permeates throughout as the Dap Kings lay down their beautiful, tight beats and smooth arrangements. The video is currently doing the rounds as well; directed by Phil De Flore, it stars Charles Bradley, ‘TNT’ Brenneck and fellow funk and soul legend and Daptone Records artist Lee Fields.

As usual with Jones and The Dap Kings releases, horns feature heavily, making this a lively affair. I can’t say much more; this is fantastic stuff that should appeal to young and (especially) old. Jones and the Dap Kings have just wrapped a European tour and are about to embark on an exhausting north American tour which will see them play a staggering 20 dates throughout May alone. While there’s no announcement of an Australian tour as yet, you can bet this fair country is on the globetrotting group’s radar.

In the interim, get hold of this brilliant release.

1. The Game Gets Old
2. I Learned The Hard Way
3. Better Things
4. Give It Back
5. Money
6. The Reason
7. Window Shopping
8. She Ain't A Child No More
9. I'll Still Be True
10. Without A Heart
11. If You Call
12. Mama Don't Like My Man

That is all.

Ewan Pearson - Proud Of His (Many) Choices

2010-04-08T21:42:00.009+10:00

He has produced, remixed and programmed for everyone from Gwen Stefani and Depeche Mode to The Chemical Brothers and Australian rockers Los Valentinos, but Berlin-based Brit Ewan Pearson still has his feet planted firmly on the ground (though not in this pic obviously).

At just 37, Pearson has already released two albums (1997’s ‘Latitude’ and 2001’s ‘Small Change’) and a raft of original material under a number of monikers including World of Apples, Partial Arts, Maas and Dirtbox.

Add to this his varied production work for some of music’s biggest – and most diverse – names and one gets the feeling Pearson might be one of those rare breeds who gets ever better with each passing year.

His achievements so far in 2010 lend weight to this theory. He has already watched the release and subsequent success of Manchester band Delphic’s ‘Acolyte’ LP - which he had a big hand in producing – and kept the ‘Heads happy by compiling and mixing a fresh compilation for renowned German imprint Kompakt.

‘We Are Proud Of Our Choices’ is warm, melodic and obscure, an adventurous blend of tech house and pop influences, reflecting Pearson’s determination to showcase new music to the masses.

“Nobody wants to hear music put together as a familiar greatest hits-type CD,” he says.

“In this day and age there’s so much music out there. I think my job… is to go and find stuff that people haven’t heard before and say, you know, this is great, you should hear this.

“That’s sort of how I see my job, with production as well and with remixes.”

Working with Kompakt was a pleasure for Pearson, a label he confesses is one of his favourites. As he explains, the beauty of his new compilation is that it allowed him to branch out and feature a range of different musicals tempos and moods.

“You don’t really get those chances very often and to do something with a label like Kompakt - which has this amazing and illustrious history - you’re being asked to … fill big shoes so it was a challenge, but I’ve really enjoyed it.”

Somehow, in between his work with Delphic, Kompakt and maintaining a busy DJ schedule, Pearson has also found time to again link with Tracey Thorn to produce her new solo album, ‘Love And Its Opposite'.

To be released in the UK next month on Strange Feeling Records (the sister label of Buzzin’ Fly, both operated by Thorn’s husband and Everything But The Girl partner Ben Watt) and in the US on Merge Records, ‘Love And Its Opposite’ is, as Pearson says, a departure from the “dancey” stuff that featured in Thorn's previous album, 2007's ‘Out Of The Woods’.

“I think she’s written some of the best songs of her career,” Pearson says of the new LP.

“I think the songwriting is stunning … it’s more of a singer/songwriter record. It’s much more stripped back. It’s very much about the songs and about her voice. The songs are really first rate; she’s singing as well as she’s ever done.”

Pearson worked on several songs on ‘Out Of The Woods’, including the bumpy ‘It’s All True’ and, he warns, fans who think they know what to expect from him - and Thorn - might be surprised.

