The second half of that top 40

Here's what I've been listening to more recently during my insanely hectic late fall/winter 2009:

Underworld vs The Misterons-Athens (!K7)
The concept behind this DJ mix is crate-digging and in the band's own words "to highlight records we thought had great live playing on them." Seminal joys from the early Seventies including Alice Coltrane, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Roxy Music appear alongside more modern classics. What's amazing is that the contemporary selections from Moodyman, Osunlade, and Laurent Garnier stand tall in comparison to those inscrutable old classics. The mix is not complete until Miroslav Vitous' "New York City" and the new Underworld/Brian Eno pairing "Beebop Hurry" make appearances-at that point Athens becomes one for the ages.

Pere Ubu-Long Live Pere Ubu! (Hearpen/Smog Veil)
The long-awaited return of my most favortists Seventies punk absurdists was a true gift this year as David Thomas and (new) co. unleash one of the most brilliant, mean spirited albums of the decade. I cannot stop listening to the piece of high art! Insanely great and totally visionary.

Various-Kitsune Maison Compilation 8 (Kitsune)
The Kitsune imprint seems to me to be rather polemic in outward appeances-either folks are lovers or haters of the tres chic French label. I find myself in the middle, being only so-so on the Eighties/indie inspired trash but gaga over Kitsune's unique take on techno-one that sounds fresh and unforced. This one definitely surpassed the role of guilty pleasure with some inspired tuneage.

Hawke-+++ (Eighth Dimension)
Three cheers for the return of San Francisco's Gavin Hardkiss on this loopy, fun & sun exploration into the heart of the groove. This guy says he only makes music to please himself, from the sound of things on +++, he must be the happiest guy on Earth.

Granlab-Industrial Romance (Broque)
Okay, so this is only an eight track maxi-EP (or mini-LP, depending on how you slice it) but damn if this release from Heiko Schwanz isn't one of minimal's finest moments this year. Simply put, Granlab offers a full course of musical offerings that including beautiful swatches of pastoral melody and deep, meaningful ambient techno.

Etienne Jaumet-Night Music (Versatile)
Jaumet is an old school indie rocker with a yearning desire to fight limitations and to continue ongoing musical conversation. First came Zombie Zombie and now a daring solo release (produced by Carl Craig, no less) that channels Albert Ayler's menancing sax drone into a laser focused No Wave techno experiment. There are few tracks (six in total) and all unfold like a Sun-Ra Arkestra experiment gone horribly wrong. Kudos to Versatile for having the balls to release something so uniquely original.

Helado Negro-Awe One (Asthmatic Kitty)
Roberto Carlos Lange aka Helado Negro's bio speaks of comparisons to Arto Lindsay and Mayo Thompson with hints of Savath & Savalas and Christian Marclay when describing his new album Awe One. Where I come from, you have to have some serious guts to make those kinds of comparisons and, to no amazement, Lange backs-up his fightin' words. Awe One is the kind of album that embraces the lo-fi aesthetic while still stretching out into the great beyond with a big basketful of memorable tunes. It's hard not to be moved by the lazy summertime party grooves that propel this charming piece of work.

Various-Nigeria 70 2xCD (Strut)
This seminal comp makes a re-mastered appearance at the end of the decade
to remind everyone just how raw and fiery "Funky Lagos" was in the early Seventies. The grooves, the tunes, the energy-everything about this re-issue is perfect.

Samuel L. Session-The Man With The Case (Be As One)
The Man With The Case makes a strong argument that many of Session’s competitors in the techno genre have forgotten the secret formula. Here, he lays down a credible collection of hard techno that isn't pedantic or anachronistic. Instead he introduces elements of new-fangled production advances and recent changes in taste without losing his distinctive style, a sacrifice many others in his field seem willing to make for more commercial gains. He also adds some diversity to what is a simple collection of dancefloor cuts, adding deeper and more expansive ones to balance against the typical crateful of dark, menacing kinds found on these types of albums. The results are best described as thoughtful and energetic with Session remaining true to his techno roots whereas so many others have not.

Will Saul-Balance 015 3xCD (EQ)
The newest installment of the Balance series from the grand wizard-like record slinger Will Saul is a bit of a comedown after Joris Voorn's legendary offering. Over three disks, Saul offers a lot of cool sounds and ideas but he seems better suited to a live environment as this one never really gets cooking or finds the right groove for the appropriate duration.

Modeselektor-Body Language Vol. 8 (Get Physical)
German bass duo Modeselektor return, although at this point the duo has worn out its welcome with me proving themselves to be more flash than substance. However, on the latest installment of the essential Body Language series these guys go off on some bazillion track mix that sounds like M.I.A. ransacking Berlin's Hard Wax record shop in search of the perfect beat.

