Posted on Thursday 23rd May, 2013 by kirsti

Earlier this month saw the release of local lad turned international dupstep star, Benga, release his second long player: Chapter II. Reflecting that the ideas the tracks are built on are second time around workings of Benga’s initial ideas that have been influenced in a big part by the dynamics he experienced between the music and the crowd on his recent tours, the album, for him, is about being in a certain time and place. As he states in the release notes: “I thought the record was finished but I could see what was missing from it. Watching 15,000 people go crazy in an arena to ‘Choose 1’, there was no better feeling in the world. Writing a record is about being in a particular time and place. That’s what Chapter II is.”

And much as there is a story to a finished album there are stories behind each of the tracks, so Benga has kindly supplied us with this track by track personal account of the story of the tunes that make up Chapter II. For fans of the record it’s that perfect way of getting closer to the music and for those who haven’t, be sure to invoke your click reflex taking which’ll take you directly to his record store before he joins us to headline Room One with Youngman a week on Friday.


Benga on Chapter II

Yellow
Towards the end of making the record I had 30 or more songs. This was what was missing – the undeniable opener. I knew I needed a song to raise the tempo and kick it off. I didn’t know that I was going to start the record at drum and bass tempo but when I did it, it felt right. It felt like going back to the beginning of what I wanted to do with the record. This whole thing about being Benga, not just being a dubstep artist had to start coming out. Yellow nailed it.

Smile
‘Charlie XCX wrote the lyric and sang it. I heard the hook and loved it instantly. In terms of the melody and where it was going everything about it made sense. Charlie can’t be any older than 20 but she’s mad pro. She’d knock out great harmonies first take. I toured with her in Australia and she’s a great girl, another piece of the puzzle. My manager said “I don’t think you know what you’ve made here.” I don’t change a lot of the structure of songs for vocalists. I‘ve always just wrote in a way that suits vocals being on top.’

Click and Tap
Part of what my favourite albums do really well is not just having the bangers, so putting this track here became part of the plan. A great album has to have clever music that sends you outside the box. Putting Click and Tap at this point of the album means the listener can go somewhere else. When you do a track like this it encourages you to go a bit deeper. It’s head music.

Forefather
Kano wanted me to do his album and we ended up picking out some tunes to inspire it. I’d written the instrumental for Forefather on tour and told him “you need to go old school.” It’s a reference and homage to things that inspired us both. Do the dance-floor smashes rather than things people would expect. He came back to me with the lyric, about where we come from. He’s a genius lyricist. I’ve known Kano for years, one of the best.

I Will Never Change
This was the first track I wrote for the record. It’s funny because when I say I Will Never Change you might think I’m talking about my music but it’s actually about my goals and where I’m trying to get to. I talk about this vision. I’ve veered from it so many times and that song is a statement of me going back to my original thoughts and saying I should drive this, I shouldn’t let anyone drive it for me. I might end up with something completely wrong but it sounds emotional to me. Sometimes it’s musical madness. But that’s what will make me a Timbaland or a Dre. You’ll know a Benga record because it doesn’t sound like anybody else’s version of what is right.

Choose One
It’s a smash. I toured with Youngman who I met through the drum and bass don, Adam F. I was always a big fan and saw him at a show and Youngman was his MC. I instantly thought this guy’s up there. He had everything you want in a frontman. That night we hung out, had jokes, I’d bought a new watch and put in under my bed, paranoid after a mad one. I left it in the hotel and he asked me “where’s the watch?” and saved it for me. We toured together and became best friends. I could hear where he needed to be as an artist. Every song we’ve written is about something that happened on tour. It’s about us fighting over a girl. It’s gaming. He won. He deserved to.

There’s No Soul
This is my reference to music nowadays. When I sit down and do something like this I might take in influences, and there is a bit of Detroit in there, but it’s just about playing chords and making them work for how I feel. It’s hard for me to put my finger on what soul in a record is. if it moves me, then its soulful.

Higher
This was written with a songwriter I’ve worked with a lot and that I love to work with. We went in the studio and wrote six or seven songs together. The first songwriter I ever worked with was on I Need Air. I signed my publishing deal and all the people at the label thought I would be the UK guy. I started to realise I had to slow down and concentrate on the writing side of things. It took me a long time to realise it but I ended up getting to a place where I could write a song like Higher.

To Hell and Back
This is about me doing something I might’ve done at the start, back in 2007. It’s a glimpse back to the old dance-floor tracks. I always thought this record could be massive. It needed something to place me back to my roots, to let the listener know where I came from.

High Speed
P-Money is the man, a great rapper. He smashes it, we put the vocoder on him, it works. Lyrically, hooks, he’s a genius and I know I’ll always work with him, even when I’m producing Lil Wayne albums. Am I going to do that? 100%. We’re going to take this record to America.


Chapter II: To Inspire
‘This was knocked into shape on tour, where some of the craziest ideas happen. You come off stage hyped and need to channel that adrenaline. Laying down a track’s a good way of doing it. If I get it down it’s always completely out there. The only connecting fact of this record is that it’s me doing it. The way I produce is slightly mad.’

Running
Young sent me a vocal. I just put the vocal through a vocoder and started playing. It was important for me to sound fresh. The beat structures and the bass are important but I write lots of hooks and they’re what shape my sound. Great songs, mental sounds, big bass and groovin’ drums. That always drives the song, even when the drums are simple, the movement of it.

Waiting
I wrote that with Daniel Ledinski and rudi, who I think are amazing songwriters. Daniel really gets my crazy music. I have to be quite particular with songwriters. I’m not correct musically, so people have to adjust and tap into that. I walked in with a beat which they loved, they told me to leave and I was walking around London they laid down a vocal. The same vocal recorded in that day hasn’t been touched.

War Zone
Sam Frank is a legend musically. There is no-one else like him. I love his crazy chords and how beautiful they always sound. He is another songwriter that totally gets my crazy music, he is set for big things.

For more info and tickets check our listings here.

Posted on Thursday 23rd May, 2013 by kirsti

It’s that time of year again when Bigger Deer Recordings come to Farringdon - a place where despite the lingering disappointment of grey in the sky where there should be blue we’re always upbeat - to celebrate their birthday in our Room Three. Heading the takeover is label owner, Lewis Ryder, who’s no stranger to our brickwork and is accomplished at working our Martin Audio rig to the max, so we thought we’d dig out his set from last year’s birthday bash - originally only available as a fabricfirst stream - to mark the occasion.

