Our Sunday night mainstays and lovers of all things house and techno, WetYourSelf - powered by the combined force of Cormac, Peter Pixzel and Jacob Husley - have embarked on a brand new adventure. Channeling their long running WYS! night, crew and the leigon of talented artists they've invited to perform they've birthed a brand new record label, and are set to release one 12" a month kicking things off with the ‘Ay Que Ver’ by the super awesome Pig & Dan.
Featuring remixes from Alex Kid plus WYS!'s own Peter Pixzel and Jacob Husley the single will be available both physically and digitally from the 31st August. To mark the occasion they'll be launch the record and their label down here next weekend on Bank Holiday Sunday (flyer and details below).
They've also passed us an extra exclusive minimix teaser which features a lot of forthcoming material from the label for your enjoyment.
Future releases are due from WYS! family members with people like Miss Kittin, Alex Under, Chris Liebing, David Keno, Paul Brtschitsch, Lopazz, Martinez, Mathias Mesteno, Kanio all set to release or remix tracks.
The venerable RAM Records label celebrates its 18th Birthday in majestic style in Room One on the 6th August; inviting the toast of the town Chase & Status- fresh from working with the likes of Rhianna - to DJ with MC Rage alongside RAM boss man, Andy C and Soul:ution honcho Marcus Intalex. Packing out the rest of their room line up with slots from Xample & Lomax and Calyx & TeeBee, two duos whose imminent albums are set to shake the foundations of many a soundsystem upon their release and further support comes from the DC Breaks duo and the widely respected d&b hustler, Red One.
The RAM curated Room Two houses more of a mixture of genres, from the bolshy club sonics of Scratch Perverts, to the heavy drum & bass stylings of Culture Shock onto the moody halfstep of the Swamp81 signed Kryptic Minds going beyond into the realms of house, techno and more thanks to the pairing of Applepips boss man Appleblim and his militant protégé Al Tourettes.
To stand hand in hand with this announcement we've been passed an excerpt of DC Breaks' Live set from this year's Glastonbury festival that was originally broadcast on Annie Nightingale's BBC Radio 1 show:
ROOM ONE: RAM 18TH BIRTHDAY...
Andy C, Chase & Status (DJ Set) & MC Rage, Marcus Intalex, Xample & Lomax, Calyx & TeeBee, DC Breaks, Red One
MCs: GQ, IC3, FATS
It goes without saying that summer vibesing is happening all over the city. So we thought we'd share the warmth, and give you young guns (students) and wise folk (fabricfirst members) an extra reason to wild out in the sunshine...
For all of July, students only pay £10 for every Friday and Saturday night of the month. 1-0. It's your choice: 10 ice cream sandwiches, or a night out to some seriously ballin' affairs this summer. The £10 price tag even applies to our next endurance test, ON...
fabricfirst members are FREE for the entire month of July, with a guest at concession price.
Either way, we advise you to take a page out of Lunice's book (above) - snap your fingers and do your step. Enjoy the heat wave while it lasts.
Calling all photography buffs...come forth, we're in need of your expertise to capture our fabric and FABRICLIVE nights in all their glory.
The perks include:
1) Free entry (and guestlist for a couple mates) and a few cheeky drinks on the nights that you work.
2) A rare opportunity to build up your portfolio with photos of the DJs and bands that play at our disco.
3) The chance for your photos to be published in the various publications and websites we work with around the world (that includes our blog).
4) A fantastic opportunity for networking.
If that sounds up your street, please send us your portfolio or email us a bit about yourself: hotdesk@fabriclondon.com
Please note: We are primarily looking for professional, semi-professional and university-level photographers.
There will be no closing date for applicants as this as it will be an ongoing task. The more, the merrier.
It's certainly very good news to us: Mr. Richard Fearless is back in town. His Death In Vegas FABRICLIVE 23 mix CD is still a firm favourite around these parts and there's even promise of brand new artist material this year.
