Special Download

1. Here We Stand
2. Riding With Your Plastic Spokes
3. Antarctica
4. First Chair

It’s time for some visions, for future sounds and audacious compositions. It isn’t essential how everything started. Einmusik became a unique producer over the last 10 years with non-traditional sounds, which made him to a sought-after artist in the modern electronic house establishment.

The first album “De’ Medici” was a high class mixture of Einmusik sounds which are reflected in the shows of Samuel Kindermann, based in Berlin and by now well known for his energetic and fascinating style. He is one of these rare entertainers in the major circuit, embracing the crowd with emotions and style.
Now it is time to bundle up the mutli cultural impressions from over 200 shows and journeys all over the world. The new album “Oceans Bottom” will show you new dimensions of future sounds with strong melodies and the deep impressing game of beats and claps. Einmusik is influenced by Russian buildings and folk songs, the 80`s Synths and Berlin sunrises. You will find all these impressions on “Oceans Bottom” packed in multidimensional and catchy sounds.

The production work finds outlet on Samuels superb Einmusika label, which he runs on a daily basis, constantly refining and developing his signature sound. With this imprint he is also providing a platform for a growing number of budding new producers and their musical output.

Pay close attention as Samuel brings all things of Einmusik to a soundsystem near you whether it is from the studio, his label or the stage! The man is on a mission!

He’s performed as both a DJ and live act in some of the worlds best venues, from London’s fabric to the legendary techno mecca that is Berlin’s Berghain. His own label, Baum Records, has just been relaunched with a release from the Finish dub techno artist, Leftover which features a remix from Resoe himself, so to help celebrate the long awaited relaunch, we invited Resoe to provide the next instalment of our podcast series.

Resoe serves up a blissful selection of dub techno that’s not just perfect for inside the club but also makes for great home listening too.

Reynolds swooped onto our radar last year with the crunching machine soul of his Liaisons EP, released on the fledgling Nsyde imprint and a high ranker in our Best Tracks Of 2011 list. The effusive tones adopted for that feature remain true today, with the twelve inch a mainstay in our respective record boxes. Wanting to know more about this obviously talented producer, we were naturally delighted when Reynolds accepted the offer to join our podcast series, more so when he revealed a preference for recording a live set instead of a mere mix.

In addition to treating us to a live set that ebbs and flows its way through filtered house, funk and disco, Reynolds engaged us with a series of answers drenched in illuminating detail, revealing this year to be filled with exciting material from him on labels as excellent as Future Times, L.I.E.S., Boe, Creme and more, as well as shedding some light on life in Detroit, that most fabled but troubled musical city, in 2012.

Thank you for recording this set for us – can you tell us a bit about some of the equipment and material used over the course of its duration?

I recently changed from using a strictly analog setup to using Ableton Live. I used to use an Ensuing EPS-16+, then a MPC, then a Yamaha RS7000. I was touring in Holland seven years ago and I had my gear strapped to my chest and back looking like some dude from Special Operations, and I looked down at my $2700 Mac and say “what the hell is this for, checking (back then) Myspace?” After that I purchased Ableton. It sat on my computer for years. Then back in 2011 I decided I needed to switch over for many reasons, the main was power supply issues. I played in London back in 2008 and my TR-808 caused the power converter to fail. I didn’t want that to happen again. I had a conversation with Brendan Gillen and he convinced me to get an APC40. “It;s like using analog shit” – sold. Then the Maschine came out; I pretty much compose all my music in Maschine and then dump it into Ableton. I also love Arturia, that shit sounds so real. And all the U-he stuff is straight.

How are things in Detroit these days?

Sometimes, when you are in Detroit you forget that people outside the city actually care what you are doing. Detroit is going through a hard time – more than usual – as the state is taking over our city in a dictator-like fashion. Now, more than ever my music reflects the hardship we are dealing with. My democratic vote is worthless and I’m frustrated, so forgive me if my music comes at the people in a harsh way but that is just my environment coming through. I live in a city where I pay ridiculous taxes on par with the richest suburb, yet I receive nothing in return. I call 911 and the police show up seven hours later. But on the other hand, we are a resilient people here and have nothing but hope and love on our minds. There is a full on farm behind my house with turkeys, chickens and ducks. Things will pan out in the end. People tend to believe that we are a hyper post-capitalism society. We already spent through industrialism in the 1980s and now, some say Detroit is once again the model for the future.

Let’s discuss what convinced us to get in touch with you, last year’s Favis reissue on your own label and the Liaisons 12” on Nsyde, which was your first new material to surface in several years. What made you decide to return to the art of releasing music and what had you been up to in the interim?

I make music every day. What did KDJ say? “I go home and fuck that MPC all night long.” Words to live by. Richard Zepenzauer of Nsyde was extremely influential in getting this music out of me. He kept on coaching me about the tracks, to a point of he was driving me crazy, in a good German way. He would ask for so and so changes and I was like, “what is he talking about?” It got so bad at one point that I lied and said I made changes when I didn’t just to see if he was paying attention. Never do that to a German! He totally called my bluff. I love Richard for that, his patience is incredible. When I was younger I used to make music and beats and then at the end of the day I would simply turn off my Ensoniq in a Buddhist type Samsara thing. Didn’t save anything. It taught me how to compose on the spot. I am my hardest critic. I think all my music sucks until I have that magic moment in the club where it just makes sense. Detroit is a practice ground, people will say you suck to your face and I love that. I did a lot of work in the interim, a lot of listening. I mean I had guys like Gilles Peterson telling me he liked my music; that alone blew my mind. I feel blessed that I had the unique opportunity to have Osunlade guide me. He has taught me to stop being so technical and focus on the feeling at the end. Derrick May taught me to not listen to the rules, in fact run against them. So between them I feel like I’m reaching somewhere special.

