On Wednesday the 3rd of November Skream, Benga and Artwork aka Magentic Man will be making an extra special live performance at Heaven. Support on the night comes from lady of the moment and fellow Rinse fam member Katy B. To celebrate the occasion we've been lucky enough to get our hands on 3 pairs of tickets for the gig to give away all you have to do is answer this simple question and send your answer to....
competitions@fabriclondon.com
With the subject title Magnetic Man Live.
Question: What is the name of Benga track that Katy B's vocal features on to make the smash that is 'Katy On A Mission'?
Dont forget you can catch Skream, Benga and Katy B at FABRICLIVE this Friday as part of FWD/Rinse's 16th Birthday celebrations, tickets have now sold out but we'll be keeping a small allocation on the door so arrive early to avoid dissapointment! Doors will be opening at 10pm.
On Saturday the 18th of September Safari Records will be taking over room two of our disco. In anticipation main man Arnaud Le Texier has put together this extra special mix for the occasion. Heres what the man in question has to say on it....
"When I did the mix, I tried to make a sample of what the night at fabric is going to be. A mix between House, Tech-House & Techno. With new and classic tracks."
Starting at the end of 2004 by Arnaud, Safari rapidly grew to international recognition for it's diversity and high quality, over the years releases from the likes of D'Julz, Italoboyz, Shinedoe, Damian Schwarz, Miss Fitz, Luca Bacchetti, Ekkohaus and Johnny D have also put their stamp on a Safari release.
Tracklist
01 - Trickski - Point 0 - Suol - (2010)
02 - Oracy - Funk Advice - Mojuba - (2010)
03 - Rick Wade - Prime Time (Mirco Violi edit) - Unreleased - (2010)
04 - Collint Eastwood - Dancin Dub - Remake Music - (2010)
05 - D'julz - Get Down (beat mix unreleased) - Poker Flat (2010)
06 - Like A Tim - Bagpipe - Djax up Beats - (1994)
07 - Synthetic Gems - This is How We Roll - Hot Kitchen Records (2007)
08 - Aubrey - Shimmer (Aubrey’s unreleased 2010 Mix)- Syncrophone (2010)
09 - Gemini & Unit T - Gemini - B Trip - Sounds US - (1995)
10 - Antonio de Angelis - Marcellino - Safari Electronique (2010)
11 - Jonas Kopp - In My Soul - Traut Muzik (2010)
12 - Skudge - Ontic - Skudge (2010)
13 - Pattern Repeat - Pattern Repeat 03 (A) - Pattern Repeat (2010)
14 - DVS1 - Falling - Timefog - (2010)
15 - Fingers Inc - I'm Strong - R&S Records - (1987)
16 - Terence Fixmer - Drastik - EDLX - (2010)
17 - Arnaud Le Texier - Round and Round - Unreleased -(2010)
Long since a mainstay around these parts, Howie B's live performance this Saturday in Room Two alongisde Dave Clarke and Craig Richards is something we're looking forward to with a huge amount of excitement; considering the wealth of talent the man has worked with behind the boards, from U2 to Bjork and beyond and his endless enthusiasm for the task at hand.
Caught up in the anticipation, we've worked him over and he's kindly given us the exclusive download rights of a completely free, completely unreleased EP, cunningly entitled, 'Free B.'
On Friday the 17th of September DJ Marky & Friends will be hitting FABRICLIVE for a full room one takeover once again. Joining Marky on the night will be none other than The Nextmen and Brad Baloo from them has offered this tasty exclusive track for download to get you hyped for their performance. The Nextmen have recently been working with Essex based band The Milk and have just produced this stirling track '54/46 Was My number' for the chaps. Listen up as you may recoginse its a cheeky rework of a Toots and the Maytals record.
Kenton Slash Demon are Silas Moldenhawer and Jonas Kenton: a delectable Danish disco duo set to make waves in the house scene with their trilogy of back to back releases. The ‘Sun EP’ was released not so long ago back in July, with ‘Matter’ and ‘Daemon’ fast on its tail.