As a starter, here are two brand new mixes he's given us. First is a late night techno belter which is what we know him for and the other a cold wave set he recorded live in the upstairs room of a pub a couple of weeks ago. Both are totally amazing.
The world looks just that little bit brighter when you get a chance to see it through the eyes of Keith Reilly, creative director of fabric. Speaking to him, you’re much more likely to get wrapped in a discussion on Dagur Kári or the austere power of Scott Walker, or a heated debate about why fiction is pointless (“Fiction is far too lightweight compared to facts,” he often tells me), than you are a dialogue about fabric (“It’s pure self indulgence,” he said recently on RA).
Living a life fuelled solely by creativity and passion, Keith’s on an eternal search for things that touch and astonish him. His record collection, certainly one of the biggest in the UK, attests to that. He’s a digger, a collector, an obsessive…and a dedicated spirit on a mission to share the wonderful things he finds. Working with him, you realize quite quickly that “pure self indulgence” are three words he takes to heart. And that’s a beautiful thing. With a contagious sense of childlike enthusiasm, Keith somehow finds magic in the most unlikely places.
When I first came across .Cent, I found myself thoroughly consumed, devouring every page from top to bottom, whizzing from cover to cover. Keith, of course, fell head over heels for it instantly; he was cut from the same cloth (sorry, pardon the fabric pun). He applauds anyone with an anarchist slant in general, but .Cent’s approach floored even him – with no proper journalists on board, they use what they call ‘Circlical Publishing.’ In their own words: “.Cent is a bi-annual magazine celebrating creativity in all its forms. In each issue we invite a well-respected creative, or creative duo, to choose a title that expresses something core to their beliefs. They then invite people with whom they have worked, or admire, to interpret the title from their own imaginative perspectives, giving readers the opportunity to see the guest editor in a more personal light, whilst also showing all the facets that they encompass. .Cent then welcomes a worldwide network of creatives from fashion, art, music, design, illustration, literature and others, to contribute with their own interpretation of the title. These contributions are then shared with the readers without the heavy hand of an intrusive editorial opinion. This inimitable concept allows contributors to speak directly to the readers, creating an intimate yet open debate.
In a final step, .Cent encourages readers to offer their ideas and suggestions for contributions to the following issue. The distinctive process as a whole, .Cent calls Circlical Publishing. TM.”
Last summer, .Cent asked Keith to come on board as guest editor for the next issue of their bi-yearly labour of love. After over 8 months of planning and exchanging ideas (and .Cent having a superhuman sense of patience with us, I might add) that issue – ‘A Sense of Purpose’ – is out now.
Keith explains his title: “The briefest glance at dictionary definitions of the word purpose reveals its relationship with art that transcends mere aesthetics.
‘The reason for which something is done or created or for which something exist’
‘Purpose is the cognitive awareness in cause and effect linking for achieving a goal in a given system, whether human or machine.’
A sense of purpose is fundamental to everything we do at fabric, otherwise, quite simply, what would be the point. Replication is utterly devoid of any level of stimulation to me. If we do not aspire to do things differently we are not creating, we are involved in nothing more sophisticated than a manufacturing process.
Art that truly has a sense of purpose distinguishes it from frivolous plagiarism and the arena of arts and craft. Read in either direction the phrase may encapsulate a quality in any piece of art that makes it extraordinary or distinctive. Read as written, the statement is self-explanatory. When read in reverse it explores art in a wider context. The very purpose of art is to affect any of your senses and there is often a point when any piece either makes sense or it doesn’t. This may be a consequence of the environment in which you experience it or something as simple and intangible as timing. This is when something quite inconsequential yet beautiful comes into focus, when we see it, when we understand it, when it touches us. The touch we spend our lives in search of. That moment of beauty when everything other than this moment or object of beauty wilts beneath its majesty and all that remains is you and it. This is the moment when you are in touch with the parts of your psyche or soul that only art can stimulate, and this is the reason our search for it becomes so intense and obsessive. For some of us it feels like our primary language, or at least the only one, we truly understand.”