Various-Thoughtless Music Vol. 4 (Thoughtless Music)
This fourth collection of tracks from the always consistent Thoughtless Music imprint outta Toronto is solid. The comp is filled with essential late nighters from Jamie Kidd, Signal Deluxe, Limaçon, and a host of other North American techno standouts.


Jega-Variance Pts. 1 + 2 (Planet Mu)
Bass and IDM terrorist Jega returns for his first new album in nine years. Once again he proves why he is one of the best electronic producers in the game with one side of killer chill tunes and the other a tasteful collection of his drill & bass filtered through current electro-acoustic trends on Variance Pts. 1 + 2. The results are deviously gorgeous.

Diarmaid O'Meara-Structured Noise (Gobsmacked)
Irish three deck techno standout O'Meara releases his debut full length of streetsweeper strength nastiness. Too hard to be Detroit techno and too deep to be hardstyle, O'Meara treads new ground with something hard & fast that doesn't suck.

Lindstrøm & Christabelle-Real Life Is No Cool(Feedelity/Smalltown Supersound)
I really wanted to like this partnership more, some of Lindstrøm's ideas are solid and vocalist Christabelle has a nice set of pipes. But despite the tasrt Vangelis cover, this one quickly devolves into sub-Hall & Oates boogie rock with the requisite amount of Lindstrøm' deedle making this one nearly unbearable at times.

The Gaslamp Killer-All Killer (B-Music)
Three cheers for SoCal artist The Gaslamp Killer for wading into the B-Music crates and pulling out a very modern sounding rare groove mix from tons of obscure German novelty records. The results can get a party movin' but it's really recommended for hardcore vinyl junkies-who will get the greatest satisfaction with this one.

Wax Tailor-In The Mood For Life (Le Plan)
France's Wax Tailor returns with another album of cinematic boom-bap that sounds completely out of step with the times as if he stepped all the way back to 1995 to make this album. There is still good soulful ideas and a nostalgic twinge that propel this album beyond its innate desire to be mediocre, making it better than it probably should be all things considered.

Annie-Don't Stop (Totally/Smalltown Supersound)
I found the first album from Norway's Annie Lilia Berge Strand to be a completely charming collection of thrown together electroclash/indie sounds that sounded fun yet chaotic. The fun vibe is still here on her latest but too much of the chaos has been replaced by slick productions that call to min at best Stacey Q and at worst the whole stable of faceless teen pop acts on PWL back in the day. What seemed cool and edgy five years ago has been killed by the curse of professionalism. "Mo' money, mo' problems" indeed.

Various-The Vampires Of Dartmoor (B-Music)
B-Music strikes again with this awesome Halloween themed comp. While not as good as some of the label's other offerings, this one is still a hell of a lot of fun.

Tom Stephan-Nervous Nitelife (Nervous)
I just got this disk in the mail so it got added to the list as I am typing this so it probably deserves a higher position that #20 on this list. Old Superchumbo hisself delivers a truckload of sweaty, chest thumping peak hour bangers that sound more hit than miss. An excellent track selection and a decent old school vibe make this mix notable.

BEST ALBUMS OF 2009

When all was said and done in 2009, I'd have to say it was a pretty interesting year in underground music. Ranging from the epic vastness of Voorn's Balance mix to the sun trilogy of albums from Nickodemus, Luciano, and Hawke there were sadly so many good albums that didn't make the cut because of the wide spectrum of talent that caught my ear this year. So without further ado, here is my first of two year-ender lists. Coming soon-the top 20 singles...

TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 2009
1.Joris Voorn-Balance 014 3xCD (EQ)

2. Mungolian Jet Set-We Gave It All Away...Now We Are Taking It Back 2xCD (Smalltown Supersound)

3. Nickodemus-Sun People (ESL Music)

4. Underworld vs The Misterons-Athens (!K7)

5. Applescal-A Slave's Commitment (Traum)

6. Radio Slave-Fabric 48 (Fabric)

7. Luciano-A Tribute To The Sun (Cadenza)

8. Pere Ubu-Long Live Pere Ubu (Hearpen/Smog Veil)

9. Fool's Gold-S/T (Iamsound)

10. Commix-Fabriclive 44 (Fabric)

11. Akron/Family-Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free (Dead Oceans)

12. Jega-Variance Pts. 1 & 2 (Planet Mu)

13. Various-Nigeria 70 2xCD (Strut)

14. Hawke-+++ (Eighth Dimension)

15. Helado Negro-Awe Owe (Asthmatic Kitty)

16. Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens-What Have You Done, My Brother? (Daptone)

17. Abe Duque-Don't Be So Mean (Process)

18. Mark O'Sullivan-Fragments From A Long Country (Nice & Nasty)

19. Granlab-Industrial Romance (Broque)

20. Rone-Spanish Breakfast (InFine)

The first half of 40 new reviews to close out the year

At long last I get back to the blog to close out 2009.
Being backlogged as I am, I am including the last five months worth of full lengths in my possession. Year-ender lists to follow...

