DJ MAGAZINE CANADA 015 (MARCH) by DJ Mag Canada

LIVING & BREATHING DANCE MUSIC! MARCH 2014 ISSUE 15 DJMAG.CA

COMPLETING THE PUZZLE FLIPSIDE SKIITOUR BOTNEK

SHARAM

8 Years of Counting Down

THE CHAINSMOKERS Selfies and Hashtags

GTA

A Playlist Without Borders AND MUCH MORE...

T H E F L AT S AT M C A ( O N TA R I O P L A C E )

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Contents features 006

DASH BERLIN Completing the puzzle

014

THE CHAINSMOKERS

026

Selfies and hastags

016

SHARAM 8 years of counting down

020

GTA A playlist without borders

geo 024

British Columbia

LANCE LASHERAS Alberta

026

DEFUNK

030

SKIITOUR

054

REVIEWS

066

ALBUMS

070

COMPILATIONS

Alberta

Praries

034

EDM IN PAKISTAN

038

MC FLIPSIDE

042

music

030

tech 072

TECH NEWS

034

Ontario

DJ DANNY D

076

TECH Novation Mini Controllers words: LUKE PEPPER

038

Quebec

044

IGLOOFEST

048

BOTNEK

Maritimes

MINI MUSIC MAKERS

042

Novation’s Mini Controllers may be small in size, but they’re big on features...

echnology has become such an inherent part of our lives both inside and outside of the DJ booth and studio that it has begun to mimic fashion, with new styles coming and going. But despite the breakneck speed of advancement when it comes to both making music and DJing, some things never change, and even with touch-screen technology at one’s fingertips nothing quite replaces the experience of using buttons, knobs and sliders. What has changed, of course, is the size and flexibility of equipment, and what would once have filled the back of a semi trailer and required a team of roadies and engineers to unpack then set up can now fit in a backpack, and won’t cost a king’s ransom to purchase. Novation is a company that has been around since the beginning of the dance music revolution and are a company that continues to keep pace with the demands of modern music-makers and performers. It is this ethos that has given birth to their portable controller range, consisting of the Launchpad Mini, Launchcontrol and Launchkey Mini controllers.

006

With laptops becoming standard equipment in DJ booths thanks largely to DDJ systems such as Traktor and Serato, and the iPad maturing to become a bona-fide piece of professional musicmaking equipment — thanks to some incredible apps — the demand for high-quality portable controllers has mushroomed. Novation have all the

bases covered. All of the controllers in Novation’s portable range are compatible with both PC and Mac computers as well as iOS and can be powered via the iPad’s USB connector or a laptop, making them extremely flexible as well as super-portable. The build quality is excellent with a rugged allplastic construction, which keeps the weight down while maintaining good durability. A rubberised bottom makes them very stable, with good grip possible even on angled surfaces. Given the tiny size that Novation have managed to shrink these controllers down to, it would be perfectly possible to set up all of these controllers at the same time along

with a laptop and iPad, even in a cramped DJ booth, and the combined weight would still be easily within airline hand-luggage allowances.

044

GOOD BALANCE

The Launchpad Mini is designed to get users making music in no time at all and comes complete with a suite of software, including Ableton Live Lite for the Mac and PC along with the Launchpad app for iPad. Those familiar with Ableton Live will instantly see the potential the Launchpad has, both in DJ sets as well as in the studio, as this controller is perfect for triggering loops and makes the perfect companion

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DJ532.novation.indd 142

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DJ Mag Canada is published every month Editor in Chief Kathryn Kyte Editor Kurtis Hooper Contributors Victor Bruzzone Rachael Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;amore Kevin Fawley Jeremy James Ashley Kalyn Kayla Lea Nicole Ruggiero Eve B. St-Cyr Design Samantha Ripper Publisher Scott Glass DJ Mag Canada is published by IHM Global Media Advertise in DJ Mag Canada Contact: sales@ihmmusic.com

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Completin

Das

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ng the Puzzle with

sh Berlin

By Kurtis Hooper www.djmag.ca

“I

don’t see it so much as a brand. I see it as a project that kind of fell together.”

It’s an absolute understatement to what Dash Berlin has become, but couldn’t be more telling. Founded by Jeffrey Sutorius, Eelke Kalberg, and Sebastiaan Molijn, the electronic music project has ranked in the DJ Mag top 10 numerous times, resonated with millions of listeners, and become one highest regarded global dance music groups. Between radio station appearances, and a sold out show at Toronto’s Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex, Jeffrey Sutorius seemingly took DJ Mag Canada on a time machine trip back to the days where “Till The Sky Falls Down” existed, but the words dash and Berlin had no association.

“W

Jeffrey Sutoirius is the face most associated with the words Dash Berlin. The 34 year old Dutch DJ has made a career out of being the frontman for one of the most intricate and well positioned electronic music brands. Although the group consists of three primary members, you won’t catch the other two’s faces on a poster any time soon. The topic of ghost production comes up constantly in the minds of electronic music aficionados. What the trio behind Dash Berlin does is by no means slight of hand, being equally credited as a group for their creations whilst one member travels the road performing on the worlds grandest stages. “We’re friends. We are all friends. We were a group of

ithin the team, you can be you. You don’t have to pretend you are somebody else.”

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friends who even went away for holidays before Dash Berlin ever began. In a way we all came together in a way with certain aspects of what we do and what we like.” The metaphor of a puzzle couldn’t be any more telling in regards to the collaborative efforts of Jeffrey, Eelke, and Sebastiaan. The most important motivation to build the creative project was constantly instilled by the gentlemen’s friendship. “All the puzzle pieces came together, [then] Dash Berlin existed. It started with Eelke, Sebastiaan and me. With that I also met my other friends. One of them is my manager.” In Jeffrey’s situation he has the ability to work freely in a collaborative environment built on a strong friendship vibe. “The thing is when working with friends, although

we have a higher goal which is creating something awesome that we all like, is that we can be honest with each other. We don’t have a second or hidden agenda. That’s the really cool part of Dash Berlin.” The success of the Dash Berlin brand can absolutely attest to that. There is a certain humanity being brought to the table by the small group of people that make up the projects family. Jeffrey solidifies the fact that an identity crisis would never be an issue in Dash Berlin camp; “Within the team, you can be you. You don’t have to pretend you are somebody else.” The aforementioned surprisingly acknowledges the PLUR lifestyle that trance addicts live by. Some how that message has been carried over into Jeffrey’s professional space. “That’s what partying is in my view. We are all doing it together. Without people; no party. That’s just as easy as it gets.” This even extends to sticking around after performances to meet and greet fans before leaving. “I’m really thankful for the people that are coming to the shows. And [I’m] also willing to sick [Around] to take a picture. I like to know who those people are. Whether it’s in real life, or on social media.” One of the most successful yet unorthodox facets to the Dash Berlin brand is dashberlinworld.com. What would typically be considered a profile site, dictating tour dates, showing off photos, and linking to platforms to purchase music, has become a community hub for all things trance related. From forums to campaigns for Armada Records to bring their famed ASOT series to long awaited audiences, the page is by no means limited to discussion about Dash. The extensive site is moderated and run by a family relative of the trio known as Dash Berlin; “It’s run by the brother of one of the guys I make music with.” “He’s naturally really interested in building a website like that. We really like to contribute and interact with fans, [whom] we also give opportunities to on the website.” The website clearly maintains the same mantra Jeffrey and crew are trying to instill across their brand. From their point of view the site is regarded as a critical component required to complete the brand that is Dash Berlin. Jeffrey elates; “The circle is round again!”

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Tracing the inception of the Dash Berlin brand to the early days is still something fresh in Jeffrey’s mind. Banking on the title and single “Till The Sky Falls Down” was the original thought in regards to how to label this project. The idea of Berlin being a key component of the name had a bit of a deeper meaning in itself. “I went to Love Parade in Berlin in 1999 and 2000. I wanted to do something with Berlin in my DJ name from that point on.” Jeffrey reminisces frequently about his experiences at Love Parade, which only until it’s recent cancelation, was an inspirational force behind the mantra of Dash Berlin. At the suggestion that the reference to the capital city of Germany might be a story in itself, Jeffrey remarked; “I’m not from Berlin either so it’s double confusing.” Like many other 30 somethings in the dance music world, Jeffrey was a vinyl junkie. After the suggestion that it might be impossible to compete in the new age of dance musics climate he stated; “It all kind of adds up to the story of how DJing has been evolving. I started from the days where you used to use vinyl. If you could just mix two records together and had a cool sounding DJ name, you

“I

like to know who those people are. Whether it’s in real life, or on social media.” are a DJ. A few years later, you had to produce tunes with that. A few years after that you had to have tracks on well respected labels.” “Now days it’s important to have your own show, your own album, to have your hits, to have your synching visuals, and to have your special effects and stage production.” Of course the advancement in technology and the demand for a unique experience introduced a heavy push for accompanying visuals to be incorporated within tours. Jeffrey speaks passionately about the addition to the overall package of a live show experience. “A visual guy now days is an absolute addition to the shows that we do. It doesn’t matter if it’s a big or a small show because people are also being visually challenged by what’s going on. It’s not only sound any more.” Unlike most touring DJ’s, Dash Berlin currently have an exclusive touring VJ to accompany all their performances. The uniqueness of this is further exemplified by Jeffrey; “Somebody knows the tracks, knows when certain drops go, or certain climaxes are going. When you have a skilled VJ, who is able to put the right colouring with the right 10

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type of sounds, within the right track; it’s a complete experience for people.” Recently, early 2000’s club hit ‘Sandstorm’ by Darude had made it’s way back into Dash Berlin’s live performances. Jeffrey comments on the moment he returned to the classic single; “It’s an ever green bean. It doesn’t matter where I play it. People still seem to know that track, and still like up-tempo dance music.” “From the first moment I was playing that record. Dude, you should have been there. Me and my manager were looking at each other like “Seriously?” Because for everyone that was probably the hottest record of the whole evening. The cool thing with Sandstorm now days is I have a custom visual for it.” Jeffrey doesn’t necessarily pride himself on being able to re-evaluate something from the past in the modern era of dance music. It’s his duty. “It’s stuff you do as a DJ. You do your work. Coming up with ‘Sandstorm’ like that is part of what I do. I enjoy music, so when I find a real cool piece of music, and it’s getting a fantastic amount of feedback... That’s the winning moment!” “I don’t make it cool. People make it cool.”

Ibiza has become the default kingdom of dance music, and there’s no way to argue that the notoriety of the party hotspot has lessened in the past couple years. We suggested that perhaps Miami as a hot spot might be North America’s seasonal home away from home much like Spain is for UK tourists in the warmer seasons. “The way I see Miami, it kinda started from a party, then became professional with the Miami Winter Music Conference.” “To become the new Ibiza, woah! That’s really difficult because Ibiza goes way back. I’m really looking forward to what is going to be happening on the island this year. The Importance of the [USA] is getting bigger and bigger. And with that Miami, but also Las Vegas is getting more and more.” Finally, in what seemed like a departure from the norm, Dash Berlin is taking it’s brand to Las Vegas as part of a residency at Marquee Nightclub and sitting out on Miami

music week this year. “If there is a change, I think it is Las Vegas becoming the new Ibiza.” It’s clear to tell, by no means is Dash Berlin an underground or minimalist show. The product built on the love for music and friendship has soared to new heights in recent years but Jeffrey is still humble to his roots regarding that passion. Playing on the largest festival stages, in front of the brightest lights, and loudest crowds, he cites what drives him every single day. The first puzzle piece;

“M

usic speaks for itself, that’s always the starting point.” www.djmag.ca

The Visual Jedi on tour with Dash Berlin

By Kurtis Hooper FASHION

With a precariously placed Yoda bobble head and one of the catchiest hashtags in the form of #TOURLIFE, Simon Edwards has built a brand centered around one of the Celebrating 25 years with silver, of lesser recognized trades from a fans perspective, VJing. course… Sometimes known by his monicker, Visual Jedi, he single BENCH go back,represents way back. Born in the ‘80s increative Manchester,video they werematerial, at the epicentre handedly Dash’s asof the club and street culture scene. So it’s no surprise that this year is going to be one big, a co-founder of for the brand long ballyhoo of a party them; becauseVisual that’s theArtform. way they roll.From Startingcreating things off with the release of theirtoStreet Tech Collection — combining technical fabrics withvisually subtle nods dragonfly’s a spinning sandstorm, Si’s job is to to their heritage — a silver hoody features Primaloft insulating technology engineered for embody each and every track of the Dash Berlin experience. extra warmth. DJ Mag has had a good ole touchy feel of the capsule and can confirm it’s

BENCHMARK

bang on trend. Ouch. Did we really just say that? Basically, it’s got all the specs to keep you snug and protected without looking you’re about to do a hike up Snowdon or some Si recently developed a like series of features regarding his such mountainous place. experiences of life on tour with the likes of Dash Berlin. Not We’ll be keeping you up-to-date with the next stage of their celebrations and a forthcoming competition. just a catchy hashtag, #TOURLIFE is a way for fans to get Bench.co.uk

a first hand glimpse of the happenings behind the scenes that only the DJ, or VJ, and company experience. He isn’t a solo act though. Si brings along a small Yoda figurine to accompany his journeys around the world in the perspective

PXL! Forward-thinking, best of British label…

LESS IS MORE... Our New Year Honours list

COLOUR OF THE MONTH… Yellow. It’s fresh and optimistic. It speaks of positive vibes and hope. And custard!

SWING... Or should that be shhwing? Get practicing your golfing skills in time for some leisurely summer action. And keep your balls neat and tidy courtesy get lost in the shuffle of pyro, LED’s, and CO2 of Daines and Hathaway — cannons when handmade and produced the isn’t meant the Visual Jedi is manning the stage. Hisinwork UK.

to detract from what the performer is doing, it’s there to complement the process.

FOOTSIE… We’re so over hashtag selfie. It’s all about the games forfootsie. the And Visual Jedi. VJ’sa work hashtag when you’re rocking cosy, expensive pair of socks from Pringle, ever changing world of live music. Si you’d better make the most of them.

It’s not all fun and in tandem with the discusses a recent outing where his work had to accompany a brand new set of material at last minute. “We did a show with Armin Van Buuren, ASOT Utrecht” “They were gonna show a lot of new music which was a big gamble. I think they played 6 or 7 new productions in a one hour set. What was really special about that show was that I only got the productions the day of the show, and I have to create visuals for all the new songs.” During the performance Dash opened with a brand new track that had not been designed for VJing yet. LOW LOVE… Yet again Hype make the list; this time with their low sneakers. Casual,

affordable and the perfect to you It’s unbelievable what goes on backstage asalternative many are aware. know which brand. Smiley face. DACRE is aJedi. fan of creativity. He’swith the founder creative director for PXL, a brand currently receiving a whole lot of TheBRACEY Visual We spoke Si toand chart his experiences You might not realize it but in some cases you are actually of worldwide support from cool kids and hip cats alike. Known and respected in the music industry, Dacre’s passion for with Dash started and crew along discover challenges video street culture in the early ‘90swith when he applied histhe design genius to flyersthat for club nightsviewing like La Cosathe Nostra and material crashing in front of you. “In a Sun City. He’s produced artwork Wiley, Tinie Pharrell, Nike and more. WESTWOOD… Join Vivienne are overcome each andforevery dayTempah, of life50onCent, tour. night I probably have ten crashes in a night.” Si describes The favourite of Example, Giggs, Wretch 32 to name a few, PXL can currently do no wrong. In their own words they are ‘a Westwood’s Climate Revolution Campaign. In the tactic that keeps thisfact trick trade hidden from premium streetwear brand dedicated to geeks, Keek freaks, nerds, neaks’. Nuff said. if youof dothe one thing in January it should be the Pxlclothing.comSi worked as a DJ in his previous life. Moreover to join a campaign somesystems description.running. Get Fortunately audience watching. “I actually have of two involved. this helped him solidify an appreciation for what the artists [If] that goes down, I have my backup ready.” “FROM what started out as a hobby to now a full he collaborates with are doing on stage whilefledged he VJ’s. brand has definitely shocked me,” explains Hype co-founder Liam Green. Alongisn’t with the only TOOdance GOOD… GoodHood The challenge of associating visuals with a track is less e The DJ world music wingStore’s thatown is ripe th d in Beh Aidy Lennox, it’s only two years since they first brand and lifestyle collection has got us strenuous in this case. “For me, being a DJ before I moved with controversy. Electronic music aficionados have blasted started out and now they’re showcasing in China, extremely hot under the collar. We predict rand b the USaffect and Europe. Boasting new cut andfor sew playing pre-recorded more gorgeousnesssets. this year. saving! more into the visual side of things, it doesn’t really performers SiStart describes the itemsat andthe ladies wear pieces, the brand is now me. I was resident DJ at Gatecrasher. I was a resident VJ’s world equivalent to this short coming; stocked in Topshop. “Sticking with our reputation worlds largest club... I just want the crowd to feelforlike they “With this resurgence ofHIBERNATION… young VJ’s who ‘wacky’ prints and vibrant colour ways, we expectbe to shock and fans alike withsoftware, and January are connecting with what we do on stage.” “I wouldn’t as our critics download the dohas a wealth of future collections,” Liam goes on to say. possibilities. Many good at doing a live visual show if it wasn’t for the DJing.been a swift youtube ripsshifting from youtube, It’s certainly migration from people bugger off for a few t-shirts the high street. two wave oftheVJ’s month. Others The reason why I’m different than 90 percent of the visualto hitting you’ve gotThe this friends were on summer breaks from Uni when get fit. Some stay artists out there is because of my time as a DJ.” coming through that are really they decided rather than spending it kicking back indoors. Bershka’s cheap.” Of course there are the other that they’d dabble in creating a brand. One of cosy pants are all their first designs was the statement: Get Your about curling up by Si comments on the sensationalizing of live performance professionals who distance themselves Own Fucking Lighter. And when they released a a fire. using over-bearing visuals. from mentality, Si included. “All cosmos themed collection earlythis last year it was clear they were on to something. animators, all really good with the Hype. We salute you! “It’s still about the music and the club, and maintaining the timing. We don’t just make pretty club vibe.” The aforementioned is something that doesn’t flowers and stuff like that.”

CONNECTED

HYPE

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SELFIES, HASHTAGS AND

THE CHAINSMOKERS By Rachael D’Amore

Smartphones. Next to pants, they’re just about the only other thing we can’t leave the house without nowadays. In a world reliant on connectivity, technology has breathed new life into how we document our generation. The biggest trend of all: selfies. Virtually impossible to escape, it’s no wonder the dance music scene has taken hold of the phenomenon and moulded it into a larger-than-life culture. At the heart of the selfie craze are two well-groomed Manhattan-based producers, The Chainsmokers, with their dance music anthem of this smartphone generation: #SELFIE. Hard to believe no one’s thought of it before, isn’t it? The up-tempo dance track has propelled to the top of Beatport charts, been signed to Dim Mak and cruised 14

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into Billboard’s Hot 100. But Alex Pall and Drew Winter are celebrating something else – food. “Like, we got a free dinner just now, it’s the little victories,” said Alex, jutting a fist in the air. “We simply appreciate everything.” According to their joint biography, these two twentysomething’s have “each graduated from prestigious North-Eastern Universities, like hot chicks in yoga pants, enjoy a good burger, and have been rejected from many of the venues they now play at.” But aside from their obvious wit, Alex and Drew have a relentless worth ethic that leaves no uncertainty to their success. They claim that Drew is the “super producer” and an equally involved Alex is “much more talented on the side of building a brand and discovering artists to

work with and pushing for it.” Unlike many artists who rely on managers for marketing and promotion, The Chainsmokers are proudly hands-on in all aspects of their work. But surprisingly, they don’t attribute their “prestigious education” to these skills or their successes. “Music feels like the only thing we’re really good at,” said Alex. “University made us realize that, pretty much.” As indie-progressive style producers, the two built their following with successful remixes of indie bands and artists, wild show-antics and an incredibly relatable Twitter presence. They’re not aren’t afraid to make fun of themselves and handle the inevitable criticism on #SELFIE with a tasteful realism that goes beyond their years. “Honestly, you know you did something right when you have so many people talking about it. There’s no such thing as something being entirely positive, everyone will put a spin on something.” Since #SELFIE’s rise to popularity, critical jabs have come in all shapes and sizes for The Chainsmokers. Some have said that the track was something “teenagers are too smart for,” while others cut right to the chase and deemed it “the worst song of 2014.” Their ultimate defense? A perpetually budding fan base. And jokes. Lots of jokes. “We’ve probably had so many more people say it [#SELFIE] was great. I think it’s great. I mean, they asked Fatboy Slim about it, and it’s cool to see that. And somebody asked us what we think about his comments and we just say that we’ll have the charts speak for themselves.” Whether you decide to like #SELFIE or not ultimately comes down to personal tastes, but the art of selfietaking itself is something Drew and Alex are actually quite passionate about. They challenge the idea that selfie’s are a reflection of youth narcissism by referring to a quote by Vampire Weekend front-man Ezra Koenig. Koenig once said that “anybody who’s anti-selfie is really just a hater because why shouldn’t people take pictures of themselves…I don’t need to see a picture of the sky, the trees, plants. There’s only one you.” The Chainsmokers feel the same.

“But obviously we’re not touching too deeply into that with #Selfie,” Alex adds. “It’s more about having fun and partying.” Judging by the trail of mid-show Instagram selfie’s from each #SELFIE Tour stop - that’s exactly what they’ve been doing. The guys have even been added to the roasters of a few large-scale festivals, including seven shows throughout Miami Music Week. “It’s cool, months ago we were like ‘we just need to get a song on Beatport’ and now we’re on iTunes. This is really happening, big time,” said Alex. “We have a bunch of stuff coming. Everyone is saying ‘the world is our oyster,’ but I guess we’ll wait and see what will happen.” So, what’s to come after #SELFIE? Some are skeptical of it becoming merely a novelty hit; comparing it to the boom and bust of popular tracks like “Harlem Shake” and “Molly.” But the guys are quick to reject that idea, emphasizing the success of their other remixes like Bastille’s “Flaws” and their most recent remix of Chromeo’s “Jealous.” Not to mention having a slew of sold-out shows on their #SELFIE Tour. “You can’t think about that. You just make what you think is cool and keep putting it out. We have such a big team behind us now after #Selfie, so hopefully the music we make going forward will always be better than anything we’ve ever done before,” said Drew. “A lot of artists don’t get a lot of spotlight like this and we’ve always known this. But in terms of our music, we’re just constantly trying to push ourselves.” As for their favourite kind of selfie, the answer was unanimous: “Definitely girl gym selfies, with yoga pants.”

“I think people think selfie’s are like some narcissistic cultural phenomenon, but I think it is what it is,” said Drew. “It’s a way we connect with one another and we just wanted [the video] to be as big of a statement of what our popular culture is going through right now.” www.djmag.ca

BY JEREMY JAMES Sharam Tayebi

took his first steps in Tehran, Iran, before moving to Washington, D.C. in 1985. A few years later he crossed paths with Ali Shirazinia at a D.C. nightclub in 1988. Both in their early 20’s, the two IranianAmericans bonded over a strong interest in underground house music and began making tracks together. They came together to form Deep Dish in 1992, and would soon become known for making top notch remixes for artists like Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Coldplay and Janet Jackson. Undoubtedly responsible for putting D.C. on the map, being the first house music tag team hailing from the capital, and arguably became one of the most successful electronic music groups of all time. The duo had created all kinds of music while flawlessly straddling the line between mainstream recognition and underground respect. From original productions like “High Frequency,” “Come Back” and ‘Stray Gold’, to next level remixes such as ‘Say hello’ and grammywinning tracks like ‘Thank You’, they were all over the charts from 1998-2005. After an extremely successful run making music together, the two decided to go their separate ways and pursue solo projects which led to the breakup of Deep Dish in 2006. Ali became known as Dubfire, and explored minimal techno music, whereas as Sharam went the way of a more diverse production repetoir. “The records that I make could be in this part of the genre, or that part of the genre. As long as they are meaningful. Because I am one of those people that does go from here to there, but as 16

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long as it’s meaningful to people. When I do it of course it’s meaningful to me, so if people can recognize that, that makes me happy.” Sharam has stayed extemely active during his solo career, playing in some of the world’s best clubs and music festivals, as well as having his own radio podcast entitled ‘Wildcast’. Along with playing sets at some of the world’s hottest clubs, Sharam has been a resident at legendary party spots including London’s Ministry of Sound, Output and District 36 in New York, LAX in Los Angeles and the Wynn in Las Vegas. The Tehran native goes on to describe what puts these musical hubs on the map; “Three key elements that make a scene work. A great promoter, a great sound system, and a great club. If you get those 3 elements right the crowds are going to be there. A great promoter knows what to bring for the people, in terms of what DJ to bring for what sort of style. But the sound system is THE most important thing. If you’ve got all those elements in place it doesn’t matter where you are in the world. If you build it, they will come - field of dreams baby!” Sharam has taken part in some of the world’s most outstanding music festivals like Tomorrowland, BPM Festival in Mexico, Wavefront, Burning Man, and most recently Igloofest in Montreal. Like the majority of DJ’s that have been lucky enough to headline Montreal’s icy outdoor winter festival or Toronto’s ‘Brrrrr Winter Music Festival’, Sharam’s experience was that of bewilderment. ‘”Igloofest is very unique, one of the most unique

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places I’ve ever played. Not as a city, but as a party. It was just amazing, I had a great time! I think people really connected and its a testament to this festival. I loved the fact that everybody was all bundled up and it was like, raver party! You know, it was amazing!” Sharam kicked off his official podcast, ‘Wildcast’, in January of 2009 and it has just passed the 80 episode mark. Wildcast has developed a strong following over the years from those who tune in to him regularly and differs from other DJ podcasts as it features mainly live sets. Broadcasting primarily live sets on a podcast, comes with it’s fair share of difficulties. It can be hard for DJs to avoid playing the same record during their live performances if it’s a song especially when it’s a crowd favorite. In order not to fall into the trap of sounding like a pre-programmed radio show, Sharam’s creative strategy is trickier than you think. “To play the same record but try to go from a different record to that record, and do something on top of it. So on top of what I’m doing for the crowd, there’s a second layer going on. And I’m like, okay for the people that listen to my stuff every week, I’ll have to do something a little bit different. So it makes it more challenging for me, because a lot of people just program their set, and I’ve never been a believer in that. I like being organic. For me, it’s important to play it a little bit different, I don’t want to be like a juke box. It’s one of those things that I’ve always been against. I’m playing for that one guy, or that one girl that knows me better than I do. So if I can impress that one person who has seen me like 30 times, than everybody else is a walk in the park.” It’s no secret the dance release market has been incredibly robust in both Canada and all over North America, especially within the last few years. It used to be rare to hear any kind of electronic music on our local radio stations, but these days sampling the latest tracks from DJ’s has become the norm. It’s seemingly great news for everyone in the sense that nearly everything that happens is now getting elevated mainstream support. On the other hand, it is becoming harder to tell the difference between a DJ and a performer as new pop influenced tracks are getting major support from the last man standing; radio. “The problem is driven by radio. Their programers suck! They don’t know. They are just programming 18

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all day to save their jobs and they are afraid of taking risks. If their program director says they lost ratings because they played some underground shit that people didn’t know they might lose their jobs. So they’ll play this same record over and over again. What does that do for our scene, nothing! So that’s what it’s about. It ain’t about Vegas, it ain’t about Montreal, or any other city for that matter it’s about the entities that feed it, radio stations.” Whether you are a fan that listens to a variety of podcasts, or one that goes out to see live shows every so often, chances are you do it because you enjoy it. Sharam comments on the subjectivity of this case; “There’s a misconception that you are either EDM cheese or underground cool. I don’t think that’s the case. The same people that come to the parties can appreciate both. They just want to have a good time. It has nothing to do with, are you this side or that side? Are you EDM, are you underground, are you trance, are you house? It doesn’t matter, people just want to go have a good time and appreciate dance music.” In any case, Sharam is as motivated as ever to keep sending underground vibes through his podcasts and through sound systems in clubs around the world. In terms of plans for the future, Sharam is keeping the quality associated with his solo productions unobstructed by the rise of pop music in the electronic world. “Not making shit records. That’s my ambition. I mean, as an artist you always want to do your best. Everybody thinks they are going to do the best they can do. I just feel like I want to make a difference, you know. For me it’s important to continue making meaningful records.” Now Sharam is set to return to his roots, teaming back up with Dubfire in one of the most talked about stories to hit the dance music community. This all started when a puzzling timer appeared on DeepDish.com, which curiously counted down to the Miami’s Winter Music Conference. The yearly rumour mill has since been put to rest following the release of ‘Quincy’, the first record from Deep Dish in eight years. The concrete announcement that the two legends will be stepping on stage together once again on March 29th to play at Ice Palace Studio in Miami, Florida collectively gave goosebumps to music lovers around the world. With a couple Canadian dates lined up, a brand new Essential Mix, and one of the most anticipated reunion concerts of all time on the horizon, 2014 is starting of with a bang for Sharam. After the international success Deep Dish enjoyed early on as a group, to their continued success as solo artists, it is going to be phenomenal to finally have them back together.