Keep it locked here for more from the .Cent team and Keith over the next couple weeks. Head over to .Cent's site to nab a copy, or go support your local bookstore...the new issue is in good shops now.
Regular fabric residents Kill Em All are always ones for introducing interesting talent, but the buck doesn't stop at music. Hip and happenin' director Saam Farahmand has dipped his eye for filmmaking in everything; from installation art via music videos and TV ads to documantaries with his most notable work being scene of the times rockumentary Part of the Weekend Never Dies, which follows Soulwax's hedonistic journey on the road of some previous world tour.
His latest project, VideoPortraits, is an all out AV show that will be performed in Room two for the Kill Em All takeover 7th May. Having debuted his London show at the Wilkinson Gallery alongside Simian Mobile Disco back in Feburary, the performance works as a sort of visual DJ set whereby footage of various (and some recognisable) people dancing to their favourite tunes is mixed together using DVD's of each portrait.
Sound complicated? Just come and see for yourself, you'll get the picture...
If your dancefloor fetish is mind-bending sounds, catchy hooks and full on booty-full house music, then the latest news of Claude Von Stroke’s '5 Years of dirtybird' compilation (out this month) should have you dancing like a monkey on a hotplate. Laying down a triple CD pack of greatest hits, a special Justin Martin mix and beats from the hotly tipped, newly signed dirtybirds; it’s the kind of cut that we thought deserved some words from the dirtybird family themselves. Speaking openly about the spirit of dirtybird and its history, the boys and gal from San Francisco spill the dirt on making wonderfully quirky samples, the newbies on the imprint - and they tell us that if you want to be a dirtybird, you have to be raised in the zoo...
Your 5 year release is a brilliant concept looking into the past, present and future of dirtybird. The label really puts a stamp on all their releases - why is this such an important part of your sound?
I guess it is serendipity how things happen. Justin Martin had just finished making the "Sad Piano," which was going to be dirtybird #001. It was a moody house affair with a beautiful piano riff. I loved the track and apparently so did everyone else because we got an email from Ben Watt saying he had a CD given to him in Miami of the track and HE wanted to sign it. Justin and I are friends before business so I thought it would be much better for him to sign the track to Ben Watt's label for his career. So instead of that melancholy house tune we got Justin's NEXT single to be dirtybird #001. This one he made with Sammy D (the USA Sammy) and it was quite the opposite of the Sad Piano. It was a super weird bass track with fart noises, animal sounds and even a totally bonkers hillbilly rap in the middle. The track was called "The Southern Draw" and it got us in with a popular underground distributor in Germany. It's funny how fate shaped the image of the label from day one. dirtybird never looked back from this wild and crazy ethos and I feel like maybe it would have been a totally different label if the "Sad Piano" had been the first hit release. Maybe everyone would have been trying to make moody melodic house instead of insane.
With Disc Three of the compilation in mind…who are the future dirtybirds to be aware of?
Disc three is how I like to do business. I like to sign tracks that work for me that I've tested in the club. I do not care where they come from, I just care what they sound like. A lot of people send in demos and believe it or not I would say 25% of the tracks on Disc 3 are from demos and 75% from people I know from dirtybird in the past. I listen to every single demo that comes in and I am always listening on the road for new talent. So when you send in your demo to us it gets heard. Believe it.
SASCHA BRAEMER
I am totally feeling this guy's work. He is kind of a label hopper, which is not my favorite thing but the music is so hot I can't deny it. I can’t say I found Sascha from nowhere, he already has quite an extensive list of originals and he is one half of Heinrichs and Hirtenfellner, who had an amazing album on Highgrade last year. You will be hearing more from Sascha this year for sure on dirtybird...
