Friday, 19 November 2010
Thursday, 18 November 2010
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RHYTHMATIC 3RD ANNIVERSARY – SECRET SHOREDITCH WAREHOUSE Saturday 27th November 10PM – 5:30AM Upper floor: Rhythmatic Lower floor: Rhythmatic Intimate Sessions Following a hugely successful Summer Greek tour with Dance Music legend, Carl Cox, London’s international party fiends rise once again to fuel the fires of another burning party. The Rhythmatic atmosphere is once again ready to be swirled up into a blast of a party at an East London warehouse on November 27th, where the Rhythmatic hosts Carola’s first appearance outside of London super-club, Fabric in four years, making this an evening not to be missed! Carola is the most wide-spread artist Rhythmatic have ever brought on board, armed with the best line-up they have ever presented and the famed Rhythmatic ambience of treating all that grace as friends over punters, the team have created a powerful, intimate and overall memorable night. Marco Carola A name tantamount to the ever changing underground sound, he along with other like-minded friends, such as Gaetano Parisio, Random Noize, past Rhythmatic guest Davide Squillace and other Neapolitan clubbers and DJs who were eagerly looking for something new in club music during the 90’s, started the transition towards techno. Hailed now, as Napoli’s first techno producer through his EP ‘Man Train’ which was released on his own Design imprint in 1995, Marco Carola is now firmly established as one of the world’s premier techno DJs. With a vast array of production credits and a whole host of labels under his belt namely Plus 8 and M-Nus, Carola has emerged in the last decade to be one of the globes most influential exponents of quality electronic music. System of Survival Stathis Lazarides Sound System – Stealth Array Join the Rhythmatic facebook page Reposted from Techno Music News
Marco Carola (M-nus) 4hrs
Stathis Lazarides (Rhythmatic, Cavo Paradiso)
System of Survival (Circo Loco)
Rossko (Cerca Trova, Found)
Wesley Razzy (Rhythmatic)
Rico Novo (Rhythmatic)
team, true to Rhythmatic form, have upped the ante yet again with Marco Carola staining the newest batch of Rhythmatic flyers.
You will more than likely know the Italian duo best for their ongoing residency with DC10’s legendary Monday morning party, Circo Loco. With a DJ career that spans almost over two decades and has seen them build up a huge reputation through their performances in top clubs, they are one of the first acts to gain a continuing residency with the infamous Ibiza promotion. Over the years, System of Survival have remained committed to their purist notions of what good dance music should be, continuing to create a wall of sound which ignites venues and clubbers around World with sets that can be described as a perfect blend of sounds both old and new. Not just DJ’s the pair put on an enticing show, and when playing together fit like a jigsaw. Whilst one plays a tune, the other cuts in effects, beats, acapella’s and whatever else is going! Making them one of the most interesting techno duos to see play.
Stathis Lazarides has the musical ethos and mentality of an artist who finds it impossible to compromise with trends. The inability to specify genres when in the studio or the DJ booth, has positioned Lazarides as a true underground soldier to the global house music sound. A true figure of the industry, in the summer you will find him holding the fort that is the legendary Cavo Paradiso Mykonos, where he spends his mid-summer evenings playing alongside Sven Vath, Luciano, Reboot and Matthias Tanzmann to name but a few. Stathis Lazarides is back on UK home soil armed with a new release with fellow Greek Music Man, Alex Celler on the Dutch imprint, Soweso Records; ready to bring more of that international, techno sound to a palatable spread of music and partying.
Stealth Array is a new concept of sound system that provides the highest, studio quality sound at major events. Designed and built by the new British company Flare Audio the system delivers unbelievably clear sound at incredible levels which were previously impossible. The system is a patent pending combination of point source and a horizontal line array, this enables the system to throw studio quality sound to every area of a venue and up to 150 metres away. Officially launched just 3 weeks ago the system is already proving to be a hit amongst the most respected people in the industry.
Wednesday, 17 November 2010
Ben Klock Interview - Bangin Beats, Berlin & Berghain
While Klock’s productions on his Klockworks label and his ‘One’ album for Ostgut have allowed him to win recognition for his dense, repetitive grooves, it is his residency that lets him play everything from classic Chicago house right through to hard as nails industrial techno.Ben Klock owes a lot to Berlin. Were it not for the German capital’s inextricable relationship with electronic music, it is possible that he would not have become one of the key names in contemporary techno. Klock’s reputation after all, has been built on his marathon DJ sets at the city’s notorious Berghain club, where he has been resident since it opened six years ago.