What’s so impressive about these two, is that since their first EP in 2006, their output has been relatively low yet they’ve still managed to establish a name for themselves as one of the most innovative production duos in contemporary house music. The ‘Khattabi EP’, put out last year, earned them this fantastic reputation for originality, with support for the EP coming in the form of Dirtybird label honcho, Claude Von Stroke, the mighty Luciano as well as other forward thinking electronic dance producers including The Martin Brothers.
The Sun EP picks up where Khattabi left off, incorporating the same accomplished organic and futuristic sound as displayed on their previous productions, with a bolder new focus on solid disco house grooves. It’s fun, enthralling and complex dance music, oozing with maturity and intelligence, with enough simplicity and assurance around the central house beats to get you moving uncontrollably.
The Kenton Slash boys took some time out of their busy studio schedule to indulge us a little more about their new releases, their studio setup and their overall vibe:
For those who may not know, what's your background in dance music?
We started messing around with different music software at the age of 15. Our first EP was released in 2006. We’ve been experimenting in all kind of genres, but we always seem to return to making club tracks.
We’re also one half of an indie-electronica band called When Saints Go Machine.
Which instruments do each of you two play?
Jonas plays the keys, and I the drums. I can play a few chords on a guitar too, but it's nothing I would brag about.
Your music has a very organic feel to it, focusing on the use of live instruments rather than heavy synthesis, do you record most of the sounds live in the studio or rely on sampling?
We love to use samples and it's always been a big part of our sound. Some of the samples are from recordings from old sessions but most of them come from various LPs and different sample banks.
What's your favorite piece of studio equipment?
We have a lot of old analog gear, which we love, but the piece that means the most to us is our G5 Power PC. It's been with us almost five years now and it still runs nicely.
The Sun EP has a different, more disco-focused sound from Khattabi EP, which was much more focused on incorporating elements of world music into your sound, what influences the varying sounds on each of your tracks?
'Khattabi' EP was created rather quickly. The inspiration actually came from what was going on in the house scene at that particular time. Listening to the new more percussive house that was coming out and especially after hearing Ricardo Villalobos play. That really inspired us. ‘Enfant’ is a big, big track!
On 'Sun' we wanted to create a slow track that you could listen to at home but that would also still be banging in a club. We work a lot on making the sound ours and create something we could build up on; An indicator of what you can expect from us in the future, if you will.
What’s the track that you’re most proud of so far?
We love 'Sun'. We think it's our best track to date, until 'Matter' drops of course. It turned out exactly as we hoped. We’re very proud of it.
You're music is often heavily layered. Do you ever think about recreating your records live onstage?
Right now we want to keep the live shows with just electronics. There are a lot of different ways you can go about an electronic performances. The experience can be just as organic as hearing a band play, in our opinion. We want to loose control over the electronic equipment when we play and focus on the moment so every performance can be different from each other.
What's the future for Kenton Slash Demon?
‘The Schwarzschild Solution’ part 2 and 3 entitled “Matter” and “Daemon”. And we want to produce and release much more music, a full-length album at some point and of course play a lot of shows.
Cheers guys.
So there you have it. Words from the horses mouths, these chaps certainly aren’t slowing down and with 2 more hot follow-up releases in the pipeline, it’s time to get excited about Kenton Slash Demon. To help you do just that, we’ve wrestled a copy of the Portable Remix of ‘Sun’ off of the Demons and are giving it away for free to you lucky lovelies.
Released earlier this week we thought we'd link you with a high quality peek at the inaugral release from our Sunday night selectors WetYourSelf. The single is available online from Beatport or on a physical format in your local record store.
Remixes come from Alexkid and Jacob Husley & Peter Pixzel.
David Morris has fans that are worlds apart; from DJ Zinc to Pete Tong his work as Boy 8-bit has found its way into the ears of many. After starting life as a rural boy hailing from Cornwall where the only early electronic musical education was a distant branch of Our Price and chart dance music, his music has been championed by a whole host of people including Fake Blood, Diplo and New York’s Trouble & Bass crew.
