Duke of Swabia

Vosper - Release (Official Music Video)

noreply@blogger.com (Barbarossa) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:23:00 +0000

Buy it on Beatport: http://www.beatport.com/release/release-ep/879946

MEANT012 - Vosper - Release EP

Supported by: Chloé, The Hacker, Ivan Smagghe, Cosmo Vitelli, Brodinski, Electric Rescue, Slam, Optimo, Matt Walsh, Daniel Avery (StopMakingMe), People Get Real, Nhar, Krikor, Pan/Tone, ...

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Music Video Credits:

Director & Creative Director :
Fred Caron, Edouard Le, Christopher Byron

D.O.P. : Jean-Francois Vezina

Editor : Christopher Byron, Edouard Le

Visual EFX : Christopher Byron, Edouard Le

Actors :
Edouard Le, Christopher Byron, Christopher Macdonald, Francis Latreille, Sofia Byron, Darien Pons, Fred Caron

Produced by Meant Records

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Follow VOSPER on facebook : http://www.facebook.com/vospermusic
Follow MEANT on facebook : http://www.facebook.com/meantrecords

Follow VOSPER on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/vospermusic
Follow MEANT on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/meantrecords

Follow VOSPER on Soundcloud : http://www.soundcloud.com/vosper
Follow MEANT on Soundcloud: http://www.soundcloud.com/meant

Website : http://www.vosper.ca
Website: http://www.meantrecords.com

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For those who missed it: VOSPER Podcast + Interview

Interview: RIVA STARR

noreply@blogger.com (Barbarossa) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:56:00 +0000

(via rivastarr.com) "Just when you think you know Riva Starr... He’ll probably confuse you with yet another side to his musical personality. Don’t call him fickle, though. Try bored. Try excitable. Try unpredictable... And then some!

As Philippe Stark once famously said “I do not try to please everybody, I make what I can, how I can, when I can. […] I try to deserve to exist by doing my job well. I have this sickness called creativity and I exploit this sickness to offer new meaning in things to my friends. That’s it, very simple”

Riva humbly subscribes….

Driven from his Italian motherland by a compelling desire to reinvent, innovate (?) and progress (!), Riva has made London his home since 2008: A breath of freedom and fresh beats that allowed to him to wear his inspirations proudly beyond the sleeve and deep, deep, deep into the groove.

A Neapolitan cultural exile with a degree in Chinese literature; a passionate family guy who still manages to juggle a DJ schedule of over 200 international gigs a year, a label and production duties. How can you pigeonhole a man who never sits still?

From the dolce vita to Dalston, the Big Smoke’s open eared community and exciting cauldron of influences finally allowed him to truly make the records he wanted to make. In the past he’d produced house, techno, breakbeat, electro, pop, folk and everything in between. Here was the city where he could bring them together.

As the very name of his own label Snatch! suggests, Riva’s unpredictable “Magic Hat” selection keeps both him and us listeners on our toes. It’s kept him relevant, but more importantly, it’s kept him alive and kicking…

To Riva, though, he’s just doing his job, hoping to pick up new friends along the way.

It’s been like this from the very first releases. Having taken his previous guises as far as he could, his infamous debuts on Made To Play and DirtyBird were the result of anonymous MySpace demo entries. Refusing to rely on any kudos he’d developed before, Riva took a brave dive into a whole new world of beats and let the music speak for itself.

Since then he’s strutted with acts as varied as Noze and Balkan Beat Box, remixed Dennis Ferrer, Usher, Gossip and Estelle (to name a few) while future fix-ups include Fatboy Slim and Beardyman.

Never forgetting his roots, Riva records range with the wily eclecticism of all the ages; he strikes chords we can all relate to: from the DJs that have appreciated his work (from Tiesto to A-Trak, Jesse Rose to Annie Mac and Giles Peterson to David Rodigan) to you, me and everyone in between.

Throughout this mayhem, he’s been hard at work on the DJ circuit – with over 190 gigs in 2010 alone – strutting his stuff in some of the coolest venues on the planet such as Panorama Bar, Space, Womb and Fabric as well as some of the biggest festivals in the world from Fuji Rock to Global Gathering to Exit and beyond.

"His latest project, the first Snatch! WMC Compilation album, Batería Fantástica is a unique collection of exclusive & original South-American/Latin flavoured cuts hawking back to the original inspiration behind the Miami based conference... all made especially for this album by some of the coolest producers on the planet."(Resident Advisor)"

RIVA STARR PRESENTS: BATERIA FANTASTICA - MIAMI 2012 PART.1

Tracklist:
01) Riva Starr & DJ Sneak – Manduka (Riva Starr Cut)
02) Carl Cox & Jon Rundell – Caipiroska (Original Mix)
03) 2000 And One & DJ Madskillz – Los Olvidados (Original Mix)
04) Gonzalez & Gonzalo – La Fiesta (Original Mix)
05) &ME – Dios (Original Mix)

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Interview: (by Alexander Leblanc, for dukeofswabia.com)

First of all, where does the name Riva Starr come from?

From a few of joints and beers...

Who were your early musical influences?

The bands doing kids cartoons soundtracks. There were some really good ones made with Moogs and stuff like this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCv3Ma-ph38

Describe yourself in one word.

C*@!

Batería Fantástica is a great project, featuring an all-star line-up. How did you come up with the idea and was it a long, difficult process?

It was a fun project to build up, it was fairly long process but at the end the result was worth the effort. Just aimed to do something for Miami instead of the usual mix compilation.. So everyone made an original track based on south american flavour... I asked to everyone personally to get involved firstly by explaining that it would have to be something slightly different from their usual thing... That was the key point of the experiment - having fun with music!!! And everyone delivered!

Your label Snatch! Records has been releasing really great records! What do you listen for in a track or artist?

It has to sound bang! And I always look for a fresh idea and diverse edit. There’s plenty of pretty similar tracks around and I just wanted to launch a label based on good feelings and unexpected ideas where possible!

You are such a busy man, how do you find the time to produce music?

Because I make music while I travel... That really helps, then I head to the studio for the final mixdowns.

I remember bouncing to Riva Starr at Piknic Electronik in Montreal, summer of 2010. How do you like the city? How would you assess the music coming out of Montreal over the past few years?

Wow, that was a party! I still remember it... Huge thing indeed. I didn't get to see that much of the city. Just a quick walk round the hotel as I had an early flight. But I loved the vibe and the people were very friendly. Music wise lots of interesting new acts coming out from the place!

How did you hear about Montreal duo Prince Club?

I got to know them thanx to a mutual friend who was just helping them to spread the word. Then I got in touch at Piknic and everything started there.

Which artist(s) do you suggest we should keep an eye on in 2012?

Prince Club, Pirupa, Jet Project.

Do you have any advice for young producers?

ORIGINALITY!

What is your favorite city or country to play in?

Everywhere if you ask me, also the smallest place if the vibes is right - could be amazing for me.

If you had to pick only one record to listen to for the rest of your life, which would it be?

A butterfly.

What else should we look forward to in 2012 for Riva Starr and Snatch! Records?

PLENTYYYYY. After the 3 samplers from Bateria Fantastica, First single from Jet Project album feat Robert Owens.. And first single from my album featuring myself! LOL

And finally... Yesterday, were you drunk?

Of course.

DUKEOFSWABIA.COM Podcast #003 - VOSPER (+ Interview)

noreply@blogger.com (Barbarossa) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:26:00 +0000

DUKEOFSWABIA.COM Podcast #003 - VOSPER

*see tracklist below

(via vosper.ca) "With roots firmly in the fertile ground of Dark Wave, EBM and Techno music, Vosper bring the listener to heady vistas of sound and tone. Where other groups wallow in the dank claustrophobia of retro-fetishism, Vosper's relentless enthusiasm for developing a singular musical voice, nourished on a shared past, guarantees the listener glimpses of, and participation in, the formation of a new sonic sensibility.

Formed by Montreal-based Edouard Le and Christopher Byron, the duo utilizes their own rich backgrounds to craft melancholic compositions in an analog mode for a digital age. Though both Le and Byron had previously collaborated, it wasn't until the formation of Vosper that the intangible qualities of their own musical ethos truly coalesced into an unique sonic world, coloured by visions of haunting pasts and future frontiers.

Through his involvement in various music projects, as well as djing in many cities alongside Andrew Weatherall, Green Velvet, Moby, Trentemoller, Dj Hell to name a few, and production and remix releases in multiple electronic music genres, Le has developed a deep understanding in production and remixing with a natural affinity for the dance floor.

In Christopher Byron, Le found a kindred spirit… Weaned on the sounds of new wave, alternative and industrial music, and particularly influenced by the genius of Alan Wilder, Byron's sound design skills and song-writing produce the melancholic strain that runs so deeply through Vosper.

Fuelled by an obsession for collecting vintage gear, the band's signature sound has been crafted using a select ensemble of hardware. Influenced by the music of early Human League, James Stinson, Nitzer Ebb and LFO, Le & Byron have fashioned an abrasively modern dynamic from the modes and mores of the past. Vosper is about the marriage of propulsive Teutonic beats to the melodic impulse of the Sheffieldian sound: muscular industrial-strength rhythm finding its highest expression in its companionship to the pensive and wistful despondency of memory.

Their debut release EP on highly regarded Parisian label Meant Records marks a great head start for this up and coming band."

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Interview: (by Alexander Leblanc, for dukeofswabia.com)

How did you two meet? How/Where did it all start?

Ed: "We actually met at work and happen to share the same office. With the similar interests in music and music technology, we decided to write some tracks and the studio chemistry just clicked."

Please explain the name 'Vosper' and how you came up with it.

Chris: "Vosper was the name of a ship builder in England, My Great Grandfather worked there."

Who were your early musical influences?

Chris: "I guess I would say that the bands which inspired me to start composing melodic songs were Skinny Puppy, Depeche Mode, NIN, and Front242."

Ed: "For me, the bands that lead me to Vosper was probably Human League, Dopplereffekt, Green Velvet, Anthony Rother, and Swayzak."

What is your academic background?

Chris: "Bachelor degree in Communications Studies with Specialization in sound."

Ed: "Bachelor degree in "Graphic Design."

It may be difficult to merge two minds into one. As a duo, how would you describe your "production process"?

Chris: "It's hard to describe, the pre-production process is always different for each song. Sometimes we would just do a live hardware jam sequenced without a computer, and record the audio into Logic and build and arrange from there. Other times we would sketch out ideas together in Ableton. Or we would each compose complete songs in our own studios and then interchange the projects, reconstructing them together into finished tracks. But the end production process is always the same. All the song parts would be re-record with live tweaking of our analog synths and effects through the 1073 or GreatRiver preamps, then bounced "to tape" through our Anamod ATS-1."

You guys are said to be obsessed with collecting vintage gear. For all the 'tech-heads' out there, could you be more specific? What equipment do you use in the studio to make Vosper come to life?

Ed: "A lot of gear comes and goes, but the current setup consists of a Minimoog Model D, SH-101, Jupiter 4, Juno-60, TR-808 (x2), TR-909, TR-606, Pro-one, Matrix 1000, SE-1x, Oberkorn, Octatrack, Machinedrum, Anamod ATS-1, SSL G-bus Compressor, Eventide H3000 fx unit and some vintage Boss analog delays and spring reverb and a few vintage EHX pedals…."

With support already from Chloé, Daniel Avery (StopMakingMe), Matt Walsh, Electric Rescue, etc, were you expecting such a great and relatively quick response to your work?

Chris: "We wrote music that we wanted to hear, so we did not know what to expect. We just hoped that others would like it as much as we do. We are very grateful and flattered that our favourite DJ's at the moment are playing and charting our tracks… it feels awesome."

If you could be in the studio with the person of your choice, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Chris: " that's an extremely tough question actually… If only I could just merge Daniel Miller, Flood, Cevin Key, Gareth Jones, Alan Wilder and Trent Reznor into one person! But realistically, I guess right now it would be Arnaud Rebotini. The emotional feel of his arrangements/melodies, along with his synth programming, is just brilliant. Every time I play 'Echoes' or 'The First Thirteen Minutes Of Love'… I just want to go into the studio and jam."

Ed : "Probably James Stinson, jamming with him on analog sequencers… but unfortunately it won't happen"

If you could DJ the event of your choice, which would it be and why?

Ed: "Hard to say, I never thought of a "dream" event or venue to play. Maybe playing in an underground warehouse party in a middle of nowhere with a no lights, ghetto setup, lazer strobes and smoke with a crazy crowd going ape-shit on your music all night long. That would be an event of choice I guess! Well, the perfect place to play Horrorist's "One Nite in NYC."

What music are you excited about these days?

Ed : "These days, I really dig all the various music projects of James Stinson and Gerald Donald. Their music is simple but very effective and it never gets boring, even if sometimes it's only the same loop playing for the whole track without fills or breaks. I'm also really into the two first Human League albums before both Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh quit the band to form Heaven 17. Can't stop listening to them. The synth lines and sound design is awesome, love the warm and dark analog synths from the late 70s! As for more recent artists, I've been DJing and enjoy tracks by Alex Arnout, Sishi Rosch, and The Countach.

Chris:" At this moment, it's a mixture of artists like Kan3da, The Other People Place, the Hacker and Marc Houle "

Vosper's debut EP is being released on Parisian label 'Meant Records', April 09th, 2012. What else should we look forward to in 2012?

Ed: "Our second EP on Meant Records, perhaps a live PA and a few remixes."

And finally, if you had to pick only one record to listen to for the rest of your life, which would it be?

Chris: "Depeche Mode's 'Violator' "

Ed : "Human League, 'Reproduction'"

Thank you guys for your time!

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Tracklist:

Bozzwell - Ambition (My Favorite Robot Remix) - Clouded Vision
The Other People Place - Let Me Be Me - Warp
The Countach - Freeze - Metis
Jenny Goes Dirty - Amour Solitaire - Kill The Dj
Vosper - Hidden Faces - Meant
Xenia Beliayeva - Soldier - Black Fox Music
Lala By - Pendulum (Chloe remix) - My Favorite Robot
Thugfucker, Tale of Us, Life & Death - Morgana - Visionquest
Martin Landsky - The Composer (Sasse Remix) - Pokerflat
Bubba - We Need A Break - Clouded Vision
Marc Houle - Undercover - Items & Things
Tomas More - Road To Nowhere - Item & Things
Sishi Rosch - Doing The Nasty - Sultry Vibes
DSR - Babaloo - Warp
Nhar - Betrayer - 200
Electronic Suicide - Ich Wollt - Unknown

www.vosper.ca
www.facebook.com/vospermusic
www.twitter.com/vospermusic

Also, check out:
- Duke of Swabia Podcast #001 - LOUIE FRESCO
- Duke of Swabia Podcast #002 - AQUARIUS HEAVEN

DUKEOFSWABIA.COM Podcast #002 - AQUARIUS HEAVEN

noreply@blogger.com (Barbarossa) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 21:25:00 +0000

DUKEOFSWABIA.COM Podcast #002 - AQUARIUS HEAVEN

*see Tracklist below

(via circuscompany.fr) "Aquarius Heaven might be new to the electronic music world, but he is no newcomer to the music scene as such: Aquarius Heaven, born Brian Brewster, is an ex reggae dancehall and hip hop singer. It was pure chance that Brian became involved with the electronic music scene after he moved to Paris in 2005, where he meet the Parisian electronic music trio dOP.