J PHLIP
This is my homegirl from Chicago. She moved to SF and got a spot in the dirtybird crew right away (which is not so easy, as we've had the same 4 people for 7 years!). She plays ghetto style house and I think she has a really bright future on dirtybird. I convinced her to move to Berlin for the summer because so far not many people from Europe have heard her play. I think she will turn some headz…
HICCUP
I found these guys through Tamara, who is our booking agent in Germany. She just handed me the CD at dinner before playing at Panorama Bar. I went back to my room and put it on and was like Whoah! I played the "Hiccup Theme" that night and knew it would be signed by the next day. Hot shit! Then I found out later these guys have their own party going on in their hometown in Northern Germany with a nice big following so I'm expecting to hear more soon!
Can you spill the dirt on some of your all time favourite dirtybird moments?
My best dirtybird moment was at one of our Golden Gate Park parties three summers ago. It was the last outdoor of the season and I was closing the party after Style of Eye. While I was playing, the sun started to go down. We usually stop the party when it starts getting dark out. But everyone in the crew just kept on telling me to keep on playing. It got so dark that I could not see the mixing board, so everyone started pulling out their cell phones so I could see what I was doing. I played one of the best sets I have ever played that day. It was a really magical moment and an epic end to our outdoor party season that year.
Can you spill the dirt on some of your all time favourite dirtybird moments?
I haven’t technically been a part of dirtybird for the whole 5 years - but I have known the boys for pretty much the entire time so I guess I have been along for much of the ride! Some of the best moments for me have been the little random things that happen when we all get together...piling into taxis in Miami, sneaking into the pawn shop twice at WMC, rocking out to Matthew Dear at Jazid 6 years ago...those are some of my earlier moments with the boys. There are so many stories and moments – here’s few that pop into my mind from when I have been around: flying out to SF to see the premier of "Snakes on a Plane" at the theater with the whole crew, which led to DJing at the dirtybird party for the first time ever back when it was a monthly at a lil spot called "Shine"... I ended up not going home for 10 days and my life has never been the same. An 18 hour trip to Vegas with Justin, Christian, & Fernando - enough said. Barclay signing my first tune Rumble, Rumble at WMC 2008... and the 3 days of dirtybird Bootcamp that followed, in which I failed! Watching Barclay play at DEMF - everyone was packed into the beatport tent - I was standing next to his Mom, it was the first time she had ever seen him play. AMAZING MOMENT!
Lovers of wax come forth, unite, and let us all celebrate the much desired format that shall not die: our pure, irreplaceable, solid piece of Vinyl. This Saturday 17th April, the world will celebrate Record Store Day; a day of celebration for the unique culture surrounding independent record stores throughout the world. Founded in the US back in 2007 by a group of likeminded vinyl junkies, this musical equivalent of Christmas is specifically aimed at record stores that operate independently without control of the corporate hand. On top of this, many artists and bands are contributing special vinyl and CD releases to coincide with Record Store Day. With such positive backing from major artists, much can be said for the apparent state of the music industry in these dark times where Simon Cowell and reality TV clog the airwaves.
Watch this kooky video to get the low down on RSD affiliated releases.
Although this is predominantly a US day of celebration, it's aimed at the whole world; so whichever part of the planet you dig, support your record store.
We're currently hosting exclusive recordings of DJ sets from Brackles b2b Jackmaster - which was recorded on the 2nd April at the Numbers takeover - French dubstep producer F and the combined forces of Ben Sims and Surgeon under their Frequency 7 alias and Mr. Sims was also kind enough to let us stream his set from the same night too!
There are also a couple of videos of performances from Gaslamp Killer and Dorian Concept taken from the hyper Brainfeeder London event back in March - thanks to the kindness of Red Bull Music Academy - plus there's recent archived sets from Alex Downey, Mark Broom, Ben UFO, D1 and exclusive footage from last year's Leftroom takeover.
Celebrating 3 years in the business, Oslo (the label, not the Norwegian city) will be stopping by to take over Room Two tomorrow night as part of their worldwide tour. Hosting the birthday shenanigans will be Damian Schwartz, performing live, and the labels' two founders; Federico Molinari and Nekes.
