A soundtrack to an imaginary film.

What marks out Felix Manuel from the hundreds of other UK bass producers that have emerged in the last few years? At the very least we can say with some certainty that few have created an EP as good as Mountains. The 2010 four-tracker for 2nd Drop Records displayed a startling knack for sample manipulation, stringing out hip-hop, dubstep, techno and gabba to form a rich and cinematic whole. Gabba? Yes, gabba. As part of the Yardcore crew on Sub.fm, Manuel became schooled in the quickest of club genres—breakcore, ghettotech, drum & bass—and continues to dabble with tear-out styles during his far-reaching DJ sets. Jazz is a further touchstone of Manuel’s sound, particularly (or perhaps specifically) in terms of his recorded output. His 12-inches for On The Edge and Smokin’ Sessions to the aforementioned 2nd Drop, have all been based on judicious samples, although Manuel is just as likely to borrow from classical music or an overlooked soundtrack.

That latter source is particularly pertinent here: in approaching RA.307 Manuel set-out to compose a “soundtrack to a movie that’s not been made,” freeing himself from playing to an imagined dance floor in favour of creating an atmosphere through tracks by Chris Watson, Herbie Hancock, Untold, Marcel Dettmann and plenty of his own matertial.

What have you been up to recently?

Working hard and moving house. My record collection is a total mess, but on the plus side it now has a room to itself. I can’t wait to get it sorted.

How and where was the mix recorded?

I started by recording a live mix in Ableton Live at my flat in south London. I then spent a couple of weeks chopping it about and adding extra samples: remixing it and adding field recording atmospheres and film samples. I wanted the post-production to really add value. I needed to be doing things that would not be possible in a live setup, like remixing folk tunes into techno and working to an obsessive level of detail.

Can you tell us about the idea behind the mix?

It’s the soundtrack to a movie that’s not been made. I wanted it to set the scene for my own productions rather than showcase how I DJ at a dance. Sound design and incidental music for TV and film is a big influence on me in my productions. Taking this approach freed me up. It allowed me to do a lot of things I’d never get away with on a dance floor, both technically and in the selection.

Mixing for a podcast is totally different to mixing live in front of a crowd. You have the opportunity to create something timeless. It’s not about reacting to a place and time and an atmosphere; it’s about creating an atmosphere from scratch. If you focus on pulling out all the latest dubplates to come across as cutting edge as possible you end up sounding very “now.” I wanted this mix to stay on people’s iPods for as long as possible and to linger in the mind. I hope that including tracks from as far back as the ’60s, right up to future releases will help. Hopefully I’m playing people something they haven’t heard before in a way they’ve not heard before.

You have a background in DJing breakcore and generally up-tempo styles of club music. Have you given much thought as to why your productions to date have ended up so comparatively relaxed?

My productions are based more around a process than an aim. I’ve learned to really go with the flow when I’m producing. When I’m in my studio at home I’m in a relaxed setting so I guess it’s not so surprising. It wasn’t until I let all of my influences into my productions that I started to really get somewhere with them. You can hear a breakcore influence in the Mountains EP I think. The idea for the fast 4×4 kick section in “Mountains Pt.2″ came from gabba. I was particularly thinking about the drop in “Way of the Homeboy Pt.2″ by Hellfish and Producer.

You appear to favour a sample-based approach to making music. What are some of your preferred genres/time periods to draw upon?

Jazz is my main source. I guess I mainly stick to 1966-76…a little later for European stuff. I’ve been collecting jazz records for like ten years, I’m really proud of my collection. Classical music and soundtracks are also important starting points for a lot of the ambient and dub sound design in my music. I try to use synths as little as possible but it can be really hard to stick only to samples. I paint myself into a corner. Sometimes I just can’t find a source for what’s in my head. More natural, acoustic sounds have always appealed to me. Up until I got into techno my main focus in electronic music was always hip-hop, trip-hop and jungle.

Do you get a chance to play any of your own material out?

I always try to get one or two of my own tunes in there. It’s annoying that I can’t test out new stuff when I’m playing all vinyl. That’s something I’m working on: a setup where I play all vinyl apart from a few “live” elements from a laptop. I might have that together by the summer.

What are you up to next?

I’ve got an LP in the making. Very excited about that. Nearly there, but I’ve got lots to do still. My next 12-inch is coming very soon, and there’s a remix 12-inch on its way too. One track from that’s in this mix.

While Eric is still working on some new materials, he found the time to carefully craft a delicious mix of I.D.M., post-dubstep and modern techno tracks. Abstract and emotional, we could not have dreamed of any better soundtrack for this winter.

A fearless veteran of extreme sound design, Sweden’s CARL MICHAEL VON HAUSSWOLFF has been exploring the limits of musical compositions since the late 70s, using a potent combination of tape recordings, sine waves, and minimalist aesthetics as his primary tools. He appeared on the MUTEK stage in 2010, performing at an A/VISIONS showcase that included several well-known contemporary artists who bear the influence of his extensive back catalogue: TIM HECKER, BEN FROST, and VLADISLAV DELAY.  A video excerpt of the performance can be seen here.

Now, this HAUSSWOLFF audio recording is available to soundtrack the sub-zero temperatures forming icicles outside your windows

For the ones who don’t know what does Slydex productions look like, the first track of this podcast is one from him.

This set is built around the new releases of electronic artists who are helping shape the electronic scene in Spain.  These artists release on labels such as Disboot, which contributes tracks from such acts as Cauto and Downliners Sekt.  Meanwhile, Nikka has also featured tracks from her first home, Lovethechaos, which released her debut album, Isotopos, five years ago.