But before there was Berghain, another Berlin institution helped to mould Ben’s musical tastes.
“There are two points I am connected to in Berlin - Berghain and Hardwax,” he says, after a weekend on the road. “I never worked in Hardwax but I know the people there, they always put away stuff for me. There were times when the store was busier, maybe in the 90s, but now a lot of the music is sold online and the image and reputation of the store is bigger than the shop,” he believes.
In many ways, Hardwax is as representative of an alternative voice in techno as Klock himself. Both are at odds with the digital revolution - Klock is still a vinyl DJ - and both place huge importance on the history and context of house and techno.
It’s no surprise that some of the best techno releases and labels of recent years have come from Hardwax’s small but perfectly formed distribution outlet, with the anonymous hand-stamped vinyl releases on Workshop; Wax/Equalized; Marcel Dettmann’s MDR imprint; Klock’s own Klockworks and Horizontal Ground/Frozen Border all offering individualistic interpretations of classic house and techno. Klock agrees.
“There’s a lot of knowledge and history in Hardwax,” he says. “There is too much music that is just functional now, and what I like about the mentality of Hardwax is that they only distribute a small amount of labels. Every time we want to release a record, we have a ‘team meeting’, and I play my latest tracks to the guys there. If we are all not 100% happy with it, we won’t release it. I’d rather just have one release a year that I was really happy with than a lot of average releases.”
Klock’s seamless mixing skills and deep musical knowledge meant that he was a regular DJ at the old Tresor club and at other well-known Berlin clubs like Cookies and WMF. He used to frequent Ostgut, the precursor to Berghain as a punter, and at the time felt it was a venue he would love to play at. Before it reopened, Ellen Allien from Bpitch put him in contact with the venue’s owners. ‘My first gig there was one of the best I played, and when they asked me to become resident, it was one of those moments in life when you know that you were in the right place at the right time,” he laughs.
One of the other new residents was Marcel Dettmann, who used to work in Hardwax. They became friends and together, shaped the grainy, warehouse techno sound, a mixture of Basic Channel depth, late 90s loopy, Lost-style repetition and Planetary Assault Systems edginess topped off with subtle nods to early Chicago house and techno that Berghain and almost by default, Berlin has become synonymous with.
Fast forward six years and the club is the most hyped in the world - and with good reason. Housed in a former power station, its Gotham City-style concrete architecture, unparalleled sound system and wild, mixed crowd make it the perfect home for a residents’ roster that also includes Len Faki, Norman Nodge, Marcel Fengler, Cassy, Steffi, Prosumer and Tama Sumo. So what does Ben feel makes it so special?
“It’s the full package, the venue is like a techno cathedral,” he says. “It’s a place to really celebrate this kind of music. Sometimes you have clubs that look like a disco and have bad sound systems, but this is a perfect club. It radiates from the owners - they do a really good job and put all their heart into it. They are really professional and this is the most important thing about the club,” Ben adds.
Part of the challenge for the club’s owners is that Berghain’s international reputation means it is danger of becoming a victim of its own success: everyone who comes to Berlin for a weekend of techno wants to go to the club, but not all of them will get in.
“There has to be a good mixture of people from around the world and people who have been coming for years,” Ben feels. “I can understand when you come from miles away just to go to Berghain and you don’t get in it can be a pain in the ass, but the door staff have to do a good job to make sure it doesn’t become too touristy. If I’m playing abroad and people ask me about it, I just say be normal don’t be too drunk, just act yourself - come on guys you have door policies in other clubs too!
The main issue for Ben is to keep doing what he was doing before the club came under the spotlight.
“There is all this hype, but I’m just keeping my feet on the ground, holding onto the original idea for the club and the label too - I’m just trying to control the hype.”
Modest words from a techno DJ who recently remixed Depeche Mode and whose club residency is now appearing in the tabloid press thanks to a visit from Lady Ga Ga.