We should add we are very glad you did, as “Liaisons” is an amazing track, the way the harsh textures sit with the chords is enchanting, were you surprised at the response it has garnered?

Again, I thought it was ‘whatever’. I did make that song based off a neighbour kid coming by the house. Now he was a straight Lil’ Wayne Jeezy kinda dude at 17 years old. I was on some “you youngins don’t know shit” vibe and showed him Liaisons Dangereous. He took two steps back and was like “what is this?” Yeah that’s how I felt the first time I heard it. I was inspired by that to make “Liaisons” and “Port”. I feel it’s so important to focus on young people to carry our tradition on – look at what Mike Huckaby is doing with Youthville.

There’s a definite improvisational feel to “Liaisons” – is your recording process based around an idea which you then expand on sat in front of your equipment?

Always improv. Techno is jazz. Don’t get it twisted, this music that we do is inherently from Africa and what happens when music gets to the US shores, it turns into gospel, then blues, then jazz, then Motown, then funk, then hip-hop and techno. I might be Irish American but African influences are all around me, and I’m adding my Irish funk to this stew. That’s how the Jazz guys did it and that is how I’m going to do it. Again I was just trying to emulate what Liaisons Dangerous did before me. Next to Kraftwerk those cats are untouchable. I’ll never forget Derrick May playing that album for us up above Transmat in his loft. I could hear how Carl Craig freaked that sample. It just gave me inspiration.

“Techno is jazz. I might be Irish American but African influences are all around me, and I’m adding my Irish funk to this stew”

That is obviously the prelude to a number of releases from you this year across an array of labels, can you discuss these with us or do they need to remain under wraps?

Well I have something coming out on Love What You Feel, and then BOE, Future Times, L.I.E.S., D Records, Transmat and an album on Yoruba. I’ve never been this busy.

You did vocals on a track by Alex Israel – how did that come about?

Alex asked me to do some lyrics about my life in Detroit. Alex is a full on Detroiter, he has been involved the Detroit hip-hop scene for a while. He approached me to talk about the happenings in my hood and I said yes. The song was about all the damn plastic bags in my neighbourhood and about some crackhead peeing on my fence. Just a song about frustration – everybody can relate to that right?

From doing some research I found out you used to read Jockey Slut (a personal inspiration) and actually used a copy to persuade your liaison officer of the necessity to undertake a studio internship in Detroit – it sort of blows my mind that you could get Jockey Slut in Arizona!

Jockey Slut was the bible in my opinion. I remember not having shit and me and my roommate Sam Courtney sitting in the living room with a Jeff Mills tape flipping through Jockey Slut going: “Man how do we get to this level.” This is before the internet. I used to read The Source, the hip-hop magazine like, it was a bible, but when Jockey Slut came out that was my shit. So when I graduated Audio Engineering school at the Conservatory, I told them I wanted to go to Detroit. Pauses, lots of pauses. I was like “you don’t understand, this music is changing the world.” Again this is before the internet. “Kevin, don’t you want to go to L.A. or NYC? Nope. Detroit. I tried for Planet E and then Metroplex. No dice. Derrick was willing to take me in. One day while playing basketball with him he goes in his high-pitched voiced “Kevin, we know why you are here”.

I gather you’ve worked as a live technician at the Movement festival or DEMF as it was then called, for someone on the other side of the Atlantic what’ the festival like?

I’m a stage manager. Real Detroit stage, go figure. And I’m damn good at it. In fact if I could do this for a living I would almost as much as music. The man who taught me everything I know is Michael Fotias. Mike is the man in Detroit – he taught me, above anything else, how to stand your ground. Back in the Richie Hawtin rave days, Mike (Foton) was the sound guy at all the parties. Now he is the main guy when it comes to sound at Movement. Nothing at that Festival doesn’t pass through his ears. That guy is a genius.

The line up for this year’s edition is pretty eclectic – is that indicative of how open Detroit is to new music these days ?

Detroit has always been eclectic. We grew up on Mojo. I don’t need to say it here but Mojo was so important to us in Detroit. I have spent nights recoding him in my grandma’s basement. There where no bounds. I think that rubbed off on me when I moved to East Lansing while my mom went to Medical School. I was surrounded by people from Sudan, Mexico, Kenya, Sweden… As a whole, people in Detroit have no idea about what Detroit techno is, you say “I play techno” to Cherise Stevenson and she will look at you cross-eyed. If you say I DJ down at the Tech Fest then she understands. DJ culture is huge in Detroit but Techno/House is not. Everybody in this city has a cousin or a brother that DJs, just like in the Motown days everybody had a cousin or brother that played a bass. But on another note, the cats I’m most excited to see are Actress and Lil’ Louis. You know Paxahau, they caught a lot of shit in the beginning of taking over the festival, but these guys are doing it for the love. These guys transformed a haphazard festival into a full on production. They are professionals in every way. For that alone I could hug every each one of those guys. Paxahau has made Movement a beautiful thing.

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

Click here to listen to and buy MOTOR ‘Man Made Machine’ Album on iTunes.
Click here to order the CD from Amazon.
Click here to order you Vinyl copy from Amazon.