For more recent work, Nikka has gone with Discontinu Records, which has just released her new album Pandemia, the record she’ll be presenting at Micro_MUTEK.ES. Pandemia highlights the microscope as instrument; when microorganisms and microscopic elements enter into the microscope’s field of view their movement is converted into sound. Nikka’s goal is to make the audience aware of the invisible, microscopic processes that influence our daily, macroscopic lives.

Fabien Dalzin started his first years in the music producing teck house. He signed his EP’s on the labels Helios Recording and Timid Records. Then, his influences changed: he turns into calmer and deeper music (ambiant, electronica and IDM). Create feelings thanks to music is his main goal.

His tracks seems like short films, where places, cities and peoples are his main source of inspiration. Regarding his music influence, Fabien Dalzin loves artists with a deep spirit in their productions, like Aphex Twin, Nathan Fake, Arandel, or in classical music : Erik Satie.

He deliver us a eclectic podcast in a total adequacy to the InFiné spirit, oscillating between elaborate electronic tracks and tasty old stuffs as soul (Nina Simone) or classical (Erik Satie)

The mix consists of unreleased tracks by Dutch artists and provides a promising glimpse into the future of electronic music. Julien has chosen ‘the city’ as a theme for the podcast. The city is a place that owes its existence to the technological revolution, creating an abundance of job opportunities with factories as the cornerstone of a society that have adapted to the rhythm of its mechanisms. The theme is not only represented by dark metallic soundscapes and melodies but also by the serene tranquillity that characterises city parks. Both sides are intertwined in Mier’s hybrid music style.

This particular style can be drawn back to his father’s passion for collecting rare and obscure music, including releases by Captain Beefhart and Mouse on Mars.
After being introduced to these artists, Julien started exploring the works of Warp Records artists, such as Autechre and Squarepusher. Besides these influences, the solo works of Thom Yorke also inspired him to start producing. During his study at HKU, Julien became fascinated by the crossover between 2step, garage and techno. A good example of this is 2562, who is known for organising his death-like and static sounds in an organic and playful fashion in order to bring his music to life.

Even though Julien used to prefer the security of his own comfort zone, he now chooses to experiment and explore his limits, taking risks by choosing Bansky as his source of visual inspiration. This graffiti artist uses provocative messages to decorate cities. In addition to this, the dainty styles of installation artist Jean Tinhuely and art nouveau painter Alphonse Mucha did have their influence on him as well.

Tacheles, a squat in Berlin, is a perfect illustration for this podcast, as it brings all the works of these artists together. It is a location known for its graffiti, activist heritage and courtyard inhabited by figurative sculptures made of iron and other industrial materials.

Both tracks written and produced by Tomáš Dvo?ák.
Trumpet in “Casanova” by Oskar Török.
Mixed and mastered by Matouš Godík (http://www.zka4t.com/studio.html).

Artworks by Veronika Vlková (http://veronikavlkova.tumblr.com/).

Preview

Zorya by Floex

In 2006, his talent has been discovered by a German independent record label Meerestief. With a remix that he has done for Dublin’s Five Green Circle’s track entitled Ronan’s BBQ has created a storm over Europe. Praised, supported and charted by heavy weights from the world of electronic music.

Then in 2009, Xhin has found a new home. He joined Berlin’s then new techno label,Stroboscopic Artefacts to release his dark, intense and experimental side of things. From the results of his new releases for the label, he has done it again. Heavy rotation from the big boys like Speedy J, Luke Slater, Ben Klock and many more to mention. This will be yet again the beginning of an old new direction for him to explore and experiment sounds even deeper for his future releases.
So what’s new and exciting coming out of his bag? A long awaited 3rd album since his 2nd one entitled Greyscale for Meerestief is set to be released on Stroboscopic Artefacts some time in late 2011.

The Baltimore-based duo of Drew Daniel and Martin Schmidt, who have been recording together as Matmos since 1997, are electronic collage artists with a unique sense of humour and artistry. Their recording techniques may hearken back to the musique concrete of Steve Reich and Luc Ferrari, but their playfulness of rhythm and selections of field recordings inject a dose of contemporary real-world dynamism into their music. Conceptualists on par with sample guru Matthew Herbert, Matmos have spent eight albums crafting pop abstractions from sources as unlikely as clipped hair and body fat left over from plastic surgery.

Arguably breaking through at the start of the decade with their memorable MUTEK 2001 performance, the duo returnede to festival stages after a decade’s absence to showcase just how far they’ve come since then. In between, they have toured extensively with Bjork – a longtime fan of the group – and even produced portions of her albums “Vespertine” and “Medúlla”, both of which bear significant signs of the duo’s conceptual influence. Always ones to flip the script, their latest album, 2008’s “Supreme Balloon”, abandons microphones and recorded music altogether and opts for purely electronic tones as its source material.

A Singaporean by birth and residence, he independently released “Xycle”, a self-promotional ep that made the industry to stand up to take notice, in early 2003. He then followed with his debut album, “Supersonicstate” the following year. In 2006, his talent has been discovered by a German independent record label Meerestief. With a remix for Five Green Circle’s track entitled Ronan’s BBQ has created a storm over Europe, fully supported and charted by heavy weights from the world of electronic music. An active DJ in the Singapore club culture he has played extensively in a number of clubs and various events like ZoukOut, Good Vibrations, Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Festival, Singapore Fashion Festival and for fashion label Woods & Woods runways.