He even seems unfazed by the dark room at Berghain, simply saying that “it’s no Sodom and Gomorrah”, but what he does take seriously is the sense of freedom that Berghain brings. “When you get in there, you can leave your everyday life at the door, you feel you have escaped - I don’t know what people would do without it.”
Despite its notorious image, Ben feels that its reputation is overstated and is adamant that Berghain is still primarily a music club. The ultra-liberal opening hours also provide its residents with the opportunity to play marathon sets, which for anyone who has witnessed Klock or Dettmann in full flight for eight hours, does a lot to dispense with its status as a temple of jaw-clenchingly intense techno purism.
“You can play techno, house, dubstep, or we play a lot of classics alongside some new stuff, records that haven’t come out yet,” he explains. “It’s very boring when people call our music ‘cold, steel, relentless’ (laughs)… personally, I get very bored after two hours of dark, heard techno.”
Klock’s latest venture, the fourth instalment of the Berghain mix series, successfully provides a distilled version of the various twists and turns his sets follow. From the evocative organ sound of Klockworks signing DVS1 to the hypnotic rework of Junior Boys by Marcel Dettmann and the cold bleeps of STL’s ‘Loop 04’, and the eerie, creaky house of Levon Vincent, Jonas Kopp’s reimagining of Basic Channel’s ‘Phylps Track 2’ to the tripped out dubstep of Kevin Gorman’s ‘7am Stepper’, the timeless Chicago house of Tyree’s ‘Nuthin Wrong’ and Klock’s heavy, rolling take on Brendon Moeller’s ‘Dirt’, ‘Berghain 04’ packs a powerful punch.
Despite this, it is far removed from the relentless Sturm und Drang techno that Klock is portrayed as solely championing. The majority of the tracks on the mix – 14 out of 19 - are exclusive, which came about because Ben wanted to differentiate the CD from the glut of free online mixes.
“My aim for the mix was that people could listen to it without getting stressed out and wouldn’t throw it away,” he laughs. “Sometimes I do play much harder, especially for the international gigs, where I am only playing for two to three hours. I spoke to a lot of friends, colleagues and artists I like and there are so many podcasts and live recordings that a mix CD should offer more. I found it interesting to give people new music and I think that people appreciate that too.”
Clearly, Klock didn’t throw the mix together during a few hours in the studio, and he says that the first track that was agreed for the mix, from Martyn, was cleared a long time ago.
Klock adds that he refused a lot of material and said no to a number of established artists who wanted to appear on it, but, polite and humble as ever, says: “I don’t want to do any namedropping.”
While ‘Berghain 04’ offers a 70-minute synopsis of the Klock’s sets at the club, I put it to him that it must be difficult to export the atmosphere and energy of his DJIing at Berghain to other locations. After all, if he’s not performing in an environment where the party goes on for 24 hours and the crowd consists of the wildest freakshow this side of Hieronymus Bosch’s demented paintings, then is there a danger that he won’t perform as well?
“You saw me play in Dublin a few weeks ago,” he says, “and I could only play for two hours, but because the crowd knows it’s only for two hours, they party so hard in that space of time. It is a bit different from playing in Berghain, but it’s a lot of fun, and I get a night’s sleep! Now it’s the other way around - I’m doing more and more international gigs and this gives me a fresh perspective on the one gig a month I’m playing in Berghain, when I play a longer set.”
It’s time for Klock to get back to the studio. He has a new Klockworks release to finish and a remix project, which he won’t talk about. As we engage in small talk at the end of the interview, I ask what a ‘longer set’ at Berghain constitutes?
“Well, I can play for up to 10 hours, but the longest I’ve ever done was 18 hours back to back with Marcel. When you’re playing for that long you don’t know that you’re hungry or tired, you’re just pushed a long by a special kind of energy.” Door staff permitting, it’s an energy everyone should experience at least once.
