This podcast epitomises Sasse as a DJ and a label boss. ENJOY!

The 30th Juno Plus podcast comes from one of 2012’s shining lights, XOSAR.

When your first two solo releases come out on Rush Hour and Long Island Electrical Systems, you must be doing something right. Ghosthaus and Tropical Cruize arrived within a month of each other, and more or less cemented XOSAR as a name to watch with a hawkish eye. The title track from the Ghosthaus 12? on Rush Hour was particularly haunting and ethereal, described by Juno Plus scribe Frank Mitchell as ” both horrendously unnerving and strangely uplifting.”

Soon after these 12?s arrived we learned XOSAR was working in collaboration with Dutch producer Danny Wolfers, aka Legowelt, on the Xamiga project, and some light Google research revealed she was also a designer of considerable repute. Her Juno Plus podcast deftly mixes her own productions with some classic house (when has “Deep Burnt” ever gone down badly, after all?), and XOSAR was also kind enough to respond to some email questions we fired at her. The answers revealed the person to be just as compelling as the music.

The first mention of XOSAR (for us anyway) came when we saw a track of yours in Legowelt’s mix for Juno Plus last year. How long have you been making music for and how did you get into it? You seem to have arrived with a fully formed sound.

I incurred the itch to sculpt sonic soundscapes at 16.  Craving a creative outlet in my quest to conjure emotional arousal, I downloaded fruity loops and started trying to wrap my head around software production techniques.  I abandoned it for a while and a few years later after graduating from UC Berkeley in neuropsychology, enrolled in an audio engineering program at SAE that specialized in electronic music production.  I had been trained in piano and violin for a few years as a child, but was basically starting from scratch as a producer.  Simultaneously, my friend Adeptus taught me the art of taming wild electribes and other synthetic beasts.

We spied a press pic of yours and you have a dual theme of tigers and analogue equipment going on in your studio. Tell us a bit about your studio environment and how it helps you to create.

I like to immerse myself in environments that will emit desirable vibrations to be absorbed into my creative output and myself.  This includes having plants, crystals, and symbolic representations of the elements and animals, while avoiding clutter so as not to fog my mind.  There are immense rewards of limiting sensory input to give the imagination time to process the impressions it has received.  I keep specially charged crystals around to help balance and amplify desired energy levels.  When the stage is set, my favorite production tool is my electribe(s), but I love using various synthesizers and software.  Another essential habit that helps me create is regularly immersing myself in nature, as it is proven to quiet the mind and have a restorative effect on the depleted attention spans of the modern day city human.

Your design for the Sexual Harassment EP on Citinite was one of the best record sleeves we saw last year – how long have you been doing design for?

I’ve been doing graphic design for more than five years, but for as long as I can remember, I’ve had a fascination towards powerful harmonious blends of colors, symbols, words, and pictures to convey messages, establish mental connections, invoke emotional responses, and heighten consciousness levels.  My design is usually driven by the physiological responses illicited by the visuals, i.e. if a particular color configuration has the power to summon the sound of my heartbeat to the senses, then I will usually keep it around.

You also designed the sleeve for your new Rush Hour release – was it important for you to tie in the visual element along with the title and music itself into one vision for this release? Can you see yourself doing more of this in the future?

Yes, I will design more of my sleeves in the future.  For the Ghosthaus release, I designed the forest skull image, the photo was taken by the gifted photographer Danny Wolfers (in a glorious forest notorious for high paranormal activity) and the layout was designed by the talented Marco from Rush Hour.  We thought it would be a more striking synthesis to fuse the visual idea with the music. It’s important for a musician to feel that their album artwork meshes properly with their sounds, even if it’s very abstract.

We are intrigued by the ‘research’ section on your website; what is it all about?

The research section showcases various configurations of electronic tonalities, derived from collaborations between two or more compatible creatures of analog descent, and myself.  Meandering? Maybe.  But these echoing experimental etchings never cease to acknowledge an explicit sense of the present through purely improvisational production practices.

You’ve been touring pretty hard recently. What have been some of the highlights of gigging in the U.S. and Europe?

One of the highlights of the US tour was the PPU/Mutual Dreaming party in NY.  No particularly interesting anecdote to insert here (except maybe that there was a girl walking around with a suitcase full of shrooms), but there was just really great vibes (hmm wonder why). Another highlight was the pilgrimage to Detroit for a New Year’s Eve warehouse party.  Despite frequent power outages and excessive coldness, the party was great.  Everyone seems to take music pretty seriously there.  As desolate and bizarre of a city Detroit is, there are still overwhelming amounts of genuine warmth, friendliness and creative forces in the air.  I tried to channel some of it and made a song called “Elixir Of Dreams”, then me and Danny filmed the video the next day (on his smartphone) in the GM Renaissance Center and in the Detroit People Mover, riding it at least four times.  A Europe highlight was in Berlin during Fete de la Musique outdoor at “The Angry Chicken So So Angry” aka Soju Bar.  It was our friend Mo Probs’ birthday party, we thought there was going to be a few hundred people but there ended up being a few thousand sprawled out over the streets.  An absurd amount of fun was had that night.

What has the general reaction been like to your performances?

The attention required by my possessive electribes for meticulous programming and pattern maneuvering coupled with the transcendence of time and space during performances does not permit me to conduct a thorough audience assessment, but I postulate a prevalent reaction being an approving bpm-synced head nod coupled with a brooding facial expression.

Your Juno Plus podcast contains an ample helping of Xamiga heat! How long have you and Danny been working on this project and where do you see it heading in 2012?

It has been in divine conception for all of eternity, but we’ve only recently begun to channel energies necessary to convey the cosmic forces and unlock the enigma that is Xamiga.  We went to Palm Springs a few weeks ago to absorb some of these mystical desert powers, and right as we were about to embark on an epic exploration of the extravagant exterior environment, our excitement was extinguished by the onset of a vicious windstorm, ravaging the city streets. Forced to stay indoors, we didn’t have enough people to play rainy day recess activities such as heads up seven up, so we opted for music production instead.  When the storm was over, we went outside and it was as if the apocalypse had just happened and we were emerging from our underground bunker to see the aftermath.  There was debris everywhere, chairs from neighboring complexes had blown over, windows were broken, trees fell over and smashed cars.  The positive is that we were provided a platform to produce some pretty cool songs, one of which is present in the proceeding mix entitled “blizzard 12.21.2012?.  Aside from these tracks made to distract from the attacks of nature, we have a lot more that will be coming out sometime before 12.21.2012.

