KEN HIDAKA, MAX ESSA & DR.ROB COMPILE MUSIC FOR DREAMS OTO NO WA: ALBUM REVIEW PG 74!
ABOVE& BEYOND
ALFREDO MAZZILLI BAD DECISIONS
HITS THE ROAD
BRADLEY ZERO
@HOME
DAMON SHARPE
with DANIEL WANROOY
EKKAH
ALEX
CHRISTENSEN
+
& HIS REMARKABLE JOURNEY: AN INTERVIEW BY JAMES ARENA
XENIA CLAMBAKE GHALI &RAV3ERA
NEWS & NEW MUSIC PREVIEWS
FAITH In The Product LOYALTY To The Client LOVE For The Consumer
TW BS teamweasal.com
DESIGN SERVICES FOR THE WORLD OF MUSIC & BEYOND GRAPHIC DESIGN // WEB DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT // ILLUSTRATION // VIDEO PRODUCTION // MOTION DESIGN www.karinhaslinger.com
//
contact@karinhaslinger.com
w w w. k a r i n h a s l i n g e r. c o m
Inside MARCH/APRIL 2020
COVER FEATURE ALEX CHRISTENSEN
64
Features
54
CLAMBAKE & RAV3ERA
CLAMBAKE & RAV3ERA ARE A DANCE MUSIC DUO BASED IN GERMANY WHO DESCRIBE THEIR MUSIC AS A CULMINATION OF BASS, FUTURE AND ELECTRO HOUSE THAT FEATURES PUNCHY BASSLINES, DIRTY LEADS AND CRAZY VOCALS. IT’S HARD TO FIND A DUO SO OBSESSED WITH THEIR CRAFT, SO HOLLY ROSCOE SAT DOWN WITH THEM TO FIND OUT WHAT THEY DO OUTSIDE OF MUSIC.
XENIA GHALI
XENIA HAS BEEN BUSY IN RECENT MONTHS, SURPASSING 50 EPISODES OF HER ONYX RADIO SHOW BACK IN JANUARY. THE 2X BILLBOARD DANCE CLUB SONGS #1 CHARTING ARTIST ALSO PRODUCED PITBULL’S SINGLE WITH BLAKE SHELTON, “GET READY,” TAKEN FROM HIS LATEST ALBUM “LIBERTAD 548,” WHICH THE ARTIST PERFORMED AT THE SUPERBOWL LIV PRESHOW. WITH THE RELEASE OF “REBEL SOUL,” XENIA ADDRESSES THE NEW SINGLE, HER FAVORITE SONG FOR 2019, HER FIRST MAJOR CLUB GIG, AND HER FAVORITE CONDIMENT—ALL IN THIS GREAT Q&A SESSION.
Departments 16 ICYMI ROUND-UP OF RECENT NEWS FROM AROUND THE WEB.
24 NEW MUSIC PREVIEWS
PANTHA DU PRINCE, BÓSA, SPENCER BROWN, KRISTIN VELVET, RAM, GRAVEDGR, HENRY MALDONADO.
38 ON TOUR
ABOVE & BEYOND TAKE NEW ALBUM “ACOUSTIC III’ ON THE ROAD.
40 @HOME WITH DANIEL WANROOY 44 BUZZ WORTHY/ARTIST PROFILES
ALFREDO MAZZILLI, BAD DECISIONS, BRADLEY ZERO, CHARLIE ZANE, DAMON SHARPE, EKKAH.
58
74 REVIEWS
KEN HIDAKA, MAX ESSA & DR.ROB COMPILE JAPANESE AMBIENT SONGS FOR KENNETH BAGER’S MUSIC FOR DREAMS. OUR LEAD REVIEW.
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
JAMES ARENA
James Arena is a freelance writer, commentator and former executive with Bertelsmann Entertainment who has been featured on MSNBC, FOX, SiriusXM, Clear Channel, Sky News UK and other media outlets. He is the author of a 6-book published series focusing on the lives and careers of dance music artists and industry professionals.
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
HOLLY ROSCOE
Holly Roscoe has been a PR Assistant for Matt Caldwell PR for the last 18 months since graduating from BIMM London after studying Music Business. With a passion for all things music related, she now juggles her PR duties with being a full-time Law Masters student.
OPENING NOTES by JOSEPH WENSELL
MARCH/APRIL 2020 Corona Virus. Apparent to me, it’s dominated the psyche of humanity. The toilet paper craze, surgical masks, closed borders, major sport and entertainment event cancellations and on and on and on it goes. We just can’t seem to get away from it. Hang in there people, there are some great things and great people creating these great things. Speaking of great people, our March/April 2020 Cover Artist, Alex Christensen is one who left an impression on me a few years ago with the release of Alex Christensen and The Berlin Orchestra “Classical 90s Dance” Extended Edition. Since then, he’s release two additional volumes and IMO, all three are spectacular. Acclaimed author, James Arena gets deep with Alex discussing his musical history, successes and what the future holds. Our other feature interviews include 2 time Billboard Dance Club Songs #1 charting artist Xenia Ghali and two brothers under the moniker
of Clambake & Rav3era, who are making waves in their homeland of Germany and beyond. Our @Home Column returns and this go around, it’s with Trance artist Daniel Wanrooy. Buzz Worthy/Artist profiles on Alfredo Mazzilli,
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Bradley Zero, Bad Decisions, Charlie Zane, Damon Sharpe and EKKAH, along with ICYMI news, new music previews and reviews fill out this “dressed up” edition of Beatselector Magazine. Dive in!
ICYMI NEWS FROM AROUND THE WEB
O
n January 29th, 2020, a roster of top-tier artists hit the stage at Academy LA, to put on a starstudded night to remember. With over one thousand tickets sold for the onenight-only performance, the event raised over Eighty Thousand Dollars towards desperately needed Australian bushfire relief ($AUD120,000). Featured Artists included a stellar Aussie roster, plus some very special international guests, including; What So Not, Don Diablo, Kaskade, A-Trak, Bonnie & Clyde, PNAU, Nina Las Vegas, Hook N Sling, Sam Gellaitry, tyDi, VASSY, Yolanda Be Cool, GG Magree, Feenixpawl, and Brooke Evers. Hosted by Australian media personalities Jason Dundas and Maude Garret, guests of the event roared when each M.C. welcomed secret guests to the stage. Standout moments included: VASSY’s acapella rendition of her David Guetta hit “Bad,” followed by the emergence of Don Diablo, who travelled direct from Brazil for the show, and ultimately the What So Not all-star set, where the DJ was joined by friends including A-Trak, Peking Duk, Sam Gellaitry, Bonnie & Clyde - the pumping console was enough to rival the Academy dance floor, which was bustling with elated, high-energy fans. Donate to Red Cross AU, GIVIT and NSW Wildlife Council (NWC).
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Beatselector Magazine | March/April 2020 | 17
ICYMI NEWS FROM AROUND THE WEB
nLiveXLive Media, Inc. , a
December 31, 2019, RP generated approximately $15.0 million in revenue through ticket sales, sponsorship, merchandising, and other ancillary revenue. LiveXLive also reported fiscal third quarter financial results and an amendment to its senior debt agreement in a separate release. “This is a transformative moment in the evolution of LiveXLive. We have quickly become a leading asset in the
livestreaming and original music content platform with a large global audience and more than 820,000 paid subscribers. By acquiring this key asset in the EDM space, we added $15 million in revenues, expanded our audience reach with the addition of more than 250 programs and events, and continued to fill in our flywheel with event ownership and management. Most importantly, we are partnering directly with artists to turn superfans into subscribers, effectively providing brand new revenue streams for managers, bands, and labels by converting ticket sales into subscriptions,” said Robert Ellin, CEO and Chairman of LiveXLive.
nLoveland Festival recently announced
global digital media company focused on live entertainment, today announced that it has acquired React Presents, LLC (“RP”). RP is a leading producer and promoter of 250+ electronic dance music (“EDM”) events, festivals, clubs, concerts and venues, including the Spring Awakening Festival held in Chicago, IL. During the calendar year ended
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a massive lineup for 2020. On August 8th and 9th the Amsterdam-based festival will once set up camp at the stunning Sloterpark. For their 25th anniversary Loveland plans a 4-star hotel takeover with exclusive afterparties, rooftop BBQ, hangover breakfast and more. Over 75 artists will make their way to Amsterdam in August for what is shaping up to be a huge 25th anniversary year for the longrunning promoter. Since day one the stunning Sloterpark in the Dutch capital serves as a stunning backdrop for the 2-day festival weekender. Ever since 1995, the driving force behind the Loveland
organization has been the endless love for quality house and techno music. In 2020 this still serves as a guiding principle when it comes to the artist lineup. The well-balanced lineup features leading global artists such as Diynamic head honcho Solomun, Afterlife founders Tale Of Us, Detroit legend Jeff Mills and the highly praised Dixon. Making his comeback at Loveland Festival is the illustrious Eric Prydz. Joining the list of headliners are UK-ace Jamie Jones, widely respected duo Adriatique, seasoned veteran Richie Hawtin, the charismatic Loco Dice and hard hitters like Chris Liebing, Rødhåd and Dave Clarke. Fans of a more melodic, progressive sound can indulge themselves with the return of Hernan Cattaneo, Sasha, Guy J, Guy Mantzur together with Dutchies Miss Melera and Olivier Weiter.
Skybar with a panoramic view of Amsterdam. The hotel package offers an experience of Loveland Festival like never before. Visitors can add to the fun with alluring upgrades like a Rooftop BBQ, hangover breakfast and exclusive afterparties or really hit it out of the park with the all-in Golden Package including 2-day backstage access for the festival. Single day and Weekend tickets for the festival are on sale, as are the hotel packages. For the full lineup of Loveland Festival, tickets and more information, visit www.loveland.nl.