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Ben Klock @ Voices, Propaganda, Moscow 30.07.10. Ben mashes it up with this awesome mix that covers many styles with everything from modern minimalism through old school hardness from DJ Hyperactives Reptilian Tank. Great mix form a master.
http://technomusicnews.com/dj-mixes/ben-klock-techno-mix-from-propaganda-moscow-2010/
Track List
DJ Hyperactive – Music Box
Klockworks – Yoyage One
DJ Bone – We Control The Beat
Shed – My R-Class
DJ T 1000 – Bout To Bang It
Ignacio – Chios
Richie Hawtin – 005
DJ Hyperactive – Wide Open
Ben Klock – Subzero
Sub Space – The Bi-Machine
DVS1 – Running [Klockworks 05]
Green Velvet – I Want To Leave My body
Marcel Dettmann – Plain
Cajmere – Only 4 U (Green Velvet Mix)
DJ Hyperactive – Reptilian Tank
Winx – How’s The Music
Planetary Assault Systems – Surface Noise
Junior Boys – Work (Marcel Dettmann Remix)
Black Jazz Consortium – Blacklight
Lionrock – The Packet Of Peace (The Jeff Mills Deep House Mix)
Martyn Ft. Spaceape – Is This Insanity? (Ben Klock Remix)
DVS1 – Pressure
Kenny Larkin – Glob (Ben Klock Remix 1)
Omar S – A Victim
Friday, 12 November 2010
Brandt Brauer Frick – Acoustic Minimal Album out December 6th
Brandt Brauer Frick are an interesting ensemble who have taken it upon themselves to create a wholly acoustic sound that in a reductive fashion takes on some of symbolic and recognisable stylistic elements of modern minimal electronica and produce a both backward and forward looking result. The German trio have taken the familiar structures and rhythmic elements of minimal music and at once made them engaging on a performance level but also made an album (‘You Make Me Real’) that will not feel out of place in the music collections of either a progressive classical music fan or that of a progressive electronica listeners. Brandt Brauer Fricks tracks are heavily rhythm focused and at times extremely mechanical in precision, once could almost believe that the pianos and drums on some of the tracks were sequenced on ableton live, but there is always the core of “aliveness” in the sound that is only achieved by the best electronic producers and is so sadly lacking in so much identikit “by the numbers” techno and electronica out there. “We had felt for years that most instances of combining techno and classical music lack an authentic approach,” says Paul Frick. “Instead of using only the typical epic orchestra or piano sounds, we love to explore the dirty and percussive sides of those instruments, adapting techniques from composers like John Cage or Helmut Lachenmann: preparing our piano with screws and rubbers, knocking against every single part of an instrument, until we find that one great sound.” Like their classical and dance music forefathers, Brandt Brauer Frick’s music takes on new dimensions when experienced live. Where many of their peers’ live sets offer little besides an artist staring intently at a laptop, the trio’s performances convey the movement of their music as strongly as the thumping beats do: Frick and Brauer set up complex song structures and play blushing piano chords while Brandt metes out beats on his drum kit. The group recently expanded their live experience to more fully realize their initial aspirations, recruiting highly skilled instrumentalists for a 10-piece ensemble and training them for the rigors of their tracks. Transcending audiences’ expectations for what sounds should be heard where, the BBF ensemble is majestic to behold whether they’re esconsced in the pristine halls of the Modern Art Museum or the sweaty confines of a club like Berghain. Their debut album ‘You Make Me Real’ is out on December 6th via !K7 and they are playing live at the ICA London on December 1st. Reposted from Techno Music News
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Funk D'Void Interview
From the mid-‘90s right up to this week, Lars Sandberg’s love of house and techno is inexhaustible. Ahead of his Australian visit, the man talks to inthemix about indulging his dual personalities.
I see you played Panoramabar this month on a Sunday afternoon. What’s the experience like of playing that iconic space?
Nerve-wracking. I prepared for weeks before the gig, dumped my laptop and did a special vinyl/CD-only set. I thought it went well, but it was extremely draining. The place has such a reputation, I was terrified, expecting to be scrutinised by my every move – but I relaxed finally. I hope to go back and perform there soon.
Following the Chymera remix, what’s next on the production/remixing front?
Keeping things nice and hot with my label Outpost, I’m determined to keep up the level of quality – it’s my baby! New EP from myself coming up for #4, and Emmanuel will take the helm for #5. Having your own label really keeps the drive going in the studio. I’m hungry for good music again.
Following your tour, local promoter Soma Corp is touring fellow Glaswegian Vince Watson. You guys have done some pretty incredible remix work for each other in the past. Do you know each other well?