Tell us about the overall vibe of the podcast – where and how did you put it together?

I made it on my birthday.  In the beginning of cycles I like to plant symbolic seeds of intention for various energies I want to attract throughout the impending cycle.  So, I made this mix.  (Then I went to do karaoke with my frenemy Adeptus and his bodyguard Tarythyas in Oakland).

Given his background in hip-hop, we were entitled to imagine that Cuthead would also be an excellent DJ. This was confirmed with his Little White Earbuds podcast released last year and is now confirmed again with the one he recorded for us. A glance at the tracklist (in the comments section) is enough to realize that Cuthead put a real effort into this mix of great style. A must for any deep house fan in the best sense of the word…

This new podcast for AUTOBRENNT is a fine example of that skill: it starts deep and stays… deep. Sultry, wavy lines, lazy kicks and soft, rounded percussion are what get fluidly interlinked for just shy of 90 minutes.  It’s a study in subtleness but one that keeps you locked from start to finish for the ways it mood and tempo undulate so carefully… tune in and cop out to this one!

We’ve been itching to release this podcast since it was sent over; a real peach of a mix by Genius Of Time. Hailing from Göteborg Sweden, the duo have been putting tip top quality house music out since 2010, on their own imprint Aniara and the excellent Royal Oak Records. Their productions are raw and expressive, sounding like music made in the heart of Chicago rather than Scandanavia, and you can hear these U.S. influences poking through in their podcast. We’re happy to announce that you can catch the boys playing with Louche and Brawther in Room 3 at Fabric this March, and after hearing this mix we can’t wait!

After the debut, he recived a discographical offer by ”Apparel Music” and with ”Under The Sea EP” (supported by Magazine and important djs like Seth Troxler, Ellen Allien, Richie Hawtin, Brothers Vibes, Steve Lawler) he reaches the 1st position of the best new albums (January- 2012). Being in the Dj Sneak’s top 10, of course is an important goal that makes him proud of himelf.

Length: 00:55:27
Size: 127 MB
Format: MP3 Stereo 44kHz 320Kbps

Interview

Hi Takushi Yoshida great to have you here on EBW. 
Shall we start with a small introduction of your background in DJing?
I have been Djing since 2006 in Yokohama. Initially, I did not have any DJ friends and so a long time was required to organize the first party in Tokyo. It was bitter days. Those were bitter days. That is why I’m always keen to share the chance to spin for newcomers. Recently, I moved my centre for DJ-ing from Tokyo to Singapore.

Please describe how and where this current mix was recorded?
Mixier:Xone:92+Traktor Scrach Pro2+Traktor control x1
This mix was recorded live at my house with the finest USB Cable “Continental 5S(OYAIDE)”. Sometimes I heard that Data file music is not clearer and less fun than Vinyl. When I went back to Japan in Nov. OYAIDE has released it. Then tried it. I felt this cable pave the new stage for All PC DJ. So, I choose Traktor with it for this mix.

So what’s the idea/inspiration behind the mix?
The main idea behind the EBW Podcast is “Warmth of the body”. The ideas include Evanescence, Vital energy, and Tact in the background. Usually, I prefer more easy-listening to dance tracks, But I didn’t use it to appear Tacit Knowledge.

What new ideas or plans do you have going forward?
As I mentioned, just moved my base from Tokyo. Fortunately, I’ve already encountered with lots of DJs in SG. I have also started to spin with multinational crew at Full Circle (@En bar).

If tomorrow you are lost on a deserted island, what will be the 3 songs you will bring with you?

Incognito – Out of the storm (Carl Craig Planet E Special Mix)

Martin Dawson – Soft Synth (Original Mix)

Norah Jones – Sunrise (Radio Slave Mix)

Interview

Hi Nicolas, what’s up today ?
Hey, all good! The sun is shining, just been a few days in Ibiza to visit some friends, that’s also where I recorded this mix for you…. So yeah, I’m happy and in a good mood today.

Could you introduce yourself and briefly sum up your career for those who don’t know you yet ?
I was born in Montevideo in 1980 from a Spanish mom and Uruguayan dad, I grew up skateboarding around the city…I moved to London when I was 18, and since then I’ve been living around searching for a place where I would feel free, comfortable and inspired to do what I like and live.
Otherwise I started going to this club called Matinee when I was 12…I didn’t understand what was happening there with the music that much, but I remember I liked the beat and dancing to that beat…Some years later an older friend I had took me to a proper techno party, and that’s how it all began. I got really fascinated by the atmosphere and the mystery of the party, crazy people around freaking out and dancing till the last minute, it was very intense! After that I started going out to every underground techno party happening in Montevideo, I loved it like I still love it today. The scene there was very small, and there was this French DJ called Bruno Gervais who was playing at almost every party in Montevideo. He was my first inspiration, he showed me how to trip with Music. He was playing everything from house to techno, electro, trip hop, trance, and it was simply amazing how he was combining so many styles in such an interesting way…Honestly i thank life every day for meeting that guy. At the time I had this friend from school whose father owned a shop selling big sound systems and DJ equipment, so he got a pair of turntables and a mixer. We started trying to mix some records he bought, it was much fun…so the interest and curiosity got bigger and we kept going to parties, we were really getting into it. Bruno also helped us a lot, it was amazing how everything started…When I moved to London I tried to take it more seriously though, I found a job and earned some money so I could buy more and more records.