Ahead of his topping of our Room Two bill tomorrow night we caught up with him to shoot the breeze and find out a bit more about the chip tune monikered maestro. Oh and he linked us to a recent upload of his BBC Essential mix for your ears too!
Your next release is coming out on Turbo. Having had releases on so many different labels, do you feel a stronger affiliation with any one label over the others?
Well my first release was on Fake Blood's old label, so I feel a strong affiliation with that because not only was it my first release, but also because he has become one of my best friends. I spent a lot of time touring with Diplo and the people who run Mad Decent so there is also a strong affiliation there - the same with Trouble and Bass.
I only really met the Turbo people recently through this release so hopefully the same will happen with those guys. I have been lucky so far in that I have been able to tour with the labels I release on, that definitely helps build bonds.
I understand that Theo Keating (Fake Blood) really took you under his wing and allowed for your talent to be fully realised? Do you two ever get to spend time in the studio together?
We've never really spent that much time in the studio together.. We tried once, but at the time we both used different bits of software so I just ended up getting frustrated. We are currently working on a track together "over the internet"... Which should see the light of day in the next few months!
I've had a listen to your Old Amiga Tracks on your Soundcloud page. It's not only refreshing to see an artist that doesn't take himself too seriously but also great to see the early experimentation with sound that so many producers hide. Do you approach tracks with a strong initial idea in your head or do your ideas come from hours of experimentation still?
I definitely find it easier to get my ideas down now, so there is a little less experimentation involved.. But I still like to experiment with things and will definitely be taking that approach more when it comes to an album. A lot of my original tracks come together pretty quickly and will just be a product of messing about, like 'Yard Birds'. But 'The Keep' came about because I wanted a super repetitive banger to put in my sets so I bashed the original demo out in about 2 hours... I that instance I knew what I wanted.
I have no idea if I that actually answered your question!
It's clear that you like to incorporate elements from a number of genres into your sound, from baile funk drum hits to squelching techno lead lines. Are there any combinations of influences that you've attempted to mould together that simply didn't sound right?
Mixing rock and dance music doesn't really work that often... Its pretty naff. Or trying to get a rock asthetic in dance in general.. Most people fail miserably, playing a wack riff on guitars over the top.... Rubbish.
If you weren't a producer, what do you see yourself doing?
I worked in a post room for a bit.. I enjoyed that. I have a degree in Software Engineering, so maybe something along those lines... I just find computers a bit dry now. Every man and his dog has some "IT" experience... It used to be a lot more fun.
Do you still regularly listen to heavy metal?
Yes, as often as possible...
There's an amazing promotional photograph of you taken on a rollercoaster. Was that hard to capture? What was the thinking behind it?
That was with the photographer Dan Wilton, it was his idea to go to Southend on-Sea where they have a little theme park on the sea front.. We had to sneak the camera on to the train, which was difficult as we were the only people on it half the time so we had the stewards full attention. We then had to wait until we got to a certain part of the track and start shooting. It worked really well. I think the person running the ride thought we were crazy though, we went on it about 10 times.. It was also too cold to be in just a T-Shirt. I suffered.
As an electro/techno DJ, how do you feel about going on to do a set after a main room dubstep act?
I was recently sandwiched between two dubstep arts, the one before me being very "main room" as they say... The kids were really into it, lots of moshing and stamping around... definitely doing its job! Very difficult to follow in terms of energy levels and I didn't really try to... You just get on with it and do you thing. There are going to be people there who appreciate what you do..
What's your favourite thing about playing at fabric?
The fact that almost 10 years ago I was there as a punter... And now I'm playing there myself!
What's your highlight of 2010 so far?
Releasing two records that people have been in to.... and being able to continue doing what I love..
A rare opportunity to catch both Mark Farina and Derrick May in super intimate surroundings ahead of their respective slots, alongside DJ Heather, in Room One on the 11th September is occuring from 4:30pm onwards during the day at BM Soho in (suprisingly) Soho.