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No doubt, there is a massive sound coming from Miami. It’s powerful and its turbulence is shaking through the barriers of genre associated with dance music. Furthermore, it’s influential in altering the minds and musical tastes buds of fans everywhere. Whether you enjoy a big-room sound or a heavy bass line, these two gents will have your ears locked in begging for more. If you haven’t already guessed who we’re talking about, its Matt Toth and Julio Mejia otherwise known as the compelling duo that makes up GTA. Genre has always been a concern for dance music devotees, especially with its boom over the past few years. Even the most die-hard fans will point fingers at their favorite artist for ignoring their subject matter. Yet, more and more artists have stepped out of their comfort zones applying their skills to

an eclectic array of genres and GTA is no stranger to that. In the end, genres will never remain the same and there is always room to evolve. Some may view it as taking a risk while others appreciate bravery to lay down a foundation for change. Matt said it keep things interesting in the studio when they experiment with different sounds. “A lot of the time people get fed up with making the same kind of sound over and over again, we kind of feel free to explore and try different things. As well in a lot of our DJ sets we play a bunch of different stuff to just to see how people like it. We pretty much just like to have people keep an open mind and try to appreciate all kinds of music.” GTA’s efforts and ability to master this style of production is certainly working in the duo’s favor. In 2008, they were regular dance music fans from Miami, walking through the gates of Ultra Music Festival as a party-goer. Now they are, just a few years later, the www.djmag.ca

We’re really excited about that. Some remixes, collaborations, playing festivals, touring.” Like GTA’s Death to Genres mixes the album will be a mix as well, leaving opportunity to feature their own new tracks as well as music they like from other producers. The compilation is also going to have a lot of raw material, including collaborations. “We were just in the studio with Skrillex not too long ago. We’re going to have some new stuff with Diplo, and What So Not. A bunch of people actually, a lot of vocalists. We’re trying to get a lot of vocals on our stuff and have more of a song structure rather than the classic club edit and stuff like that.”

ones slamming the decks on the UMF main stage. Perhaps, attending the festival and being part of a highly diverse and rich music culture has provided them with these instincts of producing. From hip-hop to salsa, Miami is a hub for all types of sounds and it certainly shines through their work. Julio reflects on attending Ultra Music Festival as a fan. “It’s just massive. There are so many people and so many different things going on. I’ve been in the Carl Cox Tent, A State of Trance, the main stage. It’s just something for everybody. The overall vibe is amazing, the way the fans get together and I just love it.” The boys have been hard at work in the studio preparing for the festival, which tells us they have a few tricks up their sleeves as they gear up to perform. “We just have a bunch of new music coming and we’re really excited to show everyone. A lot of these festivals are going to get lots of our premiers.” Aside from playing UMF, the pair continues to roll out their Death to Genres Tour and in part will also be playing a load of festivals including Coachella and Electric Daisy Carnival New York. If you think that’s all these guys are up to, you’re wrong. They just signed a record deal and have been slaving away in the studio, all while touring and getting prepared to kick off festival season. “We’re working on an album and we just signed a record deal with 360, which is a branch off of Warner Bros. 22

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The fact the duo are excelling in production skills and working with a new label is a clear indication of their dedication to succeed. All around, GTA are making big moves, having previously releasing tracks on Laidback Luke’s label Mixmash and Diplo’s label Mad Decent to moving towards a record label that manages more varied artists. When it comes down to it, GTA are adapting to the seemingly scary notion of change yet their hype sound remains to flourish throughout. At the rate GTA is going, there could be a chance their dream to work with Pharrell Williams and listen to him make beats all day will come true.

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BRITISH COLUMBIA - LOCAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

JOYSTICKS TO CDJ’S: COMBINING WORLDS WITH LANCE LASHERAS By Kurtis Hooper Having a hand in the scoring of the feature film, Hector and the Search For Happiness, it’s clear that Vancouver native, Lance Lasheras, is not just limited to the confines of a dark nightclub or a dimly lit home studio. Judging by the name the DJ duo he performs under with his friend Justin Kimbo, ‘Contra’ insinuates he has a sense for more than the general archetype of an electro producer, or that he is an addict of one of the toughest Nintendo games out there. Lance also has a hand in a genre bending platformer that crosses the worlds of electronic music and video games. Partnered with Matt Roszak, an ex Double Helix employee, the two programmers have sought to revolutionize mobile platform gaming all whilst simplifying a video game style that has been nearly missing since the early 90’s. With support form both electronic artists and Canadians alike, Super Adventure Mega Quest has had involvement from Dan Mangan, Alex Mind, The Frederik, Prototype Raptor, Ryan Enzed, and Marc Remillard. It’s no secret that Vancouver is a boiling pot of inspired people. From some of the most prolific dubstep producers of all time, to several big name video game studios, there’s something about the west coast city that screams ambition. “As a port city Vancouver gets an incredible amount of talent traveling through the city. If you draw inspiration from other people’s work then you’re constantly being treated to what the world has to offer.” Lance describes the thriving music scene from the point of view of a consumer. Although the populace doesn’t have the traffic or expanse that New York City or San Francisco do, Vancouver has a deep music community when pulling bak the layers. “The underground scene is also really interesting. Really unique scenes pop up all over the place and operate like little families to sustain themselves.” Inspired by both the music community and his involvement witht he game developing scene, Lance brings a mobile game that blends both his first loves together. “Mobile was initially the easiest way to get the game 24

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out to the most amount of people. Not everyone has a 3DS or a Vita but nearly everyone has a smart phone.” Of course, everything comes with stages of challenge. Much like escalating through video game levels themselves, Lance reflects on bringing an old school video game style to a new school device. “Trying to finally perfect platforming controls on a mobile device. With the lack of a D-Pad this is really tricky, so we had to invent an entirely new control scheme. With enough fundraising in the Kickstarter we’re hoping to port it to every system we can. As gamers ourselves we’d love to see it running on the PS4 or Wii U.” When asked about his pride in bridging these two worlds Lance explained; “Having a musical background, it seemed only natural. I think a lot of electronic producers are inspired by video game music. Look at Zedd remixing the Legend of Zelda theme, or Deadmau5 covering his body in space invader tattoos. I guess with it going back into the video game itself it’s finally come full circle.” Lance cites a Marcus Brigstocke quote to sum up the connection between video games, and dance music. “If Pac-Man had affected us as kids, we’d all be running around in dark rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive electronic music.” I think a lot of the EDM producers are nerds at heart, who grew up on video games. You can hear the inspiration from that in their productions.”

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ALBERTA - LOCAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

DEFUNK – THE ART OF HIGH FUNK-TION By K. Lea

ometimes you see someone that’s just meant to do something. In the case of Defunk, he puts the fun in funk and the de in destiny – it was his destiny to funk things up. He’s definitely cranking out some of the hottest tunes in bass music at the moment. With a love for collaborations and musical instruments, Defunk brings an abundance of unique elements into his productions, solidifying his own identity. His motto is “never too drunk to funk,” but one could also argue he’s never to smooth to groove, never to crass to shake that ass, and never to bassy to get ravey. With love from huge talents such as Pretty Lights, a new album in the works and a move to the UK on the horizon, Defunk is set to have another huge year in 2014. 2013 WAS A HUGE YEAR FOR YOU. YOU TOURED INTERNATIONALLY, HIT UP THE UK, AUSTRALIA, DID THE WEST COAST FESTIVAL 26

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THING, PLUS RELEASED A TON OF MUSIC. IN YOUR EYES WHAT WERE THE MOST EXCITING THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN 2013? Well undoubtedly the tours in the UK and Australia were the most exciting, being that they put me out of my element in a new culture and environment I’d not yet played in. The people were great, the experiences were unbelievable and more over I did them without an agent or management so I had a huge sense of accomplishment. In terms of the single most amazing thing that happened to me this year though, I would have to say it was my laptop being replaced. I was traveling from London to Thailand to backpack for a few weeks so I sent my gear bag and laptop in a parcel delivery to Australia. When it arrived I was told the laptop had been taken out of the bag / stolen, so I turned to my fans as one of my only options. Within 5 days people had donated enough money to get a new one and continue my tour in Australia. It was magical.

TAKING STOCK AT THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW YEAR, DID YOU HIT ALL YOUR GOALS? I came pretty close. I achieved my goal of going full time with music as a career. I achieved my goals of touring the UK and expanding my fanbase in a huge way, hitting 10,000 followers this year, and hitting one million plays on soundcloud. I also nailed my goal of making a full, all original album that intended to push the limits of glitch hop, and I think I did just that especially seeing how it charted and is now up for awards. (UK Glitch Hop Awards) The only goal I didn’t hit was getting onto an agency and getting management. That one I am still working on. PERHAPS THIS WASN’T A GOAL, BUT I HEARD YOUR MUSIC GOT SOME PLAY FROM PRETTY LIGHTS RECENTLY, WHICH I THINK IS REALLY COOL. HOW DID THAT FEEL? It definitely wasn’t a goal, but it has blown my mind. Along with Opiuo and Koan Sound, Pretty Lights is one of my top artists and influences. I’ve met and partied with Opiuo, and I’ve had dinner and chatted with Koan Sound, so the only thing I need to do is have coffee with Derek (PL) I guess haha. But in all honesty, I had wanted to remix Total Fascination for a few years and I was surprised no one had. When I put it out for a free download it was just merely a VIP for myself, but then Supervision from the PL family picked it up and showed it to Derek, and not only did he message me personally about the song but he is now playing it in his live shows in front of tens of thousands of people. There are some serious opportunities for me in 2014 and I’m definitely going to attempt to release something under the Pretty Lights Music label. FOR YOU TO FEEL YOU’D “MADE IT”, WHAT WOULD HAVE TO HAPPEN? It’s a hard question, because the longer I do this the more I realize you’re never really satisfied. That is part of being an artist I guess, coupled with the fact that you

never really know how many people listen to your stuff and would recognize your name on a global scale. For me to feel like I’ve made it, honestly I would just need to be making a living off my music so I feel comfortable and don’t have to scrounge pennies to take the bus to job applications (yes I did that this year). I don’t need to be a rich man, but I am waiting to have a steady income of constant gigs and enough money to live. The constant gigging and festival circuits is a good sign you’re in demand, so I guess I would need to feel demanded in constant throughout the year. THAT BEING SAID, DO YOU THINK IT’S POSSIBLE TO “MAKE IT” FROM CALGARY? I think its possible to ‘make it’ from anywhere. My biggest influences are my close friends, because we’ve grown up together and our musical tastes have as well. Calgary is an interesting city in the fact that it’s not really interesting. There is a growing art scene, but oil and beef and big trucks are still the norm and it’s generally not known for its artistic merit underneath the large corporate vibe. We have a great bass scene here in Calgary though and I’ve been blessed to be able to catch so many good shows throughout the years, so I’ve definitely been exposed to good music. In terms of large producers that have come from Calgary, there are very few. I feel like I’m somewhat of an alien here in Calgary because all the artists I’ve been musically inspired by I’ve only listened to on the net. I’ve kept my head down for a couple of years and started out by playing out of town and eventually getting known in the city a lot later. When I finally did I think people were thinking “where the hell did this guy come from?” With the Internet, SoundCloud and Facebook you can make it anywhere especially if all your music is produced on a laptop. I HEARD YOU HAVE PLANS IN THE WORKS TO RELOCATE TO THE UK. WAS THAT SPAWNED BY YOUR TRIP OVER THERE LAST YEAR? Absolutely. There is something so vibrantly different about the UK, from the people and the way they dance, to the customs and traditions, to the language and lingo, to the historical aspect and the environment. The music there is like one big bubbling cauldron of ideas and inspiration. It feels like Hollywood if it was the size of an island. I’ve been in one city my whole life and I’m up for a change. I’ve come to know myself a lot better these last few years and I know that I need to switch things up for a life change, if only for a while. I figure I’ll www.djmag.ca

ALBERTA - LOCAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

give the UK a shot and yes I am intending to move there. I am currently saving up for the visa and about half way to victory, so by the time festival season comes around I intend to move and stay for as long as I need. I’m very excited, but I can’t ignore the possibly of landing some very good opportunities in the American market that might keep me here a little longer. I KNOW YOU’RE A BIG FAN OF COLLABORATING, AND HAVE BEEN VOCAL ABOUT WANTING TO COLLABORATE WITH AS MANY INSTRUMENTS AS POSSIBLE. YOU’VE WORKED ON A TRACK WITH A HARMONICA, A GUITAR, OBVIOUSLY YOU’VE DONE A LOT WITH VOCALISTS SUCH AS VINDALOO... DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC INSTRUMENTS OR ARTISTS YOU’RE GUNNING TOWARDS THIS YEAR? I’m a fan of exotic instruments and sounds, anything that pushes the norm. I used to make Arabian dubstep, then I did swing for a while, now blues and disco and soul. I’m looking to work with a lot more brass players, guitarists, as well as possibly some piano players and maybe even some bagpipes. I don’t want to limit myself, and as I continue to develop some of the songs I’m writing on the right instruments will become clear to me. I’ve got a bunch of new vocalists I’ve scoped out that I’m intending to work with. I’ve met some great local hiphop artists and I like the idea of supporting local talent. I’m also going to work with some choice picks from the last album who are just too good not to, and I’m sure as the months roll on I will meet and possibly record more artists to make some really interesting music. WILL ANY OF THIS BE ON THE ALBUM I’VE READ ABOUT? IS IT A FULL LENGTH? Yes, that is my main focus right now. There will be a little bit of a dry spell for Defunk for a little while, maybe the odd free download here and there but I’m going full force on a completely new and fresh album. It’s going to be full length, bigger and longer than Welcome to Groove City was although I’m changing up the way I’m writing songs. On the last album, I made long, epic, two or three part songs that were experimental in nature. For this release I’m making twice as many songs, but they will be shorter and some of them will be straight to the point and a lot better for DJ play-out. So far I have so good variety, and the main goal of this album is to make something that is totally fresh 28

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and has never been heard before. I’m looking to blend all new inspirations and sounds in such as disco, UK garage, dnb, rnb, hip hop and soul. These will be paired with what I’m known for of course; the funk and retro vibe and a glitch hop backbone. I’m super excited with the 8 songs I’ve been working on so far and I have so many more ideas to try out. Some of them will work, and some of them won’t but I’m extremely anxious to let people hear it. WELL, IT SOUNDS LIKE 2014 IS GOING TO BE EVEN BIGGER AND BETTER THAN 2013. AN ALBUM, A MOVE... WHAT ELSE WILL YOU BE UP TO? I HEARD SOMETHING ABOUT A MUSIC VIDEO... I’m just going to be keep on keeping on. I’m trying to get an agency and management to take care of all my business and gigging so that I can focus entirely on music production. I’m hoping to add live bass guitar and harmonica at some point this year, which will mean a more dynamic live set instead of just spinning on CDJs. I’m also (possibly) going to be doing some live vocal work, because yeah, I used to sing a little bit. And yes, I’m looking to put together a music video with the help of my good friends Sarah Koury and Ben Leonard, both amazing artists in their respective industries. It will be for the new album, hopefully coming out this spring / summer. TO WRAP UP, I WANT TO ASK YOU SOMETHING A LITTLE UNCONVENTIONAL. WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF LIFE ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED, OR COINED YOURSELF FROM YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES? I don’t know where I heard it, but the 10,000 hours rule to get good at something. It’s absolutely true to the bone that you have to spend ridiculous amounts of hours in this industry before you get anywhere. Every day, every night, making music and making connections. It’s all worth it though, because then you get to live and breathe your passion. The biggest advice that I’ve coined myself is “prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and expect anything” I think this is true of all walks of life.

hanks to Defunk for taking the time to talk. Watch for all of his upcoming projects in 2014. Hopefully we can all look forward to a Defunk/Pretty Lights collaboration in the near future. Fans can dream too, right?

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ALBERTA - LOCAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

SKIITOUR – MUSIC AND MOGULS By K. Lea

kiiTour have become famous for bringing all the best parts of the slopes into the club. Not just amazing vintage outfits, but full on blizzards. Whether it’s hot or indoors, when the guys play there literally is a flurry. Fans and performers alike dress in their best ski hill gear and flock to the dancefloor to frolic under flakes of actual snow. It’s a fact that SkiiTour bring a snow machine to every show, creating a signature atmosphere along with their signature sound. With tracks cracking into Beatport charts in 2013, SkiiTour have proven they’re a lot more than just a snowy gimmick. They have real talent in the studio, and a passion for music as well as fun. This combines into a really unique environment at their shows, where smiles on the dance-floor are as commonplace as parkas. ALRIGHT GUYS, CLEARLY, TOGETHER YOU’VE GOT CHARISMA. DID YOU FIGURE THIS OUT BY COMPARING YOUR TOP FIVE INDIVIDUAL DANCE MUSIC ALBUMS BEFORE PARTNERING UP? OR WAS IT A SCENE STRAIGHT OUT OF A ROMANCE MOVIE WHERE TIME STOOD STILL IN A CROWDED ROOM? Tim: One fateful day back in the summer of 2010, the stars aligned and our paths crossed at the Whistler baseball diamond. We had both been living in Whistler for a few years at that point but somehow had never met. Throwing all caution to the wind, we were DJing together a week later. It was pretty obvious we were on the same page as we both cued up the exact same track to play about ten times that night. Things moved pretty fast after that. The next week we starting making jams in the studio, and we haven’t looked back since then. It did take at least a month before we were comfortable farting in front of each other. If we would go back to that time again, it would be great. We are currently looking at the top 10 plants for air purification, as something needs to done about the air quality in the studio. IT SEEMS LIKE THINGS REALLY CAME TOGETHER FOR YOU GUYS AT SHAMBHALA THIS YEAR. I COULDN’T HELP BUT NOTICE THE SNOWSUIT IN THE BLAZING HEAT. ARE SNOWSUITS YOUR VERSION OF THE PLAYOFF BEARD? 30

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Tim: Our time-slot was amazing as we were the second act playing at the festival, and there were only two stages open at that point. As soon as we found out what time our set was, plans were immediately put in motion to throw an an Aprés Skii party as we knew there would be thousands of people ready to start raging. Dave: Life in Whistler has taught us that that some of the best parties are mid-afternoon parties. The far corners of the Internet were scoured for vintage ski suits and we put ourselves in the red buying a movie-grade snow machine. We loaded a couple pairs of skis on top of our car and drove out to the farm. Tim: As it was the middle of summer, we expected it to be hot but we didn’t know that we would have no shade until we saw the brand-new stage setup at the AMPhitheater. It was 35 degrees Celsius when we donned the snowsuits & jumped on stage. We really bounce around a lot when we’re performing so within five minutes they were completely drenched in sweat. In fact it was so hot that both our computers glitched out in the heat & we couldn’t play our last couple tracks. It was such a magical time for us that Dave has refused to wash his snowsuit since Shambhala – he doesn’t want to wash off the magic. WE’RE SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OLYMPICS. WHY AREN’T YOU GUYS IN SOCHI SHOWING THE WORLD HOW TO SKI WITH STYLE? SURELY YOU WOULD HAVE WON A MEDAL! Tim: Funny that you should ask. We’ve been in intense training for synchronized moguls for the last couple of years, but our Olympic dreams were dashed when we found out that it isn’t an official sport. However that isn’t going to put a damper on our training. IF YOU WERE SELECTED TO MAKE THE MUSIC FOR THE OPENING GAMES, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE? NOT SURE IF YOU CAUGHT THE TRANCE OR NOT ... Dave: We didn’t catch the opening ceremonies, as

we were too busy preparing our opening set for the 2018 Winter Olympic in Korea. There’s no way we will be able to top our hero Tiësto’s performance at the Athens Olympics. He is a chiseled Greek god and such an inspiration to us. Last week Tim was driving in Vancouver & was cut-off by a Jeep that had a personalized ‘TIESTO’ license plate. This was such an amazing coincidence that Tim knew no one would believe him unless he got a photograph. So at the next red light he pulled out his phone and snapped a couple photos but in the excitement of the moment he forgot to turn off his flash. The guy in the Jeep turns his head and eyed him up after he took the photos. Not thinking too much of it, he pulled up beside the Jeep at the next light. This older guy in the Jeep unrolled his window a leaned way out with a rolled up paper in his hand. He was blasting trance music and motioned that he wanted to give Tim something. Turns out that rolled up paper was an autographed Tiësto poster. True story.

YOU GUYS HAVE BECOME FAMOUS FOR BRINGING A SNOW MACHINE TO YOUR SHOWS. WAS IT AN OLD FAMILY HEIRLOOM? Tim: It was an old family heirloom but not from our family. It was made in the middle of 1800s by the legendary Snow family from northern Winterfell. Although they used to be royalty, this family eventually ended up running a traveling circus that was world renowned for its African animal selection. The circus was constantly losing money though so the Snow family had to keep it afloat by crafting snow machines on the side. When the Great Four Year Blizzard happened at the turn of the century the snow machine market tanked and the family was on the verge of bankruptcy. In a desperate move they decided to immigrate to Canada and try to rebuild their lives. It was illegal to possess a snow machine in Canada at that time so the family had to smuggle it in. Don’t really want to get into the details of how that happened but if you know www.djmag.ca

ALBERTA - LOCAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

the watch story from Pulp Fiction you can figure that out. They did own an elephant. So this is a one-of-akind snow machine, and is a very valuable and rare piece of equipment. We are lucky to have a chance to own this piece of history no matter how much we had to pay for it. At least that’s the story told to us by the shifty salesman we bought it off of.

was amazing enough, but then the lovely chap offered to trade that vest for Tim’s favourite vintage puffy vest. Of course Tim went for it, and that was a pretty special feeling. However, we feel we will have ‘made it’ when we’re able to afford a high-end lawyer prosecute to the fullest extent of the law anyone caught making unlicensed knock-off SkiiTour gear.

SKIITOUR HAS HAD A FAIR AMOUNT OF SUCCESS THIS YEAR WITH RELEASES, CRACKING WELL INTO THE BEATPORT CHARTS. WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THAT FRONT? Tim: We’ve been amazed at the chart success that we’ve received so far. Although it’s great to see that people are willing to spend money on music we have created, we’ve decided to give away most of our releases for free, as we want them to be accessible to as many people as possible. Dave: The last year has seen us producing a lot of house tracks, so keep an eye on our SoundCloud for some upcoming freebies. Not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing but we have had more days in the studio than on the mountain this year. A new collaboration with Slynk is in the works and we got some original tunes coming out soon on Westwood Recordings. Work has also commenced on the follow up to Groomer Grooves, which was our first chill mixtape. We’ve had so much great feedback on that mix … apparently it’s a popular soundtrack for bedroom activities.

I’D LIKE TO END OFF ON A MORE SERIOUS TIP. INDIVIDUALLY, I’D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE EVER HEARD OR COINED YOURSELF FROM EXPERIENCE? Dave: Don’t eat yellow snow (from experience).

HILARIOUS! YOU SHOULD MENTION SOMETHING ABOUT BEDROOM ACTIVITIES IN THE LINER NOTES OF VOLUME TWO! DO YOU GUYS THINK IT WOULD IT BE MORE TORTUROUS TO END UP ON A DESERT ISLAND WITH NO SNOW, OR NO MUSIC? Tim: Life without music would be like a hot-tub without water. That’s why it’s so important to protect your hearing. Ever time you’re in a nightclub or at a festival, you should always have ear protection. Earplugs are cheaper than hearing-aid batteries. THAT’S THE TRUTH, BUT NOT SOMETHING A LOT OF PEOPLE TAKE SERIOUSLY ... WHAT WOULD HAVE TO HAPPEN TO FEEL LIKE YOU GUYS HAD “MADE IT”? Dave: Last night in Calgary, this guy showed up with a retro ski vest that had a homemade SkiiTour patch sewn on the back. To think that somebody enjoyed our music so much that they decided to use a sewing machine 32

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Tim: Keep your tips up!

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PRARIES - LOCAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

EDM IN PAKISTAN By Kevin Fawley

innipeg, Canada’s READYMIX DJs, Dan Lacho and Colin Shots, had the rare opportunity to perform at a full production outdoor electronic dance music event hosted by Sound Republic Pakistan called “XO” in Lahore, the second largest metropolitan city in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

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Lahore is not the Pakistan you hear about in the news... ¬†It is one of the most densely populated cities in the world with over 12.5 million residents over an area of only 684 square miles and referred to as the cultural heart of Pakistan as it hosts most of the arts, cuisine, festivals, film-making, music, and intelligentsia of the country. ¬†It is the capitol of the largest Pakistani province and has a rich history dating back over a millennium. North American dance music is very new to Pakistan and still semi-underground as this third world country is rooted in Islam, experiences censorship and lacks some of the equipment and technology to produce large events seen in other parts of the world. Bars and dance clubs are non-existent in Pakistan due to the fact that alcohol is basically illegal in the country. The lack of venues makes music and dance events scarce, let alone festivals, so events of this scale take place outdoors on private property. The “festival season”, which also happens to be wedding season, occurs between November and March while temperatures are cooler and bearable.

class. An attendance of 400 people is massive since the dance music scene is just starting to flourish. Safety was a priority so the festivalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s location was ingeniously selected. The entire farm house property was walled and private armed security was hired. Behind the stage stood a large brick wall and watch tower with an armed guard looking over. Guests personal security guards were not permitted to attend the festival. As strict as this may sound, it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t impede the crowd from letting loose and having the time of their lives in a country so deeply founded in religion and traditions.

Not too many companies dabble in events of this size and caliber due to the massive hurdles that must be overcome. The past few years have seen the most progress for electronic music events in Pakistan. Admission was open to couples or single females only, no single males, to foster a positive and safe environment for guests; who generally consists of celebrities, politicians, professionals and the upper

The production of XO took a lot of dedication and hard work. Unlike most countries where events may seem commonplace; quality lighting and sound equipment are hard to come across in Pakistan. There are no one-stop audio/visual rental companies in Pakistan. Most of equipment used for the festival was acquired by combining the resource pool of several different vendors including a local TV station. Quality sound had to be trucked in 16 hours away from the city of Karachi. Everything including the DJ booth, stage and the raised wooden VIP area was built by hand without the use of any power tools. XO Festivalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s final product was mind blowing! They managed to assemble 40 moving heads, a few LED washes, lasers, fog machines, and even a confetti cannon. There were even fire cannons on the agenda but they failed to arrive on time. All those lights with an impressive sound system consisting of 12 pairs of stadium standard tops and 8 pairs of bass subs set atop a hand built 30 ft x 20 ft stage. Due to load shedding (rotating power-outages throughout the city), three large diesel generators were brought in to provide www.djmag.ca

PRARIES - LOCAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

however the dessert oriented flavours were much more enjoyable. ¬†It is custom for the server to shove the entire paan into your mouth. The intent is to slowly chew and suck on it; regularly spitting or swallowing the sweet variety of flavours while feeling slightly energized.

reliable power for the sound & lights. Even with the generators, the high power demands of the huge sound system and light show put a strain on the power supply. Setup started a solid 18 hours before the festival. Some crew members even brought sleeping bags and were napping under the stage waiting until the end of the night for teardown. As soon as the sun started setting the party quickly picked up. Before our set we needed a clean bathroom break and quick reliable food. We left to grab a quick bite to eat at the world renowned chain of golden arches. It’s not that we’re fans of American fast food, and a highlight of the trip was tasting local cuisine, but this was to avoid any potential gastric problems later in the night. Traffic flow in Pakistan keeps to the left side of the road so for us North Americans traveling around was always interesting. You never know when you’re going to pass a donkey pulled cart or see water buffalo being herded down a busy street. We even saw a guy shoving two live goats into the trunk of his sedan. One of the most interesting local delicacy we tried was paan, a stimulating and psychoactive preparation of the heart shaped betel leaf combined with areca nut. It is used as a digestif and breath freshener after a meal. Chewing paan is a very popular cultural tradition throughout Pakistan that dates back thousands of years. The mixture has many variations of ingredients according to the eater’s preferences wrapped into a neat little triangle shaped parcel. It is almost exclusively bought from street vendors with paan shops found at nearly every corner market. Chewing of the betel nuts causes red coloured salivation, and it is common to see spit stains on the ground around the shop. Paan rolling is an art form itself. Our first experience was with a traditional blend of ingredients, 36

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Returning to the mini festival site on the outskirts of the city we could feel the bass pounding down the country road. Deep House seems to be a very popular genre in the local scene as it’s what most of the opening acts played. We mingled and danced with the crowd however we were anxious to get on stage and kick it up a notch. It took us 24 hours to travel across the globe to Lahore and we just wanted give’r! In true READYMIX fashion, we brought party favours over from Canada: Hundreds of glow sticks, streamers and an array of inflatable animals to throw into the crowd. ¬†Glow sticks are uncommon, not readily available, and the crowd ate them up while they danced with monkeys and alligators. With 160 pounds of coloured paper raining down on us from the confetti cannon, we were constantly clearing off our DJ equipment. The crowd was rockin’ hard and not holding back. We were on stage for 3 hours until the generators started to bog down. It was fun to hang out afterwards, meet new people, trade stories, talk about cultural differences and find commonalities. Events like this are proof that music is a global phenomenon that cuts through politics and religion. The Pakistani the comunity is growing and international DJs are being brought in. Congratulations Sound Republic Pakistan, the bar has been raised and a higher standard has been set.

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ONTARIO - LOCAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

LOCAL LEGENDS: MC FLIPSIDE By Victor Bruzzone

formidable multi-talent who can credibly call himself a DJ, Producer, Songwriter, vocalist, and MC, Natale Pizzonia AKA Flipside has been active in both the dance and urban music scenes since the 1990s. A consistent music maker, and a staple at many of Toronto’s biggest club spots including The Guvernment, Uniun, and Ryze, a true Toronto legend. On top of performing on a regular basis, Toolroom, Ministry of Sound, CR2, Mau5Trap, ONELOVE, and Stealth are all music imprints included on Flipside’s release resume. On top of all that, Flipside owns two labels, PBR Recordings (Proper Beats and Rhymes), and DBR Recordings (Deeper Beats and Rhythms) that have released tracks from the likes of Prok & Fitch, Bart B More, Bass Jackers, Funkagenda, Carlo Lio, The Junkies, Jaceo, and Sonny Fodera.

He is a man who’s not afraid of sharing his opinions, and who always values artistic authenticity over charttopping hits. DJ Mag Canada got a chance to speak with Flipside, and absorb his wisdom on a wide range of issues including his thoughts on nightlife in Toronto, the current state of EDM, and some of his own quirky habits. WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR EARLY INFLUENCES? “Little Louie Vega, Masters at Work, hearing them, and Roger Sanchez, changed my life. I always listened to both hip-hop and house and they both continue to influence me a lot. I love proper underground hip-hop, R&B where people are telling a real story. Singers like De’Angelo, Mary J Blidge, singers where you really feel the emotions, Michael Jackson, Prince, Erykah Badu, David Bowie, Freddie Mercury. The core of my essence: house, proper underground hip-hop, jazz, nu-groove, urban, deep house, techno.” TELL ME ABOUT ONE OF YOUR EARLY BRAKES. “So I remember meeting Matt Casselman (Matt C), his cousin and I used to work together at Canada’s Wonderland and he told Matt C: “I have this friend, you should hear him, he knows how to DJ, he knows how to rhyme, he’s cool”. So Matt C, he gave me a chance at a Destiny Friday, and I went on the mic, and I remember it like it was yesterday. I just slaughtered the place! And like Matt C wanted me to rock the mic for him like every single time after that.”