You lived in many different places throughout your life such as London, Sao Paulo, Ibiza and now Berlin…How did you manage to travel so much, and what do you remember from each of these destinations ?
As I told you before I was looking for a place where I would feel really comfortable to live…I moved to London because I didn’t see much future in Uruguay for me, my mom didn’t either so she really supported me and encouraged me to move out. I was literally a mess, skateboarding the whole day, going to parties and playing some records with friends…These were the only things I wanted to do. Uruguay is a very hard place to survive, especially for a guy who left school early. At the time I never imagined I was going to work as a DJ or anything close to that, but I decided to go to London with a girlfriend I had at the time and try to survive there, and also to see the world a little bit…Then I got a job and enough money to buy records, I was very happy but after a few years London started stressing me a bit…I had to work harder and harder to pay the rent it was getting really difficult, and although I learnt a lot in this city I couldn’t stay there anymore.
Sao Paulo is a very important place for me, I’ve lived there for almost 6 years. In Sao Paulo I was able to start DJing for a living, I found myself traveling around Brazil almost every weekend to play music and meet amazing people, and I even got several residences in very nice clubs such as D-Edge. I have a big respect and a big place inside my heart for that city because it’s where my life took the right direction. Now I live in Berlin, I feel very free in this city and I have the chance to meet some great people from here. I sometimes need quietness around me, and I found my own peace, besides the nightlife.

You are now resident at the famous Club der Visionaere in Berlin, how did you get in touch with the people from the club and start working together ?
Because of some friends who were playing there all the time, they called me to play with them a few times so I met the owner and the crowd around the club. Shortly after I met Binh and Margaret Dygas who were organizing a party called NOON at CDV on Sundays, from noon to midnight. Two years ago they invited me to do this party with them, and they became some of my very best friends. CDV is my home, I have much respect and love for that place and for the people working there.

I don’t think you’ve ever released any music, are you interested in music production or do you stick to DJing ?
To DJ is my biggest passion, but yes I’m also interested in music production..I never did it because I really don’t like working with a computer, I love analog sounds so I need machines in order to make something. The way I like to make music is very expensive so I need to save some money. I already bought a few interesting machines and gear but I’m still trying to find my own sound with my productions, so hopefully I will release something soon.

Do you have any interesting projects coming up ?
Just keep doing what I do and playing the music I like, also keep having  fun with my friends. Otherwise I throw a party in Athens every second month at 6DOGS, it’s called Kill Techno Divas. I go slow with  »projects », I prefer to put my energy in today and the right things, you know.

Can you tell us about the mix you recorded for us ?
Honestly I don’t record much podcasts because I find it very hard to make 70 minutes mix and tell people something with it. I like records from all kinds and different styles so it’s sometimes a problem to bring them all into a solid mix. I think this one is pretty nice though, and hopefully the Trace A Line audience will enjoy it!

Download format : FLAC

(Thanks RV for finding)

Underwater Aerobics For The Masses

Interview

First of all can you tell us a little bit about how you first came to be interested in music and more specifically electronic music?

René Breitbarth: As a kid I was buying 80?s pop singles and as a result of that I wanted a keyboard. My father said he would buy me an expensive one if I’d take lessons. I ended up with a cheap one.

How old were you when you started DJing and then producing?

I started producing before DJing. I must have been around 15 when I started to compose with my Amiga home computer back then. I tried out mixing on turntables probably when I was 20.

Who were the DJ’s and producers you aspired to when you were getting into clubbing and listening to this music?

They are all mentioned in Scooter’s “Hyper Hyper.” Seriously, too many to mention.

So I understand you first appeared on the Cologne Sound Waves compilation. What were you making back then?

This compilation was a project of a bunch of people hanging out at a studio above the Space Club Cologne, later Warehouse. I was mostly spending my time there producing.

What were the first pieces of production gear that you bought?

That was an EMU ESI-32 sampler. But mostly I used the gear of friends.

Were your friends doing the same thing? Did you have people who were also starting out so you could help each other out?

Before digital production I always had studios together with friends, for example we ran a Treibstoff Studio once.

Tell us about the Treibstoff label, how you and Marcel Janovsky came to start the label and what the mission statement behind the label was.

Me and a friend made a 12-inch by ourselves with no distributor at first, then Marcel and his partner joined to go more professional, thus Treibstoff was born. We were just a bunch of artists who were fed up by sending demos to labels.

When you started the label people were definitely still playing vinyl and hadn’t yet moved to playing CDs or mp3s. How much of an impact did these new mediums have on the sales of the releases?

Of course the vinyl sales got less. But I’m not involved in doing Treibstoff anymore other than releasing an EP once in a while for many years now. So I’m not the right person to ask.

Since then you’ve also started your own label, Deep Data, which I notice is almost purely digital. Tell us a bit about the label and your reasons for going digital.

Mainly, the idea for Deep Data came from playing at Club der Visionaere in Berlin. My vision of club sound changed there a little. It was already different from the Treibstoff sound at that time so I launched Deep Data. I was already DJing digitally for four years and so it was clear that I would go for digital. Besides lower costs and effort it also brought the chance to finally release more of my tracks.

There are a lot of DJs now who have gone back to playing vinyl exclusively. Can you see Deep Data releasing on a physical format in the future or does it seem financially unsustainable?

Actually three vinyl releases were made around 2010. It IS financially unsustainable. However, it’s not my focus or desire to release on vinyl.

Most of the Deep Data releases have been your own, though I notice you are now having other artists contribute more. Are you planning to continue in this way and open the label up further to other artists?

Right now I am getting back to releasing on my own again because I simply have enough material, so it makes no sense to invest more effort, earn less and be dependent.

How would you say your own personal tastes have changed over the years in terms of music you like to listen to and also music you like to produce?

Hard one… in terms of dance stuff I would say in the past I was more into techno than house. Now it’s the opposite.

I’ve read another interview with you where you have professed to playing incredibly long sets at Club der Visionaere. What has been the longest set you’ve played? It must be very fulfilling, though incredibly tiring as well.

With my partner Toby Deschamps I played there 15 hours sets for four years. We would also invite guest DJs once in a while. It was very inspirational and surprisingly not too exhausting. DJing can give you much energy. Club der Visionaere is a very special place for that, but still after this time I needed a break from these marathon sets this summer.

Tell us about your live set up and what a Rene Breitbarth live set consists of.

I didn’t play live for some years and now I’m preparing a new set. I will do live drumming/sample triggering with the Alesis pad.

What can you tell us about the set you’ve put together for us?

Smooth and deep home recording.

And what can we expect from you in the next year?

Besides continuing to release on Deep Data and DJing I hopefully will play more live shows. Further, I will continue my monthly Deep Data radio show on RTS.fm which I just have started.

Deep house music from America’s East Coast.