This Friday sees the fast emerging Belgian techno talent that is Paul Chambers touch down in Room Two to deliver one of his rousing live sets. He’s been on tour with Soulwax for the past 2 years and is certainly no stranger to a massive party. Having played along side some massive dance titans including Justice, Tiga, Erol Alkan, Boys Noize, Mixhell, and of course 2 Many DJs, his sets ooze with experience and panache. His latest single ‘Yeah Techno’, is a real dance floor masterpiece. It’s been doing the rounds on Youtube since the end of last year, stirring up some serious support before its final release at the end of May not so long ago.
Paul ever so kindly took some time out of his tour preparation to answer a few overbearing questions that we just had to get off our chests:
So 'Yeah, Techno!' has finally been released. When you were writing the track, did you know you were onto such a big tune?
I knew I was on to something which had potential. But I didn’t realise it was going to be this big. Before I finished it I must have made 10 different versions until I got it right.
The remix package is also very impressive, with remixes from Beatacue and Soulwax. In an ideal world, who would you get to remix one of your songs?
LFO is very high on my list. But this is a long list, and my track list is very long too. I should probably make a connect the dots puzzle for myself to get a visual representation of this monster.
You're most well known for your live sets as well as your DJ sets, what's involved in a Paul Chambers 'live' set?
My goal is to get as much sweet sounding equipment on stage that I can control with two hands and one brain to create the sound that I love. The set constantly changes as I get bored of playing the same thing over and over again, but I designed it that way so it works really well.
Do you prefer DJing or performing live?
I love both equally but a live set feels more unique. DJ’ing is easier to do for me because you play other people’s music. My live set requires a lot more work because I have to keep it up to date with new music. And of course traveling with all the equipment is more work too. But in the end I think a balance between the two is what I like best.
You've spent the last two years on tour with Soulwax as their support DJ. Has it been fun? Are there any highlights that stick out?
One thing Iʼll never forget is playing in Paris in a smaller room. It was a bit empty when I started but after 15 minutes it got so packed that when I had finished my set I couldnʼt get out of the room to get backstage. I had to stand there and wait until the bouncers could get to me and help me carry my equipment above their heads through the crowd. Really crazy.
How did you get involved with Soulwax?
We met when they were working on ʻPart of the Weekend Never Diesʼ. As they were moving their project to Belgium to do the editing and post production we got introduced by the production house. I did all the post production and colour grading of the movie at their studio in Ghent and at my house, so thatʼs how we became friends. I never really gave them any music until I made ʻYeah, Techno!ʼ. It just felt right.
How does it feel to have support from some of the biggest names in the business, Erol Alkan, Boys Noize and the 2 Many DJs brothers?
I couldnʼt ask for more. They are all really nice people and it feels good to be able to get advice from people who really know what they are talking about.
Are you looking forward to playing at Fabric this September?
Thatʼs an understatement. I canʼt wait to get to London and play at Fabric, it will also be my first gig in London and the start of a new wave of live shows.
What can we expect from your set?
It will unscrew your bellybutton and make your ass fall off.
What's in the pipeline for Paul Chambers?
So many things I can only hope they will all get done in time. A couple of remixes, a release in the UK, a release in Japan, a guest mix for the upcoming online Radio Soulwax, then some top secret stuff and of course a lot of gigs.
1. Some Secret Space Radio Recordings
2. Otto Von Schirach - Purple Pickle Eater
3. Paul Chambers & Shinichi Osawa - Singapore Swing
4. Chilly Gonzales - Never Stop (Erol Alkan Rework)
5. Jamie Lidell - I Wanna Be Your Telephone (Tigas Party Like It's 19909 Remix)
6. Distortion - The Sound
7. The Prodigy - Charly
8. Luke Vibert - Meatabix
9. Paul Chambers - Yeah, Techno! (Boris Dlugosch Edit)
10. Otto Von Schirach - Zombie Halloween Feat. Nastie
Invited by Kill Em All to host the third room of the crew's three-way takeover this Friday - which also features the Eat Your Own Ears collective lending some aural muscle to the lineup - the kind fellows behind ASBO, namely the Riotous Rockers - who run the Chalk Farm rave along with Alvin C - have put together a mix to commend their curation of our top floor. In their own words:
"its a mix of disco dynamite to celebrate our ASBO room this Friday! We're looking forward to playing with our Belgian brothers, The Glimmers. Always a pleasure... guaranteed goodtimes!"