Here's what I rocked this summer/fall while on my numerous vacations trying to escape the nasty, hot sun:

Applescal-A Slaves Comittment (Traum)
Here's a tasty collection from young Dutch producer Applescal on the always out there Traum imprint. Thank god for Riley Reinhold is all I have to say. This album is a mature, full-figured look at the possibilities of techno in the electro-acoustic era. One of the top albums of the year in my book.

Nitin Sawhney-London Undersound (E1)
Sawhney has certainly progressed as a producer on his latest album London Undersound. No longer just confined to trip hop and drum & bass, the maestro stretches out here into the world of pop music with some surprising results. First off, Paul McCartney sounds credible-and that is no easy feat ladies and gentleman. But it's songs like "Last Train To Midnight" and "Charia Keshi Rain" that capture the essence of the album-the many facets of London life. Sawhney pays homage to A.R. Rahman, Massive Attack, and Goldie along the way with pleasing results.

Luciano-Children Of The Sun (Cadenza)
Superstar DJ/producer Luciano finally gets around to make a dancefloor collection album and it's a wait that has been well worth it. Children is a pop masterpiece with nods to classic Senegalese music, Philip Glass, Detroit techno and beyond. Luciano's mind seems as if it is filled with limitless amounts of imagination as this album goes off in every direction and still manages to hold together despite all of the opposing forces.

DJ Rupture/Matt Shadetek-Solar Life Raft (The Agriculture)
Finally a bass album worth getting excited about, but who'd expect any less from this illustrious pair? Technically a mix, these two twist and stretch these tracks into what could be considered entirely new material. Whatever your decision, the duo cover everything from skull crushing dubstep to aquacrunk, and even some deep Detroit influences as well. The results are refreshingly new and highly inspirational.

Radio Slave-Fabric 48 (Fabric)
It's nice to hear such a solid, no-nonsense DJ mix from Fabric and who better to turn to than Mr. Reliable-Matt Edward aka Radio Slave? There's a nice fusion of South American and Continental rhythms on here from cats like Spencer Parker, Remute, and Michel Cleis that have much in common with the Cadenza roster. Far from being a mere replay of last year's Luciano mix for Fabric, this one simmers at a low heat for a long time emitting copious amounts of deep, late night soul.

Dixon-Temporary Secretary (Innervisions)
No Radiohead this time from Dixon, thankfully. The Innervisions boss seemed so intent on making his 2007 Body Language mix for Get Physical so pop influenced that he forgot the groove in many parts. Not so on his follow-up Temporary Secretary. It's a shame that many of these talented producers think they need to go mainstream to get the market share they need/deserve but the reality is a strong focus on refining current processes seems to net better results both creatively and financially. Here Dixon regains the script, re-edits all of the material on here and creates a tasteful - albeit way too laidback - groove throughout. Ahhhh, consistency.

2020Soundsystem-Falling (2020Vision)
Rocktronica was definitely shown the exit in 2009 so I was surprised when I heard that Ralph Lawson of 2020Vision was unleashing a new album of band influenced electronic music - complete with real bass and drums. Unfortunately, some parts of this album rely way too heavily on dated rock references that only sound fresh to today's woefully unaware younger kids-think Jesus & Mary Chain, Chapterhouse, and/or the early 4AD label gliding over the same chunky beats that ushered out the indie dance era. However, on occasion things do get cooking on this album and that's when the Soundsystem begins to sound like Andy Weatherall's best work with Primal Scream- and in my book that's always a good place to be.

Jimi Tenor & Tony Allen-Inspiration Information (Strut)
Former WARP artist Jimi Tenor still remains an enigma to me, is this guy a straight up thief or skylarking genius? His latest collabo with Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen does little to answer that question but he manages to turn a bunch of long ass Seventies influenced instro jams (complete with flute solos) into the roiling chaos that marked Afrobeat's great contribution to the musical lexicon. Not too surprising considering Allen's commitment to rhythmic excellence over his long & winding career but quite a treat regardless.

Fool's Gold-S/T (Iamsound)
These guys have been an indie buzz band for most of the year, and usually I am suspicious of who these types had to blow to get that kind of attention-because buzz is generally NOT heaped upon the talented. However, for once the real deal got anointed because the LA-based Fool's Gold are the real effin thing. Imagine Kid Creole & The Coconuts having the career long vitality of the Talking Heads and then bashing that into the whole mid Eighties tribal thing ala Savage Republic-that's what these cats are all about. The songs are fun and for once eclectic is not a dirty word as they stretch out comfortably all about the great musical map.

Various-Get Physical 7th Anniversary mixed by M.A.N.D.Y. (Get Physical)
My wife and I have divided opinions on this one, she says she enjoyed the house grooves and found this to be one of the better dance music compilations of the year. I, however, found it to be a little tired and stale. The remixes of "Oh Superman" and "Take Five" are great for wowing your older relatives at Xmas time but are really effin cheesy otherwise. Let's just say I expected more from a label that also released an album by the Raz Ohara & the Odd Orchestra this year as well.