Prepossessing the ability to effortlessly maneuver through the realms of house and techno, as dawn breaks over 2012 the many facets of Tim Green’s production dexterity is casting reflections in innumerable directions, illuminating a musical and thought-induced excursion on which the 27-year old is embarking.

Experimenting across the spectrum of electronic music, whether putting out reverberating minimal techno of Amnesia peak-time kind-of-measures, or sprinkling some of that unmistakeable TG charm over productions of popular appeal, his work is stamped by ingenuity, fearlessness and fun – which also granted him the ‘Best Breakthrough Producer’ award at DJ Mag’s Best of British in 2010.

After fully bursting onto the scene in 2008 with modern classics ‘Revox’ and ‘Mr Dry’ snapped up by highly-revered Dirtybird and Trapez Records respectively, and picking up support from top players such as Sven Vath, Richie Hawtin and Luciano along the way, Tim swiftly catapulted himself into the upper echelons of the techno hierarchy. A string of high profile releases followed in short succession adding Cocoon, Get Physical, Saved & Four:Twenty to an already impressive back catalogue, as well as remixes for XL Records, Sci+Tec, Moshi Moshi and Souvenir.

With an idiosyncratic groove and off-kilter cheekiness his sound has seen him tour the electronic bastions of the world, including Space – Ibiza, Womb – Tokyo, Fabric – London, Sankeys – Manchester, Watergate – Berlin, D-edge – Sao Paulo, Electric Pickle – Miami, WHP – Manchester, Bestival – Isle Of White, SW4 Festival – London, Zouk – Singapore, Rex Club – Paris. As we are heading into 2012 Tim makes a welcomed return to his underground roots, captivating crowds in more intimate yet discerning settings, along with heading up his own night Bedlam, which is currently on everyone’s lips.

On the production side of things 2012 is already looking like another stella year with
with a dark and twisted remix of Sacha Robotti ft Qzen’s Fotograf on Klasse Recordings and, following on from last year’s ‘In Love EP’ on Get Physical, he has teamed up with Robert Dietz & Audiofly for a remix package due for release in April. This summer will see him return once more to Cocoon to release the outstanding ‘Curious Smile’, plus an EP for Get Physical and remixes for Supernature & Oh Yeah Records, as well as putting the finishing touches to his much anticipated debut artist album.

Taking into consideration the achievements Tim has reached in the span of merely four years, it is a gathered electronic community that awaits his next move, Where to next?

In Ukkonen’s own words: “there is no real tracklist for this recording, as I was jamming most of it… The other mixes I’ve done have been concept ones, so for this I just kept it totally abstract, it’s just about the sounds and rhythms and no messing about with anything else! It was done on my live setup which is mainly an obscene number of samples loaded onto a Roland SP-404SX and some kids’ toy keyboards (which is where most of my pad sounds come from) – although for this special occasion I added one or two secret weapons…”

If you love Ukkonen’s music, you should really catch up with the EPs, which I’ve talked about previously on the radio these past few months, and which are available from Rednetic and Uncharted Audio. The big upcoming news is the album, The Isolated Rhythms of Ukkonen, now due out in May. It’s wonderful. Keep an eye on http://unchartedaudio.com/ for the final release date and details on buying the vinyl.

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.

In his own vibrant description Esa tells us..“This mix represents my home town of Cape Town in South Africa and also showcases the music I play at my residency at Highlife in Glasgow at Sub Club. It’s split into three parts, the first focuses on South African Kwaito and House from my homeland, the middle points to my Subculture / Sub Club influenced house background and I end with 20 mins of Shangaan Electro from South Africa popularised by the recent compilations on Honest Jon’s Records by Nozinja Productions. Enjoy!”

First up, Hard Wax Berlin’s House and Disco specialist Finn Johannsen. Working there since 2010, but cutting his teeth before then as a DJ, label owner and music journalist, Finn’s knowledge and taste in the music we love is second to none. Buying in tunes from distributers which are in turn bought by music enthusiasts, DJ’s or whoever else; Finn’s selections help shape the city’s musical climate. This mix, as you would expect, is sheer class; rolling from house to techno to a bit of proper old electro with consummate ease. Make sure you check Finn’s new Louche Interview to support this podcast to learn more about the guy. Finn Johannsen and the others record shop buyers out there, we salute you!

File under old-school hop hop!

One of electronic music’s best-loved artists brings the heat.

There aren’t many examples of artists who are equally as comfortable crafting esoteric minimal techno as they are standing on stage fronting a band. Having been active on the scene now for over a decade, Texas-born artist Matthew Dear has come to enjoy a ­­­­unique standing within electronic music by pursuing each of his sonic interests with equal vigour. Ghostly International and its club-orientated offshoot Spectral, the imprint Dear co-founded with Sam Valenti IV at the end of the ’90s, has been the platform for most of these explorations. Countless 12-inches either under his own name or as Audion—the alias Dear frequently donned to delve into more rank strains of techno—have been put out through the label, while Minus/Plus 8 was also a regular home for his False moniker during the mid-’00s. It was in 2007 that Dear made the formative steps towards the artist we now know. The warmly receivedAsa Breed album saw Dear stepping out front and centre with his Big Hands band, turning to an electronic pop sound which would continue three years later on the equally as impressive Black City.

Dear says below that he “didn’t want to think about trends” when recording RA.306, and the result is a mix that, true to his word, sounds suspended between time and genre; music from DJ Bone, Planetary Assault Systems, Radio Slave and Gemini help him achieve this goal.