In 2007, Xhin was invited to play at the important electronic music festival, C/O Pop in Cologne Germany and the first outdoor electronic music festival in Hanoi, together with various good acts from the far east. Besides releasing and remixing, Xhin also got involved in various miscellaneous projects like producing music and sounds for Nike, Nokia and fashion label like Woods & Woods among others. He also appeared as a special guest tutor on electronic music production using Ableton Live for Red Bull Music Academy Info Sessions II in Singapore.

In 2009, Xhin joined Berlin’s new techno label, Stroboscopic Artefacts to release his dark, intense and experimental sounds. From the results of his new releases for the label, he has done it again. Heavy rotation from the big boys like Speedy J, Luke Slater, Ben Klock and many more. This will be yet again the beginning of an old new direction for him to explore and experiment sounds even deeper for his future releases

A native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, ISMAEL PINKLER started out as an abstract ambient producer in the early 2000s. He has since worked his way through new musical landscapes, developing his own style between instrumental, pop and cosmic pastiche, into what he refers to as “Slow House”.

Building a reputation for baffling beats and dreamy melodies with his releases on Shitkatapult, Meteosound, I’m Single, and Igloo, Ismael is back with “Sopa Fantasma”, a 30-minute mini-album out this week on the Buenos Aires label Spit On BPM, which exclusively releases music on limited-edition cassette tapes.

Featuring 100% unreleased material, his 2010 set in Guanajuato, Mexico, opened the Argentinian showcase that was part of MUTEK’s program at the Festival Internacional Cervantino. Ismael was kind enough to send us a few personal notes about his performance:

“On this podcast you can listen what I call “my ramp”, starting very deep and slow going up to my more danceable productions but always below 120 bpm. The last three tracks are a mix of two collaborative projects: Dissmentado (with Maximoist) and Mezcla (with Gustavo Lamas).”

Unreleased goodies abound on this assured encapsulation of the Autonomic sound.

Divide by two. It seems so simple in retrospect. But what the producers centered around the “Autonomic” sound—Instra:mental, dBridge and ASC chief among them—devoted themselves to a few years ago has caused an enormous stir in the drum & bass community. It has also reenergized the aforementioned artists, resulting in some of the most indelible work of their (already) lengthy careers spent at 170 BPM. None more so than ASC, AKA James Clements, whose recent album Nothing Is Certain was termed “mature club music of the highest caliber” by RA’s Max Bacharach. A distinct break from his more traditional drum & bass of the early ’00s, Clements’ recent work has shown him embracing a whole new world of possibility. With his RA podcast, he showcases a peek into the future of the Autonomic sound.

What have you been up to recently?

My LP, Nothing Is Certain, is out now on NonPlus+ and doing really well, which I’m very happy about. My first release on my new label, Auxiliary, also recently came out and is doing the rounds, and finally my soundtrack library Music for Pictures was also released recently.

How and where was the mix recorded?

I recorded the mix in my studio using Ableton. I had started toying with the idea of putting it together in a more conventional method, but because of my vision for the mix, I decided that Ableton would give me more control of the overall idea and planning.

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

The idea was to showcase what’s become known as the “autonomic” sound at the 170 BPM tempo. I wanted the blends and mixes to be long transitions, blended in key, with up to three tracks playing at any one time in some parts of the mix.

You’re starting to do some work in the soundtrack field, and have expressed interest in doing even more down the line. Can you talk about some of your favorite movie scores, and how they merge image/sound so well?

I think my favorite stuff tends to be by composers like Clint Mansell and Cliff Martinez. Mood music that really ties scenes together with powerful emotion. That’s where I feel I can excel in this field, and hopefully I can build upon my first foray into this by backing it up with some motion work next.

What are you up to next?

I’m working on some new projects for Auxiliary, a new vocal track with Riya, a bunch of remixes for various labels and generally just trying to keep my sound out there.

Jochem Paap (the Rotterdam artist owes the nickname Speedy J to his DJ skills) is unanimously considered to be one of the first techno producers to come from the Benelux. Together with people like Laurent Garnier, Aphex Twin and Richie Hawtin he helped raising the genre just after it had escaped the Detroit delivery room.
Since the early nineties, Speedy J releases on labels like Plus 8, Warp and Novamute. But while techno develops into a dominating force on many dance floors worldwide, Jochem Paap, after the albums G Spot (1993) and Ginger (1995), turns left and heads for other exciting places.
On Public Energy No. 1 (1997) and A Shocking Hobby (2000) the sound wizard exchanges flowing, harmonious techno for a much more complex sound, filled with colliding samples, crackling rhythms and tremendously thrilling turns.
After fifteen years of techno Speedy J now has come full circle. But what a wide circle it was, and how fickle the trodden path. Over the years he has collaborated with video-artists, filmmakers and advertisers, made the pioneering DVD Umfeld, an audio-visual, electronic trip, which sets the standard for many composers who want to compose for six speakers in the coming years – remarkably made available as a free download on the internet.
But not only that, Speedy J has continuously been pushing the boundaries of electronic & experimental dance music. Blurring the lines between Live performance and Digital Djing, he fuses subversive electronics and peak time Techno. Together with his partner in crime Chris Liebing he started using Traktor and other Software technology on 4 laptops with hardware such as Machine Drum and 303’s to create a fully integrated set. Again he is spearheading a way of DJing that is picked up by a lot of other forward thinking electronic artists.
Logically, the releases on his label Electric Deluxe all feature tool versions, introducing the concept of creating unique live sets from parts as a natural evolution of Djing. Not only setting the bar for peak hour Techno madness, Electric Deluxe becomes the platform for his Collabs series that started on Novamute, as well as releases by open minded artists like Chris Liebing, George Issakidis, Tommy Four Seven and Terrence Fixmer to showcase the value of creative synergy using newest technology.
Another strong part of this idea is the introduction of a new series of techno events called Electric Deluxe presents, which in a young history of just a couple of editions brought major artists like Richie Hawtin, Marco Carola, Radio Slave, Matthew Dear, Chris Liebing into play.
Speedy J’s musical vision is genre blurring, creative freedom at the highest level of innovation and quality, it is providing a platform for artists operating within any conceivable genre in the broad spectrum of techno to fully explore and embrace the ever-expanding technological possibilities.