1. Give it all you got - Beautiful Swimmers (U.S Future Times)
2. Come into my Life (Mugwump Remix) - Juergan Paape (Kompakt)
3. Sage Oil (Bottin Edit) (Artifacts 1)
4. Come on y'all - Jacques Renault (Private Release)
5. Flaming Hot - C.O.M.B.I (White Label)
6. Get to My Baby (TBD Extension) - TBD (Golf Channel)
7. Clear Skies (Villa Dub) - Keane (CDR)
8. Breakthrough - The Back woods (Ene Japan)
9. In the Candy Store - S.A.S (Foot and Mouth)
10. The Fire Below (The Revenge Bassline Dub) - Runaway (On the prowl)
11. Crystal Babe - Ajello (Gomma)
12. Without You - Art Department (Crosstown Rebel)
13. Swept Away - Mark Seven (Mule)
14. Walk like an Egytian - Cleo and Patra (White Label)
15. Misery (Hercules and Love Affair Remix) - Cock n bull Kid (CDR)
16. Grey Matter - Foog (Mule)
17. Pure and Easy (J R Seaton Phonebox Tapa) - Tape to Tape (Relish)
18. Take it in (Osborne Remix) - Hot Chip (Parlophone)
In the run up to the FWD>> + Rinse event, where we'll be celebrating the fact that London's biggest and most influential former pirate radio station is legally old enough to buy cigarettes, the station are giving away a selection of free tracks (16 in total to match the age achievement they're marking so poignantly with the party), one a day, until the 10th September.
We're on Day 4 right now and so far the site is hosting mp3s from Roska (whose give away 'Play Gamez' was hosted exclusively by XLR8R last week), Bok Bok, Zinc and P Money & Blacks (whose contribution to the initiative just went live on FACT earlier today).
This Saturday Bigger Deer Recordings will be taking over Room Three for the first time ever and BDR stalwart and label head, Lewis Ryder, has provided us with dishing out dibs on a mix comprised mainly of his own productions and Bigger Deer material.
Joining Mr. Ryder this weekend will be Raymundo Rodriguez, Huw Lloyd and our ever impressive Terry Francis.
Tracklist
1. Lewis Ryder - Simple Mindfields (Original Mix) [Electric Sheep]
2. Lewis Ryder - Fluffy White (Original Mix) [Bigger Deer]
3. Lewis Ryder - Pale Sky (Original Mix) [Wiggle]
4. Terry Francis & Klunk - Zulu (Lewis Ryder Remix) [Bigger Deer]
5. Lewis Ryder - Thursday Night (Alecs Marta Remix) [Bigger Deer]
6. Lewis Ryder - Kaffee-Monster schief gegangen (Original Mix) [Bigger Deer]
7. Lewis Ryder - Aussdisco (Original Mix) [Bigger Deer]
8. Lewis Ryder - Hole 18 (Original Mix) [Eukatech]
9. Lewis Ryder - Familiar Beep (Original Mix) [Cuatro]
10. Lewis Ryder - Stinkface (Klunk & Zilly aka Terry Francis Remix) [Bigger Deer]
11. Lewis Ryder - 606 Monday (Original Mix) [Unsigned]
Earlier this month, we were all shocked by the news that long established Soho record shop, Harold Moores was closing for a re-fit and in order to prepare its shop for a revamp, staff chucked out thousands of records – dumped in a skip outside for anyone to just walk past, jump in and pick up what was thought to be up to 20,000 rare musical gems. Unfortunately we missed out on the gold mine and have been kicking ourselves ever since but with the dream still alive, we caught up with techno veteran Tim Green to ask him, if he had been in Soho that day which records would he have saved and why?
The Dirtybird/Cocoon stalwart has also given us an exclusive mix to download which burns a raucous party atmosphere and has been heating up the fabric office of late.