What have you been up to recently?

I have been doing some intermittent touring with my new band. We are a five-piece now. My next album is finished. I wrote a new song called “Ribbons (I Don’t Think About It Too Much)” that I want to put on the album, but will probably wait until the next album. I shot a video in Los Angeles for the first single from my new album. I just walked my dog and it was a lot colder than I hoped it would be. I played a Leftrooom party last night with the lovely Laura Jones and Matt Tolfrey. After my soundcheck, I walked in the rain up 10th Ave. to W. 58th. I made a right and met Miguel at Blue Ribbon Sushi. We both had uni. He did not try the wakame salad.

How and where was the mix recorded?

I wish I could tell you it was recorded live at the Liquid Room in 1996, but it was recorded in my studio using a combination of: Ableton Live, Traktor, an Elektron Octatrack, a General Electric tape recorder (but only for the dusty mic), Eventide guitar pedals, and a few voicemails from my phone.

Can you tell us about the idea behind the mix?

I wanted it to be a bit more grainy and raw than what I usually play. I knew I wanted to include some legends in there (DJ Bone, Alvarado for example). I didn’t want to think about trends, lack of trends, this or that, or any second guesses. I went through a collection of folders as I would on any given show night and just went for it. I wanted it to be as unadulterated and straight-forward as possible, you know, not letting myself get in the way. I plugged in the dirty mic and used my voice on parts of it.

You mentioned in a recent interview that after some experimentation you’d “found your live sound.” What did you mean by that exactly?

I am always looking to better the music I perform live. There is always room for improvement, whether it be in the way you EQ your tracks for various sound systems, the type of processing equipment you bring out to improve your vocals, the microphones you’re using, the placement of the band on stage to better suit the audience’s perspective. These types of things never get completely figured out, only because there is always something new to try. It’s kind of like how they will never be finished painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Once they get to the end, the other side needs to be repainted again. I’ll never truly find my live sound, but I won’t ever stop searching for it.

Are you still writing music as Audion?

Yes, more and more ideas as Audion have been fermenting themselves in the studio. All it takes is a great night DJing, or hearing a new track that just blows my mind, and it shows me that there is still so much to be accomplished with dance music. Aside from all the focus on parties, charts, technology, Grammys, rave festivals and what not, it’s beautiful when it’s just you in the studio and an idea. STL tracks take me there. Those two Planetary Assault System songs on my mix make me feel that way too.

What are you up to next?

Work.

Interview

EG: When did you first started to get interested in electronic music?

AU: I first started to get interested in electronic music in the mid 90´s, I was involved in trash metal music, and with my band we felt the need of experimenting with electronic music in our songs, so I started digging into the great techno music of that time and got so deep I couldn’t find the exit.

EG: Your latest  album released on Soma is titled “La Maquina de Bolas”. Can you talk a little bit about the album and why that specific name?

AU: My latest album “la maquina de bolas” released on soma, is a collection of developed sketches I did 2 years ago, that meant for me the end of a big artistic crisis I went thru, in the last times I felt so exhausted of everything concerning techno music I was incapable of making even a loop. It was a long and sometimes painful process to get to what we know as “la maquina de bolas” today.

EG: After your successful “Dispositivos de mi Granja” album what can we expect from this new album?

AU: What we can expect from my new album is the feeling of the same enjoyment for whom makes music for the first time and forgets about all the rest. We can expect something fresh and different, and on top of everything a record made with love.

EG: What was your main influence to produce this new album?

AU: My main influence was probably the silence, or the background noises that sound on top of what we know as “silence”. the common theme in this album, is the capacity of the human brain to listen and file the sounds, how sounds are moved to the background by the brain when it is listening to the same sound for a while and gets ready to analyze the next one. It is something that we live everyday, like when walking through the city we don’t notice the sounds of the traffic, or the sound of the sea when you are in the beach.

EG: Is there a tour planned with the release? Where?

AU: Yes, I’ll be touring soon “la maquina de bolas” it’s going to be a very different kind of performance for me, different environment and probably different audience from what I’m used too, so that makes it exciting. the best case scenario i can imagine to play it is a 5.1 dark place, with cushions or alike during a Sunday morning. A good cinema would do just perfect.

EG: Thanks Alex!

BIO

The deepest meaning of ‘collage’, defined by Max Ernst, is the general application of Arthur Rimabaud’s ‘delirium’: “I accustomed myself to simple hallucination; I saw quite deliberately a mosque instead of a factory, a drummer’s school conducted by angels, carriages on the highways of the sky, a salon at the bottom of a lake: monsters, mysteries, a vaudeville poster raising horrors before my eyes”. We could describe collage as an alchemic compound of two or
more heterogeneous elements, derivate by their unexpected approximation generated deliberately by the search of systematic confusion and distorted perception.

Alex Under confirmed himself as the new reality of the best international techno, sometimes being minimal and deep, sometimes hard and aggressive, but always original. He creates a sonic collage combining techno, trance and house elements while he constructs complex rhythms that arise from the dance floor taking the listeners to a higher level where emotions, depth, mind & body blend in a unique equation. Alex Under will intrigue beyond your perception…

The man behind the now extinct NET28 family -Apnea, CMYKmusik, Cyclical Tracks and Mupa-, together with Tadeo, Damian Schwartz and Imek, runs now on his own the labels CMYKmusik and Bemysheep… Pure delight for our inferior extremities.