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WHAT ROLE DO YOU SEE MCING PLAYING IN YOUR SETS? “You know, a lot of MCs are terrible, they talk way too much, I’m not trying to do that. I’m just trying to be like the salt and the pepper on a nice piece of meat. Give it a little enhancement, but that’s it. For me, getting on the mic and spinning is not weird because I grew up influenced by Detroit, New York and Chicago, so Hip-Hop and House. I’m carrying on the tradition of people like Tyree Cooper, KC Flightt, these are the guys who opened the door for me.” HOW HAS YOUR SOUND CHANGED OVER THE YEARS? “When I started this journey I was always a producer and a vocalist and I think in 1998-2002 I was doing so much underground music that people got used to that sound. When electro house got big in 2005 it was still rooted in house music, and I was like, you know I like this. And at the time, I genuinely liked it. But in the passed few years I’ve noticed an unfortunate trend where one song pops and then there’s like ten thousand people that try to make the same thing, and I don’t want to have any part in that… My song Draganno [which was more of an electro-banger] did really well, it got licensed to Black Hole, people like Laidback Luke, Ferry Corsten, Above & Beyond, they all supported it and I’m proud of that. But I just don’t like being typecast. I always like to throw curveballs. Some people say it works in my favor, some people say it doesn’t. But I don’t care, I’m an artist at heart, and art shouldn’t be controlled or muzzled, it’s about expression, and if I want to use a different color of paint, I’m going to do that.” WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE CURRENT STATE OF EDM QUALITY? “You know, I actually think productions are better now because the technology has gotten better. You can do more things now, faster. Things sound enormous now, the mixing and the mastering sound like you’ve spent a million bucks on it because technology has allowed the gap to get closed… At the same time, the down side is the accessibility is out of control. And the quality control is way down. People think that because they’ve put together a five minute track and they arrange it properly, even though the mix-down is horrendous,

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ONTARIO - LOCAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

they think they’re gonna be the next Skrillex, and it’s just not going to happen, because Skrillex or someone (on the other side of the spectrum), someone like Jamie Jones, they’ve put in their time, you know? It’s not going to happen overnight. You gotta have some respect. These newbies who think they’re gonna be Avicii overnight, they actually piss me off. There’s no respect for the time it takes.” YOU’VE KNOWN DEADMAU5 FOR A LONG TIME, WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP LIKE? “[We made “Hi Friend” together back in 2008]. Him and I had a bond, I always try to speak to him from the heart, and you know, Joel, he’s done a lot for me, he’s helped me out a lot. He’s given me opportunities because he respects my talent; you know Joel does not work with people who can’t hold their own. I think it’s amazing he’s become a millionaire, because I knew him when he had nothing. And I respect him. I think the fact that he’s going in a techno direction is amazing, because EDM needs a shake-over. He’s set for life, he doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone, he’s not like that anyway, he’s always done whatever the fuck he wants.” WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE DANCE MUSIC SCENE IN TORONTO? “Well after they tried to outlaw raves, we were forced to go to the clubs. And I think that Toronto is a worldclass city. I’ve DJed all over the world, and I think Toronto has some of the best venues to play at. I mean the Guvernment Complex, Kool Haus, Skybar, Uniun, Sound Academy, Cabana Club. Then you have more underground places like: Coda, Li’ly on College, afterhours lofts that pop up in the city. There is something going on all the time, Embrace productions, the Hoxton, there is world-class talent here all the

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time! How can you criticize this city?! Believe me, I travel all over the world and week in, and week out, we have A-List talent here. You don’t even need to go to Ibiza, you live in Toronto, and you’ll see everyone. I don’t get it when people pay $10,000 to go to some festival in Switzerland, they’re right here every week!” DO YOU HAVE ANY QUIRKS OR RITUALS TO HELP YOUR ARTISTIC PROCESS? “I’m very particular about how my clothes are laid out before I DJ. And my hair has to be immaculately groomed, my nails, my beard. I have serious OCD, everything has to be neat and tidy and disinfected before I make music. I don’t like the DJ booth to be cluttered. I think I’d loose my shit if things were not just right. Also, one pretty weird thing that I do is… (laughs), I can’t believe I’m telling you this. I like to tidy my hotel room, I like to make sure that everything is rearranged how I like it. Even if it’s a clean room, I like it to be how I like it (laughs).” ANY LAST WORDS OF WISDOM YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS? “I think people need to take it easy on social media and stop bullying people. And I think the EDM community needs to be, and I’m not trying to be righteous, more tolerant. When I started going to raves 10pm-10am you heard everything from house, to techno, to drum & bass, to trip-hop, to deep house, to trance. This snobbery that has become a disease in EDM, just like what you like, and just focus on that, as soon as you feel like you’re going to hate on something, just put on what you like on your damn iPod and shut the fuck up. And stop hiding on Facebook behind a pseudonym, my mom always said: if you can’t say it someone’s face, you shouldn’t say it. So grow up!”

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ONTARIO - LOCAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

DJ DANNY D By Ashley Kalyn

hen it comes to Toronto radio stations, Z103.5 is an absolute staple. At 5 PM Throughout the work week, thousands of Torontonians are driving home to the voices of DJ Danny D and The Hammer. For nearly a decade the stations most popular segment, The Drive at 5 Street Mix, completely commandeers both social media and car stereo’s across Toronto during this hour. Having the pleasure to speak with “The Peoples’ DJ” DJ Danny D, it was eye opening to see how one’s intuition and knowledge of dance music can move an entire city. The Toronto radio personalities mood changing segment brings out a smile in every electronic music enthusiast listening, and even unites the die hards with those whom traditionally turn their nose up at radio as a platform. A very bright individual, Danny gave DJ Mag the story on what it’s like to be named “The Peoples’ DJ”.

YOU’VE BEEN CALLED THE “PEOPLES DJ.” HOW LONG DID IT TAKE FOR YOU TO ESTABLISH THIS REPUTATION IN THE TORONTO COMMUNITY? “That was instant. People actually gave me the name, I’m not self-proclaimed. People would request a song and right away, instantly, it would be on the turn tables. It was like I could read their minds. And that’s how it all came about. They were like you’re the peoples’ DJ because you know what the people want to hear. Me and the crowds are so in sync that way. I can’t explain it, it’s just something that comes to me. I am a mind-reader… but I’m not.” DO YOU PRIDE YOURSELF IN REPRESENTING TORONTO’S DANCE COMMUNITY ON AIR? “Absolutely. There is nothing that I love more than hearing a great comment like “I’m having such a bad day and you made it all better” or “instant mood changer”… something like that. People just love dancing and they get so uplifted. No matter what kind of day you’re having, it can change your day around. If you’re having a great day, it can make it even better.” WHAT CHOICES HAVE THE STATION AND YOURSELF MADE IN ORDER TO FURTHER EMBODY THE CITY IN REGARDS TO THIS NICHE GENRE? “Back in the day dance music wasn’t so big. It was all this pop and urban. You knows people used to ask me 42

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“What are you doing? What are you playing? What is this techno stuff?” Like those types of things. And the decision that the station and I made was; “We are [electronic dance music].” And this is what we’re going to stick too. Eventually, everybody else came to realize that EDM and dance music in general is THE music. It’s the music that everybody is listening too. It’s the music that all these artists want to jump into, if they don’t have some sort of EDM influence already. We see it now with Britney Spears, Rihanna, and they’ve brought so many different genres of music over their careers, but now everybody’s taking on the EDM. This is absolutely the music of the future. For me it’s the past… but it’s also the present, and the future.” THE “DRIVE AT 5” STREET MIX IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF MANY LISTENERS DAYS. HOW DID THE STATION BENEFIT BY ADDING THIS SET TO THEIR FORMAT? “It started off as just a small set on friday afternoons for 20 minutes, and the popularity was instant. People started talking about the show more and more and more and it became so popular that we extended it longer on Friday’s, added it every day, extended it to an hour, and then made it longer on those original Friday’s. It’s been continuously the highest rated show on the station since it began. The station has benefitted, obviously, from the high ratings. I’ve benefitted of course because I get to expose my talent on the air and share the music that I love with so many millions of people.”

WHEN IT COMES TO PLAYING LIVE, DO YOU MOSTLY SPIN BIG ROOM ANTHEMS? “Mostly, yes. And I’ve always been more of a dance base, but, I’m very versatile so I’m able to play many different genres. However, I do pride myself on being the dance ambassador, sort of speak, for Toronto. I’ve broken so many tracks to the Toronto audience, so yes, big room anthems are definitely a part of my set. Again, it all goes down to versatility. If it’s a party anthem, guaranteed I’ll drop it. Although I do focus mostly on EDM and dance, I do throw in the occasional hip-hop party track or I like to go way back and play some old school stuff. Once in a while you’ll catch me throw a rock set down if it fits in with the crowd and the style that I’m playing. That’s how I basically pride myself, and give myself that uniqueness at any party that I’m at.” DO YOU ENJOY ELEVATING LOCAL ARTISTS THROUGH YOUR ON AIR SETS? “I love promoting local artists. There are so many artists that I’ve broke through with the Drive At 5 Street Mix. I can’t just generalize it to local, but we can go back ten years ago to Tiesto, when he wasn’t known to the commercial market (especially because the internet and music sharing wasn’t as popular.) People didn’t know who Tiesto was. And we broke it through the Drive at 5 Street Mix, and on rotation in the station. Then it became David Guetta and Armin Van Buuren, et cetera, et cetera. It also became other

local artists. I’m a big supporter of Joe Ghost, as well as Dzeko & Torres locally, and so many different Canadian talent.” IN THE FUTURE, ARE YOU LOOKING TOWARDS BRINGING MORE DANCE AND ELECTRONIC MUSIC INTO THE MIX? OR DIVERSIFYING IN REGARDS TO WHAT’S PLAYED? “Dance music is always changing, so I’m always up on the trends and always trying to incorporate different styles into my sets. But definitely always expanding dance music whenever I can. Guaranteed, dance music will always be a part of the show.” AS AN INDEPENDENT DJ YOU’VE TRAVELLED NORTH AMERICA, AS WELL AS WINNING AWARDS FOR YOUR ON AIR PERSONALITY. WHAT’S THE NEXT STEP FOR YOUR CAREER? “I’m producing music as well. I took a break for a little while and now I’m back into it. I just came out with a song with the Hit Legends, it’s called “Hellooooo,” and the response has been crazy. Actually, Martin Garrix himself heard me play it on air, and he said “this is effing sick!” and asked me for a copy of it. I believe he’s supporting it in his sets as well, and the next step is to get a copy of it nationally, and hopefully I can tour more of the world than I already have.”

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QUEBEC - LOCAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

HOME AWAY FROM HOME: TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS VISITS IGLOOFEST By Eve B. St-Cyr Orlando Higginbottom, better known by his DJ moniker Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (T.E.E.D. for short), is a definite amateur of stepping outside the norm. He is the anti-thesis of the trendy, faddriven cultural phenomenon, preferring to opt for sounds and performances that embody personality and character. A talented, if somewhat eccentric, fellow from Oxford, England, Higginbottom grew-up in a home where the love of music was ubiquitous. The son of a music teacher, Higginbottom acquired a love of classical harmonies early on, learning to operate his father’s CD player practically as soon as he could walk. “I just liked music right from the start,” says the British DJ and producer, who can hardly remember a time when discovering new music wasn’t his main passion in life. From the age of 4 or 5, he began recording mock radio shows on cassette tapes and sneaking into his sibling’s bedrooms to steal their music when they weren’t looking. “Usually it would be stuff like Jimi Hendrix or the Beatles,” he says, “but this one time I found these Jungle tapes – and suddenly I was in a whole new kind of pace, listening to Jungle and Drum and Bass. So, that’s what made me buy records then. The rest is what it is.” Higginbottom is part of a new generation of producers who revel in bridging the gap between old-school vibes with new-school beats. His aim is to create music that withstands the test of time and conveys emotions. Easily inspired, Higginbottom says that going to see bad performances is as stimulating as good one. “If you stand at a gig thinking: ‘This is terrible!’ it makes you want to go home and write something better,” he says, “It makes you wonder about what exactly you want from your music, and so everything can become an inspiration.” With a solid background in classical music, Higginbottom says that even though he hasn’t written sheet music in over ten years, the ideas of harmony he picked up earlier on in his career are very useful, as are the century-old techniques about developing ideas musically. “There are a lot of people who argue that not knowing that stuff is good because you don’t have any ingrained patterns or habits – and 44

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that’s probably very true. But there is not denying that musicians throughout history have learned the traditional ways and then broken them. That it’s enabled them to break them with class and skill,” he adds candidly. “So I think that overall, it’s a very good idea to be as educated as you can about music when you want to be a musician.” As someone who actively strives to avoid sounding generic, Higginbottom outlined two distinct stages to his creative process: the first, entails several bouts of wild artistic frenzy, building upon a savvy mess of random melodies, vocals and samples, which he then carefully sorts and filters through, refining a particular sound or inclination. An avid music-collector, Higginbottom purchased his first turntables at the age of 13, and became a regular fixture at local record shops in Oxford. In his early twenties he became disenchanted with the progress of the Drum and Bass and Jungle scenes in his native UK. “They had lost the atmosphere and darkness that

I liked,” he says. Explaining that he then moved on to other sounds, like funk, garage and dance. His debut album Trouble received the ‘Best of British’ award from DJMAG UK in 2012, he also merited the ‘Best compilation’ award the following year for Get Lost VI, an eclectic set of elegantly crafted club music. He has also collaborated with some pretty prestigious names over the years, including recording an album in the Democratic Republic of Congo under the direction of Damon Albarn, a fundraising project for Oxfam, with a slew of other producers. “It was very interesting, because we had just 6 days to make it work with our musicians – it was a wild, pressurized situation and I think it ended up being quite insightful for everybody. It was kind of dangerous, and strange, and scary…it was amazing.” Higginbottom likes to keep his fans guessing, hopping on the production teams for Banks and Dillon Francis; headlining festivals from the Governor’s Ball in New York City to playing Ibiza in the company of Felix da Housecat

and A-Trak, T.E.E.D. never fails to entertain. A wellrounded performer, the young man usually tours Europe with an elaborate lighting rig and backup dancers. He admits that he is fond of dressing up, appearing in various headdresses, such as First Nations ceremonial feather bonnets and Davy Crockett fur hats. Higginbottom states proudly that his performances are meant to embody a particular sound and energy, “most people hide behind their music,” he adds, extremely matter-of-fact. And while the producer in him occasionally considers selling his soul in order to afford new state-of-theart gear, our bet is that this young man has enough spirit to go around. DJ MAG Canada met with Totally Extinct Enormous Dinosaurs during his appearance at this year’s Igloofest Festival in Montreal. Although it was his first time deejaying in the city, he was overheard gushing over the European flare of the North-American enclave, in perfect French. www.djmag.ca

QUEBEC - LOCAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

HOME AWAY FROM HOME: TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS VISITS IGLOOFEST By Eve B. St-Cyr Orlando Higginbottom, mieux connu sous son pseudonyme de producteur et DJ Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (T.E.E.D. pour les initiés), est sans l’ombre d’un doute un amateur de l’extraordinaire et du singulier. À l’antipode des chasseurs de tendances, le jeune artiste d’Oxford en Grande-Bretagne préfère investir ses efforts vers des prestations qui mettent de l’avant son flair pour le drame et son penchant pour les costumes. Talentueux, et excentrique à souhait, Higginbottom est issue d’une famille ou l’amour de la musique était omniprésent. Fils de professeur, spécialiste en musique baroque et directeur de la chorale de New College à l’université d’Oxford, Higginbottom acquit un intérêt pour les harmonies classiques à un très jeune âge, apprenant à opérer le lecteur CD de son père presque qu’aussitôt qu’il fut en mesure de marcher seul. « J’ai eu un coup de cœur instantané pour la musique, » affirme le producteur britannique, qui a beaucoup de difficulté à se souvenir d’une époque où découvrir de nouveaux sons n’était pas sa passion principale. Dès l’âge de 4 ou 5 ans, il simulait être animateur radio, enregistrant ses productions sur des casettes qu’il rejouait pour ses amis. Il avoue s’être infiltré souvent dans les chambres de ses frères et sœurs plus ainés pour leur subtiliser de la musique : « Habituellement, c’était des trucs comme Jimi Hendrix ou encore les Beatles, » dit-il, « mais une fois je suis tombé sur des casettes de Jungle – j’ai découvert un nouvel univers d’influences et de rythmes, c’est ainsi que je me suis épris du Jungle et de la Drum and Bass. C’est ce qui m’a motivé à me mettre à la collection de vinyles. La suite des choses est ce qu’elle est. » Higginbottom fait partie d’une nouvelle génération de producteurs qui affectionnent la juxtaposition des ambiances funk des années 70 aux rythmes endiablés des pistes de danse contemporaines. Attablé dans son studio d’enregistrement, il cherche à créer de la musique qui résistera au dur test des années, et qui relève d’une certaine émotivité. Puisant ses inspirations de la vie de tous les jours, Higginbottom pense qu’aller voir des spectacles un peu moches est tout aussi stimulant que d’assister à ceux qu’il 46

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apprécie. « Se tenir debout à un concert en se disant : “Que c’est mauvais!” Ça vous donne l’envie de rentrer à la maison pour composer quelque chose de mieux, » dit-il. « Ça l’incite à se questionner sur ce qu’on attend de nous-mêmes, de nos propres créations. Et donc tout devient potentiellement une source d’inspiration. » Higginbottom affirme que, malgré le fait qu’il n’ait pas composé de partitions depuis plus de dix ans, les concepts d’harmonie qu’il a appris à titre de compositeur sont toujours utiles; autant que ces techniques vieilles d’une centaine d’années en ce qui a trait à l’idéation musicale. « Il y a beaucoup de gens qui vous diraient que de ne pas savoir ces choseslà, c’est bien, puisqu’on évite ainsi de se créer des habitudes ou de mauvais plis – et ils ont probablement raison. Mais il est difficile de contredire le fait que de nombreux musiciens à travers le temps ont appris les méthodes traditionnelles et puis s’en s’ont écartés. Et c’est précisément ce qui leur a permis de briser le moule avec classe et brio, » ajoute-t-il d’un air candide. « Alors, je crois qu’en général, c’est une excellente idée d’être le plus instruit possible à propos de la musique, surtout lorsqu’on veut être musicien. » Cherchant à éviter les sons génériques, Higginbottom dresse au moins 2 étapes à son processus créatif : la première, est un enchainement de plusieurs moments de folie créatrice, qui sert à faire un ramassis de mélodies, harmonies, et d’échantillonnages, pèlesmêles, qu’il trie soigneusement par la suite, suivant la recherche d’un son en particulier ou de l’inspiration du moment. Avide collectionneur de musique, Higginbottom se lance sur les platines à l’âge de 13 ans et devient très vite un régulier parmi les jeunes de son quartier à flâner dans les magasins de disques d’Oxford. C’est au début de la vingtaine qu’il se désillusionne pour la progression de la scène classique électro de son Angleterre natale. « Ils avaient perdu l’atmosphère feutrée que j’aimais tant, » dit-il, expliquant qu’il s’est ensuite tourné vers un autre répertoire musical, comme le funk, le garage et la pop. Son premier album Trouble s’est mérité le trophée de « Meilleure découverte britannique » aux concours DJMAG UK en 2012, l’artiste se méritant également le titre de « Meilleure compilation » l’année suivante pour Get Lost VI, qui met de l’avant une musique de club ultra léchée. Malgré ses allures de jeunot, Higginbottom a déjà plusieurs collaborations prestigieuses sous la ceinture, incluant un album enregistré avec un

tandem de producteurs en République Démocratique du Congo, au profit d’une campagne de levée de fonds pour Oxfam, et sous la direction minutieuse de Damon Albarn. « C’était très intéressant, parce que nous n’avions que 6 jours pour faire marcher le projet avec les musiciens – c’était fou, un genre de huis clos sous-pression, mais je crois que cela à inciter chacun de nous à réfléchir. C’était dangereux, et étrange, et épeurant…c’était incroyable. » Règle générale, Higginbottom se fait un malin plaisir à surprendre ses fans, que ce soit en s’associant à des artistes comme Banks ou Dillon Francis; à prendre la tête d’affiche pour des festivals tels que le Bal du Gouverneur à New York, ou encore de partager les platines en compagnie de Felix da Housecat et A-Trak. T.E.E.D., l’artiste, possède un flair indéniable pour la dramatique, avouant être un adepte des costumes et se présentant à plusieurs reprises coiffé de plumes de cérémonie amérindiennes, ou encore d’un chapeau de poil à la

Davy Crokett. Il ajoute d’ailleurs que ses prestations sont conçues pour créer une certaine ambiance, un son particulier. « La majorité des gens se cachent derrière leur musique, » dit-il, d’un air nonchalant, mais calculé, comme si c’était un dilemme auquel il avait longuement réfléchi. Et tandis qu’à titre de producteur il ait souvent songé à vendre son âme et l’entièreté de son trousseau question de se payer le système de son nec plus ultra, les paris sont ouverts qu’Higginbottom est jeune homme doté d’assez d’esprit pour arriver à ses fins. DJ MAG Canada s’est entretenu avec Totally Extinct Enormous Dinosaurs lors de son passage à Igloofest à Montréal en février dernier. C’était sa première venue à titre de deejay, dans la belle province. Il aurait été entendu se pâmant pour les charmes européens de cité nord-américaine, dans un Français impeccable. www.djmag.ca

MARITIMES - LOCAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

BOTNEK: TRAILER PARK BOYS AND EDM By K. Lea

otnek are blowing up. Their fidget inspired, electro flavoured, booty shakin’, party till dawn, big room rave anthems have been turning the most mild mannered music fans into all night partiers, and the most recognizable big name DJs into gushing doe eyed fans. When Steve Aoki is championing your sound and asking you to do remixes for him without throwing cake at you or soaking you in vodka, it’s for real. Basically, you’ve arrived. When you’ve accomplished this while being two legit fans of Trailer Park Boys from Montreal by way of Halifax, you’ve done real good. It’s a fact that before becoming two of Montreal’s sexiest and romantic music lovers, Gordon and Erick came up in Halifax clinging to whatever types of electronic music they could get their hands on -- while watching Trailer Park Boys of course. Although there were plenty of All Dressed chips and episodes of TPB available, often the only configurations of “rave” music accessible in Halifax came in the form of BBC Radio One, specifically Pete Tong’s Essential Mix. “The Essential Mix -- and Radio One in general -- was the way we discovered new dance music in Halifax,” says Gordon. “There wasn’t a club we could go to hear what was new, so we tapped into the radio shows on there.” After years of soaking in as much ravey techno as possible, glowstick seedlings sprouted into EDM ambition, and Botnek started killing it in the studio. The pair won a remix contest for a Felix Cartal track, and quickly found their way onto Dim Mak records. That’s when a career in music started becoming a reality. In order to continue blowing up efficiently, the guys had to make a move. Channeling their collective inner Julien from Trailer Park Boys (The Idea Guy), Botnek made the move to Montreal. “Erick is for sure Julien. The quieter guy with the big plans,” says Gordon. He adds, “Halifax is a great city, but we needed a bigger market to network in, and Montreal was the closest city to home … and also lured us in with all the sexy French girls.” Along with being ground zero to tons of French babes, Montreal would also allow Gordon to embrace his inner Ricky from Trailer Park Boys --due to Montreal’s tolerant and liberal ideologies towards eccentric behavior. “Gordon is Ricky,” says Erick. “Constantly saying stupid shit and falling down in public.”

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Since the move, Botnek have been busier than ever. Pursuing other offbeat artists, making music and touring with other top notch EDM acts has become the normal 9-5 daily grind. Amidst their own touring schedule, Gordon and Erick have just finished a string of support tour dates with San Francisco’s M Machine. “We opened up our e-mail one day and had a message from M Machine’s agent asking us if we wanted to join their Metropolis tour!” says Gordon. “We met in Montreal when they were in town for a gig and got along immediately. We seriously love those guys! After partying with the five of us is a pretty nerdy sight [laughs]. Geeking out about tracks, eating burritos and me and Swardy beatboxing.” Now that sounds like a rave! On top of steady tour dates since the New Year, Botnek have been going crazy in the studio, adding fuel to their imminent explosion. “We’re just finishing up nearly 10 new originals that will be coming out one after the other,” says Gordon. On top of the 10 originals, Botnek are scheduled to release a collaboration with 3lau on Dim Mak next month. “If you’ve heard what we did to Martin Garrix’s Animals … well imagine that tunred up to 11!” says Gordon. There are other artists on Botnek’s list of admiration, as blowing up merits a badass soundtrack to accompany it. Even with all their own productions going full force, Gordon and Erick have still been on the tip of steadily discovering new acts and listening to tunes -only now they don’t have to do it from the confines of their living rooms in Halifax. Both Erick and Gordon advocate an artist named Snails, someone who is now in their musician’s peer group thanks to the move. “We love Snails,” says Gordon. “Another Montreal boy doing really cool shit.” Additionally Gordon lists Merk&Kremont, Kryder, Kill FM, Baskerville, Go Freek, The Reef, Popeska and Dog Blood as artists you could hear in a typical Botnek set. Erick likes to keep it simpler. When asked who he thinks make the best tunes of the day he says “Tiesto”, and we move on to another subject. Whether or not there are any collaborations, tour dates, or plans for world domination in place with the aforementioned artists is a question fans will have to wait and see the answer to, although a Botnek/ Tiesto “MP3” would truly be a sight to behold.

In all seriousness, Botnek are truly seeing a lot of success, but their story of EDM ascendance wasn’t written overnight. “A lot of new producers ask us what the secret to success is, but there’s no one magical answer,” says Gordon. He recounts tales of trying to give promoters demos as part of the struggle. “If I could tell new producers one thing: no one can take away your hard work. It sounds really general, but it’s really true,” says Gordon. He goes on to explain that general footwork is just a part of the process of blowing up. “If you wanna be a great producer, produce a lot. If you wanna be a great DJ, DJ a lot. We’ve made

literally hundreds of demos and remixes, and that’s how we learned to make beats. I’ve lost count of how many shows we’ve played at this point. We were completely awful at first, but eventually learned how to DJ and be cool dudes!” says Gordon. As a key to success, that’s pretty much it. Work hard, and your glowstick seedlings could sprout into EDM ambition. You too could be inspired to make it to the top! “Nah, just watch Trailer Park Boys,” concludes Erick. Well, we all have our words to live by.

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“All great things must ﬁrst wear terrifying and monstrous masks, in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts of humanity.”

FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE, Beyond Good and Evil

FACE OFF

Masks have become more prevalent than ever in dance music, from Daft Punk to Deadmau5, Angerfist to Claptone. But why are they so popular? Is it just a gimmick? Or is there more to the phenomenon than meets the eye?

Words: BEN MURPHY & CARL LOBEN Pics: CHRIS DAVISON

hen DJs step up onstage they’re ready to give a performance. They’re prepared to become someone else, put on a different face to present to the world. Not for nothing are selectors on a line-up referred to as acts. And the bigger the stage, the more important the booth, the more theatrical the act becomes. In any given situation, the DJ is the talisman, the musical shaman, the instigator of the communal groove. While not exactly a clown, a jester or a fool, up there in the booth a DJ has the license to mess about and act as a focal point for the crowd — if they’re that way inclined. For some, it’s almost like they adopt an alternate persona when they climb onstage. Bob Sinclar, for instance, manifests as an international playboy, while Fatboy Slim is Norman Cook’s extrovert persona, when in reality he’s modest and self-effacing offstage. Other DJs are pretty much the same onstage or off, while for a select few wearing a mask helps them transform from ‘normal’ musiclover to charismatic party-starter. More and more these days, it seems that if you want to get ahead, get a mask.

INFLUENCE

SBTRKT 070 djmag.com 50 www.djmag.ca

We all wear masks metaphorically in everyday life but in the sphere of dance music those masks have become literal. And not only have masks — in a wide array of weird and wonderful shapes — become a regular feature on the dance circuit, they’ve infiltrated every area of electronica. Stadium megastars wear them, leftfield weirdos don them, techno freakazoids conceal their true identity behind them. It’s a phenomenon evident in the commercial world of EDM and in the deepest depths of the underground. Not only is the act of assuming another identity behind a mask at its

zenith right now, it’s becoming de rigueur. The done thing. Ever more popular. Make no mistake, masks in pop are nothing new. There’s a tradition dating back through the 1970s, from David Bowie’s infamous greasepaint lightning strike across his face denoting his ‘Aladdin Sane’ persona, through post-punk freaks The Residents’ wacky eyeball-heads, the silliness of KISS, up to the comical menace of metal bands like Slipknot and Gwar (they went even further and donned whole outfits). In hip-hop, there’s DOOM’s super-villain metal visage, or Eminem’s phase of wearing a frightening Jason Voorhees hockey mask. But look at dance music, and there’s more masks than anywhere else. Consider the list and the dizzying variety of styles and personalities it encapsulates: Deadmau5, SBTRKT, Claptone, Daft Punk, Bloody Beetroots, Jaguar Skills, DJs From Mars, Underground Resistance, Gunz For Hire, Redshape, Cazzette, Shit Robot, Knife Party, Dr Lektroluv, Funtcase, DJ Bl3nd, Mike Candys, Mr White... it goes on. But why? Well, there’s a whole host of reasons. Influence is certainly one of the greatest considerations. Without Daft Punk and their admittedly brilliant and appropriate retro-futuristic robot helmets, it’s doubtful we’d have had Deadmau5, both paragons of huge success in the dance industry whilst donning a ridiculous visage, as well as possibly a law of diminishing returns. In their case, the gimmick worked. But while the former two have music with a lot of personality, for others wearing a mask has become a business model designed to generate interest while it hides a vacuum of charisma.

PERSONA

Another reason DJs and electronic music producers put masks on is that covering their faces allows them to become someone else. Not necessarily to hide, but instead to present an image of how they would like to be seen by the world. These guys could be mumbling pixel-tanned bedroom producers to whom stepping out in front of an audience is terrifying in their natural form. But put on a freaky totemic mask, and these would-be Clark Kents become super heroes to their fans — and sometimes in their own minds too. Wearing this kind of mask is a cranked-up version of what famous psychologist Carl Jung called “the persona”. To Jung, the persona was the aspect of an individual’s self that they chose to present to the world, an alter ego of how they want to be seen rather than what they are really like. In his 1953 published work Two Essays On Analytical Psychology, he described it as “a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and on the other to conceal the true nature of the individual”, and in The Relations between the Ego and the Unconscious he described it as “a compromise between the individual and society as to what a man should appear to be”. These masks can be wild and colourful, they can be sinister, they can denote a trickster or demonic presence, but mostly they distract from the individual, normally a nondescript male. Sometimes though, the mask comes to take on an unnatural life of its own, with the wearer becoming unnerved by the obsession that fans attach to the persona of the mask, rather than the person who puts it on. In a 2007 interview with DJ Mag, just before he became massive, Deadmau5 was interviewed for a cover feature, and even then, before becoming a stadiumsequestering name the mask filled him with a certain disquiet. “[The mask is] not something that I can even control anymore. It gets a little out of hand, I feel like I’m gonna get booed when I don’t wear it. It’s really weird, I feel like, ‘Oh God, why did I start doing this?’ But in

CLAPTONE Deadmau5

The mysterious deep house entity gives us an insight Why do you wear a mask? “We all wear masks. When people interact with each other they play different roles. You could also describe these roles as masks, masks we’re all wearing. But these masks do not just translate what seems to be inside of us. They are part of our identity. You can’t take these masks off, because there is no ‘real me’ behind the mask.” Do you think the anonymity of wearing a mask suits the world of dance music with its emphasis on the music, paradoxically, rather than the image? “There is not a lot of dance music sold in capitalistic western societies without the halo of an omnipresent image overshadowing the pure sonic message these days. The rockist pose took dance music by storm in the ‘90s and are we not all dancing towards the DJ today? Claptone is neither an anonymous DJ who hides behind a mask, nor is he a one-man entertainment park. The single purpose of being Claptone is to touch people. Form and function melt when Claptone plays his sets, bright and dark, angry and warm-hearted, happy and sad, calm and outrageous. If you open your heart you can feel it: Claptone deals in emotions.”