DJ Qu is a deep house DJ and producer who doesn’t mind being called as such. Most artists are sniffy at best—outwardly hostile at worst—when labelled with a specific genre tag, whereas Ramon Lisandro Quezada has embraced the term, spending the last few years mining the very depths of the sound. Many will have first encountered Qu via his association with Jus-Ed’s New York-based Underground Quality imprint and its coterie of artists’ rise to international prominence during 2009, although Qu did have something of a lead up to this. He began Strength Music Recordings back in 2006, using it as a platform to showcase mainly his own productions, which as of earlier this year includes a classy full-length offering in the form of Gymnastics.

It has been said before but Qu and his aforementioned NYC contemporaries are among the most affable people you’re likely to meet on the scene—qualities we think translate to the music selected on RA.267. Unreleased tracks from Fred P., Levon Vincent, Jus-Ed and Qu himself nestle in alongside deep house cuts of the highest calibre.

What have you been up to recently?

I’ve been away on some DJ gigs, promoting the Gymnastics album and also praising my oldest nephew for graduating from high school and making his way to college. That’s a big deal for me.

How and where was the mix recorded?

The mix was recorded in my home using my Vestax PMC mixer, two Technics 1200s, two Pioneer CDJs, a Pioneer EFX500 box and then through my recording studio to spice it up a bit.

Can you tell us a little bit more about the idea behind the mix.

The idea behind the mix is simple. I basically put together a combination of music that I personally dig. Some of the music is released and some unreleased.

You sampled our 2010 in review Exchange on Gymnastics. Does sampling generally form much of a basis for your productions?

Sampling is definitely a huge part of my production right now. I’m slowly learning to play instruments and getting better with live recording, but I have no shame in sampling.

What are you up to next?

Next up for me is a three week tour through Europe in August 2011—going to visit numerous countries in Europe so I’m looking forward to that. I’m also getting some releases ready for the Strength Imprint and have some remixes coming out on other labels so it’s definitely busy around here.

Interview

First up how did the two of you meet?

We were both playing at the same club in Bari, Italy.

I understand you are a couple. What came first? The music or the romance?

Bruno: Actually the friendship came first. After we met in Bari we sort of hung out for a while. I was off on a tour for a while and when I came back we started to hang out more. The romance developed and then we slowly started to think about doing the music thing. I think we decided to just do a remix together and when that went well we decided to do a single… and now, well, we have an album.

Ninca: Romance came first. No, actually music. [smiles] We met playing at a party in Bari (south Italy) and I ended up jamming/singing on Bruno’s set. I have to say I hadn’t seen such a live set in ages and got tremendously excited. I remember his hook “Nobody Calls” haunting me for months after.

How do you typically work together? Are the lyrics added to the music or is the music made to fit the lyrics? Do you collaborate on both or do you have defined roles on who does what?

Bruno: I think it goes either way as far as the lyric/music thing goes. We both have some little note books around with lyrics. But sometimes the music sort of brings the lyrics. So far it’s really been both of us bringing something to the table. I’d say it’s very equal; however, Ninca does a bring a bit more of the hooks and I bring a bit more of the bass lines.

Ninca: We sometimes come up with ideas (chords, small progression, loops etc.) separately and then get together to work on it. Or we start from scratch, usually with the keyboard/Rhodes part. I think we do a 50/50 thing. Probably I write most of the melodies and I think Bruno comes up with the percussion side of things and the bass lines. But he can also come up with melodies here and there and when I’m allowed [smiles], I write a bass line! There is no special structure in the way we work. I think we are both quite free-minded persons so it wouldn’t work to have too many rules. Lyrics are most of the time added to the music, as I am also doing in my own work. We both write lines here and there on our small notebooks, and we do as well collaborate on the lyrics. I mean, Bruno’s English is quite better than mine. [laughs]

Your two releases so far have featured the behind the scenes out-takes as it were of the recordings. What has been the decision to include this in the tracks and is this a theme that will run through future Public Lover material?

Bruno: Well, we sort of wanted to add a since of transparency to the music. Our whole thing has been about intimacy, so bringing the listener in on our music makes it a sort of documentary almost. A lot of people have had problems with it, and I get it, but to me there is nothing more incredible than having a little dirtiness in the mix to make it that much more human. We both discussed the sort of over-produced music these days and how we have been a part of that. Maybe it’s our personal revolt to our own productions. As far as the future Public Lover material goes, I think there are a couple of tracks on the new album that have a little bit of room noise. We tried to keep it a bit balanced for those who like it and those who don’t.

Ninca, can you please tell us a bit about your background with singing (influences, any bands you have been in etc) and also some info on how and when you started producing.

Ninca: I’ve always been singing as far as I can remember; I studied piano and music theory at the conservatory of a regional capital in North-Western France since I was seven and we had choir lessons every week. I would make it to the next year thanks to the singing exam. After listening to New Order’s Substance andLoveless by My Bloody Valentine (two albums that were emblematic of my emotional life at the time), I did what I had to do: I ended my affair with classical music and joined a band. I played the bass and started singing “ethereal melodies” [laughs] in an indie-noise Slowdive/MBV style band. We were so impressed back then in the early 90?s with the abundance of amazing indie bands coming out. There was such an overwhelming passion for this music in our teenage time. That’s something I strongly share with Bruno, and it was hard to find someone to share it with when I moved from my hometown, either in Amsterdam or in Berlin. One can say, the fact that he told me he knew Pale Saints on our first official date made me fall in love immediately with him!

With my coming of age came my first keyboard, a second-hand Korg M1 I bought myself at 18 (following the advices of my boyfriend back then), and a move to Amsterdam, then I started voice & music production studies at the Rotterdam Conservatory. It was with the boys of a house band from Amsterdam that I had my first gigs at the Melkweg and the Paradiso in Holland. At the same time, I would always work on my own stuff at Laboratoires Leece. I started to take classical singing lessons when I was 17 and never stopped with that. Jazz and Brazilian singing came later, in my early 20?s. I studied both more deeply at the Rotterdam Conservatory. I’ve been obsessed with bands like The Smiths (Morrissey’s voice and lyrics were strongly triggering in my teenage time), New Order (Technique is one of my favorite albums) etc. Some of my strong influences as singers would obviously be Björk (though I insist we have totally different ways of singing, but I appreciate that people bring the comparison often and take it as a compliment), Kate Bush, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Maria Creuza (one of my all time favorite Brazilian singers), Chico Buarque. I still work on classical singing; it’s a very different instrument than the pop one.