1. Pat Metheny - As Falls Wichita
Pat Metheny Group can do no wrong in my opinion. This is one of my many favourite records by Pat Metheny, due to childhood memories mainly. Only 5 tracks on here I think, but all really long and interesting Jazz; kinda similar in feel to Miles Davis’ ‘In A Silent Way.
2. Jeff Buckley – Grace
One of the most haunting and beautiful albums; it’s a real favourite of mine. An absolute perfect record in my opinion; everyone should have a copy of this!
3. Bjork - Vespertine
I love everything Bjork does, but this is my favourite record by her. She always has the ability to re-invent herself. She can always get away with just realising any type of music she wants; people expect it from her :) This album though is brilliant for the use of technology and tiny sounds, mixed with incredible choirs and orchestras. The group Matmos was a huge part to this album also.
4. Daft Punk - Discovery
This is the record that got me into dance music. Funnily enough it wasn't ‘Homework’ (just because I heard ‘Discovery’ first tbh). But I’d never heard anything like them before.
5. Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue
A recent addition to my favourite records, I really can’t stop listening to it. The title track is incredible and is what I first heard from the album. Sounds just like a road trip to me. Plus it’s on Warp, who are easily one of the best labels in the world. Such a great mix of musical styles all perfectly working together – a super talented artist.
6. DJ Shadow - Entroducing
This record definitely should be saved. If you haven't heard this album then you should punish yourself! Another record that got me into dance music heavily. The ‘Changeling’ track is my favourite, especially as its time signature is 7/4 or 14/8.
7. Rowan Blades, Chris LakeFilth (Andy Page Remix)
Getting back to dance music, this was an incredible remix in my opinion. I used to really love breaks, also a lot of the progressive stuff. It had such incredible atmosphere but with the crispest beats. It was so futuristic when I heard it. Andy Page has some incredible production skills.
8. Illogic & Raf - Could It Be
I was into drum and bass a long time before I started producing techno/house. I learnt to DJ with drum and bass and used to produce it. This was my favourite record from that time. It has everything I loved about drum and bass - moody, trippy and rolling!
9. Gaiser - Egress
This record still blows me away. So futuristic, it influenced me so much. The best groove on any record. Ridiculously funky!
10. JD - Sealed Up
I think if this album exists anywhere, it would be in a record shop like Harold Moores. It’s a brilliant folk/country album by an English musician, with the most incredible songs - in a very similar vein to Sparklehorse. I made a copy on minidisc from a good friend from college whose step Dad engineered on the record I think but I’m pretty sure it never came out; maybe only on promo copies in record stores. So I’m not even sure if that was the name of the LP, or even what the track names are, but it’s got such great songs.
Russ Gabriel is a name synonymous with UK Techno and we're ever incredibly pleased to welcome him to Room Two for an extra special live set alongside Ben Sims and Ben Klock this Saturday. To fill you in; Gabriel's first full techno release came out back in 1993 on his newly formed Ferox label after that he went on to record for most of the major techno forces of the 90’s including Carl Craig’s Planet-E, Peacefrog Records, DJAX-Up-Beats, GPR, Force-Inc, Soma Recordings, New Electronica and Dave Clarke’s Magnetic North to name just a few. In more recent times Russ has recorded for Sushitech, Pariter, Mobilee, Steve Bug’s Pokerflat, Morris Audio, Dieb and many others.
Now, after a year bouncing mixes back and forth Russ’ collaboration with Dutch producer TJ Kong and vocalist legend Robert Owens, their collaborative project will finally bear fruit on Chicago’s Large Music label with Large - a label boasting an already impressive roster including Kerri Chandler and Roy Davis Jr - set to release the trio's EP entitled 'Celebration' on both vinyl and digital formats. Forthcoming before the end of 2010 Russ’ follow-up to 'Returning Home' will be released on Greek label Dieb Audio. 2011 should also prove to be an extremely exciting year for Gabriel and his projects as it sees the launch of Ferox Audio Systems and their new DJ/Live software which Gabriel has been hard at work on, testing and developing the new system during 2010.
In anticipation of his performance this weekend he kindly put together a promo mix that finds him in majestic form.