After spending hours in the studio with the three musicians, Brian’s musical sound was profoundly changed. Yet, we can still hear the colors of the Caribbean in his vocals, and since he is new to the genre, his music is unbound by the old rehashed sounds and limitations of the electronic music scene. All of this creates for a very interesting musical ride. It was during the Summer of 2010 when Aquarius Heaven was truly born: while recording the track “Universe,” Brian realized that he and Clement (of dOP) had the same birthday in February, so Brian created the name “Aquarius Heaven” under which to make electronic music.

This new chapter of his life was made official with the release of his track “Before U Go” on the Watergate 06 album, mixed by dOP. With the release of his first EP, titled “7 Days” (on Circus Company), Aquarius Heaven started generating buzz in the music world. Aquarius Heaven just recently released his “Can’t Buy Love” EP (on Wolf + Lamb), the single of which – paired with a dark-and-sexy music video – catapulted him into the world of music-blog buzz, before the EP was even officially released. Aquarius Heaven has only begun the journey that continues to accelerate day by day."

“Like dancehall, the electronic world has no boundaries. That’s one of the factors that I love about it, you can actually mix almost everything into it… a lot of people don’t, but I like breaking rules!” – Aquarius Heaven

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Tracklist:

Apparat - You Don´t Know Me - Octane
The subs - decontrol - Aquarius Heaven remix
Shirol - Taron Trekka
Go Away (Wareika Incandescence Resistance)
Jamie Woon - Night Air (Solomun edit)
Greenville Massive - Tone
Who's Afraid of Detroit - Claude Von Stroke
Robert Babicz - Dont look back
Pantha Du Prince - Saturn Strobe
Walk a mile in my shoes (henrik schwarz remix)

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Also, check out: Duke of Swabia Podcast #001 - LOUIE FRESCO

Sound Pellegrino Thermal Team - FABRICLIVE x MODA Mix

noreply@blogger.com (Barbarossa) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 17:17:00 +0000

(via fabriclondon.com)

"Since 2009 the Sound Pellegrino label, fronted by Orgasmic and Teki Latex, who was once of French hip hop outfit TTC, has become a respected home to music that they themselves note “built itself on the ruins of loud big-beat-like fidget and overly distorted washing machine electro”. Together as a DJ team, Orgasmic and Latex perform as the Sound Pellegrino Thermal Team, a concept that enables them to warm you to their type of dance music in its optimal club setting.

It’s an outlook they’ve explored through their continuing podcast series (which, at the time of publication, is currently on its 61st instalment) as well as through the music they choose to present and release through their label. Notable recent releases on the imprint have come from Bok Bok & Tom Trago, Style of Eye, Noob and Malestrom; though the back catalogue boasts names like Para One, Bart B More, L Vis 1990, Gucci Vump, Solo and more amongst its ranks."

Sound Pellegrino Thermal Team - FABRICLIVE x MODA Mix

Tracklist:

Tone Loc - Wild thang - Delicious Vinyl
The Footclub - Driftwood (Work Remix #2) - Work
Marc Romboy, Kink - Don't Shake my tree - Ovum
Levon Vincent - Man or Misstress - Novel Sounds
Nina Kraviz - Ghetto Kraviz - Rekids
Richi Ahmed - Suck It - Hot Creations
Claude VonStroke and Jaw - Le fantôme - Dirtybird
Timbre - Mushroom - Cdr
Twilight 22 - Electric Kingdom instrumental - Vanguard
Maelstrom - Pool Chicks - Sound Pellegrino
Mikix The Cat and Dj MikeQ - Vibe - ADD Cat Records
French Fries - Yo Vogue - Dirtybird
Renaissance man - Stalker Humanoid (Dexter Remix) - Turbo Recordings
Sound Pellegrino Thermal Team - Bassface (Aquarius Heaven Remix) - Sound Pellegrino

DUKEOFSWABIA.COM Podcast #001 - LOUIE FRESCO (+ Interview)

noreply@blogger.com (Barbarossa) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:53:00 +0000

DUKEOFSWABIA.COM Podcast #001 - LOUIE FRESCO

Biography: (via theblacklegagency)

"If we can define Louie Fresco in one word it would probably be "Versatile".

This multifaceted DJ and Producer from Mexico has single handedly put his hometown Mexicali B.C. on the map with his many original tracks and remixes.

Artists like Art Department, Maya Jane Coles, Deniz Kurtel, Mark Knight, Noir, Heidi, Solomun, Miguel Campbell, Russ Yallop, Siopis, James Teej, Flight Facilities, Tale Of Us, DJ Three, J Phlip, WildKats, The Crystal Method, Felix Da Housecat, Tommie Sunshine, Dirty Vegas, Deepgroove, Oliver Klein, NASA, John Roman, Lazaro Casanova, Larry Tee, and Junior Sanchez to name a few have played Louie's remixes and songs on many events including shows like Coachella, Winter Music Conference, Get Lost, Circoloco, and South by Southwest.

His DJing skills have earned him invites to share the stage or headline events all over the world with the most eclectic group of DJs out there. DJs like Boys Noize, Crookers, Felix Da Housecat, Steve Aoki, Marco Bailey, Desyn Masiello, Popof, NOOB, Martin Eyerer, Julian Jewell, Heidi, Damian Lazarus, Magda, Marc Houle, Pier Bucci, Uffie, Sharam, MSTRKRFT, Nic Fanciulli, M.A.N.D.Y., Justin Martin, Tiesto, Toy Selectah, Nadastrom, MightyFools, The Young Punx, Le CastleVania, Audiojack, Russ Yallop, Jamie Jones, A1 Bassline, Designer Drugs, Bird Peterson, Harvard Bass, L.A. Riots, The Crystal Method, LAZRtag, Nortec, Panoptica, Tommie Sunshine, Silver Surfer, Lee Foss, Treasure Fingers, The Rapture, DJ Bam Bam, Staccato, Lazaro Casanova, Catz N Dogz, Skrillex, The Bloody Beetroots; among others, while touring all over Mexico, USA, Canada, Spain, Poland, Germany, Netherlands and Ireland. All of these in less than 3 years.

But DJing is just his "weak side". What really makes heads turn it's his production skills. Louie started making music at the age of seventeen. 11 years and hundreds of tracks later we find that he has done (and it's doing) remixes for, originals, and song collaborations with artists such as Art Department, Etienne De Crecy, Tommie Sunshine, Peaches, Felix Da Housecat, Gtronic, Lady Gaga and Michael Bolton, Young Buck (G-Unit), Lee Foss, John Roman, Sergio Santos, Russ Yallop, Bunny Lake, Hot Pink Delorean, etc.

If that is not enough to call him a versatile person, Louie sets 2011 as the year that will definitely make his hometown (and of course himself) stand out. With his new upcoming label MEXA Records almost ready to launch his first EP and many EPs from other new artists like his roomate J Mar, and many EPs and remixes from well respected producers such as Lee Foss, Gina Turner, J Phlip, Silver Surfer, Sergio Santos, Lazaro Casanova, Catz N Dogz, Sierra Sam, Thugfucker, Tale Of Us, and hopefully Jonny White from Art Department, who's attention was recently caught by Louie's music and signed him for his first ever album release on Jonny's label No.19 Music and a remix for Modern Amusement (aka Lee Foss) which has been doing amazingly well on Beatport's "Indie Dance/Nu Disco" chart currently sitting on the #1 spot and #35 on Beatport's Top 100 (and still climbing up the charts).

Still not versatile enough? Did I forget to mention that Louie has some amazing cooking skills? If you ever spend some time with him ask him to cook some "Loaded Potatoes" or his famous "Louie Fres-Canellonis"".

Interview: (by Omar D. + Alexander Leblanc, for dukeofswabia.com)

- When and how did you first get into production/DJ and what still motivates you to do it today ?

I used to play guitar at the age of 11 but started writing songs at the age of 17, bought a Playstation 2 when I was 20 because I heard about a videogame called Music Generator 2, that was my first DAW, but since it had so many boundaries I had to jump to PC and the first DAW I knew about was FL Studio 5. I've been using it ever since.
I started DJing as a hobby but I started loving it as I got better (at least I think I did..) and right now I couldn't choose one over the other.

- Who were your early musical influences?

Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson, and Sesame Street.

- How did you meet with Number 19?

I did an original track called "Cruel", which was gonna be released under my label MEXA Records. A couple of months after I finished that tune a friend of mine came down to my apartment and told me that Lee Foss upload a video of someone called "Modern Amusement" who was also using the same vocal sample as me. So I sent both Lee and Jonny a message asking them advice on what should I do with it. Jonny told me to wait some time and then release my version. It really bummed me for a second, but after 20 minutes of putting my head around it I saw a new message from Jonny where he wanted it for the Modern Amusement EP, and the rest is history.

- You have been working on multiple projects and touring the world. How does that feel? Ever get sick of it? What's your secret ?

It feels great, I'm finally doing what I really love and enjoying every second of it, though it gets exhausting sometimes. I think my secret is that I eat way too much.

- How would you say you fit in the Number 19 Family?

Maybe cause I rock a beard..

- What is the perfect setting for your music to come to life? In other words, what’s your ideal spot for producing?

My room while my friends are in the living room and I'm heading there back and forth to grab a drink, play some videogames, or smoke something.

- Which upcoming artist would you say is an inspiration nowadays in electronic music? Who do you think we should keep an eye on?

I love everything Maceo Plex.. Oh, upcoming! There's a bunch I'd love to say but I think every one we have on the MEXA Roster will be doing big things this or next year.

- How do you like the sounds coming out of Canada these days? (Prince Club / Footprintz / Valentin Stip...)

In my opinion, Canada has always been one of the front runners of the EDM and I'm always looking up at Canada to find out who's the next amazing producer coming from the amazing country that came up with the idea of creating "Poutine".

- Do you have any advice for young producers?

Be patient and work hard. I've been doing both and it's been finally paying off.

- What is your favorite city or country to play in?

Mexico!

- What are the top 3 most-played tracks/artists on your iPod at the moment?

Junior Boys - Like a Child (Carl Craig Remix)
Crazy P - The Hit
Art Department - Touch You Gently

- Describe yourself in one word.

Lazy

- Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga?

Justin Bieber DJ Set

- What's the scene like in Mexicali today? How has it changed over the past few years?

It's great, and it's been great for many years now. The electronic dance music scene in Mexicali is starting to become much bigger. Plus, it's a really safe place to live in, and the EDM scene it's constantly and rapidly evolving so there's a lot of healthy competition between most of the DJs.

- You've been to Montreal before?

I haven't been there but I've heard many good things about Montreal's music scene, I've only been to Toronto, Vancouver, and Whistler; which is one of the most beautiful places I've been to.

- When can we expect you in Canada?

Hopefully later this year

facebook.com/LouieFresco45

twitter.com/LouieFresco

residentadvisor.net/dj/LouieFresco

myspace.com/LFlo45

soundcloud.com/MEXA-Records

Interview: Anja Schneider (Mobilee Recs.)

noreply@blogger.com (Barbarossa) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:44:00 +0000

ANJA SCHNEIDER / Mobilee records

"Anja Schneider is the Mobilee Records founder, broadcaster, internationally renowned DJ and producer once labeled a "perpetual motion machine", and one of the hardest working individuals in the business. From her beginnings in radio to the ‘Hi Five’ anniversary year of Mobilee, her ascension through the ranks has been fuelled by her strong work ethic, sharp tastemaker instinct, charming personality and innate musicality.

As a label head Anja Schneider has focused not only on discovering fresh talent, but also on cultivating and developing the Mobilee roster, pushing artists to challenge themselves and developing their careers as DJs and musicians. Under her guidance, Mobilee and its sister label Leena Music have grown into one of Berlin’s most-watched staples, with a close-knit collection of producers and musicians that carve out a distinct sound in a city teeming with electronic music.

With ears honed through years of experience, Anja Schneider’s achievements as a producer, DJ and label head are far from peaking. Her development as a one-of-a-kind artist and businesswoman is just the start of what we can expect from her evolution, as she builds Mobilee into the defining platform that stands in testament to the vision, passion, and love of music that drives her extended Mobilee team in all that they do, and all that will come."

Nov. 25, 2009 - www.mobilee-records.de/artists/anja-schneider

------------------------------

Interview: (by Omar Diouf for dukeofswabia.com)

(Omar D.) So we know here at dukeofswabia.com that you love Montreal. Why is that? And how many times have you been here already?
(Anja S.) Montreal is an amazing city one of my favorite ! People and atmosphere is very inspiring. I ve benn there already 3 times and I m not getting tired to visit again.

We have interviewed Marcin Czubala earlier in 2011; he is really unbelievable. Any new babies on Mobilee for the beginning of 2012?
Yes we have Rio Schneider, 5 months old and my baby.

Could you tell us a bit more about the process of choosing new artists and signing them to the label? Do you get a lot of music sent to you?

Yes I got a lot of music and nowadays it's getting much more difficult to get new people that fit to us.
The music has to be very individual. Everything is possible and has to have an own character.
I don't want to have any copy of someone on Mobilee.

What would you say you are looking for in terms of sound and human relationships for Mobilee this year, compared to the past ?
We are much more professional right now. And watch out 2012 we releasing our first DVD a documentary of Pan-Pot.

When you choose to release a track, do you base yourself on criteria such as if it's a 'dancefloor killer' or a 'track for early nights'?
No I have to feel the track. I'm choosing then during my set which atmosphere is on and do everything very individual.

What would you say were your highlights for 2011?
The birth of my son.

Best track of the year? Or if that's too hard, best track of the summer?
ha ha Anja Schneider / Hello boy
No honestly there were too many unbelievable tracks .

Anyone we should be keeping an eye on for 2012; on Mobilee or other labels?
Sebastian Radlmeier, new artist on our roster !

What's new for Anja? And most importantly, when will you be back in Montreal ??
Having a good time and would love to play again for Igloofest which was to be honest one of my favorite parties of 2011.