Why specifically the Venetian-style Carnival mask? There’s something undeniably creepy about them… “I did not chose the mask. The mask chose me and as I lost memory about how it all began let me quote a keen observer here: ‘In a now long-forgotten world, many generations ago, a bird-like shape emerged from wooded darkness, floating and fluttering, drifting and dreaming. Backlit by a bright glow of iridescent light, the undecipherable form wore a dazzling golden mask. Its long beak swooped down like an inverted horn and since then, people have referred to the mythical being simply as Claptone.” Do you feel like you become someone else when you wear the mask? “I have answered this already, but I wanna let you in on a secret: I have something to hide and I pity those who have not. If you listen very closely to the sound of Claptone you might get a glimpse into my whole universe full of secrets. I love secrets. Allow me a piece of advice: let those secrets thrill you, allow them to fascinate you and enjoy the excitement they create within you, but accept them as what they are: secrets!” djmag.com 071 www.djmag.ca 51

every interview it’s, ‘Are you going to wear the mouse head? Why the mouse head?’ Mouse head, mouse head! I do music too!” Indeed, there’s the fear that artists can become the literal manifestation of the mask they wear, that the persona can takeover the real self and the mask become its wearer. Carl Jung saw this merging as a worrying warping of the personality. “The danger is that [people] become identical with their personas — the professor with his textbook, the tenor with his voice.”

EMBLEMS

Beyond the psychological reasons behind donning a mask, and the implications, there are further more practical applications. Masks are totems, describing the music, giving the sound a physical manifestation. They’re emblematic of the wearer’s style of electronic production. Daft Punk, for instance, suggest the disco past and gleaming machine future duality of their music in the 1970s sci-fi robot helmets they put

on. Bloody Beetroots’ stocking cap scowl is like an anarchist super villain, reflective of the punky lawless energy therein, while SBTRKT puts on a specially designed African tribal mask to channel the ghostly apparitions and ghouls invoked by his ectoplasmsoaked tunes. “Tribal masks, that whole culture of experiencing ancestors, when they’re worn in a specific dance or ritual, they take on the persona of someone else. For SBTRKT that made total sense,” SBTRKT told DJ Mag in 2011. Masks also offer a way of disassociating the music from the maker, allowing the tunes to do the talking. Some use the mask to completely conceal their identity, like techno specialist Redshape, or to maintain a veil of secrecy, keeping their underground credentials intact. In a world of “faceless techno bollocks”, some stick a mask on to keep themselves anonymous, to avoid the whole media circus of having to discuss their work in public. It was certainly a motivating factor in the case of SBTRKT, who claimed: “Music is very much this

world of making up what you’re doing, this makebelieve environment to create otherworldly sounds and otherworldly music, and having to be your own person, projecting your own life story onto it, doesn’t necessarily connect for me”. Our interviewees for this feature all wear masks to convey wildly different messages. For Euro cheeseball Mike Candys, the somewhat facile smiley head he wears on his bonce signals that he’s going to be spinning somewhat facile smiley Euro-pop. Scary hardstyle monster Angerfist’s mask is emblematic of the cacophony of chaos he is about to unleash. Jaguar Skills’s stealth ninja guise sits sweetly with his expert DJ skillz on the ones ‘n’ twos, while Claptone’s golden Venetian Carnevale mask is suggestive of decadence and elegance at once, with just an edge of darkness…

Why did you decide to mask up for your gigs? “Because I got my name from a Ninja sample, I thought ‘Let’s have a logo that’s a ninja’. That was it. So I just drew this ninja with a pair of headphones on as my logo. I was DJing for maybe about eight years without this fucking mask on, and I got this job for Radio 1. I’d been living in Spain and doing loads of house and disco stuff with Mark Knight, but then when I came back to England I didn’t have a gig. Nobody knew me, I was doing stuff with Pacha in Spain, so I managed to get in on this mix mash-up scene that had just kicked off. I did this one thing that Mark Ronson liked, ‘New York Shit’ by Busta Rhymes with loads of different beats on, and then Radio 1 played it. I was just there at the right time, right place, and I was quite good at Ableton when it first came out.” You started wearing a mask for the first time for a BBC Radio 1Xtra gig, didn’t you? “Yeah, they asked me to DJ and said, ‘And you’re gonna wear your mask, right? Your logo, the ninja, you look like that, don’t you?’ So I just found a mask and I wore it, and then it just got to a point where I was getting loads of gigs like it. I got a better mask, and then a better one, and now after seven or eight years I can’t actually DJ without it! It’s the weirdest thing.” How is it different DJing in a mask? “When I used to DJ, I used to look down all the time cos I was a turntablist guy and I never used to vibe with the crowd. Now it’s really exciting for me to look at the crowd, and without the mask I can’t look at them. But with this mask, I can look straight at the guy who’s going crazy and he doesn’t feel intimidated. It’s not a thing. It’s almost like looking at a fire or something — you can’t keep your eye off a guy in a mask. It’s weird. And it’s quite weird as well going to a gig when everyone’s waiting for Jag Skills, and I’m in the crowd watching and I can hear what people around me think of me. Cos no-one ever knows it’s me. It’s great that I can take my mask off and disappear — and no-one ever knows.” Can you act differently as a DJ with a mask on? “Yes, it almost gives you a complete excuse to act however you want. You get more into the music and you don’t really give a shit what your face looks like if they’re going to take a photo of you, or you don’t care what your hair looks like. Imagine going to a gig thinking about what your hair looks like — what a fucking nightmare!”

JAGUAR SKILLS

The ninja decknician speaks

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ANGERFIST The gabba/hardstyle psycho gives us a glimpse behind the hockey mask...

Why do you wear a mask? “Because it looks so much more awesome then just plain old me onstage.” Is it a way of changing your image, making yourself more intimidating? Does it reflect the darkness of your music? “This was part of its original intention, yes. Back then I wanted something that looked cool and somewhat dangerous. I also was really just a studio mouse and not (yet) a stage animal, so this was the perfect way for me to go onstage without any issues. A way to still play the music I love in front of a crowd, but in the comfort of anonymity. “Nowadays I don’t have this anymore and enjoy performing just as much as making music, while the mask has become infamous amongst the fans. Looking back, it is probably one of the best decisions I ever made.” Is it also a barrier between you and the crowd? “I’m not hating that, indeed. It also allows me to walk around a party after my set and get drunk while most people don’t recognise me. That worked out great.” Why do you think so many people wear masks in dance music now? “I think many of them think it’s the golden key to success. Although people love a masked figure onstage, they should remember it still starts with music that makes people dance.”

MIKE CANDYS The smiley-faced pop-dance man reveals all Why did you decide to wear a mask when you DJ? And why this particular one? “I was a producer and remixer long before I started performing as a DJ. When I got the first requests from clubs to come and play there, I wanted my show to be different from other DJs, cos I saw myself more as the musician than the DJ. I tried to work with keyboards and samplers but this was too complicated to organise. So I wanted at least to have something visual that people will remember (in addition to my music) after they saw my show. That’s when I came up with the idea of wearing a mask. “I built several prototypes of dragons, aliens and animals but nothing really looked cool and suited me and my music. Then I watched an old video I created for one of my remixes and in that video the DJ and the crowd are smileys. That was it. I checked on the internet where to buy a smiley-mask, but actually there’s nothing to find. So I created and built my mask myself with a jigsaw and a lot of glue.” Is it hard to see out of? “It’s pretty hard cos I only see very few of the things around me and I don’t hear anything (I’ve got in-ear monitoring). But I got used to it. It helps my performance cos the moment when I put on the mask, I kind of change my personality. I see people’s reaction to the mask and it’s a lot of fun to interact with my fans then.”

What is the psychology of it? “The smiling face is something positive. Everybody who sees it automatically gets a positive feeling (that’s even proven by brain-scientists). The psychological effect for me is that I know I’ve got a very unique element to use in my show. That makes it even more exciting and more fun for me to perform.” Did you start getting more gigs once you started wearing a mask? “Not from the beginning. But pretty soon after I started performing with the mask, one of my songs entered many European charts and the mask was introduced in the video. So it was a perfect combination, people wanted to hear my music and to see the mask. So I got even more gigs, I guess.” Does anybody ever say you look silly, or do people generally like it? “Whenever I put on the mask, most of the people in a club or at a festival like it a lot, and lots of them cheer, take pictures and videos. Of course, there’s always somebody who thinks that’s silly, but I never had a really bad reaction from somebody in the audience. The worst thing that happened was when somebody tried to steal the mask. That already happened twice, but fortunately they couldn’t manage to get the mask out of the club.”

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HOUSE REVIEWS

BEN ARNOLD ben.a.arnold@gmail.com

on Ripperton's Perspectiv (with the fabulous 'Innerplace') and Jennifer Cardini's Correspondant. His ear for a mournful melody presents itself on 'Life's Ether', a quite glorious thing. 'Coral Caves' is a little more chipper, but still with that jones for an angular, robotic synth line. 'Pure Maths' is mildly spooky and unsettling, with a slightly Arabesque feel to the pulsing, ghostly disco.

Harry Romero We Get Deep Ovum

Simian Mobile Disco & Roman Flugel

Butane & Andras Toth

Delicacies

8.0 There's something about Alphahouse boss man Butane, from St Louis. His productions always appear to have that 'hitting the ground running' quality, in that you're helplessly locked in almost instantaneously. Here he hooks up with Hungarian Andras Toth with most captivating results. 'Truth' wears its groove with pride, dropping spoken word over a pulsing synth. The ‘Soul of Beauty Edit’ adds mournful guitars. 'Elements', meanwhile, busts its groove out, then doesn't quit for nearly eight minutes. Brilliant.

Hachinoko/Ikizukuri

9.0 SMD have been spreading their love around a fair bit of late, through their own Delicacies imprint. First it was the Bicep boys, and then a hook-up with Romanian powerhouse Cosmin TRG. Arguably the best yet, this latest sees them in the lab with the inimitable Roman Flugel, stripping things way, way back. The results, as one might expect, are stunning. 'Hachinoko' has all the drama and building layers. The stunner is 'Ikizukuri', however. It's simplicity itself; sparse percussion and arpeggios occasionally bursting loose. It's minimal, yet totally captivating. Superb.

Life Recorder/Semerka Toms of Times/Kandinsky Bokhari

9.0 Marseille's Life Recorder must be in love. You don't create this kind of lush, moving house music without your heart being full to the brim. 'Toms of Times' has you floating on a layer of pads, enveloping you like a sumptuous duvet. Mr Larry Heard is evoked. 'Track Mood' too is quietly masterful. On the flip newcomer from Russia Semerka syncopates and adds a little acid to his equally wonderful 'Kandinsky'. Remixing, Edinburgh's Fudge Fingas first breaks up the beat and then drops pianos like it's 1989. So very good. 116 54

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Elements of Truth EP Alphahouse

Takuya Matsumoto Ram EP

Meda Fury Records

8.0 Happening upon genuinely original house music can be an uphill task. Japanese producer Takyua Matsumoto could be a bit of a mould-breaker. It sounds like house, feels like house, and damnit, it is house, but there's something unruly, and really quite thrilling about it. Only the second release from Meda Fury, this guy's a keeper, in our humble opinion. 'Ram' is, frankly, all over the place — Rhodes pianos are swirling around your head. 'Camouflaged Letter' is similarly hard to nail down. Just bask in the warm glow and enjoy the ride.

Nhar

Life's Ether EP My Favorite Robot

8.5 Frenchman Nhar turns out for Canada's My Favorite Robot, a most pleasing 'synergy', as they say, following his recent outings

7.5 Celebrating 20 years in the house music business this year, Josh Wink's Ovum enlists New Jersey don Harry Romero to pitch in with the celebrations. 'Get Deep' does as advertised, a hypnotic, slightly unsettling groove intended to delight and disorientate. It achieves both. Over, you have 'Not Yet', which pitched up 20 bpm or so would grace the boxes of any self-respecting techno head. Pitched as intended, and it's an inky-black, slinky floor filler. Finally, 'Casino' maintains the pressure admirably. Handle with care.

QUICKIES Terrence Parker When Love's the Feeling Black Label

7.0 Detroit ledge Terrence Parker slices and dices Candido's Paradise Garage classic 'Dancin' and Prancin', and the results are, well, classic. Stick with the unreleased mix.

Mr Tophat & Art Alfie

The Best Sense is the Nonsense Karlovak

7.5 Swedes Mr Tophat and Art Alfie continue to hog the release schedule for their Karlovak imprint. And with material like this, frankly, they’ve every bloody right to.

Walter Jones

Balanced Sounds EP

Whiskey Pickle

7.5 This from DFA alumnus Walter Jones is an EP of two halves. The first has a spacey, Balearic vibe to it, while the latter busts out bumpy, hip-swivelling, synth-stabbing garage. Bravo!

Ida Engberg Devil Dance

Crosstown Rebels

7.5 Undeniable firmness here from Swede Ida Engberg for Crosstown. An acidic driver, with a predictably brilliant remix from the inimitable Mr G, and another from her countryman Adam Beyer.

Hufschlag & Braun Money

Popcorn Records

7.5 While Cologne's Carlos Hufschlag and Patrick Braun might look like they have a combined age of about 20, the pair's sound betrays an inner maturity. 'Money', penned for Parisian imprint Popcorn Records, is a truly lovely thing, laden with gorgeous enveloping pads, delightfully skippy percussion and a thumb-slapped bassline that sits just on the right side of 'jazz house'. And there was you thinking there was no right side. Tsk. Ye of little faith. Most encouraging.

Luke Solomon Lost Channels Local Talk

8.0 Classic's Luke Solomon doesn't put out for just anyone, and seemingly the chaps at Stockholm's Local Talk (Mad Mats and Tooli) were tickled pink when he got in touch to ask if he could knock something up for them. Rightly so. At a lively 130bpm, 'Lost Channels' is a panel-beating piano anthem from the New York school, raw, rude and raw. That's right, raw. Friend of the Local Talk family Wil Maddams pitches in, hefting 808 percussion on top like it's going out of fashion, even though it really isn’t. Yessir.

AGORIA INFINÉ 01. PSYCHEMAGIK ‘Triumph of the Gods’ Phonica

“I guess working on a soundtrack makes me love orchestral tunes. ‘Le Triomphe des Dieux’ is as magical as ‘La Ritournelle’ by Sebastien Tellier.”

02. RECONDITE ‘Fiery’ Innervisions

“I would eat my hat if this wasn’t one of the most played tracks this year.”

03. AGENTS OF TIME ‘Polina’ Correspondant

“Every month Jennifer Cardini’ s label Correspondant delivers not a killer tune but a monster tune.”

04. AVALON EMERSON ‘Synagogue of Soma’ Spring Theory

“Best house tune this month. Close your eyes. You’re dancin’ in Africa.”

05. JONO MCCLEERY ‘Ballade (Djrum Remix)’ Ninja Tune

“Who would believe I playlist a Ninja Tune track? This remix is a masterpiece.”

06. SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO & ROMAN FLUGEL ‘Ikizukuri’ Delicacies “When an association reveals the best of each part.”

07.

VONDELPARK ‘California Analog Dream (Factory Floor Remix)’ R&S

“It sweats, it smokes, it’s acid.”

08. KLEMENT BONELLI & ANGEL KAREL ‘Stella’ Krome

“Underestimated French producer Klement shows his ability and knowing about what house music means.”

09. SANTIAGO SALAZAR ‘Departure (SFO 2 LAX Mix)’ Fanzine “Classic deep house at its best.”

10. MANO LE TOUGH ‘Return to Yoz’ Maeve

“Future hero of the club scene, Mano is establishing his label as a serious player.”

DISCO REVIEWS

JONATHAN BURNIP jonathanburnip@gmail.com

QUICKIES Sleazy McQueen

You Know How EP CVMR

7.0 New one on Mexicobased imprint CVMR from Sleazy McQueen. Features a brace of techy disco interpretations from Century and Kasper Bjorke.

Debukas

I Am Machinery 2020 Vision

9.0 Big remix EP featuring house, disco and acid versions from Tuff City Kids, DJ Nature and Acid Mondays. But head straight to Optimo's industrial/new-wave fix of 'Shake'.

Fat Freddy’s Drop The It

Donnie (Ron Hardy Mix) DJ International

10 Reissue of this classic Larry Heard and Chip E production from '86, with Robert Owens on vocals. Features the essential Ron Hardy remix!

PBR Streetgang Achilles

Throne of Blood

8.5 Established already on labels such as 2020 Vision, Future Boogie, Hot Creations and Hypercolour, PBR Streetgang drop a weighty disco throb for Throne of Blood. Includes a monster remix from Iron Galaxy.

Mother Mother/Never Never (Remixes) The Drop

8.0 Antipodean heavy-soul troupe get the even heavier disco treatment from Ashley Beedle, Cosmo and Yamwho? Producing here together, Cosmo and Yamwho? tackle ‘Mother Mother’ and work out a solid, tech-disco remix, keeping the vocal fully intact. Flipside, Ashley Beedle teams up with Darren Morris as the production unit, Afrikanz On Marz. They add some snappy, broken beats beneath catchy marimba hits and woozy vocal touches.

Proviant Audio How Does It Feel? Paper Disco

7.0 Pumped indie-disco outing on Paper Disco that shares production similarities with the likes of Fred Falke, Kris Menace et al. This latest from Mathias Stubo aka Proviant Audio, in its original form, is lacking the personality to make it stand out from the current heap of over-produced pop/disco. However, it's saved by a much more appropriate remix from able nu-disco stalwart, Pete Herbert, who lets in some necessary Balearic touches.

The Emperor Machine RMI Is All I Want Southern Fried

8.5

DAVE JARVIS & TERRY CHILDS EAT THE BEAT 01. ALIEN ALIEN ‘One by One (Radion Mix)’ Meant “Radion create an epic haunted dancefloor moment.”

02. DEMIAN ‘With Love and Voodoo (Original Mix)’ Clouded Vision “Something new on Matt Walsh’s label that sends the crowd a bit giddy.”

03. ORINN ‘A Man Was Had’ Restless Soul

“Gets in your head and sticks like glue! Works a treat!”

04. DJ ROCCO/CHRIS MASSEY ‘Drug Chug (Craig Bratley Remix)’ El Diablos Social Club

“Some special sonic shuffle from the northern territories.”

05. DAMON JEE ‘Bad Preacher (Vocal Mix)’ Days of Being Wild “Synth-based religious house music from a label that can do no wrong.”

06. SIMON BAKER ‘Arpy 1’ No Fit State

“Quality update on that real progressive house sound.”

07.

AFRICAINE 808 ‘Lagos New York’ Golf Channel

“Another WOW winner from a label that grows and grows...”

08. COTTAM ‘Harsh Side Effects’ Machine Records Inc.

“Back-to-back rolling acid house all over again! Both sides — check!”

09. WE LOVE JAPAN ‘Brothers Ninja’ Magic Wand Series

“Pure Balearic magic from Leo Mas and Fabrice bringing this to life. Ace!”

10. HEIM ‘Freaky Nights (The Gemini Bros. Twin Freaks Edit)’ Nang “Plenty of slo-mo disco here! One to blow a few nights away for sure — love!”

Just before a new The Emperor Machine album drops, Andy Meecham reminds us of what we've missed since last year's 'Hey' single. As usual, Meecham's dizzying analogue signature is here, with disorientating disco effects and patch-bay basslines rumbling over a galloping motorik beat. To accompany, Erol Alkan edits an extended version with added 8-bit chirps and newcomer, Dimitri Veimar, wields a loose, mid-tempo mix with acid squelches and extra chug.

Kim and Buran Fly To Sea EP Nang

8.5 The folks at Nang maintain a steady output with a new one from Russian duo Kim and Buran. Employing familiar progressions, the duo wrangle an ardent, almost over-emotional production, but their command of melody and dazzling arrangements keep things on the correct side of disco cliché; and to be honest, I was completely sucked in by those noir-ish touches. Conclusion: the whole of the EP is a little over-

Nancy Whang & Audiojack Like an Eagle

the-top, but if you're a hopeless romantic retro-futurist, this is the ultimate wet dream.

Various

Plant Music: Love Me Too Plant Music

8.5 Woozy disco-nouveau from the NY party collective/label, entering 2014 with this five-track EP. 100% Silk alumni, EZLV, drop a robust disco-tech number with a vocal appearance from George Azzi. This sits next to the EP's highlight from Son of Sound, whose encouraging 'Floor's Yours' is a haunting, sprung reverb loop with a provocative hook.Elsewhere, Whatever/Whatever, Sonns and the hopeful Allies For Everyone wrap up a quality EP.

Tronik Youth Pain Relief Nein

9.0 Weatherall approved, this recent A Love From Outer Space anthem finally sees a release and is bolstered by an impressive roll call of production talent to remix. This chugging, dark-wave behemoth gets a makeover from ALFOS resident, Sean Johnston, who has been fashioning deadly, mid-tempo club weapons as The

Gomma

8.5 Stepping out from what was once LCD Soundsystem, their long-serving keyboard player, Nancy Whang, has been chalking up some studio time with Yorkshire pair, Audiojack. This being the first of four singles, covering selected late '70s disco classics. This popular DJ Harvey spin — performed by late ‘adult entertainer’, Dennis Parker — is a rousing disco affair with soaring strings and gorgeous choral segments; now getting a robust disco-house makeover that treads respectfully on the right side of good taste. Includes a remix by Black Loops and Maik Yells, who completely flip the mood with their dubbed-out, mid-tempo house version.

Hardway Bros. He throws in some '92 style progressive touches for good measure. Next up, new Bugged Out! resident Kiwi throws down another slo-mo electro fix while Ben Macklin, DJ Steef and Gameboyz do similar for an EP that "never knowingly" passes the 120 bpm mark. djmag.com www.djmag.ca

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ELECTRO REVIEWS

DAVID MCCARTHY electrodjmag@davidmccarthy.com

running through it like a super coolant in a CERN-sized atom smasher.

Mikron

No Correlation Zone

8.0 Australian brothers Ciaran and Michael Corcoran follow up last year's ‘Sink’ EP with their second outing on Zone. There's a thoughtfulness and attention to detail at work here, and the result is a cold-but-clever set of five tracks that bring to mind classic Kraftwerk as much as they do label co-runner Gesaffelstein's own output. Certainly not dancefloor material, but electronic music that pushes at the edges can occupy many spaces.

QUICKIES DJ Licious People

Can You Feel It Records

6.0 Simple housey 'people at the back'-type rabblerouser that's got a good little groove and a ‘less is more’ approach that stops it overstaying its welcome.

The Raver

Protohype Records

6.0 The fifth release on Protohype Records is another one mining a fairly trad electro-house

vein this issue, but does so with a nice ‘early doors’ result.

Ooberfuse

March Of The Downtrodden Peakflow Records

6.0 Lots of remixes in this package but it's the original from south London electronica duo Hal St John and Cherrie Anderson that shows quirky promise.

Rubix

Get Up On Me White Horse

Beady Eye

Soul Love (Trevor Jackson Heavy Dub) Limited Bonus CD

9.0 Trevor Jackson's understanding of the way drums and basslines work together is second to none. From early Underdog days through to the acclaimed Playgroup releases, his body of work means he should occupy a far higher profile in the echelons of UK dance music than he is given credit for. This track leads a limited edition third CD that's part of the recent 'Playgroup Reproductions Volume 2' release, which is an essential purchase.

Escor Krist Kult Street BNR

7.0 It seems like it's been a quiet start to the year in the world of BNR but things are starting to kick up again with this debut proper from LA resident Escor Krist. Having raised a few eyebrows with his free giveaway 'Who The Fuck Is EK' set at the end of 2013, his mix of minimalist jacknoise and breaky ravecore fits in perfectly with the Berlin label's ethos. For 118 56

djmag.com www.djmag.ca

anyone looking for a little taste of a possible future.

Akka

Amazigh EP Rwina Records

8.0 Part of the joy of reviewing new tracks is finding things that might otherwise have passed you by and then getting the chance to pass them on and share them with others. A lot of this page is dedicated to music that gets crowds large or small dancing, but there's also the chance to feature more thoughtful and atmospheric sounds. The music is constructed from field recordings from Morocco's Rif mountains and the Amazigh/ Berber culture there.

Louisahhh!!! & Maelstrom Traces

Bromance

8.0 If you're a fan of the classic cold and icy female vocal over a dark and edgy electro backing then this is definitely one for you. If you loved Brodinski's 'Let The Beat Control Your Body' as much as I did then you'll already be familiar with Louisahhh's style and it's put to great effect on 'Night Clubbing' with a similarly electronic European vibe

7.0 Rubix has appeared on this page with a number of different approaches over the past year or two, and each one has been a well-worked dancefloor weapon. Here he aims firmly at the airwaves with the kind of poppy groove that would buy Calvin Harris another swimming pool, except that this happens to be catchy and clever and so totally opposed to Harris' dour cynical drivel. Lokka from South Africa provides the upbeat vocals and airplay is a cert.

Nightwave Fire Hoes Heka Trax

7.0 Aiming to sound like a cross between "Chicago’s Southside, a Glasgow after-party and a hallucinated game of Tetris", Slovenia-born Glasgow resident Maya Medvesek delivers her new EP as Nightwave. 'Fire Hoes' sounds like it would easily fit in with the output of Bad Life whilst her previous experience of R1 daytime airplay and serious specialist support as vocalist on Rustie’s single ‘Surph’ means she could potentially have all the bases covered.

UNITED SOUNDS OF EUROPE CORSAIR RECORDS 01. FRICK’N’FRAK ‘Fracalicious’ Legendary Records

“A jumpy breakbeat underpins this slow-burner big roomer which really works a dancefloor of any size.”

02. JOSE PALERMO ‘Blanco Illumino’ Dia Dos Mortas

“Mi compardre Jose kicks off his new label with this thumping electro-house monster that should be THE track of the summer in Ibiza.”

03. UNITED SOUNDS OF EUROPE ‘Superconscious’ Corsair Records

“Zombie Nation said he liked my new single, so that’s one ambition ticked off the list!”

04. DANTON EEPROM ‘Biscotto and Chimpanzee’ Infine “Beautiful radio-style dance music.”

05. DEBBIE DOODAH ‘Orange Square’ CDR

“Sadly the world of dance is still heavily weighted towards the male of the species but here Debbie could have something of a game-changer in the offing.”

06. 2K SUBS ‘Disco Damnation’ Corsair Records

“Truly ‘right now’ house music that deserves your attention!”

07.

ESCOR KRIST ‘Kult Street EP’ BNR

“A new name on BNR and one for all those who put down the EDM explosion in the USA — it’s going to lead to guys like this picking up the reins, man!”

08. SISKO ELECTROFANATIK ‘On (Original Mix)’ Gain Records “Simple and direct but still rockin’ my USB stick.”

09. PAUL ESTERHOUSE ‘Take Me (Chainsmokers Remix)’ Gather Recs

“Paul’s sets are legendary in my hometown and his productions capture all the energy and love he shares each time he gets behind the decks.”

10. RAT N FRIKK ‘Yes Sensei’ Heroic

“I’m not a big fan of the Dutch style of ‘going large’ on everything, but these guys have a dubtastic twist to the usual lowlands take on things.”

TECHNO REVIEWS

RICHARD BROPHY, richardbrophy@gmail.com

QUICKIES

Delroy Edwards Teenage Tapes The Death of Rave

Habits of Hate

Trus’Me

Electronic Explorations

Prime Numbers

EE:V:003

PN25

8.5

The latest release on Rob Booth’s label sees young guns Happa and Manni Dee exploring the excesses of early '90s dance. ‘Limelight Roles’ is built on distorted drums, screeching riffs and deranged robot noises, while ‘A Rebel From the Waist Down’ is populated by crazy rave riffs.

The UK producer gets the remix treatment from two impressive acts. Swedish duo Skudge blend soaring synths with acidic licks and vocal snippets on their version of ‘Moonlight Kiss’, while the Marcelus version of ‘Hindsight’ is a more heads-down affair, populated by drones and bleeps.

Having released two of the most coveted underground techno records of recent years for L.I.E.S and his own LA Club Resource label, Delroy Edwards makes a sideways, unexpected move. ‘Tapes’ consists of eight untitled cuts and will come as a shock to fans of his previous releases. Moving from synapseshattering distortion into Gothic gloom, ‘Tapes’ also features electro jams played out on live drums and the grittiest, most primal take on acid since Ron Hardy’s reign — this is an inspirational release.

R-Zone

Sanys

Various

R-Zone

Downfall Theory

Photic Fields

7.5

8.0

Dominance EP

7.0

7.5

The Creme spin-off label delivers its grungiest — and most unpredictable — release so far; ‘Down You Go’ moves from chiming, evocative sounds into hammering, distorted acid. Meanwhile ‘VHC Beats’ is driven by rough, unquantised beats and fuzzy bursts of noise.

Like previous Sanys releases, ‘Dominance’ is based on robust drums and creaky analogue rhythms, but it’s not another heads-down release. The title track is awash with atmospheric synths, while 'My Concern' is an insistent pulsing groove.

To date Photic has focused on esoteric dance music and 'Field' suggests that this approach is set to continue. Bringing together producers from across Europe, this split release sees Aroy Dee and Perseus Traxx in more mellow form than usual, the former favouring a housey groove and the latter putting his love of 303s on hold to combine sleek synths with his trademark tumbling drums. The low-slung Chicago groove of Lerosa’s ‘Be My Woman’ and deep techno tracks from BNJMN and Irish act Tr-One round out the release and consolidate Photic’s good reputation.

Earwiggle

8.0

“Brilliant breakbeat rework from one half of Lakker.”

02. RE\\LC

‘Six Headed Laser System’ Brothers

“Crispy head-nodding mover.”

03. CHARLTON ‘If They Don’t Realise’ Krill “Straightforward pure techno.”

04. PLANETARY ASSAULT SYSTEMS ‘Future Modular’ Mote Evolver “Luke Slater in his best form.”

05. SANYS ‘Seizure (Clouds Remix)’ Downfall Theory

“I’m quite blown away by this remix, looking forward to seeing it out.”