1. Dynamo (Falko Brocksieper Remix) - Rene Breitbarth - Deep Data
2. Latin Lover (Microsoul Remix) - Moving Cities - Lust Recordings
3. In My House - Martin Eyerer & Bjan - Airdrop Records
4. Funkmatic (Garcy Noise Remix) - Alex V - Justified Cause Recorthings
5. Out To Lunch (Raw Beats Edit) - Russ Gabriel - Dieb Audio
6. Covert Action - Falko Brocksieper - Tuning Spork Records
7. 12.34 PM (Electric Indigo Remix) - Toktok - Toktok Records
8. Jupiter - Tom Flynn - Artform
9. Where Were You - Rolando - Delsin
10. Tears - Monkey Harris - Unreleased
11. Go Deeper (Kenny Larkin Remix) - Anonym - Sushitech
12. Sleepless in Striesen - Insect O - Etoka
13. Da Beat - Russ Gabriel - Unfinished/Unsigned
In the wake of the run up to the release of his debut artist album, entitled ‘Circadian,’ on Bristol’s Tectonic label, it’s a little hard to wade through the c-grade pirate puns that have besieged coverage of Jack Sparrow’s heavy brace of dubstep music. Hailing from Leeds, Sparrow has to date released singles on Senseless, Tectonic and the closely affiliated ‘Earwax label but his debut long player – being launched in Room Three on the 17th September ahead of its October release - hints at a lot more than the tough, tribal sound he’s displayed to date – touching on the house tempo as well as jungle alongside his 140 bpm tempoed productions.
Ahead of the release party – which features Tectonic boss Pinch alongside Sparrow, Heny G, Cyrus and Exodus from Leeds – we asked him to put together a collection of YouTube videos that best sum him up, with only one express request: “make it not about dubstep;” something he seemed to revel in.
In his own words the following represent: “a week of records all over the floor and about 150 cups of tea, on the plus side some good memories were re-visited. Anyway you could call these tunes my desert island discs and they are the tunes I have grown to love since I was born. Spanning from 1972 -2005…”
Curtis Mayfield - Pusherman (1972)
"Curtis Mayfield has his own little spot in my collection with this track and 'Move On Up' and 'Gimme Your Love;' all of which are solid soul gems. I am a massive fan of Al Green, George Benson, Jonas Brothers, Stevie Wonder and the Commodores too. 'Pusherman' was also featured in a wicked film called 'Superfly' - check it out."
The Police - Walking On The Moon (1979)
"This track really reminds me of growing up with my sister; 'The Police' and artists like Tim Buckley, Jeff Buckley, The Beatles and Iggy Pop will always get a regular spin at my house. There is a wicked MTV unplugged version of 'Walking on the Moon' flying around. Grab it on sight. It is amazing."
The Cure - Close To Me (1985)
"Other than being really, really strange, Robert Smith provided a wicked vocal on this track from the mid 80's. It reminds me of holidays when I was young, my Mum's old hi-fi stack system, and Dennis the Menace wallpaper."
A Guy Called Gerald- Voodoo Ray (1988)
"Manchester at its best I would say… I never went to The Hacienda, I was too young, but I have friends who did and said how unique it was. This track was one of the earliest house productions I heard along with Mr Fingers 'Can you Feel It'. I have such a lot of acid house and techno through to minimal and lounge. This one beat is one I always seem to come back to though. I have it on tape ….and CD fortunately."
2 Bad Mice - Bombscare (1994 or earlier)
"Being a massive fan of old school is hard, people always show you something you haven't heard even after all these years, but this one track for me sums it up. Days of Krome and Time (suburban base) and the Kaos Theory compilations as well as Fantasia with Shitmatt and LTJ Bukem; I loved it all and still do, kind of wish I’d been born a little earlier."
With her upcoming performance slated on 10th September for the FWD>> & Rinse party celebrating the 16th birthday of London's most influential former pirate radio station, Rinse FM, Katy B's single 'On A Mission' - produced by one third of Magnetic Man, Benga - is riding super high in the midweek charts. There couldn't be a better time to show your support for underground UK music so we thought we'd link you to the video and slyly force your mouse over to this iTunes purchase link...