Thank you so much for your time !

mobilee-records.de/artists/anja-schneider

facebook.com/anjaschneider
twitter.com/anjaschneider
residentadvisor.net/dj/anjaschneider
soundcloud.com/mobilee-records
youtube.com/mobileerecords

NYE 2K12 @ SAT

noreply@blogger.com (Barbarossa) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:38:00 +0000

NOUVEL AN @ SAT from Society for Arts and Technology on Vimeo.

SLOW HANDS (Wolf & Lamb) @ Grenier de L'auberge Saint-Gabriel ! Dec. 23rd

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:19:00 +0000

(interview by: Omar Diouf, for Duke of Swabia.com)

Hello Ryan , so first of all, let me tell you we are really excited to have you in Montreal !

Is it your first time coming here? How do you feel about our city?

It is my first time! which is absolutely mental, as i grew up in Vermont, only a five or so hours away! I just never really had the opportunity for some reason, but i am very excited. I have played for the same promoter (Ahmed) in Tunisia, and it was maybe the best party i have ever played my life! so my expectations are high ;) (Not to mention that i have heard you harbor some of the most beautiful women in the world! :)

I (Omar) really enjoyed your EP with Benoit & Sergio - Covers, can u tell us more about it ? And how the collaboration went down?

Haha, it was actually a birthday present i did for Gadi (w+l) a few years ago when we first met. It was a song that he loved and was playing a lot at the time, so i thought it appropriate to cover for him to play if he needed. He was so appreciative that it took him nearly two years to find a song he thought would fit, and, obviously, Benoit & Sergio provided the perfect (amazing) cover to go with it!

I was lucky to live in NYC when the Wolf & Lamb phenomenon started around 2008. How do you feel about what the label achieved in the past few years?

Wow, they have achieved an amazing amount! I mean, they hold a roster/found of some of the most successful talent of present. I just feel so fortunate to call all of those guys friends and family, and look back on all of our achievements and work towards them with an amazing amount of pride.

Can you tell us a bit more about your background? When did u start producing, why ?

I grew up in Vermont, moved to Philadelphia to attend school for classical and jazz guitar and composition. Left after a year, moved to NYC, shortly followed by Tom Croose (the other eventual half of Worst Friends), and just made music together, and solo until i met Gadi and Zev from W+L. The rest speaks for itself i think.

I began making music because it felt natural, it's really all i know how to do (aside from bartending). I am just happy people have taken a bit of notice and allow me to do this for a living now.

Which upcoming artists should we pay attention to for the upcoming year in your humble opinion? :)

Ooof! Hmmm. . . . Tom Croose, Pional, Mano Le Tough, No Regular Play, Perseus, Eddie Mars, Goldroom, Cosmic Kids, Beg To Differ, Soho 808, Alexander Holland, Pink Stallone, Turbotito, Cosmonauts . . . to name a few (and some of these boys are already quite well established)

Last but not least, anything new coming up for Slow Hands?

Lots of forthcoming remixes, originals, Worst Friends and Male Madame work . . . . time off maybe ? ;)

Thank you so much ! SEE YOU ON THE DANCEFLOOR :)

You guys know what to do :)

RSVP HERE ======> https://www.facebook.com/events/128274850619191/?ref=ts

Maya Jane Coles - Focus Now EP

noreply@blogger.com (Barbarossa) — Thu, 19 May 2011 15:52:00 +0000

There are very few artists who have made as much impact in such a short space of time as Maya Jane Coles. At only 23 years old she has burst not only onto the House Music scene but also into dubstep with her Nocturnal Sunshine project and live electronics with She is Danger.

"Maya has sat at the top of both the Beatport and RA charts with her previous releases on Real Tone, Hypercolour and Mobilee as well as a run of remixes for Crosstown Rebels, Defected and Leftroom. So it was a massive pleasure that Maya chose 2020Vision for her next full single release. When we discussed the project with her we agreed it was vital to put together a single that truly reflected her diverse tastes and skills" - 2020Vision

The title track Focus Now (see clip below) is a unique work that will be hard to even categorise. Reminiscent of early Mathew Johnson records, Focus Now features delicate synth sequences weaving in and out of intricate rhythms. It sounds amazing on big systems, like at Fabric, where it was road tested by Ralph Lawson at the recent 2020Vision party. It is one to drop at the right time to make a real change in mood and set direction.

We then have Little One (below) which is a solid Deep House groove, simple but effective.

Vocal snippets are added by MJC herself on both tracks but her true vocal talents are shown on Senseless. A delicious slice of slow electro pop Senseless hints at what a superb album Maya will undoubtedly produce in the not so distant future.

A beautiful package is finished off with The High Life which is a dreamy string led affair that would be wonderful as a warm up or end of night moment.

MJC is no flash in the pan dance act, but a break-through prodigy that will blossom into a truly great recording artist.

source: Kish Comm.

Finger Lickin' Gold

noreply@blogger.com (Barbarossa) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:07:00 +0000

Oh this is a MUST-attend, a do-NOT-miss, a be-there-EARLY! It is also an early candidate for Booking of the Year for this year's Duke Awards, going down at perhaps the Venue of the Year: Le Belmont.

Elephant & Castle and Black Tiger Sex Machine present :

TREASURE FINGERS [Fool’s Gold, Defected]

Throw a predrink on your terrace, wear those Ray Bans past sundown and come celebrate the start of the summer season. Because in this city, we don’t wait for snow to melt to take our shirts off and enjoy a cold one among friends. And with no exams in sight, your only worry is to decide who’s got the first round.
...
On April 29th, because we know you’re going big, we’re stepping up. After a successful rehearsal at Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Treasure Fingers will team up with hometown heroes Black Tiger Sex Machine, Seb Diamond and Flash Decks to boombox your face.

Skirts & Rollerblades
Ray Bans & Cherry Cokes
Monaco Disco Swag & Poolside Love Affair

-------------------

BUY TICKETS HERE: http://www.wantickets.com/Events/ShowEvent.aspx?eventId=88415

IN STORES:
Off The Hook (1021 Ste-Catherine W)
Moog Audio (3828 St-Laurent)
Alibi Boutique (506 Rachel E.)

OR CALL:
Guillaume Drouin Garneau (514-249-6459)
Phil Vézina (514-568-9936)
Amine Ouadahi (514-712-7763)

PRESALE $15
DOOR $20

-------------------

TREASURE FINGERS [Fool’s Gold, Defected]
http://www.treasurefingers.com/
http://soundcloud.com/treasurefingers

Welcome to Atlanta, home of Cadillac anthems and stripper pole hits, booming 808s, Lil Jon, Ludacris and countless gold-mouth heroes. Right here, in a sweet spot somewhere among the handclaps, finger snaps, and late-night Waffle House jams, our nation’s crunk capitol managed to spawn one of the most exciting new talents in electronic dance music: Treasure Fingers.

For the past two years, the DJ and producer born Ashley Jones has been making it rain in the disco with innovative remixes and original tracks. Jones is far from a new jack, having racked up over a decade of international club experience and studio chops as part of the beloved drum & bass group, Evol Intent. Yet as Treasure Fingers, he’s found a way to merge his diverse influences and deep history into a signature sound, packed with intricate basslines, chopped-up, gritty synth melodies, and party-ready drum breaks. It’s already captured the ears of everyone from rock groups Snowden and the Death Set to house legend Romanthony (all of whom requested the Treasure Fingers remix treatment), as well as A-Trak and Nick Catchdubs, who quickly signed Treasure Fingers to their tastemaking label Fool’s Gold, home to Kid Sister, Jokers Of The Scene and other buzzed-about favorites.

+

BLACK TIGER SEX MACHINE
www.blacktigersexmachine.com
http://soundcloud.com/blacktigersexmachine

SEB DIAMOND
http://cargocollective.com/nighttrackin
http://soundcloud.com/nighttrackin

FLASH DECKS
http://soundcloud.com/flashdecks

-------------------

18+

-------------------

ps: Sandy's a Gold digga.

BOTNEK - Plonk EP

noreply@blogger.com (Barbarossa) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 17:59:00 +0000

BOTNEK. Remember the name. Montreal-based house music duo will be releasing their debut Plonk EP on Swedish imprint Discobelle Records on May 9th, 2011. This production team- already behind an illustrious track record of remix work- has been building a strong buzz in the past year around their name and unique blend of house, afrobeat, and tropical rhythms.

I remember meeting one half of Botnek, Gordon, for the first time at Vinyl Lounge a while back. At the time, the name Botnek rang a bell because of a Felix Cartal remix I had heard (they won a remix competition for Dim Mak Records, for Felix Cartal‘s single "Skeleton"). The super friendly newcomer to Montreal handed me a demo CD, which I listened to the following day. It blew me away and was on repeat the whole week.

Now they're tearing up local parties, turning heads and causing hangovers, armed with killer tracks and charming personalities. They're a step ahead of the competition with their fun, unique sound and quality productions. BBC Radio 1 DJs including Kissy Sell Out, Jaymo, and Andy George are praising the merits of Botnek's production on their program "In New DJs We Trust" and spreading their club-friendly gems from Canada to the international airwaves. Among other early supporters of Botnek, the likes of Sidney Samson, Malente, Hostage, BeatauCue, Supabeatz, and Foamo have been blessing dancefloors worldwide with Botnek's signature sound.

Now ready to deliver a full EP of original production, the duo have chosen Discobelle Records- sibling of the highly-regarded electronic music site Discobelle.net- as a home for their debut Plonk. This 5-track EP includes four original compositions and an afrobeat-inspired remix of the title track "Plonk." Tracklist below.

---------------------

Plonk EP

Tracklist:

1. Plonk (Original Mix)
“Plonk” is a peak time techno track with a hook that made Sidney Samson call it “the craziest track I’ve heard in a while” and Kissy Sell Out from BBC Radio 1 say “Botnek is my new find… really, really, really talented.”

2. Plonk (Afroplonk Mix)
Botnek created their own remix of the song “Plonk,” more suited for a bouncier house vibe. This version has afrobeat inspired percussion as it re-explores the original hook into an almost steel drum inspired tropical beat.

3. Jerpa (Original Mix)
This more radio-friendly song includes a dutch house inspired drop and infectious vocal hook. Keep an eye out for the upcoming music video being made for this track directed by Montreal visual artist Skunch.

4. Rass (Original Mix)
This is the standout, driving dutch house track on the record, featuring a powerful drop that is more than ready for the dancefloor.

5. Cairo (Original Mix)
Botnek end the record with a vocal Moombahton track currently on heavy rotation with DJs such as Dave Nada, the inventor of this very new buzz-worthy genre.

---------------------

Selected Remix Work:

Attack Yourself - "Long Time No See (Botnek Remix)"
March 1, 2011 (Stardust Records)

Dooze Jackers - "Konani (Botnek Remix)"
March 29, 2011 (Simma Records)

BeatauCue - "Behold (Botnek Remix)"
April 2011 (Available for free now on Kitsune Records)

Malente & Jay Robinson (ft. Yo Rodeo!) - "Cherry Pop (Botnek Remix)"
May 2011 (Fat! Records)

---------------------

WWW.BOTNEK.COM

SOUNDCLOUD

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

(source: Morgan Steiker)

DORIAN CONCEPT @ CFC

noreply@blogger.com (Barbarossa) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 16:25:00 +0000

Your Friends on Clark Street Present:

TONIGHT! Thursday, April 7th

DORIAN CONCEPT (LIVE - Kindred Spirits, Austria)
www.myspace.com/dorianconcept

Dorian Concept is a Vienna based composer and musician, a child piano prodigy who went onto study music composition in Salzburg. His fusion of jazz, electronics and club music is as exciting as it is unique.

Dorian, aka Oliver Johnson, has released a string of extraordinary singles and EPs on Affine Records, Ninja Tune and Kindred Sprits, most notably the 'Trilingual Dance Sexperience' release in 2009, and is somewhat of a YouTube star (his online tweaks get over 200,000 hits). He was asked by Flying Lotus to play at his Brainfeeder Event in London in 2009 and joined his band on keyboards for his latest shows. Next to touring through Europe, Asia and Australia, he has gotten support from the likes of Gilles Peterson, Mary Anne Hobbs, Benji B and many more.

+

Jacques Greene (Night Slugs, LuckyMe)
Joe Shabadu (LuckyMe, Bauce Networks)
Rilly Guilty (Lookout)
Seb Diamond (Night Trackin')

@ CFC (formerly Zoobizarre), 6388 St-Hubert

PRESALE TICKETS @ http://bit.ly/gKt4Jo
10$ at the door

-----------------

FACEBOOK EVENT

-----------------

Check out:

Dorian Concept live jazz piano session

Dorian Concept Microkorg jam

Dorian Concept - Her Tears Taste Like Pears

Interview: TOM ELLIS (UK, Trimsound)

noreply@blogger.com (Barbarossa) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:37:00 +0000

Introduced to the scene in 2003, with releases on Mindtours and Morris/Audio citysport, he enveloped himself in the world of electronic music and embraced the technology behind it.

His recent live project with Leif, co-founder of his label Trimsound, has taken him all over the world headlining some high profile club nights in Tokyo, Cologne, Munich, Budapest, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Leeds, Bristol and more.

His unique blend of funked-up, jazz-inspired house and techno can be found on such labels as Logistic Records, Hartchef Discos, Floppy Funk, Mindtours, Frankie, True to Form and many more, including a lot of the growing underground netlabels. (source: trimsound.co.uk)

--------------------

Interview: (by Omar Diouf + Alexander Leblanc)

DUKES: When and how did you first get into production/DJ and what still motivates you to do it today?

Tom Ellis: I think I was about 16 when I got my first sampler. I've been completely obsessed with the idea of making music ever since. My dad used to put on big parties up in the woods around north Wales, so I'd sometimes get the chance to play a few records in some crazy settings. It all grew from those experiences and a kind of never ending quest to try and improve my work.

DUKES: Who were your early musical influences?

I was a rocker for a long time. Hendrix was, and still is, one of my favourites. Flea from Red Hot Chilli Peppers got me hooked on the bass guitar. I looked into a lot of his influences and found a whole world of funk that blew me away. Then it was people like Akufen that drew me further into the house and techno scene. And of course Leif, who i run Trimsound with, my brother Joe, Steevio and a few of our mates that DJ.

DUKES: What is the perfect setting for your music to come to life ? In other words, whats your ideal spot for producing?

In the hills, in the middle of nowhere, with no one around. Where you can make as much noise as you want and totally zone out without any distractions. On the other hand, anywhere that's got a good coffee machine and an big ashtray will do, ha.

DUKES: Which upcoming artist would you say is an inspiration nowadays in electronic music? Who do you think we should keep an eye on?

Aahhh you don't need me to tell you what to listen to, haha. But i did find a couple of amazing tracks on soundcloud recently, by a guy named Fred Baxter. He's got a really unique sound and style. Worth checking out!