Another for Ninca: You released your first 12? on your combined label last year but also a promo album on Bureau B. Tell us about the album. How long had you been working on it and what are the differences in the sound between the Bureau B release and the single for Thesongsays?

Ninca: My first album is a collection of my experiments in sound and emotions in the past 10 years — lots of funny little things, brokenhearted sounds and melodies. It’s about quirkiness, sexiness. I tried to explore with it the facets of electronic pop music in all their variations. I tried to mix a resolute pop approach to an experimental sound process, with different textures and noises, dreamlike melodies and fairy elements, using voices, synthesizing, sound design, layering, and acoustic instruments along with electronic sounds/devices and field recordings. I have been working on it on and off for five years. It was kind of a long time more or less ready when I started to look for a label. It took me a long time to finish it because besides my studies at the Conservatory and part-time jobs, I produced it all by myself with some occasional help from friends (on that song, a friend helped with mixing the bass, or on the voice mixing etc). I am a perfectionist so it was a hard job! I won’t spend hopefully so much time on my next one. I hope I can make faster decisions on sounds/arrangements etc. Bruno’s influence on that is great. He has such fast way of working, he makes very fast decisions. I can spent hours on the tiniest change of sound… nightmare!

The difference in sound between my album and the “Feed Me Rainbows” release on Thesongsays would be that “Feed Me Rainbows” is a more experimental process, has a more open structure (which you can already find on my album with tracks such as “The Beast” or “Up To You”) and don’t have so much of a pop influence in it. As much as I love working in a songwriting form, I need to keep the freedom to explore music without a clear structure. I have no problem with having a pop element/influence in my work, but I don’t want to be restricted to it, and working on stuff like “Feed Me Rainbows” is very important to me. But in my opinion both sound dreamy, warmly emotive with surreal fantasy; elements which belong strongly to my music. Also I’m already using those droning guitars on few tracks on my debut album. Right now I’m working on my new EP and new material for my second album, with both more open structure and more songs-like stuff.

What is your set-up like for your live shows? And did you always see the Public Lover project as a live act or was it originally just going to be a studio thing?

Bruno: Our live set up is pretty simple. Ninca plays a couple of synths that we built in Logic and a couple of Rhodes pianos. We run those in Logic and rewiring into Live where we have a pretty hefty amount of loops that we trigger. Ninca also runs her vocals through Ableton Live with a handful of effects she is controls on a 16 channel mixer. In addition we use a Jomox888 for some analog percussion and a Jomox Mbase01 for our kick drums.

There is a wonderful chemistry that is shared between real life and musical partners that can be amazing (White Stripes in the early days, Sonny & Cher) or not so amazing (John & Oko, Sonny & Cher again). Please discuss.

So far our chemistry has been better than expected. Usually after a bit of collaborating somebody gets bored or upset or both. I think we have been pretty good about knowing our limits. If we have a bad day in the studio, we tend to politely decide to end the session and wait for another day rather then continue to try to trudge through and create bigger problems. Live is great as well. I think we really shine in that environment because we both pretty much have the same ideas of how we want to treat a crowd and what kind of music to make to get us there.

As you are both solo artists as well, do you need to implement strict control over your collaborations and time in the studio together so that your own productions don’t bleed into your Public Lover material?

No, not at all. We discuss when we want to work. It has never really been a problem when one wants to work and the other has solo work to tend to. When both of us need solo work to finish then the other pretty much works on solo work.

Can you tell us about the set that you have made for us.

Bruno: This mix was done over a fragmented two week period. We really wanted to add a sense of improvisation to this one. we woke up everyday and dedicated our time to making 10 minutes of new, usable material. For the most part this is all material we came up with just for this podcast. We do use a couple of pieces from old live sets and a track that are already released, but in general these are sketches of tracks to come. Thanks for putting that fire under our ass!

What can we expect from Public Lover in the next year?

We have an album done now, give or take a track or two. So now we are pretty much tightening up mixes and deciding on which tracks and in what order. We also are planning a tour of Europe this summer and the U.S. in the fall.

Moodymanc is an artistic alias of Danny Ward. Record producer, jazz musician, dj, crate digger and native mancunian, Danny has been scaling the heights of success with his string of recent productions on Tsuba, Dessous, 2020Vision, Kolour, Centric and of course Apparel to name but a few.

Interview

There are spots around the world that are known for types of music. In America alone there is Detroit for techno, Chicago for house, New York for hip-hop, Seattle for grunge. Tell us about your musical upbringing.

Jon McMillion: Music has always been a part of my life. My father was a jazz guitarist who loved to play me tunes, show me guitar chords and talk to me about musicians he admired. My parents did a wonderful thing for me early on in my life and that was having me take piano lessons. I did that for many years and I’d like to think that it paid off. Later on I got a guitar and never looked back. I started experimenting with looping pedals and eight-track recorders. Many years later a good friend of mine gave me a sampler and a copy of Cakewalk. I was completely blown away with what I could do even in my limited knowledge of how those tools worked. I just knew that this was something I wanted to do.

What were the first inspirational electronic records you remember and how did they change your mind about what you wanted to do with music?

Hmm, that’s a good question. Looking back at when I really got started producing electronic music, it wasn’t dance music I was making. To keep things simple let’s just say I was producing IDM and ambient based music. So back then the records that inspired me and still do were on Rather Interesting, Mego, Chain Reaction, and Warp to name a few. Later on, when I started gravitating more towards dance productions, the type of records I found interesting and inspiring were records that at the time I thought pushed the envelope and challenged the idea of what could be done in a 4/4 context. For me the early Bruno Pronsato records were quite inspiring. There’s far too many artists to mention, but I really like records that keep you guessing.

You’re not the only producer out of Seattle with a band background. Bruno Pronsato as well was involved in bands. What sort of point of difference do you think this gives you when it comes to making electronic music?