STREAM: Lewis Ryder Recorded Live at fabric 16.06.2012

Posted on Thursday 23rd May, 2013 by kirsti

Despite the minimalist nature of Rabih Beaini’s production as Morphosis, the background story to the music actually tells a very different tale. Through a purely analogue arrangement of synths, effects pedals, strings and keys the Berlin home studio that Beaini has built invokes an organic process of experimentation, which gives him an edge in the otherwise linear world of minimalism/ Ahead of his appearance in Room Two on 8th June for Craig Richards next instalment of The Nothing Special, we’ve been allowed to take a very privileged look at the different components of Morphosis’s equipment and production process…

Hey Rabih thanks for letting us into your studio for a closer look. How long have you been working in here? Is this your Berlin work base?
This has been my base for over a year now, the whole setup is in my house and I usually will finish up by going to professional studio for mixing and post production if I think it's needed.

Which records have you made in here?
Various remixes from 2012 like I used the the Korg Response for TM404 on Kontra Musik, the Fluxion remix on Echocord, the Albidaya album, the forthcoming double EP on Honest Jons, part of it was made here and part was recorded live in Cluj at the Transilvanian Film Festival, but using pretty much the same equipment and some unreleased private sessions with other musicians have been recorded in here as well.

It’s quite a bright and open space is that important to you instead of somewhere dark and underground?
Currently I enjoy working during the day, light is ok, but this is not a condition I really have for working, I actually am not too related to the conditions that are around me when I work on music or record it.





I’m really struck by the fact that your set up seems to be overwhelmingly analogue, what does the laptop have to play in it all?
The laptop is for checking internet and writing interviews like now, sometimes I record and edit some music on Cubase, a sequencer program.

Can you talk us through your production process, it all seems set up to be a very organic process from the outside, is that right?
Sometimes I just let the instruments lead it. They have their own voice and they somehow like to communicate with each other, via weird patching and unconventional connections. This is why it’s important for me to have at least some pieces of equipment that have a specific way of communicating, the language is more personal and solid, the method becomes more of a research project than a simulation and arrangement. My final output might end up being a little conformist and not too experimental, but this is not my goal, I like to experiment on stage or take it to wider audience when I have the chance to.





Can you educate me please, what’s the instrument that looks like a sawn off fret board from a guitar, I don’t think I’ve seen that before?
To be honest I found it in a music store in Berlin and I don’t know exactly what it is, but I’ve been told it’s hand made in India. It’s quite a curious instrument probably made for a specific use, part of it has the frets and the rest is in drone way, it has metal strings and the sound is really crunchy but very ethnic in its own way. I've used it for some recent recordings and I’m hoping I can manage to create a electro-acoustic project around it which is the initial idea I had when I first saw it.

I think it’s quite interesting your keyboards are an Italian make, did you pick those up when you were resident in Venice? What do you like about their qualities?
In the 60's and 70's there some small Italian companies who were producing quite an interesting range of instruments from guitars to amps and organ emulators, cheap but well built, some musicians at the time liked the fact that they had a very special sound, more on a cosmic tone tip, maybe because of cheaper components or maybe it was for some other psychedelic approach that the guys who built it took. I used to own a Eko Tiger in Italy, but the Duo (double keyboard version) here I found it in Berlin, n that same shop I found the string instrument, like most of my gear, it was a really lucky fiund, The shop Central Music is quite a regular one for me in Kreuzberg but sometimes they had second hand stuff which is interesting.

Where does tape come into your production process?
I used to record everything on a tape 4 track I owned in Italy, play it back and redubbing again, but now I don’t have it anymore. I’m thinking about buying one again, it had some cool features, I’m not using tape for recording currently but for playback of cassettes I eventually buy. Next steps will def include a diverse recording process.





What out of this makes it onto the stage with you when you perform live?
Most of the time the TR-808 is present. Sometimes when I have the chance, I take the analog synths and sequencer, but that depends on the travel arrangements and how much I can carry and my Pro-One is specifically racked for live performance usage too. Sometimes I’ve had the chance to bring even the organ and the whole setup, it’s quite a interesting thing for me to totally change perspective of setup and can make things completely different for the performance.

And finally this question has been a fun one to end with in previous interviews, if money were no object what would you buy for the studio?
Sorry to spoil the fun for you, of course the main dream of most musicians is to probably have the most advanced and wicked studio, with all the latest technology and others with vintage consoles and instruments, but it’s not the same in my case to be honest. I love some of the ultra-rare and special instruments that I've had the chance to get my hands on, some are hard to find, but to buy them is a different matter for me. I try not to become too emotionally attached to things, I normally like to find used and cheap stuff and try to make it fit in my small world and one day sell or trade, let them travel around and have their own story to tell.



Morphosis will be performing live in Room Two for Craig Richards' The Nothing Special with Mosca on June 8th, for more info and tickets go here.

Posted on Thursday 23rd May, 2013 by Smash Gordon

DJ Hype and Pascal's Playaz nights are a Friday night staple here in London. They've been serving up an uncompromising blend of breakbeats, jungle and drum & bass here in Farringdon on the last Friday of the month for as long of we've been open and as a crew they're showing no signs of slowing down or letting up. Still one of the major presences on radio, Playaz label owner DJ Hype's Wednesday night KISS FM show provides a vital outlet for the scene and it's that intrinsic and tangible connection to the lifeblood of drum & bass that keeps him going.

To further celebrate our relationship and help shine a light on their upcoming lineups, Hype took time out of his schedule to put together this exclusive mix...

Download: DJ Hype - FABRICLIVE x Playaz Mix



Catch Playaz in Room One on the last Friday of every month.

Posted on Thursday 23rd May, 2013 by Oli Marlow

Without trying to making it into a ‘thing’ in its own right, there’s a bit of a coincidence that’s appearing for some of our Houndstooth artists. Following Dylan Richards’ chrysalis-like metamorphosis into House of Black Lanterns, Alec Storey is the latest artist to shift phase and re-christen his output after signing to our label; progressing from the Al Tourettes moniker in favour of the more becoming, Second Storey. Whilst his new name might be in homage to the musical path set forth for him by his father, the four-track Margosa Heights EP sounds very little like anything you’ve heard from the Bristol based producer before.

Over the years Storey has emerged and evolved somewhat from the self-styled ‘swamp music’ of his early days, building and growing his artistic palette as he feasted on the influence of people like Portishead, Metalheadz and Herbie Hancock and the electronic music that he found himself surrounded with whilst growing up as part of the Molotov soundsystem on the Norfolk/Suffolk borders. He’s always produced music that’s alluded quite openly to his passions for free party soundsystems and rave culture – the type of music that’s always existed in an advanced state of diaspora - but with his new material he experiments with the very inertia of the music that inspired him in the first place.



The Margosa Heights EP will be released physically on 12" vinyl on the 24th June 2013, with the digital following a week later. You can pre-order your copy here.

If you order your 12” from the fabric or Houndstooth store(s) you'll also receive the WAV files for free upon release. Pre-orders will be charged at a discounted rate of £7 or £6 for fabricfirst members.