RADIQ aka Yoshihiro HANNO is a noble producer/composer who practices broad creation from electronic music to acoustic movie sound track in all over the world and writes music basing on unique and individual point of view. His latest type of electronic project RADIQ which collects dynamism of Dub, Jazz, Hip Hop and Deep House. RADIQ is the role as recycle equipment which revives memory of term that roots music was filled with creativity, extremely physical and shown off its heat, and also the function as lighting equipment which displays much more «the future» inlaying such roots into the modern context. « Music which is hot as blood and transparent as water» This is the word that Yoshihiro HANNO who symbolized, blessed and sticked to «diversity of music» itself without fear in his various musical styles had explained in his own words placing the word as common feeling through all of his works. This word is brilliantly penetrated also on RADIQ. It will be «hotness of blood» indicates «thickness with history of black music» and «transparency of water» does «to progress it boldly without limitation of its roots». This is exactly the core of «the music»: Yoshihiro HANNO.

In 2004 RADIQ’s innovative sound caused a sensation with 1st album GRAFFITI & RUDE BOY 67’. In 2005 2nd Album TOMORROW’S QUEST and imprint Single THE GRASS ROOTS EP feat Paul St.Hilaire aka TIKIMAN including brilliant remixes by Akufen and Dimbiman were released. Sounds became more dubby, heavy, jazzy and Groovy. It can exactly say Sophisticated Wild. In 2007 he started new project with Fumiya Tanaka making tracks forcus on dance floor as DARTRIIX on their label op.disc. In 2009 Double Pack CD album People was released on his own label Cirque.Mavo. In 2010 RADIQ’s new 12» single Mo’roots.ep including remix by Soulphiction is released on Philpot. RADIQ septet project (Tokyo) RADIQ septet is a seven-piece band project that derives from RADIQ. Based on jazz, funk, soul, and house music, unknown ideas and methods are freely crossing over each other. It is a new stage for RADIQ where he is trying to unite the corporality and the imagination for the future at.

Whilst it’s clear that Nathan takes influence from the likes of musical mischief-makers such as Aphex Twin and Squarepusher the intrigue in his Hrdvision output perhaps spawns more from the amalgamation of such influences alongside…, well everything else it seems! Hrdvsion’s experiments began with exploring his blues-loving father’s midi keyboard at the age of eight. His mother nudged him towards classical piano and he tinkered with the washtub bass from time to time. But it was the keyboard he always went back to, stubbornly wrenching tune after tune from its limited 127 sounds, even while his older brother Mat (better known to the world of techno as Cobblestone Jazz’s Mathew Jonson) was bringing home fancy bass synths and TR 909s.
These early musical trips were formative to say the least. Nathan still spends most of his studio time with his head inside a computer, searching for strange sounds and mysterious glitches. “The programs are so complicated these days, they just can’t test them to their limits in every direction,” he enthuses, “so you can still find all these hidden sounds and bugs.” An interesting character indeed!

For his Technique podcast Nathan has spliced, chopped, and mashed together an hour of Public Enemy, Cathy Dennis, Milanese, Juan Atkins, Robyn and Sugarhill Gang. Sound strange? It is…but in the best possible way.

Bringing a much-needed dose of innovation and dirty electronics to the world music scene, Gaudi has been producing for the best part of 30 years, with an obscenely long list of accomplishments and high-cred collaborations under his belt – Lee Scratch Perry, Horace Andy and Grandmaster Flash, to name but a few. He’s also one of the only people on the planet to make the bagpipes an acceptable instrument by mixing it with massive dubstep bass swells on his latest album.

Gaudi’s Clash podcast demonstrates his love of oddball electronics, his appetite for beats and bass, and – crucially – an immensely well-trained musical ear. His mix blends together a carefully honed selection of classic rootsy sounds and contemporary electronica vibes, picked by an artist with years of experience and more than a few killer tunes lurking in his musical collection.

Gaudi’s twelfth studio album, ‘No Prisoners’, is out now.

This is music for the masses at those cozy, thick houses and at the same time for ‘mammoth’ scale productions which move the heavenly bodies. The dim sadness is loosened with brilliant color demonstrating that melancholy is not only dance- able but also is a source of pure fun!

You can hear the crackle as Toby mixes Hot Chocolate with Willie Hutch, Kiss with Hamilton Bohannon and classics from The B52’s, The Erotic Drum Band, Earth Wind and Fire, and even manages to squeeze in some Bowie! If you were a fan of Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts brilliant RA podcast, then no doubt you’ll be shakin’ it to this one for many years to come!

With their DIY ethos of releasing music they have built a healthy following across the continent with their artistic and limited edition packages selling out almost instantly. This has also seen them tour the UK extensively and make headway into Europe also.