For those of you hunting for music this weekend, be sure to check their newest gem, Don't Believe The Hype. Marking their 3rd year on the trot, Oslo's first compilation glitters with the dazzling artists that make up the Mannheim-based imprint.
And for those of you coming down tomorrow, here's a little taster of what's to come...
El-B and J Da Flex are widely regarded as pioneers of the dubstep sound, combining the swung drum patterns of UK garage with drum & bass’ ominously powerful potential on their Ghost Recordings imprint.
El-B's not so subtle fusion of taught 2step drums and dark, ever moody basslines thrust him into the limelight as a dark garage protégé; his influence on the now blossoming genre was summarised by the Tempa label on the 'Roots of El-B' compilation released in February of 2009; an incredible and just collection of El’s haunting dancefloor opus’.
After holding down a 3 year tenure on BBC 1xtra, helming the Underground Knowledge Show - a show name checked by many of today's uber producers (people like Brackles and Untold) as one of the places they went to hear this kind of new music first - Flex now holds down a residency on the internet station Ramp Radio and ahead of the release of ‘Nu Levels’ – an album featuring a collection of new productions– El and J will be pre-empting their album launch party on the station at 9pm GMT on Friday 9th April along with DJ Narrows, presenting some of the album material and giving away some tickets to the night.
We're looking for a graphic design/web design intern to come join us for a month or two at fabric's offices in Farringdon, London. Starting ASAP.
We need someone with some graphic design experience who is interested in gaining further skills and experience in the field. You will be
responsible for updating and aiding in the development of the fabric website and other web-based projects. You will also be responsible for
updating and managing our online presences on third-party sites such as Facebook and MySpace and YouTube.
You must be able to work in our Farringdon office, as stated above. Anyone asking to commute from Pyongyang 6 days a week will probably not be considered.
Required skills and experience:
Design skills
Photoshop
Experience with social-networking sites
Advantageous skills and experience:
PHP or similar server-side languages
Basic HTML and CSS
Basic Audio/Video editing
If you are interested in gaining further skills and experience within the design and web-development field contact robin@fabriclondon.com
Blue Daisy, a Camden dwelling producer tipped for great things by all the right tastemakers, joins Autonomic this Friday night in Room Three alongside Instra:mental, dBridge and DJ Flight. Having released two singles to date on Black Acre, along side a few remixes, he's one of the brightest talents coming out of the dubstep/hip hop/bass music quagmire at the moment.
Something he illustrated perfectly in a recent mix for The Quietus.
With Cormac being the co-promoter and weekly resident of Wetyourself, as well as an all round top chap, we can say in all earnest how truly proud we are of his latest success in achieving his debut release on Memo. As a sub-label of Ellen Allien's BPitch Control label, Memo was created specifically for new and emerging talents, and that suits Cormac down to a tee. With the release date set for some time in June, he sure is one talent to keep an eye on over the next few months.
We got in touch with the man himself ahead of the Easter Bank Holiday WYS special and asked a few probing questions to shed some light on his upcoming exciting release, the 'Merlin' EP.
How does it feel to get involved with a label that holds such strong associations with the big boys and girls of techno as Memo has?
Well it feels very positive, it’s very encouraging. The Bpitch/Memo label and family are something I’ve been following since their first releases… I had a rebirth of interest in electronica, techno and electro back in 2001 and Bpitch were central to that. They’ve been a very important label for me, I’ve felt a connection with Ellen and the label since I first started to listen. It feels very special that now that they have felt some connection to me and what I’m doing... It feels good and I feel very lucky also.
It also exciting because as a family they are not just focusing on one style of music… they’re not afraid to take chances on things they believe in, which is daring. Most labels don’t operate this way; Bpitch are quite fearless, free and punk but with a lot of love behind them…. they are hippy punks :)
How long have you been producing for?
I have been producing and working on music since 2003. I first began working in collaboration with Peter Pixzel on our project Cavalier but since then I have collaborated with a few different producers, remixing or making solo material…
How would you describe your 'sound'?