‘Dispositivos de mi Granja’ was Alex Under first album (2005), released by the prestigious german label ‘Trapez’ , where he has released some of his best EP´s. In 2006 ‘Collage’ was released by Plus 8, Richie Hawtin label. In march 2012, ‘Lá Máquina de Bolas’ , his second album, will be released by SOMA Records, a real introspective techno journey of beauty and hypnotic groove.

A house music institution.

You realise an artist is of great import when you can break down their contribution to a scene into single words. Prescription. The Music Institute. KMS. Chicago’s Chez Damier has plenty of associations which are spoken of in reverent terms within house music circles. Damier’s first major involvement in the scene dates back to the late ’80s and the opening of The Music Institute, the club he founded in Detroit alongside Alton Miller and George Baker that was instrumental in techno’s development in the city. Around this time he was also a label manager and recording artist for Kevin Saunderson’s KMS, releasing all-time greats like Can You Feel It andUntitled. Upon moving back to the Windy City around 1993, Damier hooked up with Ron Trent to create Prescription: The run of singles they released up until 1995 are among the most influential pieces of house music even committed to wax, taking in many of their own titles in collaboration—”Morning Factory,” “Sometimes I Feel Like,” “Be My.”

After a split due to musical differences and a period looking after Prescription sub-label Balance, Damier took an extended break from music, only to return in earnest back in 2009. He looked to German imprints Mojuba and Yore to facilitate his comeback but began his own project, Balance Alliance, to showcase mainly new European talents. There was also evidence that he hadn’t lost his knack for anthems, helping pen one of 2010′s standout dance floor tracks with The Gathering’s “In My System.”

Needless to say there is a bright, timeless quality that pervades RA.305. This is house music mixed by a man who still clearly loves what he does after more than 20 years in the game. We’d also like to mention that Chez Damier will be one of the next DJs involved in our recently launched RA VS series, playing for us at Barcelona’sBeCool during Sonar on June 16th. Details on his sparring partner to be announced shortly.

What have you been up to recently?

I have been on the road quite a bit, working with Groove Distribution for The Balance Recordings series, and working on an album project for Mojuba.

How and where was the mix recorded?

The mix was recorded with a mixer and CDJ 1000s.

Can you tell us about the idea behind the mix?

Well this is my 25th anniversary with entertaining the dance floor. My mission and objection has always the same: bringing people together while introducing new sounds to my audience, and hopefully the end results is lots of love in the room.

You talked in a recent interview with 5 Chicago about trying to make new classics by keeping certain tracks in your DJ sets for a prolonged period. Can you think of any recent examples of this?

Almost anyone who comes out to hear me or my style of DJ set can always count on what I call my own classic anthems. To name a couple, tracks like Marko Militano’s “Good People” (Frankie Knuckles unreleased mix) and Derrick Carter’s rework of Suzy Q’s “I Can’t Give You More.”

You also talked about the need for nurturing new talent. Is there anyone at the moment in particular who you really feel has something to say?

Yes I do. Balance artist Brawther, and my new production assistant Roberto Bosco (Wave Music) and Demetrio Giannice (Enterbt Records). At the moment these three are my main focus because I am concentrated on album releases for each of them.

What are you up to next?

A new project on the horizon with Marc Kinchen (MK) and with all this before me, I will just have to surprise myself as to what my next move might be. I am looking forward to maybe another tour with Derrick Carter.

‘You Are A Hybrid Too’ carries on Lekebush’s legacy of ingenuity driven by his unrelenting passion and what is almost an addiction to music production. Throw this in with the added dimension of the challenge of a concept to work to has made his work develop and progress over his 20 album legacy. You can listen to yourself as we ask the Swedish born technoist to select 5 tracks the he personally finds significant in this journey against the very latest part of the Cari Lekebush story.

It’s been a year since we last spoke, you were just embarking on a H-Productions tour – how did that go?
Yes, that must have been around March last year when we had just launched the H-Productions events concept. In the last year we did quite a few parties including shows at Berghain in Berlin, Melkweg in Amsterdam, Komplex in Zurich, Berns in Stockholm, Tresor in Berlin and of course fabric in London. We also did a two week tour of South America where we played a series of shows in Colombia and Venezuela. All the label events last year were great fun and lots of the venues have asked us back for 2012 so I guess that means we’re doing something right?

But the idea for the label is to have the tours go all year round and over with the production projects and help get the word out about them. For example, I just did 2 months of touring for my Archeology mix compilation, and now I am starting out on my “Your Are A Hybrid Too” album tour starts which starts this weekend at fabric!

You mentioned the Archeology Excavations series of compilations – can you tell me more about the ideas behind this?
The whole concept of that series is to retrace the steps that led to the current musical alignment of the label’s core artists and producers. Myself and some of the crew at H-Productions have put together an eight part series of compilations that will explore the techno archeology of each of us as individual artists . Each collection will delve deep into the artist’s back catalogue, unearthing long-forgotten and undiscovered examples of their work and tracks from other producers that were landmarks within their own evolution. The series will describe the story of how each producer made their journey from then to now; documenting the tracks each artist feels were instrumental in shaping their own history within techno music. You can actually listen to a teaser of my contribution for free here.

There’s an overall theme of concepts being a big part of H-Productions mantra. Would you say it’s a really important aspect of your creativity?
Yes there are many conceptual connecting points in the various releases we do and all the artists we work with enjoy working in this way. As a group of people we are all of course creative because of what we do but you only have to spend some time with people like The Advent, Alexi Delano, Tony Rohr, Jesper Dahlback to realize that they are very ‘human’ individuals who enjoy life and enjoy telling stories in a way that illuminates the facts a little beyond the bare factual bones.

For me, this is why we work so well as a group because I am the same way too. I would much rather make an extra effort with how what I produce is presented in order to make it more interesting to the listener. For this reason, I see all the concepts that we create as being part of a bigger story that is playing out in an unique dimension, and I would say it’s easy to feel and see that this approach can bring about inspiration in others by the way our artists have bought into the concepts and how our fans have received them. It’s like when you serve food and make an effort with its presentation on the plate – make it look that bit better. Many people find this little extra effort makes the food taste better – it’s a psychological thing that also applies to the experience of listening to music too.

You’ve just announce your 20th studio album – “You Are A Hybrid Too. What a landmark! Can you tell us more about the ‘one bar’ concept used on this album was this something specific just to this one?
Yes the “one bar” term is a little abstract but that is a keyword in the album as well. Part of the concept which I stuck by with all the album tracks was to keep it simple, but still to have the same interesting musical ‘story’ you might get with more complex structures. Essentially, what this meant, in terms of making the tracks, is that if an element was not needed to make the fire keep on burning, I just left it out. In addition, when I was evaluating if I needed to bring something else into the mix, rather than presenting a new sound element into the track I chose to use what ever I had running already and apply effects that would bring the required variations. All the tracks on the album are knitted from 1 bar measures, 16 steps on general sequencers (that’s 4 bassdrums).

I tried to avoid computer grids and complex arrangements and I recorded much of the album as live takes where the maximum I could control was whatever I could do with my own two hands. I also tried to resist the temptation to change things by editing afterwards so that I could keep the basic essence of the tracks being simple and ‘live’. I think what came out was a very DJ friendly result, with a touch of what i was doing back in 1995.

Why do you think you’ve managed to achieve the release of so many studio albums? It’s not something many people can say that they’ve achieved…
Well, for me it is the most natural thing to make music and I do not believe I am alone in feeling like that. I can name quite a few artists I know, that like me, just have to make music in order to feel good about themselves. To put the feeling in simple terms, it is like if you don’t go to the toilet for a few weeks! That’s how I feel when not having made some music. The way I am programmed means that my music just has to come out! So the fact that I have made so many albums is not really something that I reflect upon. It is something that has just happened because of who I am as a person.

What I will say though, is that after so many albums, I have made my mistakes which I’ve been able to then learn from; it has also allowed me to think freely about the music I want to make as I have gotten a lot of ideas and thoughts out of my system already. I think this was an important aspect for me in making this album. It is an album made by me, for me. If you happen to like it, play it, groove with it then great, but I am already highly satisfied by the result as it turned out just how I wanted it to.

What’s been the biggest change for you in the way you make music today?
That is an interesting question and something which is hard to pin down to just one thing as I think the way any producers works over time will evolve and different things start as challenges but are then overcome and mastered before you naturally move on to the next challenge and go through the learning process once again. However, to give you some kind of boiled down answer I would say that the hardest part for me was to learn how to use the computer for making music. I started out making music only with analog machines and the whole technique of recording sounds and eventually tracks by using outboard processors, mixers and effects etc. This is of course quite different from working with computers and digital software but as a producer it was impossible for me to stand still and not look to embrace the new technology. Analog and digital ways of making music both have their upsides and downsides so my approach was to try to use both of the upsides in combination in combination with each other. I think the perfect symbiosis of classic and new technology can result in an organic, live feeling and sound from the analog machines combined with the control and precision of digital tools which I think is really important when it comes to upholding modern production values.

What else do you have in the pipeline this year?
Well, as I mentioned above I am generally in the studio 24/7 – just can’t get enough of it – so there is plenty of new material already in production. As a label, H-Productions will release two or three more Archeology Excavation compilations, there will also be artist albums from The Advent and Alexi Delano plus another various artists compilation made by all the core artists on H-Productions. Personally, I have many new tracks myself, and I am currently working in distributing them to labels. I have made some tracks for my buddy Jesper Dahlback to release on his label ISLR (International Sound Laboratory) and I am also working on some new music to send to Luke Slater’s Mote Evolver. My aim is to try to release something every month, but we want to make it all neat and tidy, so sometimes there is not enough time. Then it is better to wait, to be able to make it fully properly extraordinary. So for the final juicy details you will just have to wait and see…

We had heard whispers of a new Advent album coming on H-Productions. How’s that sounding?
I am making a special trip back to UK very soon to catch up with Cisco and to get my first sneak peeks of the album material. So sorry, I wish I could give you some more details but I don’t know anything really beyond that we are planning to release the album this summer and of course, it will be awesome!

And finally, it’d be great to take this landmark as an opportunity to look back over your 20 albums. Can pick us 5 tracks that have a special meaning for you?
WOW… it is hard to just choose 5, but let’s see ….here we go, in no particular order:

Cari Lekebusch – ‘Unite’ (H Productions 2004)

Cari Lekebusch – ‘Shaded’ (Truesoul 2004)

Cari Lekebusch aka Ph Rhythm Dr (psydonym) – ‘Mad Poet’ (Hybrid Sound Architectures 1997)

Mr James Barth (psydonym)- ‘For The Lords’ (Svek 2008)

Fred (psydonym) – “Nightshade” (Missile Records 1994)

Ed (GTC) has been wanting to feature the sound of this fellow Parisian for a while now. The release of his latest album provided the perfect opportunity. Raw Instrumentals is a collection of beats crafted on Phil’s beloved MPC 3000, unrivaled thanks to its unique swing and filters. Samples of disco, funk and hip hop persuasion are chopped up and bound together with flair and the result is a large amount of dope tracks tailored for the warm season and those decadent House parties where house is spelled with a capital H. Check it out, sure you’ll find more than a few tracks you’ll get addicted to.

So here’s a two hour set recorded in Phil’s home turf, at the riverside establishment known as Le Showcase. GTC has  graciously been supplied with a track list for the first half of his set, so trainspotters can still do their thing in the comments.

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Still quite close to the French label Get The Curse, he will soon sign a four-hand remix with his ladClement Meyer, just before a solo EP scheduled for this summer. Without forgetting his forthcoming remixes for Slove on Pschent, and Nebes on the German label Limikola, we will make you wait until all these sweets with this podcast, that he qualifies as “short but intense, more orthodox than the usual but also more downright.” “A blend of my most played tracks of these last few months.” The mix is neat, the intro/outro quite remarquable and the outcome is obviously club and catchy, but savoury enough to be delighted under the sunlight or in your living room. Roughly, this is dope shit.

Having released productions on Highgrade Records, Lorna and on Steve Kotey’s Hairy Claw as well on the German-New Zealand Label Curl Curl Music, 2008 saw his new release “Slice of Life” drop on Moon Harbour Recordings and “Bad Wolf” as a part of the new Moon Harbour Label compilation Inhouse Vol. 3.

Now a permanent fixture of the MH stable, Dan’s delivered us a mix to celebrate the labels anniversary – enjoy!

Recent projects have included a collaboration with Detroit badboy Kris Wadsworth on their Present team America EP, whilst Butane has also recently started a new mix series on his Little Helpers imprint. He himself has mixed together a collection of the labels finest offerings and the release, entitled Little Helpers Mixed: Volume One is out now.

As for the podcast he’s turned it for Autobrennt , well, it’s as you’d expect of a man of his standing. It skilfully weaves its way through rigid machine grooves, frazzled house and plenty of abstract vocals, all of which adds up to an offbeat selection of unique electronic gems.

After all these years, it takes quite a lot from a club to impress me and when asked about my favorite clubs, I sometimes wish I was a one-armed hillbilly not too good with chopping wood.

TROUW is in Amsterdam, a city that had proven very disappointing since my early memories of Dimitri at the Roxy-who is actually resident for special all-nighters, and still has the magic from what I’ve heard, at the above mentioned place.

Not only the club itself is amazing, located in an old printing factory but they sometimes move the one of the floor to the best room I’ve played in ages. Dark as the pit of hell, clever minimal lighting, rough and ready like an East German garage circa 1993. The vibe. Where Black Magic is the religion de rigueur. Not to mention the now ditched performance night where I saw Jesus covered in shit and candles in the wrong candelabra.

As far back as 1997, as a 16 year old, his first girlfriend took him to an underground techno party. From that point on, he started fiddling around with music on an old turntable in his shared flat in Templehof. “The slipmat was made of old newspaper“, he recalls, grinning. Two years later and Bader was already making his first appearance at the original Tresor in Berlin, which turned out to be a resounding success. The experience gave him a taste, but that wasn’t all. Soon, with some friends, he formed “Max and Moritz“ and started promoting parties, including the legendary “Karneval der Verpeilten“ (Carnival of the Wasted!), and the “Jelly“ parties in the old Casino courtyard. From there is wasn’t much of a step towards music production. Many successful releases with labels such as Kindisch, Saved and Get Physical Music have followed, and recently Bader even lauched his own label, called “Danzte“, which he runs together with buddies Niconé and Sascha Braemer.

In 2010, Bader also became a part of the Highgrade Records family. In the cosmos of Berlin record labels, Philip Bader’s creative voice is unmistakable: He uses imaginitive and haunting vocals within a deeper and more minimal style, while retaining an audible sence of looseness and enjoyment in his genre bending output. From the expansive wardrobe of his musical history comes an endless energy. No wonder really, given his own broad set of influences from The Doors and Led Leppelin, through to Bob Marley and De La Soul. Bader also draws inspiration from current acts like The XX, James Blake and Radiohead: a rich, diverse and unending taste in music, to be tested through the impressive variety of influences on his debut album, “Wishful Thinking“.

Bader’s role in the Highgrade Disharmonic Orchestra is another vivid feather in his cap. An electronic jam session, which has achieved success not just though their live performances, but also with a string of well recieved releases. But for Philip Bader it was never just a quest for success: “When you love doing something, there’s absolutely no question – you can consider yourself lucky if success comes along with it.“ To decide between being a producer and a DJ would be impossible for Bader. For him, the two go hand in hand. In his life behind the turntables, he is fascinated by the opportunity to travel and constantly meet new people.

In the studio it is above all else, the creativity which drives him, and the speed at which ideas are born: “I’ll have a groove or a sample in my head, try something out, play around and when the sound fits it seems to tell the story of a track all on its own.“ he explains. The same is true when he produces music without any particular genre, you have to know what works on the dancefloor.. “and give the music it’s own signature sound“. That, for Philip Bader, has never been in doubt.

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A gloomy atmosphere of decay and social problems are often features of industrial cities, but these surroundings of despair and poverty can also serve as ground for blooming centres of creativity. Klen, originating from Rotterdam, gets inspired by these urban issues, so it is not surprising that after more than 20 years of experience as DJ and vinyl collector he has developed a preference for the more experimental and alternative side of Detroit techno/electro. The thirteenth FIBER podcast showcases this in a rhythm of organised chaos. Klen will also perform on 24th of March during the NIGHT programme of the second edition of FIBER Festival.

Growing up in the 80’s, Klen listened to all sorts of music “From electronic wave to early electro rap, from hiphop to early house and from industrial rock to jazz and funk. Early hiphop (MarleyMarl, Craig Gee, EPMD) was my first big love, but this changed drastically when I first heard the more jackin’ type sound of Chicago house in the local clubs in Rotterdam. This made me go to record stores to look for more dance orientated material, with beats that reminded me of the early rap and industrial wave sound that I loved so much. The first Detroit techno records followed shortly after and before I knew it, I was digging crates for records that had the NSC (Detroit mastering) logo in the run-out groove. The most influential artists back then and still are to me now are Underground Resistance, Drexciya, Cybotron/Juan Atkins, early Ectomorph/Flexitone, Anthony Shakir, DBX, Rob Hood and so on. Also the UK IDM (Autechre, AFX) and the techno from Berlin (Basic Channel) had a huge impact on me as a DJ in the mid 90?s”

Next to the creative side, Klen is also involved with the more business side of things. He has been working at Clone since 1997 and since 2000 he has been running labels such as Frustrated Funk, Frantic Flowers and Harbour City Sorrow. “I have seen things go full circle, but I prefer sticking to the classics. We have seen a lot of sub-genres come and go. Every sub-genre brings its originators, but most of the time you see that after the hype period people grab back to the classic templates of techno and house. Even technology seems to have the same cycles; after periods of experimentation of new technologies people seem to get tired of it and go back to simple templates and lo-fi solutions. Too many technical options seem to kill creativity. The hype/revival of proper Berlin techno is a good example of that. It’s all about functionality again.”

Educated as a technical drawer and designer, Klen particulary likes art and architecture that is very technical and abstract, such as creations by Lebbeus Woods and Amsterdam-based artist Delta.”I’m also a big fan of Japanese novels and movies from Taiyo Matsumoto, Katsuhiro Otomo, Hayao Miyazaki and the likes. Maybe ‘cause of their ideas of living in a future city. As a designer for multiple record labels I am also inspired by other designers in this scene, but most of all, my inspiration comes from the city and its people. I’m obsessed by the decay, pauperisation, destruction and renewal of the city and the people that have to cope with it. The negative always had a big influence on me. That’s why the themes of my music are often related to these subjects. What I love in art is closely related to this. A good combination of the abstract/geometric with decay and organized chaos”.

“If I need to visualise the sound of this podcast the destruction of Neo Tokyo in the graphic novel ‘Akira’
by Katsuhiro Otomo’s comes close. It fits to the struggle and decay of the city of Detroit (with its abandoned buildings) where most of the music I play is coming from.”

Soundcloud download & player: soundcloud.com/fiberfestival/fiber-podcast-13

Unlike many other techno artists who made their way to the scene by trying to release on established labels, you put on your early works yourself by means of self-publishing. Can you tell us how it all started for you: when did you make your first steps in producing and how did you end up releasing tunes on European labels?  
- In the beginning, in my native country, I was just another nobody in our little so-called electronic music scene, but I have already started making music and with the help from a friend to fund the publishing so that i could release something “official” which was the CD format, to pass on to some radio stations and DJ friends. And then we made it to our local stores for sale. About 2 years later I think, I realised that my music needed to reach out to the rest of the world, and then I found out about MySpace. A guy who used to work for this label called Meerestief from Stuttgart, Germany, was kind of fond of my tracks posted up there and he contacted me for a possible release on the label.

It is widely known that you had experience of working with commercial brands like Nokia and Nike for a while. Does it have something in common with the music you release as Xhin for public attention? What are the similarities of these approaches and what are the differences between them?  
- Both are totally different worlds: I make various of genres and sound designing for the commercial side of things. As for Xhin, you know what kind of music I’m making…

Last year you released another album called ‘Sword’ which probably turned out to be the most successful project of yours in terms of attention drawn. Are you happy with how it all ended? Is it fair to say that more dancefloor-friendly stuff (like those tunes you release on CLR/Token) would be out of context if being placed on the album?  
- I think you can somehow hear some elements that are quite similar, same identical structures approach from all of my current production even though they are made for the dancefloor, or home listening.

You have your own special way of building a club set. I have noticed that you are always trying to play more ‘leftfield’ music in the beginning and especially at the end of the set which is really fascinating. Please describe how you see the development of your mixes yourself.  
- Thank You. I think the way how I mix is that I like my sets to be a little playful sometimes. I like music not just only the Techno side of things. There are many other genres that you can dance to as well.

How would you describe/introduce your Addicted podcast to those who haven’t listened to it yet? I assume that there are lot of ‘combined’ tracks made on the fly here, aren’t there?  
- It was recorded during a jam session in my studio. This mix consists of the regular dancefloor material and some breaky stuff in the next half. Basically, it’s a set of tunes that I normally play out.

Still little involved in music production, Julietta has had plenty of time to perfect herself as a DJ…And we can say that all these years of work have paid off, because her podcast for Trace A Line is a superb selection of house tracks brought straight out from her personal vinyl collection. The key word is love.

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).

The producer from Kiev has a real knack for catchy tracks featuring strong rhythmic elements, solid synth work, loopy vocals and deep bass tones.