There is no shortage of Dutch powerhouses with pioneers Speedy J, Joris Voorn and Secret Cinema. Representing the new generation are Egbert, VNTM and Ferro. Fueled by the love for music, the festival has a long history of quality live performances. Stephan Bodzin, Agents of Time, Mathew Jonson, Kollektiv Turmstrasse and Booka Shade will be on live act duties in 2020. To top it all off Kevin Saunderson’s Inner City will take the stage for some big fun with a special live performance. Over the 25-year history, many artists grew to be long-time fan favorites at Loveland. The likes of Sébastien Léger, Aril Brikha, Arjuna Schiks, Remy, Dimitri, Michel de Hey, Melon, Vince Watson and Benny Rodrigues to name just a few. One stage will be dedicated to all of Loveland’s legacy artists. On Saturday this will be a live-only stage and on Sunday it’s strictly back-to-back sets. As a special surprise, Loveland announced that it will take over a 4-star hotel during the festival weekend. Nestled right in between the old Amsterdam city center and the festival grounds, overlooking the green oasis of Sloterpark, the hotel offers spacious rooms fitted with all modern conveniences, a rooftop Beatselector Magazine | March/April 2020 | 19
ICYMI NEWS FROM AROUND THE WEB
techno’s biggest names including (in alphabetical order) the forward-thinking live act Âme, Ukrainian electronic music project A RTBAT, DJ of the moment Charlotte de Witte, deep techno stalwart Chris Liebing, Serbian DJ & producer Coeus, Crosstown Rebels boss Damian Lazarus, LA-based producer Chris Barratt aka Eagles & Butterflies, electronic music duo F JAAK, rising star Kevin De Vries, Ibiza favorite Kölsch, techno luminary Maceo Plex, DJ, producer and label manager M arcel Fengler, one of Berlin’s most popular artists P aul Kalkbrenner and the underground’s most revered musical partnership, Tale Of Us. The breakdown of where these icons will be playing can be found at www.odyssey.art. With a bespoke, awe-inspiring production created especially for these events, so watch this space as ODYSSEY OPENING 2020looks set to be the biggest to date! For ODYSSEY’s second year in Ibiza, there will also be a special Closing event on October 10th, marking the end of the season in monumental style. More details to be announced soon!
nRelentless Beats will once again host nThe Night League, the team behind
Ushuaïa and Hï Ibiza, today announces the epic line-up for ODYSSEY opening party taking place on Saturday, May 9th. Starting at Ushuaïa from midday to midnight, clubbers will be able to party through the daytime and sunset at one of Ibiza’s most breathtaking venues. Come midnight, the party will move across the road to Ibiza’s leading and most technologically advanced venue Hï Ibiza right through until midday on Sunday. Smashing into the 2020 season in style, The Night League has brought together some of house and
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Deadbeats Arizona, as a part of the Deadbeats global tour, Saturday, May 2, 2020 at The Park at Wild Horse Pass. Created as an extension of the Zeds Dead independent record label, Deadbeats the 10 date tour will carry forward Zeds Dead’s new vision for the future of electronic music and will connect passionate young creatives across the globe. The label recently released Zeds Dead presents: We Are Deadbeats Volume 04, featuring collaborations with a wealth of artists, several of which will be a part of various stops on the tour. The Deadbeats Arizona stop will feature: Zeds Dead; Rusko; Riot Ten; Blunts & Blondes; Lick; Level Up, and Chiief.
Launching this Spring and going through the first part of the summer, Deadbeats events are planned across North America and Europe showcasing various musical artists and special guests. Each event will have an innovative on-site design with state of the art production uniquely styled to create an enhanced experience for fans.
General Admission tickets starts at $35, plus fees. The Frontlines VIP Pit Pass is available for $85, plus fees and includes access to the pit, express entry and a commemorative lanyard. All details and ticket types are available online at www.relentlessbeats.com. For more information about Deadbeats, visit www. deadbeatsofficial.com.
Past features have included graffiti and art walls, old school arcades, locally curated food vendors and a skate park.
Visit www.relentlessbeats.com for the most up-todate information on all Relentless Beats events.
nTogether will celebrate TEN years with
music spectrum to Ibiza, with festival sized lineups featuring Chase & Status, Andy C, Skrillex, Diplo, Eric Prydz, Major Lazer, Stormzy, Annie Mac, Kano, Pendulum, Wilkinson, Sub Focus, DJ EZ, Shy FX, Knife Party, Fatboy Slim, Eats Everything, Mike Skinner, Rudimental, Jauz,
TEN explosive dates at Amnesia. Each and every show is a celebration of Together’s milestone Balearic anniversary. Over the past ten years, the world famous brand has become synonymous with bringing the biggest names across the bass
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ICYMI NEWS FROM AROUND THE WEB
Holy Goof, Dimension, MK, Gorgon City, and many more. A new decade brings change to the White Isle, and 2020 sees Together switch from Tuesdays to Mondays at Amnesia (so you can start your party earlier in the week), kicking off proceedings from June 1st-29th, and returning bigger and better from September 7th to October 5th with even more special guests, alongside stalwart season headliners Chase & Status. Together has always held an esteemed reputation for uniting big basslines, world class DJs and the best live electronic acts under one roof, creating one giant melting pot of eclectic sounds and an unparalleled all-embracing atmosphere like no other. Chase & Status said: “Feeling proud and blessed to be back on the island for our 10 year anniversary with Together and Amnesia. To celebrate we’ll be headlining 10 very special dates across the Summer. Watch this space.” This year sees Together expand on all fronts with
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20th anniversary celebration parties at London’s most prestigious venues including Printworks, and Ministry Of Sound. Together will have two festival stage takeovers at South West Four, and host stages at Snowbombing, and Hideout, with more to come. The line-ups will befit the occasions; so expect some very impressive artists and DJs to be announced soon. Never failing to push boundaries, every season Together prepares something special for its fans. From exclusive pairings with the likes of Andy C and Chase & Status (who went back to back in a worldfirst in 2018); Holy Goof back to back with Jauz; MK, Gorgon City & Sonny Fodera’s triple b2b2b; and Sub Focus joining both Wilkinson and Dimension in the booth for two European exclusives in 2019, Together has created a series of unforgettable moments. The party has also welcomed colossal label/brand showcases from RTRN II JUNGLE, Annie Mac’s AMP, CruCast and Andy C, who debuted his #AllNight brand on the island for the first time in Europe last season. www.together-club.co.uk
nThe Tic Tac® brand is collaborating with two-time Grammy-nominated DJ/Producer and entrepreneur Steve Aoki to showcase the intensely refreshing nature of the new Tic Tac X-Freeze mint in a new digital campaign.
In his first experience as Creative Director for a consumer brand, Aoki brings his contagious energy and unbridled passion to the campaign, drawing inspiration from his own life as a jet-setting adventure enthusiast to bring to life the mint’s powerful taste and refreshing feeling. “In my own life, I’m always pushing myself to test new boundaries and try new things – whether that’s jumping out of an airplane or DJ’ing in three countries in one night,” said Steve Aoki. “It was thrilling to be able to reflect on these exhilarating experiences and showcase them through a campaign that focuses on the powerfully refreshing flavor of Tic Tac X-Freeze.” To create the campaign, Aoki collaborated alongside the Tic Tac brand to choose images that he believed reflected the feeling and essence of Tic Tac X-Freeze. The two 15-second spots depict Aoki performing in front of thousands, jumping off a cliff, snowboarding down a mountain and sinking into an ice bath. “Tic Tac X-Freeze brings a more intense flavor and refreshing counterpart to our mint portfolio, so we wanted to feature it in a unique way that would resonate with our audience,” said Felipe Riera Michelotti, VP Marketing, Tic Tac North America at Ferrero U.S.A., Inc. “The partnership with Steve [Aoki] unfolded naturally. He is a long-time Tic Tac fan, and we felt like his spirit embodied the true taste sensation of Tic Tac X-Freeze, which you can see in the final creative.” Fans can view the Tic Tac and Steve Aoki collaboration in two 15-second spots (spot 1 + spot 2) and a behind-the-scenes video, on the @TicTacUSA social channels. Beatselector Magazine | March/April 2020 | 23
FUTURE SPINSU NEW RELEASE PREVIEWS
P with.
antha du Prince takes listeners to the heart of forests and woodlands with his latest album, Conference of Trees. Using an array of instruments which span the classical and electronic as well as wooden tools handcrafted by the artist himself, Conference of Trees is a sonic exploration of our natural world. The album is a beautiful attempt at uncovering the mysterious language of trees, the friendly giants whom we share earth
With contributions from percussionists Håkon Stene, Bendik Hovik Kjeldsberg, Manuel Chittka, and jazz musician Friedrich Paravicini, Conference of Trees encompasses electronic and organic sounds which come together to form entire sonic landscapes. In a deeply enchanting listening experience, the album provides space for contemplation but also for activism. Conference of Trees carries in all its melodic tensions an important critique; our destructive relationship to our ecosystems must be addressed. As early as the age of 12, Pantha du Prince has nurtured a love for nature. The artist’s latest musical experiment, Conference of Trees draws on this childhood passion as well as his many years experience as a prolific musician to translate the communication of trees into an impressive sound journey. Watch the short documentary to hear about the inspirations and influences behind Conference of Trees in Pantha du Prince’s own words. Commissioned by the Barbican in London and the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Conference of Trees was brought to world stages in an impressive audio-visual journey throughout 2019. This year, Pantha du Prince hits the road again with a European tour of the project with stops in Berlin, Amsterdam, Brüssel, London, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Copenhagen, and Aarhus. Conference of Trees is available now via Modern Recordings.
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FUTURE SPINSU NEW RELEASE PREVIEWS
S
tephan Jacobs and Sunev known as Bósa have crafted a sound that pushes the boundaries of tribal house music. A sonic merger of the primal and the refined, blending methodically composed electronica with world inspired live percussion, utilizing globally sourced field recordings from their travels as independent musicians.
The Los Angeles based duo’s latest LP O ff The Grid(out March 20 via Gravitas Recordings) is no misnomer as Bósa explores stylistic territory just beyond the confines of house music, delivering us to a place of omni rhythmic harmony that truly feels like the future. Where previous releases served as an exploration of Stephan and Sunev’s collaborative potential, Off The Gridpresets Bósa as a fully realized musical entity, weaving transcendental soundscapes through a latticework of visceral organic rhythms. It’s the first full album by the duo, comprised of seven evocative and dance-floor igniting original songs. Off The Gridcarries us through a range of emotional and stylistic landscapes, which together evoke an almost palpable sense of Universality. Ambitious in its execution, each track is its own journey, blending a wide range of ethnic influences and conventional instrumentation with absolutely celestial production. The album kicks off with the track “Electric Blue,” a synthetic siren’s song calling us to the shores of beaches yet known. “Batucada” is a flawless fusion of steady beat world rhythm and woofer shaking, urban broken beats that one could call jungle thug. “Melange” is a sultry French vocal-infused, guitar garnished house tune powered by grinding synthetic base. Bósa brings down the tempo for “Prowl,” a churning and sexy steady-beat bass tune featuring haunting vocals and impressively complex flamenco style guitar work. “Torn” is an inspired and completely eclectic tropical house, rock infused gypsy ballad that billows into our ears on a breeze of complete chill. O ff The Grid’s penultimate track “Cenote” sounds as its name would imply: a natural tropical pool where people get down and dirty. The album finishes with “Piranha,” a slightly darker, more mood driven endeavor colored with otherworldly vocals and lonely riffs from a wild western slide guitar.