“It’s a different type of record for me as well ... it’s quite under-produced; it’s quite stark in places," he explains.

“There’s hardly any programming [so] it has a more indie, a more organic feel to it. In some ways it’s going back to where she started."

If the first single is anything to go by, ‘Love And Its Opposite’ will be pleasantly surprising indeed. ‘Oh, The Divorces’ - currently available for free download via Thorn's website (www.traceythorn.com) - makes sparing use of production, rather making full use of Thorn’s beautiful voice.

“I talked to her at the start of the process about what she wanted to do and how she wanted to sound and we took it from there,” Pearson continues.

“It’s a record where the songs and the stories in the songs really come to the fore. She didn’t want to add too much musical stuff on top.

"She didn’t want to overburden anything. She wanted very much for it to be about the songs.

“I’m excited to see what people think of it.”

If early reaction via social media is anything to go by, Thorn has delivered a brilliant collection of heartfelt melodies. As for Pearson, meanwhile, he makes no secret of the fact that he’ll be taking it easy, or at least easier, in the coming months.

While he assures fans that more Partial Arts material is in the pipeline, he freely admits he’s not rushing into anything “post Delphic or Tracey” though assures fans he will continue to push the proverbial musical envelope through his regular DJ sets in clubs around the world.

“I’m biding my time,” he says.

"It’s a chance for me to stretch out and do all sorts of stuff. I’ve been playing a lot of house, I’ve been player a lot more tougher electronic stuff as well … the trick is to try to make it work as a coherent whole. Sometimes it works!"

*Ewan Pearson pic courtesy of Lars Borges

Reel Quote: Mark Farina

2010-03-29T22:09:00.005+10:00

"I think it’s pretty easy to fall through the cracks; there’s so many different ways to get tunes. Plus with [the] digital sharing of stuff and beyond the digital sites, people trade bootlegs and people trade ... tracks before they even come out.

"To me it loses the personality a bit. At least you know when you have a CD or a cassette or a record and you put it in that stack, and leave it there, it’s going to stay there, whereas when a song or track is in cyberspace, it loses a little of its glamour.

"I come from a background of being excited when you open up the record sleeve and get the full LP and read the inside and notes and pull out all the jackets.

"Now it’s just like a title in your computer. There might or might not be artwork. There’s always that fear of if it crashes you could lose a whole heap of stuff."

The man synonymous with jackin' house, OM Records and Mushroom Jazz - Chicago's Mark Farina - yearns for the good old days.

Massive Attack - Into The Light

2010-03-25T22:48:00.002+10:00

Seven years between albums – and tours – is a long time to wait, but Massive Attack fans are a patient bunch.

As the group’s fifth album – ‘Heligoland’ – has proven, the wait has been well worth it. Moving away, albeit slightly, from the dark, overly melancholic tones of 2003’s ‘100th Window’, ‘Heligoland’ continues the evolution of Bristol’s most successful and enduring musical exports.

Whereas ‘100th Window’ was largely a solo effort produced by Robert ‘3D’ Del Naja following the departure of Grant ‘Daddy G’ Marshall, this new LP sees the two partners re-connect in a show of unity following the terse working relationship the group has endured for well over a decade and which peaked with the departure of Andy 'Mushroom' Vowles in 1999.

Back together and seemingly tight as ever, Del Naja and Marshall have enlisted – in a style reminiscent of the original Wild Bunch - a slew of impressive vocalists and collaborators to contribute to 'Heligoland' including Martina Topley-Bird, Gorillaz’s Damon Albarn, TV On The Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe and long-time collaborator Horace Andy.

Singles ‘Splitting The Atom’ featuring Daddy G’s deep, dark raps and ‘Atlas Air’ will immediately resonate with seasoned fans. Other cuts like ‘Girl I Love You’ featuring the honey-smooth vocals of Horace Andy and ‘Paradise Circus’, meanwhile, point towards an appreciation in the group’s musical stocks, and one that has already won over a host of critics.