Various-Science Fiction Dance Party (B-Music)
For a lifelong crate digger such as myself, the idea of scoring a Don Bolles/Jello Biafra approved Beat Of The Traps style 45 from the Sixties is far more exciting than any hyped new release from DJ or band. And that is the precise reason why I've fallen in love with the newly launched B-Music label. The label pre-sifts all of those shitty Andy Williams albums and various other thrift store garbage to deliver me CD quality versions of its finds. The artwork is amazing and I've now realized that the Hammond B-3 organ was the proto-synthesizer of the era. The best part is that these finds came from Germany so bad English accents abound making the novelty factor priceless.

Harold Budd & Clive Wright-Candylion (Darla)
As an old school shoegazer fan I've always thought Darla was the business in terms of keeping the most authentic, droning portions of the genre alive. I became doubly stoked when I found out that ambient pioneer Harold Budd was releasing a new album on the label, his second with guitarist Clive Wright. The results were like a locked away late summer memory, too precious to be shared with others without wilting from the glare. Experience the tranquility of this masterpiece, yet another from the 76-year-old master Budd.

Danny Krivit-718 Sessions (Nervous)
One of the finest nights out I've experienced was with my wife's family a few years ago in San Francisco. The DJ of the night was Danny Krivit and his deep knowledge of records kept him in command of the crowd. Folks of all generations were getting down to his mix of disco, funk, soul, and house. I've never seen a DJ work such diverse crowd in such an authoritative manner and have had the deepest admiration for Krivit ever since. Here he collects a surprising amount of quality new cuts and strings a mix together that doesn't avoid the cliched trappings you'd expect from a Nervous comp but does have some decent footage for the highlight reel.

Brodinski-Bugged Out! presents Suck My Deck (New State)
French noob Louis Brodinski breaks from his fidgety leanings as a producer and drops a DJ mix of decent electro house and college boy minimal that held up to multiple plays without collapsing in like a house of cards. Part of that is due to decent cuts in the mix supplied by artists like Format: B, Lucio Aquilina, Paul Ritch, and especially Marco Bernardi's remix of Orlando Voorn's "The Beholder"-easily one of the year's better techno singles. Whatever shortcomings Brodinski has a producer certainly don't translate into the DJ booth.

Frankie Knuckles-Motivation Too (Nervous)
Granted, there's not much on this mix that totally blew me away but here's Frankie Knuckles- one of the inventors-over thirty years later still laying down credible mixes that have originality, depth and staying power. In comparison, few other genres of pop music (besides jazz) can present artists well in to their fifties who can still call themselves innovators. That, not the track selection, is what makes Motivation Too a classic.

Joakim-Milky Ways (!K7)
Heavy metal meets nu disco? As weird as it sounds, out there indie producer Joakim Bouaziz heads a few miles further into leftfield on Milky Ways. Like the ultimate in mash-ups he delves further into the rocktronica explorations he perfected on Monsters & Silly Songs. The techno and disco beats are still crisp which makes from some sincerely great dance music moments but the skronking Sonic Youth style guitars are just too much for me to handle.

Various-Six Degrees Ambient India (Six Degrees)
San Francisco world beat/electronica label Six Degrees has practically trademarked the global traveller series compilation making this trip to India a no-brainer. Slightly edgier than the similar Putamayo comps this one is still new-agey as hell but works in all the right places making for some top-notch downtempo cuts.

Miguel Migs-Get Salted Vol. 2 (Salted)
Usually this light San Francisco house stuff goes right in the discard pile. The Naked Music vibe is so played out I can barely stand it, but few DJs are in the same league as San Francisco's Miguel Migs. He's a musical guy and even when I think he's holding back, Migs is still able to lay down a convincing groove. That's the case here on his latest DJ mix for his own imprint Salted as he lays the cheese pretty thick-there's even some bad electro house to seal the deal. However, Get Salted Vol. 2 avails itself with energy, soul, and some insanely good vocal cuts. That's what I expect from Miguel Migs and that's a task he always seems up for as evidenced by this mix.

Deadmau5-For Lack Of A Better Name (Ultra)
Joel Zimmerman's debut album for US electronic music heavyweight Ultra Records is better than I imagined. But his costumed gimmickry and abundance of generic, riff happy ideas will prevent him from being the big breakthrough artist in North America that he so desires. I appreciate the fact that the Mau5er grew up listening to techno, here's hoping he makes some better tunes someday. There simply not enough good ideas so he chooses to make his zippy electro house sound just like everyone else's zippy electro house when the new ideas run out. Can anyone rescue this genre from the boredom coma?