My sound is often darker, more melancholy than what I expect it to be, but that’s the beautiful thing about making music, you’re only ever translating it… At the moment I’m enjoying taking old school elements and combining arranging them in a new school way, stripping things back, keeping things simple... finding 3 or 4 simple strong elements and making them work.
Are there any tracks/producers that stand out as having inspired/influenced your own musical style?
I’m a very lucky guy as I get to work and play alongside so many great DJ/producer talents… I hear a lot of great stuff on a weekly basis so it’s hard to say who from those guys influences me directly. I am drawn to the cold emotionality of techno, but outside of the club I listen to a lot of non techno music. I grew up on The Eurthymics, Fleetwood Mac, Fad Gadget, Talking Heads, Prince and lots of pop music. I take influence from them whether I try to or not… I think in order for me to do something fresh it’s important that I take inspiration from various sources, not just music that’s related to what I’m trying to do..
With over 15 years of experience under their belt, the Freaks sure do know how to write a banger. Since the get go, their aim has been to produce tunes that appeal to both the glittery mainstream and the dark underground, and they’ve achieved this goal with majestic class. Perhaps most well known for their filthy, low-slung '07 summer anthem 'The Creeps,' this Saturday the duo (Justin Harris and Luke Solomon) touch down in Room Three for an all-out Freaky invasion alongside Chitown legend Diz and the inimitable Jonny Rock. Their new 'Best of Times' compilation (released last month) features highlights from the first three albums, as well as new beats and an hour long DJ mix: perfect for those raw house, electro, disco music freaks.
Fuelled by a celebratory mood, the boys have put together a luscious mix - get your freak on and get downloading. Deep and dark at one moment, soulful and bouncy at the next, this mix is a true representation of their exciting, untouchable style.
1) John Larner - I Feel Like
2) Q - Burns Abstract Message- Chainsaw (Analog Version)
3) Laurent Garnier - It's Just Music
4) Freaks - Short Fuse
5) Brett Johnson - Missing You (Alland Byallo remix)
6) Kruse Nurnberg - Gone Daft (Sneak remix)
7) Solomun - Hypnotize - (Tobi Neumann Mix)
8) Tourist - Swedish Beatballs (John Victor Jnr remix)
9) Oliver $ - I Hope
10) M.U.G (MadeUnderGround) - Ride (Dub)
11) Freaks - Black Shoes White Socks
12) Timo Garcia and Leo Zero - Welcom To The Pleasure Dome
But there's more, too.
With their ‘UMakeNoSense’ EP (released in January on Crosstown Rebels) and their ‘Best of Times' LP, Freaks are asking you to get involved on their third release of 2010 to make it their best year yet. Their remix album ‘Freaks - Danced & Re-Ordered’ will be released on Music For Freaks this spring, and they're offering you the chance to have a go at remixing one of five of their classic tracks, that'll feature alongside remixes from other super producers like Rob Mello, Derrick Carter and Doc Martin.
Click over to the Freaks website where all the parts are up and ready for toying with: right HERE.
With digital services like Last FM changing the scope of radio, and sites like Chatroulette changing the face of office meetings (our meeting room is forever scarred), it's always exciting to stumble upon a new site/service on this limitless ol' interweb. It felt about time someone set up something like the new Youtube Radio we found today - it's like Youtube and Spotify's dynamic lovechild, with no annoying ads and an impressive selection of rarities.
Best of all, it keeps playing the next videos without having to click anything...which is key, if you want to speak to someone with a horse mask on Chatroulette at the same time.
It goes without saying that summer vibesing is happening all over the city. So we thought we'd share the warmth, and give you young guns (students) and wise folk (fabricfirst members) an extra reason to wild out in the sunshine...
Have a look here:
If your dancefloor fetish is mind-bending sounds, catchy hooks and full on booty-full house music, then the latest news of Claude Von Stroke’s 
With over 15 years of experience under their belt, the 