For their Technique podcast the boys recorded a totally live set especially for us. The set captures the band’s raw aesthetic and wide collage of sound. Did we mention that their set up is a little unusual however? They both play guitars live…

This duo techno project of (Denis Guttersnipe, Kilrill Sil) as we know by the name of Easy Changes, who made lot of noise with they back to back two releases on Foundsound records continue to develop they unique symbiosis of rhythmical patterns with the world of mysterious sounds and sub minded mood currents. Easy Changes create unique suspense that catch the ears of techno funs all over the world. As a result core of they music has continues progression, kind of like a story with multi scenarios between current and future life’s. Traveling during touring has influence artists and give lots inspiration that keeps coming out in a beautiful forms of music creation. In just two years duo grab attention of world underground techno circles and release music on labels like Foundsound, Konque, Stock 5, Multivitamins, Igloo and many more. Easy Changes play major role in Russian underground techno scene also they are the core of Nervmusic. Moscow first minimal techno label that broadcasts super exciting music from Russia with love.

The London-based duo mix up influences and fresh material on this week’s podcast.

Bursting onto the scene with their Maybes EP at the start of 2009, Mount Kimbie, the duo of Dominic Maker and Kai Campos, quickly impressed heads with their idiosyncratic takes on micro-garage, wistful downtempo techno and loping, twee dubstep. Their willingness to subvert such a multitude of genres gives them a sound unlike any other, skewing typical song structures but with a keen sense of melody.

This week heralds the release of their debut album, Crooks & Lovers, which sees Campos and Maker spread their loose and dreamy sound over a short but sweet 35 minutes. They’ve been busy touring with their current live set-up, recently playing at Berghain for Sub:stance’s 2nd birthday, but this week’s RA podcast sees the pair eschew the instruments for a specially tailored showcase of where their musical heads are right now. We shot them an e-mail to ask about the mix, plans for DJing in the future and their current live show.

What have you been working on recently?

Mostly we have been trying to improve our live set, bit by bit. It can be hard to find enough time to use everything we’re learning between shows, but we’re adding stuff all the time. Really looking forward to sitting down and writing some new music soon though.

How and where was the mix recorded?

The mix was recorded at Kai’s house in South London using a laptop, a Kaoss pad, and for various technical reasons a 4-track tape machine and a field mic!

Can you tell us a little bit about the mix?

It’s more of a collage – I wanted to show some stuff that has really had an influence but we don’t often talk about, I guess. People ask about why or how we decided to make the music or ‘the sound’ that we have so far and it’s always quite hard to answer and seems a bit weird. It’s often hard for two producers to work together but I think we both were in the same place and had a similar idea of where we wanted to go artistically. This mix defiantly represents one side of that. In a sense each one of the songs (excluding our own) has been like someone you meet on the way to somewhere else, if that makes any sense, and I hope that all together they give a better sense of our movements over the last couple of years.

How have the live shows been going? Have you had any difficulty translating the more complex parts of the album into a live configuration?

The live shows have mostly been amazing. It’s just a completely separate art and one that we’re excited about and learning a lot about all the time. Some of our songs can seem impossible to play in an interesting way in our current set-up. We tend to change them a bit depending on the song and how we feel we can express it best in the live environment.

Did you have much input when it came to selecting the artists for the two remix EPs? What did you make of the results?

Yeah, we were asked, but it’s a bit funny because my mind went kind of blank. I love the remix EPs. I didn’t know how much I liked the Instra:mental remix until I heard it by chance a few weeks after it had come out, and it just hit me, and I always think that’s a good sign.

An artist named Klaus seems to be a new collaborator for you guys, with an unreleased track here on this mix. What can you tell us about him?

Klaus is another guy from South London. He makes really beautiful music that’s original and so well crafted. We met through James Blake. I think James was playing a really early beat or sketch that Dom had done and he really liked it, took it home, cut it up and made quite a bit of the track in the mix. Then I got him to send over some bits that he used and added more and another ending which got cut off in this mix. It was actually a really fun way to work and we’d like to do more with him soon. His MySpace is here.

What are you up to next?

Lots more gigs this summer. A couple of dates with The XX, US tour in September, then back to Europe for a bit. That should keep us busy for a while which is great, and then hopefully we’ll have time to look back at 2010 and figure out where we want to go next.

Xhin (pronounced as “sheen”) has been crafting ominous cuts of cutting-edge electronic music since 1997. Building a forte in sound design, he is best described as a sound futurist. His identical rhythmic structure and compositional techniques which incorporate elements of techno, tight sub bass, ambient and IDM delivers a hint of chaotic soundscape amidst artistry. A Singaporean by birth and residence, he independently released “Xycle”, a self-promotional ep that made the industry to stand up to take notice, in early 2003. He then followed with his debut album, “Supersonicstate” the following year.

In 2006, his talent has been discovered by a German independent record label Meerestief. With a remix for Five Green Circle’s track entitled Ronan’s BBQ has created a storm over Europe, fully supported and charted by heavy weights from the world of electronic music.

An active DJ in the Singapore club culture he has played extensively in a number of clubs and various events like ZoukOut, Good Vibrations, Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Festival, Singapore Fashion Festival and for fashion label Woods & Woods runways. In 2007, Xhin was invited to play at the important electronic music festival, C/O Pop in Cologne Germany and the first outdoor electronic music festival in Hanoi, together with various good acts from the far east.

Besides releasing and remixing, Xhin also got involved in various miscellaneous projects like producing music and sounds for Nike, Nokia and fashion label like Woods & Woods among others. He also appeared as a special guest tutor on electronic music production using Ableton Live for Red Bull Music Academy Info Sessions II in Singapore.

In 2009, Xhin joined Berlin’s new techno label, Stroboscopic Artefacts to release his dark, intense and experimental sounds. From the results of his new releases for the label, he has done it again. Heavy rotation from the big boys like Speedy J, Luke Slater, Ben Klock and many more. This will be yet again the beginning of an old new direction for him to explore and experiment sounds even deeper for his future releases.