Chromeo-DJ-Kicks (!K7)
There were some fun summertime old school jams that cannot be ignored very easily. I can imagine listening to parts of this album on a gorgeous early August afternoon car trip but there's also horrifying moments of cringing pain that range from Hall & Oates to the Eagles-and worse.... Aiyeee!

DROID BEHAVIOR 7 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

DROID BEHAVIOR 7 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Performances by:
Chris Liebing, Kid 606, Deru, Edit, Acid Circus, Drumcell, M.Gervais,
James Patrick, Andrew Kelley, Pman and Joe Bickle

On Saturday, October 17th Droid Behavior celebrates their seven year anniversary with Interface 29. The event will feature Germany's Chris Liebing (his first Los Angeles appearance in ten years), Kid 606 and a handful of other talents complemented by original light installations and a full bodied sound system. Interface 29 will take place in a undisclosed venue in Downtown Los Angeles whose location will be revealed the day of the event to ensure its exclusivity. Tickets are $15/$20/$25 and available at www.groovetickets.com. Those 21+ are invited and an open bar is offered from 10:00pm to 11:00pm. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP to DroidBehavior@gmail.com to ensure receiving event information/location details otherwise, all details will be available at 323-743-8419 7:00pm and after on October 17th. Event updates and information are also offered online at www.DroidBehavior.com.

Over the course of seven years, Droid Behavior has played major a role in the architecture of nightlife and music in Los Angeles and beyond. Droid events are a full sensory experience; a surging soundtrack designed and performed by the best talents in their field complimented by stunning visual and art installations that completely engulf the audience. Collaborations with like minded groups Smog, Compression, Avalon, DeeperMoods and Detund have all synced perfectly thus resulting in the integration of subcultures in electronic music all while pushing and shifting the norm. Such happenings have also been the platform for showcasing the talents of Surgeon, Speedy J, Modeselektor, Vex'd, Jahcoozi, DBX, Alexander Robotnick and Apparatt and others. As a record label, Droid has received international notoriety in their releases resulting in heavy play, charting, licensing and phenomenal support from such industry icons as Adam Beyer, Richie Hawtin, Speedy J, Chris Liebing, Joey Beltram, and Joel Mull. Droid Recordings has also captured the ear of the Media and is often described as the next wave of American techno.

Interface 29 will allow attendees to indulge in the experience, to share in the celebration of seven years of history, and to pay homage to those who have helped build a movement toward the future.


INTERFACE 29 - TALENT

ROOM ONE - TECHNO:HOUSE:MINIMAL:ACID

Chris Liebing (Live)
CLR :: Novamute :: Electric Deluxe // Frankfurt
Chris Liebing is Frankfurt's premier techno DJ. As a 20-year veteran and early adopter of digital mixing and live song deconstruction, he's toured the world numerous times both solo and as part of the Collabs Live duo with Speedy J. Liebing's productions and remixes appear on such revered labels as Novamute and Tresor and in the playlists of the world's top electronic DJs. Not only an established artist on many levels, Liebing has also been accredited to bringing true techno to the Ibiza crowds with his "Meganite" and "Be at Space" residencies over the last decade. Interface crowds should expect nothing less then epic sounds from this seasoned professional.

James Patrick vs M. Gervais (Live)
Timefog // MPLS
James Patrick is a longtime crusader for minimal techno and all kinds of electronic art. Through experimentation, he pushes the definitions of "forward thinking media" into new realms. Through both Djing and live performances worldwide, JP has developed and established his own brand of sleek, deep, and hypnotic electronic music. He also serves as creative director for the Microphono (www.microphono.com) and Timefog (www.timefog.net) labels.

For over twelve years DJ/producer/designer Mike Gervais has blazed an artistic trail ahead of his peers. Through the avid exploration of modern music technologies, his technique is constantly evolving. His performances deliver an extraordinary range of superlative sounds, swarming with bursts of real-time composition, looping, sampling, and effects. His DJ sets and original compositions have earned him critical acclaim from international producers and performers, earning him gigs across the United States and Canada. Mike serves as creative director for Timefog and has releases on Solar Cathedral Recordings, Nightlight Music, and Timefog.

Drumcell
Droid Behavior // LA
Founder of Droid Recordings and co-founder of Droid Behavior, Drumcell has been one of techno's greatest allies in Southern California in recent times. A graduate of the Musician's Institute and a long-time performer at parties in Southern California, Drumcell has been influenced by music from his earliest years. After being exposed to raves in the early 90s, He grew addicted to the sounds of industrial, acid house, and many forms of techno. Associating with the members of Acid Circus to form Droid Behavior as an event production group and record label was the next logical step to raise awareness for techno in the city and to help expose local Artists, established djs, and performers from around the country. When performing, Drumcell can be seen blurring the lines between a live and a DJ set by utilizing tools such as FX processors , samplers ,drum machines and other devices to weave a thick blend of acidic techno and aggressive but funky minimalist groove to ensure a frenzy amongst his listeners. Over the last 5 years Drumcell has rocked parties from big to small on a weekly basis in LA as well as gigs all over the U.S alongside such names as Kenny Larkin, john Tejada, Tim Xavier, Dan Bell, Ben Sims, Adam Beyer, Jeff Mills, Speedy J, Ritchie Hawtin, and Mathew Dear. He has also built quite a production resume with highly acclaimed releases and remixes on such labels as CLR, Kiddaz FM, Nitelite Music, and his own DROID recordings imprint. With the state of electronic music in North America leaning towards stripped down funk rather then progressive fluff these days, Droid has become the center for LA techno and Drumcell remains steadfast in his mission of putting this city on the global map.