As Del Naja explained during the group’s Australian and New Zealand tour which wrapped up in Auckland tonight, the group’s decision to offer copies of the new album to all who bought tickets to their Australian shows is both a nod to the way the music industry has changed as well as a dig at major labels and retailers.

“For us, we’re in a space where we’re kind of looking at the future with keen interest,” he says.

“It’s strange because before the theory used to be that you put a record out and then you go on a tour to support it,” he says at lightning speed, a trait that is strangely at odds with the group’s tendency to take their time between albums and tours.

“Now the attitude is you go on tour so you put out a record to announce the tour; it’s a very different way of doing it.

“It’s a very interesting time. Obviously the value of music is something which has to be discussed and it’s probably a discussion which has no end at the moment.

“I know it’s a lot easier now to make music at home on a computer. You haven’t got to spend a lot of money in the studio, you haven’t got to go through that whole process you used to have to go to, but you still need to eat.

“Part of me feels that, when we finish out current deal with EMI, which will be soon, and we’re going to completely go independent, I might concentrate all my efforts of (sic) just making really beautiful vinyl packages cause for me that’s the way I [like] my music. I like books, I like objects.”

Massive Attack’s beginnings as the Wild Bunch on the streets of Bristol have seen the group evolve with a keen social conscience. From Del Naja’s love of street graffiti and the group’s willingness to speak out on a range of social issues through to their reputation for producing adventurous, confronting videos and, more recently, soundtracks, the band has been called a true ‘multimedia’ band, a label that Del Naja doesn’t disagree with.

“For me it’s always been that way because I came up as a graffiti artist,” he says.

“In the nature of a record, doing the artwork and creating the box it comes in is the bit I love the best.

“The music for me is the thing that channels it through. I’ve always looked at the music very visually anyway and for me multimedia would describe it in one sense.”

The new live show, which Del Naja and Marshall have developed with renowned British collective United Visual Artists (UVA), will continue delivering this message in a variety of forms.

“The thing that’s been really floating my boat, if you will, the last few years [is] the idea of being able to use the stage to create visual slogans, to engage in so many different ideas, politically, socially, economically, with intrigue, with trivia, with seriousness, to try and get across the mass confusion of the information age.”

Del Naja also confirms an additional EP will surface later this year, most likely to be given away, in part or in full, on the band’s website. The days of Massive Attack being aligned with and singing the praises of major labels (as they did on debut album ‘Blue Lines’) are gone forever; true independence, and all the possibilities it offers, awaits.

“I think what we’re doing in the next year is [release] really weird little tracks that never actually got finished,” he says.

“Stuff that you can publish on the internet and let people hear ... give it away, make the site a place worth going to.

“Hopefully, the end result of that is that…when we are independent, our own website will be a place where people can come and find what they want from us rather than having to go to the retailers.

“It’s the future for bands to have that independence and not be reliant, and also not to be ripped off by the big companies.

“When fans feel they’re getting ripped off, it’s not by the band at all. The fact that music now is so disposable and cheap, you have to think, well, really, the only way to do this is to cut the retail aspect out of it and get your music across directly because then you can give it to people at a value they relate to.”

Reel Memories - Miami Winter Music Conference 2005

2010-03-24T21:29:00.013+10:00

Keli Hart - Standing Tall

2010-03-22T21:37:00.004+10:00

In the predominantly male-dominated DJ game, Sydney-based DJ-producer Keli Hart is matching it with the best.

Armed with an easy-going personality, fierce determination and mixing skills sharpened over five years on the scene, Hart is now a regular on the national circuit, routinely playing gigs from Cairns to Launceston.

It has been in her home town Sydney, however, where she has enjoyed most success to date, holding down residencies at The Rouge for over four years and at Candy’s Apartment for the past two.

Soon to be touching down in Brisbane for the launch of Zuri’s new Provocateur night, the woman dubbed ‘Australia’s hottest DJ-producer talent’ is looking forward to laying down a feel-good, eclectic set for the more discerning electronica fan.

