Posted in High Fidelity on Monday 09th August, 2010 by Smash Gordon
Changing his name in an attempt to free himself from the expectations of a legion of loyal DJ Clipz fans – or to avoid the all seeing eye of the law if his following delve into social paranoia is anything to go on – Redlight has already secured a powerful handful of highly vocal fans, with dubstep producers Skream and Rusko, BBC 1xtra’s Mistajam and Radio 1’s Annie Mac all singing his praises. With a new blend of club friendly UK music – feeding as much of the ominous bass weight of dubstep as the skip of UKG or the vibes of UK funky – he’s already released on the Digital Soundboy label and his next single, which features a vocal collaboration from Ms Dynamite, ‘What You Talking About?,’ is dropping later this month via Chase & Status’ fledgling MTA imprint.
But no matter what the success – as his recent tenure as one of 1xtra’s ‘In New DJs We Trust’ DJs attests to - you simply cannot suppress Redlight’s inquisitive side. Questioning society as much as he studies filter operations of bass frequencies we asked him to revive our High Fidelity list feature ahead of his Room One slot on the 20th August, and he picked his top 5 CIA conspiracy theories, complete with further reading on each...
Freeway Ricky
"The real and original Rick Ross. This guy was the ultimate G, or at least he thought he was until he realised his coke supplier turned out to be the CIA! He's still in prison now, whilst one of the main men involved in his whole operation has his own TV show on Fox News..."
Further reading...
The Moon Landing
"Did the CIA help NASA beat the Russians in the space race by faking the moon landing in a TV studio which was then watched by millions all around the world? Who really gives a fuck?"
Further reading...
Biggie and Tupac
"Did the CIA help to kill them? Did they try to stop the two powerful black icons becoming too influential? Or did they just take offence to Big's classic ‘The Ten Crack Commandments’?! Or maybe Biggie's bid to take over their favourite Krispy Kreme outlet was a step too far..."
Further reading...
Continue reading "High Fidelity: Redlight's Top 5 CIA Conspiracy Theories" »
If there's one thing missing in Room One, then a jacuzzi is top of the list. Well, all our wishes have come true as Jahcoozi (not too dissimilar to the frothy whirlpool alternative) drop it like it's hot at EC1's finest this Friday. The raucous BPitch trio will be celebrating a launch of their own, alongside our own FABRICLIVE 51, with their latest LP (which BPitch themselves described as: “the album nobody expected, but perhaps that is the only possible outcome for a band that holds unpredictability as its one constant principle”), ‘Barefoot Wanderer,’ being unleashed this week.
We have no idea why they're called Jahcoozi - in fact that would have been a good question to ask - but rather than indulge in hindsight, instead we went for the (not so) obvious...
If you were having an after-hours in a jacuzzi - dead or alive, who would you invite?
ROBOT KOCH
I would invite my dad cuz he never actually saw me play ever.
I would invite Motorhead cuz Lemmy is Lemmy.
OREN GERLITZ
I'd invite 3 dead writers and one live musician :
Jaroslav Hasek (Czeck) - the writer of 'The Good Soldier Schweik.' The book is hilarious and I've read it numerous times - I'm sure the guy would be a good laugh...he was known as a crazy bohemian and drinker...wicked sense of humor.
Mikhail Bulgakov (Russia) - great writer. My fave from him is 'Heart of A Dog.' He had a rather hard life with Stalin being hard on him, and I guess he could use a few after-death drinks.
Shamuel Yosef Agnon (Israel) - my all time favorite writer. I don't think he' s much of a party dude, but I'd like to chat to him nonetheless.
Hugh Masekela (South Africa) - Jazz musician. I love his music and vibe, and I'm sure he'll be great company.
SASHA PERERA
Sasha's Dad (Nagamuttu Ravindranathan)...haven't spoken to him in years so it could be a good opportunity to link up!
Sai Baba....so that Sasha's Dad has somebody to talk to.
Ravi Shankar...so that Sasha's Dad has something he can relate to while hanging in the chill out/opium den a.k.a. Lava Lamp Heaven.
Jackson 5...so that they could compare the soft-curl bounce of their afros with that of Sai Baba and discuss their different approaches to hair-management. It could also help tie in Frizz-Ease as a sponsor for the whole event. However, Jahcoozi's management will politely decline the Jackson's kind offer to perform at the party. Robot's favourite band Motorhead will be invited to play instead, and that for the whole night.