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You can also watch Second Storey's mix from the Houndstooth x Boiler Room takeover from a couple of weeks back:

Posted on Wednesday 22nd May, 2013 by kirsti

We’re not completely sure just how deep people realise the influence of Craig Richards goes in the musical outpourings of our Farringdon home; there are just so many facets to it. For starters he’s here almost every weekend shaping the sonic aesthetic of the club via his expansive and travelled record collection. Then there’s his role in the building of the overall lineups and the direction of his club nights within club nights, Tyrant and The Nothing Special.

The Nothing Special is really about Craig’s DJ sets collaborating with live music; between the live acts he becomes a linking mechanism between the distinct and differing performances. He’s there to create a smooth flow and platform for his guest’s music. This approach has earned Craig a reputation for putting on a new and demanding listening experience each time, but thanks to the strength of the format, his DJing and the performers he’s proven that people like Dopplereffekt and Convextion or Morphosis and Pinch can all work on the same bill.

So, following the tradition for presenting such an array of music, it makes sense that the label arm of The Nothing Special would reflect that. Starting off with Radioactive Man and Billy Nasty’s first release as Radionasty at the tail end of 2011, the label followed up some moths later with one of Trevino’s early offerings but now it’s Craig’s own production that will finally be taking centre stage. If you’ve caught any of his sets here lately it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll have heard some of these on our tried and tested Martin Audio soundsystem and that fact is almost as unsurprising as the range of genres he channels over the three tracks that feature on the record, which all ripple with some manner of the roots echoed by his previous Bristolian guests.

We know it’s a bit close to home to blow the proverbial trumpet so hard, but there really is nobody like Craig Richards so we feel proud to be able to present and support this new release on his behalf. Previews are in the player below and the record is available on pre-order on this link.

Posted on Wednesday 22nd May, 2013 by Smash Gordon

Photographer Justin De Souza brought his camera down to the launch of FABRICLIVE 69: Fake Blood at the start of this month where Fake Blood performed alongside Paul Woolford, Boy 8 Bit, Attaque and Le Breton. This is what his lens saw...



For more of Justin's work check out his Fresh To Death website.

Posted on Wednesday 22nd May, 2013 by kirsti

We’re fast approaching the third Bank Holiday special of the season from the WetYourSelf! camp. Thanks to the extra work-free day Cormac, Peter Pixzel and Jacob Husley get to open up the rest of our Farringdon based home to allow in even more of their hand-picked techno talent to expand the party beyond its usual Room One restriction.

In Room Two they’ve invited Italian protégé Vincenzo Perez, whose psychedelic yet minimalist palette has been honed by years of sound engineering focussed study in Naples. Now based in London, Perez has established his label Tremisc Recordings, a vessel to further his expression of his experimental take on techno alongside his own fresh productions and DJ escapades. It’s quite apt then that he’s recorded this mix for WYS! as a perfect insight into the sound he’ll be expressing in Room Two this Bank Holiday Sunday before he joins Tobias, Makam and Dexter for the occasion.


DOWNLOAD: Vincenzo Perez WYS! Promo Mix




Tracklisting:

ADULT. - Rise & Fall (Original Mix)

James Taylor - Never Really Wanted To Be like You (Original Mix)

Akiko Kiyama - In Situ (Original Mix)

Anthea - Polite Symphony (Original Mix)

Marlene Magnoli - A Horse In A Bar (Original Mix)

Vincenzo Perez - Ce Capimme [Promo]

Aschka - Moments Do Not Endure (Ruoho Ruotsi Reshape)

Lusine - Another Tomorrow (Jon Convex Remix)

Optic Nerve - Detroit Commuter (M5 Central Station Mix)

Cleymoore - Sigismund Schlomo (Lowbard Remix)

Yes Ma'am - Pay Dirt (Paul Gutschmidt Remix)

Monobox - Realm 04 (Original Mix)

Stefny Winter - My Purple Spandex (Original Mix)

Dry But Funky - Sophisticated Conversation With My Fly (Original Mix)

NoiDoi - Simple Strip (Rhadoo Remix)

Marlene [promo]

Agazzi - The Stoppers Shop (Original Mix)

Posted on Wednesday 22nd May, 2013 by Smash Gordon

Having rising through the ranks of UK hip hop, Foreign Beggar’s newer output is a genre-defying blend of their former work, with the two emcee and DJ trio applying their rambunctious rap formula to an array of electronic styles. Releasing their latest album The Uprising on Deadmau5’s mau5trap imprint opened their music and personalities up to a slightly different, more EDM aware audience. They’ve worked with an incredible lineage of producers and supported all manner of artists (from The Prodigy to Wu Tang Clan) and this Friday they’ll be returning to the Room One stage so we caught up with emcee Orifice Vulgatron (pictured on the left above) to discuss how the group approaches the different styles and how that’s effected their live performances.

So what’s going on with you guys at the minute? What are you up to at the moment?
This and that… lots of international shows, gearing up for the Summer festival season and preparing a brand new show to take on the road.

How did The Uprising album go down? Are you happy with the reception the album got?
Uprising went pretty well. It was an album we made almost nearly on the spot between touring, which made 2012 one of our busiest years to date. I'm happy with the reception it got in certain respects and glad that we could take underground UK rap to a worldwide audience without really having to make any pop music. There were a few things that I thought would get a better reception, ie. ‘Flying to Mars’ ft Donae'o. The sound was a real throwback to the early UK dubstep years, so I thought a few more of the heads would pick up on it. However good music lasts so I guess that one will have to be a slow burner. It was interesting to release on Mau5trap too as it really opened a lot of people around the world to our sound and the scenes that we come from.

Obviously the album kind of cemented even further your move in more electronic realms, imparting hip hop sensibilities to a new kind of raw and gutteral music. Do you feel like you’ve been hitting a different audience with this new material?
Again, I guess to a degree, but the album is very varied and we approached the writing and lyrical side to the songs in a similar way we'd approach hip hop as opposed to the dance music we've released. There's more lyrical content and interesting song structure as opposed to tracks formatted for DJs. The music is definitely more representative of the sounds and styles we've been repping in our live show for years, however everything is still a little crossover and no one track fits directly into a single genre bar a couple of the hip hop joints. Even the dubstep tracks we're rhyming on have distinctive grime, hip hop and even reggae influences.



Do you feel like your live shows changed as a result?
I think we've played in front of some newer audiences, but our current show is pretty much similar in how we've always built the show, just with newer material. We play raw hip hop, garage, grime, even some dirty house, dubstep, trappy beats, drum and bass; but that's what we've been doing since about 2005. It's just that now we've released so much in each genre, most of the music we're playing is original material, rather than dropping other peoples beats to rhyme over. Essentially it's still the same hard-core, energised rap/rave experience of a showcase we've always aspired towards.