I personally learned a lot from playing in bands and working with other musicians. For the kind of music I make now it definitely helped since I often use live instruments in a lot of my songs. But you have to keep in mind that playing in a band is a completely different experience than being an electronic music producer. All the decisions I make nowadays as a producer I make on my own. There are no band meetings to attend these days, or having to deal with competing ideas. I honestly don’t miss much of that. To me producing electronic music provides a lot of freedom and means to explore musical ideas. It’s hard to get in a band situation where complete control and a sense of personal freedom are in place. To me this is quite inviting and personally that’s what keeps me at it.

What instruments do you play and do you incorporate live instruments into your tracks?

I play piano, guitar, bass guitar and occasionally drums. I try to incorporate these instruments into songs as much as possible, but sometimes it’s just not appropriate or possible.

Do you consider your background as a software engineer as an advantage when it came to making music too?

Yes and no. Earlier on when I didn’t make 4/4 stuff I used tools like PD, C-Sound, and Super Collider, and my knowledge of programming definitely came in handy with those types of tools. Nowadays I’m not so much into programming sound. Instead I’m much more interested in the process of composition. Now I find myself being much more productive not having to rely on those types of tools as much as I did before.

What sort of studio set-up are you running?

Right now my studio is comprised of a Mac running Ableton & Logic, various plug-ins, some analog synths, guitars, and various pieces of outboard gear. I also keep a PC around with Sound Forge on it for more involved wave editing duties. Lately I’ve been using this new soft synth that a good friend of mine made called Aalto.

Your album is so rich with ideas, yet sounds very much like it is a studio album in a true musical sense, developed around a certain period of sessions. Can you run us through the background of the album and the recording process?

You’re right about the sessions. Most of the songs were made on a run from early 2009 to mid-2010. There really wasn’t a definitive process I used during the making of the album, and honestly it’s kind of hard to explain what I did during those sessions. One thing I really wanted to do was experiment and try out different techniques. On some of the songs I’d hit record, jam out for a while, come back and edit away. Often I’d lay down skeletons of how I wanted the song to go, and over time paint in the pieces, do more editing, do more jamming and let it sit for a few days, come back and add or subtract and move forward. I’ll say this, many of the songs were first sketched out in a few different coffee shops here in Seattle. I love sketching out ideas on my laptop outside of the studio. But overall the whole thing was a case of doing whatever it took to achieve the sound I was looking for.

There are so many tracks on the digital release, you could have stored them up for another album altogether. Did you consider shopping the other tracks around?

We knew there were going to be quite a few songs, and we wanted to put them all within the Jon McMillion LP package. So no, I didn’t consider shopping them around.

Can you tell us as bit about NuEarth Kitchen, the label you released your LP on?

Sure, NuEarth Kitchen is a new label out of Seattle my good friend Jeremy Grant put together and runs. The idea to start the label first came up in mid-2009 when Jeremy and I were listening to some tracks of mine in the studio, and we started thinking how cool it would be to have a label to put this stuff out on. That idea kept popping up over and over until finally Jeremy said, ‘It’s on, let’s do this.’ After a year of research and hard work it finally got it going.

There are an impressive array of people on remix duties for the album – in fact I know for one that’s how I came across your record in the first place. Did you hand pick the artists to remix your tracks?

Yes, the artists on the remix record are guys we really respect and admire. It was really cool how everybody came together on that project.

Do you play live? If so what sort of set-up do you operate from?

I do play out live. Right now my live PA set-up consist of Ableton Live, a Motu Ultralite, a Moog Moogerfooger ring mod, a Electro Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, Novation Launchpad, and an Evolution X-Session.

Tell us about this mix you’ve done for us.

Sure, this is actually a live set. Its all brand new material I’ve been playing around with.

What can we expect from Jon McMillion over the next year?

Right now I’m working on a couple of remixes, and a new Wig Water Magic E.P. After that I’m going to do some more shows, take a breather, then start production on some new projects. Hopefully we’ll see a Wig Water Magic full length later on this year or in early 2012.

Sek was born in Greece in 1986. From the beginning he was keen for music and at the age of six he is taking his first piano lessons. His interest for different instruments is visible.

We kick off the new year with a new mix by German deep house superheroes Âme. It finds the duo of Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann digging deep – and wide – to create a history and genre-hopping excursion that nonetheless keeps its feet firmly on the dancefloor. Fans will recognise that it’s similar in spirit to The Grandfather Paradox, their memorable 2009 exploration of minimalist music (from Steve Reich to Plastikman), created in collaboration with Dixon and Henrik Schwarz.

Âme have been in our lives since 2003, and have proven to be among the most quietly influential dance music producers of their generation, their early work heralding, and even inspiring, a whole new wave of artists refashioning and recombining Detroit techno and deep house tropes according to cutting edge production techniques.

They first made their name with dazzling singles like ‘Mifune’/’Shiro’ and a self-titled album for Sonar Kollektiv in 2004, but it was with a succession of superb remixes for the likes of Roy Ayers, Akabu, Truby Trio and Ferrer & Sydenham (their version outshining the source material in virtually ever case) and with the establishment of their own imprint, Innervisions, co-piloted by Dixon and Schwarz, that they really developed their own voice – leading to 2005?s Rej EP, a bona fide classic. Since then, every Ame 12? has been an event – last year’s ‘Rose Sselavy’ and its terrific B-side ‘Junggesellenmaschine’ exemplify Beyer and Wiedemann’s mature, elegantly engineered but always impassioned and energetic approach to house music.

Their FACT mix, entitled Primary Structures, will be officially released on CD by Innervisions later this month. Keep an eye on their website for more information.

This week we’ve promo’s from Tim Andresen, Night Drive, Disclosure Project, Beef Records, Drumpoet, Dufflebag, Soluble, Pete Dafeet on Lost My Dog, Jackoff, Da Funk on Cabrio, Smiley Fingers, Low Pressings, Konura, Dieb AUdio, DP-6, Compost Black Label, Jesus Pablo, Deso and Pin Up all in the mix.

It’s a fair question. He came out of the blue in autumn 2009 with ‘The Deep End’, a four track EP on the hot Brick Lane based label Boe Recordings. All tracks showed deep respect for classic house structure but at the same time were undeniably contemporary executions. He displays a deft hand at conjuring bass driven grooves, trippy synths, and wonderful melodic chords. It was a seriously heavyweight debut by anyone’s standards. Then nothing. We had to wait until spring 2010 until he unleashed the dark but mesmerising ‘Diamond’ on the B side of an EP with Iron Curtis and Kink. Hopefully we won’t have to wait so long for the next release from this mysterious talent, but until then we’re very pleased to offer up this wondrous Deep House mix for the latest Hybrid Life podcast.