Acid Circus (Live)
Droid Behavior // LA
In an industry where DJ's no longer dominate the action with pressed wax, live PAs have taken digital mixing to another level. No strangers to tweaking and freqing everything within earshot, Acid Circus have mastered the art of live performance: Dropping original music, custom remixes, re-edits, and samples from both current and classic tracks, their unique and aggressive mix of electro, house, and every strain of techno in between has blurred the lines of dj set and live act. Their raw precision performances have placed them alongside major players Magda, Jeff Mills, Konrad Black, John Tejada, Tony Rohr, Richard Devine, and Italo Boys at undergrounds, festivals, after parties and club nights all over California, Seattle, Detroit, Chicago, New York, Miami, and Philadelphia. Their releases have been charted and heavily played by techno heavyweights Speedy J, Adam Beyer and Richie Hawtin.

Peyman vs Andrew Kelley
Autobrennt :: Weekend Club // LA-Berlin

Bickle
Lies Lies Lies // LA
Resident and Founder of LA's latest and only running techno weekly LIES LIES LIES, Bickle influences and supports techno and house fans in the city as promoter and performer. He has
played along side and presented such names as Bloody Mary, Hyperactive, Soul Clap, Mike Vamp, Drumcell, DJ Heather, Dilo and Seuil and will continue his contributions to the nightlife landscape.



ROOM TWO - ELECTRO:EXPERIMENTAL:IDM

Kid 606 (Live)
Tigerbeat6 :: Tigerbass :: Violent Turd // Berlin
Inspired by hardcore techno, indie punk, noise rock, and a liberal dose of heavy metal, Kid606 explodes genres with his anything-goes approach to electronic music. Ipecac, Mille Plateaux, Soul Jazz, and most notably his own Tibergbeat6 are among the many labels daring to put out the Kid606 sound, which has included digital hardcore in line with Atari Teenage Riot, back-to-basics techno, listening music, and collaborations with Matmos among others. His 2009 full-length "Shout at the Döner" portrays the growth of his abrasive sound coupled with new dancefloor sensibilities. Kid606 will preform his current and classic material for Interface exclusively.

SPECIAL GUEST (Live)
Planet Mu :: Alphapup // LA

Deru (Live)
Ghostly Intl. // LA
Deru's music is best described as the meeting place of hip-hop and IDM. A CalArts music technology graduate, he now resides in LA and composes for TV, film, dance, and other performance art. Deru co-owns the music and sound company "The Track Team," which has earned an MPSE Golden Reel Award for best sound design in 2009 (Avatar: The Last Airbender). In 2008 he collaborated on a dance score for the Paris Opera Ballet with classical composer Joby Talbot. Deru has released music on high profile labels such as Ghostly International, Merck, Neo Ouija, and Mille Plateaux. Prepare for left field yet dance floor centered sounds to be performed in ways only Deru can.

Surachai vs Eustachian (Live)
Fathme Recs // Chicago - LA

Derek Michael vs Baseck (Live)
Detund : Friendly Integration // LA

Eezir (Live)
Friendly Integration // LA

John Von
Vibration Institute // LA


INTERFACE 29 - ATMOSPHERE

VISUAL EXPERIMENTS BY:

CPU
Cell
and other special guests

Flux Summit: Thurs, 10/1 [FREE EVENT]

FLUX. SUMMIT

@ PYRAMIND

ON OCTOBER 1^st

832 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA

$Free with RSVP/ Doors at 5:00 PM

http://fluxsummit.eventbrite.com / www.fluxsummit.com[MS1]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Flux represents the ever-evolving landscape the electronic music industry faces today. On October 1^st, the Flux Summit, a single evening event featuring a discussion of the most timely "it" topic combined with a mixer and a music review session, debuts its first event at Pyramind in San Francisco. This free event (with RSVP) is a first of its kind on the West Coast, combining DJs, producers, music industry professionals, record labels, gear & software companies, and electronic music enthusiasts together under one roof to discuss topics affecting them today and shaping tomorrow.