Given the style, do you guys approach the writing any differently do you think? Leaving more space for the music to impact etc etc.
I think each track you make has to be treated as its own island. Even when making very genre specific tracks. i.e. leaving Space is something one can do on a hip hop instro or a d&b tune, it's just down to what you want to do with the song. There's a track we did with Alix Perez called ‘Dark Days’ and we only ended up using an 8 bar chorus as that's all the track needed…

What’s next for you guys?
We have a very exciting project in the pipeline, probably one of our most accomplished efforts, dropping this year. There is a single dropping from this project in the next 6 weeks so keep your eyes and ears peeled for that.

What can we expect from your imminent live show?
Madness... we have a bunch of special stuff in the bag we're going to debut. We've done some insane collabs recently and some newer stuff we have specifically prepared for the live show. Plus it's my birthday so it's gonna be a double celebration. Also, as we just had the 10 year anniversary of our album Asylum Speakers, we may throw a couple of Foreign Beggars classics into the mix as well.

Catch Foreign Beggars performing live in Room One this Friday.

Posted on Tuesday 21st May, 2013 by kirsti

Just in case you needed another reason to attend Efdemin’s next date with us here in Room Two this Saturday, look no further than this 2 hour set that Red Bull Music Academy have upped to their already impressive archive. Recorded at Gronigen’s Paradigm in Holland earlier this year, the recording is a parallel of the same sort of sunshine dappled, basement groove kind of house you can expect the Ostgut artist to impart this Saturday as he joins fellow Berliner Marcel Fengler and Hemlock’s Untold in Farringdon.

You can listen in full on the player below…

STREAM: Efdemin Recorded Live at Paradigm

Posted on Tuesday 21st May, 2013 by kirsti

Few things are sure in life, but we can safely say that there is nobody like Sasha out there. A firm part of our Farringdon heritage, Sasha, is an individual who has been at the core of shaping the musical forms to emerge from the UK’s rich musical history and it’s the impact that his Involver albums that have been a huge part of that. More than a mix yet not quite an artist album, all three Involver releases have been a format of Sasha’s own design featuring his own edits each, painstakingly compiled and formed in the studio. They’re works that continue to hold a special place in Sasha’s loyal following’s record collections.

So ahead of his next visit to RM1 this Saturday we’ve been offered three signed copies of the latest part of the Sasha saga, Involv3r and to make one of them yours all you have to do is email us on competitions@fabriclondon.com with the subject line “Involv3r Forever”. To match the Welsh born artist’s generosity we’ve matched his offering and added a pair of tickets for each CD prize.




For more info and tickets go here.

Posted on Tuesday 21st May, 2013 by Smash Gordon

Like the title says, BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe made 'Murder Cries', the first single from Snow Ghosts' A Small Murmuration, his 'Next Hype' on his show last night. You can hear the audio below:



'Murder Cries' is out now - buy from iTunes: http://bit.ly/ZP1hHs or the Houndstooth store: http://bit.ly/11ETgIv

It's taken from the forthcoming LP 'A Small Murmuration' - out 8th July 2013. Order your copy from iTunes: http://bit.ly/12pEwMe or the Houndstooth store: http://bit.ly/ZI5pcH

Posted on Tuesday 21st May, 2013 by Smash Gordon

Paradox's career in and around the manipulation of breakbeats has been going strong for over 20 years. Having had his first music released back in 1990, he’s since amassed a back catalogue of 9 albums and 147 (count them) 12” singles on leading drum and bass labels including 4 Hero’s Reinforced, LTJ Bukem’s Good Looking, London Elektricity’s Hospital and Goldie’s Metalheadz. He nowadays runs his own imprints as the primary outlet for his tracks, with Paradox Music, Arctic Music and Esoteric each having a unique identity and focus. His production work has always seemed to be focused on the rawer elements of drum and bass and whilst often positioning himself as a little bit of an outsider, Paradox found time over the years write music for computer games and collaborate with incredible and respected musicians like Herbie Hancock and Bernie Worrell.

You can catch Paradox performing (completely) live at the debut Samurai Music takeover of Room Three, where he'll be bringing his trusty Amiga synths and a microphone to properly reconstruct tracks from his back catalogue and create brand new passages on the fly alongside sets from Lynx, Presha and Clarity. Ahead of the event he made us one of his trademark, fully presented podcasts that shine a worthy light on a) his selection b) his production and c) his hosting and toasting skills... Please note: the following is not a 'mix', it's a radio show made in promotion of the event.

Download: Paradox - Samurai x FABRICLIVE Podcast



Tracklist:

01. Paradox - Drum Machine [Paradox Music]
02. Naibu - Certified [Scientific dub]
03. Paradox - Core Jungle [Paradox Music]
04. Gremlinz & Paragon - Oranda [dub]
05. Emery & Valentina Yaron - The Chance [Ambra dub]
06. ASC - Polemic [Samurai Red Seal]
07. Alaska & Robert Manos - Zeal [Arctic Music]

Catch Paradox performing live in Room Three on Friday 31st May.

Posted on Monday 20th May, 2013 by Annie

Named by many as a source of inspiration, Jeroen Search embodies a clear and honest interpretation of techno. His tracks, while audibly open to new and exciting musical influences, always remain true to that typical, inimitable 'Search'-sound. He has seen little to no need to completely reinvent himself at any stage as most, if not all, of his work communicates itself with great ease due to its truly timeless nature.

Starting out in 1993 under the DJ Groovehead alias with one of the first releases on X-Trax Records, Jeroen has so far put out his music on many respected labels such as Figure SPC, M_Rec LTD, Traut, Coincidence Records and A&S, the latter he co-owns with friend and colleague Dimi Angélis. One of his personal highlights has been the ability to do two releases on Jeff Mills’ Axis/6277 label, one solo (New Reality EP) and one as Counterpart (The Martian Mystique).

Jeroen’s approach to music production is an unorthodox one; he records all his tracks in a single take and does all his editing live. Constantly pushing his creativity by trying to get the most out of a minimal setup Jeroen remains active in the studio and he now has new releases lined up on Sect, Affin and Gynoid Audio.

Jeroen Search live, which he debuted at Berghain in 2009, is more than just an excellent showcase of his work. It’s a journey through the vast landscape of techno, with an expert storyteller at the helm. When booked for a DJ-set, Jeroen always aims to show a unique and alternate side of himself as an artist; bringing along some gems that other DJ’s may have overlooked or under appreciated, a Search DJ-set is bound to be something special.

DOWNLOAD: Jeroen Search fabric Promo Mix




Hi Jeroen. What have you been up to recently?
Hey! I have been up to a lot of things recently, finished 2 solo releases (one for Figure SPC and one for Decoy), did some remixes, playing some nice gigs last months, working on an album (with Dimi), so it has been busy, but good!