DUKES: Have you ever been to Montreal before ? If so, how does it compare to other cities? If not, what have you heard about our scene here?

No, this will be my first time in Canada. From what i hear it's a nice small intimate kind of scene, is that right? You guys are breeding some great producers over there though!

DUKES: How do you like the sounds coming out of Montreal these days?

Archipel has always been one of my favourite labels, along with Musique Risqueé. Akufen, Pheek and Mossa, are three of my favourite producers.

DUKES: Do you have any advice for young producers?

Turn off the TV.

DUKES: What is your favorite city or country to play in?

I love playing anywhere. It's really nice to travel and get to see so many different places. There's a great crew around Rotterdam, and a real cool lively crowd in Leeds, and pretty much everywhere i've
played around Germany, especially around Frankfurt and Offenbach, oh and Tokyo is amazing... pfff everywhere man. Earth is a pretty cool place :)

DUKES: What are the top 3 most-played tracks/artists on your iPod at the moment?

Miles Davis "So What" & "All Blues" and Bill Evans "Israel". They blow me away every time i listen to them! I'll never get tired of those 3!

DUKES: Describe yourself in one word.

Hmmmm...

DUKES: Any likes/dislikes on the scene today? How has it changed over the past few years in your opinion?

I love how friendly and enthusiastic people are about getting together and partying. It's a real blessing to be part of the scene. But I noticed everyone seems to be getting younger though...hmm..haha ;)

DUKES: What should we expect from your set tomorrow night, (April 7th) @ Salon Daome?

I'll be trying out some new stuff i've been working on, and remixing some old stuff live. I'm aiming for Post-Modern Neo-Jazzfunk with Latin nuances and maybe a 909 clap here and there.
But it'll probably just end up sounding like it always does; funky, a bit weird, sometimes jackin' and sometimes kind of deep.

DUKES: And finally, any new projects coming up?

I've got loads of grand ideas, but nothing i should commit to in text really.
I'd love to do more collaborations with live musicians, hopefully i'll get around to it one day soon.

--------------------

Don't miss Tom Ellis work his magic tomorrow night, as Fricoti celebrate their 4 Year Anniversary:

Facebook Event: 13 PERCENT & FRICOTI pres. TOM ELLIS @ Salon Daome

--------------------

Links:

www.soundcloud.com/tomellis
www.residentadvisor.net/dj/tomellis
www.myspace.com/tekengine

13 PERCENT Facebook Group

Interview: MOWGLI

noreply@blogger.com (Barbarossa) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 22:10:00 +0000

Italian born DJ and producer Mowgli began his career humbly in the north Italian village where he grew up. With few nightclubs to really get lost in and no happening music scene to speak of, Mowgli felt compelled to make his own sounds and made do with a cheap keyboard and sampler. It wasn’t long before he discovered hip-hop, immersing himself in the lifestyle and culture before moving to pastures new in Bologna. Once there, Mowgli indulged in all manner of illegal rave diversions until fixing up and making the move to the London in 2006.

Mowgli has spent the past four years consistently creating high level quality productions spanning many different genres of electronic dance music. His own distinctively groovy sound stands out from the rest, making him one of most sought after producers worldwide - with remix requests and releases from artists including X-Press 2, Santogold, Martin Solveig, Armand Van Helden, Tommy Sparks and Tricky amongst many others.

After starting his own label "DeadFish" back in 2008, the label has gone from strength to strength. Releases like “London To Paris”, “I Want Everything”, “We Think Its Cool” and “Caraibi” have really pricked the ears of the industry and grabbed the attention of the underground house scene.

Supported by radio play from the likes of Pete Tong, Annie Mac, Xfm and Kiss, releases from the label have commanded attention the world over.

Back on the DJ front, tours of Europe have seen Mowgli grace the decks regularly in the best European clubs and festivals. As well as this, tours of Australia, South and North America, South Africa and Asia where always an enormous success and other visits in these countries are planned in the coming year.

2011 will see Mowgli immersing himself in deeper shades of house and techno, whilst still retaining his unique sound and sense of fun that he and the Deadfish label have become known for.
(source: Mainstage Artists)

-----------------

Interview: (by Omar Diouf + Alexander Leblanc)

DUKES: When and how did you first get into production/DJ and what still motivates you to do it today ?

I started doing hip hop beats when I was around 15-16 years old with an old sampler and a keyboard. The result wasn't that great of course, but I really loved being in studio and experiment with sounds and I guess its what motivate me still today... I simply need to make music to be happy

DUKES: Who were your early musical influences?

When I was a kid it was black music of the 60's and 70's, my dad is a great fan and I grew up listening to Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Aretha Franklin but also a lot of jazz and blues... later when I started to buy music it was hip hop and later on break beat and drum n bass, and after that felt in love with the chicago house...

DUKES: What is the perfect setting for your music to come to life ? In other words, whats your ideal spot for producing?

Its my bedroom! or if its a studio it has to be in my house... I had studios out of my house, but I dont get in the same mood and I am also less productive... when I have those really good writing periods the first thing I do when I wake up is turning my mac on and check if what I did the night before is still sounding good with fresh ears. I cant do that with a studio out of my house.

DUKES: Which upcoming artist would you say is an inspiration nowadays in electronic music? Who do you think we should keep an eye on?

there are many good artists that are inspirational to me and from different type of music, I cant really name one

DUKES: Have you ever been to Montreal before ? If so, how does it compare to other cities? If not, what have you heard about our scene here?

Yes I played six months ago, its not very different from europe, you can see the french influence. Your music scene is pretty healthy, I dont know many underground acts but I know Turbo is there, I know A-trak and his brother from Chromeo are from there... I'm surely missing many friends... sorry!

DUKES: Do you have any advice for young producers?

Do what you like and not whats cool at the moment, you could be the next cool thing

DUKES: What is your favorite city or country to play in?

I think Italy, Germany and Ibiza, I like that way of partyng , clubs close very late , crowd is more mature and up for everything

DUKES: What are the top 3 most-played tracks/artists on your iPod at the moment?

Still Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Aretha Frankiln

DUKES: Describe yourself in one word.

hothandsomesexyitalianstallion

DUKES: What's the scene like in Italy today? How has it changed over the past few years?

Its pretty healthy, there are so many new producers I dont even know half of them... what has changed is that internationally there has been a shift from the minimal sound to the more housy sound and this is reflected in italy too... we dont have a big variety of music genres, we dont have a big dubstep or drum n bass scene... its all about techno and house

DUKES: What should we expect from your set on April 1st?

sexy groovy music

DUKES: Any new projects coming up?

I am writing lots of music at the moment that will maybe lead to an album

DUKES: Last but not least, why 'MOWGLI' ?

Well its my nickname, this is how all my friends called me way before I had my first record comin out,
so when I signed my first ep I thought it was an abvious choice. The reason of the nickname though I cant tell, it would ruin my already bad reputation :-)

-----------------

Our friends over at NEON + HIGHFOOD + NIGHT TRACKIN' have a fantastic April Fool's Party organized for you guys, Friday April 1st, at Le Belmont. (Check out Le Polyscope's article 'Le Printemps au Belmont')

with Mowgli, Night Trackin' DJs (Seb Diamond + Duvall) & Prince Club !

Tickets are only $15.50 + SV, get 'em via:

Paypal: http://bit.ly/fekTQF
Wantickets: http://bit.ly/gVvGfW

MOOG Audio: 3828 Saint-Laurent
Atom Heart: 364-B Sherbrooke E
Off The Hook: 1021a Sainte-Catherine O
Cheap Thrills: 2044 Metcalfe

Facebook Event:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=145994972129557

-----------------

Links:

Beatport
residentadvisor.net/dj/mowgli
myspace.com/mowglimusik
twitter.com/MOWGLI4EVA
facebook.com/mowgli4eva
deadfish-audio.com

iloveneon.ca
highfood.org
nighttrackin.com

Interview: Masomenos (WTM, Cocoon)

noreply@blogger.com (Barbarossa) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 21:58:00 +0000

BIO:
The so funky duo Masomenos is a productive partnership between Joan Costes, graphic designer and DJ, and Adrien de Maublanc, music producer and AD. When they met in 2006, they almost immediately started working together, expressing themselves throughout different medias such as image, videos, and sound, finding in Masomenos a great playground for their creativity.

Bon Voyage was the perfect first project as it was a combination of both their specialty (half selection/half production). It ended up being a one hour bootlegged musical journey that brought them enough positive feedback to keep on this path.

Though, they both kept on doing what they were doing before they met: As Joan was digging records and spending time behind the decks, Adrien was building up his studio, and defining his production style.

The next step was to create their own label, as they understood it would be the best way to fully express themselves musically to the universe, but also visually, as this was also important part of their work. They continue to develop this side of their musical activities.

Eventually, Masomenos began getting requests for gigs, and naturally they proposed 2 acts under the same name, Joan doing a dj set, and Adrien playing live.

Though it was a bit complicated in the beginning, they insisted, as it was for them the only way to present what Masomenos IS: 2 individual personalities, inspiring each other with their work, and looking in the same direction.

This duo has given birth to 3 albums, and over 25 eps, opened a shop, and made lots of design collaborations, but that's another part of the story...

---------------------

Interview: (by Omar Diouf + Alexander Leblanc)

DUKES: When and how did you first get into production/DJ and what still motivates you to do it today?

Joan: i was working as a graphic designer, doing artwork for a label. Bettino, who owned the label, also owned a record shop, and payed my work with vinyls…i eventually got some decks home and started to play around with my few records. took a while before i could start sharing it. When i met Adrien, we both got in a more clubby direction with our sound. We are now very lucky to play in really great place, and this is what keep us motivated also. When you have the first time this communion with the crowd it becomes pretty addictiv :)

Adrien: I bought my first sampler in 1999. music then was just like going to sport or a psy :)

DUKES: Who were your early musical influences?

Joan: The first tape i bought was a double motown collection. I guess this was pretty influencial. Then as a dj, i started playing disco and funk, and was really into that NY scene from the 80's that was really mixing genre (disco, rock, dub, hip hop and then house) Blondie, Esg, Larry Levan, Gwen Guthrie, Quincy Jones… Then i climbed back to nowadays sound, starting buying old deep house, kerry chandler & friends, and then discovered the work of minimal artist such as Villalobos, and got also more into techno sound. It's the nice thing with electronic music cause you can feel all this influences. Even if i don't play so much disco anymore, i'm still feeling playing disco.

Adrien: My father was playing some Bach very loud in the living room all week-end.

DUKES: Which upcoming artist would you say is an inspiration nowadays in electronic music? Who do you think we should keep an eye on?

J&A: Don't know if we can say upcoming cause he is already a producer since long time, but we're both super admirative of Lemos work. We're going to release his new album on our "Costes Presente…" serie, and we're really happy about this album. Last year was the one from Seuil, that we're really into also. As a young artist, Vadim svoboda has really interesting and personal style also. One album from Kenny Glasgow really blowed our mind, also, Nina Kraviz, as producer but also as a DJ, wao.

DUKES: What is the perfect setting for your music to come to life? In other words, whats your ideal spot for producing?

Adrien: none ideas can pop up anywhere. Then of course building a studio is a life process...

DUKES: Have you ever been to Montreal before ? If so, how does it compare to other cities? If not, what have you heard about our scene here?

J&A: Yes, we came last year, for Nadir also, and really loved it.

Adrien: i lived in montreal for a year in 1994. It was my first work experience and I was amazed to realize how easy going and friendly people were...

DUKES: Do you have any advice for young producers?

J&A: don't believe the hype

DUKES: What is your favorite city or country to play in?

J&A: germany, romania, the states also

DUKES: What are the top 3 most-played tracks/artists on your iPod at the moment?

J&A:
Masomenos/la dit squaw
Julio Bashmore / World Peace
Kenny Larkin / Fake French (Merci detroit mix)

DUKES: Describe yourself in one word.

J&A: Playful.

DUKES: What should we expect from your set on March 18th?

J&A: funky weird and happy music.

DUKES: Any new projects coming up?

J&A: For the label, we're lauching now the technolocolor serie. We're also planning on organizing a little bit the brand, on the side from the label.

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Facebook Event: 13 Percent - The Return of Masomenos @ Club UN, March 18th

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Links:
www.welcometomasomenos.com
Resident Advisor
Twitter
Myspace

Panton- March 2011 Medley

noreply@blogger.com (Barbarossa) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 21:50:00 +0000

Local-turned-international sensation Panton has cooked up a mini mix of his latest and upcoming releases. I remember hearing a few of these during his set at Igloofest, which was, I must add, one of my favorite sets of the event. Panton never disappoints with his creative, flawless mixing and cerebral, tasteful quality productions. Have a listen, hear for yourself:

PANTON MARCH 2011 MEDLEY by Panton

Tracklisting :
D-Fine "95" (Panton Remix) - It_Tizz
2 Bears "Work It Out" (Panton Remix) - Southern Fried
Keith & Supabeatz "El Dorado" (Panton Remix) - Southern Fried
Panton "909 Culture" - Southern Fried
Panton VS Keith & Supabeatz "Liquidance" - Southern Fried
Tuff Wheelz "Listen To Me" (Panton Remix) - The Dead Speaker Office

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Now that you're dying to get your hands on his tracks, simply follow the Beatport link below:
PANTON - ALL TRACKS - Beatport

To check out the full 'Southern Fried & Tested 3' release, click on the link below:
Southern Fried & Tested 3 (Unmixed Version)- Southern Fried Records - Beatport

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Links:
soundcloud.com/panton
twitter.com/pantonmusic
myspace.com/pantonmusic

Interview: Marcin Czubala (Mobilee)

noreply@blogger.com (Barbarossa) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:47:00 +0000

BIOGRAPHY:

Marcin Czubala is not your typical techno artist. He is Mobilee record’s maestro, with a grounding in classical orchestration and an instinct for intricate sound design.

Marcin’s work stems from a broad range of influences, yet always bears his unmistakable signature. From the spare, bleepy minimalism of his debut album Chronicles of Never on Mobilee, to explorations of disco, electronic pop and deep house with Mobilee Back to Back Vol. 5, Marcin’s work is overlaid with undulating grooves that are full of unpredictable twists and inexplicable turns that artfully draw the listener into the suspense.

Hailing originally from Poland, Marcin trained extensively in classical music theory and composition in the city of Poznan. Between 1991 and 1994 he performed in over 300 concerts, including the Nantes Festival, Warsaw Autumn, and performances with experimental music luminary Krzysztof Penderecki. Once he had graduated from music school, Marcin began branching out into the world of DJing and electronic production. He began releasing his own productions that were as equally influenced by his musical past as they were by the emergent sounds of Brighton techno and experimental electronica. As prolific as he is prodigious, Marcin had a myriad of releases for labels such as Neue Heimat and Morris Audio by the time he joined forces with mobilee in 2007.