“It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” she says of her invitation to play at the Provocateur opening night alongside residents Matt Kitshon and Ben Hopkins.

“It’s a really cool venue and I’m really excited to be going back to where I came from. I started out in that funky house genre so I’m really looking forward to playing a special set.

“Under the house umbrella are a million different sub genres…I play everything from electro to vocal house all the way to tech and prog. If I hear track I love…I try and fit it in.

“I just really stand by whatever makes me want to move and dance.”

This willingness to experiment with various styles of driving club music saw Hart take the plunge and delve into production last year. Her debut single - ‘Blast The Stereo’ featuring vocalist Amy B - was released to great effect on US label Jetset and she is now about to unleash the eagerly-anticipated follow up.

‘Work’ featuring Bree Fenton is currently, ahhem, working its way throughout the underground ahead of its release next month on Hart’s own Doll’s House imprint. A hot video for the single is also being tweaked, meaning we’re going to see a lot more of Hart – both in and out of clubs - in the coming months. As she explains, her label’s maiden release has already been warmly received by many of her peers.

“I’m spending all waking hours pushing that and getting it into the right peoples’ hands,” she says.

“I’m really excited; so far the response has been great.”

Doll’s House, Hart explains, is as a much an outlet for her forthcoming productions as it is for Australia’s emerging production talent. She’s putting a particular call-out for up-and-coming female producers to have their voices – and tunes – released and championed.

“Ultimately my passion behind my label has been [to] support and encourage females in our industry. I want people to come out of the woodwork; I want to see some amazing productions by females,” she says passionately.

“My label is not going to be massive instantly, but the more and more females that come on board and produce some solid things that get respect (sic) by everyone in the industry … I think the industry is then going to start not having such a significant thought on females just being there for their looks.”

So just how hard is it for a female DJ to not only integrate the scene but gain respect from her peers? Hart is diplomatic but honest about how she’s found it so far.

“I think we all enter the industry wanting to gain respect, not only from the public but obviously from your peers and people you play with,” she says.

“I feel it’s easier in some ways – maybe you’re given a go - but it’s a lot harder in other ways in terms of really winning the respect of people around you.

“I’ve always had the mindset of head down, bum up and do my best. You’re not always going to be everyone’s cup of tea.

“[But] there are more females coming onto the scene now.”

So, with ‘Work’ about to drop featuring remixes by Cutoff, Christian Luke, Dan Aux and Digital Damage, Hart warns there’s plenty more to come in 2010.

“I just really want to spend this year working on the label and making it a solid base. At the moment I’m really keen to sign other females to the label and get some more variety in terms of output.”

Learn more about Keli Hart and her forthcoming productions at www.myspace.com/djkelihart.

Reel Quote: Robert Del Naja (Massive Attack)

2010-03-14T23:08:00.004+10:00

"To be honest the thing with the cover is that I also think it was about the fact the image was reasonably provocative you know?

"I was dealing with quite an uncomfortable image of the minstrel and … it was a kind of a dialogue between Massive Attack and Bristol and Bristol’s history of the slave trade and everything that Bristol doesn’t like to talk about or discuss. The issue of image and what image means now and the issue of race and what that means now.

"I thought the minstrel image was interesting because it was the idea that black music was the popular music at the time in America, but black people weren’t allowed to perform in white clubs and so they created the minstrels … which was so mad and absurd … and something that not many people know or really consider but it still feels very relevant to this day and age."

Massive Attacks's Robert '3D' Del Naja opens up to The Reel over London Underground's decision to ban artwork promoting the group's fifth album 'Heligoland' because it looks too much like graffiti.

The full interview with Robert will land on The Reel in the coming days. Massive Attack kicked off their Australian tour on Friday in Perth; you can catch them - with their hyped new live show - around the country over the next week.

Monday 15 March - Opera House Forecourt, Sydney
Tuesday 16 March - Opera House Forecourt, Sydney
Friday 19 March - Royal Theatre, Canberra
Saturday 20 March - Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne
Sunday 21 March - Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
Tuesday 23 March - Riverstage, Brisbane
Thursday 25 March - Vector Arena, Auckland, NZ

Gui Boratto – Obrigado!