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FUTURE SPINSU NEW RELEASE PREVIEWS
S
pencer Brown releases his new mix album on Anjunabeats: Stream of Consciousness. Providing a deeper insight into his creative world than his first extended outing ‘Illusion Of Perfection’, Spencer has once again delivered a fresh take on a classic format - the mix album. Few artists put such emphasis on allowing their DJ craft to inform their studio output. With a passion for extended live sets, Spencer blurs the lines between deep house, progressive and trance to keep those performances fresh and clubbers locked in from start to close. From the angst of “Long Way From Home” (alongside label heads Above & Beyond) to the driving energy of underground hit “Windows 95 On Acid,” Spencer is making waves: the former becoming a playlisted record on Sirius XM BPM, the latter a record box mainstay for Eric Prydz, Calvin Harris, Sasha and Deadmau5 and a number 1 techno release on Beatport. Meticulously crafted through no fewer than 329 revisions, “Stream of Consciousness” is a wideranging exploration of Spencer’s sound in 2019. From the serene soundscape of ‘SF to Berlin’ alongside label-mate and regular studio partner Ben Böhmer, to the peak-time progressive energy of Wilt Claybourne collaboration “Womaa,” the energy ebbs and flows, but never loosens its grip. Spencer applies his own spin to breakbeat with “Chance On Us,” while “Pursuance” with rising Anjunadeep star Marsh is a 90’s-flavored rave cut. Spencer explains his love of the mix format…“The mix album took 329 revisions to finalize. I’m a control freak with my mixes—it’s deeply ingrained in my creative process. With that in mind, I didn’t send any tracks to anyone for mix help, and I created and mixed 100% of the final product. Creating an album of radio-edited singles has never interested me creatively. I prefer to craft music that keeps my listener in a flow state—working, studying, traveling, exercising, dancing, whatever it may be. I conceived my album as one carefully mixed piece: an hour and change of continuous music. It’s a collection of tracks I wrote from 2015 to 2019, inspired by the majesty of nature, missing a loved one, and the ups and downs of touring—all bundled into a single Stream of Consciousness.”
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FUTURE SPINSU NEW RELEASE PREVIEWS
K
ristin Velvet’s life, for the last ten years, has been devoted to music in one way or another - first as a promoter & DJ in Tokyo, then as the Australian label manager of UK’s Domino Records. Today she is an essential figure of Berlin’s club scene, heading up the tasteful Arms & Legs Records - the label from Daniel Steinberg & Nils Ohrmann - which has featured a long line of killer remixes & releases from respected artists including Oliver Dollar, Paul Johnson, 808 State, Nick Holder, Jay Haze, DJ W!LD & Crazy P. Velvet’s music acumen has been well documented within the label with her own productions gaining support gaining support from many of house and techno’s upper echelons, such as Maya Jane Coles, Adam Beyer, Honey Dijon, Dave Clarke and Eats Everything. Whilst most of her material has landed on Arms & Legs, more recently Velvet’s productions have appeared on Felix Da Housecat’s Founders of Filth imprint and Cassy’s Kwench records. Geared directly to the dance floor, her releases have also received nods from key tastemakers including Resident Advisor who described her music as “fist-pumping good fun” and DJ Mag who summed up her sound “high production values and a feelgood house and techno sound that is subtly nostalgic but not slavishly cowed to the classics, she’s continually providing real heat for the dancefloor.” On March 28, 2020, Kristin will release a new three-track EP, Momentum, on Arms & Legs. This new release from follows in the footsteps of her collaborative project “Cats Love Velvet” with Felix Da Housecat. The EP comprises three tracks which range from the raw and rough techno of “Schuttelfrost” to the anthemic and bittersweet euphoria of “Featherweight” closing with “Momentum’” a timeless cut of warm, minimalist deep house.
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FUTURE SPINSU NEW RELEASE PREVIEWS
I
t’s no exaggeration to say that Dutch DJ, producer, promoter and label runner RAM has lived a lifetime of trance. 25 years (and a month!) since his first DJ booking, he’s been empirical at every major twist and turn of the genre’s progression. Having last month delivered a virtuoso performance at his sold-out 25 Years-marking open-to-close show at Amsterdam’s famed Paradiso concert hall, he follows it in the most fitting of fashions, through the release of an epic-in-every-sense mix-comp. Over the 4xCD/mix course of Essence Of Trance - 25 Years of RAM, track-by-track he charts his own personal musical history. Inevitably given the timeline, highly recognizable names feature regularly over its quad-mix, near 320-minute runtime. They are though, almost-without-exception, rarely the artists’ bestknown productions or remixes (a ‘greatest hits’, this is not). In the mixing those selected flow together in a captivatingly naturalistic manner that speaks volumes of their intrinsic and timehonored importance within 25 years of RAM set-lists. Grouped into four mix headings (titled by turns Moments, Magic, The Journey and Passion), RAM brings an enviable procession of music to the album. In keeping with his approach, for every mainstage name, there’s a clutch of the underground’s most beloved waiting in its mix wings. In the latter’s regard, the productions of Ralphie B, Vincent de Moor, Chakra, X-Cabs, Salt Tank, Signum, The Thrillseekers, DT8 Project, York, Gaia are to mention but a few. Whilst to the former (though it’d be easier to tell you who’s not there!), the music of Tiësto, BT, Armin, Oakenfold, A&F, John O’Callaghan, Solarstone, Dash Berlin, Gareth Emery and dozens of others all take their place. While RAM’s own music peppers the first three discs, it’s to the fourth (Passion) that he quarters the majority of own his production work. ‘Forever And A Day’, the legendary ‘RAMelia’, recent smash ‘Northern Star’, ‘Saving Angel’ and (perhaps most fittingly an for an album of this nature) ‘The Calling’ all feature. Talking about the reflection of the album’s music on his journey, RAM says: “for me it is all about melodic, emotional trance and the feelings this music gives me. Due to evolutions in electronic music, I have played different types of trance in my career. Instead of creating 4 mixes with different subgenres, I have chosen for tracks that fully connect to my essence of trance. The tracks on this compilation inspired and motivated me for the last 25 years, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.”
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FUTURE SPINSU NEW RELEASE PREVIEWS
A
fter over a year of releasing some of the most menacing, bone-shaking sounds ever heard, GRAVEDGR finally unleashes his debut album 6 FEET UNDER on the world. The epic fourteen-track project is designed to take the listener on a sonic journey through GRAVEDGR’s own psyche when he was literally digging the final resting places for the departed as a teenager when he helped his father work in a graveyard. The sinister sounds of familiar favorites like “RAMPAGE” and “JESSE JAMES” are accompanied by raw, hard-hitting new tracks such as “FICK DICH” with Carnage & Dither and “Shallow Graves” with Flosstradamus - just two next to several other guest appearances on the album - Krischvn, City Morgue, Junkie Kid, Vulgatron, Awotalk, and Lit Lords. Fans of GRAVEDGR since the beginning are finally treated to his full story on the album, which serves to open another door to the mystery that is GRAVEDGR. Press play on “FEET UNDER” and get ready to plummet to the darkest depths with your favorite grave digger! Take one look at GRAVEDGR, and it’s easy to see where his name comes from constantly donning black attire and his signature face mask, it’s no surprise that his day job is literally digging graves. All the time spent contemplating mortality must have inspired his musical sound, which can be summed up as simultaneously scary, melodic and hard. His wildly popular debut single “RAMPAGE” has amassed over 13 million streams on Spotify alone, placing him firmly on the map, and was quickly followed up by the equally relentless “JESSE JAMES,” “BE WARY,” “KAMIKAZE” and more. GRAVEDGR is currently on tour for “6 FEET UNDER” in the US, so check out the dates and catch him in a city near you.
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FUTURE SPINSU NEW RELEASE PREVIEWS
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enry Maldonado has been releasing tracks since 1991 on seminal record labels Strictly Rhythm, Emotive, King Street, Masters At Work and many others. Today he produces and DJs exclusively under Son Of Sound. The New York native credits his home city as inspiration and motivation for his art. As part of the House 2 House trio on Strictly Rhythm since 1991, Maldonado and crew released New York style sampled deep house tracks coveted by New York mainstays Little Louie Vega, Kenny Dope Gonzalez, Tony Humphries, Roger Sanchez, Timmy Regisford and many others. Throughout the ‘90s Henry has also released music under the aliases Urban Rhythm, Rhythm Section, Springboard, Deja Vu and Future Soul. The self-titled debut album “Son Of Sound” was released in 2015 on his District 30 label and was well received by DJs all over the globe. Since the release of the full length, Son Of Sound EPs have appeared on contemporary House imprints Sistrum, Delusions Of Grandeur, Underground Quality and Local Talk. His current Son Of Sound releases blends styles of the past, fused with a forward-thinking inventive approach to making music for the modern-day dance floor. Son Of Sound draws heavily from Henry’s penchant for House, Hip Hop, Disco, Jazz, Rock, Latin, Soul, Techno and just about anything distinctively urban and New York. The Unreleased DATs features a selection of unreleased House 2 House and Rhythm Section tracks produced between 1993 and 1998. A never released dub mix of the previously released Do You know feat. Donald O are among some of the tracks featured. Every track is digitally remastered but every drum sample, synth and production detail remains completely authentic. This one is definitely for the fans of Henry’s earlier work. Look for it in early April via District 30.
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ON TOUR ABOVE & BEYOND
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lectronic trio Above & Beyond have released details of Acoustic III, their upcoming acoustic album and live tour. The album is set for release this summer on the band’s Anjunabeats imprint and will be supported by a tour of some of the most prestigious concert venues in the UK and North America, including London’s Royal Albert Hall and The Alexandra Palace Theatre, New York’s Radio City Music Hall, The Kennedy Centre in Washington DC, plus the Greek Theatres in Los Angeles and Berkeley. The tour culminates with a special performance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on July 1, accompanied by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Above & Beyond’s Acoustic project was born in 2013, with the first album accompanied by a short run of shows at The Porchester Hall in London and The Greek Theatre, Los Angeles - a gig that Billboard Magazine described as ‘one of the finest shows in dance music history.’ The project returned in 2016 with sell-out “Acoustic II” shows at The Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, and The Hollywood Bowl. The latter was the basis of a feature-length concert documentary titled “Giving Up The Day Job” - a reference to the group ditching their headphones in favor of guitar (McGuinness) and piano (Grant & Siljamäki) Watch the trailer on YouTube. To further support the band’s efforts to lessen the impact of touring on the environment, for every ticket sold, a tree will be planted via One Tree Planted--a non-profit organization that plants trees all over the world to fight climate change, protect biodiversity, empower communities and restore our planet. Fans can pre-order “Acoustic III” and purchase tickets to the tour now at https://www.aboveandbeyond.nu/tour.