One will find Xhin’s work mind-blowing as it hinges on tomorrow’s cutting edge creations. SImply put, an aural feast for one’s mind.

Take a listen through this year’s five NOCTURNE showcases, running Wednesday June 2 through Sunday June 6, to get a taste of the variety this series has to offer.

In 1996 in his room one might heard an ambiguous Wu-Tang, favorite Daft Punk and UK Garage. In 2000 began to dance «high» break-dance with his team LSB. He arranged parties growing every year into Open Airs. Putting an end to the career of a dancer in 2004 Sasha became a beatmaker of local hip-hop groups appearing with them as a dj. It lasted not so long, and later on Sasha paied weekly visits to a legendary Irkutsk night club, «Object 01». After graduating from college in Summer 2007 he returned to a turntable again. The performance at the festival «Biopole» , which takes place in the Buryat Republic at a beautiful lake Baikal, became the right place for his inspiration. In October 2007 he started his radio-show Electronica at 104.4 FM in the town of Usolie-Sibirskoe under the nickname of «Sasha Mix». Some time later the show was in online rotation in Moscow, St.-Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Belgorod, Ulan-Ude and other towns. The main idea of the show was to get people acquainted with the music which they couldn’t hear every day due to the fuss of the life in small towns and their suburbs. The representatives of the undeground movement of the Irkutsk Region frequently came to the studio, each of them told his/hers stories , opinions and impressions while demonstrating favourite records. In May 2008 Sasha started a similarly-named label in the support of his radio-show which by that moment was actively discussed in the Web due to the shared podcasts. The releases happened monthly gaining their own listeners and musicians. Today there are more then 50 of them! There are almost all both key young and perspective musicians and already successful representatives of Russian and Western electronica in the list of his artists. Among them: Audiodump, Adverb, Alla Farmer, Alex Danilov, Combinator, Clapan, Ryba, Doyeq, Eric Delay, Frunk29, Sergey Suokas, Imachi Akira, Kammerton, Killahertz, Korablove, Lazzich, Masha Era, Modul, Milinal, Nocow, Nikosf., Okcug, Polar Lights, Sanderson, Vadim Lankov, Waveform, Yuka…

«Label Electronica has been claiming about its existence for several years with a sort of metropolitan impudence: the participants of the label are the leading representatives of the modern domestic electronica. The label is friendly with practically all key persons of Moscow clubbing techno public, it produces podcasts, network releases, carries out parties. Electronica is a good example of how digital technologies gather people living in different time zones and ,moreover, in different town conditions» © The organizers of NetAudio Moscow 2009

In Winter 2008 Sasha returned to writting music. He released his fresh experiments under the nickname of 9 Fake Tears, and he still works on it.

6 months later a new project River’n’Sea started its being. It includes Sasha and his friend Dmitriy Yakovlev. These two guys got acquainted in 2008 during one of the most danceable party sessions „Freak Me“ which were held in Irkutsk. Sasha kept on carrying out his radio show, but now at Megapolis FM and he continued making releases of his label. And Dmitriy activelly performed dj sets. People periodically saw them together behind the turntable of Zima Project club, as they were its residents. After the party Electronica Labelnight 1.0 the guys decided to give name to the duet and their next dj set they play as River’n’Sea.

In Summer 2009, simultaneously with performances, the guys began to write joint tracks. 3 months later their first works received support from Tiefschwartz, Matt Star, Franco Bianco, Nooncat aka Alex Meshkov, Pheek, Electric Indigo, Flavio Lodetti, Jamy Wing, Adam Port, Philogresz, Alex Danilov, Andrey Zots, Luca Ricci, Sebastian Koch, Carlo Lio, Ben Anders, Dualism, Mollono.Bass, Einmusk. Later on there followed the signing of first contracts with labels Darek (Switzerland), Cimelde (Romania), Aenaria (Italy), Damm Records (Germany), Baile Musik (Croatia), Blumenbeat (the Ukraine) and others.

In December 2009 the guys moved to Moscow where they became RTS.FM residents and frequent guests of such clubs as Shanti , Paparazzi Bar and others.

During his leisure time, free from tours and studio works, Sasha keeps on taking an active part in the life of the label. He works not only on Electronica, but also on the digital division of a perspective Denkbar, whose owner is Alex Danilov.

Biography

Alejandra Iglesias was born in Santiago, Chile. Thanks to her mother’s influence, Dinky grew up playing the piano and listening to a lot of music. Since an early age she has studied several art forms and for many years trained as a professional dancer and choreographer. She danced in Peter Gabriel’s concerts when she was only sixteen and always felt comfortable on stage. As a teenager, Dinky grew up listening to bands like Cocteau Twins, Depeche Mode, Prince and The Cramps as well as classical and contemporary composers like Brian Eno and Eric Satie. In the mid nineties she was introduced to electronic music, thanks to her sister who was living in Berlin. Artists like Plastikman , Aphex Twin and Carl Craig where the first ones to fill her record collection. 

In 1994, Dinky met Ricardo Villalobos, Dandy Jack, Atom Heart, Luciano and many other musicians that where somehow related to Chile, listening to them she got deeply fascinated by this movement. She was only a teenager when she first learned how to mix records but nevertheless, was soon being exposed to big crowds in Chile. Her first visit to Berlin in 1994 gave her the chance to experience clubs like E werk and Tresor and also to listen to DJs like Hell, Stacey Pullen and Sven Vaeth. This gave her great inspiration from the start. 

In the late nineties, Dinky moved from Santiago to Manhattan to join the Martha Graham School of Contemporary dance. As well as being involved in the Dance scene she also got into the NY Club scene, discovering American house and Detroit techno, polishing her DJing and soon making a name in the underground scene. The same year Dinky made her first visit to a recording studio where she composed a track together with her friend Jorge Gonzales, a Chilean pop star with whom she is still working now.