Hugo Schneider....my crazy next door neighbour who makes tonnes of weird art as well as cuts my hair, and makes me headpieces or clothing - some of which are made from weird stuff like tree bark, soundproofing foam, Bavarian table cloths or material his aunty brought back from her package holiday in Egypt. He could talk Sai Baba into getting a different haircut.
Günter Wallraf...the infamous German undercover journalist & writer. So he can disguise himself as a Kurdish toilet cleaner and document the whole event from the point of view of a Kurdish toilet cleaner.
J.G.Ballard...to use the event as inspiration for his next Sci-Fi, Distopian future orgy novel, which will of course be turned into a Blockbuster movie followed by a revolutionary new brand of crisps...yes, we want the whole media package.
Moondog...to make tunes with us at the barefoot after-party which will go on till the day upon which the next leap year is celebrated.
Shyam Selvadurai....author of the book 'Funny Boy,' which tells the story of a gay Tamil boy's childhood which takes place before the backdrop of the events leading up to the pogroms/1983 riots in Sri Lanka. He should come so that me and my dad are not the only Sri Lankans in da house...
In order to celebrate the release of the 100th chapter of our CD mix series next month, Kultureflash’s music editor, James Lawrence goes back over the last eight and a bit years of monthly releases to pick his top three mixes and the seven runners up.
Third Place: FABRICLIVE 40: Noisia (2008)
When tasked with picking my top three fabric mixes I knew immediately which releases were going to be taking the two top spots and in which order. The third place was not so straightforward. This is not to say, I faced a challenge of painstakingly deciding between a shortlist of fifteen possibilities. As much as I enjoy what is effectively Omar S’ greatest hits, the last podium spot was only ever going to either John Tejada’s excursion into knotted techno or Noisia’s battery ram of future tech D&B.
Having spent the best part of the last week trying to decide whether the overall sonic assault of Noisia’s FABRICLIVE was superior to the trance rinse-down at the end of Fabric 44 or not. Fairly or unfairly, I came to the conclusion that JT’s effort was too similar to the mixes occupying the top spots and picking a third techno mix wasn’t doing justice to fabric’s extensive catalogue. Meaning the Dutch trio take the bronze with what is easily the most aggressive and menacing chapter of the series to date.
Second Place: fabric 08: Radioactive Man (2003)
After his truly seminal, self-titled debut album (where was this in all the recent decade countdowns?), Keith Tenniswood returned to the fold for Fabric’s fifteenth instalment. Cutting faster than a Columbian barber and showing less restrain than an Angolan arms dealer, fabric 08 is a shining example of how to ride nosebleed breaks.
Whereas Noisia’s relentless chapter arguably substitutes the dancefloor in favour of audio brutality, Weatherall’s right-hand man keeps the machine funk integral throughout. After a number of highlights including the wrecking ball tear of Depth Charge’s ‘Honour’ and the tribal chug of Jammin’s 'As We Do’, fabric 08 aptly crashes to a grizzly end with Disco D’s nu-glam classic ‘Fuck Me On The Dancefloor’. All in all, a great reminder of Tenniswood’s legendary Haywire sessions at the club.
First Place: fabric 13: Michael Mayer (2003)
With what I would happily argue is one of the best techno spins of all time, Kompakt’s head honcho wraps this countdown up with relative ease.
Firmly in contention with Playgroup’s DJ Kick’s and Hawtin’s DE9 edit for the best mix of the last decade, fabric 13 isn’t just my pick simply because it boasts a selection of some of the most emotive tracks in the electronic remit. It’s because of the way Mayer manages to expertly craft a doe-eyed warmness around a number of tracks (many from Kompakt’s extended crew) that alone sound stark and disjointed.
Laced with enough melancholic seduction to send Eno weak at the knees, Mayer seamlessly joins the dots from Italo-piano to early-noughties tech-house before climaxing with Jackson’s Midnight Fuck remix of M83’ Run Into Flowers’. Mayer is often praised for his Immer mix from 2002, but for me, fabric 13 is still his finest moment.
So there we are. Two parts comprised of beats tough enough to make your neighbours think twice about complaining and one part euphoric beauty. Surely a winning formula for any CD mix series...?