06. YAN COOK ‘Suspense’ Ann Aimee “New Ann Aimee, rather good.”

07.

ALEXEY VOLKOV ‘Stigmata’ Planete Rouge “Dark big room sound.”

08. VEREKER ‘Slain’ The Trilogy Tapes

“Twisted distorted unit from outer space.”

09. ANTIGONE ‘The Fugitive’ Construct Re-Form “Effective DJ tool.”

10. ANSWER CODE REQUEST ‘The 4th Verdict’ Ostgut Ton “Crafty Berlin techno.”

Clone West Coast Series

9.0

8.5

Acid Youth of Malibu (Remixes)

01. SANYS ‘Dominance (Eomac Remix)’ Downfall Theory

Some Other Place Volume 1

Field of Light

Paul Birken

SANYS DOWNFALL THEORY

The Exaltics

‘Youth’ was one of last year’s techno highlights, a pacey 303 number from the low-key Birken. It’s testament to its popularity and the respect that Sunil Sharpe's label commands that Truss and Blawan have been tapped to provide remixes. Truss’ take is a slamming, peak-time afair with the acid line reduced to a malevolent squiggle, while Blawan’s version focuses on flailing, crashing drums and industrial riffs. Birken’s own remix is a pounding analogue workout, but best of all, Bas Mooy’s interpretation recalls the hard, storming acid techno of classic Djax releases.

SHXCXCHCXSH Avian 013 Avian

8.0 The impossible to pronounce Swedish act delivers more sledgehammer gear for Avian. 'VVVLLLLVVV' is a chugging, growling groove, its creepy synth line supported by lumbering claps.

'MRRRWRRRDS' sees the duo deploy pummelling broken beats to spectacular effect, but it merely sets the scene for 'MRRRCHNNNN'. This is the kind of grisly, grinding techno that SHXCXCHCXSH have become synonymous with and its distorted rhythm and the sound of sheet metal on metal is not for the faint-hearted.

Peter Van Hoesen Outlands EP Curle

8.0 Belgian producer Peter Van Hoesen took some time off to focus on abstract electronic music, but ‘Outlands’ puts him right back in the warehouse. The title track is a perfect example of what he does best, with moody pulses supporting droning noises and outer space tones. 'Three Circles' sees Van Hoesen strip his sound right back, the minimal rhythm building and building in intensity before imploding in a cacophony of glitchy noise.

Dark Arts 4

Dark Arts

7.5 The Dark Arts series reaches its fourth installment with more subtle DJ tools. ‘Ricochet’ and ‘Downstream’ are sure to find favour wth existing Dark Arts supporters like Norman Nodge. The former track is a wiry minimal track in the Rob Hood vein, while ‘Downstream’ is reminiscent of Oliver Ho’s layered, percussive tribal techno. When the release strays from well-known approaches, it yields the most rewarding results. ‘Point Blank’ is led by stacatto drums and eerie chords and best of all ‘Panic’ is a string-filled dubbed-out affair.

The West Coast Series is home to Versatile’s pensive electro, so it’s no surprise that The Exaltics feel at home here. With the exception of the barnstorming, buzzsaw bass of ‘Walking Through the Stratosphere’, this release focuses on atmospheric, esoteric sounds. Widescreen soundtracks like ‘Thrown Away’ and ‘One More Day’ combine layered ambience with just the right dose of eerieness, while the title track is a sublime affair, its shimmering synths and woozy bass sounding like Drexciya at their most reflective.

Planetary Assault Systems Future Modular Mote Evolver

8.0 There’s one thing you can say with certainty about Luke Slater — he never fails to surprise. Following his LB Dub Corp album, the UK producer delivers the banging ‘Future Modular’. Noisy acid lines spew out like over-active geysers as metal bar beats deliver killer blow after blow. By contrast, ‘Riot in Silo 12’ is understated, but its hypnotic bleeps and purring sub-bass still ensure that it doesn’t lack dancefloor impact.

Various

Tape Sampler 02 Tape

8.5 Last year, Amsterdam label Tape launched its ‘sampler’ series. Judging by this follow-up release, there is no shortage of talented, upcoming artists in the Dutch city. Interstellar Funk delivers the bass-heavy electro of ‘1999’, while Deniro’s ‘Bobcat’ is an engaging analogue groove. The most impressive track is Mark Du Mosch’s ‘Soulsearch’. Its spine-chilling keys are reminiscent of '70s horror movie soundtracks. djmag.com www.djmag.ca

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DRUM & BASS REVIEWS

WHISKY KICKS whiskykicks@live.co.uk

vocal hook, and reels you into its dancefloor depth. It's a track of two halves, with a light, clean and calming backdrop, but a gritty bassline, which leads to a great balance of style and substance. 'Rudeboy VIP' works as a mouthpiece for Sigma’s experience as a producer and demonstrates an amazing use of understated layering.

N3gus feat Jakes Walk The Walk PowerOf3

9.0 Ahhh, the unmistakable musical brilliance of Bristol: uplifting, characterful and ram-jammed full of talent. The culturally diverse nature of the city pours out of this track, with its jazzy drums, syncopated beats and its screwfaced bassline. Jake’s distinctive vocal pushes positivity through his cheekychappy, happy-go-lucky lyrical style. Full of energy and fun, you’d be hard-pushed not to bounce along to this one, definite party track for the summer playlist.

Fliwo feat Charlotte Haining Never Divide

AudioPorn Records

Nitri & Level 2 feat Grimm Lies (Calibre Remix) Horizons

10 Nitri remixed by Calibre? We all know where this is going; stunningly soulful, beautifully breathtaking, absolute art. Nitri leaves very little room for improvement on his tracks, but this reworking glistens with the seductive shimmer that only the infamous Irishman can delicately dust over his work. This is a smooth and delicate roller, and sees Grimm’s vocals take centre stage again over a classic Calibre ensemble of refined musicality and accomplished instrumentation.

Fre4knc Tellurain

Samurai Music

7.0 This is a deep and gutsy atmospheric track with one heck of a pair of weighty balls. The Dutch producer returns to Samurai Music after his 2013 smash with another dark destroyer. Following suit with the ever-increasingly favoured 120 djmag.com 58 www.djmag.ca

tribal drum pattern, Fre4knc paints a powerful backdrop of synthesised nature, with low-blown gusts of bass and a sub which is reminiscent of a robotic antelope, dying on the savannah as it cries out of the darkness in desperation.

Joe Ford Neon

Shogun

8.0 This diverse debut EP shows Joe Ford slipping into Shogun effortlessly. With an A-side which showcases his ability to cater for the dancefloor, it’s really the flip 'Neon' which glows here. Soft and bouncy yet cleverly still maintaining a vast amount of energy, it's whirling with tech-infused bites and is slightly blackened with understated twisted basslines. This is a track with a different and distinctive taste, leaving us salivating for what the new kid will produce next.

Sigma feat Doctor Rudeboy VIP Life Recordings

8.0 The intro immediately ensures you take a bite of its catchy

7.5 Not-so-silently lurking just beneath the labels' noses on the internet, London-based newcomer Fliwo has been racking up millions of views on YouTube channels such as Liquicity, and has since been snapped up by Audioporn for his debut release. 'Never Divide' is smooth and enchanting, with orchestral synths, warm pads, elevating strings and an echoing female vocal. We can expect some great things as this producer grows and develops.

Major Look

Kid$ Of 2moro

Nation Of Shopkeepers

7.0 Stapleton takes his MC skills to different levels as part of Major Look, showcasing a talent for story-telling colloquialism. Big stepping beats combined with powerful synths and an underlying warped bassline, all wrapped up with a little humour. Need For Mirrors take the reins on one remix of the MC-led track, with bouncy bass and computer game-style shooting sfx, while P.E.S.T opt for a halftime stepper.

QUICKIES Mob Tactics

Crissy Cris

Wasted

Superstar

7.0 This one is quirky, dark, eerie and itchy, and has gained support from the scene's biggest DJs. The track feels huge and spacious, and is a great mid-set filler for when the crowd is already in a state of submission. Nothing too adventurous here, but there’s a couple of bangers at the tail-end of the EP.

7.0 The voice of 1xtra’s drum & bass show releases his first EP in two years, and has produced something with a decidedly odd vibe. This one's a bit of a grower, drawing on many tried-and-tested tricks of the trade — a crazysounding track that will certainly have the floor going off.

Danny Rich feat G.L.B

Pale Blue Dot

C4C Recordings

Technique Recordings

The Prototypes Viper Recordings

7.0 Giving us a glimpse of 7.5 what we can expect from their anticipated album, People love to complain The Prototypes are pulling about genre pigeonout the laser beams and holing, but sometimes your bored speakers may hitting us with every sci-fi sound effect they’ve got just be crying out for some pure unadulterated, stored. Good track, but the space vibe seems a unapologetic jump-up. This noisy vocal, despite little bit done now. its sinister lyrical content is upbeat and quite light. Something Sinister Digital 101

TAXMAN PLAYAZ RECORDINGS 01. TAXMAN ‘Falling Down’ Playaz Recordings

“This mixes nice with a lot of other tunes I like playing. And it’s mine, ha!”

02. ORIGINAL SIN ‘Running Man feat Koo’ Playaz Recordings “High energy disco vibes with a sick vocal. Love it.”

03. KOBE ‘Gobber’ MTA

“Fat future funk with quality production. It reminds me of ‘Brand New Funk’... only on steroids. Yes please mate.”

04. DJ HAZARD ‘Mark Q’ Playaz Recordings

“Instant dancefloor riddim and instantly recognisable.”

05. TAXMAN FEAT DIANE CHARLEMAGNE ‘Rebirth’ Playaz Recordings

“Been playing the ‘Club Mix’ for nearly a year. Always creates a vibe with the intro.”

06. HARVEST ‘Mind Master’ Dub

“I don’t think it was ever released, which is a shame as it’s very original, great production.”

07.

DECIMAL BASS ‘Near Me’ Playaz Recordings

“For me, this is Mike’s best tune yet. Excellent vibes. Riddim.”

08. TAXMAN ‘No More Anthems’ Playaz Recordings “’Reece’ and distorted 808s. How it used to be...”

09. HEIST ‘Flannel Chat’ Sumo Beats

“Big jazzy roller from Heist. Always goes down well.”

10. TAXMAN

‘Judgement’ Playaz Recordings

“Something for the weekend, sir?”

BREAKBEAT/BASS MUSIC REVIEWS

CARL LOBEN, carlloben@hotmail.com

QUICKIES Krafty Kuts feat Dynamite MC

Pounding (Dodge & Fuski Remix) Instant Vibes

8.5

Smash Hi-Fi Feel It EP

RadioKillaZ vs Fleetwood Mac Oh Well

free download

8.0

The glitch supremos dissect Krafty’s jaunty ‘Pounding’, warping it into a 110bpm glitch-hop piece to get low down and dirty to. Powerful beats, a gremlin wub-wub b-line and a slowed-down Dynamite drive this home.

Couldn’t bloody download their new single ‘Ghetto Yoot’ when it came to last-minute reviews time, so here’s a quick plug for RadioKillaZ’s quirky Fleetwood Mac boot, showing how outside-thebox these cats continue to think.

A9ent 0ran9e

Joe Blow

Bubble & Squeak free download

7.5

The mysterious A9ent 0ran9e starts off with sprung breaks and floaty neo-trance synths before a gurgling bassline leads to an uncurling of deep psy goodness. Not quite chemical warfare, but nice warm-up gear nevertheless.

Bass N Bars (Terry Hooligan & Zombie Robot Remix) 119 Sounds

7.5

The Welsh hip-hop dude has firecrackers placed up his rhymes by Terry Hooligan and pal Zombie Robot in the form of trap stylings, compressed glitchy beats and whooshy atmospherics.

PLUMP DJS GRAND HOTEL 01. PLUMP DJS ‘Skylon’ Grand Hotel Records

“We feel this is innovative, emotive and compelling — we’ve decided to set it free. Some people have said that we have created a ‘Jekyll & Hyde’-style dance track. You decide!”

02. KEYS & KRATES

‘Treat Me Right (Grand Theft Remix)’ Dim Mak

“The full energy and emotion of the original female vocal and instrumentation is retained, then all hell breaks loose on the drop. Using a familiar old skool bass sound, GT lets us fly with his mix.”

03. DOC TRASHZ

‘Everybody Loves Acid’ Grand Hotel Records

“This young Sicilian electro-bass producer is seriously good, the energy here is sustained and the drops are crisp.”

04. PLUMP DJS

‘Roll Dope Rhymes’ Grand Hotel Records

05. DOG BLOOD

‘Chella Ride’ Boysnoize Records

“The vocal hooks stick and stay, you find yourself continuing to rejoice in every drop as the record weaves its way into your everyday life.”

“Skrillex & Boys Noize’s production output is oddly low, but no-one cares when the releases are this good. A techno-breaks masterpiece.”

06. OLIVER & A-TRAK

‘Zamboni’ Fools Gold Records

“A high-energy piece of electro from two of the world’s foremost dance music producers. It manages to retain a repetitive nature without becoming tiresome.”

07.

NOM DE STRIP ‘Seesaw’ Mau5trap

“Anthemic techno-breaks record from an act we have supported for years now. We play this record every set, and love its raw energy and emotion.”

08. PLUMP DJS

‘Hammerhouse’ Grand Hotel Records

“We made this Moroder-inspired recording in a day, and it is unfortunately flawed. However, sometimes you get ‘the fizz’ when you are in a studio and this was one of those occasions.”

09. BASKERVILLE

‘Checker’ Boysnoize Records

“An electrical atmosphere is created in the disco the moment this tune drops. Frenetic bass and vocal chops keep the energy high.”

10. PAUL OAKENFOLD fecto

‘Ready Steady Go (Plump DJs Remix)’ Per-

“Many of you will know this breakbeat classic from the excellent Bourne Identity movie series. It’s the perfect chase scene record, with rolling beats and atmospheric pads. We have given this record the once over, with all due respect.”

Instant Vibes

9.0 The first few bars of ‘Feel It’ recall Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ — ha, only kidding guys! — but the surprise here is the tempo of the piece. Pitched around the 100bpm mark, it’s a scratchadelic glitch-hop thang that’s populated by strangulated female cries and brittle synth work. Leeroy Thornhill and Marten Hörger’s enduring Smash Hi-Fi partnership is throwing up some great out-of-thebox moments of late, and this track seems tailor-made for label boss Krafty Kuts to drop. ‘Ready For This’ is more straightforward breaks tempo, and actually drops to glistening, arpeggiated neo-trance in the run-off before building into a glitchy electrobreaks burner. Snake charmer. Reach for the lasers.

Jem Haynes & Mike Peters Hang Heels EP Colour Series

9.0 Originally a drum & bass DJ who basically discovered Boymerang, Jem Haynes then joined the Precision Cuts breakbeat triumvirate for a bit before scooting off to Ibiza to become a We Love resident. He mainly plays and makes bassy house now, although he’s an amazingly versatile DJ (as a We Love resident, he needs to be), and the proggy ‘Hang Heels’ here has got a deep, burrowing linear bassline that indeed doffs its cap to Boymerang, or at least Paul Jackson’s ‘The Push’ on Underwater. ‘Bring It’, meanwhile, is tribal bass tech with some faint hardcore stabs and a submarine-pulse bassline buried in the mix.

Odeed & Wish Infinity

Top Drawer Digital

8.0 Beginning with a few snippets of acid guru Timothy Leary talking about the space time continuum (or something), ‘Infinity’ straight away tips into dreamy future breakbeat mode. Utilising an old skool break and glinting, glistening Orbital-esque stabs, snippets of Leary’s treatise on infinity are peppered throughout its languid discourse. Top Drawer Digital is usually a future jungle label, but this track from the American pairing is definitely more on an artcore breakbeat tip. Think: Foul Play meet Introspective.

Plump DJs

Roll Dope Rhymes Grand Hotel

9.0 The Plumps are so talented it hurts, and they have such wide musical tastes that they’re able to never repeat themselves musically.

King Yoof

Soundboy Love EP feat Rony Blue & Mr Williamz Sub Slayers

10 They’re also constantly stretching themselves, trying new things, and here they draw on a hip-house male rapped vocal and place it over a zippy electro ghetto-funk cut. So well produced this, it’s hard to categorise — which is one reason they kinda left the breakbeat scene behind a few years ago. The Plumps traverse scenes, and they’re as potent as they’ve ever been.

K-Aze

Future Primitives/Warrior Groove Gutterfunk

9.0 K-Aze, the artist formerly known as junglist Lemon D, has been deconstructing his sound of late and marrying it with juke/footwork — to great effect. ‘Future Primitives’ has a dramatic church organ intro and blaxploitation flick samples before the polyrhythmic mayhem starts to ensue. You dance to the bass more than the breaks in footwork, although limbs may flail and flap accordingly, and this slab of fractured sci-fi future-funk is about as forwardthinking as non-4/4 music can get. ‘Warrior Groove’ morphs Morse code bleeps, skittery riddims and a growly pitched-down male vocal growl into a freewheeling slice of bone-rattling juke. Superb: both tracks.

Sparki Dee

The Hollywood EP Hardcore Lives

8.0 With the amazing new Suburban Base comp receiving a lot of love, and output from Vinyl Junkie, RadioKillaz and the like tearing up the parties, it seems that OLD SKOOL HARDCORE IS BACK! Not that it ever totally went away... The hyper-kinetic breaks and buzzsaw synth on ‘Energize 92’ here recall a Krome & Time piece, while the title track has a gorgeous E-motive

King Yoof has really nailed his style in the last couple of years — reggae/ragga-infused dancehall breakbeat extraordinaire. ‘Soundboy Love’ sounds like another skanking winner that’ll be crossing over to the various pirates, as well as traversing scenes like a rabbit hopping ditches. In fact, all the ingredients are here, this should be a SUMMER HIT! Come on Zane Lowe, you dozy c***, jump on this! Gold Dubs & Nushu turn in a 4/4 electro reworking, Toronto Is Broken turns it drum & bass and Capital 1212 makes it buzzin’ bassy house, but it’s all about the original really. Love it.

synthy breakdown to have you lost in the moment. Not sure about the vocal on it, but ‘Sun Daze’ makes amends with some ‘Sweet Harmony’ breaks, piano heaven keys and a snaking topline. ‘Your My Desire’ [sic] has hardcore keys and screaming hoovers over a chuffing, hyped-up 4/4.

Josh Wink

Are You There? (Ben Klock Remix) Ovum

9.0 It’s the 20th anniversary of Josh Wink’s Ovum Records, and to mark it the Philly-based DJ/producer has commissioned a load of remixes of some of his early stuff. So what, I hear you ask? Well, the Ben Klock remix of ‘Are You There?’ is FUCKING AMAZING! A dull techno thud and an otherworldly “Are you there?” sample (left on Wink’s ansaphone, apparently) are soon joined by some loose-limbed breakbeats that throw this futuristic piece into another dimension. If only there would be more breakbeats in techno, then we’d have ‘breakbeat techno’ and the whole cycle would start all over again. djmag.com www.djmag.ca

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BASS REVIEWS

OLI MARLOW, info@sonicrouter.com

QUICKIES

yyu

Kiss As We Walk Ramp Recordings

6.5 Sometimes the best criticism you can level at music is “I like it because it challenges me”. Like, it’s definitely not the most constructive feedback but then yyu’s debut two-tracker on Ramp Recordings isn’t the most upfront or straightforward thing in the world. One side confused, confounding sound art meets thin drum line and the other Birdenginelike introspective folk music. Its real appeal lies on the B-side which lands so very far from the dancefloor.

SHO

Woef Rwina

9.0 Dutch producers Jameszoo (pictured) and Y’skid’s collaboration as Titts is undoubtedly a bit of an overstatement. The duo’s purposely obtuse melodies definitely work in the TNGHT mode of tongue-in-cheek gargantuan hooks but there’s a coy non-conformist side to their song structure that makes their tracks delightfully unpredictable. ‘Woef’ manages to personify that with its initial ear-worm melody dissipating into stuttered vocal manipulation and heavy, clubdestroying boom bap.

Asusu

Velez (A Made Up Sound Remixes) Livity Sound

8.5 Dave Huismans is probably one of the techno world’s best bets as a remixer. His original work as 2562 and A Made Up Sound are rhythmically diverse and travel completely different strains to each other, and that definitely shows on his duo of remixes for Asusu on Livity Sound. Picking up on different strands of percussion, Huismans weaves his drums in interesting ways but it’s most potent on the B-side, with its dubstep harking third beat snare.

Strict Face

Fountains/Highbury Skyline Gobstopper

8.0 With Mr Mitch holding down a pretty pensive position with his last 'Room Where I Belong' EP, it’s not all that 122 djmag.com 60 www.djmag.ca

surprising that his Gobstopper label’s following release would be just as buoyantly ambient. The highlight, Strict Face’s ‘Fountains,’ is basically just layers of hollow synths cascading over each other while a weird, almost drum track jitters along in the background. It manages to sound like a lot of emotions all at once, simultaneously uplifting and provoking.

Jonas Kopp 55 Dias

Ilian Tape

7.5 The oft-overlooked Ilian Tape label, who admittedly should at this point be much better known for releasing platters of tough functional techno, cut a duo of ambient tracks from Jonas Kopp with a Kowton remix of ’55 Dias’. What’s really most striking is the way the source material works with someone like Kowton’s hard line approach to drum programming; it’s like the airy top layers leave so much frequencial space to be filled out beneath them.

Know V.A

O Horizon EP Lowriders

7.5 Considering that the current boom in instrumental grime has never been central to one particular postcode (cheers, internet), it’s intriguing to see how its poise is being rolled into other styles. Know V.A’s new EP for Lowriders — a release that seems to want to try its hand at absolutely everything — seems to hijack some of the spatial awareness of grime on tracks like ‘Gum’, but ‘Donkey Kong’ is probably the most outspoken tribute to that classic gully gully.

Electronic Explorations

Yumé

8.0 Rob Booth loves techno. Dude talks about it all the time and he’s finally followed that through with the third release on his Electronic Explorations imprint: a hard stomping collaboration between young talents Happa and Manni Dee.

Neando

All City

Astro:Dynamics

7.0

Titts

Claus Voigtmann

Habits of Hate EP

Gamertag

You Don’t Know Me

MONETY!

Habits of Hate

Thankfully the title of Gamertag’s four-track 12” for All City doesn’t really have a deeper meaning, it’s just a title under which the anonymous producer closes the label’s latest trio series of house-focused 12”s. It’s the B-side that really shines out with ‘Maze Impact’ sprawling from early 2562-style drum binges into drops of orchestral disco and the galloping dial-up modem awkwardness of ‘Syskreem’ dissipating into those drawn-out digital chords.

Your Sketch

8.0 These seven tracks of slow broiling fragility and manipulated field recordings from Astro:Dynamics’ latest signing, Russian producer Rasul Gafarov on Your Sketch continues the label’s run of sterling releases quite perfectly, all heady wooze and clicky percussion.

The Good Ones Go

8.0 The blossoming Yumé imprint returns with a duo of cuts from Claus Voigtmann backed with a Craig Richards remix, but the power of the whole thing lies at 2:48 into ‘The Good Ones Go’, when the staccato chords meet that upright bassline.

Samuel

Numberuma BRSTL

7.0 Another vowel-less transmission from the South West stronghold label, though this time with two cuts from Samuel whose functional take on the house music form is best defined by the perky percussive rolls of the A-side ‘Numberuma’.

Fantastic Mr Fox On My Own Black Acre

6.5 What at first might sound like a rare misstep from Fantastic Mr Fox on the title track eventually seems to blossom into something emotively serene. Gone are the delightfully flat-edged kick-drums and quirky sense of dancefloor melody, and in is a full vocal collaboration with Denai Moore. It actually sounds like heartbreak feels and FMF honestly doesn’t do much, seemingly content to back off and let the mood drive itself.

Kloke

Sea Levels

Styles Upon Styles

8.0 Veering away from the polish slightly, Kloke’s latest EP — a six-tracker for the Styles Upon Styles label — finds time to dwell in the more minute things. Rather than big pronounced come-at-me chords, the producer focuses on the little dawdling half hooks that sound great when riddled with flange and chorus. It’s covered in that analogue static too which gives it all a grandiose sense of texture. A particularly dense release that’ll warrant extended listens.

DOWNLINERS SEKT INFINÉ 01. ADESSE VERSIONS ‘Pressured’ Make Love in Public Spaces “Making love in public spaces to our ears with this track.”

02. MIDLAND ‘Drum Track’ Graded

“Quite obsessed with the obscurity of this artifact.”

03. BODDIKA & JOY O ‘More Maim’ Sunklo “Just because...”

04. OS KORIMBAS ‘Sémba Braguez’ Analog Africa “The sound of the percussion is just mad.”

05. NEHUEN & NICK HOOK ‘How Y’all Feeling (Cardopusher E.Rave 93 Mix)’ Classicworks

“93: the year l’OM won the Champions League.”

06. 0KALAMBYA BOYS ‘Kivelenge (The Busy Twist Remix)’ Soundway

“This is Kenya special.”

07.

MARK IMPERIAL ‘She Ain’t Nothin’ But A Hoe (Acid Dub)’ House Nation “(Old) school daze (on acid).”

08. MUTYA KEISHA SIOBHAN ‘Lay Down In Swimming Pools’ Unreleased

“Brings the Kendrick Lamar tune to the next level.”

09. BFLECHA ‘Reflejos’ Arkestra

“For night drives to a better version of Spain.”

10. MAURIZIO ‘MO6A (Edit)’ MCD

“Love how the kick and snare interact and how just a short reverb makes it even better.”

DUBSTEP REVIEWS

MARKLE markgurney@gmail.com

QUICKIES Perc

The Power and the Glory Remixed Perc Trax

8.0 Three rather insane remixes from Tessela, Untold and Clouds, each with a track from Perc’s recent album. Insanity abounds, but Untold takes the white jacket, fuckin’ bonkers!

District

Roy's Theme Chestplate

8.0

Ital Tek

Mega City Industry

Theme' eschewing the grot for a piercing lead guitar melody and a beautifully harmonised bassline. Refreshing!

Civil Music

8.5 After three albums for Planet Mu, Mr Tek continues his new relationship with Civil with this EP of multi-dimensional electronica, taking inspiration from Chicago’s footwork scene, along with his usual penchant for genre blurring. And it’s a killer; a superrich and textured palette rounded out with ungodly bass power for four tracks that oscillate and challenge with style and impact.

Delinquent Duo Off The Grid EP Dubstar

5.0 Channelling the Coki side-chain spirits of yesteryear, The Delinquent Duo string out a four-track EP of darkside wobble and bass.

A big melancholic triplet here from District, with the lament 'Roy's

Varsity Grunt

Terrorhythm

8.0

A/T/O/S DEEP MEDI 01. ACTRESS ‘Rule’ Werkdiscs

“The whole album is great but this track is the standout for me.”

02. DJ KOZE

‘My Plans feat Matthew Dear’ Pampa Records

“The album is from 2013 but this track is still on repeat over and over. I love the vocals and this goes down for sure in the club.”

03. DJ GRAZZHOPPA ‘After Laughter’ Cheebawax “Great way to end the album, try not to laugh!”

04. ROCKETNUMBERNINE & FOUR TET ‘Roseland’ Text Records

“Great vibe… would be nice to hear an even longer version than it already is.”

05. A/T/O/S

‘What I Need (Internal Sun Remix/Quest’s Live Your Life Remix)’ Deep Medi “Both remixes are completely different than the original and sound fresh. Internal Sun worked with us on the album for a few songs and Quest is from the MEDi stable too, so it’s a family thing!”

06. GORGON CITY ‘I’m Ready For Your Love’ Black Butter “Simple but beautiful.”

07.

BANKS ‘This Is What It Feels Like’ Harvest Records

Two absolute darkside smashers from Terrorhythm here, and boy it’s great to hear some darker, fresher riddims coming from Plastician’s label, this one from LA crew Team Supreme member Colta, who teams up with Patrick Brian to conspire as Varsity. ‘Grunt’ is a syncopated, future-gazing rolling number, whilst ‘Lingerer Dub’ barely conceals the shanks and leng, getting all up in yo face like a Limehouse vs Bow E3 beef battle.

Thing

Future Roots

Thirty One Records

7.5 Stripped-back d&b with more than a hint of dubstep texture in there — think Distance on his deeper flex. ‘Future Roots’ is full of those haunting electronic noises somewhere between Vangelis and a rusty canning factory. ‘Untitled Render’ is a tight techy roller, with crisp detailed percussion, a lolloping bounce and a subtle mid-range growl. 'Untouched' is a heads-down hypno-beast. A tidy three-track EP.

“Hypnotic singer on raw shit.”

08. COMMODO ‘Querky’ Untitled

Neuropol

09. DJ RASHAD ‘I Don’t Give A Fuck’ Juke Trax and Databass

Sgn:Ltd

“Simply — this is really good!”

Records

“So Goddamn cool!”

10. APHEX TWIN ‘Window Licker’ Warp “I just got to know this song and I love it!”

Warning

6.0 Shogun Audio’s sister label, which kick-started the careers of Spectrasoul and Alix Perez among others since 2006, has

had a brand refresher in 2012 and continues to push the more soulful elements of the sound. Which includes this four-track release from the Bristolian newcomer Neuropol, that mixes up the tempos with fluidity. ‘Warning’ is the stand-out track, which combines female vocals with restrained mid-range dubstep oscillation at 170bpm.

Ghost Writerz Rumours Unit 137

8.0 A big dollop of revival magic a gwan here from the Unit 137 crew, with Ghost Writerz and Reggae Roast’s Adam Prescott both updating Gregory Isaac’s classic 'Rumours' tune. Where Prescott pays due respect to the riddim, giving it a tasteful polish with plenty of his own trademark production value, the GW duo add bags of dancefloor fun with elements of dub, dancehall and jungle in the mix.

Various

Black Label Vol.1 (parts 1&2) Never Say Die Records

1.0 Touted as some retrospective jaunt into the good ole days of dubstep with its weighty bass and atmospherics, erm, correctly suggesting that the tat that’s labelled dubstep these days is just a bunch of wank, listening to the tracks from Bar9, Megalodon & D-Jahsta, Trampa and LZRZ, I’m not sure they have the right reference points for the “classic

origins of dubstep”, sounding more like the cartoon style that flooded the scene after Coki’s 'Spongebob' rather than classics from the likes of Mala, Pinch, Skream and Loefah circa 2005/6.

Vondelpark

Seabed (Remixes) R&S

5.0 A kaleidoscopic package of remixes from Vondelpark’s debut album, 'Seabed', a handsome eight in total, ranging from the sublime to the beige. ‘California Analog Dream’ was a popular choice with four remixes in total, Factory Floor mopping up the competition with their acidinflected number. Otherwise the output strays too close to the original album’s warm and woozy style to really inspire.