How did you witness the evolution of techno music in the UK during the mid-90’s? Do you get nostalgic looking back at the unstoppable energy of this era?
I witnessed the evolution of techno music in general (so also UK) during the mid-90's, and yeah those days were fantastic.. indeed an unstoppable energy that time, lots and lots of things were “new and fresh”... it was just wild.. I don't want to sound too nostalgic but for some reason I don't think it will ever “feel” the same like it did back then. Remembering the Friday afternoons hanging out in the record store waiting for fresh vinyl coming in was just great..

What have been some of the biggest changes you’ve noticed putting out records since you first did in 93 under the DJ Groovehead on X-Trax Records?
The biggest change I think is that it's going faster now, way too many releases each week. Also technology has improved so it's easier to make tracks. I don't want to say this is something bad, it's just different than in the “early days”.I really like the fact that there is more and more released on vinyl again. As an artist I want to have a physical copy of the releases I do, so it's great to see increase in vinyl releases.

Where do you think the techno scene stands in the UK today?
I think the techno scene is still healthy in UK, good music is coming from your side.

Can you tell us some more about your approach to music production? We heard you record all your tracks in a single take with all your own live editing.
Yes, that's true, I record all track live in a single take. It's just the way I learned myself to do it this way, it's all about capturing the certain emotion of a track at the time I record it. It feels like freedom doing it this way, no endless staring at a monitor screen and just feeling it instead of programming an entire track in the computer. Tweaking the machines I work with is the most important I gues, and if there are mistakes in it, just let them be. Sometimes I do little editing afterwards to make it fit for a release (cutting off the beginning or end of track), but that's all I do.

How much time do you spend in the studio? How do you amp yourself up for creating one off pieces of music? What gets your creative juices flowing?
I spend just enough time in the studio to make it work out, but I wish I could have more studio time. Just balancing between family, work and music. When I just started producing it was all I could think of, spending days and days in the studio, but at some point I found out it was not good for creativity. So now it's less studio time but more (way more) quality time when I'm working on music.

Do you ever feel like you want to try a different method to your production to keep challenging yourself?
Sometimes I feel like chaning my way of production but for some reason I always stick to the same, just because it feels better. And to be honest I really don't know how to produce a track completely with a computer.

Tell us about your label Search and A&S which you co-own with friend and colleague Dimi Angélis? How do you manage your time between the two staples and what is the ethos behind them?
Well my own label Search I had from 1996-2000 and really I enjoyed that period, discovering the production techniques in the studio and trying to do only music I really liked regardless of popularity. But unfortunately it came to an end. Since last year Dimi and I started A&S which has basicly the same idea behind it, just music we like and we got a bit tired of sending out demo's and stuff. Again vinyl only, so no digital releases.

We read one of your personal highlights has been the ability to do two releases on Jeff Mills’ Axis/6277 label, one solo (New Reality EP) and one as Counterpart (The Martian Mystique). Tell us about that and what other career highlights you can share with us?
Doing the two releases on Axis/6277 was a personal highlight for sure, I still remember the moment when I got this email from Jeff in which he approved our first Counterpart release, goosebumps all over.. We worked really hard for it so it's great if you can release on a label of someone who you admire so much. Ofcourse there are other highlights as well, I am just happy about all things (releases, gigs) I achieved with my music. I feel blessed all the time for this.

What other techno artists do you feel claim a timeless sound all of their own?
Difficult question, hard to answer. There are just so many good techno artists around.

How are you looking forward to playing live in Room Three for the Bigger Deer Recordings crew on 1st June? What can we expect to hear in your live show? Any teasers of new material?
Really, really looking forward coming over to fabric and playing live in Room Three, you can expect some serious techno action that night, my set will be a combination of new material. A lot of the music in my liveset hasn't been recorded properly in the studio, all loops and things I made just for my liveset. In between also some track of my upcoming release on Figure SPC, and some already released material but it won't sound the same as the original recordings for sure.

What’s your connection to the BDR crew?
I got connected to Lewis of Bigger Deer by doing a remix for him. Big shout out to him for having me over at the 5 years anniversary party., I'm honoured!

What are you most looking forward to about the rest of this year?
At the moment Dimi and I are working on an album, and it will be different than all other things we did before. Really great working on it, we try to think “out of the box” when we are in my studio working on it, and looking forward to having it released hopefully this year. Futhermore I really look forward to every gig, it's a different experience each time and I am really inspired by that.

Finally for fun, what’s your favourite summer destination and why?
Ha, this year it will be the South of France with my family.
So now I just want to thank you for this interview and hope you enjoy the podcast I did!

Posted on Monday 20th May, 2013 by kirsti

There’s a lot of positive focus right now on on the Osgut Ton staple, Efdemin and Marcel Fengler and the spotlight is on them for good reason. In case you missed the news, the pair recently worked on their first production project together for the jointly curated event by the Berlin State Ballet and Berghain in a production entitled MASSE. Although the pair had previously put their magical touch on the decks side by side before, it wasn't until this year that the two techno talents knocked heads in the studio, drawing inspiration from all facets of their sonic complexity.

So, as Marcel and Efdemin continue to drive excitement in us talking about their blossoming partnership in this debut collaborative interview we hooked up before they make the transition from Berlin sensory shock mecca to Room Two this Saturday; the pair have some more news for us. Detailing individual projects such as a debut album from Marcel on Ostgut Ton in July and not far behind with his brand spanking new studio finished, Efdemin will have his third album ready for our listening pleasure in 2014.

In the midst of all their ever expanding creativity, read on to find out more about these projects, MASSE, favourite dance moves, Efdemin's revival of his vinyl-imprint naïf and Marcel tying the knot in August.

How have you both been recently?
Marcel Fengler: I´m very well, thanks. The last few months have been pretty busy. I mean, this project Masse was a great challenge and you have to handle a lot of complex things in the end. Besides that I’ve created my debut album on Ostgut Ton, which is due for relesae in July. I even worked on it during my holiday to Thailand back in February, but now it feels great to have everything sorted.

Efdemin: All good - I am in spring time mode. Nice gigs and other projects are on the horizon, I’ve finished setting up my new studio and the Ballett-Piece MASSE was premiered last weekend after a long time in the works.


Can you tell us more about MASSE?
MF: This was the first time that we’ve worked together, I mean, we have played DJ sets together before and knew each other already but within the producing process of our MASSE interpretation we noticed that we complement each other really well. We even got some support on the idea by Ostgut Ton and have decided to make more music in the future.

E: I can only agree here. Our collaboration turned out to be a really great, funn experience and highly inspirational for our other projects too. We both learnt a lot from seeing the other one working in his environment and for the project MASSE we joined forces.


There are 16 compositions all together for “MASSE” that will be released in full in June and you have composed the third score called “Evolve.” Can you pick a couple of standout moments in “Evolve” for us?
E:Well, our contribution consists of seven parts which involve different ideas of evolutionary processes. We both do like the piece as a whole, but of course there are some standout moments. One is the part where a trippy beat breaks into melancholic orchestra strings and then slowly melt with minimal music inspired FM-bell-arpeggios. Marcel always has to hide his tears when this one comes up.