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@HOME with Daniel Wanrooy
Hailing from the flatlands of Dordrecht, Southern Holland, Daniel Wanrooy has been influencing the playlists of some of the world’s biggest & best artists for the several years. Both as a solo artist and half of the hailed duos Progression & Odyssee, his evocative, imaginative music has successfully cross-bred virtually every subgenre of nowadays Electronic Dance Music. His music has been supported by Tiësto, Hardwell, Armin van Buuren, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Sander van Doorn, Ferry Corsten and many more. Daniel has appeared within the pages of Beatselector Magazine on a few occassions. He was our 4th Cover Artist (check it out here) and we’ve been paying attention ever since, with music reviews and another multi-page feature interview for Issue 12, discussing his BORDERLESS alias. Recent and upcoming releases include: “Back For More” (Cold Harbour Recordings); “Back For More” [Markus Schulz ISOS edit] (Cold Harbour Recordings); “Echo Chamber” with Emma Lock [Original and Alex Kenji Remix] (Dancepush) out on March 20th; and “Endless Universe” (Black Hole Recordings) out on April 4th. For our second installment of our @Home column, we talk with Daniel about topics outside his music life and what his day to day life is like. Is Daniel an avid reader? Who’s his favorite viusal artist? What’s the latest movie he’s seen at the cinema? Alcohol preferences, his cooking chops in the kitchen, pets, the best thing about living in The Netherlands and his opinion on fashion disasters are all addessed.
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What is the last novel you’ve read. Why should people read it? Daniel Wanrooy: Oh! I am not much of a reader tbh. I can’t remember the last one I’ve read. I used to read while traveling, but now I have my i-pad with games and series, phone for entertainment. And more and more flights have wifi. So not much in books here, sorry. Great start of the Q&A haha! What is on your current personal Play List: Albums, Tracks, etc…? DW: I have a lot of different genres. Mostly not much dance or anything. Film scores, Radiohead, also Dutch music like Andre Hazes. Something dramatic I like. Most days I am in the studio for hours and after that I am a bit fed up with music, so I take a small break and let the ears chill out. What is the last movie you’ve watched? DW: The new Bad Boys in the cimena. It was amazing, laughed my ass off. And Will Smith just doesn’t age, crazy. Favorite visual artist (painter, illustrator etc…) and why? DW: I like M.C. Escher’s work. That guy was a genius. It’s math and art combined. Fun to see that his work is still used a lot nowadays. Seeing that you love to cook, what would you say is signature meal? DW: Yes! I like it a lot. I think Greek dishes. I am in Greece a few times a year and I really like the food. I always bring new herbsthat I can use for the recepies. And expect surprises, I am not afraid to combine tuna with banana for example. Beatselector Magazine | March/April 2020 | 41
@ HOME Do you prefer Beer, Wine, or Spirits? DW: Oh everything will do. Depends a bit on the situation. During a warm day on the terrace nothing would beat a nice cold beer. I am not really a big wine drinker to be honest, but sometimes it’s nice. Spirits are always nice to, mostly later in the night. Cats or Dogs? DW: Both are nice, I don’t have pets myself, but I really like animals. I used to have a Chinchilla, but it was too complicated with traveling. So I had to put it in the blender….. No, I gave it away to a friend who could really take good care of it. What is the best thing about living in the Netherlands? DW: Well, it’s very nice to live here. We mostly complain about the weather. If that’s what you have to complain about, you live in a good country I guess. I like the fact that everything is well organized. There are a zillion rules, maybe a bit much, but after I come back from a less organized country, I notice that I missed that structure a lot. In your opinion what is the ultimate Fashion faux pas? DW: Haha, I had to Google this one. Hmmm tough one. Oh wait, socks with flip-flops! Last question. If someone, a friend or a new acquaintance, visited you at your home, what impression would they get upon entering your home? DW: It’s a pretty nice place I think. Sunny garden on the south with olive trees. It’s clean and cozy I think.
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BUZZ WORTHY ARTIST PROFILES
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ALFREDO MAZZILLI !" Born and raised in Italy, Alfredo Mazzilli discovered his passion for music from a very young age which initially led him to cultivate an interest in the guitar and, subsequently, to enter the electronic music scene, a genre that has permeated his professional career ever since. The music production immediately played a leading role that allowed him to fully express his eclectic and versatile profile, thanks to which he was able to release music for various record labels such as Planet Rhythm, Arts, Edit Select and Suara. Despite his young age, Alfredo Mazzilli can already count among his achievements many of the most important clubs in the electronic music scene, from Gare to Griessmuehle, from Contact to Vurt, passing through the Khidi, thus managing to bring his own music not only in several European countries but also, among others, in Colombia, Japan, South Korea and the United States. In December 2019, his track “Murder Situation”, released on Planet Rhythm, was voted as one of the best tracks of the year leading him to win the Raving Spoon Award. So far, 2020 has been busy for Mazzelli. He’s recently signed to Spain’s Miracle Management, released a brilliant new EP release by way of Suara—a four track EP titled “Rising” including “Neutron,” the EP’s lead track chosen by the When We Dip staff for their “Best New Staff Picks” Techno Spotify playlist.), remixed FLUG’s “Shift”-also for Suara, and has delivered a sizzling remix for Hioll with Bas Mooy, Temudo and Michal Jablonski on Abstraction. Recent performances include stops in Berlin, Germany for Renates Heimkinder X Resonanz Open Air Festival, and Zürich, Switzerland for Caged Vol. 1.0. —ED Beatselector Magazine | March/April 2020 | 45
BUZZ WORTHY ARTIST PROFILES
BAD DECISIONS !" The Australian electronic music duo known as Bad Decisions released their latest song “Looking For You” on February 14th, Valentine’s Day. “Looking For You” resembles the feeling of the romantic, yet mysterious yearning of finding your other half whilst knowing he, she or it is almost within reach. Futuristic sounds showcase on their previous releases “I Got You,” “I Feel It” and “Escape Plan.” The duo has been working hard recently providing guest mixes for the famous Annie Nightingale on BBC Radio 1 and Radio 1Xtra, as well as Tigerlily’s “Tiger Radio.” Furthermore, the duo is currently working on a live setup for their shows which includes Cameron on vocals, Andrew playing guitar and a third band member on the drums which will be revealed later this year. Bad Decisions came in the electronic music scene by storm in 2017 and 2018 with releases on Martin Garrix’s STMPD RCRDS, Tiesto’s Musical Freedom and Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak Records among others. Capping over 11 million streams on Spotify, the pair are known for their hard hitting, ground shaking bass music as well as their ability to create heartfelt and melodic dance hits. Their style is an infusion of hip hop and dance culture that blends to create the diverse sound they present. Coming from musical backgrounds, they both bring different abilities to the table with Andrew being a multi-instrumentalist and Cameron providing unique, raspy vocals on many of their newest tracks. The doors are wide open! —ED
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BUZZ WORTHY ARTIST PROFILES
BRADLEY ZERO !" Hailing from Peckham via Leeds, Bradley Zero is quickly becoming the tastemaker of his generation. As founder of Rhythm Section, Bradley has carved out a unique role for himself within the vibrant London scene as Resident Club DJ, broadcaster and Label Boss of one of the most exciting new imprints today – Rhythm Section International. Rhythm Section International operates as a record label, radio show, studio spaces, club night and concert series, made up of an ever expanding collective of artists, musicians, DJ’s and A&R’s. The Collective is based in Peckham, London, with a devoted worldwide following. Since 2011, Bradley has hosted well over 150 events in London, debuting acts like Charlotte Dos Santos, Yusseff Kamaal, Pender Street Steppers, Jayda G, The Brother Moves On and many more. He also hosts a fortnightly radio show on NTS, which focuses on playing new music and promoting independent labels. The label officially kicked off in 2014 with a debut album from UK beatmaker Al Dobson Junior. In January of the following year we were nominated for “Label of the Year” at Giles Peterson’s Worldwide Awards and since then have gone on to help launch the careers of Henry Wu, Chaos in the CBD and 30/70. Bradley Zero is one of the most vital selectors in the game, both behind the scenes and under the spotlight. Spring 2020 sees Bradley traveling for gigs in Los Angeles, Toronto, Brooklyn, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Lisbon, and Castiglion Fiorentino. —ED Beatselector Magazine | March/April 2020 | 47
BUZZ WORTHY ARTIST PROFILES
CHARLIE ZANE! Carlo Zeni, also known by his stage name Charlie Zane, is an electronic music producer/DJ originally from Unionville, Ontario. He began his music career as a DJ for hire playing weddings, private parties, and any local events he could get his hands on. After honing his skills behind the decks, he turned his attention towards music production. It wasn’t long before he had progressed enough to start putting out music of his own. He began turning heads by putting his own twist on classic tracks while also discovering his own unique sound in the process. Fast forward a couple years and Charlie Zane has laser focused his musical direction to dubstep and bass, gaining support from the likes of Downlink, Excision, Jauz, Snails, and many other big names in the music industry. With his releases gaining recognition worldwide, Charlie has been making waves in the bass music scene, and he’s only just getting started. And, he began 2020 with a banging 2 track EP titled “Pressure” released through Slugz Music. Prior to the February 12th release, Carlo explained what this project meant to him: “This EP is a reflection of my passion for bass music, and who I am as an artist. My inspiration came from wanting to create something that sounds different with high energy. Also, I wanted to express my personality through this project since I’m drawn to two different styles of bass music: melodic and aggressive. I’m beyond excited to announce that my two-track EP will be released on Slugz music.” —ED
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BUZZ WORTHY ARTIST PROFILES
DAMON SHARPE !" Damon Sharpe was born in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in Phoenix, AZ. Driven by his love for music, at 15, Damon’s parents moved to Los Angeles, California so he could pursue his first musical endeavor of hundreds to come in his career, as one fifth member of the boy band “Guys Next Door.” Damon has contributed many recognizable songs to popular culture and has been involved with the production of popular albums that cumulatively have sold over 40 million copies. He has worked the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande, Pitbull, Alesso, Kelly Rowland, Kylie Minogue, Big Time Rush, American Idol and XFactor alum, The Pitch Perfect Soundtrack, The GRAMMY AWARD WINNING Chicago soundtrack, Legacy recording artists Natalie Cole, Charlie Wilson, Johnny Gill and New Edition, Monica, superstar artists in Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia like SHINee, Kim JaeJooong, 2pm, Got7, SF9, Tiffany of Girls Generation, Boa, Laboum, Kangta, CoCo Lee, Ai, W-inds, T-ara, Kumi Koda, Crystal Kay, B1A4, Jess Lee, Fairies, collaborating in the world of EDM as an artist with DJs such as Zonderling, Thomas Gold, DVBBS, Morgan Page, Gattuso, Elephante, Zack Martino, KapSlap, Ferry Corsten, Alex Mattson, social media influencers Jacob Sartorious, Jordyn Jones, Silento and many others. His songs have been featured in many feature films, television shows and commercials around the world. As an artist he currently has reached over 1 Million monthly listeners on Spotify. What a CV! —ED Beatselector Magazine | March/April 2020 | 49
BUZZ WORTHY ARTIST PROFILES
EKKAH !" EKKAH are a disco/ funk duo comprising of Rebekah Pennington and Rebecca Wilson. They met in school at 15 years old, formed and spent five years in the Arcadian Kicks. Moving on, Pennington and Wilson created Ekkah making music with a relaxed dancefloor sound inspired by early-’80s pop and R&B. Their first release came in late 2014 with the single “Last Chance to Dance,” released on +1 Records. In 2015 “Small Talk” produced by Tourist was released, followed by “Space Between Us”/”What’s Up”—a collaboration with Dâm-Funk. Having arrived with a soulful and funk edged sound they’ve already become a widely recognized up and coming live act in the electronic music scene. Their unique ability to each play multiple instruments, alongside harmonic vocals all the while blending funk bass lines and grooves, and saxophone, has won them fans across the musical spectrum. Having grown up together, the duo bonded over a mutual love of music and soon started writing their own material. Since the days of their early releases, their mark as one of the most unique, fresh and authentic female bands around was solidly established and has already led to a string of festival and tour dates including Glastonbury, Bestival and Secret Garden party, as well as sold out headline shows in London. 2020 sees EKKAH back in the studio crafting new material and wowing audiences with their electric live performances. “We are very much into these funk-infused pop disco divas.” i-D —ED
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ASIDE FROM MUSIC
CLAMBAKE &RAV3ERA WRITTEN & INTERVIEWED BY HOLLY ROSCOE
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Clambake & Rav3era are a dance music duo based in Switzerland who describe their music as a culmination of Bass, Future and Electro House that features punchy basslines, dirty leads and crazy vocals. Clambake and Rav3era are also brothers and share their bond with the world through the median of music. It’s hard to find a duo so obsessed with their craft, so we sat down with them to find out what they do outside of music. Beatselector Magazine | March/April 2020 | 55
Holly Roscoe: If could invite x3 people to dinner, dead or alive, who would they be and why? Clambake & Rav3era: We think we would make a family dinner, together with our parents and our brothers. Whenever we have a big family dinner it’s always funny, and a good atmosphere. HR: If you could start over, what career would you love to have? Clambake: I think I would make a fight sport career :) Rav3era: I’m really interested in football, maybe I would chose to have a professional football career. HR: Who would you love to trade lives with for a day? Clambake & Rav3era: It would be awesome to trade the life with a big DJ in the business for one day just to see what it’s like. HR: Do you have any weird traditions or superstitions?