Marcin hit the ground running for Mobilee, releasing two singles in just six months, followed by Chronicles of Never, which garnered critical acclaim for its wide sonic palette, willful experimentation and dancefloor appeal. From the lithe, dynamic and atmospheric soundscapes of his album debut, through shifts towards housier climes on Loose The Man and Zoo Communale, Marcin has now come full circle, back to live instruments, vocal harmonies and
organic arrangements for Mobilee Back to Back Vol. 5.

Split between curated mobilee cuts and a complete album of exclusive new material, Marcin's approach to mobilee Back to Back is best described by Marcin himself: “CD #1 is my choice of the best tracks of mobilee, it's my presentation of the label's vision and musical diversity. The 2nd CD is a long play album, I have no doubt. The main idea was to make this project very organic, using live instrumentation and working with musicians and vocalists. Genres interact together; it's really beyond a classic compilation concept." From its dance floor groovers, to its ambient soundscapes and across its classic pop arrangements, mobilee Back to Back showcases Marcin’s flair for irresistible rhythms, and his instinct for melody.

Marcin continues to expand his sound with mobilee and through each of his releases. Inspired by
minimal techno and house, but not bound to its bare-bones idealism, he continues to forge a sound that is his alone, in testament to the vision, passion, and love of music that continues to drive the extended mobilee team in all that they do, and all that will come. (source: RA)

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INTERVIEW: (by Omar Diouf + Alexander Leblanc)

DUKES: When and how did you first get into production/DJ and what still motivates you to do it today ?

MARCIN CZUBALA: I got into electronic music in 1995, my father was running a magazine in Poland about alternative rock music and around 1994 he also started exclusively distributing for the Tresor label. It sounds funny now, but he was releasing all the Tresor catalogue on tapes and you could buy it only in Poland. Around that time I started regular visits to Berlin, the first parties, the first record shopping and so on. I knew it was something I wanted to develop not only as a listener. What motives me to do it still today? It's my real passion and I love music.

DUKES: Who were your early musical influences?

Before the story with Tresor I was involved with classical music, but my real influences are based in Detroit techno, Chicago house and Berlin dub. I was really into things like Underground Resistance, Relief rec., Basic channel but also into more experimental techno like Cristian Vogel or Neil Landstrumm.

DUKES: What is the perfect setting for your music to come to life ? In other words, what’s your ideal spot for producing?

Definitely it's my studio. I am not that kind of guy who can make music in a hotel room. I simply feel comfortable in my room, surrounded by machines. I come from the old days of hardware samplers and
3.5" floppies, so I am not really an Ableton type producer.

DUKES: Which upcoming artist would you say is an inspiration nowadays in electronic music? Who do you think we should keep an eye on?

These days music is definitely way too much based on a hype or a trend. Back in the days everything was more stable. Anyway to answer your question in the best possible way, I would say it's best to keep an eye on a people who after 20 years of making music still can surprise you and make a good music, like Robert Hood for example.

DUKES: Have you ever been to Montreal before ? If so, how does it compare to other cities? If not, what have you heard about our scene here?

I wish to visit Montreal, but my only adventure so far in Canada was in Toronto, which is still one of my favourites cities for good parties and lovely people. Anyway I think that Montreal is the most known for its jazz festival and also for the birth of Mutek.

DUKES: How do you like the sounds coming out of Montreal these days?

These days, especially in electronic music, it's really hard to say where certain sounds and artists are from that you know and I know that most of them live in Berlin now. Anyway of course I am familiar
with the names like Akufen, Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts, The Mole or Mathew Jonson. And since the early Akufen days back in 2000 I am of course a big big fan. Especially Akufen was a big inspiration for me and his early stuff was fucking amazing.

DUKES: Do you have any advice for young producers?

I think the most important thing is to be yourself and to try make new things rather than perfect copies.

DUKES: What is your favorite city or country to play in?

There are many great places in the world. Europe is always great, but yeah places like Japan or South America are super crazy and amazing. I hope to come once to Montreal to expand on my opinion, because Toronto was really hot although it was -15 Celsius.

DUKES: What are the top 3 most-played tracks/artists on your iPod at the moment?

Sorry I don't have ipod :) and I don't have a single mp3 track on my iphone

DUKES: Describe yourself in one word.

Vodka

DUKES: What's the scene like in Poland today? How has it changed over the past few years?

I still live in Poland and our scene is really influenced by the German market but is relatively small. We have some good clubs and producers who work for established and good international labels, but
considering the fact that we are a 40 million people nation it's nothing big. It's much easier since we joined the European Union though, people can travel easily and the general economic situation in
the country has been growing. Clubs are better and better, finally they have good budgets for proper sound systems, big line ups and general quality of the events has been rising.

DUKES: What could we expect from one of your sets?

Modern , groovy bass-line driven house music

DUKES: Any new projects coming up?

Right now I am just after finishing an album Back to Back for Mobilee, so I need a short break before thinking about any new projects!

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Links:
residentadvisor.net/dj/marcinczubala
myspace.com/marcinczubala
mobilee-records.de/artists/marcin-czubala
facebook
twitter.com/marcinczubala

Beatport

Interview: Matt Tolfrey (UK, Leftroom)

noreply@blogger.com (Barbarossa) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 17:32:00 +0000

BIOGRAPHY:

"Growing up in the Middle East it wasn’t until he returned home that his career started in Nottingham with residencies at the historic club the Bomb and more recently at Stealth. Here in the heart of the city’s club culture is where he continues to hold a residency. This quickly led to regular slots at Fabric and further afield in the USA and Germany.

Always keen to experiment with new ideas and take risks he started the Leftroom label in 2005 with his own productions beginning to see releases on reputable labels such as Crosstown Rebels and Skint. Tolfrey sought after an avenue to release his peer’s music and open up opportunities for friends that he believed in.

The first release was entitled ‘The Extended Family EP’ encapsulating the spirit of Leftroom, a place where a core set of artists could grow and experiment with their sound. The Leftroom family now consists of a few key artists now including MarcAshken, Inxec, Eric Johnston and Glimpse.

After remarkable success with the first few releases and securing a homegrown and exceptional roster Tolfrey was asked to commence a label night at T Bar, London’s hub of creativity in the house and techno scene. Hosting nights alongside those of Andrew Weatherall, Ivan Smagghe and Craig Richards allowed Tolfrey to invite and play with friends and muses while sharing memorable dancefloor moments.

As his plan to achieve global domination took firm root, two more sub-labels were born into the family. Leftroom Limited has the purpose of releasing peak-time records while Leftout is a home for lesser-known artists who deserve some attention. He also runs Is This label and has proved his A&R capabilities are pin-point securing one of 2007’s biggest tracks, Ito & Star’s ‘Suduko Kid’ and one of 2008’s biggest crossover tracks, Rocha and Lewinger’s ‘Down Seq’.

Alongside propelling three labels Tolfrey also DJs globally with notable gigs for Sunday School for Degenerates in Miami, regular dates at Fabric, Mulletover in Ibiza and Panorama Bar and Watergate in Berlin amongst many. His productions and remixes have been released on Cocoon Recordings, Crosstown Rebels, Get Physical and Saved and he has collaborated with MarcAshken, Inxec, Glimpse, Eric Johnston and Delete.

So how did he come so far so quickly? The answer is simple. Matt is a workaholic with a seemingly tireless dedication to forging his own unique style and bringing life to the scene around him. Drawing on everything from deep house and techno, through to stripped down beats, he's spawned his own hybrid strain of electronic funk. Anyone lucky enough to have already witnessed Matt in action will know that his particular brand of wobbly house and techno has the power to win hearts and destroy minds on the dance floor." (source: RA)

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INTERVIEW: (by Omar Diouf + Alexander Leblanc)

DUKES: Hello Matt ! First of all…we are here to talk about Music, a passion we all share so what I want to ask you is, how did you first get into production/DJ and what still motivates you to do it today?

MATT TOLFREY: My cousin was a dj, and I always used to go on his decks when I was younger. It wasn’t until I was 18 that I bought my first pair of turntables, but by then I had been going to nightclubs for 2 years and was already hooked on the music. I don’t think I will ever stop djing, it find it the best way for me to express how I am feeling at that moment in time. Production wise I am still new to it all, so I think it is the fact that I am learning so much all the time that is my motivation to carry on. The feeling that I am getting better at it after each session is also great.

DUKES: What is the perfect setting for Matt music to come to life ? In other words, what's your ideal spot for producing?

At the moment i am working with a great engineer named Justin Drake of Peace Division fame out at his studio which is great. As long as it is not a Monday and I am tired after the weekend, and I have cups of tea at the ready, I’m good to go!!!

DUKES: Have you ever been to Montreal before ? What have you heard about our scene here, compared to the US or Europe ?

I have played at Stereo and also at Igloofest in Montreal so I know a little about the city and its scene. It seems to be full of creative/artistic people, and is going from strength to strength. The igloo fest was a prime example of this. I am very good friends with Maher Daniel also who is one of the bookers at Stereo and we are actually working on a lot of music together at the moment.

DUKES: Which upcoming artist would you say is an inspiration nowadays in electronic music ?

That is a hard one, but I do love Deniz Kurtel and Maya Jane Coles work at the moment. They both have a way with music that only a women can conjure up, a female touch per say that is very sexy.

DUKES: Do you have a date in our city soon ?

I am just looking into a date in September in Montreal as part of the Leftroom Sessions tour I am doing with Maya Jane Coles, so fingers crossed.

DUKES: Any new projects coming up ? Collaborations ?

I am starting to get alot more solo work done, firstly with remixes, then some solo singles. I love doing collaborations but I felt it was time to definitely get some solo stuff out there. Collaborations wise I am still working with Inxec and I have some exciting stuff coming with Lazaro Casanova and Montreal’s Maher Daniel. As part of the Leftroom Sessions tour in September there will also be a Leftroom release by Maya and Myself. So far it is panning out as we will both record the same vocals, and she will use mine and I will use hers, or we will use both of them each, but let’s see what happens as it is much further along this year.

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Links:
myspace.com/matttolfrey
residentadvisor.net/dj/matttolfrey
discogs.com/artist/matt+tolfrey
twitter.com/therealtolfrey
www.leftroom.com/

Beatport

Interview: TEKI LATEX (Sound Pellegrino)

noreply@blogger.com (Barbarossa) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 19:17:00 +0000

Saturday, March 19th. Mark your calendars. Day 2 of the I Love Neon + Highfood Festival, starring Jesse Rose, and SOUND PELLEGRINO THERMAL TEAM (Teki Latex + Orgasmic).

Duke of Swabia is super excited and looking forward to that night! We had a few questions for Teki Latex before he takes over the S.A.T alongside his partner DJ Orgasmic.
Check out the exclusive Duke of Swabia interview below.

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Bio: (source: Resident Advisor)

It doesn't take an expert in musical genres and movements to find out that since the last few months, a new musical family has built itself on the ruins of loud big-beat-like fidget and overly distorted washing machine electro. Inspired by the "less is more" ethics of minimal techno as much as the DIY/sample-anything-as-long-as-it's-got-attitude" philosophy of hip-hop, this new un-named form of groovy and refreshing house music is rising and Institubes' new "little brother label" Sound Pellegrino is proud to be on the forefront of such an exciting phenomenon.

Curated by renowned DJs and taste makers Orgasmic and Teki Latex, (from pioneer electronic hip hop outfit TTC - Teki also happens to be one of the founders of Institubes), Sound Pellegrino has quickly established itself as one of the labels to look out for in 2009, releasing singles by Renaissance man, Zombie Disco Squad, Harvard Bass, Momma's Boy and Douster and generating interest by A-List DJs from all ends of the dance music spectrum such as Laidback luke, Mowgli, A-Trak, Bart B more, Sinden, Pete tong, Riva starr, Chloé to name a few.

Today Orgasmic and Teki latex, the two public faces of the label, unite to form the Sound Pellegrino Thermal Team and they are ready to take that movement to a club near you. Even though their teaming up behind the turntables is rather recent, these two have known each other for 15 years and have released countless collaborations. Going through various musical phases, they have always kept a will to explore forward-thinking dance music that will make the crowd go crazy without sounding stale and outdated. Mixing ingredients ranging from tribal rhythms, pumping tech house and mini baltimore to warped funky sounds with a slice of club rap thrown in for good mesure, the Thermal Team's mineral cocktail promises to bring something refreshing and bubbly to the table. With already 3 mixes acclaimed by the blogosphere under their belt, as well as remixes and original productions as the SP Thermal Team in the works, this new combination of already well established forces is ready to take the house music world by storm.

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Interview: (by Alexander Leblanc)

Duke: When/How did you first get into production/DJ and what still motivates you to do it today?

Teki: My "production" skills are limited to sitting in the studio with Orgasmic, Para one, or anyone of my collaborators, and telling him i want my drums to sound more this way or that way, and i want the melody to go "da da da di" instead of "da da da da"... i'm not really touching the hardware and i don't know how to use abelton or anything. I just know what i want and i learned that by hanging with talented producers for hours and hours in studios since my TTC days.
When it comes to deejaying i was always fiddling around with the turntables before and after ttc shows or during the parties we used to throw, but i bought a pair of CDJs 3 and a half years ago so i guess that's when i started taking the art of DJing very seriously.

Basically it was around the time when my solo album dropped. It was very different from what i was doing with my rap group TTC, it was a pop album made by a guy who wished he was a pop singer, but who really kind of wasn't? Anyway I wasn't really comfortable with the idea of going on tour and giving people a live version of my album, because it meant forming a new band with actual instruments and rehearsing with that band, starting from scratch, doing all the shitty venues we had already played with TTC (a nightmare i didn't want to go through again), being the only vocalist on stage and all sorts of things i wasn't ready to do. So i never got around to putting together this version of my solo live show, yet people still wanted to see me perform and promote my album in a "live" context. So i started doing DJ sets instead, and people loved it and kept asking for it.

Obviously i sucked at first but it soon became a real passion and something i would take really seriously. I didn't want to be that singer/rapper/entertainer guy who was pretending to be a DJ and who would just play random songs without beat-matching or anything. I've been hanging out with DJs all my life and i always was a real lover of dance music, so that kind of set a standard for me.

Duke: Who were your early musical influences?

Teki: My early early influences were things i saw on TV as a child, 80's synth pop, cheesy french and italo disco, tv show themes, Michael Jackson, Talk Talk, Teenage mutant ninja turtles, Technotronic, whatever. Then came Hip hop and later on, house music, even though it was always kind of present in the background... more or less consciously.