Runners Up:
4th: John Tejada Fabric 44
5th: Omar-S Fabric 45
6th: Spank Rock FabricLive 33
7th: Marcus Intalex FabricLive 35
8th: Tyrant Fabric 15
9th: Martyn Fabric 50
10th: Ricardo Villalobos Fabric 36
If you totally agree or feel I’ve grossly overlooked your favourite fabric instalment then please feel free to make your feelings known in the comment box below.
Posted in High Fidelity on Friday 08th January, 2010 by Sam Collenette
London based producer and DJ Jozif is a man whose star is most definitely in the ascendance. He has quickly forged a name for himself and is being touted by all those in the know as one to watch. He has been winning over some influential fans like Andrew Weatherall and Howie B with his delicious blend of tech house and hypnotic minimal (check ‘Sonar 8’) and has released on Fear Of Flying, Coincidence and Fondation Records as well as his own MOG imprint. Jozif will be taking to the decks in Room One on Saturday alongside legends Craig Richards and Jay Haze, with Terry Francis and Wasted Chicago Youth taking care of business in Room Two...
Ahead of his appearance at the club he has passed on some classic thigh-slapping music gags which will have you laughing all the way to the club.
JOZIF'S TOP FIVE (REALLY) CRAP MUSIC JOKES
Q. What do you call someone that hangs round with musicians?
A. A drummer!
Q. How do you know when a drum solo is bad?
A. The bass player notices!
Q. What’s the difference between a blues guitarist and jazz guitarist?
A. A blues guitarist plays few chords to 100s of people, whereas a Jazz guitarist plays 100s of chords to few people!
Q. What does a drummer throw a drowning guitarist?
A. His amplifier!
Q. What’s the difference between a drum machine and a drummer?
A. A drum machine won't speed up and won't nick your girlfriend!
Posted in High Fidelity on Thursday 17th September, 2009 by Gineric
Survival, known to his mates as Steve, has been one of drum & bass’ most prolific producers of the last few years. Getting his first releases in 2006, he’s been unstoppable ever since, chalking up 12”s on some of the scene’s best labels, from Fabio’s Creative Source to Friction’s Shogun Audio, from Flight’s Play:Musik to the never less than brilliant Horizons. It all culminated recently though in the release of his debut, self-titled, long player earlier this summer, an album that took his sonic template to a new level, mining new depths of his creativity – it’s an album that improves with every listen. That it was released on D-Bridge’s Exit Records is no surprise, the Exit Records influence can be felt in everything good going on in D&B right now. With a Survival appearance here set for September 18, and with our recently developed Bear Grylls survival tips obsession, we thought who better to offer…survival (geddit?) tips on coping with a night at fabric…
Top 5 Survival Tips for fabric
1. Make a note of where you park your car to save hours of searching after leaving fabric
2. Remember to breathe
3. Check with your associates that they Know What you mean (pron. Ya Nar Mean ?)
4. Never smoke outdoors in the rain; it will wet your ciggie
5. Have a weekly debate on current issues: Vinyl vs CD; which sounds better?
Top 5 tunes That’ll Help You Survive Any Set
1 Sun Chase - Eye Witness - Revolution Rec
2 Survival - Pray - Audio Tactics
3 Silent Witness - Take It Back
4 SpectraSoul - BURIED - 31 Records
5 Abstract Elementz - Abysmal Depth - Exit Records
The career of 
As we longingly look out the window, daydreaming of blazing English summers in the capital - sipping shandys, daytime debauchery, al-fresco dining...it’s fitting that the much hyped (and rightly so) Hot City brings a bit of the outdoors indoors for a Room Three rave up at the end of this month. Expect the bassbin-bashing Hot City to deliver a unique mash of 2-step twinged, Old Skool twanged dance musique for your raving pleasure...with a good ol' fashioned helping of juke to top it off. Unmissable, truly.
We love to make lists. We live to make lists. If it wasn’t proof that we have way too much time on our hands, we’d tell you all about the winners of our departmental awards ceremonies [ahem, Best Smile In Electronic Music went to Tom Middleton in '06 (a grin so bright, it could power the city of London) and Claude VonStroke seems to win Best Laugh in Dance Music consistently every year (it's like a combination of 
77a Charterhouse Street, London, EC1M 3HN
Tel: +44 (0) 207 336 8898 Call via Skype
Fax +44 (0) 207 251 6118
The website of fabric nightclub in London, EC1. Buy tickets for events, CDs from the record label or listen to hours of CD quality music from fabric's DJs.