“IT WOULD BE TRADE THE LIFE IN THE BUSINES JUST TO SEE W
Clambake & Rav3era: Yeah, we always drink a Jägermeister shot before our gigs. Not one of us likes Jägermeister, but tradition is tradition! HR: Lastly, what one thing would you take with you to a desert island? Clambake & Rav3era: For sure our laptop’s for making new music! HR: What other hobbies do you usually get up to or would like to try?
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Clambake & Rav3era: Our hobbies are Samda boxing, playing football and spending time with our family and friends. HR: Where is your favorite place to go for food? Clambake: One of my favorite places to eat is definitely the Sayori Asian restaurant near to us. I really like Asian food. Rav3era: I really like Italian and Asian food. There are a lot of great restaurants near to us, we’re so lucky where we live!
AWESOME TO E WITH A BIG DJ SS FOR ONE DAY WHAT IT’S LIKE.” —CLAMBAKE & RAV3ERA
HR: What can always put you in a good mood no matter what? Clambake & Rav3era: That’s easy… MUSIC. HR: Do you have a favorite sports team? If so, who? Clambake & Rav3era: Yeah, the Grasshopper Club Zurich. They’re a swiss football club, but unfortunately, they’re only playing in the second league at the moment. HR: How would you describe your perfect weekend? Clambake & Rav3era: Our perfect weekend would including playing 2 or 3 gigs and have a great time with our friends and family.
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D
riving forward with an undying passion for exploring new sounds, Xenia Ghali presents her latest single, “Rebel Soul.” While recent releases “Stick Around,” which has amassed over 1 million streams on Spotify, and latest “Turn Off The Rain,” have an unmistakeable house music quality to them, “Rebel Soul” showcases Xenia’s considerable song writing abilities, resulting in a memorable output that perfectly balances electronic elements with pop-leaning acoustic tendencies. “Rebel Soul” begins with a catchy guitar melody, joined quickly by an equally captivating vocal line. The polished production value is clear to see, as the lead top line is layered with panned backing vocals that add a warm depth to the mix. This evolves into skillfully sampled vocal stabs on the drop, demonstrating Xenia’s evident proficiency in the studio and resulting in a track that offers a bright spark of hope as we move towards the warmer spring months. Giving her take on the new single Xenia said: “I think this single is probably the truest reflection of myself as an artist so far and reflects my evolution over the past couple of years to this point. I’ve always loved songwriting, so fusing soulful vocals with an edgy bass riff and acoustic guitar elements, while still keeping an underlying electronic foundation, aligns with my creative vision perfectly. As a result, ‘Rebel Soul’ has a special place in my heart.” Xenia has been busy in recent months, surpassing 50 episodes of her Onyx Radio show back in January, which has welcomed guest mixes from the likes of Martin Jensen, Tujamo and PBH & Jack. The 2x Billboard Dance Club Songs #1 charting artist also produced Pitbull’s single with Blake Shelton, “Get Ready,” taken from his latest album “Libertad 548,” which the artist performed at the Superbowl LIV preshow. With the release of “Rebel Soul,” Xenia addresses the new single, her favorite song for 2019, her first major club gig, and her favorite condiment—all in this great Q&A session.
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XENI THE SOUL O
IA GHALI OF A REBEL EXPOSED Written and Interviewed by Joseph Wensell
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JW: Working with Pitbull and Blake Shelton who performed your song at Super Bowl LIV, along with other projects, you’ve had a pretty good couple of months, would you agree? Xenia Ghali: It’s been an amazing couple of months! It was honestly something I didn’t expect and I’m not quite sure how I feel about it as I haven’t fully realized the fact that Pitbull and Blake Shelton released a record that I produced and wrote all the music for. Get Ready was a record I had created years ago so it came as a huge surprise when Pitbull decided to release it and perform it at the Super Bowl LIV.
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JW: Your latest single, “Rebel Soul” represents your current evolution as a songwriter. How so and what makes the track stand out above the other songs you’ve written? XG: Rebel Soul combines Soul with UK inspired House. I never experimented with that combination in the past and it turned out to be something that I am personally proud of. Additionally, the lyrics really reflect me as an individual. JW: What were your favorite tracks, of the past year (2019)?
XG: I have to say that one track stood out to me more than any other in 2019, becoming my favorite record of all time, is “Borderline” by Tame Impala. JW: Looking back on your career, describe your first ‘big’ club booking. How did that feel? XG: My first big club booking was the Ministry of Sound London. I remember practicing 6-7 hours a day for a week before that show. I was still in University studying Film Scoring and had no idea what to expect from a show like that. At the time I was spinning on
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turntables using vinyl records (I didn’t even know vinyl emulation at the time) so it was really like performing with an instrument at one of the world’s most legendary clubs.
“I’VE EXPERIENCED A LOT DURING SHOWS! ONE OF THE CRAZIEST THINGS WAS A MARRIAGE PROPOSAL!” —XENIA GHALI
JW: What is the wildest thing you’ve witnessed as a performer? XG: I’ve experienced a lot during shows! One of the craziest things was a marriage proposal! JW: What is your one “go to record/track” that you pull out on the fly to fill the dance floor and to energize the crowd? XG: Losin’ It by Fisher. JW: Do you have any news to share for what is upcoming in 2020? New music, performance dates, etc… XG: There is a lot of music coming in 2020, both club records and radio records. I will also be announcing my tour soon on my social media! JW: Tell us something most people do not know about you? XG: I am obsessed with mustard! JW: If you were not pursuing a career in music, what path do you think you’d be on? XG: I would most likely be a professional athlete. Up until I was 13 years old I was a semi professional tennis player. JW: And finally, New York City or Paris, France? XG: I haven’t lived in Paris so it’s hard to say! I was born there and then moved to LA when I around 2 years old. As such, I would have to say New York City purely because of the fact that I have a lot of experiences from being there during my master’s degree and starting my career. It’s an incredibly inspiring city.
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01. Kormak - Keep On 02. Andy Faisca - Don’t You Help (Original Mix) 03. Javi Bora, Huxley - You’re Everything (Chus & Ceballos Remix) 04. Luna City Express, Roland Clark - The Soul of a Dj Feat. Roland Clark (Original Mix) 05. All You Can Eat, Mitch - Real Life (Club Mix) 06. Jon Lockley - Feel Real Good (Original Mix) 07. Makito - Long Time Coming (Original Mix) 08. Mattei & Omich, Nathan Nicholson - Doors (Extended Mix) 09. Tuccillo & Kiko Navarro feat. Amor - Lovery (Jojo Angel Remix) 10. Apexape - Tribal Gospel (Extended Mix) 11. Hatiras, Slarta John - Spaced Invader (Low Steppa & Hatiras Remix) 12. Mat.Joe - When You Hear That Sound 13. Novecento, Billy Cobham - The Vibe Inside (Emanuel Satie Remix)
STREAM
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ALEX CHRISTENSEN
REBOOTS
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Written & Interviewed by James Arena
t’s rare that an artist’s first commercial music release becomes a world hit and a genre standard so fast. Yet that’s exactly what happened back in 1991, when a young DJ named Alex Christensen burst onto the burgeoning techno club scene in Germany. Performing under the banner of U96, his electronic masterpiece “Das Boot” (whose riveting sonic foundation is based on the music of Klaus Doldinger, from the feature film soundtrack of the same name) sold millions. U96’s influential “I Wanna Be A Kennedy” in 1992 nearly duplicated the feat. Alex’s resume, which now spans three decades, boasts production, songwriting, arrangement and remixing credits for a nearly uncountable list of European hitmakers—Prince Ital Joe featuring Marky Mark (yep, actor Mark Wahlberg himself), Sarah Brightman, ATC, Rollergirl, Right Said Fred and many more.