Fantastic Mr Fox

On My Own feat Denai Moore Black Acre

7.0 Ole Foxy has never been prodigious in his output. With a steady two releases a year, the Manchester reynard is slow but steady, and returns with a neat little single. ‘On My Own’ features the folk tones of Denai Moore, providing an accessible, slo-mo poppy number with a suitably contemporary electronic twang, whilst ‘Broke’ is a nagging, repetitive and ultimately catchy little dancer.

djmag.com 123 www.djmag.ca 61

HARD DANCE / HARDCORE REVIEWS

DJ KUTSKI kutski@mac.com

QUICKIES Ultraviolence & Hardforce T.E.A.R.S (DJ W Remix)

Ultraviolet Recordings

Gunz For Hire

6.5 Big room European hard trance here from Australian label Ultraviolet, featuring a pounding Germanstyle remix from DJ W which ticks all the right boxes for this genre — although a bit generic in arrangement and sounds.

Scantraxx

Activator

Swagger

10 The original hardstyle mobsters are back with their trademark rough and raw sound. 'Swagger' is an awesome balance of purist beats, with catchy melodies and hip-hop vocal hooks that make the track instantly identifiable to all ravers. These guys are the perfect example of an underground act who are able to have huge worldwide success whilst still maintaining 100% credibility in the scene and with the continued quality of their productions, we can only expect bigger and better things to come.

B Front & Frequencerz feat MC Nolz One Of A Kind Fusion

7.5 Both these acts are hot property in the Benelux at the moment, doing the raw-style circuit, packing out events every weekend. This is, as you would expect, raw, nasty and sinister, with heavy kicks, distorted synth lines on the drops and well laid-down rhymes by MC Nolz.

Organ Donors Scarface

Audio Surgery

9.0 South-west brothers the Organ Donors are back producing on their Audio Surgery imprint after some time away, releasing on big trance and house labels including Black Hole and Armada, doing the hard scene proud, pushing boundaries. Showcasing their hard-edged sound, they take influences from the movie theme tune of Scarface with big chord melodies in the epic breakdowns before dropping with a ferocious bassline. Keeping the BPMs low but the power into overdrive. 124 djmag.com 62 www.djmag.ca

Frontliner

Open Your Eyes Keep It Up

9.0 The melody man is back with another dancefloor killer. Attention to detail was the first thing that hit me about this track. It's a prime showcase of why hardstyle has become so influential to producers of other styles. Perfectly-placed glitches, edits and stabs accompany the pounding kick in the mid intro, before the trademark powerful melody hits you in the main break. I don’t think Frontliner has it in him to make an average track.

A-Lusion

Are You Ready? Lussive Music

9.0 A-lusion is a long-time player in hardstyle, and this latest production shows he can go toeto-toe with the new wonder-kids exploding into the scene at the moment. 'Are You Ready?' ticks just about every box you need to make a dancefloor slammer. Punchy “hype” vocal, ultra-catchy melody and of course that pounding bass kick to punch a hole through any raver that may happen to be standing too close to the speakers when the beat drops. The strongest production I’ve heard from A-Lusion in a while.

Krewella

We Go Down (Darren Styles Remix) Columbia

8.5 It’s always great to see the biggest commercial acts in dance music coming to our underground corner of the scene to commission remixes. On this occasion Krewella have drafted in UK legend Darren Styles for a hardcore workout. All the elements for the original are screaming for that UK happy hardcore injection, and Darren

delivers perfectly. Accessible enough to be appreciated by the mainstream, whilst remaining perfectly in tune with what is happening on the UK hardcore scene of 2014.

Greta Is Great Activator Digital

7.5 Italian hardstyle release from Activator which is a twisted take on a

fairytale, but certainly not a bed-time story for children, as this would give them nightmares after the main drop with the nasty raw sounds!

Da Tweekaz & MC V Zero Fucks Given Dirtyworkz

8.5 Aside from the consistent dancefloor bangers, the thing I love the most about Da Tweekaz is their joyful approach to what is predominantly a chin-strokers' scene. This latest track emphasises the point with the track name alone.

Ran D & Hard Driver Animals Scantraxx

8.0 The hottest hardstyle breakthrough act of 2013, Hard Driver teams up with raw-style legend and pioneer Ran D for this masterpiece, with an infectious male vocal. Ticking all the boxes here with nasty drops, dark-yet-simplistic subtle melodies in the main breakdown and well overlaid vocals, expect big plays on this and keep your eyes on Hard Driver this year, one of our tips for the top in 2014.

Max Mozart

Military Zone feat Farisha Ideal

MISS K8 MASTERS OF HARDCORE

7.5 Hard house’s newest and hottest act Max Mozart is back with a new solo single after his anthem of 2013, ‘Live Again’ with Technikal. This track pushes hard house into 2014 taking big influences from the current progressive house sounds, with big room trance riffs and a female vocal hook, but keeping elements of hard house and hard trance on the drops making this a great sing-along dancefloor hit.

01. MISS K8 ‘Breathless’ Masters of Hardcore

Mad Dog & AniMe

06. TIEUM ‘Night Rider’ TBC

Bassdrum Music Traxxstorm

9.0 This third EP from Mad Dog’s ‘Rudeness’ album sees him team up with Italian hardcore queen AniMe for an explosive full-on hardcore track, featuring relentless beats and well-constructed vocals — this duo have certainly delivered!

“My latest track, which was released on Masters of Hardcore Records.”

02. UNEXIST ‘Power of Underground’ TBC

“Jappo knows how to create musical mayhem! I really like the melody and of course the Unexist trademark: ruthless kicks.”

03. BODYSHOCK ‘Search & Destroy’ Masters of Hardcore

“One of my absolute favourites of the moment. Great and powerful track by newcomer Bodyshock at Masters of Hardcore Records!”

04. ENDYMION ‘Punk-Ass’ Neophyte

“Great vocals and a kick that blasts out the speakers. It has an original vibe to it that stands out from other recent hardcore tracks.”

05. ANGERFIST ‘Close To You (Wasted Mind Remix)’ Masters of Hardcore “’Close To You’ is one of my personal favourites from Angerfist. I love the original version and it’s nice to hear this new remix from Spanish artist Wasted Mind.”

“One of my favourite artists. Super hard kick and wrecking samples.”

08. TIEUM & ANGERFIST ‘Dirty Man’ Masters of Hardcore

“These two guys are always a great combination. Since I got this track from them it has been one of my favourite tunes to play. “

09. DJ MAD DOG & UNEXIST ‘Disproving God’ Traxxtorm

“Nice new collaboration by these two Italian guys. Rude and aggressive. Can’t wait to test it on the dancefloor.”

10. DROKZ & PARTYRAISER ‘Hardcore, Bitches, 40s and Blunts’ Rige “Hard and banging track by two of Holland’s hardest artists. I like the flowing vocals of this track and that the kicks switch around so much, which keeps it interesting. One of my favourite tracks to finish my set with.”

TRANCE REVIEWS

TIM STARK PO Box 272, Oxford, OX3 8FJ

QUICKIES

Bluefire

Superphysics

Suspect 44

Lost Language

Enhanced Progressive

Coheena

7.5 Pondering, glacially chiming and micro-progish in places, in content ‘Coheena’ is both pretty and minimal. With lots of exaggerated delay about its parts, it’s also not short of atmosphere.

Paul Oakenfold Café del Mar Perfecto Fluoro

8.0 Faithful in parts, divergent (mainly in the Goa/psy direction) in others, Oakenfold rocks his interpretation of ‘Café’. Fine excursions on the version too from Peetu S, Activa and Angry Man.

Fragments

Dreamnasia (Photographer Remix) Breathe Music

8.0

Progressive house’s first and second incarnations finally collide on ‘Fragments’. Most elements work (most notably the echoed vocal hook), but the big stabby riff might be a step too far in V2's direction for some.

For me Photographer was trance's Rookie of the Year in 2013, for (among others) his ‘This Is Upstep’ release on Digitized. That track's stamp — swift pace, curling acid lines, uplifting, sincere euphorics and organic, played-from-the-heart note-lines are all over his remix of Bluefire's ‘Dreamnasia'. Bridgehead firmly established, a Photographer breakthrough cannot be far away.

Kris Maydak

Eddie Bitar

Always Alive

VANDIT Records

6.5

Parthenope

7.5 More considered than a lot of Always Alive’s recent (excellent) stock, thus this needs more spins to land. ‘Parthenope’s more complex melodies will have their way with you in the end, though.

Metal Mouth/Meloque

8.0 If tech-trance with a side of psy is your cup of tea, 'Metal Mouth' might well find its way into your cart this month. Gnarly, snarly and a wee bit dangerous to know as Eddie’s ‘Mouth’ is, 'Meloque' (produced alongside Paul Webster), might just be the primer piece. Cut from much the same stylistic cloth, the gradient of its leadline's introduction and supporting melodic elements are that much smoother.

MONETY!

Lisa Lashes Virus

Fraction Records

7.0

01. CHRIS METCALFE ‘Curveball’ Subculture

Squawky electronica frequencies and a bassline whose LFO will put the wind up the hardiest of speakers mark out the intro to Lashes’ latest. Throw in some dubby metallic kettle drum FX and an inexorable pitch bend, pressure cook for 90 seconds and release. The result, as you can probably imagine, is volatile. The cleaner cut, marginally more linear remix from Christopher Lawrence is mighty fine too.

02. SAM JONES & WILL REES ‘Fire Drill’ Damaged

Peetu S

ADAM ELLIS KEARNAGE/SUBCULTURE “I first heard John O’ Callaghan play this in Cream, Amnesia a few years ago and I have been hooked ever since. This is trance!”

“Two of my favourite producers team up for a hard-hitting slice of trance on Jordan Suckley’s new label. Watch out for these two.”

03. ADAM ELLIS ‘Velocity In French’ Monster Tunes

“My brand-new single which offers something for both uplifting and tech trance fans. Armin van Buuren approved!”

04. ATLANTIS VS AVATAR ‘Fiji (Lange Remix)’ Inferno

“An oldie, but a goodie. I cannot stop playing this classic lately.”

05. NEPTUNE PROJECT ‘Lost In My Tears’ FOSE

“At last, the Neptune Project are back and they have a barrage of new material coming out in 2014. Be sure to look out for our collab ‘Pandora’s Box’ coming later this year.”

06. MENNO DE JONG FEAT NOIRE LEE ‘Creatures of the Night (Adam Ellis Remix)’ ITWT “It was an honour to be asked to remix for Menno and my remix has been received well. It was even featured on ASOT twice.”

07.

ALAN MORROW ‘Why We Do This’ Extrema Global Music “Another quality uplifting track by Allan. Allan is a class act who is sure to breakthrough in 2014.”

08. GIUSEPPE OTTAVIANI FEAT ALANA ALDEA ‘Heal This Empty Heart (John O’ Callaghan Remix)’ Black Hole Recordings “Powerful beats, an uplifting breakdown with voluptuous vocals and a hardhitting drop. Love it…”

09. TONY DE VIT ‘The Dawn (Bryan Kearney Remix)’ Tidy Trax

“What a stomper from Bryan. I am always playing this one out in my sets. It’s a dancefloor destroyer.”

10. SECOND SINE ‘Ipanema Girls’ Vendence

“I have caned this lately. Such a unique tune with a brilliant track title to match. It always brings a smile to my face.”

Mirage/Lost In A Better World Perfecto Fluoro

8.5 Somewhat incredibly Perfecto Fluoro 2.0 has become an even more dependable label than its mid-'90s incarnation. This release from Peetu S is but another example. Getting the balance between trance propulsion and steamy Goan equatorial atmosphere cock on, both ‘Mirage’ and ‘Lost In A Better World’ burn from first beat through last.

Above & Beyond Hello

Anjunabeats

9.0 A&B’s canon was small but impeccably formed in 2013. With ‘Walter White’ and ‘Marianna Trench’ they also palpably developed a new track dynamic. Devoutly non-trance at the frontend, they merged

into high harmonics in the break. Following that groove ‘Hello’ rolls out, combining EDM stomp and electro frisson. It finally succumbs to ‘Café del Mar'-esque pads, fluttering FX and piano lines so fine, they’ll cook a goosebump or 20 in seconds.

Adam Kancerski & High 5 Divine

Infra Progressive

8.0 It’s all about the titles with Kancerski. After the woeful ‘Mosquito’ comes the divinity of ‘Divine’. Uplifting, with nary a whiff of cheese, it's only missing a vocal hook to make its success an unqualified one.

Andrew Bayer Once Lydian Anjunabeats

8.0 Restored to high health of late, Anjunabeats are currently turning one trump card release after another. The tempo might be low (ish), but Andrew Bayer’s latest is never short of thrills. Steely, grinding electro lines fire the intro sequence, which segues into a harmonically, celestially toned drop. Its ascension back out the other side brings wholehearted atmospheric uplift, additionally and brilliantly punctuated by elevating FX.

Rank 1 & Dennis Shepherd

SHO

Freudenrausch

High Contrast Recordings

9.0 Rank 1 kick out their first of the year, opposite Dennis Shepherd. What in essence you have is a rarely-if-ever previously brewed concoction. Spiky electro sub-riffs, faintly 'Da Funk'-ish filterizations, tech FX and a tubthumper of an M1 piano payoff are all rendered through profoundly trancey note arrangements. It ain’t your average, but the protagonists are all past masters at throwing curveballs for the big win.

Hujaboy

Whisper EP TIP Records

8.0 New three-ply EP from TIP mainstay Hujaboy. “Should we fear the robot of the future?” asks ‘A.I. Psychology’. On this boomy, delightfully doomy evidence, probably. More lifty and propulsive is ‘Imaginary Time’, which is coupled to the obligatory (but nonetheless welcome) fringe scientist spoken vocal/sermon. Wigging out good and proper, ‘TIPnosis’ is the most minimal (relatively speaking) and ties up a great EP. djmag.com 125 www.djmag.ca 63

HIP-HOP REVIEWS

NEIL KULKARNI, 81 Crosbie Road, Coventry, CV5 8FX heard from Dooley-O. It's not that the sound is retro (it's too sparsely populated yet warm to be anything other than timeless), more that the way Dooley & Blacastan deliver the rhymes is instantly revealing of how few fucks were given that day, how great rap can be when it sounds like it's sure of its abilities. A great one to have tucked in your bag.

Swamp Thing Elephant Man Urbnet Records

8.5 Swamp Thing are a Toronto threepiece crew based around the axis of Timbuktu, Chokeules and Savilion, but what got me checking out 'Elephant Man' was the fact that Ghettosocks was involved — he adds customarily mindblowing vocals to the tuff post-punk funk laid down by Timbu here, and the other tracks I've heard (in particular the superbly aggressive psyche-funk of 'Raw Minded') hint that the album 'Firedogs' might have to get got as soon as possible. Will report back, in the meantime seek 'em out and enjoy.

QUICKIES Schoolboy Q feat A$AP Rocky Californication

Top Dawg/Interscope

7.5 Bonus cut from the engrossing 'Oxymoron' LP sees the light of day and Schoolboy Q might've found his finest rapping partner yet. Nice ruff beats as well, ruff and electrolaced like something offa Big Dada. SQ remains a compelling voice and presence.

Prodigy & Alchemist

banger, squelchy with '70s blaxploitation textures and running you all the way out to the badlands with a bag of lime in the boot. As ever with Alchemist, essential.

Joell Ortiz Bars

Sarom Soundz

7.5 Noisy, pell-mell, fast, radgy — all the things hip-hop's in danger of forgetting it can do this well. Addictive aggravation.

Murder Goes Down Infamous

7.0 From 'Albert Einstein Part 2' and a natty little

Shinobi Stalin feat Roc Marciano Upfront

Not All Bad

Split Prophets/Bandcamp

9.5 Beautifully balanced track from Split Prophets renegade Upfront from his soon-drop album 'Upfront & Personal'. Blank produces a beautifully measured perfect storm of rockhard beats and sumptuous jazzy production, vocals and trumpet echoed and blended like Teo did to Miles. Upfront's rhymes are hugely engaging, a statement of positivity but not a mindless one, a statement aware of the tough times and the pressures but still emerging totally triumphant with its head proudly up. Gorgeous cuts from DJ Sammy B-Side as well. One of the clearest instant classics I've heard thus far in 2014. The Split Prophet camp just can't stop dropping brilliance into your day. Get with their programme.

Step Brothers

Mums In The Garage Rhymesayers

9.0 One of the wackiest, wildest, most delicious highlights from the stunning 'Lord Steppington' LP that might just be the finest thing Evidence & Alchemist have ever given us. Love this for the lunging bass (very Erick & Parrish), the 126 djmag.com 64 www.djmag.ca

Granite

Fly Definition Records

bustling, buzzing frantic peripheries (very Edan) and for the guest verses from the mighty Action Bronson. On the flip, dig the dank and dark 'Swimteam Rastas' for some of the noisiest chug-a-lug dementedness this side of Death Grips or Boot Records. Superb.

Dag Savage F.U.P.M

Dirty Science

8.5 Johaz of Deep Rooted and Exile of Emanon make up Dag Savage — this is the first thing I've heard from them since their collaboration with Blu and what a weird, warped little slice of freakiness it is. Think early Outkast in terms of the fuggy derangement of sound, think :Brownstudy in terms of the infection of sources until they're diffracted and druggedup, think again of Outkast for the woozy but beautifully harmonised vocals. And what the hell, think Joe Motherfuckin' Meek for the gorgeous little twist of backwards keyboards that seals this into your skull. Curious and brilliant.

Dooley-O feat Blacastan Hip-Hop Warriors Sleediz Records

8.0 Best hip-hop track to mention squirrels since Ice Cube's 'Giving Up The Nappy Dug Out' and the most relaxed, confident thing I've ever

9.0 Goodness gracious me, a thousand apologies but how the fuck could I have been sleeping on this one? What a monster — fantastic rolling beat, swirling vintage strings, Hollywood soundstage vocals tremoloed and phased right to the outer edges of your mind's eye, stupendously good rhymes from Roc & Shinobi. Two-years-old but only now getting the attention it deserved at the time, including from this slack bastard. Essential.

King Grubb

GAVLYN ORGANIZED THREAT 01. BEYONCÉ ‘Blow’ Columbia

“The reason why is because I love the ‘70s take on it, the lyrical context, and she hit some old school high notes on that one. I never heard Beyoncé on that tip before.”

02. YUNG THUG ‘Danny Glover’ Brick Squad

“That song has so much energy. I just came across Yung Thug through a friend. His chops on that track are super tight. Definitly haven’t heard a flow like his before. Very refreshing.”

Big Baby Buddha Blah Records

7.5 Lifted offa King Grubb's new album 'Droopy Eyed Vegas', this is a nearsomnambulent aquatic slipstream of the finest herb-headed hippy shit — production v. reminiscent of Outkast or Boogiemonsters at their most oceanic, rhymes hitting that perfect mid-point 'tween paranoid agitation (“the finest white cider”) and weed-hibernation lassitude. One thing that always amazes me about vids these days is just HOW MUCH weed these people have knocking around their domiciles. How can they afford it? Oh right... remember kids, always get high on your own supply. Excellent stuff.

03. SCHOOLBOY Q FEAT KENDRICK LAMAR ‘Collard Greens’ Top Dawg/Interscope “I loooove this track, the beat always gets me hype, it’s a dope party track.”

04. DRAKE ‘Worst Behaviour’ OVO Sound

“I know lots of fans might be a little upset by this but I can’t front — that beat is so good! I think Drake did his thang on that track.”

05. ICONA POP ‘I Love It’ Ten Records

“I love this song. It always makes me wanna jump, plus my friends get so annoyed everytime I sing it.”

06. JAY-Z FEAT RICK ROSS ‘Fuck With Me You Know I Got It’ RocA-Fella “I just heard this song on my last summer tour. The beat is solid and it fitted my mindstate perfectly at the time.”

07.

ACTION BRONSON FEAT RIFF RAFF ‘Bird On The Wire’ Fool’s Gold “This track is so smooth. I think Riff Raff & Action Bronson sound so good together. I love how the beat has an old school vibe to it.”

08. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE FEAT JAY-Z ‘Suit and Tie’ RCA

“Justin Timberlake has always been one of my favourites. Love the classy sound to this track.”

09. DAM FUNK & SNOOPZILLA ‘7 Days Of Funk’ Stones Throw

“Snoop sounds his best on funk and Dam-Funk is a beast as well — perfect combo. I grew up with funk music.”

10. JUICY J FEAT THE WEEKND ‘One Of Those Nights’ Taylor Gang/ Columbia “The concept is really good and every time Juicy J and The Weeknd work together it’s always tight. Never fails, plus the video for the track is awesome.”

LEFTFIELD REVIEWS

FOUND SOUNDS, PO Box 20437, London, SW16 2YJ

QUICKIES Mr Scruff

Chet Faker

Render Me feat Denis Jones

Talk Is Cheap

Future Classic/Downtown Records

Ninja Tune

7.5

A more contemplative outing from Scruff that manages to creep under the skin after a few listens. Strings, beats and vocals. Simple and effective.

Whilst

Kalbata & Mixmonster

Optimo Music

Freestyle Records

Everything That Was There

9.0 Making a pleasant change, there’s scant personnel detail behind Optimo’s next foray into the world of ‘free’ music. Other than that, they have a name and like to jam. And quite frankly it’s a rather pleasant and competent jam that takes influence from every boot sale find, charity shop gem and eBay-winning prize possession record that all of these guys (and gals) undoubtedly own. Beautiful bizarre freak beat from Scotland.

Magic Drum Orchestra MDO Sessions 1 Tru Thoughts

7.5

Karl Hector & The Malcouns Coomassi EP Now Again

8.5 Very rarely putting a foot wrong, the ever dependable Stones Throw offshoot come up with the goods yet again in the shape of this new EP from (Poets Of Rhythm and Whitfield Brothers maestro) Jay Whitfield’s psych funk ensemble Karl Hector & the Malcouns. In terms of content, expect the expected with the usual scorching cross-pollination of breaks-laden psych, soul, funk, Afro and jazz!

Trees

Arctic Monkeys

Polar Bear

Love Monk

Domino

The Leaf Label

8.0 Love Monk have certainly come up trumps with their latest signing Trees, a man who has already recorded for label luminaries such as Ghostly and Moodgadget and will no doubt court more attention with this EP. Mixing up all manner of ‘credible’ influences, from Afrobeat to krautrock and utilising live players amidst raw sampling and programming (there’s a penchant for occasional 303s), it’s a classy affair that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Laurent Garnier A13

Musique Large

9.0 Ever the man of conceptual music-making, Garnier reflects his legendary ‘transitional’ DJ sets with this year's production idea; "five releases, five styles, five different labels". After the first release on Chicago’s Still Music, it’s the turn of Musique Large to get in on the act. And Garnier doesn’t disappoint. Check ‘The Rise & Fall Of The Donkey’ for bass-led, speaker-shaking emphatic evidence that he still has it. In spades. 128 djmag.com

Quantic

Prisoner In Love

Glyn ‘Bigga’ Bush returns to form again, this time with cohort Ralph Cree and their 20-strong percussion ensemble MDO. Covering similar ground in part to The Hot 8 Brass Band, it's more a samba and Afrobeat approach that gets the raw appeal going. ‘Drop It Like It's Hot’ receives the South American touch with as much bounce as the original Pharrell production. Putting more fun(k) back into genuine musicality.

Rootwork EP

Rhodes-soaked electronic futuresoul from everyone’s favourite Aussie export Chet Faker. File next to Frank Ocean, James Blake, Jai Paul and Ben Kahn.

Arabella

8.5 Alex Turner may be an arrogant and conceited little so and so, but as much as his childish and ultimately misguided antics may put you off, it’s hard to find fault with the Arctic Monkeys' music. Full of swagger, attitude and old school vigour, ‘Arabella’ is a masterfully produced example of three-and-a-half-minute rock & roll perfection. A class act!

Little Dragon Klapp Klapp Because Music

8.0 It’s unlikely, but just in case you’d forgotten about this lot, a little word of warning… they are back! Hitting the ground running, ‘Klapp Klapp’ is like an unstoppable, incoming missive.0-20 seconds, urgent Northern soul-style drums and Reprazent-style double bass snap you to attention. 20-40 seconds, thunderous bass rumbling and Nagano’s unmistakable vocals grab you by the short and curlies. The rest is a mere formality as they crank up the dial, delivering all manner of shape-shifting treats.

Duvido (feat Pongo Love)

7.5

Tru Thoughts

8.0

Head directly to Kutiman’s alternative version that adds some organ spice to a genuine lover's rock selection. A great story behind the project too.

“Quantic has produced, in one decade, a genrespanning body of work most others couldn’t in a lifetime.” So says Bonobo. Can’t say fairer than that!

Be Free

8.0 To many an ear, jazz is a dirty word. And there are times when I can understand why. Overly complex, esoteric and selfcongratulatory jazz is sometimes enough to push the door closed on even the most open of musical minds. There is something about Polar Bear, however, that manages to stay just the right side of all that… err…jazz. ‘Be Free’ shows why. Nice work, gents!

daMON fROST

PYRAMID VRITRA STONES THROW 01. CHICO DEBARGE ‘Love Still Good’ Universal

“Hard to pick a favourite from this album, but from the moment it starts, the vibe is perfect, there’s not too much going on, neither is it too empty.”

02. ROISIN MURPHY ‘If We’re In Love’ Echo/Play It Again Sam

“I think I had a different version of this song in my collection at some point, but whatever, the horns. That is all.”

03. D’ANGELO ‘Send it On’ Virgin

“That bassline and those horns from the moment it drops. All of ‘Voodoo’ was hard, big influence.”

04. MOONRAKER ‘Night With You’ White

“I would listen to this album almost every night alone in college and play Skate 2 on this shitty TV they gave us in the dorms. This song is perfect from start to finish.”

Explain My Drive EP Accidental Records

7.5 This dude certainly ain’t pulling any punches. He sure as hell isn’t dumbing anything down either. Hence here we have four non-compromising tracks of simultaneously brutal and beautiful electronic music from this professional dancer, producer, and part-time rapper (remember Swedish hip-hop duo Hearin’ Aid on Raw Fusion?) Damon Frost. Check the résumé. It's an interesting read!

05. MACHINEDRUM ‘Hello My Future (T Stewart Remix)’ Merck

“Machinedrum has always been a big influence, but after I heard this song, the drum patterns, chord progressions and transitions... genius. And he remixed himself.”

06. GONJASUFI ‘Sheep’ Warp

“Perfect. Not much else to say, the singing sample, the bass, the vocals, everything fits perfectly and it’s nothing more than it needs to be.”

07.

BJORK ‘Venus As A Boy’ One Little Indian

“Everything from the way this song is sung, to the lyrics. Classic album, classic song.”

08. CLIPSE ‘Gangsta Lean’ StarTrak

“I remember hearing this for the first time on a camping trip with a friend from scouts in like third or fourth grade, that’s how you open an album.”

09. KELIS ‘Get Along With You/Good Stuff ’ StarTrak

“The bassline on ‘Good Stuff’ and the structure and progressions in ‘Get Along With You’ — can’t go wrong with old Kelis and the Neptunes.”