The introduction is a piano piece which was one of the first parts to be finished. That one came out nice and dreamy as it uses a physical model of a piano which sometimes sounds more like a harp then a grand piano. But I don´t want to say too much about the piece to keep some secrets for the lucky ones that could get hold of tickets.


How are you looking forward to making the transition from Berghain to Room Two on 25th May?
MF: It´s always a pleasure to come to fabric.

E: Indeed! We will bang the &%§$ out of Room Two, celebrating Marcel´s album release for Ostgut.

It's not the first time Berghain has hosted a ballet performance. Back in 2007 they worked with the Berlin State Ballet on a show called Shut Up and Dance! Why do you think combining modern electronic music with a visual experience of contemporary ballet works so well?
MF: Yes, of course. I mean, I do love these changing moments of contrasts but totally symbiosis on the other hand. Plus other ingredients as light, the surrounding building, set design, which makes it pretty special. In these terms Shut up and Dance was perhaps even more an experiment as Masse.

When did you start getting into classical contemporary music?
E: I used to play the cello when I was younger and I loved the feeling of being part the orchestra. When I discovered stuff like Ligeti, a whole new world opened up and made me research all the stuff like Spektrale Musik, Neue Musik, Minimal and Totale Musik. The interest for noise as a musical happening in contemporary music came to be when John Cage showed the similarities there can be between abstract sample based music and techno. So it came all back together at this point.


MF: Honestly there´re no specific influences on that side. In my productions I love to work with classic orchestra sounds and have a lot of admiration for Hans Zimmer but that´s it. I mean, I´m not pretty sure if you need to be influenced by classical music for a project like Masse.


Efdemin, when we spoke to you last year you revealed plans for a new album this year. Can you tell us some more about that now?
E: I am working on it in my finally finished new studio in Berlin whenever I am not traveling. Due to a busy release schedule at Dial Records with albums coming from John Roberts, Lawrence and Queens (Scott Mou) this year I think we have to wait until early 2014 for my next album. But there will be some 12"s before and hopefully some stuff from Marcel, myself and PIGON as well. Besides that I have revived my vinyl-imprint naïf with tracks from Tobias. And some other friends coming soon.

What are you most looking forward to about the rest of the year?
MF: First of all I´ll get married in August. There’s a lot of of things to do, you know. But it´s great to feel complete. Producing wise I´m looking forward a lot to playing with new toys in my studio - I didn´t want to touch during the entire album process because it brings too much fun and feels like computer gamin without pressure. In the second half of the year I´ll push my own label a bit more. New releases and maybe also new faces but I don't want to talk too much about it in the moment.

E: Honestly, I am looking forward to some sunshine after this crazy winter. Also I am getting nervous about going to Japan for three months from September. Lucky me!

Finally for a bit of fun. What’s your ‘secret weapon’ dance move on the dancefloor?
MF:The pepper mill.

E: Belly dance.

Marcel Fengler and Efdemin will be in RM2 this Saturday with Untold, for more info and tickets go here.

Posted on Monday 20th May, 2013 by Smash Gordon

Some people in dubstep were treated like deities. There were these mythical producers who seemed able to command frequencies and ideologies at will. They’re people who still command the same respect and whose name still carries that kind of universal appeal. Goth-Trad is one of those people and as much as his work as a promoter in music in his native Japan have affected and cultivated a scene there, his approach to dubstep music is still pretty much defined by his working relationship with Mala’s, Deep Medi Musik label - the outfit he released his most recent album, New Epoch, through back at the start of last year.

Considering Goth-Trad’s healthy reputation within that inner circle of early dubstep, it makes sense that an outfit like Distance’s Chestplate - a label forged very much in the same, darkened basement dwelling fire as Mala’s - would be the players bringing him (and his live set) back to Farringdon this Friday night. And whilst the two parties music selection bears parallels that embody that classic ‘dungeon’ sound, there’s something that just feels perfect about the booking.

Ahead of his appearance, Goth-Trad provided us with a mix that outlines his outlook perfect, lining music from himself with beats from 7even Recordings artist, ENA, Sleeper remixing Plastikman, Civil Music signed Danny Scrilla and Manchester’s master of monochrome machine music, Andy Stott.

Download: Goth Trad - FABRICLIVE x Chestplate Mix



Tracklist:

01. Techno Animal - Intercranial
02. GOTH-TRAD - Grind (dub)
03. Plastikman - Ask Yourself [Sleeper Remix] (dub)
04. GOTH-TRAD - Meteor (dub)
05. KARMA - Meanings (dub)
06. GOTH-TRAD - Cut End VIP (dub)
07. Pampidoo - Synthesizer Voice [GOTH-TRAD Remix VIP] (dub)
08. DUBTRO - Printed Mental (dub)
09. GOTH-TRAD - Airbreaker
10. ENA - Drop (dub)
11. GOTH-TRAD & RUCKSPIN - Behind The Glass (dub)
12. GOTH-TRAD - Axis (dub)
13. DUBTRO - Blue World (dub)
14. KARMA - Neon Trail (dub)
15. GOTH-TRAD - Born To Know (dub)
16. ENA - inutility
17. Fis - Steeper
18. Danny Scrilla - Fallout [GOTH-TRAD Remix]
19. GOTH-TRAD - Metropolis (dub)
20. GOTH-TRAD - Untitled (dub)
21. Lea Lea - Black or White [GOTH-TRAD Remix]
22. Andy Stott - Execution

Catch Goth-Trad performing live up in Room Three this Friday night.

Posted on Monday 20th May, 2013 by Smash Gordon

Considering that the Foreign Beggars trio have developed way past their hip hop roots, collaborating with artists like Skrillex, Alix Perez, Blue Daisy, Salva, Lazer Sword and Excision and ahead of their headline slot this Friday night, we wanted to present something that conveys the energy and atmosphere present at one of Foreign Beggars' gigs. Luckily this video of a recent performance live in Paris does exactly that:



But to go in further than that, the trio caught up with VIBE TV late last year to discuss the styles prevalent on their mau5trap released The Uprising album, in a quick video interview that also feels incredibly relevant given their imminent Room One performance...



Catch Foreign Beggars performing live in Room One this Friday.

Posted on Thursday 16th May, 2013 by kirsti

Gerry Read’s a bit of an oddball producer. That’s not a diss by any stretch; it’s just a fact that makes his music so enthralling and special to us. First surfacing on the Dark Arx label he came to a lot of people’s attention through subsequent releases on Delsin and 2nd Drop before he cemented his relationship with Ramp Recordings offshoot, Fourth Wave, with a trio of releases in 2011. With a duo of albums dropping in the 2 years that followed he’s really grown into his approaches, confounding a lot of people’s expectations with the material on his debut LP, Jummy.