2010-03-13T21:59:00.004+10:00

Sao Paolo-based DJ-producer Gui Boratto is one of the hottest names on the electronic scene right now. The release of his new Renaissance compilation is just the latest example of him flying the flag for forward-facing Brazilian electronic music.

Having enjoyed a stellar 2009 through remixing the likes of Moby, Simian Mobile Disco and The Pet Shop Boys and releasing his sophomore artist album – ‘Take My Breath Away‘ – on renowned German imprint Kompakt, Gui upped the ante and released his first ever mix compilation as part of the revered ‘Renaissance Mix Collection’ series.

Following in the footsteps of Hernan Cattaneo, M.A.N.D.Y. and Danny Howells, Boratto has put together a fantastic double-disc release blending his love of melodic, warm soundscapes with dark, driving house.

“I’m more a musician than DJ so that’s why it was a challenge,” he explains to The Reel.

“I wanted to make a little story with music, especially music produced and composed by other people.

“I tried to find the perfect blend of my favourite producers and tracks; exclusives from friends and peers, plus my own material, be it original or remixes.

“I had a lot of fun doing it and I’m very happy with the result.”

Collaboration partners Bomb The Bass, Gabriel Ananda, Oxia, Josh Wink, Max Cooper and Tricky all feature on the release, while Boratto’s own productions and remixes – including four new exclusives - are also heavily featured.

In addition to his new compilation, Boratto’s remix of Massive Attack’s ‘Paradise Circus’, released on their acclaimed new LP ‘Heligoland’, is also drawing support from DJ-producers on both sides of the Atlantic and, as he recovers from his recent Australian tour by playing some locals dates around Brazil, he reveals his local scene is going from strength to strength.

‘The local scene here has changed a lot,” he says.

“Ten years ago the local scene was more into psychedelic trance, especially the big events. They were more directed into trance or even drum’n’bass but now Brazil is now part of an international circuit of clubs and we in turn receive all the big house names.”

Touring, Boratto reveals, provides little chance to rest up, as his creative urges apparently know no boundaries.

“I have a need to create, even when I’m on location,” he laughs.

“[Any] more than ten days [and] I start to freak out if I don’t produce so I’m all the time doing things.”

‘Renaissance: The Mix Collection – Gui Boratto’ is out now through Renaissance/Stomp.

CD1:

1. Oliver Koletzki Feat. Fran – Hypnotized
2. Gui Boratto – Take My Breath Away (John Tejada Remix)
3. Paul Kalkbrenner – Azure
4. Bomb The Bass Feat. Paul Conboy – The Infinites
5. Dominik Eulberg – Daten-Übertragungs-Küsschen
6. Lusine – Double Vision
7. Gabriel Ananda – Schnee
8. André Sobota - Forgotten
9. Mathew Jonson – When Love Feels Like Crying
10. Gui Boratto – Telecaster
11. Gorge & Dubnitzky – Smile In My
12. Oxia – Sun Step
13. Robert Babicz - Astor (Gui Boratto Remix)
14. Ada – Lovestoned (Gui Boratto Remix)
15. Gui Boratto – Azzurra (It´s Not The Same Mix)

CD2:

1. Gui Boratto – Trills
2. Christian Smith – Milky Way
3. Kiki – Immortal Feat. Pirica (Anja Schneider Remix)
4. Guido Schneider Meets Jens Bond - Eijeijei (Original Mix)
5. Ben Klock - OK Feat. Elif Biçer (Kenny Larkin Remix)
6. Josh Wink – Dolphin Smack (Martin Buttrich Remix Part 6)
7. Hatzler - HNO (Lemos Remix)
8. Gabe & Marcello V.O.R - Funky Zeit
9. Stimming – Chemistry (Original Mix)
10. Gui Boratto – The Glam
11. D-Dub – Deep Blue (Stimming Remix)
12. André Lodemann - Vehemence Of Silence (Motor City Drum Ensemble Perspective)
13. Max Cooper - Stochastisch Serie
14. Tricky – Past Mistake

Matt Walsh - French Fried

2010-03-11T23:30:00.003+10:00

Since being approached by Canadian DJ-Producer Tiga while playing his residency at London’s famed T-Bar, the UK’s Matt Walsh has made quite a name for himself through his forays into the darker sides of house and techno.