I’ve always been in awe of Vince’s chords and textures; he’s a huge influence on the way I listen to techno. We know each other well since the scene emerged in Glasgow and have mutual respect for each other’s work – and of course I would love to keep up the production work together. We segue well into each other’s musical styles.
I’ve heard you talk in the past about how Barcelona’s electronic music scene can be frustrating. How’s the state of affairs at the moment? How does it compare to Glasgow?
Glasgow will always win for me; it’s where I’m from. I don’t compare the scene in Barcelona with Glasgow’s, they’ve grown from different roots. Local Catalonian Government has always been blinkered with the economic viability from the night-life scene, always hindering its progress. I have distanced myself from it somewhat, but next year I’ll be doing a regular night in Microclub Macarena – 70 people capacity!
Are your techno and deep house sides still split between Funk D’Void and Francois Dubois, or is it now all part of one whole?
I always play a bit of both styles in my performances. More recently I’ve fallen back in love with more edgy grooves – it’s refreshing to bounce back and forth from genres. I’m a sucker for the deepness though. There’s never a linear form to my sets, and they take a lot out of me every time. I can’t wait to get stuck in.
I’ve been following your recent online mixes, Kings Of The Strings and Adoriana. Have platforms like Soundcloud changed the DJing game?
Well it’s a great filter to hear what music I’ve been into. I like putting these mixes up first on Mixcloud’s streaming format, then jump over to Soundcloud so that people can download them if they liked it the first time around. Mixcloud is a great platform for DJs that are not so well-known or are just starting up.
I’m amazed at how many followers I have on Soundcloud, and I love the interaction with other producers on there. It really encourages two-way communication, and also is a good gauge to see how your track is received.
In your recent set as Francois Dubois for The Melbourne Deepcast you included a track from Melbourne producer Tornado Wallace. Are you aware of many other producers or labels from Australia?
Is he from Melbourne? Awesome! I’m a big fan. I like Deepchild also, plus my friend Laurent Dupré does some great deep stuff. I love Michelle Owen’s DJ style and taste in music also.
There’s certainly a trend in house and techno at the moment for revisiting the past. Do you think there’s a danger in that?
Everything’s derivative of something that’s already happened, it’s part of the process – right now the ‘90s flavour is the sound du jour. I have no problem in that because that’s where I’m from! As long as it’s presented in an interesting and usable way, then I’m all for it.
When I last saw you in Sydney, you were not a well man. Any nerves about coming back?
Man, I was sick as a dog; I had brought an intestinal parasite back with me from India and Bali and wanted to die. I’m going to make up for it this time. Watch out.
Reposted from http://www.inthemix.com.au
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Phil Kieran Interview – Phil talks Skyhook Remixes, Hard Graft and why recession is a good thing
In anticipation of the up and coming release of the Skyhook Remixes (the first release on Phil Kierans new label Phil Kieran recordings) we asked the man himself for a quick chat about the upcoming release, his musical origins and future directions. Phil Kieran Hi Phil how are you doing? Run ragged with your schedule what with the new label launch and skyhook remxes promo tour? Im good thanks…Yeah loads on, trying to have enough music ready to go for the next 6 months , just worked on a couple of remixes and getting all the singles ready for the label, first release is skyhook with remixes from adam beyer & jesper dahlback , green velvet , scuba / scb , ricardo tobar, and the next releases we have , Egbert, Prirter, Lucy, Greenvelvet and a release from Matador . What would you say your favorite remix of skyhook is? What is it about that mix you particularly like? Dont mean to sit on the fence but i like them all , they fit different moods, honestly , it was a dream package and some how it all came together, I was able to get some or my favourite artists on there so im delighted . Most people know you grew up in Belfast, did the city have much of an influence on your initial interest in electronic music? Was there much of a scene in the city when you were starting out? It was a great place in the way that there was very little going on which meant that people had to be creative, as teenagers we just got on with it all we cared about was getting out to the next night. The music was always good, back then it was mostly the art collage, many nights with David Holmes , Andrew Weatherall and people like that. Now that both Northern Ireland and the Republic are somewhat better off than they were 15 or 20 years ago (current recession not withstanding) has this made the Irish scene more or less interesting to you? Honestly , im glad there is a bit of a recession on, people were getting too greedy and obsessed with money , everybody once they got a glass