Being such big fans of alternative music and all that, we were really impressed when Read came back to us with this exclusively recorded fabric Promo Mix, ahead of his upcoming live set at the Aus Music hosted Room Two on Saturday 1st June. The mix is a great expression of his idiosyncratic selection of juxta-chopped beats we can look forward to with the extra bonus of it also being littered with unreleased and yet to be discovered gems.


DOWNLOAD: Gerry Read Aus Music X fabric Promo Mix



Tracklisting:
Unknown Artist - Sega 4 (unreleased)
Hazylujah - On The Run To The Outside Of Everything (unreleased)
SCNTST - Worker With No Identity (unreleased)
LAURENT - High (unreleased)
Gemini - Klonopin (Relief)
Paul Johnson - Time Skip (Relief)
Kevin Mcphee & Gerry Read - FRUMMPPP (unreleased)
Girls Of The Internet - Untitled 2 (unreleased)
Chubby Cheeks - Pockets Aint Enuff (unreleased)
Gerry Read - Question (Kevin Mcphee LYFE$tyle 3d!T) - (unreleased)
Leibniz - What Matters (forthcoming Fourth Wave)
Kevin Mcphee - No Hands (unreleased)
Gerry Read & Kevin Mcphee - Let It Go (unreleased)
Alex Cortex - Dense (forthcoming Skudge)
Δ Δ - Rad Times ft. Vital Heat (unreleased)
Hackman - Change My Life (forthcoming Future Boogie)
Alexander Moses - Trial and Error (unreleased)
Mr Black Lauren - Untitled no.11 (unreleased)
FCL - Holding Our Nick (Frits Wentink Remix) (unreleased)
Herva - Toy Break (unreleased)
Chubby Cheeks - Damn Niggah Shit
Scherbe - King Of Kasio (forthcoming Fourth Wave)



More tickets and info on our listings here.

Posted on Thursday 16th May, 2013 by Smash Gordon

Distance's Chestplate label has chiseled itself a solid reputation for housing heavy music that sticks to the template dubstep initially set forward. With a residency locked in with us for 2013 and a live set from special guest, Japanese producer Goth Trad, joining them in Room Three on Friday 24th May we felt like it was high time we celebrated them just a little bit more...

We first hosted this mix from label boss Distance at the very start of this year but we're re-upping the audio to our Soundcloud account to further outline what his operation does... so we're presenting it here alongside the opportunity for one lucky person to win a pair of tickets to the show in question and vinyl copies of the label's last two releases: Distance's 'Transmission' 12" and his collaboration with Stepa, 'Set You Free'.

To enter the competition simply email us with Chestplate Competition written as the email subject heading.

The winner will be picked at random next week and notified via email. Please ensure you can attend the event before entering.

Download: Distance - Chestplate Throughout 2012 Mix



Tracklist:

1. Razor Rekta - Aztec
2. Sleeper - Scanners
3. Cyrus - Nostalgia
4. Tunnidge - Empty Spaces
5. District - Modulate
6. razor Rekta - Development
7. Sleeper - Zombies
8. Tunnidge - Brixton Bass
9. Sleeper & District - terraformed
10. Distance - Deserted
11. Razor Rekta - Loko:Motiv
12. Cyrus - Rupture
13. District - Painting the mind
14. Tunnidge - Wardrum
15. Sleeper - Dawn of the Replicants
16. Distance - Result of Sound
17. Razor Rekta - Kick start
18. District - Backward
19. Tunnidge vs Distance - Blame

Catch Distance at his Chestplate label's Room Three takeover at FABRICLIVE on Friday 24th May.

Posted on Thursday 16th May, 2013 by Annie

The story behind London based party and record label Art of Dark cannot be told without mentioning their resident tastemaker Charlie Dave Kent whose love for transforming dancefloors into a house music adventure can be experienced at many of those hotly tipped Art Of Dark sessions. Despite his crew previously featuring on other WYS! line ups this will be Kent's first visit to Farringdon to take control of the decks, sharing the tripped-out mixture of tech-house, dubby techno and abstract beats which he's twisted together in this one-off WetYourSelf! promo mix before he joins mastermind of the legendary Electric Minds loft parties, Dolan Bergin and the WYS! residents in Room One this weekend.

DOWNLOAD: Charlie Dave Kent WetYourSelf! Promo Mix



More info and tickets on our listings here.

Posted on Thursday 16th May, 2013 by Smash Gordon

Following the news that she'll soon be covering Annie Mac's Friday night, BBC Radio 1 slot when she takes maternity leave, a lot of people are now looking at B.Traits. But the Digital Soundboy member has shown no signs of wavering with her current Sunday night Radio 1 and 1Xtra simulcast radio show going from strength to strength. The Canadian born selector has proven her worth a hundred times over already with her mixing (she was a big part of FABRICLIVE 63: Digital Soundboy Soundsystem alongside Shy FX and Breakage), her production, her Rinse FM broadcasts and her previous In New DJs We Trust show, so the news that she'll soon be kicking off the weekend on the station comes as no surprise to many.

Ahead of her next appearance here on Friday at the Ram takeover, we caught up with her quickly and asked her to pick five of her current favourite tracks to give the world a peek into her record bag...

So obviously the big news is that you're taking over Annie's show on BBC Radio 1. How did you get the nod? Did Annie tip you personally?
Yeah! It’s very exciting for me! My first show is this Friday before I play at fabric. I think I got the nod when I covered for Annie when she was on holiday back in January. I was originally supposed to cover for Skream and Benga but something happened and I ended up doing Annie's show instead. She has always been really supportive and has given me loads of tips for this summer.

How does it feel to be taking something like that on?
Kinda daunting at first to be honest! When they first told me, I was freakin out! But I’ve been preparing for the last few months and feel like I'm definitely ready for the challenge.

Are you being swamped with new music as a result?
Yep! It's great!

Is that taking up all your time or are you still finding time for your own production?
For now, I am focusing on the show. I have scheduled one free day a week for studio time which isn't much, but at least I can finish a few things for the summer.

What else is coming up for you this summer?
Along with Fridays and Sundays on Radio 1 there’ll be loads of festivals: Glastonbury, Global Gathering, Boomtown, Bestival, Lovebox, Hideout, Outlook, Ibiza trips, and a few Digital Soundboy parties…

Could you give us your favourite 5 tracks (that we can embed from youtube or soundcloud) at the minute?

Doctor Jeep - Luv 4 Me:



Apashe & Snails - Bubble Gun VIP:



Lazune - Feet It ft. Katy Shotter:



Addison Groove & Sam Binga – Rzor:



Breakage – Natty:



Catch BTraits in Room Two at RAM this Friday.

Photo: Sarah Ginn

Posted on Wednesday 15th May, 2013 by kirsti

Recorded at Southern Frances Nuits Sonores festival.