Duke: How did you meet your partner in crime DJ Orgasmic?

Teki: We met on a ski slope in Switzerland when we were 15. I was wearing a public enemy tee shirt so we started talking about rap and we became BFFs

Duke: You two have been working on multiple projects and touring the world together for some time now. Ever get sick of each other? What's your secret for such a long-lasting partnership?

Teki: I know him by heart and i know when he is in the kind of mood when i just need to let him be. When he starts mimicking an imaginary shotgun with his hands and shooting at people in hotel elevators i know he's in that kind of mood. The amazing thing with orgasmic is that we agree on music and culture and general aesthetics/taste, i'd say 99% of the time. And when we're on the turntables together we barely need to talk or agree on what track to drop next, we think as one.

Duke: How are DJ Orgasmic and you similar, and different?

Teki: We're similar in the sense that we have similar tastes and we are both obsessed about the idea of "cool" (in the Fonzie sense of the term) and having/knowing things before anyone else. We love talking about music for hours, and coming up with weird theories. We are both huge fans of fine cuisine too.

Orgasmic is very extreme and radical in his choices, either he loves something or he hates it, even if it means he will change his opinion about a track or an artwork several times in a very limited time. I'm more the guy who constantly tries to weight the pros and the cons. Also he's the shy cerebral guy and i'm the loud one who likes talking. -

Duke: What is the perfect setting for your music to come to life? In other words, what’s your ideal spot for producing?

Teki: Other people's studios. I have to say especially Para One's cause it looks like the starship enterprise and it's set up in a way that makes it really easy for us to produce and give life to an idea right away as it goes through our brains. All his instruments, drum machines, synths, you name it, are connected in a way that makes it look like a big fun game of musical Lego.

Duke: Which upcoming artist would you say is an inspiration nowadays in electronic music? Who do you think we should keep an eye on?

Teki: I really think the UK scene has made a massive impact on 2K10 with labels like Night Slugs, Hessle Audio, Ramp taking over the underground. This year it might be France's turn with Canblaster, whose "Master of complication" EP is absolutely immense, + his Club Cheval crew, the Youngunz kids. L-Vis 1990's album is going to be really great and full of unexpected sounds and influences i think. And Para One has a huge year ahead of him with an insane amount of collaborations, remixes and EPs dropping, and production on several exciting albums coming up. Keep an eye on newcomers Jim E Stacks, Grown Folk, Myrryrs, Bambounou, Two Inch Punch, and the PTN records roster.

On the rap front, i think Odd Future are potentially the new Nirvana of rap.

Duke: How do you like the sounds coming out of Montreal these days? (I'm thinking of Jacques Greene, for example, who has a remix of Savage Skulls' 'Caravan' out on your label- Sound Pellegrino.)

Teki: Jacques Greene is really great, he has a groove of his own. Which makes his tracks sometimes a little bit hard to mix... but it makes them more interesting and funky so it's all good. It's crazy that he's developed such a unique style at a very young age. I think the new exciting thing in house music right now is the UK hybrid garage stuff going back to its house roots and merging with the deepest of the deep house scene and Jacques Greene totally embodies that.
It's funny because i recently found out he was working at the Ninja Tune office in Montreal back when we released those TTC albums on Big Dada/Ninja Tune a few years ago.

I also have an eye on Montrealers Markus from LOL boys and Sinjin Hawke. I love Lunice too, he made instrumental hip hop sound exciting again, and not just a modern version of trip hop or beats that didn't have enough charisma to sound interesting without a rapper on them, like a lot of electronic producers trying to "get down" with rap often do.

On another note I wish Hatchmatik made more beats, i dig the raw edits he used to make.

Duke: Do you have any advice for young producers?

Teki: Don't copy too much and make 10 songs for yourself that no one will ever hear before you start putting stuff up on Soundcloud or sending stuff to blogs. Take DJing seriously! It's a great discipline and it will teach you how to make tracks other people will want to play, and dance to, if that's your goal (and it should be! Clubs are fun and dancing is not a dirty thing). Also, "putting up a track on soundcloud" and having 40 comments from your friends doesn't mean becoming official in the world of music, and having a couple of djs play your song doesnt mean you're an important artist who will last forever. Pay your dues!

Duke: What is your favorite city or country to play in?

Teki: London has been great recently! Sydney is amazing too. But nothing beats playing a small club in Tokyo, hanging out with amazing people and eating insane japanese food. I like playing wherever the food is good.

Duke: What are the top 3 most-played tracks/artists on your iPod at the moment?

Teki:
Panteros666 - Kegstand
Ellen Allien - Down (Fuckaloop - aka Tacteel and Para One- remix from 2004)
Marcus Price & Carli - Var e Nääääken

Duke: Describe yourself in one word.

Teki: Everything

Duke: Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga?

Teki: Biebs! he's not that bad and at least he comes from an R&B background that i can relate to musically, as opposed to a rock/guitar backround that i really don't care for. Gaga tries too hard and i can't help but see the tatooed ex-emo/metal groupie in her whenever she opens her mouth, and again that's not my culture.

Duke: What's the scene like in France today? How has it changed over the past few years?

Teki: It's changing all the time! Half of the people are still into the hard distorted french touch 2.0 vibe from 2007, half have moved on and want to hear something a bit more challenging or sexy. With crews like Club Cheval, Youngunz and Marble i think we're on the right path.

Duke: You've been to Montreal before. How do you like playing here and how does it compare to other cities?

Teki: I love it there! Some of my best memories of clubbing were the parties from the Peer Pressure / Sharp A l'os era, especially summer 2007 which is remembered by many as "Summer of Danse la Poutine". Between 2004 and 2008 we would go to montreal to play a TTC show, and various members of our crew would play DJ sets here and there at clubs and afterparties and we would do ipod battles and whatnot, at a different spot every night of the week.

Back then, there was really a bubbling party scene in montreal, the music and clothing styles were very advanced, club kids would dress up and go crazy. I think it's a bit more quiet now? (you tell me!) but i get the impression there's still lots of underground parties and people making moves on a more discreet level.

Duke: What should we expect from your set on March 19th?

Teki: A crescendo going from deep vibes to weird riddims, from the mind to the booty via the soul. Or the other way around?

Duke: How well do you know Jesse Rose? Have you already played with him?

Teki: i met him once at a Made to play party in paris. We had plenty of drinks and plenty of fun, he seems like a great dude, i'd like to take him to Romanos my fav portuguese chicken spot in Montreal. Oh and poutine too! Jesse Rose you are about to feel the wrath of the T REX Poutine from La Banquise.

Duke: What direction is Sound Pellegrino taking for 2011. What should we look forward to this year? And what's currently cooking in the Sound Pellegrino Thermal Team kitchen?

Teki: We're not taking a specific direction other than the one that was always kind of latent in our artistic vision: bridging gaps between scenes and sub-genres of the great House Music Nation. We want to take the hot Deep House ladies and put them hand in hand with the UK funky/garage nerds on the dancefloor and make them sweat and make love, all that while the super serious dark techno heads get drunk with the xtced-up ravers, and the distorted electro kids turned-tech-house chin-strokers make dances.

We just dropped the Savage Skulls EP to great success, we have a High Powered Boys EP (that's Surkin & Bobmo of Institubes fame) ready to be released, with remixes by Tom Trago and Julio Bashmore. Then comes a Style of Eye EP, and the much anticipated Sound Pellegrino Thermal Team EP which we are currently working on. We have a great weekly Podcast with a new Sound Pellegrino Thermal Team mix full of exclusives every week + hilarious interviews and guest mixes every now and then, check it here: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/the-sound-pellegrino-podcast/id409700483

Also we're gonna have tee shirts and goodies soon! so check out http://soundpellegrino.net/ regularly.

MERCI MONTREAL

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For details about the event with Jesse Rose + Sound Pellegrino Thermal Team:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=150117191709846

Links:

http://www.myspace.com/soundpellegrino
http://www.mixcloud.com/soundpellegrino/
http://soundpellegrino.tumblr.com/

INTERVIEW: BAREM [M_NUS]

noreply@blogger.com (Barbarossa) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 18:13:00 +0000

Hello MTLiens ! I think we all noticed that Montreal has been on fire lately , bringing us all kinds of international artists not only monthly but WEEKLY ! A huge step for the scene ! With igloofest, the boys at Microzoo and Safari @ Salon Daomé I can honestly say that 2011 is going to be a sweet journey into the international sounds of electronic music …which is obviously great ! On March 8th , the Safari crew will take us to the next level with non other than Minus artist BAREM ! For the occasion, I (Omar Diouf) and the rest of the Duke crew prepared a little interview and information about the Argentinean beat maker/DJ !

ENJOY ;)

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BIO : (source : www.residentadvisor.net)

‘Everything you do in life affects your music if you do music with passion. It's YOU in there, with everything good or bad inside’.
Barem

Mauricio Barembuem (aka Barem) perfectly personifies the new breed of electronic musician who has grown up in the digital age, using intuitive software programs like Reason and Ableton to spontaneously express ideas and emotions. On-line distribution has also made it possible for them to reach out and connect with audiences across the globe, no matter where they are - Buenos Aires for example, where Barem grew up amid the hustle and bustle of a city on the edge.

His teenage years were spent playing blues and rock guitar in bands but this always meant compromise. He longed for a purer form of self expression and eventually found it through electronic music, fascinated in particular by the way some DJs could impose their own personal vision onto the music they played, elevating it to an art form. It was exactly the inspiration he needed and Barem was soon experimenting with sampled loops and buying records (7th City, Spectral, Perlon and of course Minus). However, becoming a techno producer/DJ in Buenos Aires was easier said than done with gigs were few and far between. He was close to quitting a few times but found the right people at the right time and the solid advice they gave kept him motivated and focussed on his goal.

It was to be a defining moment and from that point on his induction into the scene was fast and frenetic. He released the Kleine EP on the free net label Unfoundsound in July 2005 with the track Suki grabbing the attention of many prominent DJs, before graduating to Foundsound with his first vinyl EP - Campo Madness in May 2006. Meanwhile, his relationship with Minus was already taking root. Richie Hawtin encouraged him to submit some demos after hooking up in Buenos Aires, one of which – Opal, appeared on the Min2Max LP which kick-started a period of non-stop touring across the US and Europe as demand for his live performances grew. Two Minus releases then followed in quick succession. 2007 saw the release of his Never Better Than Late EP before 2008’s superb Kolimar EP signalled a distinctive evolution of his sound, adding organic, house inflected grooves to his repertoire. Listening to both EPs, it’s clear Barem concentrates most energy into creating the powerful bass lines that underpin his work. His expansive use of reverb and delay create space for subtle percussive elements to skip and snake while distant, sometimes eerie melodies occur on random, secondary levels as a result of these interacting elements.

Some tracks just sound right from the first moment you experience them to the point where it’s often hard to appreciate the intricacies that lie within. Whether on outstanding remixes like Fuse’s Substance Abuse from last year’s Plus8100 retrospective or his recent outing on Foundsound with the epic Heyday, it’s all about keeping things simple and staying true to the old school, minimalist approach that first got him hooked, his definition of which is both insightful and considered:

‘’...Minimal is not really a sound... it's just a way of making music. It represents good taste, stylish sounds, the underground, afterhours... Whatever native roots you have, whatever music you like or liked in the past, it all fits in there and it's not dying in my opinion. It's just arrived at the point where we’ve rediscovered how free and amazing the concept and the reasons behind it are...’’
Which goes some way to explain his decision in 2008 to step back from performing live to once again concentrate on DJing, infusing his sets with warm, Latin rhythms as he blends his favorite tunes from a cross section of electronic genres past and present. His sets have graced some of the biggest events around – the Detroit Music Festival, Time warp, Miami, Ibiza, ADE...not to mention 2009’s Contakt special at Brixton Academy and the Minus North American bus tour.

-----------------------

INTERVIEW: (by Omar Diouf)

DUKES: Hello Mauricio ! first of all…we are here to talk about Music, a passion we all share so what I want to ask you is, how did you first get into production/DJ and what still motivates you to do it today ?

BAREM: Hi! Well, first of all and like most of us, I got into it by going out and having fun with friends. Sometimes by having fun you find things in life that turn out to be exciting and interesting. Things you wanna follow, you know? That was it, I decided to follow that one and here I am 8 years later.

There are many motivating and demotivating things happening all the time doing what I do. I love a lot of people around the music scene; I got to know amazing human beings behind some artists, labels, clubs, etc. Also being able to go to places you love all the time to just hang and do what you love is a wonderful thing. You don't need to renew that motivation very often... It's very hard to get tired of it. But often you change the way you do it. For example, some years you might get more easily bored at parties, then you don't stay that long. Some other years works the other way around and you party more, some years you take better care of yourself, etc. Music that comes out is also like that. Sometimes you love a lot of the stuff coming out and that makes you wanna play more and sometimes everything sounds boring and all the same and in those moments you rather stay home.

DUKES: What is the perfect setting for Barems music to come to life ? in other words, what’s your ideal spot for producing?

BAREM: It doesn't really have to do with a specific spot or city to me. Of course I have to be somewhere that I consider to be 'home', either Berlin or Buenos Aires. I can't make music while I travel. Not even work on ideas for some reason.

But there are also lots of periods of time where I am home and I don't feel like working on music, and rather get out of the music world for a bit and do other things. So you could say my perfect setting is when I'm home, I have lots of free time and I feel inspired and excited to create something new.

DUKES: Have you ever been to Montreal before ? what have you heard about our scene here ? compared to South America or Europe ?

BAREM: Yes, I've been there twice, once to play at MUTEK festival and another time to play at piknic. When you think about the music scene in the territories you mention, North America in general is very particular compared to Europe and South America. The scene there is smaller, but more sophisticated in a way. People in the U.S. and Canada, specially in montreal because of MUTEK and the big amount of very talented canadian artists that came together with it, usually think of what we do as an art form, instead of a show business, typical of bigger scenes. I'm just generalizing though. There's people with both views in all 3 territories of course.

DUKES: Which upcoming artist would you say is an inspiration nowadays in electronic music ?

BAREM: I'm not looking at others for inspiration these days, in fact, the music I've been working on lately is more based on myself and what I've done in the past 5 years. My favorite from last year was Stimming, because he gave minimal techno a new turn after a long time of all the same. This year I would say, pay attention to the Time Has Changed crew from France. Timid Boy, Acumen and all those guys are on fire!

DUKES: What can Montreal expect from your set on March 8th ?

BAREM: Everything I like in between techno and house. Groove, fat basslines, fun tracks and some mental stuff.

DUKES: Any new projects coming up ?