Shortly after that, she decided to write her own music and while only 23 was signed to the label Traum Schaallplatten where she recorded many singles and an album CD. As a result, Dinky got the attention from the German press and for the first time was invited to tour Europe and soon after to be part of the “famous friends tour” with Miss Kittin in America.

Dinky soon became one of the most popular female DJs in NYC. As well as DJing, producing and working in record stores she also ran her party in the heart of Chinatown together with her friend Magda. In 2003 dinky finished her second album Black Cabaret which got a lot of coverage from the media, unfortunately, at the same time she was forced to leave the US due to the post 11 new visa regulations. Soon after, she decided to move to Berlin.

In 2005 Dinky got signed by Sven Vaeth imprint Cocoon records, with her massive hit “Acid in my Fridge” burning dancefloors all over the world. The single became a top seller and was rapidly signed to international compilations like Ministry of Sound and Fabric and featured in mix compliations from Timo Mass, Toni Rios and Death in Vegas etc. Due to this success Vaeth asked her to be part of the Amnesia Ibiza campaign alongside himself, Miss Kittin, and Villalobos and also asked her to record the Cocoon Mix CD for the 6th season.

That year, Dinky played the opening party with Vaeth and remained a resident of the season achieving great popularity and respect worldwide. Alejandra has a very busy schedule and lives on tour, she has played Live at international festivals like Sonar, Ten days off, Sonne Mond Stern, Mutek and has DJed in clubs like The End, Cocoon, Privilege, Dc10 and Amnesia to name a few.

Dinky is also supported by the Circo Loco crew and has a large fan base in Italy and Ibiza. She currently has a residency at the famous Berlin club “Panorama Bar” and has recently founded her label Horizontal which has been getting lots of attention from the media and has also been licensed by the top labels Cocoon, Minus and Resist.

Currently Dinky is recording her album for Cross Town Rebels (UK) focusing on her label and continuing her usual touring. As a DJ Dinky can rock small underground clubs to massive arenas, her technique has impressed many crowds and her style reminds fresh and exiting without limiting herself to only one line. Her sets can range from house to deep minimal techno, experimental, old school and even funk and soul.

MUTEK’s A/VISIONS program is conceived as a showcase of immersive works for artists who explore the essential relationship between image and sound. One of the festival’s longest-running series, the A/VISIONS series regroup some of MUTEK’s most avant-garde and memorable performances to date.

From antique to cutting-edge technologies, richly-textured soundscapes to fiery visual experimentation, this mix gives a sneak peak at what this year’s A/VISIONS series has to offer.

>> READ [THE USER] FEATURE ARTICLE ON MUTEKMAG <<

Beginning with a gentle dub-reggae track from Rhythm and Sound, Vanese’s mix gradually melts into deeper and darker territory – via the likes of Dutch dubstepper Martyn – but without ever losing the warmth and soul that characterises her own music, some of which is thankfully present here. Other featured artists include talented electronica production duo Mount Kimbie, fellow jazz-experimentalist Jose James and Harmonic 313, whose considered glitch hop rounds off Smith’s mix perfectly.

Released earlier this year, Smith’s latest album, ‘Foxtrot Mannerisms’ is the result of this fascinating musical palette and considerable vocal and rhythmic talents, and comes highly recommended. Truly a one to watch, what better introduction to Vanese’s considerable skills than by indulging in the blissful, bassy tones of her Clash DJ mix.

Pursuit Grooves will also be playing at Fabriclive in London, on Friday 11 June, where she performs her UK debut live show alongside some Tectonic veterans, including Pinch, Skream and Kuedo. In Room Two, meanwhile, you can catch D&B talent Zero T – launching his ‘Fabriclive 52’ album – as well as Ed Rush, Wookie and a host of other names, while dBridge & Instra:mental head up Room Three.

Paul is not only a producer; he is also one of the rare genuine German Techno Live Acts, who still play live without laptop; just using his hardware. He has played at clubs and festivals all over the world since 1999.
Russia, Japan, Scandinavia Europe just to mention some places. His strength is defined by a timeless understanding of music and a distinct accuracy regarding arrangements as well as exploring new
sounds. With experiences at the legendary Omen club during Techno’s formative years in Germany in the early 90s and the sound of Detroit as a stylistic checkpoint in mind, Brtschitsch
developed his own narrative style over the course of twelve years, accessing a rich sonic pool, which is anything but related to the contemporary.

In 1996 Paul released his first record on the Tritone label which was directly discovered and played by worlds famous Jeff Mills.
At the same time he started to work at Neuton, a specialised vinyl distributior, where a lot of later becoming super stars used to work in the warehouse: Ricardo Villalobos, Heiko Laux, Anthony Rother, Andre Galluzzi
and Paul. That´s the reason why Taksi was founded in the same year with Pauls´s working mate DJ André Galluzzi. Their track „Schneesturm“ was picked up by Richie Hawtin´s Plus 8 and got a re- release including a remix of Richie in 2001. The duo released the full lengths „Rundfahrt“ and „Bordell“, as well as several tracks on labels like Force Inc., Ongaku and Music Man. Their Tracks become frequently played by DJ´s like Hawtin, Josh Wink and at least Sven Väth, which opens the door for André going as an artist to Cocoon in 2003.