of wine in them would brag about the value of their house, you don’t hear a whimper out of them now. its been proven that in hard times there is more creativity , and when I think back to the start of the 90’s we had hard times but had no idea as all we cared about was searching for the next bit of good music to listen to. Skyhook Remixes Sampler Listening to Shh (and the recent CLR podcast mix) it becomes quite obvious that you aren’t simply a techno and house only kind of guy, to my mind there is a lot of eclecticism in your style. I can detect everything from dub and ambient to Electronic Body Music in there. Are there any non dance music favorites you’ve got that you think more people should run out and buy albums by? Where do you start, I could mention bands that are responsible for so much like My Bloody Valentine or Jesus and Mary Chain etc, obvious things like the Pixies, dépêche Mode and Brian Eno are great source points. Recently I have been lucky enough to be asked to be part of a new project with one of these artists at the moment I cant say anything else all will be revealed in time. So I have always been into post punk and disco, New York stuff, even jumping across the water to Manchester then you have joy division and new order, I could go on forever into more obscure things but there’s not enough time time or space. You also created one of the most popular remixes on Nitzer Ebbs Body Rework album a few years back , How did you end up being involved in remixing the classic NE track “Murderous”? I think the guy Seth who was A&r for novamute was a fan of my stuff and he got me to do a few remixes, I am eternally grateful to him for asking me to do these I even thanked him on my album, he was working at minus for a while and now lives in Berlin, great guy, huge respect ! Regarding your position at Cocoon, your work for Electric Deluxe and International Gigolo and now the launch of your own label, is there a conscious decision to delineate between the other labels and your own or will all your new work be getting the Phil Kieran recordings moniker from now on? Is there to be an intended difference between what you release on on PKR and your other work? I have a good set of labels that are into my music which you have to be thankful for. I like working with cocoon they are great guys who love music. I am very exited to be working with my good friend Jochem (Speedy J) giving him music for his Electric Deluxe imprint I urge you all to go check it out and see what they are doing its very very cool. Hell at gigolo asked me to send him a track and the Love Wish Ep will be released in December. I also like loads of labels out there one of note to talk about would be Snork I really like what they are doing. My own imprint is here to enable me to work with people I like and give me a regular output for the large amounts of music I am making it’s a really productive time at the moment. Hot any new artists signed up to PKR that you think will be making waves over the next little while? I have got a 3 track ep from matador ( dublin ) i think its the best tracks he has done, they just blow up when you play them in the club, im planning to do a release with boxcutter and space dimenssion controler both from belfast and doing really well, closer to the experimental/ dubstep side of things. On a Belfast note keep an eye on Psycatron who are doing really well with stuff on planet e and cocoon coming out soon. You’re quite prolific, how do you produce so much work, is there a methodology you use? Or is it just old fashioned hard graft? H.A.R.D. G.R.A.F.T. I tend to go and stay in the south of Ireland without tv and people to distract me this seems to have increased my output, the shelves are full. Do you find it difficult to produce new tracks while touring? Or do you keep the producer and DJ sides distinct & separate? It is all a process road testing tracks is important you have to have a link to the dancefloor when creating music although thats not all that the music is about, I like all aspects of it from weird and experimental , songs and club tracks too. Regarding the production of that unique “Phil Kieran” sound Do you have any secrets you can let us in on? Do you have any favorite studio Getting more into my old outboard stuff, thankfully ive kept some, though I have sold many keyboards I really regret like the juno 60 , my fav thing at the moment is a thing called a “ mutator “ it does what it says on the tin tbf, and I love my TL audio valve compressor for distorting things . Were there any creative alleyways you went down on your journey towards your current sound? How do you break out of any ruts you may find yourself in? I try to not revisit the same ideas as much as I can, its hard to avoid them when you know it works, but to avoid being like so many people who just repeat them selves id rather be original and unsuccessful than successful and feeling like a fraud . Check out Phil Kierans site for free mixes news etc. Reposted from Techno Music News
kit? (Were partial to the DSI Mopho synth & NI Maschine around here). Do you tend to produce at your own studio or do you find getting away to a pro studio to be more useful to you?