We Play House has emerged as one of the hottest underground house labels of 2010, crossing over a handful of genre’s in their pursuit to put out the best quality records that ‘house’ in the broader sense has to offer. Their rough around the edges releases have been able to work dancefloors at all hours of the night, with lush jazzy house grooves and acid techno alike with warm analogue production, its just all good ‘house’ music at the end of the day, hence the name.

The mix is a real representation of what these guys are about, a colourful jam of beautiful melodies, gritty basslines, catchy vocals and much more! Big thanks to the guys for sharing some of the WPH love with us down under. This is FCL..

A native of Paris, Jef K started mixing records in 1992 after spending nine months in London. His deep, groovy and sexy house sets made him quickly earn a reputation as one of the fastest rising DJs amongst the French house scene. Jef had a Saturday monthly residency at the legendary Rex Club from 1998 until 2002 and is a resident for the “Respect” nights all over the world. He had a monthly residency at Fuse in Brussels for four years and plays regularly at Robert Johnson in Frankfurt. He has played festivals such as Les Plages Sonores in Montpellier, Soma, Lunacy, etc. A huge traveler, bringing his skills to the top clubs in Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Shangai, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Buenos Aires, and many other cities around the world. In 1996, Jef worked A & R for the French label Distance. Since then, he has been responsible for six compilations on the label- five volumes of the “My House” series, and the third volume of the «French Sessions» series. These compilations had a great response nationally and internationally, and were rated «Compilation Of The Year» by magazines such as Coda and Trax.

In 1997, Krypton/ Sony France released Jef’s “Paris-Chicago Express” CD- a Cajual and Relief compilation. In the same year, he and Cyril K (E-Troneek Funk) produced a track called “First Step” which appeared on the “Aline Can Dance” compilation project released by Small/Sony. In June 2000, “Watch Out! 2000” was released- another mix-CD reflecting Jef’s residency at the Watch Out! Party at the Rex Club. In 1999, Jef teamed up with his brother Antoine, aka DJ Tony Silver, to launch the Silver Network and Fast Forward FFWD record labels. Silver Network’s first release by Iz & Diz- the What We Need EP, appeared in the Hype Chart of DJ Magazine and was given four stars by MUZIK. It was later remixed by Pepe Bradock and Freaks. The first Fast Forward release by E-Troneek Funk was rated a five out of five twice in MUZIK and appeared in UPDATE reviews.

Jef started a new label with partner Holmar Filipsson, Crack & Speed. The first release was out in the spring of 2002. The label was closed in 2008 and had a huge response by the press and international DJ’s. In 2009, Jef teamed up again with his old friend / partner Chris Carrier and released three new Silver Network references. «Morning EP», «Chaka EP» and «Fever EP». All three of them had great response from press and DJ’s. The track «Morning» was compiled by the famous artist Agoria for his forthcoming mix-CD called «Balance» (Stomp Music Australia).

Watch out for Jef & Chris new project together with legendary Chez Damier (Chicago) under the name The Gathering to be released in summer 2010 and who’s already doing a huge buzz on the net … You’ve been warned !! …. Jef K. is currently on tour for Silver Network and C&S and rocking dancefloors around the world…

Born in Chicago and raised on Detroit’s West side, Delano Smith represents one of the last of a rare group of Detroits first house DJs. Perhaps it was the juvenile absorption of the sights and sounds around him during his first 5 years in the Windy City coupled with his experience during the new DJ craze of his high school years in Detroit that influenced Delano the most or maybe it is simply that enigmatic link between music people in Chicago and Detroit, known to insiders as the I94 Connection. Regardless of the reason for his natural ear for the deep and groovy, Delano can lay claim to a legacy that most Detroit jocks cannot. When performing outside of his native city, Delano’s unique sets highlight the fact that his skills were forged in an era before the rigid lines of house and techno genres appeared.

His attention to programming sets that are kinetic, emotional and educational are met with a delivery of the highest class. Having been one of the original young guns personally mentored by Motowns 1st DJ, Ken Collier, he displays skills entirely unique to this group. Having cut his teeth in a time when an aspiring DJ had to live off his wits to make the cut, his dynamic skill set has made him the real Detroit head’s secret favourite. Smith’s extended hiatus later in his DJ years was ended spectacularly when the Detroit Beatdown project again highlighted his talent. Teamed with Mike ‘Agent X’ Clark and Norm Talley, the crew began to spread the word of Detroit to fresh audiences, in demand globally and touching down at renowned clubs such as London’s Fabric en route.
On the production front, Delano stands head and shoulders above the rest in crafting alluring, forward thinking and highly danceable grooves. His productions on Third Ear, Sushitech and Still Music have taken up crate spaces with jocks looking to add the perfect blend of soul and energy to their sets. With his own imprint Mixmode debuting in 2003, it continues to release selectively soulful dance floor gems. Both behind the decks and in the studio, Delano’s genre boundary defying vision of working a floor is a direct link to the beginnings of the DJ in Detroit, maintaining his integrity today, his hunger shows little sign of abating.

The following mix is a great lesson of groove and technique, one hour in the course of which the deep house of his early releases delicately blends with the techno that characterizes his current music ; one hour that makes us consider a promising future for the Canadian producer whose career still has all the best ahead.

The producer behind one of the best deep house records of the year opens up to Resident Advisor.

Sometimes the best dance music is accidental: John Roberts makes deeply emotional deep house that shouldn’t work on the dance floor as well as it does. But, somehow, we can’t help but think the American-born and Berlin-based producer has made one of the best dance music albums of the year with Glass Eights. The ten track full-length further pushes the sound he brought forth on a collection of 12-inches for the Dial label over the past two years, yet—as he details in a chat with RA editor Todd L. Burns—it could only exist as an album.

This love of the format no doubt comes directly from Roberts’ listening habits, a taste that ranges from The Smiths to southern hip-hop, American indie troubadour Bonnie “Prince” Billy to Dizzee Rascal. In our discussion with the producer, we touch on all of those influences, as well as getting at some of his unlikely sample sources and his old-school production methods. And, of course, his love for trashy American reality television.