Catch Tale of Us in Room One on 22nd June, more info and tickets here.

Posted on Wednesday 15th May, 2013 by Annie

It's only a matter of time before music collective Huntleys & Palmers pack out Room Three with some serious dancefloor hedonism on 18th May. In case you don't know them yet, this Glaswegian outfit and their infamous Highlife club-night are the real masterminds behind the toasting rhythms and velocity of Afrofuturist music, slicing the spirit of the distinct genre together with acid house rollers and UK bass patterns that bounce together so eclectically that Huntleys & Palmers orchestrate some of the most original sound creations we've ever come to hear this side of Farringdon.

Last year, resident Auntie Flo aka Brian d'Souza, who we first introduced you to in an interview last year, dropped the outstanding mini-album 'Future Rhythm Machine’ LP which has just been nominated for Scottish Album Of The Year much to our delight and next up he has a bunch of tracks coming out on labels like Innervsions and Philomena, plus much more. His production partner, Glasgow's favourite South African, Esa Williams is never far behind him on the H & P bandwagon bringing his rave influences to Room Three next weekend with resident Andrew Thomson, SOPHIE who is just about to follow up his 'Nothing More To Say' release for Huntleys & Palmers with some goods on Numbers and the illusive spinstress, rRoxymore all in tow.

In what is arguably one of the most exciting label influences playlists we have featured on the blog, flourishing with artistic expression that will send you on an invigorated dance experience, listen to some of the Huntleys & Palmers crew favourite selections below.


Auntie Flo Influences

Romare - "Taste of Honey" (Black Acre)

Romare played for us in January last year having only released one record to date. His Meditations on Afrocentrism has been a Highlife favourite with "The Blues (It Began in Africa)" being something of an anthem. His follow up has been a long time in the making but didn't disappoint when it dropped last month on Black Acre. One of the most interesting and singular production talents around right now.



Charanjit Singh - "Raga Bhairavi" (Bombay Connection)

Having Charanjit play for us for a massive honour. We got a phonecall asking if we wanted to put him on only three weeks prior to the date, it took a massive effort to make it happen but it was worth it - the place was packed and Charanjit played a 90 min set of his groundbreaking Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat from 1982 - the first ever “acid” record. Charanjit sums up everything Highlife is about - challenging the Western-centic perspective on electronic music.



Christian S - "The Power of Now" (Comeme)

Comeme records have been a massive influence on Highlife since day one. We've repeatedly dipped into their roster and last summer we teamed up with Optimo to put on a label showcase featuring Matias Aguayo, Alejandro Paz and the underrated Christian S. Another sell out event, Christian's “Power of Now” was one of the highlights of the all day party and the stripped back 'Beats' version has been a staple of my DJ sets ever since.



Esa Williams Influences

AB/DC - The Feelin'

First record I bought when I arrived in the UK 2004 and a special track for me.



A Number Of Names - Sharevari

This track blew me away at the tender age of 18 when I visited my uncle in Germany in 2002, it was also my first experience to Sven Vath, Panorama Bar, Tresor and Techno.



Prophets Of Da City - Never Again

A Hip Hop group I grew up listening to and I've just started a new project with another great artist from Glasgow which I'm not going to reveal as yet but we've drawn loads of inspiration from them.




rRoxymore Influences: These are some songs that has been my music companions, or inspirations or nostagia...

Ennio Morricone "Come Maddalena" (1971, studio version)



Bernard Parmegiani

Luke Abbot




Andrew J. Thomson Influences

Ozo - Anambra

This Morricone-esque number is from the mid-1970's and is the perfect warm up / opening track which sets the tone well for all sorts of chuggy, tribal or atmospheric sounds ahead.



Elbee Bad - Just Don't Stop

One of the best and most unique sounding original house tracks from 1988. Elbee has been scandalously slept on for years, but seems to be getting some recognition at last following a recent compilation on Rush Hour. Check it.



Glasgow has never been short of great bands and Golden Teacher is no exception. Their recent (and forthcoming) release on Optimo Music combine analog gear with live drums and percussion. D&P is an almighty beastie.




Huntleys & Palmers takeover Room Three on 18th May. For more info and tickets go here.

Posted on Wednesday 15th May, 2013 by Smash Gordon

Returning for the first time since the passing of original keyboard player José Roberto Bertrami, legendary Brazilian jazz and proto funk fusionists, Azymuth, are once again touring, with the London leg of their world tour slated to take place in Room One here at fabric on Thursday 20th June 2013. Described by Jazzwise magazine as “wonderfully timeless dance-floor material”, Light As A Feather was Azymuth's breakthrough record back in 1979 but when you listen to it today, it still stands tall as a unique and exotic fusion of jazz, funk and their native Brazilian take on samba music. As such it's a real and rare treat for us to be able to present such an enriched and engaging live show like their classic album tour in a setting like ours.

So, ahead of the event we're giving two lucky winners the opportunity to win a pair tickets to the event and a CD copy of Azymuth's benchmark Light As A Feather album. All you have to do to enter the competition is simply email us with 'Make Me As Light As A Feather' written as the email subject.

Winners will be picked at random and notified via email. Please ensure you can attend the event before entering.

Advance tickets/event info here: http://www.fabriclondon.com/club/listing/713

Posted on Tuesday 14th May, 2013 by Smash Gordon

As you might expect of an underground hip hop legend, [MF] DOOM's career is full of definitive moments. From his very first vocal dalliances with his brother as part of KMD, to his landmark solo outing Operation Doomsday, his critically acclaimed work with Madlib as Madvillian and beyond, he’s shone out as a singular and arresting talent. It’s not really that difficult to put your finger on why either. His distinct and unrivaled flow often feels as much about way he’s tackling the language as what he’s actually saying and when you pair it with his unique production outlook, one that mines classic cartoons as hard as it does overlooked jazz records, it only ever really sounds like him doing it. In terms of a projected style, I don't there's really a rapper that comes close to his vision.

But, to me, this video made at Red Bull Music Academy in Madrid in 2011, is probably just as an important milestone in terms of his career. Forever something of a shadowy entity (he wears a mask at every public appearance ffs) outside of a few carefully chosen print interviews, it was probably a lot of people’s first insight into his life, visual or otherwise. Throughout the 90 minute plus interview he acts exactly like you hope he’d act if you met him in real life, talking frankly and eloquently about his recording process and the message behind his trademark facewear.

Ahead of his appearance here alongside Jneiro Jarel as JJ DOOM on Thursday 13th June, we thought we'd let DOOM introduce himself a little better and, honestly, there’s no better document of his career to date that we’ve found - and we’ve spent a long portion of our post-adolescence listening time looking...



Catch MF DOOM performing live with Jneiro Jarel as JJ DOOM on Thursday 13th June. Info/tickets here.