10. ANDRE 3000

‘Pink and Blue/Prototype’ Arista “One of the albums that got me really into creating music, both songs are beautiful. The orchestration and minimalism of ‘Pink and Blue’ and the atmospheric bliss that ‘Prototype’ is. How can you not like that song?”

www.djmag.ca

ALBUM REVIEWS

8.0

9.0

Todd Terje

Leon Vynehall

Olsen Records

3024

Writing Robbie Williams tunes, spinning the Bee Gees, that moustache — Todd Terje pulls off things that would have most other DJs pelted with rare techno 12”s until they admitted the error of their ways. Hell, on his debut album the Norwegian manages to get away with a cover of Robert Palmer’s ‘Johnny and Mary’ sung by crooner Bryan Ferry that doesn’t sound like a nightmare brought on by too much Radio 2. That’s far from the weirdest moment here either — check the chipmunks-in-acocktail-bar vibes of ‘Svenk Saas’ or the fact that ‘Alfonso Muskedunder’ sounds a bit like Giorgio Moroder trying to make drum & bass for a Disney movie — but Terje also manages to keep his tongue mostly away from his cheek on house and cosmic disco tracks like ‘Strandbar’ and his already classic ‘Inspector Norse’, which are as shiny as one of Mr Ferry’s suits. Paul Clarke

Inspired by lifts to school in his mum’s car, Leon Vynehall’s mini-LP for Martyn’s 3024 label pays homage to a forgotten time when music was listened to patiently and albums were always listened to in full. ‘MFTU’ flows more like a piece of classical music than a DJ set, each track fitting into the overall movement of the composition, serving to conjure a particular setting or specific emotion. ‘Inside The Deku Tree’, named after a level on Zelda, featuring strings from Eagles For Hands and trumpet from Rob Flynn, is, as you’d expect, pure nostalgia. ‘Goodthing’, with its stop-start jazz and synth double bass, is blues-y house at its most liquid, while ‘Be Brave, Clench Fists’ lives almost as a reprise of Pepe Bradock’s classic ‘Deep Burnt’. With Mr Scruff and Aim tapes getting outings on the car stereo, it’s no wonder this masterpiece — actually recorded to cassette — is closer to Four Tet than Fleetwood Mac. Simply stunning. Adam Saville

It’s Album Time

Music For The Uninvited

Get your Roxy off

Get it on Vynehall

Dana Ruh Naturally

Underground Quality

8.5

9.0

Diving into the deep THERE’S a lot of kerfuffle regarding what really constitutes deep house. Everyone’s got their own ideas about what exactly it is, whether it’s the “real shit” as made by the likes of Chez Damier or Larry Heard in the ‘90s, the full-fathom-five submersible disco of Theo Parrish or perhaps the garage-y accessible stuff that’s infiltrating the charts right now, that’s guaranteed to induce a sneer from the purists at 20 paces. Another thing that could make the selfappointed guardians of the faith sniffy is the infiltration of a supposed outsider in the realm they consider sacred. But to us, the arrival of Dana Ruh on JusEd’s Underground Quality — a beacon of NYC-stamped unimpeachable cool — is a hugely welcome surprise. While Dana’s material with frequent collaborator Andre Galluzzi was often steely, mechanistic techy gear, targeted at the floor, now she’s going it alone she’s revealed a very different side of her musical persona. Emotive, airy, with bubbling analogue synths providing the low-end groove, the piano riffs, skippy 130 djmag.com 66 www.djmag.ca

drums and devotional atmospheres are geared to the head ‘n’ heart but always keep the feet moving. Very much beholden to the classic New York blueprint as pioneered by labels like Prescription, Wave and in places Strictly Rhythm, Dana continues a fine tradition with a clear passion and knowledge it’s impossible not to appreciate. ‘Just Don’t’ might not be original but its classic piano figure and unstoppable rhythm section satisfy in all the right ways. ‘Dirty Egg’ is a spacier diversion into dubby techno, but the skippy hats keep the beat in perpetual motion even while our minds are sent astral by the galactic strafing synths. ‘My Cave’ is stripped to the bone, a bustle of crisp percussion and lowdown electroid bass, before the jazzy keys emerge to illuminate the skeletal funk. A lush listen from start to end, Dana Ruh’s UQ debut is a minor deep house classic — and even the purists won’t baulk at this one. Ben Murphy

9.0

Mental Overdrive

Efdemin

Love OD

Dial

Everything Is Connected Overdrive but underappreciated Just a month or so after his last full-length, ‘CYCLS’, end-of-the-worldobsessed sonic doom-monger, sound designer and film scorer Per Martinsen releases a follow-up collection of recent, more danceable material and bonus tracks. For different reasons, it’s an album that’s just as interesting as its predecessor. In place of dense and frosty experiments are surfing technoid tracks with Vangelisstyle melodies smeared across vast open skies. Or robo-disco jams with hummable melodies, or skittish machine-made jams that spit out raw snares and sound like Pearson Sound caught in a snowstorm. Despite the incredible breadth and depth to the tracks included here, Martinsen never comes up short, instead hitting his intended mark each and every time. This is hard to categorise but truly titillating music from start to finish. Kristan J Caryl

Decay

Attack, sustained, released... Phillip Sollmann’s third LP as Efdemin was written in his Berlin studio, but came to fruition during a three-month artist residency in Kyoto, Japan. The result meshes his signature sound with reoccurring themes of nature, alienation, and ageing... hence, ‘Decay’. Musically this is an album that, much like Sollmann’s DJ style, touches on many branches of electronic music. There’s the freeform frenzy of ‘Parallaxi’, field-recording-steeped temple drones on ‘Ohara’, a hint of German protominimalism in ‘The Meadow’, and the deeply soulful ‘Track 93’. To be all this and avoid the pitfalls of being annoyingly pastiche or unfocused is only testament that this is the producer’s finest work to date. Zara Wladawsky

ALBUM REVIEWS

9.0

8.0

7.5

Max Cooper

Detroit Swindle

Faze Action

Chopstick & Jonjon

Fields

Dirt Crew Recordings

Far

Suol

Human

Refreshing escapist electronica It’s galling how much we pine for a coherent dance album. Yet saddening how few are born each year. Max Cooper, however, has delivered a balanced classic. ‘Human’ is a cyclic journey of Yin to Yang that hurls us from scathing to seductive and back again across three distinct acts. As the stark space of ‘Adrift’ melts towards the jacking ‘Supine’, we feel Cooper’s journey take hold. ‘Seething’ drops us back into slippery distortion and droning shards of sound before we’re whipped back into a steep climb with the clubby ‘Numb’; a dreamy monster that triangulates the warm bass growl of Laurent Garnier, Agoria and Stephan Bodzin. Cooper’s conclusion arrives calm. Propulsive and melodic; he dumps our sated spirits back to shore, bathed in a light only valued after a storm. ‘Human’ achieves the rare goal of creating a meaningful musical narrative away from the norm. Matthew Bennett

Boxed Out

Motor City Dutch ensemble In the space of a couple of years, Detroit Swindle — actually two chaps from Amsterdam, Lars Dales and Maarten Smeets — have established themselves as some of the go-to guys for straight-up, vintage-leaning garage. Dirt Crew, who have snagged them for a clutch of singles so far, have bagged this debut album from under the noses of Huxley’s Saints & Sonnets and Freerange, who have also spotted and unleashed the pair’s productions. And pleasingly there’s not too much of that tendency to go for concept over the meat and potatoes business, with the bulk of this aiming directly for the discotheque. No shame in that. Bumpy opener ‘B.Y.O.’ says it all, a solid loop layered with toasty-warm organs. The final third is where it really heats up, with ‘The Fat Rat’, ‘Huh’, ‘What!’ and the excellent ‘F6’ taking no prisoners. Most promising. Ben Arnold

Body Of One

Twelve

Disco voyeurs fall deeper into their groove An incalculable amount of occurrences have exploded since 1997. But one factual rock amongst the torrent of history is that Faze Action have quietly continued to improve and thrive. Now self-releasing their 10th album, the Lee brothers present an album thrumming with disco as a powerful engine but creating a litany of polished songs that reflect the light from punk-funk, ‘80s boogie, Balearic, Latin and soul. ‘Body Of One’ oozes confidence. It is warm, percussive and familiar. An early peak, ‘Echoes Of Your Mind’ is so nostalgic that it sounds like a cover you can’t quite place. ‘Body Of One’ quickly follows, which suggests the bold strings of the ghost of Arthur Russell, with Zimbabwean singing drummer Zeke Manyika of Orange Juice fame ringing in the beats. Modern disco certainly does not suck; since Faze Action are craftsmen at the peak of their wistful powers. Matthew Bennett

On the Jonjon Vietnamese-Canadian Chopstick, aka Chi-Thien Nguyen, and John Muder have been ploughing a distinctive furrow with their Suol label for a few years now, pulling together a blazing roster and a cohesive aesthetic around them. It’s impressive, as is the fact they’ve managed to find time away from their prolific A&Ring to make their debut album. ‘Twelve’ is it, and it’s clear that it’s not been thrown together in airports between gigs (well, maybe some of it has, but that’s just good time management). Utilising the vocals of Chris James from Stateless, it’s a deep and unctuous selection, but with the bite of percussion that often typifies their style, like on the flowing ‘Silent Sea’ and the analogue groove ‘I Will Follow’. ‘The Pining Moon’ is wonderfully (and probably knowingly) Balearic. They’ve arguably gone a tad overboard with James’s vocals, featuring him on most tracks, but that’s a Champagne problem. Ben Arnold

Max Graef

Rivers of the Red Planet Tartelet

8.5 Flooding the market MAX GRAEF is enjoying a purple patch. Since we first encountered his jazzy angular styles on ‘Am Fenster’ in March 2013, he’s unleashed a cascade of music onto a range of labels, including Detroit Swindle’s Heist label, Brandt Brauer Frick’s The Gym and Odd Socks, all in the space of six or so months — and already we have his debut full-length. His dusty, well-worn approach to house music has appeared as something of a panacea to DJs tired of the tawdry residue rising to the top of the ‘90s house

revival. Somewhere between the angular, avant-garde funk of Funkineven and the robust disco-informed house of MCDE, ‘Rivers Of The Red Planet’ brings disquieting touches of disco, jazz and Y3K soul in slamming house form, all via a lo-fi crackle of vinyl. ‘Itzehoe’ is a slab of dirty funk with an off-beat bottom line and swinging chords, while ‘Running’, featuring vocals from Wayne Snow, offers a rare glimpse of elastic r&b, not far from Floating Points. ‘Tamoule Fudgemunk’ is robust, shuffling house uniquely

characterised by him on ‘Bummse’ (The Gym) and ‘Ignorance Is Bliss’ (Heist). ‘Drums Of Death’ echoes the raw, percussive re-edits of Larry Levan; however, ‘Vino Rosetto’ could be something found on Prime Numbers. As much a celebration of vintage sounds as it is a searching exploration of those still to come, ‘ROTRP’ is a rhapsody of ideas that wrestles restlessly with the listener throughout. Max Graef has burst his banks, he cannot be contained. Adam Saville djmag.com www.djmag.ca

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ALBUM REVIEWS

FASHION

QUICKIES

BENCHMARK

Celebrating 25 years 7.5with silver, of course… Downliners Sekt

Our New Year Honours list

6.0

Sian

SilentgoAscent 2 Meters Above Midnight BENCH back, way back. Born in the ‘80s in Manchester, they were at the epicentre of In Fine Octopus Records the club and street culture scene. So it’s no surprise that this year is going to be one big, Sektual healing Plastic long ballyhoo of a party for them; because that’s the waytechno they roll. Starting things off with the release of their Street Tech Collection — combining technical fabrics with subtle nods Hazy, electronica with a dark, urban Primaloft Much like Italianstechnology go bat-shit crazy for for to theirdubby heritage — a silver hoody features insulating engineered edge,warmth. Barcelona washed-out house, many extra DJduo MagDownliners has had a Sekt gooddraw ole touchy feel of thetech capsule and canSpaniards’ confirm it’s as much influence from Burial as they chosen electronic tipple seems toto bekeep dry, you bang on trend. Ouch. Did we really justdosay that? Basically, it’s got all the specs fromand Autechre and Aphex Twin. The latest snug protected without looking like you’resweeping about to minimal do a hiketechno. up Snowdon or some The title track is early Mount Kimbie heard torchbearer for such sounds is Sian and his such mountainous place. through an electronic field, whereas Octopus Born in Dublin butaraised We’ll be keeping you up-to-date with‘The the next stage of label. their celebrations and American Life’ is more house-y, dark like in southern Spain, he has become a big forthcoming competition. ‘Hazyville’-era Actress, echoing the sort of name in big room techno circles thanks Bench.co.uk starry-eyed call to action Four Tet is best known for. While it hardly reinvents the wheel, ‘Silent Ascent’ is an emotive and engaging listen filled with murky, cavernous textures, grainy colouration and lively, static frequencies. Drifting into the ether, it pulls you back throughout into capacious fields of magnetism with skilful shifts in tempo or hypnotic, subtly deployed samples. Falling short of dancefloor energy, but too slow and dreary for the after-party, this one is for long, dark coach rides. Adam Saville

LESS IS MORE...

to releases on well-established outlets like Soma, Pokerflat, and Sci+Tec but here serves up a sophomore LP on his own label, 12 years after his full-length debut. Recorded in the last year and inspired by life on the road, this is a tooth-clenching techno opus aimed squarely at the floor. It’s shiny, metallic, white noise-laced stuff that, although packed with “original field recordings and cult ‘80s samples” is firmly entrenched in marching, strobe-lit frosty loops and rigid beat cycles. Kristan J Caryl

PXL! Forward-thinking, best of

COLOUR OF THE MONTH… Awanto 3 Opel Mantra

Yellow. It’s fresh and optimistic. It speaks of positive vibes and hope. And PillowTalkcustard! A/T/O/S Je Ne Sais Quoi A/T/O/S

Rush Hour

Wolf + Lamb

8.5

Cone-rattling house Tribal, Afro-influenced disco meets creaky techno, which joins acid funk and brass jazz, on an LP that ticks off heritable touch-points like The Antique Roadshow presented by Normski. ‘Opel Mantra’ is a headblowing listen — conerattling house at its very finest. Seek it out. Adam Saville

7.0

SWING...

Deep Medi

6.5 French kissOr should that be Esoteric space bass shhwing? Get ‘Frisco three-piece Patience pays. And it may practicing your golfing PillowTalk won’t be an essential ally when skillsbe in time for some categorised,leisurely thoughsummer you traversing action. And such keepsprawling could perhaps suggest electronic your balls neat andbut tidysparse courtesy that this debut is veryand WolfHathaway landscapes. of Daines — Deep Medi’s + Lamb. There’s soundsand of produced first album in 2014 takes handmade in the frisky, bordering its time. Oscillating UK. ghettotech R&B on the excellent between terse hip-hop ‘4 Walls’, acoustic house beats and truculent bass on ‘Meet MeFOOTSIE… In The Dark’ grooves, 15 tracks pair We’re so over and ‘The Outcast’, with vocals with an almost hashtag selfie. It’ssilky all about the DJ Tennis, and jazzy soul horizontal approach to a hashtag footsie. And when you’re rocking on ‘LA To The Boy’.expensive Ben pairbeat delivery. if a cosy, of socks fromSlick, Pringle, Arnold tad most esoteric. Matthew you’d better make the of them. Bennett

Vermont Vermont

Christian Prommer Ubermood

Shades Of Gray Unlock The Rhythm

Kompakt

Compost Black Label

Beef Records

6.5 Uber-Prommer! Meat LOW LOVE… Yet and againpotatoes Hype make the British label… list; this time with their low sneakers. Casual, It’s not surprising this Munich-based, Americasturdy three affordable and theComing perfect aalternative to you collaboration between Prommer after their debut know which brand.years Smiley face. DACRE BRACEY is a fan of creativity. He’s the founder and creative director for PXL, a brand currently receiving a whole lotborn Christian Marcus Worgull and Motor forhas always approached long-player ‘Soul of worldwide support from cool kids and hip cats alike. Known and respected in the music industry, Dacre’s passion City Drum Ensemble Machine’ comes ‘Unlock street culture started in the early ‘90s when he applied his design genius to flyers for club nights like La Cosa Nostra andmusic by constantly between the The Rhythm’ from Czech De Mogi Grumbles SunLux City. He’s produced artwork for Wiley, Tinie Tempah, 50 Cent, Pharrell, Nike and more. himself is quite good, but ricochetingWESTWOOD… Join Vivienne actual andare ‘aorganic worlds of classical Ruzicka and Voyage Heard You Dead do no wrong. Inthe The favourite of Example, Giggs, Wretch 32 toIname a few, PXLWere can currently their owncharacter words they Westwood’s ClimateMichal Revolution Campaign. In content of the music is and jazz and the electronic Aussie Nick West. Innovative Leisure Moodgadget premium streetwear brand dedicated to geeks, Keek freaks, nerds, neaks’. Nuff said. fact if you do one thing in January it‘Night should be somewhat unexpected. realm of dance music. Spice Cellar’, Get Catchy Snake bite Pxlclothing.com to join a campaign At of The some description. The duo draw from a ‘Ubermood’involved. incorporates which displays not a little burbling De Lux have a clear case of the disco-punk Alex Taam out of Ann Arbor,“FROM Michigan hasstarted what out as aKosmiche hobby topalette now a fullall these and more over 16 deep disco spice, and of atmospheric analogue largely improvised tracks the hypnotic, late-night shakes: the twitchy basslines and disco crafted this twisted electronic tribute to fledged brand has definitely shocked me,” bleeps over course composed on a myriad of groove ‘What’sStore’s Your own fever also displayed by the likes of Talking John Carpenter’s cult movieexplains Escape From Hype co-founder Liamthe Green. Along with TOO GOOD… GoodHood of this non-dancefloor, international instruments Vice’ are the pick the Heads and LCD Soundsystem. The Los New York. Re-imagining theAidy soundtrack Lennox, it’s only two years since they first brand and lifestyle collection has gotofus even showcasing largely beatless, and machines. Zara hot under bunch. Ben Arnold Angeles duo have clearly been within as a dark odyssey into off-colour ‘80s started out and nowand they’re in China, extremely the collar. We predict Zara Wladawsky sneezing distance of their forefathers’ analogue synth-funk, it maythe be US a and Europe.LP. Boasting new cut and sew Wladawskymore gorgeousness this year. Start saving! records too — their vocals sound so much hackneyed idea — that of the recalibrated items and ladies wear pieces, the brand is now like David Byrne on ‘It All Works All The film score — but the execution is anything stocked in Topshop. “Sticking with our reputation Time’ that De Lux could have spent most but. As much as ‘I Heard You Were Dead’, CAN’T LEAVE ALONE... for ‘wacky’ prints and vibrant colour ways,THE we LPS WE HIBERNATION… of their twenty-something years snogging a question posed to the hero of the movie expect to shock our critics and fans alike with January has a wealth of him. Influences that could sound tired, Snake Plissken, employs the mouldy future collections,” Liam goes on to say. possibilities. Many but their relative youthfulness mean vintage synths authentic to the film’s It’s certainly been a swift migration from shifting people bugger off for tracks like ‘Better At Making Time’ explode early ‘80s heyday, it’s a picture of the past a few t-shirts to hitting the high street. The two the month. Others with the innocent excitement of someone through a contemporary vision, arranging friends were on summer breaks from Uni when get fit. Some stay Moodymann Kris Wadsworth Mo Kolours discovering those influences for the first a fresh narrative with the benefit of they decided ratherMoodymann than spending it kicking back indoors. Bershka’sMo Kolours Popularity time. It also means that they sound far hindsight. Like Carpenter’s own disco lick that they’d dabble in creating a brand. One of Hypercolourcosy pants are all One-Handed Music KDJ too cuddly to be punk when they start ‘The End’, these are beat-driven, creepy their first designs was about curling up by 9.0 10the statement: Get Your 9.0 squeaking “Fuck you!” on ‘Sometimes machine grooves with a celluloid feel, Massively hyped Joseph Deenmamode Own Fucking Lighter. And when theyselfreleased a There’s nothing a fire.poppy Your Friends Are Not Your Friends’, but it subtly soaked in the last 30 or so years of titled LPearly fromlast Kenny makes colourful hip-hop cosmos themed collection year it was about Kris Wadsworth’s also makes the softer likes of ‘On The Day’ dance music. Picture Carpenter himself Dixon Jnr’s Moodymann gritty new album for that’s part London, part clear they were on to something. sound as sweet as labelmates Classixx, and jamming with Com Truise, Kuedo and the alias. Hypercolour. Mauritius. Hype. We salute you! just as infectious. Paul Clarke Italians Do It Better fam and you’re in the zone. Dramatic and bad-ass. Ben Murphy

7.0

8.0

Musical maple syrup

8.0

CONNECTED Behind the brand

HYPE

132 djmag.com 68 www.djmag.ca

REPEAT

8.0

www.djmag.ca

COMPILATION REVIEWS

7.0 Various

Eskimo Recordings Presents: The Blue Collection Eskimo Recordings

A disco jacuzzi for tired ears

The History of Hardcore, Jungle & Drum & Bass: 1991-1997

Whilst nu-disco remains a vulgar term, one of its most refined expounders, Eskimo Recordings, would struggle to be any more dapper. After 15 years of timeless music from The Glimmers, Todd Terje, Aeroplane and Chromeo — they now bathe our ears with more pan-European sexed up splendour. These Ghent-based retro-activists have a delicious disregard for geography, proven in their stateless A&R as they draft Volta Cab from the Ukraine, NTEIBINT from Athens and Deadbots from Vancouver and Dublin. This diversity gifts ‘Blue’ with a depth absent from more niche sounds. It’s an opulent collection of tracks that relishes rubbing our noses in fresh faces as Blamma! Blamma!’s ‘Zsa Zsa’ appears in all its glory before Eelke Kleijn’s heartbreaking string and marimba opus of ‘A Tale Of Two Lovers’ slays us with a truly fresh yet forlorn outro. Deep, emotive and dripping with style. Matthew Bennett

8.0 Various

Correspondant 02 Correspondant

Leftfield correspondence Since its birth in 2011, the Kompaktaffiliated Correspondant (the creation of French-born, Cologne-based producer Jennifer Cardini, named after her longrunning residency at Paris’ Rex Club) has quietly established itself as a prime portal for spacey, ‘80s-leaning electro, disco and oddball house. And while there may be a good few leftfield labels that follow a similar path, none are quite as clever, selective or sexy with it as Correspondant. As such, this second label compilation is a delightfully wonky goldmine. The analogue aesthetic explored throughout moves from icy synth-sculpting (Parisian duo Hofbahn’s ‘Decay’) to melted 303 funk (‘Dogs Of BKK’) to glitchy keta-disco (from eccentric Spanish producer Carreno Is LB) and plenty more irreverent directions that only the most dedicated and talented of synth-fetishists could dream up. Eccentric and essential stuff. Tristan Parker

Suburban Base

9.0

Rave revival WE are, it would seem, in the midst of a full-scale early-’90s-rave revival. In truth, the sound never really went away — in the era of YouTubed nostalgia and SoundClouded old skool sets, no scene is ever truly forgotten. But this everpresent revivalism has moved beyond DJs ending their sets with some roaring ‘91 banger, and is now firmly asserting itself in contemporary productions. Breakbeats, hoovers and helium vocals are everywhere right now, from the stadium-rave of Rudimental to the cerebral brutalism of Paul Woolford’s Special Request project. It’s disorientating to consider that many of the young upstarts currently cranking out these retro-fitted productions weren’t even born when the likes of ‘Infiltrate 202’, ‘Sweet Harmony’ and ‘Compnded’ were ruling the pirate airwaves. With interest in the more roughneck sounds of the ’90s now peaking, there’s never been a better moment for the legendary Suburban Base imprint to return to the fray and cash in on its 134 djmag.com 70 www.djmag.ca

peerless back catalogue. In business from 1991 to 1997, Suburban Base was a key label (alongside Reinforced, Production House and Moving Shadow) in terms of driving the extraordinary evolution of UK rave music: it was there as ’ardcore morphed into darkcore, then jungle techno, then jungle and drum & bass. Suburban Base remained so onpoint throughout its existence that you can gain a solid overview of the early-to-mid-’90s rave scene solely by listening to this three-CD round-up of the label’s prolific output. From the rolling 135bpm pianos of Sonz Of A Loop Da Loop Era’s ‘Far Out’, past the chilling rumble of Boogie Times Tribe’s ‘The Dark Stranger’, through to the demented drum science of Remarc’s ‘In Da Hood’, you can actually hear the scene advancing and accelerating before your very ears — and 20 years on, these tracks have lost none of their power to shock, thunder and adrenalise. Joe Madden

7.5

6.0

Various

Paper Disco

Fabric

The reinvigorated Manchester institution Paper Recordings launched its disco diffusion label Paper Disco at the back end of 2013, and thus far it’s served as a platform for Norwegian disco devastator Proviant Audio. ‘Trash The Wax’ is its first anthology, and shows that it’s got considerably more to offer. Disco, as you might have surmised, is the order of the day and if you think there’s something familiar about the excellent ‘Howard’s Hardware’ from Chris Massey, it’s because it’s a cunning reworking of ‘Big Bad Wolf’ by Bunny and the Wolf Sisters from the Teenwolf soundtrack. Don’t think we didn’t notice. Australia’s Late Nite Tuff Guy drops sterling boogie business with ‘I’ve Been Thinkin’ Bout U’, borrowing from Evelyn Champagne King’s 1981 classic ‘I’m In Love’. 2 Billion Beats turn in lush Nordic slo-mo with ‘See Us Through’, alongside fine work from Fingerman, Leon Sweet and fellow Manc, Daco. Wallop. Ben Arnold

Previously known as DJ Plus One of The Scratch Perverts and Beni G of the Mixologists, former turntablists Niall Dailly and Ben Geffin now operate as Jack Beats, doubtless the most technically gifted DJ duo on the planet. Theirs is a meticulously ‘now’ sound, a perfect storm of blog-friendly elements and zeitgeisty influences: old-skool rave stabs, trap-style rap snippets, massive bwarping basslines and d&b-style drum-rolls and drops, all served up at 135bpm with production so digitally pristine you could eat your dinner off it. There’s no denying, then, that this is an effective entry in the ‘Fabric Live’ series, bristling with energy and mixed like a dream. Buuut... as with so much postDiplo, post-brostep dancefloor music, there’s not much to grab onto here beyond catchy hooks and sick drops. While that’s all very well off your chonk and throwing shapes at 4am, it perhaps doesn’t make for a mix that you’re going to want to reach for again and again. Joe Madden

Trash The Wax Vol. 1 Wax on, wax off

Fabric Live 74: Jack Beats Slack beats?

COMPILATION REVIEWS

QUICKIES 7.0

7.0

Various

Catwash

Cocoon

Catwash Beats Vol. 3

Neun Mixed by Chris Tietjen

Cat... in the bag

The beast rolls on

Solid, functional and percussive are words used to describe DJ W!LD’s music and his Catwash imprint. What’s often overlooked, though, is the groove underlying almost every track, and the variety of them too. The third ‘Catwash Beats’ comp has yet again proved it. Opening with Belfie & Alex Tee (Chicago Stories), ‘What Can You Do For Me’ is filtered French house with a Chi-Town vibe and a crisp, chunky underbelly. Sinewy tech-funk appears in the form of Adam Shelton’s ‘Control’ and ‘Acid Tambourine (Tamba Dub Mix)’ by James Barnlsey is taut, dark house bumping with acidic industrial pipes. Then you’ve got a juicy disco groover from M.A.M (the Spanish DJ, not MAM — Miguel Campbell and his mate) and James Winer’s booty disco groove (‘Only One’), before wintry AFX melodica from Luca Bortolo (‘Raw 03’), with (you guessed it) plenty of DJ tools in-between. Plenty here to enliven any tech house set. Adam Saville

Joey Negro Remixed With Love

Various Escape From Chicago 2

Tommy Trash Inspired

Z Records

Loose Squares

Ministry Of Sound

9.0

Oddly enough, Chris Tietjen has only ever released his own music once on the all-conquering Cocoon label. Instead, he’s been Papa Sven’s go-to DJ for mixing up an annual selection of the Frankfurt label’s best bets. This 15-track mix is his ninth and it encompasses all aspects of Cocoon, from stripped-back minimalism to explosive main room offerings. Sure, the label hasn’t been at the cutting edge of techno for a while, but there’s still enough nuance here to again ensure that Amnesia will be packed out each Monday this summer. Artists old and new help make up the journey, with label regular Matt John opening the mix in supremely widescreen style. Santé & Frank Lorber’s ‘All About’ probably gives the best snapshot of where the label is today: house-leaning deep techno with libidinous female coos and a nagging synth line, all in all coming over as a perfect soundtrack for the partyloving people of Cocoon. Kristan J Caryl

Hip to be Squares

The product of a painstaking search for original master tapes, ‘Remixed With Love’ sees Dave Lee deliver his unique touch to stonecold disco classics from Phreek, Patrice Rushen and Loleatta Holloway, while Roxy Music, Princess Freesia and Roy Ayers also get revisited. There’s no doubting the coffers of this gilded glitter-ball archive. Adam Saville

You can take footwork out of Chicago, but you can’t take Chicago out of the footwork. Chrissy Murderbot returns with another comp showcasing post-footwork talent from outside its birthplace. Leatherface, Celco, DLX and many more bring pummelling sub-bass to rapid-fire beats, while elements of house, dancehall and trap all get a look in too. Adam Saville

Aussie monolith Tommy Trash has proved something we already knew; that stadium EDM is borne from the sorta electro/techno that was cool in 2004. Tiga, Chicken Lips, Vitalic and Alter Ego all name-checked on disc one, whereas the second is awash with hard trance bootlegs of Dave Spoon, Empire Of The Sun and The Aston Shuffle. Adam Saville

Various Caspa Presents Dubstep Sesssions 2014

Various Tabu Records Box Set

Various Rhythm Distrikt 06

Tabu/Demon

Toolroom Records

6.0

No-so-friendly

8.0

Einmusik

Noah Pred

Einmusika Recordings

Thoughtless Music

Celebrating 10 years in the game, German producer Einmusik has taken the unusual step of releasing a compilation of his own tracks from the past decade, plus three new offerings. It’s a solid representation of his techy, tribal house, finding its groove from repetitive, bouncy hooks that gradually draw you in and grip hard. Obvious candidates from Einmusik’s back catalogue burn brightest, such as the fittingly titled, deep, aquatic journey of ‘Ocean’s Bottom’ (complete with oboes) and the quietly mesmerising lift of ‘Silk N’ Saw’. It should be said that if slowburning, stripped-back and drawn-out are terms that make you grimace, this isn’t really for you. But if you’re a patient type who derives joy from the long journey, Einmusik will push a lot of your buttons in a very agreeable way. But then you probably knew that already. Tristan Parker

Noah Pred, as well as the Thoughtless imprint he founded, have been a major force in Canadian underground techno over the past decade. Now based in Berlin, the producer released ‘Third Culture’ to wide acclaim last year and cemented himself as an international force in the scene. His latest release sees his magnum opus revisited by a slew of heavy-hitters spanning the house, tech house and techno spectrums. Steven Tang offers up gossamer deepness and fluid bass on his remix whilst Alixander III (of Azari & III) stays in the realm of jacking house with wonky, melting overtones. Zigon’s skittering grooves and splattered melodic stabs prove to be one of the LP’s highlights, and the techy percussion on Butane’s rework has all the makings of a big room floor-filler with its simplicity and loopy spoken vocal. Zara Wladawsky

10 Years

A decade of delicate dance

Third Culture (Remixed) Reinvention remixes

6.5 Talking Trash

Glitter-ball glory

New State Music

7.0

For better or worse, you know what to expect: lairy, gurning tracks with names like ‘Noize’, ‘Get Twisted’ and ‘Madman’, with every bassline more vast and ridiculous than the last. The daft end of dubstep may now be a pariah sound for some, but it’s still undeniably fun in small doses. Joe Madden

7.0

Slick soul revue Tabu’s a funk and soul label that had its peak in the ‘80s with slick crooners like Alexander O’Neal and soulstress Cherelle, the latter’s ‘I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On’ a purple boogie hit in the vein of Prince, and included here. But there’s also the p-funk-styled Zapp goodness of General Caine’s ‘Girls’ and plenty more. Ben Murphy

7.0 Tops off, gurns on

The Rhythm Distrikt series aims to showcase the darker, underground side of the normally clean(ish)-cut Toolroom Records. Instalment six doesn’t disappoint – it’s full of rougher, tougher tech-house, laden with jagged hooks and jittered beats, but still robust and rhythmical enough for the (grimier) dancefloor. Tristan Parker

REPEATTHE LPS WE CAN’T LEAVE ALONE...

Move D Fabric 74 Fabric

9.0 Move D is an absolute master. This Fabric selection proves it.

Various Critical Music presents Underground Sonics

Critical Condition

9.0 The darkest corners of d&b explored.

Various Message In The Music: The Ashley Beedle Re-edits

Harmless

9.0 Vintage gold given a spit-shine by the (e) X-Press 2 man.

djmag.com 135 www.djmag.ca 71

words: MICK WILSON

TECHNEWS TECH NEWS MINI MUSIC MAKERS

Novation’s Mini Controllers may be small in size, but they’re big on features. p.142

IN THE STUDIO WITH... JESSE ROSE

12 tracks in 12 months plus a host of remixes — welcome to the crazy world of Jesse Rose....

p.145

BACK TO THE FUTURE

Roland go ‘back to the future’ and unleash an out-of-this-world assault on the DJ and production scene with their all-singing and dancing Aira range, with more than a nod to their classic legendary synths…

DON’T GET CROSS JUST DJ!