In 2016, Mr. Christensen embarked on an ambitious new music production path with an unusual idea—infusing the irresistible sounds of iconic 1990s dance-pop and house music anthems with classical arrangements in a series of three albums. Classical 90s Dance (2017), Classical 90s Dance 2 (2018) and Classical 90s Dance 3 (2019) transformed some of his own hits from the past, as well as instantly recognizable international chart-toppers (such as Real McCoy’s “Another Night,” Culture Beat’s “Mr. Vain,” Ace of Base’s “The Sign” and Corona’s “Rhythm of the Night”) into unexpectedly rich, thrilling, sophisticated musical adventures. The albums, which have all reached the upper echelons of international streaming charts, are reimagining and revitalizing a generation of powerful and irresistible songs. Before embarking on a highly anticipated European tour in the months ahead, Alex shared some thoughts about his remarkable journey. Beatselector Magazine | March/April 2020 | 65
James Arena: Looking back at your youth, I’d love to know how you came to discover music and the path you took to become part of the industry. Alex Christensen: I was born in Hamburg and my father lived here for his whole life. He was a musician, and he played at clubs in an area called The Freedom Street (English translation) where young artists were given a chance to perform, like The Beatles. I loved all kinds of music, and he wanted me to get into music and play the guitar, but I was never sure I was good enough. I wanted to show my father that I could be a good musician—maybe I’m not a good guitar player, but maybe I could show him in a different way. My father gave me the knowledge I needed to be a good musician, so I started playing keyboards and started DJing when I was quite young, like 14 or something, and I fell in love with electronic music. I thought this might be the path I want to take. I started working all over Germany and realized that to be a successful DJ, you needed to make your own record—this
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was at the end of the ’80s. I checked out the studios around, but the only one I could connect with was a studio that specialized in the synchronization of porn movies! I asked if I could utilize their studio to make music when there was free time or at night, and they said, yeah, you can work here as long as you make our coffee and do some work like that. And this is how I came into the business. JA: Many might assume you are a phenomenon of the twenty-first century, but actually your impressive musical resume goes back to the very era you celebrate in the Classical 90s Dance album series. U96’s “Das Boot” was a project you helmed and released commercially late in 1991. It is widely regarded as an early masterpiece and groundbreaker in techno/EDM music. It also had a touch of that classical sound we hear from you today. Would you tell me the about the origins of this record?
AC: When I created “Das Boot” in 1990, it was just to create a track for the club I was working at. When you were a DJ at that time, you always had a laser show going on—nowadays it sounds kind of funny, but at that time it was state of the art. It was like a 10-minute laser show and boring music. I started by playing the original soundtrack to the film “Das Boot,” but it was way too slow. So I created a track that was faster and started playing it during the laser show. I had no intention of releasing it commercially. I played it for over a year in that club, and people began getting excited by it more and more. The club was actually getting crowded because everybody wanted to hear this record I created. Then a guy from a record company came along and asked me about the record—who is this? I told him it was me. He said to please come to his office—we have to talk! That’s how it started—there was never a plan behind it. Techno music was really bubbling under at that time—it wasn’t a [full on genre] yet and not that popular. The word “techno” is heard in the record, and then people starting saying, “Oh, that’s a techno record, I want this!” I think it really became a game changer for dance and electronic music, and it was one of the first commercially successful techno records. JA: The success of “Das Boot” came at a time when the music industry and physical product (vinyl, CDs, cassettes) were red hot—sales were incredible in those days. What’s your primary memory of the business at that golden time— an era which, of course, we will never see again? AC: Yeah, that’s right. There’s no more counting records and CD sales; it’s all streaming. Just from the remix of “Das Boot” we sold 85,000 copies on vinyl in Germany. Overall, the song sold 600,000 in Germany and worldwide, CD and vinyl, it was over five million. It was really incredible, and you are right—it was the golden age of physical product. I consider myself very lucky that I fit into that time period and had my first hit with that record. I think I was really blessed, but I will say I was really overwhelmed. Imagine being 23 or 24 with no experience in the music business and all of a sudden you’re number one in 50 countries overnight—without a deal—really overwhelming. JA: Why do you think the song caught on so
strongly and resonated so powerfully with people globally? AC: I think there were elements in the song that were very unique. I used this Atari computer voice which was like a novelty. We also had that great melody from the movie. Add to that they gave us the permission to use footage from the film for our video. This was like the biggest gift you could get. MTV was really getting big across Europe, and it was seen by millions of people—Italy, Spain, France—all because MTV was so powerful. Luckily a lot of things came together to make this song a huge hit. JA: Let’s fast-forward and discuss the project that has brought you so much success today. Tell me about the creation of the Classical 90s album series. How did this concept evolve? And why the ’90s—is this the era that influenced you the most? AC: To be honest, when I recorded “Das Boot” in 1991, I always had the idea that I’d like to do it with an orchestra. It is so fulfilling to incorporate strings and everything. But at that time, I knew I couldn’t afford to do that. Extremely expensive. So I kept it with keyboards. When the 25th anniversary of the song came around in 2016, I thought it might be a good time to release an orchestra version of the record. I was talking with the gentleman who was conducting the orchestra, and he said this was [a lot of effort] for just one song. He pointed out that I had a lot of hits during the ’90s, why not look at [transforming some them], too. I thought that was a good idea. I started looking at the hits I had with various artists like ATC, Prince Ital Joe featuring Marky Mark and others, but thought there were a lot of other songs from the era that were so huge and that I loved so much. Then I decided, yeah, we need to record other songs, too— like “Mr. Vain by Culture Beat, Snap!’s “Rhythm Is A Dancer,” etc. JA: Your productions are really unique—it’s interesting because one of the reasons full orchestra and live instrument productions ended (think fully orchestrated classic disco recordings of the ’70s) was because of the cost.
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AC: Remember Barry White and the Love Unlimited Orchestra? Amazing! Today, no one can afford to make a record like that. A lot of people think I am crazy for making these albums. I’ve made a good amount of money in the past, and I put a lot of my own money into these albums. I don’t care—at the end of the day, I’m happy we’ve sold a lot, but that was never my first motivation. This experience is what I wanted—it has been like a dream.
you are creative, I think it’s always that way. Many millionaires are millionaires because they dreamed big. I am much more humble, of course, but I dreamed big and tried to make something—and all of the sudden it became a success. It’s atypical, but it’s also typical. Nobody two years ago would believe that Billie Eilish would be so successful. She was doing home recordings. And they sounded like home recordings. But here she is. It came down to emotion.
If I go to a major record company and say I want to record ’90s dance songs with a 50-piece orchestra, they will think I’m totally crazy. Too expensive. These companies, I would say, spend maybe 20,000 Euros to make an album today. What can you do with that? Nothing! So, yes, my idea was unrealistic, but when
JA: Can you tell me about the process that you used to create the content of these albums— how did you go about selecting the songs you’d like to cover and how challenging is it to arrange them into an effective hybrid of their original dance pop sound with a classical twist?
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AC: I have to have a relationship with the song. Take Haddaway’s “What Is Love.” I spent a lot of time with him in the ’90s and we were partying like crazy and had a great time. So it was important that I have something in common with the song. And then, when you are recording with an orchestra, I think the “feel” of a song has to fit with an orchestra. For example, a song like “Rednex” by Cotton Eye Joe is very hard to play with an orchestra. So I didn’t feel I could make a good classical record with it—it has to fit in both worlds. And at the end of the day, if you have a great song, it will fit. These factors are key. JA: I noticed as the series progressed you introduced more vocals into the songs and have
a very eclectic mix of artists participating— Natasha Bedingfield, Thomas Anders (formerly of Germany’s Modern Talking from the ’80s) and Anastacia, for example. They seemed very well suited to these arrangements. How did you go about selecting the right vocalist? AC: I would like to give you an example—a song like “Mr. Vain.” You’re thinking about a female vocalist. Off the top of your head, who would you pick? JA: I would look fo someone with a real edge, a rock-tinged voice, and a lot of fiery spirit. AC: Exactly! The perfect fit for me was Anastacia. I worked hard to get her. She’s an American, and she Beatselector Magazine | March/April 2020 | 69
wasn’t that familiar with the ’90s stuff, so I had to do a lot of explaining why this is a good song for her. I think sometimes, to American ears, some of these songs sound kind of cheesy. I know that nowadays people choose vocalists because he or she is a hit on Spotify. I care about the color of the voice—this is way more important to me than digital analyzing, numbers and figures. Music is still about emotion. JA: Electronic dance music of the ’80s and ’90s (and of course this continued with EDM in the twenty-first century) has sometimes been accused by critics of having a sterile, disposable “coldness” about them. Do you believe your interpretations in the Classical 90s series has breathed some fresh warmth into this music? AC: Yes. Many critics have said that electronic music translates to: COLD. I do understand why they say that, but they aren’t right. I think maybe now is the time—if they listen to these albums, they might end up saying, “These songs are not so bad.” JA: I’d love to know who your audience is? What type of people are responding to this series most enthusiastically? AC: I think they are appealing mostly to families now. Most of my listeners are between 40 and 50, but they tend to also bring their kids to my concerts. And I’ve heard from the kids that they think it’s really cool music—they start to discover there’s some good stuff from this era that seems like it was so long ago and that they expected to be cheesy. JA: How do you measure your success and personal satisfaction with your work, aside from commercial sales and streaming results? AC: Usually, I found that when you make a record and play it for your friends and colleagues, nobody is that impressed—boring. But this time, when I did the first album, they reacted very positively. It felt so good. The other way I feel a lot of satisfaction is when you go on tour and you see that people are buying tickets and coming to your show. To me, this is way more
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important than getting some streams on Spotify or Apple Music. I’m going on tour in April, and we’ve sold out, something like 30,000 tickets on my first tour. I’m quite proud of that. This is something I couldn’t really imagine when I first started the project. JA: It seems being in the music industry today requires you to be skilled and actively—very actively—participating in all aspects of the productions, from creation, to performing, to publicity, to (maybe most importantly) social media. How challenging do you find all this? AC: Frankly, it’s still hard for me—it’s not in my veins. I’m not digital, I’m still analog. I try to do my work on
Instagram and YouTube (where I’ve been very successful, which is great), but to open your whole private life to your audience—this is something I never learned. Hey, look at my Rolex, my new car—this is not me. I like to ride my bicycle, eat well—but these things I’d like to keep to myself. So I struggle a little with it, but I try to deal with it and [find the middle road] because, yes, I do want to engage with my audience and have my records be successful. But I can’t necessarily follow the same path that other artists do because it doesn’t match my personality. It has to fit you; you can’t be someone else. I’m old enough to say that. Twenty or 30 years ago, I would do everything, even show off. So, to be honest, I do what is necessary, but I don’t like it that much. These are the times.
JA: Where do you feel the pop music industry is headed? Is the direction generally positive or negative? AC: The thing that bugs me a little about it is the algorithms. You listen to something on a streaming platform, and they create a playlist for you in which everything sounds like the song you just played. A copy of a copy of a copy. I think it kind of prevents you from being an open-minded music lover. This is a little bit sad. But you know, music is like water. It flows, and it somehow always finds its audience. I believe in that. And I think as these algorithms get more and more advanced, they may be able to better identify the person who listens to more than just one sound or genre.