Spain has been putting out some of the finest deep house records on the planet for the last couple of years, thanks mostly to labels like Deep Explorer Music and Minuendo Recordings. As you may remember, Dubbyman showcased some of the Deep Explorer goodness for us back in April with an amazing reception, now Ernie enters the fray laying down for us some of the Minuendo vibes, with an exclusive all vinyl mix!

While the track list speaks for itself, do yourself a favour and check out the closing track ‘Hold On’ featuring Lady Blacktronika, its from Ernie’s latest EP on Minuendo and is a favourite of ours at the Deepcast, one of the best records of the year we think! Get ready to get deep…

I believe in a warm sounds that are emotional, moving and evocative. Sounds that move around and nurture the thoughts of those who are still able to close their eyes and dream. This mix was recorded while having a drink in mid-September on lovely, melancholic afternoon.

He was a natural musician as a child, first on the drums and then keys. Turned on to jazz by his father, he would go on to study music at first the Berkley College of Music and then the Shenandoah Conservatory. In 1998, with a couple years of releasing records on the likes Guidance and Emotive under his belt, he released ‘One Starry Night’ on I! Records. The record went on to sell more than 50,000 copies and is a stone cold classic deep house track.

Over the years he has stuck to his guns, producing innovative percussive house music, with great depth and assurance. Some years back he made the decision to only play his own music when DJing, a luxury only afforded those as prolific and consistently brilliant as Kevin Yost. A true purist you get the impression he will still be doing his thing in 20 years, regardless of any prevailing musical fad or fashion. His ‘The Jazz Influence’ series on I! Records is an essential collection for anyone with a more sophisticated taste when it comes to house music. We’re very honoured that he has put together the latest Hybrid Life podcast which we can thankfully say is trademark Kevin Yost.

(Photo credit : www.irinimichopoulou.com)

Let’s discover Maya Jane Cole’s unique musical universe through this great mix, somewhere between deep house and techno. A nice blend of groove and moist sensuality straight from London…

How did you start making music as individuals, and how and when did Kettenkarussell begin? Were there any specific influences that served as catalysts?

Kettenkarussell: We met in school and were hanging out with other friends in the free periods, experimenting with different things. Usually Thursday between the 6th and the 10th period we got wasted before the sport lesson began. We always liked everything with a certain spirit, no matter what it is. If you want some names: Helge Schneider, Murcof, At The Drive In, Jan Jelinek, Mclusky, Ricardo Villalobos and Luciano, Radiohead, The (early) Blood Brothers, Vincent Gallo, Tortoise, Sector 16, Prince of Denmark, David Lynch, Cedric, Ninja Tunes, Warp, and Stone Throw Records.

Is there any special meaning behind the name? Why “chain carousel”?

Riding a chain carousel is a nice experience.

I assume the live performance is a priority for you, as there are a few Kettenkarussell sets floating around right now. What do the sets consist of? For me, there’s an inherent looseness, but also a very structured trajectory; I was wondering how much jamming is going on; how much do the tracks change from set to set?

We would like to be a band, and yes if everything feels right, playing live is the moment where everything comes together and suddenly makes sense. In the live set we try to combine all kinds of sketches. It’s never arranged; sometimes we do a kind of set list, but mostly we react onto each others vibrations. In the past this was much easier, because of the rookiness, but this is still the approach.

Do you make a distinction between the material you perform live and the material you release?

In every set there are new tracks, so it’s always changing. That’s why we hardly play songs that we finished. We like to surprise ourselves all the time, stay excited and come up with something new.

When you work on tracks for releases, do they evolve out of a larger jam session, or do you specifically set out to make something for a record?

We try to finish the songs that touched us the most during a live set and than find other tracks that could fit into the context of an EP.

Is there additional gear on the recordings that you don’t (or can’t) use in the live setting (or vice versa)?

No, the live setup is the same we got at home. Often we do music while traveling or even just before the gig, using the excitement and nervousness to not piss our pants.

Can you give a little bit of background on the live set you’ve provided for Little White Earbuds?

It’s a part of a live set from the Fusion Festival 2010. Over the years this Festival had a huge influence on our music and the way we play live. That somehow was the place where the Kettenkarussell was born.

Obviously you’re not holed up in a bunker somewhere, but you do use pseudonyms and your persona is perhaps a bit murky. Is anonymity important to you?

Yes, it’s one part of our personality, also musically. If we would make music under our real names, it would be different. In our opinion techno should be faceless and not about names or persona, or some nice pants.

What’s the role of minimalism in the project? Is there a certain point where you decide enough elements are involved? Is that use of restraint reactionary? It often feels like a respite from a lot of loud and overloaded contemporary material.

We were influenced during a time when it was more common to play really reduced and kind of low music all night long. We got stuck on this in a positive way.

What’s next for the project?

In September we are playing at The Oe Festival in Denmark and Alpha-ville Festival in London. And we are preparing for changing times, in a lot of senses.

An hour of my set at the fantastic Subclub in Glasgow. The night was hosted by Animal Farm

Brendon Moeller

Skudge haven’t released a lot – prior to this year’s four singles on their own self-titled label, there was just the one 12” on alphahouse – but the quality of their output has seen them win fans across the globe, particularly ‘Convolution’, a nimble house stepper which sounds like classic Echospace thrown in a cocktail shaker, and has been played by everyone. It’s one of those tracks where even if you don’t think you know it, trust us, you’ve heard it.

But ‘Convolution’ was clearly only the beginning for this talented pair. The Skudge productions that have followed – ‘Melodrama’, ‘Ontic’, ‘Overture’ – are equally assured, operating in the space somewhere between Ben Klock, Remote Area and Basic Channel, but never sounding anything less than the incredibly individual, focused work of a remarkably talented unit. Skudge have also just contributed a remix of Iori’s ‘Grit’ for Phonica’s white label series – that came out last week, and as you’d expect, is excellent.

The pair’s FACT mix features a healthy dose of Skudge material, including an Aardvarck remix of ‘Convolution’, alongside cuts by Martyn, Mark Broom, Jeff Mills and more.