Meanwhile Paul focused on his own productions. Since 2000 he released three albums under his name on the Frisbee label to critical acclaim („Surftronic“, „Venex“ and „Memory“). He always followed the concept of creating an album like one of his Live Sets – soft build up, hard middle, and consolable ending – without forgetting to explore never heard sonic spaces. When doing so, Brtschitsch does not rely on laptops and software. His set up is much more complex, resulting in the fact that he really is playing live and not triggering loops or arranging his studio material in front of a crowd. His sets last for one and a half to two hours and are always spontaneously crafted according to crowd and atmosphere.

In summer of 2006 he moved to Berlin and dropped a release on world famous Berghain´s imprint Ostgut Ton. „Twirl/Under“ was the second realease on the fresh founded label. In the same year he released a record on Belgiums famous and historical Label MusicMan called Infrared/Lowrider. The following year Paul decided to found his own label “Rootknox”with the philosophy of an interactive developing tree: “together from the roots up to the
treetop”. Seven releases were already released until today, which are already “en vogue” from Europe over the USA to Russia and Japan. One of this releases is Paul´s 5th solo Album which came out in summer 2009 “Me, myself and Live”. The title shows his 3 facets as producer, live act and collaborator.

In 2007 Paul co-produced Anja Schneider’s album debut “Beyond the Valley” released 2008 on her world known Label Mobilee. Both have a good working flow in the studio that´s the reason why Paul is the co-producer of almost all releases which came out titled “Anja Schneider” in behalf the last 2 years. “Belize”, “Mole”, “Beyond the Valley” and several Remixes for artists like Butane, Samuel Session and even German´s Pop Band “Rosenstolz”were produced by Paul and Anja. Together with Gabriel Ananda he contributed a track on his Label Karmarouge. Paul latest releases are coming out on Rootknox containing remixes by Anja Schneider, Kollektiv Turmstrasse and John Selway.

Svetnik is Svetoslav Stoyanov. He’s originally from Sofia, Bulgaria and lived there for 8 years. For the past 6 years he’s been living in Berlin soaking up the cities culture. Svetoslav may only be 18 years of age but he’s already gained attention all over the world getting his music spun all over the blogosphere.

He started Djing and collecting records at the tender age of 14 and started making his first steps in music production with 16 years. His sound is somewhere between Hip Hop and Electronica, you can hear the strong jazz and soul influences as well as his influences of today‘s uk bass movement.

I discovered Svetnik when I stumbled across his ‘Blueprint EP‘. I liked what I heard so I sent him an email to record a mix and answer a few questions. Svetnik’s exclusive mix is one of our favourite’s, it’s totally chilled and is perfect for those lazy Sunday mornings and times when you just need something to nod your head at. Featuring tracks from Busta Rhymes, Madlib, Suff Daddy, Flying Lotus, Jackhigh & Teebs and Mayer Hawthorne we hope you like what you hear.

Svetoslav has kindly provided us with one of his new tracks  ‘Amiable‘ for you to download.

IA: Whats your musical background, how did you first get involved with music?

SS: I was singing in a choir as a kid. But the first time I really got involved with music and where I realised that this could be something for me was during my internship in a record store. I must have been about 14 or 15 when I started working at HHV.de and I learned so much about music there. I was walking around all day with pen and paper writing down the names of the records which look interesting so I could listen to them in my break. The staff there was very nice to me as well, they where the first to tell me off about dilla and stones throw, which played a major role in the development of my sound.

IA: What was the first record you bought?

SS: Pheew. I think this should have been the Labcabincalifornia LP by the Pharcyde. I still love this record so much, Jay Dee’s Production skills and the lyrics on this record flash me everytime.

IA: Who has infulenced you / inspired you to make music?

SS: Biggie was a major influence for sure. Before I got into music production I tried myself at rapping but this did not really work out well :) so I swichted to making beats. 1000names and Flying Lotus were some biig influences too. They were the first to get my ears to this beat movement and I love the idea of doing tracks, not caring about  usual song structures.

IA: What has been the biggest challenge for you so far to get to where you are now?

SS: Definitely my age. A lot of people didn’t really take me serious. But it’s changing. I can hang out now with people twice my age and have the most interesting conversations about music with them. This is a thing what really makes me happy and what is really important to me.

IA: What was the concept behind the Blueprint EP?

SS: The concept was pretty easy. The word explains it actually. I just tried a lot of different things, tried to find my own sound. I worked with synthesizers, samples, my voice,recordings I did in the nature,  just everything. I’m still searching for my sound but I gotta tell you that it’s evolving very well. It’s easier for me to do music when I got a project in mind that I want to finish. Just doing beats for fun isn’t my thing. I like to have a sort of vision in my music and I’m also really happy that there are people out there who see this vision and who push and support it.

IA: What producers / DJ’s would you reccomend at the moment?

SS: I’m digging all the stuff motor city drum ensemble does. His sound is getting more interesting with every release. His music is so near to live, full of dirt and emotion, it’s amazing.

IA: How do you make your music / equipment?

SS: I don’t like to talk about equipment. I use my imagination, that’s the most important thing.

IA: What piece of hardware could you not live without?

SS: My Mind.

IA: What record label really stands out to you / would you want to release on?

SS: Ohhhh. There are so many. I’m loving ‘eklektik records’ and I really like the concept of Svetlana Industries. The idea of supporting music from the eastern edge of europe. It’s a pretty young label but already dropped some dope releases for example the “tropics EP” by Teebs & Jackhigh. I would love to do something on their imprint. The stuff that comes from cologne based Up my Alley or the Planet mu releases are very good as well. I’m working on some new stuff…soo let’s see what comes around :)

IA: Where wil Svetnik be in the next 5 years?

SS: I hope he will be in good health and still able to put his emotion, his passion and ideas into his music.