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“”
MANY CRITICS HAVE SAID THAT ELECTRONIC MUSIC TRANSLATES TO: COLD. I DO UNDERSTAND WHY THEY SAY THAT, BUT THEY AREN’T RIGHT. I THINK MAYBE NOW IS THE TIME—IF THEY LISTEN TO THESE ALBUMS, THEY MIGHT END UP SAYING, “THESE SONGS ARE NOT SO BAD.” JA: Any plans to do another volume of Classical 90s? AC: I don’t know. I’ve done three now, so I think I’m done with that. But I have a few really great ideas that I am working on, but it will take some time to develop the concepts. So maybe I won’t release anything in 2020 and take a break. Back in 2021! JA: Lastly, is there a moment in your vast career, big or small, so far, that you can single out as a defining highlight? AC: Oh yeah, definitely! I was sitting in the studio—I think it was November 19, 1991—we had these old fax machines. Every Tuesday we’d get the new chart faxed over showing the top singles in Germany. I called someone to send it over because the fax machine wasn’t working, but I went home. The next morning, I was listening to my answering machine, and there was a message that said, “Hey! You hit number one yesterday [with “Das Boot”]!” I thought, oh man, of all the times for my fax machine not to have been working—but I’m NUMBER ONE! That moment—it was such an important one in my life. At that moment I knew I was in the music business now—for real. But I will always associate going to number one with that broken fax machine!
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REVIEWS
ALBUMS
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OTO NO WA SELECTED SOUNDS OF JAPAN 1988-2018 Complied by Ken Hidaka, Max Essa, and Dr.Rob
MUSIC FOR DREAMS The 5th entry in the Music For Dream’s
Japanese inspired soundscapes produced by
Collector’s Series brings together Japan’s Ken
a wide range of Japanese artists. 14 tracks are
Hidaka (pictured left), Max Essa and Dr. Rob,
packaged as a Vinyl Double LP, a CD, and as a
who have expertly compiled a collection
Digital download, available on March 27, 2020
of ambient, chill-out, and jazztronica with
via Kenneth Bager’s Music For Dreams label.
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REVIEWS ALBUMS Beginning in the late 1980s, the era when “enviromental music became prevalent, Yoshi Ojima was a pioneer in the field and was an absolute perfect choice to kick off this collection. His sublime computer generated track “Sealed” is unparalleled. Olololop, the organic psychedelic collective comes in at track number two with their trippy “Orte REMIX”—headphones are required! For selection number 3, Kazuya Kotani’s “Fatima” dazzles with shuffle drum beats, pecrussion breaks and interludes, lush spoken word vocals in the French language, a lovely piano melody and beautifully placed synth layers. Quite exquisite. Schadaraparr’s “N.I.C.E. Guy (Nice Guitar Dub)” features a jazz piano riff, upper-register synths, subtle percussion and a fantastic acoustic guitar rhythm that guarantees “feelin’ good!” “Frostie,” is the fusing of contemporary Jazz & Reggae track by the 9-piece band Little Tempo. The song features a jazzy piano melody that stands way out front, fat bottom bass rhythms, explosive beats, and pans/steel drums. Coco and The Fish” by Karel Arbus and Eiji Takamatsu weaves wild and improvised percussion using sticks and stones with dramatic electronics and synth layers making it one of the more interesting tracks of the collection. At the halfway point, Kentaro Takiwawa’s “Gradual Life (Album Version)” features bird song, brightly colored synths and electronics and uber-soothing acoustic guitar and piano melody. Yoshiaki Ochi is up next with his percussion heavy hypnotic and mesmerizing
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“Balasong.” Want a serene feeling of water and waves? Kaoru Inoue’s “Wave Introduction” provides the serenity. “Scuba” by Little Big Bee continues the “water works” only this time with a more emphasized bass line, interspersed and brillaintly placed electronics and soft synths. We’re now reaching the last four tracks of this collection. “Coastlines” brings the island vibe and man, it features a deep fat bass line, steel drums and other various percussion instruments. Susumu Yokota’s “Uchu Tanjyo” is another totally unique selection. All I can say about it is, it’s really unlike other track on this album. At track number 13 is Chillax’s “Time & Space (Short).” It’s super chill with a very minimalitsic feel giving into lots of space, creating a tranquil and peaceful feeling. Now that you have reached the end, Hidaka, Essa and Dr. Rob once again expose their collective musical tastes. “Quiet Inlet” brings calming sounds of rolling waves, delicate and bright piano and soft voicings. A wonderful closing choice. “Oto No Wa” (Selected Sounds of Japan 1988 2018) is the result of like minded individuals with similar tastes in music. As readers and listeners, we all should be thankful that the Music For Dreams team had the vision to recuit these three Japanese pioneers to compile this “Indespensible” collection. It’s not often that we’ve annoited a release with 5/5 Stars. It’s only happend a couple of times and this album is most worthy of those accolades. Get it March 27, 2020 at Music For Dreams. —JOSEPH ARTHUR
REVIEWS ALBUMS “Poveglia” with a sterling ‘Mixtape Sprayout’, featuring unique verses sitting atop iconic Hospital classics, including the “Black Sheep” freestyle which brought him to the attention of London Elektricity. Now one of the most sought-after MCs on the circuit, the future is exceedingly bright for Hospital’s most recent vocalist. Now he takes center-stage as his debut album, “Letters From Ndgewa” on Hospital Records prepares for release on March 27.
DEGS LETTERS FROM NDEGWA HOSPITAL RECORDS
Music has always been in Degs’ blood, an accomplished pianist, guitarist and singer with militant flow and a golden voice, spanning eclectic tastes moulded by a musical family. With a strong R&B and hip hop influence, his songwriting and MCing took a soulful turn proving the adaptability and musical prowess of this accomplished songwriter. Degs draws upon an a broad set of lyrical forms, fusing fast sprays with harmonious singing inspired by the likes of Fats, Eksman and Dynamite. It’s no easy feat to master the dual-craft of rapping and singing, with few MC’s possessing the skills shown by the latest artist to join the Hospital family. His debut single “Poveglia” (featuring De:Tune) was an overwhelming success which garnered support in clubs across the globe and became one of the D+B anthems of summer 2018. Following up
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As well as producing, writing and singing on his tracks, Degs has brought in an all-star collective with S.P.Y, Logistics, Unglued, LSB and Pola & Bryson. His unmistakable charisma is injected across 14 tracks, including his previous singles “Levitate Your Mind” (featuring Unglued) and “Killer.” Standout tracks include: “Sleepless’” showcasing Degs impeccable vocal chops. The track is deeply, atmospheric and produced by Shogun Audio’s Pola & Bryson; “Head Trip” puts the spotlight on production wizardry of Phil:osophy, haunting piano lays the foundation for Degs silky flows, tearout rap and snappy hooks. Hospital heavyweight Logistics, a master of liquid D+B, joins in on“Colour My Soul” delivering a fantastic loungecore cut. “‘Letters From Ndegwa’ is a culmination of life experiences and thoughts since signing with the Hospital family back in 2018. For me, it represents the unpredictable nature of life. I’ve been blessed to work with some of my heroes on this project and having my little brother feature on this is the icing on the cake, he was the catalyst to all of this happening in the first place.” - Degs —LEO WEAVER
REVIEWS ALBUMS
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REVIEWS ALBUMS opens up with “Haussmann” emphasizing groovy beats, deep bass and wild colorful synthesizers. Nouvelle Vague’s Liset Alea makes her first appearance on “What Is Real.” The track has rolling percussion, abright piano riff, lush synths and overall feel that compliments her vocals perfectly and personally one of the standout cuts on the album.
RODRIGUEZ JR. BLISSS MOBILEE/!K7
Rodriguez Jr. has long been a champion of producing melodic house and techno that goes beyond catagorizing, and with his vast experience and knowledge of electronica makes him the world-renowned producer and live performer he is today. In 2017 he released the stunning “Baobab” album, the follow up to his impressive debut “Bittersweet.” April 24th marks the relase of the next sonic album “BLISSS.” Inspired by the deep rooted and wide ranging influences of Olivier Mateu, including the literary atmospheres of Modiano and monochromatic paintings of Pierre Soulages, “BLISSS” rewards fans both old and new alike. The album also sees a new pop influenced side of Rodriguez Jr. on two tracks, collaborating with Nouvelle Vague singer Liset Alea, creating beautiful moments of serene disruption. “Blisss”
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The next few tracks, “Polaroid,” and “Blisss” share intense beats and rhythms of varying degrees creating different moods ranging from the mystical to straight up bliss,, hence the album’s title. At the hafway point arrives the track “Santa Cruz,” described by Rodriguez Jr. as “like that moment when people in the audience suddenly close their eyes and let themselves be carried by the music.” Liset Alea returns for the downtempo leaning track “Here To Forget You” telling a story of heartbreak, washing over before frenzied electronics add a surprising twist. “Monolith Garden” features menacing, growling bass and exceptional synth work, conjuring a vivid image of a moon landing. Absorbing tender harmony and the sound of rain paint the picture for the closer “Nairobi.” Rodriguez Jr. has once again delivered another rock solid album, gorgeously orchestrated and themed out to aural perfection. And how does he feel about the outcome? He summarizes it as “I guess you can also detect in this album an echo of my own internal peace that I’ve slowly begun to come into, like a sort of unknown paradise.” “Blisss” will release via Mobilee on April 24th, save the date and get this album. —LEO WEAVER
REVIEWS ALBUMS
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REVIEWS ALBUMS release, the forthcoming album “Highlight” out on March 20th, is a further extension of this method, existing as a demonstration of joyful, creative explosion and constituting their most rhythmically diverse and harmonically enhanced body of work to date. Skalpel recently toured with a 17-piece band, with the goal of capturing compositional themes and arrangements that go beyond realms of previous approaches and inspired by Jazz greats Gil Evans Miles Davis.