BAREM: I'm releasing my first full album in a few months, which makes me very happy. I've been trying to make an album for years, and now it's finally done. That will come together with a brand new live show with visuals, which is cool too 'cause i haven't played live in two and a half years. Too soon to present that in montreal in march though... Still finishing all that. But maybe I'll drop some tracks when I DJ there on the 8th ;)

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For more info about the show and Barem Music check the links below :)

Until then get ready !!! It's gonna be a HOT one !

Event: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=190921087598081

RA DJ Page : residentadvisor.net/dj/barem

Website : wwwm-nus.com

Twitter : twitter.com/baremmusic

Discogs : discogs.com/artist/barem

Facebook : facebook.com/baremminus

Myspace : myspace.com/barem_

JUAN MACLEAN (DFA Records, USA)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 20:54:00 +0000

Hello readers! As you know Juan Maclean will be performing (DJ SET) alongside Simian Mobile Disco For the NEON festival this March 18^th! We asked him a couple of questions about Montreal and also his gig at SAT.

Just for you ;) !

Dukes.

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BIOGRAPHY

"It's been a bit of a sore spot., laughs Juan Maclean, "sitting on this album and seeing this robot stuff pop up all over the place. I have serious robot credentials that go back years and years. Like, a decade! But Daft Punk beat me to the punch." He may be joking, but the man's right. If anyone's earned the right to call their debut album 'Less Than Human' and imagine a love triangle consisting of a man, a woman and the man's gay robot friend (as in 'Shining Skinned Friend'), it's Maclean.

He was guitarist and synth player with acclaimed but obscure, gonzo electro-punk band Six Finger Satellite, who began formulating their blend of rigidly mechanised disco beats, oddly sumptuous synth melodies and razor-shredded guitar work in the early 90s. The brutish but groovy result suggested a cross between Devo, Kraftwerk and Big Black. Then, America was mired in grunge, the famous French robots were still in short pants and the 'punk-funk revival' was in the unimaginable future. Six Finger Satellite were just too far ahead of their time and perished accordingly.

As a result, Juan MacLean nearly gave up. Not just on music, but on life itself. Creative disillusionment and personal despair aggravated by years of drug addiction (he started shooting coke at an early age, then moved on to heroin) had, toward the end of last century, brought him to his knees. Then, as the world prepared to party at the millenium's turn, two shifts occurred. First, he quit Six Finger Satellite, got the hell out of New York City and decided to try doing something rather more socially constructive with his life than just playing in a band. Secondly, he found himself being bugged by Six Finger Satellite's former live soundman. But this guy wasn’t after money or the return of borrowed gear or any one of the countless other things that usually prompt such reconnections. MacLean was being hassled by his old friend James Murphy to start making music again.

"From the very beginning," explains Maclean, "I always made a promise to myself that when I thought the time for Six Finger Satellite was up in terms of creativity, then I would just quit. I thought it was better to go out in a blaze of glory, rather than make five more albums nobody cared about. ” Maclean quit in 1988, just one month before their final LP, 'Law of Ruins' (produced by Murphy) was due to be released. "I was just so sick of it," he claims. "I was burned out from going on tour, plus it had just stopped being interesting, so I sold all my equipment. I thought I'd never have anything to do with making music again."

With that in mind MacLean moved to New Hampshire, where he lives now. He cleaned up, studied for a degree and began teaching English in a young offenders' institute (he spent time in such places as a kid), which he does still and describes as "pretty fun." Meanwhile, his enthusiasm for music had been reignited by (a pre-DFA) Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy. "They'd mail me CD's of things they thought were good," recalls Maclean, "and the three of us started having this dialogue again about older dance music that we'd always liked - Kraftwerk, house and techno." Goldsworthy also introduced Maclean to music that we’d always liked – Kraftwerk, house and techno.” Goldsworthy also introduced MacLean to the work of experimentalists like Autechre and, although he found it “very calculated and intellectualised,” it did help get him excited about music again. So much so, that in 2000 he bought a computer and sampler. “The real breakthrough,” according to MacLean, “came when I took Herbie Hancock’s ‘Rockit’ – which was one of my favourite records when I was like, 13 – and attempted to rip it off. The result was ‘By The Time I Get To Venus,’ because at the time, I just wasn’t good enough to get that close!” That track became the debut 12-inch by The Juan MacLean and one of the first singles released by DFA.

‘Less Than Human’ refines what that tentative first effort only hinted at. It’s a precision-tuned rekindling of MacLean’s love affair with everything from Kraftwerk to Juan Atkins and Derrick May, Funkadelic to Giorgio Moroder and Lipps Inc, DAF to Talking Heads and Frankie Goes To Hollywood. It’s full of tics (sin drums, cow bells, Bootsy Collins bass lines, Moog Liberation motifs) borrowed from dance music history, but refuses to engage with retroism, nostalgia or any notion of ‘the classic.’ Opener ‘AD2003’ tracks back to Kraftwerk via Orbital, buoyed up by bubbles of percolating glitch. ‘Give Me Every Little Thing’ rewinds through Underworld and Talking Heads en route to Studio 54. ‘Tito’s Way’ contrasts acid-house synth squelches and rave whistles with clattering, tribal percussion. There’s a constant, though. Even the LP’s euphoric epic – 14-minute, piano-decorated closer ‘Dance With Me’, sung by LCD Soundsystem’s Nancy Whang – is poignantly subdued, touched by a melancholy that reflects MacLean’s own world view. “It doesn’t seem incongruous to me to have a lot of that stuff in there,” he says of the album’s sadness, “because I made a big effort to make an album, rather than a collection of tunes with just one good track that everybody knows. So I never really set out to say, ‘this is a song that will played for the dance floor,’ or whatever.

“When I started on it, I don’t think I had any pre-conceived notions at all, except that I knew I’d always be operating under the same aesthetic principles that I’d held in making music my whole life. For example, I started taking old multi-track, Six Finger Satellite recording tapes and I sampled all the drums from them – that’s most of the drum tracks you hear.” For the rest, there’s a live drummer, flute, guitar, synths, piano and vocals – no samples. “I might spend months and months on one track,” MacLean explains, “and we have a lot of live instrumentation on it, so a lot of things that sound like samples are actually me playing.”

As to the DFA connection, MacLean declares that working without Murphy and Goldsworthy was never an option. “Even now, if I weren’t going to work with James and Tim, I just wouldn’t be doing this at all. The thing that James does is something that he and I had been formulating for years and years, when I was in Six Finger Satellite – his recording techniques, his approach, the determination that he was going to put out the best thing he could possibly put out, or else it just wasn’t going to be put out. . . we spent every day and night together on tour for years, talking about recording – there was never a question of doing it with anyone else. I don’t need to be working with James because, in an engineering sense, we both do the same thing, but working with both James and Tim, it’s three people sitting there going, ‘that’s no good, that’s no good,’ and maybe one in three things will be passed by all three of us. It’s a really tough jury – the toughest – but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
(Source: www.residentadvisor.net)

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INTERVIEW: Juan Maclean (by Omar Diouf + Alexander Leblanc)

DUKES: Hello Juan! First of all…we are here to talk about Music, a passion we all share so what I want to ask you is, how did you first get into production/DJ and what still motivates you to do it today?

I have been involved in production since I was about 19 years old. I became interested in recording at a young age, and opened a recording studio in the early 90's with my first band, Six Finger Satellite. At some point I became pretty burned out with it and left music altogether for a few years.

One thing that enticed me back into production was that with dance music I could work alone and work at any time I wanted, without the hassles of dealing with a bunch of other people. After my first 12," By The Time I Get To Venus, came out, I immediately starting getting offers to DJ, so that is when I starting taking it seriously and playing outside the confines of my bedroom, around 2002.

I am still as excited about it today as I ever have been. Though I grew up with rock music, the limitations of a rock band setup make it inherently limited in terms of creativity. At some point, if you stick around too long, you start trying to branch out and make things more complicated. This is the death of a good rock band. For example, I seem to be in the extreme minority of people who don't give a shit about Radiohead. It just sounds like pedestrian electronic music to me, rock guys being impressed by production stuff that sounds very 10-years-ago to me.

DUKES: What is the perfect setting for Juan’s music to come to life? In other words, what’s your ideal spot for producing?

Isolation has been a key to my most successful productions. I do best when I am removed from my usual surroundings, and particularly from the trappings of the city. For my last album, we rented a studio that was in a house in upstate New York for basic tracking. I took my band up there, and it is a very rural setting, so we spent our days swimming in rivers and our nights making music. It's the only way I can clear my head and just go for it. If I were walking around Williamsburg every day while trying to make an album, I would be second-guessing myself constantly.

DUKES: Have you ever been to Montreal before? What have you heard about our scene here? Compared to the US or Europe?

Of course, I have been to Montreal many times. To me, Montreal has a bit more European feel to it, whereas a city like Toronto reminds me of a smaller New York City.

DUKES: What would you say has been your favorite gig ever? at least the one you can remember because I know the list is LONG

I can never answer this question with confidence because there have been 1,000's of gigs at this point in my life. In terms of recent DJ gigs, last year I was playing at Space in Ibiza on the night that Spain won the world cup. They had set up an enormous cinema sized screen in one of the main rooms, and a couple of thousand people were watching the match before the gig started. I was waiting nervously in the main room as the opening DJ played to a totally empty room, dreading the prospect of Spain losing the match. At one point the bartenders started screaming, hugging each other and crying, jumping up and down, and I knew Spain had won. By they time I played, I felt invincible. People were just ecstatic, chanting my name during breakdowns, it was rapturous. There was just so much good feeling, a couple of thousand people in rapture, the ultimate setting for a dj, particularly a House music dj.

DUKES: Which upcoming artist would you say is an inspiration nowadays in electronic music?

I can't nail it down to one artist, and I think this is because the defining format in dance music is the 12." So you have people making one amazing 12," and then you might never hear from them again. However, I am very much inspired by labels. Right now one of my favorites is Cécille, which is run by Nick Curly, who is also one of my favorite dj's. Cécille has put out a series of amazing 12"'s, I probably have a half dozen of them in my record bag at any time. Their stuff tends to be deep and dark, but also very soulful.

DUKES: How is the tour with Simian coming along so far? How does the collab work?

It hasn't started yet. I think Blondes are opening, and then I play right before SMD. I am the only one who is DJ'ing, so I'm I a bit of a peculiar position. I'll only be on for about 45 minutes, which is a very odd position to be in as a dj, so I think I might have some sort of visual accompaniment, I'm still working it out now.

DUKES: Any new projects coming up?

I have an Acid House project that will be releasing some 12"'s on DFA; it's called Love Acid. Other than that, I am writing new material for my next album, which will come out in the spring of 2012.

For More info About the gig make sure you RSVP on the event page :

-http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=126609474072829

Other info :

RA DJ Page /	residentadvisor.net/dj/juanmaclean
Website /	www.thejuanmaclean.com
Discogs /	discogs.com/artist/juan+maclean
Buy releases /	Juno Records / Juno Download

INTERVIEW: SHONKY ( Freak n Chic)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:19:00 +0000

BIOGRAPHY :

In music, one hit record is lucky. Two? That’s talent. And the talent everyone is talking about at the moment is fresh-faced Frenchman Shonky. But with over 50,000 tracks in the Beatport database, how does a modern electronic music artist distinguish himself? For Parisian techno and house producer, DJ and remixer, Shonky the answer is simple. He took his profound passion for making music and created a signature sound, delivered a few solid EPs, topped the charts, landed a nice place with a “few” big labels, moved to Berlin, & spun in the hottest euro Tech clubs and . . . Voila !

Indeed His natural aptitude for producing was immediately evident with releases like Let Me Ask U, his remix of Mlle Caro & Franck Garcia’s Far Away.. Back in 2007 every underground club was echoing to the sounds of Olympia – a slab of panoramic techno that seemed to have been custom-engineered at the bottom of the sea; Or dancing to his massive remix of Danton Eeprom’s All I Can Say, and he was piling up serious air miles with his increasingly hectic DJ schedule. In 2008, Shonky took another bold leap forward by releasing his first full-length album Time Zero. More than a haphazard assortment of tracks, Time Zero is blended together with a common theme: getting your groove on at a party and the art of celebrating life.

Incredibly, music was a second-choice career for the 26-year-old. “I studied mathematics and statistics for five years. I was supposed to get a job in a bank,” he grins. But as a dedicated clubber since his teens the lure of electronic music and culture proved too strong. Shonky bought a pair of decks though he admits he had no idea what to do with them at first. He picked up many of his tips at Dan Ghenacia’s infamous Batofar after-parties, where he struck up a friendship with Dan, Dyed, and the rest of the Freak n’ Chic crew.

Immersing himself in the rave scene in Paris, Shonky’s musical roots were then found at the “Batofar club”. More so, it was the deep house, soul and funk infused sounds hailing from the mid-90s West Coast house scene (namely San Francisco and San Diego) and the historical Chicago house movement that left an everlasting impression on his future. Inspired by pioneering deep house figures such as Gemini and Kerri Chandler, Shonky has dubbed his own innovative style of mixing, writing and producing.

Shonky’s was to be one of the hottest young stars of 2008 and simply a star in 2009 with still big releases, on Freak n’Chic and Contexterrior his home labels. Shonky’s hit tracks “Carnage” & “Coco Feel and Love Shonk,” unmistakably portray this development and expansion within his production, marking a musical crossroads in his passage towards a new sound –one that revealed sonically groovier house dimensions infused with stronger vocal representation. At this time, Critics and fans alike celebrated the new direction with admiration and enthusiasm. The result was a lighter feeling, less minimal with the same hypnotic overtones.. “He’s a natural talent,” raves Ghenacia. “I know when he does something it’s going to be perfect.” And 2010 shows no sign of slowing down, as Shonky delivered the summer Bomb Cluborama (FNC051) and Les shonkettes, contexterrior’s autumnal anthem.

We may never know what Shonky’s moniker means, but we certainly know the sound.. and Among those clamoring for his services, are clubs like.. DC10, Space, Zoo project in Ibiza; Goa, Madrid, Mac arena Beach Bbarcelona; Techno parade, Rex Club, Paris; mulletover and Fabric London, Bar27 Amsterdam, Berliner clubs Panoramabar, Der visionnaer & Watergate, Pollerwiesen Düsseldorf, Harry Klein München; Arma 17 Moscow; Kazantip Festival; Australian Ambar; La huaka Peru; Playa Del Carmen’s festival in Mexico & Hollywood’s famous Avalon Club to name but a few !

We caught up with Shonky as he continues his North American Tour ! He will be playing @ Salon Daomé

on March 1st ! Remember the date ! He is unbelievable :)

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INTERVIEW: (By Omar Diouf)

DUKES: Hello Olivier! First of all…we are here to talk about Music, a passion we all share so what I want to ask you is, how did you first get into production/DJ and what still motivates you to do it today ?