We are pleased to announce the discussion topic for our first Flux Summit will be “21st Century PR & Marketing for Independent Labels and Artists.” The topic will be moderated by Tomas Palermo (ForwardEver Media, Managing Editor WireTapMag.org, DJ on KUSF), and will be a Q&A discussion with experts examining the best ways to promote artists and labels. The discussion will cover effective marketing and promotion campaigns, online tools, how to engage media outlets, what methods are relevant these days, and what a decent campaign should cost. The discussion will also touch on digital promo servicing, web presence, social networks as well as the differences between doing PR independently and using professional services.

The Flux Summit has partnered with some of the Bay Area’s premier electronic brands including LovEvolution (formerly known as LoveFest), TestPress SF, and Pyramind. In addition to the discussion and mixer, an integral part of the summit is the TestPress music review session. Started in 2005, TestPress is a music review session that enables DJs, producers and artists to gain instant feedback on their music from top industry experts. Play your tracks for the audience, get critiqued by the panel of reviewers and let the audience vote on their favorites. Tracks reviewed from each TestPress are eligible for inclusion in the annual year end TestPress compilation released on Epiphyte Records. It’s also no coincidence that the Flux Summit falls a few days before SF’s heralded LovEvolution. This is so attendees heading up early can join the conversation of the electronic music industry before they let loose in the music.

If that wasn’t enough, the summit has added software demonstrations by audio electronics company PreSonus (www.presonus.com) to the agenda – you can catch the demos anytime between 6:00pm – 7:30pm in the HD Studio at Pyramind. PreSonus will be demonstrating its new Studio One Pro and Studio One Artist DAW software for Mac OS X and Windows XP/Vista. Demonstrations will take place throughout the evening so you can check out the discussion, mingle at the mixer and still catch up on the latest PreSonus software at anytime during the night. There is truly something for everyone in the electronic music industry at the debut Flux Summit.

With the music industry rapidly changing and so much uncertainty surrounding the ability to operate a successful business, Flux was created to encourage interaction and open up discussion on emerging trends. Although the Flux Summit is a free event, RSVP is required. Capacity is limited. Don’t miss this opportunity to get involved on October 1^st.

ODA, Terrorbird Media, IDC & Om Records artist, J Boogie Confirmed as Panelists for Flux Summit 001 Discussion

Panelists for the discussion “21st Century PR & Marketing” have been confirmed for Flux Summit 001 which takes place this Thursday, October 1 at 5:00pm at Pyramind in San Francisco. Flux Summit is free, but RSVP is required. If you haven’t already RSVP’d, click here to get register.

The discussion is a Q&A that looks at the best ways to promote labels and artists. Effective marketing and promotion campaigns, tools, how to engage media outlets, who is relevant these days, and what it should cost are just some of the topics that will be covered. Case studies and new tools will be showcased.
Audience participation will be encouraged for this discussion so get your questions ready.

Confirmed Panelists are:

Leeor Brown (Terrorbird Media, SF-LA)
Leeor Brown is a lead publicist at Terrorbird Media, an innovative independent music marketing company based in SF, LA and NY. Based in Los Angeles, he also recently(in March) launched a new imprint called FoF Music(aka Friends of Friends) which aims to change the way labels conceive and release albums/music.

Matt Wright (IODA)
Matt Wright currently works at IODA, overseeing promotional marketing partnerships and maintaining relationships with online retailers such as Insound, Other Music, and Lala. He managed the Portland, Oregon-based band Blitzen Trapper for 5 years — helping them transition from relatively unknown local band to nationally touring Sub Pop recording artist — before transitioning to his current band Web Guru/#1 Fan/General Input Giver role. Before starting at IODA, Matt ran a small music PR company called Matt Wright PR, handling print and online press campaigns for the likes of Anticon, Tomlab, and Cex. Before that he worked with Gang of Four bassist Dave Allen at now-deceased online music retailer OEbase.com.

Steffen Franz (IDC)
Steffen Franz launched Independent Distribution Collective in 2004 and since then has grown the company from 9 labels to over 250 labels with close to 300 releases in less than 5 years. In addition to launching a physical distribution company, which now includes both digital, film, DVD distribution and music licensing for TV and Film, Steffen has also developed services like “InstantDistro” a turnkey marketing and promotion service, and “A La Carte Management” which helps advance the independent music community and educate developing artists.

J-Boogie (Producer, SF – TBC, Om Records)
San Francisco resident and world-renowned DJ/producer J-Boogie has continued to challenge the boundaries of the music world across genres, styles, languages and borders throughout his 15-year career. This truly unique artist speaks to his listeners through a diverse musical language that he has created, integrating various techniques and musical genres including dub, soul, hip–hop, reggae, funk, Latin, afro-beat, bhangra, dancehall, disco, electro and house. Constantly revolutionizing the game, creating new sounds, and always keeping fans on their feet, J-boogie has and continues to lift music to its full potential through his distinct approach and one of a kind style.