The Glimmers are coming backdown to Farringdon for a long over due DJ set on the 3rd September, heading the proceedings up in Room Three as part of ASBO's room takeover alongside Riotous Rockers and Alvin C. To poignantly tag the occasion they've offered up this short but sweet mini mix to get you suitably hyped.
Having reported last week on the launch of WetYourSelf’s new record label – we even gave you an exclusive minimix of forthcoming WYS! Recordings material (which you can grab here if you missed it) – the trio of WYS' Sunday night party starters Cormac, Jacob Husley and Peter Pixzel went even further and grabbed Pig & Dan - the techno minded duo they’ve secured for the very first 12” release on their fledgling imprint- for an exclusive interview.
WYS: You haven't played together for a while. How long has it been? What have you been up to and what can we expect from the new performance?
Pig & Dan: I think the main thing to expect is new sounds and new grooves by the bucket load...We have both had our heads down in the studio recently taking time out for our creative side and now it’s time to get out there and project the new sounds.
What are the plans for the future?
Apart from releasing loads of music and touring, as we always have, you will see the reopening of our old record label, Submission. We had to take a break from running our own label purely because of the effort it needed. We have a lot to do in a day of the general madness and now are very lucky to have somebody to start to manage the label for us.
How do you feel your sound has changed over the years?
That’s a hard one, we have never been that conscious of what we do or create, and we believe that that’s one of our advantages. I think we have learned a lot down the road and we are always just trying to better ourselves and are seldom happy with the end results. This keeps us on our toes and makes us keep on trying to do better…
What has been your musical journey?
As far as influence we both hold a very similar opinion on what affected us in a big way. Throughout our journey musically we both found that anything that moves you is what we go for. It doesn't matter what the genre of music it’s all about the feel and whether it grabs your balls or not.
What inspires you at the moment?
Everything… day to day life and everything that surrounds us. Technology is also very inspiring at the moment purely because it’s once again like experimenting like it was with the good old analog gear, now that software is becoming more organic. That’s very inspirational.
What other passions do you have?
Music.
You have performed two times before for us at WetYourSelf. What are your memories from these gigs?
Good times. A crowd of music lovers and not just folk who are there for the wrong reasons. It seems clear to us both that the followers of WYS is a team of true music lovers.
You are now releasing a full EP on WetYourSelf Recordings why did you choose to join the family?
That’s easy; we have known you for some time now and seen where your ambition lies. You hold the same passions we do and that’s the kind of family we all want to be a part of. Or not…?
WYS! 001: Pig & Dan –‘Ay Que Ver’ remixes by Alex Kid, Jacob Husley & Peter Pixzel is out Aug 31st. The release party this Sunday at the 3 Room WYS Bank Holiday Special featuring Pig & Dan in Room Two. For full line up/ticket info go here.
Sometimes we get all the spoils and this week has been no exception. As a result we're opening the floodgates up a crack and to follow up yesterday's Ben Sims competition we are today offering up 3 copies of Ben Klock's awesome 'Berghain 04' mix to you, the readers of this humble blog space. To be in with a shot at owning the mix that includes tracks from Klock himself, Martyn, Levon Vincent, DVS1, Kevin Gorman and sooooo many more just email us the answer to the following question:
Q: What is the name of the label Ben Klock runs?
Catch Ben alongside Ben Sims and Russ Gabriel (LIVE) in Room Two this Saturday.
All this can be yours. Simply email us with the words 'feed me some Ben Sims' in the subject header and we'll enter you into the draw to win one of 3 bundles of signed Ben Sims releases ('Escapism' Pt.2 Mixed by Ben Sims on CD and a 12" of his 'Second Time Around' single which features original tracks from Ben and a reworking on the eponymous track by Soko.
This opportunity has been brought to you by the power of freak weather, the letters C, B and A and Ben's headline billing in Room 2 this Saturday; where he's appearing alongside Berghain behemoth Ben Klock and and live set from Russ Gabriel.