My first approach to production went through a sampler and that classic TB303. That’s all I could afford at this time. Then I wouldn’t talk of “a start in production” yet, I was 16, but it was a matter of getting familiar with the machine and the process at the time. I started in a proper way in 1999. I was working also with a friend of mine who helped to understand better logic audio and then in 2005 I was releasing my first EP on Freak n’Chic.

DUKES: What is the perfect setting for Shonkys music to come to life? In other words, what’s your ideal spot for producing?

I try to make it as simple as possible, i truly believe that u need to keep it basic if u want to get your idea done from the beginning to the end. Sometimes if u have too many things around or if the process is too long, u just loose your way and your creativity at the end.

My ideal spot requires not that much, I surely need my Dynaudio BM15A speakers and a good audio card The rest of the set up can always be different, working with gears or plugins.. what matter the most is the main idea around which u build the groove and the rest of the track. This idea can be a vocal, a bassline when i find a solid loop, I start the editing.
I used to work in a proper studio two years ago but we were all kicked out because some people were not paying the rent. I m now working at home and i have to say i prefer this way. I realized I need to be close to my computer at anytime of the day.. So when Ideas are coming I can try to make them real straight.

DUKES: Have you ever been to Montreal before? What have you heard about our scene here? Compared to the US or Europe?

I was in Montreal when i was a kid but I never got any gigs over there until now. I heard a lot of good things. My friends Dyed Soundroom and Seuil have been telling me loads of good things as they already played at Salon Daomé I’m really looking forward to be there I m super excited to join you.

And if you want to know everything, my only experience about Canada was Three years ago when i was booked to play Jonny white’s birthday but couldn’t spin as i arrived too late because of a snowstorm in Toronto. We all ended up in an after party till the Tuesday morning. I was supposed to fly back on Sunday evening but still because of the storm the airport was closed, it was at the end a great experience though, had a lot of fun!

DUKES: Which upcoming artist would you say is an inspiration nowadays in electronic music?

Well I usually like a lot of different stuffs and its always hard to pick only one name but i have to say actually I really enjoy Lee Foss’ music! I like his approach of things, & it’s funny how his music reminds u all the good times when u were a kid or a teenager. Every time i listen to a track from him, I have a memory popping back on the surface. My friends Dan Ghenacia and Dyed Soundroom are also doing some great things. We have basically the same roots but a different interpretation of them still inspiring to see how they do it

DUKES: What can Montreal expect from your set on March 1st?

I love to mix a lot of different styles, I don’t like to be stuck in one music only. When people ask me what i play, i often answer club’ music Then expect a mixture of deep techy housy acidi music!

DUKES: Any new projects coming up? Collaborations?

My new big project is to launch a label alongside Dan Ghenacia and Dyed Soundorom. Dyed and I have always wanted to start our own label and the end of Freak n’Chic allows us to do it with Dan involved as well. We share the same background, the same tastes and the same musical vision. We’ll mainly focus on releasing our own music and of course music from producers all three of us enjoy.

Also, I’ve been working a lot on production lately. I’ve got an EP coming on Culprit very soon as well as a few remixes. Some I did in collaboration with Dyed including a remix of Lee Foss on Culprit, one of Robert Owens ‘I’ll Be Ur Friend’ and we will be reworking a remix of Agaric for Ovum soon! On my own, I did a remix of Maya Jane Coles’ track ‘What They Say’ which is coming out late March and one other for Soma’s 20th anniversary. And of course I’m also working on music for our new label!

SEE YOU ALL THERE !

Event: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=148057175255113

RA DJ Page /	residentadvisor.net/dj/shonky
Discogs /	discogs.com/artist/shonky
Myspace /	myspace.com/shonkar
Buy releases /	Juno Records / Juno Download

INTERVIEW : GUIDO SCHNEIDER @ U.N

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:06:00 +0000

«Guido Schneider has been producing electronic music for more than 10 years now. Strongly influenced by EBM he started his first project in 1991 with a friend; his first records released on SPV.

Changes marked the beginning of the new millennium: Guido closed down his label Neue Welten and met vocalist Florian Schirmacher. After their first joint studio session it became obvious that Guido‘s production and Florian‘s vocal skills would complement each other perfectly, and together they founded the project Glowing Glisses, under whose pseudonym they released 3 singles and the album 'Silver Surfer' on Poker Flat.

In 2002 Guido and Glowing Glisses joined Steve Bug, the Märtini Brös and Martin Landsky on the Poker Flat World Tour. Back in Germany, highly inspired, Guido began focusing on his solo project. His first Poker Flat single 'Triple Bolted' (pfr35) and the track 'Moved' showed Guido’s huge potential. Two 12"s followed in 2004: 'Unterwegs mit Guido Schneider' (pfr47) and 'Oh My Buffer' (pfr53). These two 12 inches finally put Guido on the map of internationally acclaimed producers.

Guido was also Steve Bug‘s first choice to remix his unstoppable classic 'Loverboy' for Poker Flat‘s 50th anniversary release. In 2005 Guido contributed the exclusive track 'Las Cuerdas de Las Canarias' to the 'Poker Flat Volume Four' album, alongside artists such as Steve Bug, Donnacha Costello, Argy and Jeff Samuel.

Recently, Gudio joined forces with his old friend Sammy Dee (Pantytec) again, with whom he had worked years ago as Schneider & Radecki. The result of this reunion was the Poker Flat 12" 'Styleways' (pfr63), which also was licensed to Richie Hawtin’s 'DE9: Transitions' album.

As a DJ and producer of international demand, Guido Schneider currently tours top clubs around the world. The new album 'Focus On: Guido Schneider' is the next milestone in Guido’s carreer. It includes some of his best released tracks and mixes as well as some brand new songs and gives an excting overview of his capabilities.»

(source: www.residentadvisor.net)

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The Dukes catched up with Guido before his Flight to Montreal !

In all Exclusivity Guido tells us a little more about himself and his gig at Stereo Nightclub

this Friday February 18^th !

INTERVIEW:(by Omar Diouf)

«DUKES: Hello Guido ! first of all…we are here to talk about Music, a passion we all share so what I want to ask you is, how did you first get into production/DJ and what still motivates you to do it today ?

GUIDO: It’s a passion, as you said. It keeps me going on and on. I was 15 years old when i bought my first Instrument ( old Roland Juno 106) and my first record was related when I was 16years old. At the beginning I was listening to Electro Body Music (EBM) and this kind of Music. But I turned into techno when I got my first techno compilation called Techno Club (1992) . It was new & fresh ..i loved it and I STILL love it

DUKES: What is the perfect setting for Guidos music to come to life ? in other words, whats your ideal spot for producing?

GUIDO: It depends on my mood & vibe. Sometimes i get a lot of ideas after a long Weekend of work & playing . This happen when I stay calm at home away from everything., then I start to work on my ideas in the studio. but you never can say there is an ideal spot for producing. I guess the best place place & set up is my own studio at the moment

DUKES: Have you ever been to Montreal before ? what have you heard about our scene here ? compared to the US or Europe ?

GUIDO: Yes, I have been Montreal before. I played MUTEK Festival a couple of years ago. I remember it was fun and a very unique scene. Since then I have friends here and from Canada for a long time now, Vincent , Mike, Akufen, The Mole, M.Jonzon, all of them great Guys, (funny, - some of them live now in Berlin), So I am happy and excited to be here and to see how the scene is now.

DUKES: Which upcoming artist would you say is an inspiration nowadays in electronic music ?

GUIDO: There are so many Artist , Dj , Producers are doing a good Job its hard to focus or choose one. Lately i listen to Makam’s and Margaret Dygas Album. I played with Maayan Nidam which was cool. For sure there are much more New Talents we should pay attention to lately.

DUKES: What can Montreal expect from your set on February 18th ?

GUIDO: Ha ha, …. like every time an energetic Trip !!

DUKES: Any new projects coming up ? Collaborations ?

GUIDO: A new Guido Schneider meets Jens Bond called Bob&Curly on “Highgrade records, will come out soon. Then the next release will be Guido Schneider & Pascal FEOS on “LevelNonZero”. I also finished a Remix for my Brother Danilo Schneider on his own Label called, “enough!” and then finally my own Third Guido Schneider Album by the end of the Year on Highgrade Records.»

I hope you wont make any mistakes tomorow ! this is where its going to happen ! See you there

and good luck to Guido !!

Omar

Event page: http://www.facebook.com/ooomardiouf#!/event.php?eid=143637879027333

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More info on Guido:

Releases/Discography

Guido Schneider testlab Neue Welten

Guido Schneider 3-Klang Neue Welten

Guido Schneider Stylus Neue Welten

Guido Schneider erleben durch hoeren Neue Welten

Guido Schneider Zeitrausch Neue Welten

Guido Schneider Starbar Cafe Neue Welten

Guido Schneider Samba brutal Neue Welten

Guido Schneider Ambassador Neue Welten

Schneider & Radecki Midnight Rush Neue Welten

Guido Schneider Samba brutal II Neue Welten Schneider & Radecki Poke Laufwerk

Glowing Glisses Shaked Ladies Poker Flat

Glowing Glisses On The Bridge Poker Flat

Glowing Glisses On The Bridge (Larry Heard remix) Dessous

Glowing Glisses Silver Surfer (Album) Poker Flat

Guido Schneider Triple Bolted Poker Flat

Glowing Glisses Gayo Poker Flat Vol.3

Guido Schneider Unterwegs mit G.S. Poker Flat

Guido Schneider Oh My Buffer Poker Flat

Guido Schneider Las Cuerdas de Las Canarias Poker Flat

Guido Schneider & Andre Galluzzi Benefiz Tuning Spork

Guido Schneider Earth Browser Tuning Spork

Guido Schneider & Sammy Dee Styleways Poker Flat Guido Schneider Focus On (album)Poker Flat

Remixes

Glowing Glisses Gayo Poker Flat

Dub Kult On & On Raum

B. Minikool Tuning Spork

Steve Bug Loverboy Poker Flat

Brtschitsch & Galluzzi Regenschauer Taksi

Dub Kult Bip Raum

Daniel Stefanik Move Me Moon Harbour


RA DJ Page /	residentadvisor.net/dj/guidoschneider
Discogs /	discogs.com/artist/guido+schneider
Buy releases /	Juno Records / Juno Download

DOSSIER: Maher Daniel jacks the house !

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 03:05:00 +0000

Photo by Leif Tiltins

Maher Daniel has been moving masses lately ! The Get Physical artists Talks to Duke of Swabia in all Exclusivity ;)

«Where do we start with a name like Maher Daniel. "Maher" in his native tongue strings form the word excellence, and excellent is exactly what 2009 has been to jump start his career forward. Releasing records on top labels in the dance industry such as Get Physical Music/ Souvenir Music and Bedrock Records.

His remix of Tone Depth's 2001 classic Rumblefish saw him sitting at the #1 position of the Techno Charts for a solid 2 and a half months. His Music has reached out to the top players in the industry receiving immense support.

2010 sees a continuos rise with his musical journey,

Nominated this year as the world's biggest hot spot, renowned for its Analogue based sound system, this year's 14th best club in the world Stereo Montreal. We find Maher warming things up for the biggest names in the industry such as Lee Buridge, Clive Henry, Audiofly, Adam Beyer and Josh wink to Name a few.

Playing Festivals such as Creamfields Abu Dhabi, Piknic Electronik and Igloo Fest his sound travels across sound scapes of Deep house, Tech house, Techno and House as he never likes to pigeon whole himself with one specific musical genre.

This summer saw Maher's debut in Berlin and Europe where he has played at clubs such as Watergate, Bar25, Golden Gate, Cute Club Poland and Vozduh Moscow sharing his musical taste and energy.

The passion projected from this energetic character shows the perseverance and stone setting stature of someone who is not going anywhere anytime soon. Keep your eyes peeled as his passions and dream are transformed into reality.»

(Source:www.residentadvisor.net)

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INTERVIEW: (by Omar Diouf)

« DUKES: Hello Maher ! first of all…we are here to talk about Music, a passion we all share so what I want to ask you is, how did you first get into production/DJ and what still motivates you to do it today ?

i guess i was always passionate about playing music and being a musician i used to be in a band when i was younger i played the guitar until my brother introduced me to electronic music and then i got hooked 5 years later i started producing and djing i can't sleep drink eat without thinking of producing or djing and thats how it all started . The biggest thing that motivates me is the reaction i see on people faces when they hear my records being played its really inspiring and keeps me wanted to give them more.

DUKES: Montreal is a hard place to break through , how did you do it ? and how did your life change lately ?

Well i started djing and producing at the same time and just kept pushing hard. from there i handed out a few demos when i got confident enough with my djing and i got my first chance playing at stereo bar which turned into a residency and then opened the door to the main room.

i would not say its changed my life drastically but it has helped people recognize me as a dj for one playing at stereo along side some of the best international talent.

DUKES: What is the perfect setting for Maher Daniels music to come to life ? in other words, whats your ideal spot for producing?

being the comfort of my studio space me and the music and just grinding through it. i like to work at strange hours of the night where its the calmest all around me so really interesting things tend to come out.

DUKES: What do you think of Montreal these days ? Good, bad or Still getting there ?

Montreal is a great city it has had its ups and downs but definitely on the way back up so i really can't complain

DUKES: Which upcoming artist would you say is an inspiration nowadays in electronic music ?

In general i really love what nicolas jaar is doing its really great to see young producers like him thinking out of the box and it really inspires me, also Denis kurtel, Matt Tolfrey, Maya Jane Coles James Teej, Art Deparment. There are so many out there its great to be able to use it all by taking it in and translating it into something else

DUKES: What can Montreal expect from your set on February 18^th at Stereo?

hehe thats a great question lol i usually play it by ear and work my dance floor because its a warm up set i really will be playing chuggier Deeper getting things nice and toasty for mr Wink.

DUKES: Any new projects coming up ? Collaborations ?

A lot new stuff coming up 3 new releases on Tiefschwarz's souvenir music 1 for there compilation and 2 as an ep. Then there is my single on Get Physical Music, my collaboration with Matthew Dekay on Pier Bucci's label Maruca and then 4 or 5 tracks i have done with Matt Tolfrey. »

You guys know what to do :) Support Maher on Beatport or any other purchasing website :)

And dont forget to check out his performance on February 18th along with none other than JOSH WINK @ STEREO !

Event Page:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=726150718#!/event.php?eid=110530505687717

RA DJ Page /	residentadvisor.net/dj/maherdaniel
Website /	sweatlodgeagency.com
Discogs /	discogs.com/artist/maher+daniel
Myspace /	myspace.com/maherdaniel