The Android revolution marches on with Mix Vibes’ Cross DJ app for all Android-enabled devices.

p.148

SPHERE OF INFLUENCE

Is Nu Desine’s Alphasphere, a new take on the humble DJ/ performance controller, a golden ball? p.150

TECH PRODUCER

Assorted tips and tricks to help your productions on their way.

p.152

136 djmag.com 72 www.djmag.ca

hile this main news section is usually dedicated to breaking the latest and greatest DJ equipment, occasionally a product comes along that is just too good to ignore. When that product is something that has not only been a part of the fabric of dance music and clubbing culture since it began but is also a range of four to-die-for pieces of music production and performance equipment, we tend to break the rules. Roland’s new Aira range has been hugely hyped and eagerly awaited, taking some of their most loved and sought-after analogue dance music production machines and dragging them kicking and screaming into the 21st century. They provide stunningly accurate reproduction of the original sounds of the TR-808, TR-909, TB-303 as well as a range of other Roland synth legends such as the SH-101, and throw in some incredible new features along the way — thanks to the all-digital architecture of the Aira range. With these updates of their classic kit, Roland are targeting the new breed of DJ/producer. They see Aira as a complete performance system that further blurs the line between DJing and live performance, as well as being a killer production tool in the studio. The Aria range consists of four products: namely, the TR-8 drum machine which models both the legendary TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines that have been heard and used on countless tracks over the last two decades; the TB-3 which models Roland’s famous silver box the TB-303, which now comes equipped with a snazzy touchscreen; the VT-3 vocal transformer which is based on the lesser known VT-1; and the piece-de-resistance, the System-1 synthesiser that bears more than a little resemblance to the SH-101. The latter is capable of modelling that

synthesiser to perfection, along with a whole range of other Roland synthesisers, thanks to their brand-new ‘Plug-Out’ technology. While all of these synthesisers are purely digital thanks to an innovation in physical modelling called Analogue Circuit Behaviour (ACB), the sound of these shiny new boxes of tricks is exactly the same as the original machines they are based on. The attention to detail that has gone into the creation of the Aira range is nothing short of obsessive. To make sure that the sound that’s achieved from the new versions of these classic synths are as authentic as possible, Roland — using the Analogue Circuit Behaviour process — take every circuit and component from the original synthesiser and model their behaviours individually, rather than just copying the output behaviour. The TB-3 was developed with the assistance of the original TB-303 designers, along with the original circuit diagrams as well as using original TB-303 units to produce the ACB modelling. The ACB process takes every tiny detail of the original synthesiser and brings it into the digital domain to give stunningly accurate sound reproduction, along with a host of fancy new features made possible by using digital technology. Legendary New York producer Arthur Baker described the TR-808 as an ‘Alien Sound Machine’ and that title is most fitting for the Aira range too, thanks to the ultra high-tech styling, complete with green edge lighting and back-lit controls. The build quality is also nothing short of stunning, with each of the models in the Aira range sharing the same knobs and faders to ensure consistent touch and feel. They also have aluminium faceplates as well as simple things like quality feet to ensure they

SOUNDBYTES

TECH NEWS

STUDIO ESSENTIALS In our new column we get the lowdown on the studio essentials of some of the world’s biggest DJs and producers...

GLOBAL HEADSPACE Sennheiser have led the pack in terms of headphones, with the HD25s being a staple piece of DJ equipment the world over. However, the 25s were not originally intended for the DJ market, unlike the two new additions that Sennheiser have just released. The HD7 and HD8 headphones have been specifically made for DJs — with cool indestructible styling and top-notch sound delivery, the superstar DJ price-tags can be forgiven. £249 - £299 sennheiser.com

Tobias Freund’s newest release, ‘A Series of Shocks’ is a techno tour de force that’s out now on Berghain’s Ostgut Ton Records. Here are five of his studio essentials... 01. Roland TR 808

“I bought this machine in the ‘80s when house or techno music hadn’t been invented. I’ve used it ever since, and I never get tired of the sound. This machine fits so many different styles of music; you can produce a hard techno song as well as a smooth ballad. The TR-909 is more single-minded for my taste. I used this 808 on almost every song on ‘A Series of Shocks’ and I always take it with me to play my live gigs.”

02. Korg MS 20

don’t slide around during use. These machines really are a testament to the creative genius and stunning attention to detail that Roland are capable of, and manage to pay homage to their ancestors without looking dated or clichéd. They also totally celebrate the Roland heritage which has driven club culture and even helped to spawn many genres in the dance music scene — anyone for ACID? While the TR-3 and TR-8 are likely to be the first to draw crowds of drooling DJs and synthesiser fetishists for obvious reasons, the most tech-savvy of the hardcore knob-twiddlers will be heading straight towards the System-1 synthesiser — drawn by the smell of the fresh new ‘Plug-Out’ technology hidden deep inside the circuitry. The System-1 has a rather awesome sound engine and a set of features that make it more than desirable when compared with the competition. And the sheer wow factor doesn’t stop there because not only can the System-1 be used as a controller for various VST plug-in versions of Roland’s classic synthesisers — which are due for release in the coming months (with the SH-101 being the first one off the production line) — but the VSTs can also be hosted within the System-1. This enables it to be completely disconnected from a computer and used exactly like the original synthesiser that it is emulating, with the ability to swap between the internal System-1 sound engine and the hosted VST soft-synth engines. To add icing onto an already decadent cake, when hosting Roland’s VSTs or used as a controller, only the parameters that are available for that particular synthesiser are lit up on the control surface — giving ultimate tweakability in the most user friendly way imaginable. Each of the machines in the Aira range are must-have items. We advise DJs and producers to get their hands on these machines as soon as they can. roland.co.uk

NEW BEGINNINGS Casio have launched a new DJ controller, the XW-J1, for iPhone and iPad users. The XW-J1 controller is designed to work natively with Algoriddim’s Djay2 software and is aimed more at the consumer market than the pro end of the scene. Designed in collaboration with Vestax, this is Casio’s first foray into the DJ controller market. casio-europe.com HARD CASE UDG’s new Creator Digi Hardcase is ideal for hard-drives and smaller essentials. Made from a durable lightweight EVA material, the Digi Hardcase will keep gear safe from harm. However, the ace in the pack is the (included) seven port-powered USB hub with (included) international plug adaptors for use in any country. udggear.com

“This was my first synthesiser and I still use it a lot, especially using the external signal in connection to filter different audio sources. Essential and beautiful.”

03. ADT ToolMod Mixing Console

“This is the centre of my studio. Everything is connected to this mixer — synths, drum machines, effects and the soundcard. The dynamic range, warmth and clarity of the mixer is exactly what I need for my productions.”

04. AMS DMX 15-80 Harmonizer/Delay

“In my day job as a sound engineer we always use the AMS DMX 15-80, a machine that was built in the late ‘70s and was used on countless productions. There is no machine like this harmonizer, which people use to treat vocals as well as drums and percussion instruments. Six years ago I finally found a unit on eBay that was formerly used by Eric Stewart from 10CC. It’s a pleasure to use this particular unit for my productions.”

05. Logic Pro

“My first computer-based sequencer was Cubase, but soon I switched over to Logic just because we used it in the studio I was working in at the time. I used Logic before there was audio recording implemented, so handling MIDI, dumping sounds and editing synths from the computer was easy and effective. Nowadays I use Logic more like an extended tape recorder. Almost every instrument is recorded throughout the entire song, similar to a recording on tape.” djmag.com 137 www.djmag.ca 73

TECH NEWS

SOUNDBYTES

APP REVIEW APP NAME : GADGET DEVELOPER : KORG FORMAT : IPAD PRICE : £17.49

RUSS YALLOP

CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT…

SPL’S TRANSIENT DESIGNER Russ Yallop’s ‘Journey EP’ is out now on Crosstown Rebels. Here’s a piece of kit that Russ can’t live without in the studio… “Small, simple, but pure genius — SPL’s Transient Designer is a piece of kit I really couldn’t do without. Since discovering this cheeky chappy and understanding its power I pretty much use it on every channel, especially for percussion and short attack sounds. What does it do? Well unlike it says on the virtual tin, it doesn’t really design transients. Rather it gives you the power to manipulate the transient and the tail of your sounds, i.e. the attack and the sustain/release. In basic speak the start bit and the end bit. “And what? Well and a lot actually, since a large amount of a sound’s character and how we hear it is in its transient, the first few milliseconds of its start. This plug-in allows you to control the volume of only this section. A lot of percussion sounds have unnecessarily loud, sharp and spiky transients that have no affect on how we hear the sound but create a lot of graft for your poor overburdened mix compressor or limiter. This baby nips the problem in the bud. It can be used more creatively too — got an acapella with an unwelcome clap or hat? Insert one or two instances of our friend with a heavy setting and it can pretty much remove the short attacked offender whilst leaving the long attacked vocal virtually unaffected. On the sustain/ release side of things i.e. the tail end of the sound this is where you hear reverb, so if a sound has too much, just adjust the sustain setting and voila wet becomes dry.”

Not only do Korg know a thing or two about making great hardware synths but they also know how to make great iPad apps too. This is a point that has been well and truly proven by their rather excellent iELECTRIBE, which has stayed at the forefront of mobile music apps since its release in 2010. Korg’s latest treat for iPad owners is Gadget, which is a veritable Swiss army knife of tools for music makers. Korg’s Gadget contains 15 compact synthesisers and drum machines each with its own distinctive flavour and presence. Each of these modules, or ‘Gadgets’, can be run alongside other Gadgets with the amount limited only by the iPad’s hardware. An iPad Air is capable of running more than 20 Gadgets at the same time, plus there is an uber-handy function that allows instruments to be frozen when the iPad eventually runs out of steam.

A built-in sequencer will record compositions and allows editing via a slick and user-friendly interface. A lovely mixer is also included as part of Gadget, complete with large stereo level meters on each channel. Seasoned producers and musicians will take to Gadget like a duck to water as it makes a fantastic portable DAW, and new musicians will have just as much fun thanks to the incredibly user-friendly design of Gadget and features like the scale keyboard, which make the music creation process easy and fun. Gadget is a must-have for musically-inclined iPad owners.

VERDICT

TO PROTECT AND SERVE One way to protect your beautiful Maschine Studio from dust, spillages and the rigours of life on the road is to invest in Decksaver’s handy protective cover. The Decksaver Maschine cover is tailor-made from a tough-as-nails polycarbonate material and designed to fit like a glove. It’ll keep your prized possession safe from harm, whilst preserving the good looks and the life-span of this rather expensive piece of studio equipment. decksaver.co.uk

9/10

FINGER ON THE TRIGGER M-Audio were showing off their new updated version of their popular Trigger Finger groove box at this year’s NAMM Convention. The Trigger Finger Pro now includes an aluminium faceplate and a removable metal stand that can be positioned in a variety of ways to suit gigging set-ups. The Trigger Finger Pro is a 16-pad performance instrument and software control station that is perfectly at home in the studio as a production tool, or out on the road. £240 m-audio.com

SLIM TOUCH Gemini continue with their relentless drive on the consumer side of the DJ market with the announcement of two new controllers — the Slate 4 and the Slate 2. As the names suggest, the new controllers offer four- or two-deck configurations, both coming in at the sub-£200 price range. These pair of DJ delights look nice for the price and are fully specced with lots of cool features and a very slim, compact build — ideal for the travelling DJ who is conscious of size and weight. geminisound.com

BREAKING BEATS Izotope have teamed up again with their favourite studio guru, BT, to release a new performance-style beat mangler — the Break Tweaker. The Break Tweaker is a new virtual instrument/FX unit that allows DJs and producers to rip apart grooves and beats and create new rhythms, loops and drum patterns, creating those intricate beat sounds that have become signatures in BT’s productions all directly from one single piece of software. £120 izotope.com 138 djmag.com 74 www.djmag.ca

djmag.com

djmag.com www.djmag.ca

TECH Novation Mini Controllers words: LUKE PEPPER

MINI MUSIC MAKERS

Novation’s Mini Controllers may be small in size, but they’re big on features...

with a laptop and iPad, even in a cramped DJ booth, and the combined weight would still be easily within airline hand-luggage allowances.

GOOD BALANCE

TECH

knob caps and a lovely action. The pad buttons have good tactile feedback to let users know a button has been pushed, and are of a decent size and spaced well enough apart to avoid accidental slips of the finger. To further add to the usefulness of the Launch Control, eight factory and eight user templates allow up to 448 controls to be saved to instantly take control of multiple instruments and effects without remapping, no matter what software is being used. This controller is perfect for a range of uses on a whole host of software, and will perform just as well, tweaking volume and effect parameters in Ableton as it will in Serato or Traktor, not to mention the potential uses when connected to an iPad. Launch Control also includes an extensive Loopmasters sample pack and Ableton Live Lite as part of the package, making it an even more tempting choice for DJs wanting to take their sets to the next level.

FORGIVABLE MISFIRE

on the road. The Launchpad app turns the iPad into a performance machine complete with its own sound bank, and the ability to import and export new sounds as well as offering a range of filters and DJ effects. As the Launchpad is fully MIDI compatible, via its mini USB port, it can also be used to control a plethora of other software with Traktor, Serato, Cubase, Logic and Fruityloops being the obvious choices — but the possibilities are almost limitless. The size and weight of the Launchpad make it almost unnoticeable in a backpack and despite the diminutive dimensions, the amount of multicoloured backlit pads on offer is an astounding 64, plus a further 16 buttons surrounding the banks of pads. While the pads are small, they manage to strike a good balance between size and usability and feel great, with performance to match as long as a little precision is used during operation. Launch Control is a small-but-perfectly-formed compact controller with 16 assignable knobs and eight multi-colour back-lit pads, plus a further six navigation buttons. While Launch Control makes the perfect partner to the Launchpad or Launchpad Mini, it can be put to just as good use on its own, giving hands-on control of the mixer, instrument and effect parameters. The build quality is excellent and this controller will perform for many years to come thanks to the rugged construction. The rubberised bottom makes it perfect for use in a DJ booth without worrying about the unit slipping. The layout of the control surface is nicely spaced without feeling too cramped, and despite the small footprint of the Launch Control, the knobs have a quality feel to them with rubberised

Launchkey Mini rounds out the Novation portable family perfectly, providing a controller keyboard that manages to pack a whole lot of features into a very small footprint. In addition to a velocity-sensitive 25-note keyboard, the Launchkey Mini has 16 multi-colour velocity-sensitive triggerstyle pads as well as eight control knobs. A further nine buttons used for octave, track and other controls round off a feature-packed control surface. While the keyboard and trigger pads manage to get the balancing act between size and quantity right, the action of the keyboard isn’t fantastic and the short size of the control knobs combined with their tight spacing mean they are functional but not outstanding to use. Given the size and compact nature of the Launchkey it is easy to forgive these small misfires in an otherwise awesome compact controller keyboard, and even more so given the free Launchpad and Launchkey apps for use with this micro-beast, that come complete with sample libraries and synthesiser engines and can be synced together for simultaneous use. Novation’s portable controllers manage to get the balance between size and the amount of controls just right, and not just for life on the road. The size of these controllers makes them perfect for making music at home or in small studio spaces, as they take up minimal amounts of room and can easily be stored away ready for use at a moment’s notice, thanks to the single USB lead that is needed for operation. With the lines between DJing and live performance being blurred ever more with each day that passes, it is obvious portable controllers like this are going to become an everincreasingly common sight. DJs and musicians would be wise to have a close look at these controllers and think of the potential they offer in the studio, DJ booth, on stage and even in hotel rooms and aeroplanes.

PRICE

£79 each

CONTACT

uk.novationmusic.com

VERDICT BUILD QUALITY EASE OF USE FEATURES VALUE FOR MONEY SOUND QUALITY

8.0 9.0 9.0 8.0 8.0

HYPE

Fully featured controllers that cover all the bases in the DJ booth and studio, that are super-portable thanks to their lightweight and rugged construction, with a small price to match.

GRIPE

While the Launchpad Mini and the Launch Control manage to get the balance between size and functionality exactly right, the Launchkey Mini suffers a little thanks to stiff keys and fiddly knobs. Novation’s range of portable controllers make the perfect companions for DJs, producers and musicians on the road as well as in the studio or at home.

9/10 djmag.com 143 www.djmag.ca 77

TECH In The Studio with Jesse Rose

Words: MICK WILSON Pics: MICHAEL MELWANI

PETAL TO THE METAL! 12 tracks in 12 months, plus a host of remixes — welcome to the crazy world of Jesse Rose...

ecording and releasing 12 tracks over a year — one each month — might seem like a sure-fire way to hit that creative wall, but house DJ/producer Jesse Rose, known for massive bumpy-grooved cuts like ‘You’re All Over My Head’ and ‘Sleepless (Night One)’, and labels like Front Room Recordings and Made To Play, managed to do just that. DJ Mag spoke to Jesse about the pressure of releasing to such a tight deadline and how he kept the creative juices flowing… How did you come up with the ‘12x12’ concept? “I always come up with ideas that in my head seem much easier than they actually are. It seemed like something that was manageable, but then it took over my life. You know, when you put out one record and it does really well, you want your next release to match it, which resulted in me being in the studio every day that I wasn’t on tour. It definitely pushed me to work harder and better. “When I came up with the idea for ‘12x12’ in October of 2012, I had already collated a few tracks and thought that I wouldn’t have the pressure to submit something every month. We got everything done in time and the releases were never late but I definitely felt the pressure of getting everything done! Most of the time labels push release dates because something or other is delayed, but that really wasn’t an option here, so as much as the pressure was on, it felt great to have 78

www.djmag.ca

something ready to go every month that was not a filler.” How did you manage to keep the creativity flowing? “I think it just comes down to the fact that I love what I do. The day it feels like a job I guess I’ll stop doing it. I’m inspired by so many things around me, from so many different types of music and the fact I don’t have to write in the same style every time. If I want to go deep I’ll go deep, if I want to write a banger for the club I’ll do that. From very early on I decided I never wanted to be stuck in one place, although 99% is house or techno, that is a massive playground for me to go to many different places.” You are currently living in LA. Did the move from Berlin to LA help you to fine-tune your sound? “I moved to Los Angeles nearly three years ago now. I just felt like I needed a change from the cold. I actually came over for a three-month trial and after a week decided I needed to live here. It’s really hard for me to judge my own sound in that way but I guess I’ve worked with so many different people since I moved here. This album has a lot more vocals and a lot less samples than my last, so that must be an obvious change I guess.” How do you work when it comes to recording and producing in the studio? “I generally have two ways of working; I either come

up with an idea in my head and take it to the studio, or just go into the studio and jam. The studio is built into my house so whenever I’m ready, and I have an idea, I can literally just walk in and get involved. I’ve got the freedom to just walk in or out whenever I like. I guess if you drive to your studio then you feel like you’ve got to make something happen. For me the studio should never feel like a job. Of course, finishing an album can be tough but I always want to keep that feeling of just having fun. There are always people over at the house, so that often sparks a session, in the last year djmag.com 145

TECH

I’ve had an array of different people over from Todd Edwards to Chuck Inglish (Cool Kids), Amanda Blank to Seth Troxler. It’s almost like a retreat because there is nothing really close by.” What’s your current studio set-up like? “I’m currently working off an Apple Mac Pro running Logic, I’ve used Logic from when it first arrived. I’ve got a pair of ADAM S3A Active Monitor Speakers, Sterling Audio ST69 Tube Mic, and some nice-sounding synths — Oberheim OB-XA, Dave Smith TETRA, Moog Minitaur, Teenage Engineering OP1 and the Apogee Duet Soundcard.” That’s a nice collection of synths. I take it you are a fan of analogue hardware gear? “In the last few years I have definitely got a lot more into analogue gear again. I started off as a teenager on a lot of analogue stuff. The studio set-up was an Atari 146 djmag.com

ST, Genelec Mixer, Akai sampler, 808, 909 that sort of stuff, but then the laptop arrived and it felt like I had more freedom using that. But after 15 years I got that feeling I needed to go back and mix the two together a little bit more. So lately I’ve been using a lot of Roland gear like the classic 808, 909, 707, 303 and going into the studio with people like Nick Hook and Jamie Anderson (O&A) and doing analogue-only sessions. After the session with Nick I realised that I needed a Linn Drum Machine pretty bad, also an organ Fela Kuti used by Farfisa.” What is it that attracts you to these bits of gear? “Definitely not ease of use, I spent a whole day last week trying to program a 303 directly from the box. It’s a nightmare. Yeah, as much as we’ve tried to emulate the sounds of these machines, you really can’t beat the sound that comes directly from the box.” In terms of DJing, are you using technology to blur the lines between ‘live’ and DJ shows? “For DJing I use USB sticks just for ease. Yeah no extras from me, I try and let the music tell the story. If the decks around the world were still in great shape I think I would play a lot more vinyl again. I really love vinyl, I feel like you go to places you don’t with digital.”

How do you find the time to do everything? “Well as a documented fact, I really don’t sleep as much as I would like to. I feel like there are too many things I want to do, to get involved in, to find out about. I’m working every day but still have projects that will take me years to get to. This year I managed to make one of those dreams come true when I recorded with Leon Ware [funk/soul legend who produced the likes of Marvin Gaye and the Jackson 5], it took me nearly two years to get that project from my mind to reality, but it was for sure worth the wait. I think if you love what you do, and are thankful for the chances, you will find you really can’t let yourself sleep that much.” Any tips for the next brace of producers? “You have to just keep going; it took me 10 years to be an ‘overnight success’. You need to get your tracks to the standard of the best tracks out there and then flip them, mess around, make mistakes, you’ll find something brand-new.”

www.djmag.ca

TECH Mixvibes Cross DJ Android App words: MICK WILSON

DON’T GET CROSS JUST DJ! The Android revolution marches on with Mix Vibes’ Cross DJ app for all Android-enabled devices...

Pad and iPhone owners have had it pretty much their own way when it comes to DJ apps. However the times they are a-changing, as Mixvibes continue their David and Goliath charge to be in there up amongst the big boys with their new Cross DJ for Android devices. Billed as the first pro DJing app for the Android platform, Cross DJ comes as an eagerly-awaited and anticipated release. For our testing purposes we loaded it up onto the HTC One, to really see if we could take the party to the streets with this happy combo. The HTC One is basically the Android version of the iPhone. Some would say it’s more apt for music because of one simplistic-but-clever design feature — and that is to put the speakers at each end and on the front of the phone. Not the back but the front, the same way as setting up any hi-fi listening system. The other ace in the pack is the fact that the sound engine on the HTC One has been tuned by Beats and uses a separate chip to power the sound, meaning that just on the phone’s inbuilt speakers alone this little thing sounds far better than any of its rivals. So down to the task in hand. The HTC One coupled with Mixvibes Cross DJ is the perfect combination for a spot of impromptu DJ entertainment.

PURE SIMPLICITY

The graphic interface of Cross DJ is pure simplicity, just the way it should be; however it holds a lot of feature-rich elements that can be delved into, which really start to make this app a cool piece of work. Now if DJ Mag’s sounding like Mixvibes has reinvented the wheel then you’d be right, as other DJ apps for the Android system definitely fall short and haven’t really offered users anything tangible to operate in a professional environment, meaning that Cross DJ is a welcome addition. So how does it work? Simply choose a track from a stored library, let Cross DJ do some behind-the-scenes magic analysis and the track will be BPM ready — handy for the auto sync function that enables ultrasmooth mixing and mix transitions. Of course, this feature can be turned off, so DJs can opt to use their well practiced mixing 148 djmag.com 80 www.djmag.ca

skills, but when it comes to apps like these auto BPM detection and syncing is the way to go, as it frees the user up to be able to employ loop, EQ and FX features, which Cross DJ implements very well. Once again the emphasis being on simple and easy modes of use. Once the tracks of choice have been loaded, by tapping on the turntable graphics or the song markers at the top of the screen, users are ready to go. Cross DJ is set up like the traditional and conventional DJ set-up: two decks and a central mixer with a cross-fader making up the main viewing screen with cue, play and sync buttons under each deck section. At the top of the viewing screen is the linear track graphic that expands to show detailed audio waveform graphics when the DJ starts manipulating the jog-wheels, incidentally of which, the feel is so responsive, accurate and sharp that scratching and other turntable wizardry can easily be performed.

VERSATILE

In the middle of the view screen are the VU meters that show an accurate representation of how loud the audio is. Above this are three mode buttons: one for the looper and slip mode functions; the second for more detailed volume control and EQ features (of which each deck has the usual low, mid and hi frequency controls); the third button is for the FX section which opens up the FX view screen and two XY pads for each deck. DJs can scrub their fingers over the pads to initiate the actual effect, while there are two effect modes, locked and free. In locked, the FX can be locked so when a finger is lifted, the effect will remain in the last position, whilst in free mode, when a finger is removed, the effect will return to its initial starting point. There are currently 15 different FX types that can be chosen by the user. There is an advance settings button for fine-tuning of the Cross DJ app, output modes, master gains, support and tutorials, which show DJs how to use the app as they play with it — a cool learning function. Mixvibes Cross DJ app for Android is a true bit of digital DJing software that bridges the gap on other apps that are widely available for iPad and iOS users.

VERDICT BUILD QUALITY EASE OF USE FEATURES VALUE FOR MONEY SOUND QUALITY

9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0

HYPE

A real pro DJ solution for Android users that is feature-rich and easy to use.

GRIPE

Why it’s taken so long for the big hitters of the DDJ software scene to see Android users as equal to their iPhone and iPad cousins. A great app from an established DJ company that now gives Android users a viable option for digital DJing from their smartphone or tablet devices.

9/10 PRICE

£6.99

CONTACT

mixvibes.com

TECH Alphasphere Controller

VERDICT

words: ALEX BLANCO

BUILD QUALITY EASE OF USE FEATURES VALUE FOR MONEY SOUND QUALITY

9.0 7.0 8.0 5.5 N/A

HYPE

Unique, innovative, multi-channel MIDI control never looked so striking or felt so naughty.

GRIPE

More expensive than most holidays, too large for most wrestlers’ hands and more niche than a bizarre sexual fetish.

PRICE

Nexus £678 Elite £1000

CONTACT

alphasphere.com

Lovely idea and loads of love behind it but will only appeal to a very special few.

7.4/10

SPHERE OF INFLUENCE Is Nu Desine’s Alphasphere, a new take on the humble DJ/ performance controller, a golden ball?

hen Robert Clivilles and the late David Cole released their seminal hit ‘Things That Make You Go Hmmm’, they could never know that the title would become a catchphrase for all that is bizarre and unexpected. Well, “Hmmm” is exactly what DJ Mag said when we first laid hands on Alphasphere, a unique take on the DJ/performance controller. What is the Alphasphere? At its spherical core, it is a MIDI controller capable of acting as a musical note interface, MIDI performance controller — or a combination of the two. It looks weird, feels weird and is... well... weird. But so was Roland’s TB-303 when it first appeared. Let’s look at the Alphasphere with an open mind. It’s considerably larger than a full-sized football and, frankly, that makes it a bit big and slightly awkward for transporting to gigs. Saying that, you can get Alphasphere accessories direct from the Nu Desine website to aid in this pursuit. Getting started with the installation stage is fairly easy. Alphasphere comes with its own bespoke software to allow users to assign controls and MIDI assignments to the pads that make up this ball-shaped controller. The software and library come on a supplied disk so there’s no messing around with downloads, and the Alphasphere is USB-powered, so it can be ready to go in 10 minutes. After getting it all up-and-running, things take a bit of a turn, as this is where DJ Mag had a slight problem with the Alphasphere — and that’s in using it. It’s just too large and dare we say it, awkward to be easy to play, especially if you’re used to the conventional DJ or even Launchpad-style controllers on the market.

AWKWARD

The Alphasphere is made up of 48 pressure-sensitive pads. Each pad consists of a quite kinky-feeling rubber skin, stretched over a plastic drum with a foam inner, allowing for incredible after-touch and modulation 150 djmag.com

control across multiple pads (particularly with physical modelling instruments). Users can really achieve a level of expression far beyond that of conventional pianostyle keyboards, pads or modulation wheels, and it can sound great for things like dubstep/EDM basslines with filter cut-off assigned to the aftertouch. However, it simply does not feel natural or comfortable. Could DJs and performers adjust to the way the Alphasphere works? Of course, but is it something that would be actively pursued? That depends on whether DJs really want to use the Alphasphere as their controller of choice. Don’t get us wrong — there is a vast level of control available with the pads, and the ability to customise the pad assignments is very impressive. It’s unclear whether the designers deliberately chose different-sized pads to make navigation easier and offer differing levels of control, or whether they had to choose different sizes to make them fit into the spherical design, but as a result it is very hard to move quickly between the pads, and the larger ones have so much give that users really have to push hard to depress them all the way. It feels like the wrong balance of control and ease of play.

GOING DEEP

In use, DJ Mag must admit we looked like a fortunetelling hipster on a crystal ball (the pads generate multi-colour LEDs inside the structure, by the way). The Alphasphere has a deep level of customisation and control, but we just can’t see too many people wanting to have that level of detail over every individual note as they play. To make the most of the Alphasphere requires an extreme level of devotion. Whilst we have our doubts on how useable the Alphasphere really is for most of the clubbing DJs and performers in the scene, there are positive points. The included mapping software makes a very painstaking and fiddly process as simple as it can be and there is true multi-channel MIDI assignment, so Alphasphere can control multiple VSTs and DAWs simultaneously

— but it’s just not easy and the results, for most of us, probably won’t be worth the effort. It is obvious a huge amount of time and love has gone into the Alphasphere, and that’s why we are convinced a small number of people will love it to bits. As DJ Mag said from the start, Alphasphere is weird. It’s not for everyone but like many esoteric products it will probably gain a loyal band of followers. We can’t recommend it wholeheartedly as, for most of us, it is simply the wrong product at the wrong end of the price scale. The Elite version which has some extra knobs, MIDI connectivity and comes in sexy black is even more money! Still, if you are one of the few for whom it appeals, then you will enjoy the attention to detail, the passion and the fabulous customer support. www.djmag.ca

words: MICK WILSON

TECHPRODUCER We reveal some handy tips and tricks to help you on the road to wicked productions...

UNDS KILLER SO freshest sounds How to create the on the dancefloor...

THE PSYCH SOUNDTRACK VIBES OF TIM PARIS

TIM PARIS is currently best known as one half of It’s a Fine Line with Ivan Smagghe. Here he tells DJ Mag how he got the Killer Sounds on his new solo album ‘Dancers’... “Each track on ‘Dancers’ has its own story. For instance ‘Outback, Stones and Vinyl’ is inspired by Wake In Fright, a pretty obscure Australian movie from the ‘70s. I loved it so much I had to compose a new soundtrack with my own sounds and vision. “The film tells the story of a schoolteacher who gets lost in the Outback during a few days. The heat and sleep deprivation lead him to lose control of his life and he finds himself in the most insane situation. The track had to reflect these ideas and create conditions for some oneiric hallucinated journey. “The structure of the tune isn’t really relevant with the movie narrative as it’s my personal understanding of the story that is developed. I believe my song is more optimistic than the film. The slow building at the beginning of the track renders that feeling of exhaustion, the heat is already hitting

SAMPLETANK: