mobilee088 – Ray Okpara “Blues Me Blues” will be released on December 5th!

Ahead of his set at WYS! this Sunday Marc has put together this promo mix…

We’re really excited to be releasing brand new music from the London lady of the label, Miss Jools! To accompany the release, we asked her to prepare the next edition of the mobilee podcast for us and here it is. An intricately woven selection of minimal beats and deep bass lines. Enjoy!

Biography

Julia Porter, best known as Miss Jools, is the native Londoner who cut her teeth and carved her niche in the UK capital, before making mobilee her musical home.

Miss Jools came to wide attention in 2006 with Sleeper Thief, her collaborative production outfit with Audiofly. In 2008 she struck out on her own, undertaking solo work and discovering a penchant for slinky, late-night dancefloor sounds.

Miss Jools launched her career in the mid 1990s with a series of DJ gigs around London, followed by a coveted regular spot for underground radio station Girls FM. Through her show Miss Jools freely explored the breadth of her musical tastes, with handpicked vinyl selections inspired by a range of techno and house pioneers. Alongside DJ and radio commitments Jools also held down the position of head buyer for one of London’s longest standing records stores BM-Soho (formerly known as Black Market Records).

Miss Jools was drawn further into the spotlight in 2002, after co-founding London’s most infamous Sunday night affair, Clandestino. Renowned for its intersection of sophisticated house sounds, underground beats and a hint of hedonism, Clandestino attracted the likes of Anja Schneider, Guido Schneider, Chloe, Dinky, and Clive Henry as guests throughout its seven year residency at London club The End.

Drawing on the influences of deep house, minimal, funk and techno, Miss Jools turned to production, and Sleeper Thief was born in partnership with Audiofly’s Luca Saporito and Anthony Middleton. With their one-two punch of the Chasing You and Cenotes EPs for mobilee, Sleeper Thief’s combination of electro and deep, aqueous minimal gained immediate support from influential names like Luciano, Damian Lazarus, Phonique and M.A.N.D.Y.

Miss Jools gathered further momentum in 2008, relocating to Berlin and delivering her first solo EP, La Luna. The woody percussion, intricate melodies and tough floor-focused shuffle of “La Luna” and “Que Me Levante” confirmed her as a diverse talent, both in the DJ booth and in the studio. Alongside tracks for labels like Mood music, Catwash, Tanzbar, Souvenir and Mina, Miss Jools has thrived within the mobilee connection, going on to compile and mix the third installment of their venerated compilation series Back to Back.

Miss Jools’ comprehensive knowledge of electronic music and her melting-pot of influences makes her a valuable asset to the mobilee family, and her vision, passion, and love of music continues to drive her in all that she does, and all that is to come.

Landsky’s extensive discography reads like a chronological guide through electronic music’s hottest sounds, and through Germany’s most vital labels; from deeply chilled dub house for his own Efforil/Intim imprint, through sampladelic disco-influenced sounds for Dessous, to his long association with Poker Flat that journeyed with him through electro experiments, driving techno, and flirtations with minimal. Whether uplifting and anthemic, dark and contemplative, or somewhere in between, Landsky’s unwillingness to be pigeonholed has taken him to the uppermost echelons of Berlin’s club scene, and higher still to a new association with mobilee records, which will see a solo release in 2011.

Landsky immersed himself in music from a young age; he grew up tinkering with cassette tape edits and breakdancing to funk and hip hop, and soon took up DJing, flexing his budding talent at school parties and local youth clubs. His discovery of acid house drew him to Hamburg’s legendary Front Club, which will eternally hold a place in Landsky‘s musical heart, having provided him an early DJ residency, and brought him together with future Poker Flat boss Steve Bug.

Impressive work on Effortil/Intim lay the groundwork for DJ appearances in key clubs like E-Werk and Tresor/Globus in Berlin, until he eventually moved to the city in1999. It was a momentous year for Landsky as he developed a deeper appreciation of house and techno. Invigorated by his new surroundings, he sought to add his own voice to Berlin’s thriving music community and founded a Poker Flat Night with Steve Bug and Clé at the Sternradio Club.

By 2000 the first Martin Landsky productions had appeared on Poker Flat, and the following year his debut longplayer In Between, cemented his position as a producer to be reckoned with. Early, heady inspirations nestled beneath the surface, and moved within his warm and future-leaning sound aesthetic. He followed the album with the cheeky Mission Upskirt EP, vocal stylings on Reject, and the classic titular tropes of Housed – all of which diversified the Martin Landsky sound and confirmed him as a pivotal part of Poker Flat. After the rousing tones of FM Safari in 2005, the hit “1000 Miles”, with its hazy, hypnotising slow-burning feel, stood as a landmark work for the producer and a new benchmark in his repertoire.

Landsky additionally proved himself as a remixer of note, following 2008’s huge re-rub of D.H.S‘s “House Of God” with his rework of Pan-Pot‘s “Confronted” for mobilee, casually combining his love of deep, atmospheric techno with classic, hands-in-the-air moments. Last year he also put his special touch to John Tejada‘s well renowned hit ‘Sweat On The Walls‘ on Poker Flat. Outside of the studio, Martin regularly graces the DJ booths of world renowned clubs like Watergate and Fabric, with sets that nod to the legacy of Front Club, maintaining its deft balance of escapism and musical discovery.

The future continues to be bright for Martin Landsky. As he forges into 2011 — taking inspiration from those early days of rave within modern, finely-tuned electronics — he continues to explore the shared vision, passion, and love of music that continues to drive him and the extended mobilee team in all that they do, and all that will come. (from Mobilee)

On March 11th an earthquake and tsunami hit Japan affecting millions of people; and although it has been three months since the disaster, for the victims this crisis is still not over. People are still without homes and jobs, living in shelters that are low on food and supplies. Many have lost their families and loved ones. Entire villages have been distroyed and are still without a connection to the rest of the country.
We need your help! We’re collecting contributions from all over the world, letting them know that we care.
The revival is not finished yet. If want to share your love, donate now via our page on justgiving.co.uk. Even a small donation can help.

Supporting artists:
Freebase Records(de): Sascha Dive, Chris Wood, Frank Lorber, Karotte, Markus Fix, Roman Flugel, Dorian Paic, Vera, Meat, Einzelkind, Motorcitysoul, Martyne
Cadenza Records(de): Reboot, Frivolous, Mirko Loko, Andrea Oliva, Mendo, Alex Picone
Soma Records(uk): Slam
Mobilee Records(de): Hector, Martin Landsky

Thank you, for supporting Japan! Thank you! ??! ?????! Vielen Dank! Gracias! Merci beaucoup! Grazie mille! Muito obrigado! Heel erg bedankt! Terima kasih banyak! Tack! Dzieki! ???????!

Here’s the donation page.
http://www.justgiving.com/clubberia

Thanks to?Mobilee Records

[The message from Martin Landsky]

Months ago some serious earthquakes and Tsunami hit Japan.
Worldwide press got a bit quieter about all this, but it´s still a big big tragedy.
Many people lost their homes, their families, their lifes, whole areas are destroyed. It will take ages to get everything back to normal and to rebuild all the infrastructure.
The biggest shock on top of all this is maybe the worst case scenario happening in Fukushima, the final consequences are even not predictable today, and will have an effect on the whole world.

It must be hard to believe in life and fate in such a situation and not to loose ones optimism; it´s really hard to find words for that, it simply makes me speechless.

I am impressed by the strength of the japanese people (this is how it looks like to me at least), how they seem to accept their fate and look into the future, taking the challenge of trying to come back to a “normal” life and pooling forces to help each others and “rebuilding” their country; physically and mentally!

My thoughts and love are with you Japan, may the empathy from this side of the world provides some support for you to keep on having enough power to meet this big challenge.

Respectfully yours

Martin Landsky

Since their inception in 2005, Pan-Pot have become a dominant presence in modern techno, an ascent mirrored in the rise of their home label mobilee records to the top tier of electronic music. Tagging themselves as “the dark side of the force,” Pan-Pot have melted minds, warped perceptions and reinvigorated the dancefloor with their heady, unorthodox sound; within their work, subtle pitch manipulations square off with wall-of-sound distortion, the dark stomp of 4/4 is tamed by intricate sound design, and minimalistic frameworks duel with throbbing bass lines, epic builds, and murky, off-kilter melodies.

Tassilo Ippenberger and Thomas Benedix met at Berlin’s SAE, and their studies in the production and manipulation of sound aided them in identifying Pan-Pot’s overarching sound aesthetic. The duo booked Anja Schneider for an ill-fated party in 2005, but the unfortunate circumstances helped forge a fortuitous connection with Schneider and her then-fledgling mobilee imprint. Within weeks, mobilee’s second ever release was Pan-Pot’s official debut, „Copy and Paste“. The steady stream of original tracks and remixes that followed on mobilee and Einmaleins, charted the duo’s unwavering commitment to precise, undulating and kinetic grooves.

The defining moment of Pan-Pot’s career came in 2007 with the release of their debut artist album, Pan-O-Rama. The aptly named long-player offered a 360-degree view of techno at its most twisted, balancing somber atmospherics with a lightness of touch, and spawning the overground hit “Charly”. More recently “Confronted” and “Captain My Captain” have demonstrated their classic, strong and timely production style, presenting them as the most consistent purveyors of techno around.

Pan-Pot are ceaselessly working and endlessly inventive. When not in the studio writing original material or remixing tracks by a myriad of artists, they can be found on the road, touring. Their DJ sets reveal a keen understanding of the dancefloor’s needs, and they are unconstrained by boundaries, traversing techno, house and everything in between.

Pan-Pot may have taken their name from an unexceptional element of studio equipment, but as with their music, they have rewritten notions of form and function through their own idiosyncratic language; once you’ve experienced Pan-Pot’s colossal, haunting soundscapes you will never forget them. Their vision, passion, and love of music continues to drive Pan-Pot — and the extended mobilee team —in all that they continue to do, and all that will come.

We spoke to her about the label and about how she manages to maintain her goddess like stature and somehow, Anja has found time to produce this shakingly deep mix ahead of her set here on the 26th – where she’ll be joined by fellow mobilee artist Marcin Czubala as well as James Teej and Detroit’s own don, and FXHE label boss, Omar S.

You’ve been presenting your radio show for 10 years now, what drew you into working in broadcasting?

I have worked for the radio for more than 10 years now, and I started as a program manager. Before that, I studied communications at university and I was always really interested in radio. After working there for some time, eventually Fritz asked me to host my own show, as I was really into electronic music and had some good ideas and concepts for a show. So it was really a natural progression.

Were you always into electronic music and house and techno from the start of your career in music?

Yes I have always been into house and techno. When I first started listening to music I like a lot of acid house, and before that I was also a big fan of Depeche Mode and The Cure.

You’re credited for being one of the most hard working people in techno, even with touring and being a radio and club DJ you manage to run a label and produce – how do you remain so focused and productive?

Actually I never see it as stress or hard work, because I love what I’m doing!

In the studio you only record in partnership with someone, why’s this?

I much prefer working in a team and I don’t like to work alone. It’s much more fun and I love the creative process of sharing ideas with another artist.

Who’s your dream studio partner?

Pharrell Williams for sure!

There’s been a lot of excitement over (us included) for Maya Jane Coles in the last few months, what turned you onto her?

She makes great music! I discovered her on Beatport 6-7 months ago and I liked her style and music, and asked her to release on mobilee. I’m really happy for her and hope she continues to be successful and carry on! It’s great to have her as a part of mobilee.

What other new up and coming producers are you feeling this year?

I think it’s impossible to name just one. You always have to keep your eyes and ears open as there are so many talented people everyone. If I had to mention someone, it would be And.Id from mobilee – he is a big up and coming talent for me!

As Mobilee is now 5 years on from its launch and 63 singles in how do you think it’s sound has changed over this time?

I don’t think the sound has changed. Every artist has developed and changed in their own way, and become more confident with what they are doing. So perhaps you could say that the styles of production are improving and becoming more solid, as well as the ideas.

If you were to introduce someone to the label which 3 records would you play them first?

Aside from Mobilee – what labels are you following at the moment?

I like a lot Hot Creations, Bass Culture and Leena.

What’s coming up for you this year, any Anja Schneider releases ready to go or tours planned?

I want to work on a new album, and you can expect it to drop next year!

Between two studio sessions, the duo took the time to mix the 31st episode of our podcast series, compressed into an hour and a half of powerful and abyssal techno, sometimes dreamy and sometimes more unhealthy, perfect to tackle your brain and start the weekend in good conditions. Enjoy.

One is the loneliest number unless you’re talking about Exercise One, the Berlin duo of Marco Freivogel and Ingo Gansera. Proprietors of the Lan Muzic label and frequent contributors to Anja Schneider’s mobilee imprint, the two are quickly becoming recognized as key figures in Berlin’s rapidly revitalizing techno movement and as representatives of the scene’s enduring communal spirit. After meeting through jobs at !K7, the two soon began working together in a basement studio in Kreuzberg, where they shared the space with a rowdy crew of noisemakers Luciano, Memo and, for a time, Jeremy P. Caulfield. It was Caulfield who kickstarted Exercise One’s career when, after hearing one of their early live sets, he encouraged them to send out demos. Shortly thereafter, they released their first 12″ record, “Roll With You,” including a Jeremy P. Caulfield remix, on Mofa Schallplatten.

In 2005, Exercise One launched Lan Muzic. Its debut release, the Kitchentools EP, included tracks by Exercise One and Memo a longside a Luciano remix; the record quickly found its way into discerning DJs’ boxes everywhere. Anja Schneider supported the project on her Radio Fritz show and then invited them to record for her own label. The Easy Things EP, featuring a Duplex 100 remix, became mobilee’s fourth release. In a very short time, Exercise One have gone on to remix Sweet N Candy and Peter van Hoesen, collaborate with Italy’s Donato Dozzy, and release two more singles: the Debaya EP (mobilee) and the 12 Years EP (Lan Muzic).

With appearances at summer festivals like Melt!, Fusion and Bittersweet, and acclaimed gigs like mobilee’s pre-Sónar 2006 showcase, Exercise One’s live reputation is growing. While many computer-oriented artists vainly attempt to recreate studio productions in a live context, Exercise One work the other way around, jamming and improvising for hours on end, then editing the results into tight, focused tracks that never lose their sense of spontaneity. Over rhythms alternately supple and spiky, Exercise One layer hypnotic basslines and twisting sequences. Favoring the long view, they let their tracks stretch out, covering massive musical distances in a single easy bound. Informed by minimal, their music nonetheless refuses to hold back. They’re tricksters, no doubt, switching up downbeats and rolling out melodies like lopsided marbles, but it’s all in good fun: every game is a gift that keeps on giving.

A professional musician, trained singer, passionate producer and smart innovator, Argenis Brito is reliably rolling up the lush fields of music for quite a while now. Listeners will be surprised at the wide range of activities he has been involved in to date. Having travelled the path of success in an unconventional way, many music genres and the world anyway, his influences are multifaceted, continuously charging and refreshing his source of inspiration with the scintillating splendour of creative energy.

The Panorama Bar resident talks house, house and more ****ing house with RA’s Ryan Keeling.

The best house music has a certain honesty to it. Maybe that’s why Achim Brandenburg, AKA Prosumer, has proven to be such a remarkable DJ/producer within the genre. Whatever the reason, growing up in Saarbrucken couldn’t have hurt. Housing one of the outposts of Berlin’s famed Hardwax record shop, Prosumer had easy access to records that are now almost impossible to find at reasonable prices.

Nowadays, his love of records has led him to work at the Berlin store and to DJ, bringing his intimate knowledge of classic records to audiences around the world. His most famous gig is his residency at Panorama Bar, a venue he’ll celebrate on the club’s Ostgut Ton imprint in 2011 with his debut mix CD. Serenity, his debut album co-produced with Murat Tepeli, was released on the same label in 2008. RA’s Ryan Keeling recently caught up with Brandenburg in advance of his appearance at our party in November at Manchester’s Warehouse Project to take stock of his career thus far, revealing a sensitive artist who believes honesty is the best policy.

Biography

Label founder, internationally renowned DJ and producer, world-traveler, and charming personality all rolled into one, Anja Schneider might just be one of the hardest-working individuals in the business. After getting her start as a producer for KissFM and Fritz Radio, Anja quickly became a radio persona herself with the inception of her now legendary Dance Under the Blue Moon show in 2000. It wasn’t long before Anja’s irresistible magnetism and impeccable taste in music caught the attention of the Berlin masses, propelling her career as a DJ and musician into a full-blown enterprise.

After producing and releasing her first tracks in 2004, Anja joined forces with Ralf Kollmann and founded mobilee records shortly thereafter. Within the year she had already begun to lead her newly born label towards success through the signing of acts such as Sebo K and Pan-Pot and the release of her own epic track “Rancho Relaxo” in collaboration with the former. As a producer Anja has continued to progress in her own right, releasing her debut LP Beyond the Valley to critical acclaim, with tracks such as “Belize” and “Safari” bombarding charts and dance-floors worldwide. Furthering her unique interest in collaborative producing, Anja’s list of studio partners has grown to include the likes of Paul Brtschitsch and, most recently, Lee van Dowski. Alongside her original productions, an extensive string of remixes for labels such as Dessous, Crosstown Rebels, and Diynamic lines the walls of her impressive discography.

As a label head Anja has focused not only on discovering fresh and innovative talent but also on cultivating and developing the mobilee roster, pushing artists in challenging directions and developing their careers as DJs, musicians, and members of the mobilee family. Under her watch, mobilee has grown into one of Berlin’s most-watched staples with a close-knit collection of producers including Sebo K, Pan-Pot, Rodriguez Jr, Marcin Czubala, And.id, Hector, Miss Jools, Dan Curtin and Exercise One. With well over 50 releases, and another 17 on its sister label Leena music, mobilee has continued to carve out its own distinct sound in a city where everyone seems to be making music: the label’s mix of pristine minimal, slinky grooves and deep house has pushed dance music forward while at the same time remaining instantly accessible.

As arguably one of the most renowned and respected woman DJs in the world, Anja’s work ethic combined with her undeniably charming personality has lead to enormous success as a DJ on every corner of the globe, from Japan to the Americas to Europe and her native Germany. Anja has made her mark as a regular at the world’s most renowned clubs such as Fabric, Fuse, Rex, and Goa Madrid and has held residencies at Berlin’s own Weekend and Watergate.

With ears trained through years of experience, Anja’s achievements as a producer, DJ and label head are far from peaking; her uncanny development as a one-of-a-kind artist and businesswoman over the past few years is just the start of what we can expect from Anja’s evolution of mobilee as a platform for a new generation of musical talent.

The Berlin boys Tassilo Ippenberger and Thomas Benedix have made a name for themselves on the Berlin techno scene after joining forces with Mobilee’s first lady Anja Schneider in 2005. This cumulated in their critically acclaimed debut album ‘Pan-O-Rama. ’ The release of their first album and their energetic DJ sets made the pair a force to be reckoned with.

Keep an eye out for their new EP out on Mobilee soon, entitled ‘Captain my Captain’.

A pan-pot is a simple, workday knob, given to side-to-side flip-flopping and not much else. Pan-Pot, on the other hand, are a brilliant multi-dimensional Berlin duo currently twisting house and techno fans into rapturous fits. In just a few short years, Pan-Pot – comprised of Tassilo Ippenberger and Thomas Benedix – have developed a dominate presence amongst the top tier of electronic dance music, with an ascension paralleling the rise of their native label, mobilee records. Most recently, they demonstrated the height of their achievements with their “Confronted” EP on mobilee, which was swiftly followed by an impressive package of remixes by Adam Beyer & Jesper Dahlbäck, Slam, Martin Landsky and Dapayk.

After booking Anja Schneider for an infamously ill-fated party in 2005, the duo established a connection with Schneider’s then recently formed imprint and within weeks had released the Popy and Caste EP on mobilee – their first release and the label’s second. Graduates of Berlin’s SAE, their initial musical efforts placed a primacy on integrating electronic experimentation with minimal stylings while simultaneously establishing the ominous, murky sounds that have since become synonymous with their name. The next few years saw the release of a steady stream of original tracks and remixes on both mobilee and Einmaleins, each demonstrating the duo’s commitment to precise, undulating and kinetic grooves accompanied by a steady expansion of their sonic palate.

The defining moment of their career, however, was the release of their debut artist album, Pan-O-Rama. The first artist album to be released on mobilee, the aptly named Pan-O-Rama provided a stunning 360-degree tour of techno at its most twisted, balancing somber atmospherics with an impeccable lightness of touch. Serving as a playground for their experimental leanings, the album was a definitive statement of Pan-Pot’s past, present, and future: an affirmation of the possibility of a wider sonic spectrum that suggested a move towards stripped-down techno while simultaneously hinting towards a newly developed sense of melody.

When not in the studio writing original material or putting their unique spin on tracks by a myriad of artists, the bad-boys of impassioned, pitch-black techno can be found on the road touring at a near ceaseless level. Their dance floor oriented DJ sets see them playing back to back and are unconstrained by boundaries as they effortlessly transition between techno, house and everything in between, demonstrating an immaculate understanding of the audience’s wants and needs.

Their willingness to expand the components of their productions while staying firmly rooted in what they do best – colossal, haunting techno tracks overflowing with noise and static, throbbing bass lines, and epic builds that manage to be both tasteful and restrained – is only part of what differentiates Pan-Pot from the hordes of other techno producers currently flooding the airwaves. They may name themselves after a piece of gear, but Pan-Pot’s music is ultimately about moving bodies, not knobs, all the while giving way to an unprecedented degree of dynamism on dance floors around the world.

A pan-pot is a simple, workday knob, given to side-to-side flip-flopping and not much else. Pan-Pot, on the other hand, are a brilliant multi-dimensional Berlin duo currently twisting house and techno fans into rapturous fits. In just a few short years, Pan-Pot – comprised of Tassilo Ippenberger and Thomas Benedix – have developed a dominate presence amongst the top tier of electronic dance music, with an ascension paralleling the rise of their native label, mobilee records. Most recently, they demonstrated the height of their achievements with their “Confronted” EP on mobilee, which was swiftly followed by an impressive package of remixes by Adam Beyer & Jesper Dahlbäck, Slam, Martin Landsky and Dapayk.

After booking Anja Schneider for an infamously ill-fated party in 2005, the duo established a connection with Schneider’s then recently formed imprint and within weeks had released the Popy and Caste EP on mobilee – their first release and the label’s second. Graduates of Berlin’s SAE, their initial musical efforts placed a primacy on integrating electronic experimentation with minimal stylings while simultaneously establishing the ominous, murky sounds that have since become synonymous with their name. The next few years saw the release of a steady stream of original tracks and remixes on both mobilee and Einmaleins, each demonstrating the duo’s commitment to precise, undulating and kinetic grooves accompanied by a steady expansion of their sonic palate.

The defining moment of their career, however, was the release of their debut artist album, Pan-O-Rama. The first artist album to be released on mobilee, the aptly named Pan-O-Rama provided a stunning 360-degree tour of techno at its most twisted, balancing somber atmospherics with an impeccable lightness of touch. Serving as a playground for their experimental leanings, the album was a definitive statement of Pan-Pot’s past, present, and future: an affirmation of the possibility of a wider sonic spectrum that suggested a move towards stripped-down techno while simultaneously hinting towards a newly developed sense of melody.

When not in the studio writing original material or putting their unique spin on tracks by a myriad of artists, the bad-boys of impassioned, pitch-black techno can be found on the road touring at a near ceaseless level. Their dance floor oriented DJ sets see them playing back to back and are unconstrained by boundaries as they effortlessly transition between techno, house and everything in between, demonstrating an immaculate understanding of the audience’s wants and needs.

Their willingness to expand the components of their productions while staying firmly rooted in what they do best – colossal, haunting techno tracks overflowing with noise and static, throbbing bass lines, and epic builds that manage to be both tasteful and restrained – is only part of what differentiates Pan-Pot from the hordes of other techno producers currently flooding the airwaves. They may name themselves after a piece of gear, but Pan-Pot’s music is ultimately about moving bodies, not knobs, all the while giving way to an unprecedented degree of dynamism on dance floors around the world.

Although the name Rodriguez Jr. has only been floating around properly for a few years, Olivier Mateu – the man behind the moniker – has been big in the dance music game for a decade now. As one half of French electro-techno act The Youngsters, he’s been a mainstay for Laurent Garnier’s F-Communications label, played at the world’s biggest clubs and festivals and won awards and accolades galore.

But after so many years of being locked into one project, he gave himself a rebirth as Rodriguez Jr., and 2008’s Piña Colada on Claude VonStroke’s Mothership vindicated his decision to go in a new direction. Emerging from the minimal trend but with more musicality, warmth, groove and vigour than a lot of the genre, it was one of those refreshing, effervescent records that stuck in your head and really brought something new to the table. More releases for Boxer Recordings (see Paul Ritch) and then Leena lead on to a signing to Leena’s big sister, Mobilee Records, and this year he’s set to break through into the wider cognoscenti’s collective consciousness.

This mix sees him explore spooky, tribal, stripped-back ethnic flavours, rolling tech house and plenty of those twinkling synth scales that typify many of his tracks. And a couple of very classy bits to start and finish…

Sum up this podcast in 10 words…
An unlinear and eclectic mix of cool material to enjoy spring time.

What’s your personal favourite track on it?
The first one, 1976 by Ripperton. I can’t stop to listening to his stunning and beautiful album.

What’s the special ingredient in this mix?
Funky chicks like melodies, so I always try to put load of them in my mixes.

What’s the best gig you’ve played recently?
Maybe Rex Club in Paris … always feeling like home there.

What have you got coming up?
A couple of new EPs I am very proud of : Princess Guacamole EP on Mobilee, and Lac De Nivelles EP on Systematic – a record I did with my buddy Marc Romboy including a brilliant remix by Glimpse. I am also working massively on my first solo album, which I would like to be released this year! And I am lucky enough to tour a lot, so summer time will be busy.

And finally, do you have a special message for our readers?
Stay passionate believers in music – I hope to come to your cities and share the vibes with all of you soon.

Exercise One have been crafting delicate minimalism for over five years now, with releases on Mobilee, Dumb Unit and their own Lan Muzic label, remixes for the likes of Shackleton, and live sets across the globe. Whilst Berlin often seems to churn out minimal dance outfit after minimal dancefloor outfit, Exercise One have never seemed predictable or dull, and In Cars We Rust was hailed as one of last year’s finest techno albums.

Elsewhere, Team Little Rock break out the LFO’s for a dubstep selection, and showcase the joys of Hotflush.

Please tell us a little bit about your podcast for LWE. When/where it was made, if there was any theme?

Dan Curtin: This is an all vinyl mix as that’s all I’m playing in clubs, I don’t even mess with CDs! I did it in my studio here in Berlin in early April. Theme, yes there is one! Just got myself in the mindset of playing in a small packed club like Plastic People or something, getting kind of raw with the atmosphere, taking it a little deep too. So this is not necessarily a general example of how I always play in clubs but it could be if the moment was right.

In another interview you said, “Hip hop will always be the standard by which my beats are judged in my own mind.” What about hip-hop’s beats makes it your gold standard, and who are a few of your favorite hip-hop producers

I must have said that ages ago! But yeah, hip-hop beats have to have that raw rough feel with real groove and soul and an innate sense of rhythm. And in hip-hop you can’t get away with funk-less beats. House/techno beats should also be this way, so I always have that in the back of my mind when making beats. Some of my favorite hip hop producers are, of course, J-Dilla, then Nicolay, Oddisee, Lootpack, Madvillian to name a few.

What did you think of hip-house? A bunch of tracks from the last few years have been centered around monologues; do you see fertile ground for a resurgence?

I was into it way back when! Fast Eddie, Tyree Cooper. I still like to listen to those old tracks from time to time. I’m always up for some good emceeing over house, but as far as a resurgence or a new movement, well, no. I don’t think everything needs to be a movement, micro genre, or some other bandwagon jumpable trend, unless of course that trend is originality.

You’ve stressed the importance of personal innovation in your own music as well as for others. You’ve certainly managed to cover a lot of sonic ground in your career. How do you sit down to make a track with roughly the same gear with fresh eyes time after time?

The gear can be so versatile that I don’t even feel limited at all in the studio. In fact I’m kind of at a place now where I don’t want or need more new sounds or libraries. It just doesn’t matter or help to have millions of pieces of kit or plug ins or sounds. For sure the sounds and gear can be a source of great inspiration but I like to find the core inspiration from deep inside or from the universe and world we live in. So if I approach it like that I can make music with anything really; it’s all about expressing ideas.

In that same vein, some of your tracks are notoriously hard to pin down even within each track, changing directions and bringing in unexpected elements. Why is keeping listeners’ guessing important for you, or is it not? Do you get bored easily?

No, nothing like that. It’s just the way I see things, like one idea will inspire me to go on to another idea, kind of like when you are out walking and waiting to see what is over the next rise or around the next corner. Except I know what is over that rise or around the corner and I go there, but hopefully the listener will enjoy the surprise! But when I focus on tracks that are strictly for the floor I definitely use a more linear approach.

That being said, it must be tough not to fall into patterns or formulas. As I was doing research for the interview I noticed how a handful of your tracks from the 90’s would end up spattered with 303 no matter where they were otherwise going. How much of that came down to what was available to you and how much of it was deliberate?

Interesting that you noticed that! It’s true though, I was using the 303 often and it was deliberate when I used it in the “acid” way. I wanted to take the acid house feeling and play with it by incorporating it into music that wasn’t acid house, kind of like my homage to acid house, feeling inspired by acid house but not wanting to do acid house. But it isn’t tough to not fall into patterns or formulas because falling into a formula is not the way I want to work. It’s boring to me when producers always do the same thing or have the same sound. I try to do something different every time, and now that has just become second nature, I couldn’t even imagine doing the same track twice.

Do you let yourself dabble in trends or are they taboo?

I’m sure I dabble, either consciously or unconsciously. Especially living in Berlin, one can’t help it but to take in all that energy. And if it goes in it’s gonna come out in the music in one way or another. This really can’t be helped. And anyway, there’s nothing wrong with a trend if it is good. I just have a problem with people taking part in a trend just because it has become trendy. But sometimes trends can be especially annoying like the conga trend or the deep house trend because they detract from the legitimately good conga tracks or deep house tracks that are valid in any year. Like I said above, not everything needs to be a movement!

Risk taking in music can mean a higher chance of failure (critically, commercially, how it’s received by dancers); are you willing to put out something you’re not comfortable with? Are you highly selective about what gets released?

I’m willing to put out something that I’m not comfortable with in terms of not being sure how it will be received because it is strange or unique. I always do that! Is that what you mean? Otherwise I’m always comfortable with what I release because I stand behind it 100%. And definitely selective with what I make and with what gets released. But once I make something I usually want to release it.

You’ve just about to release your ninth album, which is rather unique for many electronic dance music producers. What about the form do you find so compelling? Are you naturally prolific?

I guess I’m pretty prolific, I’m in the studio every day. It’s my passion, my recreation, my job. I can’t believe how lucky I’ve been to be able to make this my life’s work. And for the album format, I really like it from a listener’s point of view. I really want to go on that journey with the artist, and if the music is really good then one track just won’t do, I’ll need more. From an artist point of view it’s great to be able to be with the listener for an hour or so to get the chance to tell my story. The music is about so much more than a quick track for DJs to play this weekend.

Besides the switch in the gear used to create your music, how do you think your style has evolved over the nearly two decades you’ve been making music? What’s more important to you now? What’s less important to you now?

Quality of production became more important somewhere along the line. At the beginning it wasn’t even a consideration, I was only concerned with the emotional content but then I became equally concerned with the sound and quality of sound, so that is definitely very important now. But in general my sound has evolved to become much more intricate, more layered, and subtler.

You’ve mentioned how living in a number of different cities around the world has influenced you in different ways. Can you pick out how those cities influenced the music you composed while living in their?

Every place can provide a different influence. I’m from Cleveland, OH so my earlier stuff was much more heavily influenced by the decaying Midwestern urban landscape and all the chaos that comes along with that. It’s a very similar situation to Detroit, although not as desperate. Then I moved to Switzerland with a much more pastoral environment so that injected some tranquility into the very agitated and nervous sound that I had at the time. I’m still trying to work out exactly how Berlin has influenced me, I’ve been here for seven years now. I guess the best thing about being here is that I don’t need to go far to see exactly what not to do!

Have you returned to Cleveland much over the years? Are you at all connected with its “scene”?

I’m not connected with the scene so much there but I do get back a few times each year. I usually play when I’m there, there are definitely some soldiers keeping things happening in my old stomping grounds!

What can we expect from Dan Curtin for the rest of 2010? What about Metamorphic?

Next thing is my album for Mobilee called Lifeblood and a nice world tour to go along with it, then this spring I’ll also release Entanglements under my Planetary alias on Metamorphic.

his most recent work was the for mobilee back to back mix series. and.id contribution was a 2-cd set featuring the expected sterling mix as well as a brilliant second disc featuring jazzsome classic mobilee releases which have been recorded by a jazz band in a studio and mixed by and.id. well worth picking up here.

A pan-pot is a simple, workday knob, given to side-to-side flip-flopping and not much else. Pan-Pot, on the other hand, are a brilliant multi-dimensional Berlin duo currently twisting house and techno fans into rapturous fits. In just a few short years, Pan-Pot—comprised of Tassilo Ippenberger and Thomas Benedix—have developed a dominate presence amongst the top tier of electronic dance music, with an ascension paralleling the rise of their native label, mobilee records. Most recently, they demonstrated the height of their achievements with their “Confronted” EP on mobilee, which was swiftly followed by an impressive package of remixes by Adam Beyer & Jesper Dahlbäck, Slam, Martin Landsky and Dapayk.
After booking Anja Schneider for an infamously ill-fated party in 2005, the duo established a connection with Schneider’s then recently formed imprint and within weeks had released the Popy and Caste EP on mobilee—their first release and the label’s second. Graduates of Berlin’s SAE, their initial musical efforts placed a primacy on integrating electronic experimentation with minimal stylings while simultaneously establishing the ominous, murky sounds that have since become synonymous with their name. The next few years saw the release of a steady stream of original tracks and remixes on both mobilee and Einmaleins, each demonstrating the duo’s commitment to precise, undulating and kinetic grooves accompanied by a steady expansion of
their sonic palate.
The defining moment of their career, however, was the release of their debut artist album, Pan-ORama.
The first artist album to be released on mobilee, the aptly named Pan-O-Rama provided a stunning 360-degree tour of techno at its most twisted, balancing somber atmospherics with an impeccable lightness of touch. Serving as a playground for their experimental leanings, the album was a definitive statement of Pan-Pot’s past, present, and future: an affirmation of the possibility of a wider sonic spectrum that suggested a move towards stripped-down techno while simultaneously hinting towards a newly developed sense of melody.
When not in the studio writing original material or putting their unique spin on tracks by a myriad of artists, the bad-boys of impassioned, pitch-black techno can be found on the road touring at a near ceaseless level. Their dance floor oriented DJ sets see them playing back to back and are unconstrained by boundaries as they effortlessly transition between techno, house and everything in between, demonstrating an immaculate understanding of the audience’s wants and needs.
Their willingness to expand the components of their productions while staying firmly rooted in what they do best—colossal, haunting techno tracks overflowing with noise and static, throbbing bass lines, and epic builds that manage to be both tasteful and restrained—is only part of what differentiates Pan-Pot from the hordes of other techno producers currently flooding the airwaves.
They may name themselves after a piece of gear, but Pan-Pot’s music is ultimately about moving bodies, not knobs, all the while giving way to an unprecedented degree of dynamism on dance floors around the world.

Anja has also released iThought with her good friend KiKi. You can check the release out here

Two of Venezuela’s most talented electronic musicians, Argenis Brito and Miguel Toro, have joined forces to present an exciting new collaborative project exclusively on mobilee. Argenis Brito, a professional musician, trained singer, passionate producer, and talented innovator, has had in hand in a variety of musical realms for quite some time. Miguel Toro has had an equally multifaceted musical career, working with a variety of bands, as a label manager, and as a student at the prestigious Drummers Collective in New York.

Brito began his career as a musician, playing in a variety of bands throughout the 80s before moving to New York. His first work in electronic music, the now landmark Gonzalo Martinez and his Thinking Congas, filtered Cumbia classics through intricate electronic programming and—with the help of producers such as Tobias Freund and Uwe Schmidt (aka AtomTM)—combined the sounds of this popular Latin musical style with contemporary club vibes. When AtomTM released his second album under his alias Senor Coconut, he brought Brito on board as the official singer and frontman of the project. Brito continued working with the newly incarnated project, whose focus was on reinterpreting pop and rock classic through the lens of Latin musical styles, throughout their numerous albums, EPs, and worldwide tours.

The name Argenis Brito is intrinsically tied to the genre of “Latinotronics,” a musical style for which he arguably serves as its pivotal pioneer. The year 2000 saw the founding of this style as a result of Brito’s collaboration with Chilean producer Pier Bucci under the name Mambotur. This project was, in some ways, an extension of his earlier work with Thinking Congas, as it blended the percussive dynamics of Mambo, Cumbia and Salsa with sophisticated electronic production and a strong dub influence. Mambotur was yet another episode in Brito’s series of extraordinary successes, culminating in the release of two albums and performances at venues at festivals throughout Europe.

Brito’s post-Mambotur career has seen him moving deeper and deeper into the realms of electronic music, beginning with a collaboration with Cadenza boss Luciano entitled Monne Automne and, following his relocation to Berlin in 2002, with a series of projects that continued to push the boundaries of club music. Bringing his penchant for the Latin musical styles on which he was raised to Berlin resulted in numerous projects with the likes of Jay Haze and Samim, all of which suggested a move towards cutting-edge club sounds that were simultaneously funky and minimalist.

Since then, Brito has continued to feed his machines with the highest caliber of artistic force and continues to perform with renowned DJs and producers throughout the world. His newest project with Miguel Toro will undoubtedly continued his long-running string of forward-thinking and innovative electronic music.

Miguel Toro began his musical career playing drumset and percussion before studying music in both Caracas and New York. His broad range of musical influences is tied to the geographical locations in which he grew up. The music of Caracas from the 80s and the Brighton electronic music scene (as well as the British post-punk) movement were equally influential in developing his musical tastes and styles. He played in a variety of bands in Caracas throughout the 90s before working as a label manager at Sony Music International. After moving to New York to pursue his musical studies, he moved to Berlin where he began a series of collaborations with the likes of Samim, Chico Trujillo and, most recently Argenis Brito. He has released tracks on Moonharbour, Motivbank and Cadenza and has performed at Panorama Bar, Watergate, Bar25 and Maria and a myriad of other world-class venues throughout Europe, Africa and Asia.

Alexander Tsotsos (a.k.a. GummiHz) hails from a small town in the north of Greece and has recently been making an international reputation for himself as an upcoming DJ and producer in electronic dance music. Drawing inspiration from a variety of musical styles—from disco to jazz to the haunting sounds of chanson—his productions have been heralded by DJs and critics alike for its propulsive sense of rhythm, rolling basslines, bouncy hooks and psychedelic atmospherics.

While he was first introduced to music through classical guitar, his interest in electronic music began with the discovery of electronic-oriented Greek bands and the house music based out of New York and Chicago. Shortly thereafter he began honing his DJ skills and started to perform gigs in various venues around northern Greece. After pursuing his studies in England, GummiHz returned to his passion for DJing and music production, with one of his early productions appearing on Cologne’s Treibstoff imprint. His solo debut on mobilee in 2006 entitled Select and Bounce initiated the start of what was to become a flourishing relationship with both of the tracks receiving extraordinary success both commercially and critically. After releasing both Mind Games and the Bar Loca EP within the following year, in 2008 GummiHz stepped up to mix the second volume of mobilee’s Back to Back compilation, cementing his position not only as a top-notch producer but also as a master of the decks, a fact evident to anyone who has heard the complex editing and mixing displayed on this compilation.

Since then GummiHz has continued to release a steady string of singles that have been extensively featured on a multitude of compilations and mixes and has performed his dynamic mixture of elegant club music for audiences worldwide. As a DJ he is renowned for his ability to keep crowds dancing hard until the early of the morning with his top-notch track selection and expert mixing skills. GummiHz continues to forge his own unique sound in a scene dominated by homogeneity: with him one can only expect the unexpected.

Not based on any trend but more dedicated to a stong personality, Nhar’s music could be described as a mix between low minimal wounded grooves and deviant but funky tech-house sequences. He plays some tricks in your mind with his very own kind of minimal techno with both chimic and melancholic influences, always aim to hypnotic and emotional moments.

About the stage side, Nhar has been resident for 3 years in the (in)famous french afterhours BarLive and during his 11 years long’s experience that he spent behind the decks, the man take the chance to take control of the sound sytems of many european floors. He’s also doing live sessions always up to date with his last sonic creations.

DISCO
22 Crew – Rikarbiere – Modelisme 2004
22 Crew & Jennifer Cardini – Egal – Dirt Crew 2005
Nhar – Adrenochrome – Plak 2005
22 Crew – Clarke – Modelisme 2006
Nhar – Hexoflip – Mobilee 2006
Nhar – Cisland – Plex 2006
Nhar – Virgile – Plak 2007
Nhar – Disco Macabre – Front 2007
Nhar – Ask and more / Musik Zimmer – Front VA 2007
Nhar & Sébastien Thibaud – Need FM – Bambù 2007
Nhar – Don’t forget to lick – Meerestief Ltd 2007
Nhar – Infected (Dave DK rmx) – Time has changed 2008
Nhar – Afterburner (Ripperton & Masaya rmx) – Mina Records 2008
Nhar – Nothingness (F.Brocksieper rmx) – Modelisme 2008
Nhar & Sébastien Thibaud – Geyser – Bambù 2008
Nhar – Lotus (Kolombo rmxs) – Time has changed 2008
Nhar – Swell Voices – Time Has Changed 2009
Nhar – Thought Pattern – Factor City Ultd 2009
Nhar – Quandaries – Meerestief 2009
Nhar – Derceto (Thinkfreak + B.Dalessandro & Expander rmxs) – Soniculture 2009

REMIXS

Electric Indigo – Going for sex (22 Crew & J.Cardini rmx) – Indigo Inc 2004
Luciano Garrido – Never bug the ant (Nhar remix) Time has changed 2007
Masaya – Like a fish in the water (Nhar remix) – Meerestief Ltd 2007
Stereofunk – Funkelnagelneu (Nhar remix and Nhar deep remix) – Bondage 2008
Jan Hendez – Orgazmo (Nhar remix) – Unpleased 2009
Cosmic Cowboyz – All the words… (Nhar remix) – Kina Music 2009
Antonio – Nuh (Nhar remix) – Nordik 2009
Citizen Kain & Jaumetic – Criminal (Nhar remix) – Regular 2009
Lucy – Bomb Lin (Nhar remix) – Time has changed 2009
Billy Dalessandro – Nanomachines (Nhar remix) – Soniculture 2009 (Upcoming…)
Charlie May – Midnight (Nhar remix) – Emfire 2009 (Upcoming…)

Despite only recently having released their excellent debut, ‘In Cars We Rust’, the duo have already established themselves as regulars in both the Berlin scene and, well, pretty much everywhere else as well, including Sonar festival, Fabric and Berlin’s minimal techno haven, Panorama Bar. Through such performances, Ex One have built an enviable live reputation, sometimes crafting entire new tracks just for their live sets.

This perfectionist muso practice can be witnessed in their live set, which sees the duo flawlessly perform a selection of unreleased tracks, as well as cuts from their debut and several remixes, including one of Swiss techno stalwart Khainz. And speaking of techno, there’s an abundance of it here, all of the very highest quality – from deep, bass-heavy textures which hint at the dubby sounds of Basic Channel to jagged, futurist acid-techno stompers, it’s all here and produced to perfection.

Put simply, Ex One’s live set is a lesson in how contemporary techno should sound.