Tiga was so impressed with Walsh’s style he invited him to remix several tracks on his lauded Turbo Recordings label. Alongside production partner Steve Cook as Clouded Vision, Walsh ably went to work on Moby’s ‘I Love To Move In Here’ and Cari Lekebusch’s ‘Shaded’ and the rest, they say, is history.

“Turbo has a much more open soundscape than a lot of labels,” Walsh explains.

“Releasing a Bodo Elsel vinyl-only EP one week, then a Proxy banger the next is risky business, but really works.

“Tiga comes from a Techno background and the reason I was taken on board as a DJ was because of being not as one-dimensional as some people can be.”

So, on the eve of his first ever visit to Australian shores – where he will play a number of dedicated Turbo Recordings nights alongside French label mate Noob – Walsh reveals he has a collection of new material awaiting release.

“The start of the year has been all about production,” he explains.

“In January and February I … completed my first 2 solo EPs, both that (sic) will be released in April on Wax:On Records and Seinan Music.”

His first solo EP is the two track ‘Honey Comb’ and will feature three additional remixes from the likes of Camel
(Deadfish), Monsieur Monsieur and People Get Real (Wax:On).

“I have also put out the second in a series of Clouded Vision EPs -
titled ‘Outside’ and finished remixes for Jori Hulkonnen on Turbo and
NT89 and Saville on Southern Fried.”

So what can heads expect when he steps up to the decks later this month?

“A lot of the music I play comes from France,” he says.

“When I play at peaktime hour I love bass-heavy techno such as Popof, Harvard Bass, Brodinski's new stuff and of course the new bombs upcoming on Turbo.

“Later in the night I like to play deeper techno sounds, again from France’s Clement Meyer, Darabi and Zhao.”

In between rocking clubs, however, Walsh has one very important task to complete.

“My first plan is to teach Noob how to speak English!” he laughs.

I have a few friends to meet up with, plus I’ve never been surfing before and I fancy myself as being pretty good.

Time will tell.

Catch Matt Walsh as he wings his way around the country from today for the Turbo Recordings tour:

Friday 12 March - Amber, Perth (w/ Noob)
Saturday 13 March - The Club Club, Sydney (w/ Noob)
Thursday 18 March - Base Nightclub, Christchurch, NZ (w/ Noob)
Friday 19 March - Pang, Canberra (w/ Noob)
Saturday 20 March - Strobe, Melbourne (w/ Noob)
Friday 26 March - Electric Circus, Adelaide (w/ Noob)
Saturday 27 March - Ruby Tramp, Gold Coast (w/ Noob)

Reel Moments: Miami Winter Music Conference, 2005

2010-03-08T21:47:00.004+10:00

Reel Moment: South Beach Miami, WMC 2005

2010-03-08T21:24:00.003+10:00

It's nearly that time again when the global electronic music community converges on Miami for the annual industry knees-up that is the Winter Music Conference. Amid the hoards of plastic fantastic bombshells, Spanish-speaking locals and beautiful pastel-painted architecture of South Beach, there is serious business being done.

Label reps, promoters, music media and DJs from around the world congregate in clubs sipping overpriced drinks, quarrelling with over-zealous American door staff and meeting hungover counterparts in search of the next big tune, artist and 'thing.' To get everyone in the mood, I thought I'd drop a few photos from when I attended the conference way back in 2005. While WMC is increasingly being challenged by its European equivalent - the Amsterdam Dance Event - Miami rolls on in 2010 in what will be its 25 year anniversary.