SKALPEL HIGHLIGHT NOPAPER RECORDS/!K7
Throughout the years, Marcin Cichy and Igor Pudło have been blending local, traditional jazz inspirations with means of new electronica. The duo’s early albums “Skalpel’ and ‘Konfusion’ on Ninja Tune brought them particular acclaim excellent reviews in NME, The Wire and DJ Mag, along with a worldwide tour. “Transit,” their third album marked a significant shift in creative technique, a shift from samples to virtual instruments. From an emerging duo to major acclaim the pair’s new album ‘Highlight’, sees Skalpel take another turn, delivering their most comprehensive body of work to date. Finding a range of influences from Miles Davis, leftfield avant-garde, minimal, and the extensive legacy of both Warp and Ninja Tune as always, Skalpel allude to roots in Polish jazz and trip-hop. According to the official press
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Such classical Jazz influences can be heard on “Escape”, “Distant” and the closing track “Zorza.” “Cold Air” channels the spirit of Miles Davis, and those looking for a killer hip-hop cut, look no further than the track titled “Pull Closer.” The ambient melodic loops of “Blow” and the trance track “Journey To Satchidananda” showcase their musical visions and usage of electronic equiptment. Delving in to the ambient world, they give you “Quicksilver’, changing directions way leftfield ala, Steve Reich with its peppered raw piano elements and rapid fire breakbeats. Wrapping everything up in a bright red bow, the duo explores textures and moods. The melancholic feel of “Countless” gives a downtempo experience with wide hallucinogenic soundscapes setting up brighter notes and moods with smoothly orchestrated “Event.” Leading up to the end of “Highlight” comes “Arrival.” The track steps in to the future with modern contemporary sounds and techniques and creates a dramatic contrast with the closing song “Zorza” bringing back the jazz influence and providing a calm cool down. —JOSEPH ARTHUR
REVIEWS ALBUMS
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REVIEWS
EPs
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^L aka LUIS FERNANDO
GHOST FLAGS ANTIME
“Ghost Flags” is the first release in a new trilogy project by ^L aka Luis Fernando. The main theme revolves around hot topics including politics, conspiracies, nihilism, cyberpunk culture, and the occult. Each track contain binaural hidden sound frequencies and other subliminal messages from political speeches, movies, radio shows and more. For those that are familiar with Luis’ previous works, this should come as no surprise. You see, Luis has put himself out there as one who pushes the envelope, musically and intellectually. Take for instance the song titles: “51°39’26’N 005°41’27’E;” the official first single “Preparedness 101_Zombie Apocalypse” by Ali S. Khan; “Hellfire Club;” “Placing Bets With The Mothman;” “Majestic 12” and “Quetiapine.”
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Intriguing? I think so. Throughout “Ghost Flags” six tracks, you get a wide range of contemporary dance music built with an experimental approach resulting in what is described as “uncanny, sometimes straight up eerie music that reveals its true qualities only with repeated listens.” Piano, synths, kick drums, techno, rock, bass, hardcore and acid stylings / influences are all represented and when you add in the distortion and a touch of ambience, you end up with a collection of songs that opens the mind. Through Luis’ eyes, ears and brilliant songwriting and production, “Ghost Flag,” released through Antime on March 6th, is Luis’ latest bold musical statement. Listen and gear up for the 2nd and 3rd installment. —LEO WEAVER
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REVIEWS EPs
ACE AURA COMATOSE CIRCUS RECORDS
In the fall of 2019, Circus Records received an email from Ace Aura, shopping his original track “Melodic Riddim.” The story goes the entire Circus team was just treated to someone that would be called “revolutionary” aside from being fresh and exciting. Circus signed Ace and released “Coma,” essentially to test the waters, and both hit pay dirt. Six months later, a 4 track EP drops titled “Comatose.” Songs include “SelfLove” featuring Trinergy, “Sabotage” featuring Millenial Trash, “Coma,” and “Breaking Free’ featuring joegarrett. Each bring thoughtful, cutting-edge songwriting to the forefront, complimented by choice guest vocalists and some of the dopest beats and drops you’ll hear all year. The tunes are highly imaginative and dare I say it? Revolutionary. One thing is certain though, Ace Aura is a new fresh and exciting producer on the scene today. Circus saw the future and the future lies with Ace Aura. —LEO WEAVER
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REVIEWS EPs
FABIO FLORIDO SUBTLE REALMS RUNA
Berlin-based DJ and producer Fabio Florido began 2020 with the launch of his first record label RUNA, a platform to explore different realms of his music perception with no boundaries. “Subtle Dreams,” the label’s premier release, is a four-track collection of techno music under his alias Selcouth. The title track sparkles with techno purity and techique. “Cosmic Chant” comes in with rapid fire and penetrating beats that is followed by “Confessions,” featuring booming drums and dreamy synthesizers. Fabio closes the EP in fine fashion with the acid influenced track “Surrender.” Believing that music is one of humanity’s greatest forms of expression, Fabio is experimenting with different frequenices and gaining a real understanding of how sound affects our bodies and minds. “Subtle Dreams” is the first of many RUNA releases to look for as it is stimulating, inspiring and meaningful. —LEO WEAVER Beatselector Magazine | March/April 2020 | 87
REVIEWS EPs
MILES ELLIS THE PIER INTEGRITY RECORDS
Miles Ellis is an up and coming DJ based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Miles was heavily influenced by his musician Dad who played the guitar in a band called Full Thrust in the 80s and 90s. A drum set bought by his dad on his 5th Birthday played a key part in building Miles’ foundation, and later on, his obsession with drum machines. Growing up he was into Jimi Hendrix and Iron Maiden, but has since then discovered Frankie Knuckles, Kerri Chandler, Derrick May, Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, Eddie Niguel, Grew Gow, and Fabrice Lig. Drawing on influence from the 90’s house music, its underground culture and the aforemetioned artists, his solo debut EP for the Integrity Records label, delivers four tracks filled with deep house flavors and bass grooves, synths and tribal rhythms. So, if you like house music gritty, raw and unpolished, then “The Pier” EP is for you. —JOSEPH ARTHUR
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REVIEWS EPs
PROUD CREATURE OPENING CREATURE INDEPENDENT
Todd Brozman is a multi-instrumentalist and music producer. He started playing piano at age 6 after convincing his mother to buy him a little demo Casio at an electronics store. At Wesleyan University, Todd had a radio show which exposed him to a lot of new electronic music and he got more involved in creating new music, fusing electronics and improvisational jazz. Current day, Brozan’s alterego Proud Creature is releasing an EP featuring psychedelic, electronica, jazz and ambient influences over 5 tracks. The EP is full of piano, synths, percussion and other instrumentation, plus there’s some improv and field recordings. Opening Creature is described as being fluid, tense, otherworldly and mysterious with a serious groove leaving the listener with the impression that this seasoned creator is an expert at seamlessly merging multiple genres. —CATHERINE STRICKLAND Beatselector Magazine | March/April 2020 | 89
REVIEWS
SINGLES
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MARKUS SCHULZ & ADINA BUTAR INDESTRUCTABLE COLDHARBOUR RECORDINGS
Straight from the press release- ”Hold your breath for this one! Having shared a life together through song title and lyric (not least ‘Breathe Me To Life’, ‘You & I’, ‘Universe Is Mine’ & ‘Muse’), soul mates Markus & Adina open another chapter with a brand new single.” As you can see from this “rockstar’ photographic pose, Markus Schulz and his lovely wife (to put it mildly) Adina Butar have that perfect chemistry, as demonstrated on the sizzling “Indestructable.” Markus knows how to make an impression. This time around, he utilizes a beautifully penned piano
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melody, marching drums, crunchy persussion, and distortion. Then comes the classic Markus Schulz drop, brightening up the mood with sunny and shiney tones. Adina belts out the vocals with all the ‘feels’ expressing love’s nature and how to make it survive and thrive. Start to finish, “Indestructable” is highly polished and gigantic in sound—in the very fine tradition that is, Markus Schulz! Fans looking for a high octane track and that’s just what they’ll get. —JOSEPH ARTHUR
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REVIEWS SINGLES
DJ D-SOL ELECTRIC PAYBACK RECORDS/BIG BEAT
DJ D-Sol newest original studio track, “Electric,” on Payback Records/Big Beat is a dance floor scorcher! “Electric” features rising singer Hayley May providing that euphoric “happy house music” sound that D-Sol is best known for. “Electric” is DJ D-Sol’s second original release, following up on the success of his 2019 Billboard Dance Radio charting single “Feel Alive.” More recently, D-Sol, Dzeko and Kool & The Gang, kicked out “Down On It,” an up-to-date-take on the original, “Get Down On It,” and received strong support from Sirius XM’s BPM and made the Top 20 Beats of the Week. Previous to “Down On It,” D-Sol released “Rescue Me,” a dancefloor re-interpretation of the 1965 Fontella Bass classic featuring the voice of Alex Newell and additional songwriting from Laura White. DJ D-Sol’s addictive UK piano house hook and Hayley May’s soulful vocals, equals a dancefoor burner! —CATHERINE STRICKLAND
92 | Beatselector Magazine | March/April 2020
REVIEWS SINGLES
PAUL VAN DYK DUALITY ULTRA MUSIC
Paul van Dyk has a new album scheduled for an April 2020 release titled “Guided Light.” In late 2019, Paul released the album’s first single “Parallel Dimension,” inspired by the time Paul spent unconscious recovering after his 2016 on-stage accident. “Duality” equals his awakening, awareness and circumstances and how he began to confront them. Paul expands: “Duality is a state of mind you find yourself in. The brain is still echoing the strongest signals of how you’ve become used to seeing yourself: completely fit and vital and able to do everything. The truth is that your body is not currently capable of doing all those things, putting you in a surreal existence. This track is about starting to resolve that duality.” “Duality is a dynamic instrumental with epic harmonies and dramatic key changes. It’s inspirational feel represents true musical expression and after two stellar single releases from “Guided Light,” we can look forward to what may turm out to be PvD’s swan-song. —JOSEPH ARTHUR Beatselector Magazine | March/April 2020 | 93
REVIEWS SINGLES
RIGHT SAID FRED LET’S FACE THE MUSIC AND DANCE: ELECTRO-SWING MIX R&B MUSIC
“Let’s Face The Music And Dance–Electro Swing Mix” is a re-release and already one of the most successful covers from the legendary band Right Said Fred featured on the album “Puttin’ On The Ritz – A Tribute To Fred Astaire“. Right Said Fred are, without a doubt, one of the UK’s most enduring and pop exports. Known for their quirky observational pop, the multi-platinum, chart topping band have won two Ivor Novellos and have played in front of thousands of fans all over the globe. Now they have ventured out of the comfort zone and tried an Electro Swing cover from the old Fred Astaire classic! And they nailed it! “Let’s Face The Music and Dance” swings hard with an undeniable groove and those vocals-instantly recognizable-give the song written in 1936 by Irving Berlin a fresh 21st century update, while keeping the swing age nostalgia intact. Fun! —CATHERINE STRICKLAND
94 | Beatselector Magazine | March/April 2020
REVIEWS SINGLES
RVRS
THE BEAST (SPACE MONKEYS MIX) RVRS
RVRS is the alias of the Paris based, ubertalented Jonathon Garnier. Not only is Garnier a musician that deserves more attention, he’s also a marvelous photographer, designer and film score producer. Garnier’s latest release, “The Beast (Space Monkey’s Mix),” is without a doubt one the most interesting songs that I’ve heard in a long time. Over twelve minutes in length, “The Beast” begins as a slammin’ techno track with deep beats, oscialting blips, beeps, a screaching siren effect and what sounds like Primate speak. Cleverly, Garnier transitions the track to a trance configuration that is effortless and seamless. Before you know it, you’re hooked and as it heats up around the halfway mark, you realize that what started as a techno cut now sounds like an old school trance track. It’s like getting 2 tracks on one. As Garnier puts it, “It should be a fun tune to play in the sun.” —LEO WEAVER Beatselector Magazine | March/April 2020 | 95