The panel is being moderated by music industry veteran, Tomas A. Palermo. Tomas has logged 20-plus years in the music business as a DJ, writer, editor and music consultant, and also worked in music retail, distribution and media. He’s the former editor at XLR8R Magazine (1999-2005) and currently contributes to that publication, SF Bay Guardian, WireTapMag.org, and his own blog, ForwardEver. He produces music as Double Identity, runs the Voltage Music label, co-hosts a weekly radio show on KUSF 90.3 FM and DJs clubs.

Tomas, along with our panelists, will bring their knowledge to the Flux Summit for a lively discussion on how artists and labels can maximize their message and increase their fan base.

Here is the full press release again:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Does It Offend You, Yeah? & Teenage Bad Girl this week at Girls + Boys

Does It Offend You, Yeah?

A N D

Teenage Bad Girl

This Friday at Webster Hall

Get there early, and get ready, because it's going to be packed.

And:

Alex English, Gavin Royce, Kids With Snakes & Rekles spinning in the main room.

In the Marlin Room, Hip Hop, R&B, Top Forty, and Party Classics.

Downstairs in the Studio, the Trash! kids will be spinning new wave, rock'n'roll, britpop, indie, post-punk, electro, glam and pop.

Click Here to Purchase Advance Tickets

$1 admission and $1 drinks B4 midnight for Webster Hall Dollar Daze! Click HERE to download your dollar

Doors 10pm. 19+ w/I.D.

DUTCH DYNAMO FEDDE LE GRAND's ‘OUTPUT’ SET FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 29

Dutch dynamo FEDDE LE GRAND is a perfectionist. OUTPUT—due out September 29 in North America via Ultra Records—is a true artist album, crafted by someone born to make music, to perform and to entertain, proving without doubt that this is an artist with no musical boundaries.

He has collaborated with some of the world’s most fierce and respected artists in music, culminating in a long player that covers all bases. This is not a dance album, neither is it pop; in fact, it’s hard to find a tag for it at all, for he has torn up the rulebook. From LE GRAND’s hip-hop infused outing with the Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am to the brother-and-sister pairing of Andy & Dorothy Sherman on hit single “3 Minutes to Explain,’ music by numbers this isn’t--this is a young grand master at work.



Proceedings commence with “Wild ‘n Raw,” a potent collaboration featuring Rob Birch (Stereo MC’s) that leaves a distinct feeling that you’re in for an hour of play that promises to be sensational where LE GRAND delivers on every twist and turn. If you thought you were in for 13 tracks of house music, think again; OUTPUT is diverse, infectious, groovy, electric, sonic, breathtaking and more importantly, it’s just plain fun. Mitch Crown’s vocals grace three tracks over the full 51 minutes with the album’s first single “Scared of Me,” “Let Me Be Real” and “Rockin’ High.” Check out the former track’s video here:





Ida Corr—known to many as the seductive voice on LE GRAND’s worldwide smash “Let Me Think About It”—and Camille Jones both show their love on OUTPUT with their sultry vocals sliding over sleazed-up rhythms on “Hard Day’s Work” and “Shotgun.” As with their previous alliances with LE GRAND, their efforts are delivered with flawless perfection. Mr. V’s “Back & Forth” is instantly recognizable having been featured heavily in many of FEDDE LE GRAND’s live sets and clearly makes up one of the album’s biggest dance cuts, not forgetting one of this summer’s huge records – the title track and festival banger–“OUTPUT.”



It’s important to point out that this talented producer hasn’t conformed to market demands or made an album for the dance floor–he’s done the exact opposite. OUTPUT teems of freedom of expression. This is timeless, this is FEDDE LE GRAND.



The complete track listing for FEDDE LE GRAND's OUTPUT is:

1. Wild ‘n Raw Featuring Rob Birch

2. Feel Alive Featuring Will.i.am

3. Scared of Me Featuring Mitch Crown

4. Hard Day’s Work Featuring Ida Corr

5. Shotgun Featuring Camille Jones

6. Back & Forth Featuring Mr. V

7. Let Me Be Real Featuring Mitch Crown

8. My Faya Featuring Andy & Dorothy Sherman

9. 3 Minutes To Explain Featuring Andy & Dorothy Sherman (Fedde le Grand & Funkerman)

10. Rockin’ High Featuring Mitch Crown

11. Noise Reduction (Fedde le Grand vs. P.L.F.)

12. OUTPUT



Bonus Track

13. New Life (Fedde le Grand vs. Dany P-Jazz) (Fedde le Grand & Funkerman Re-Edit)

Top 5 picks this week!

Mungolian Jetset-We Gave It All Away...Now We Are Taking It Back 2xCD (Smalltown Supersound)(Norway)
This album is on a small list of contenders for album of the year with this long-winded disco cum psychedelic journey down the technicolor brick road to hell. Disk one is the stronger of the two here with a focus on actual songs and the same cheeky sense of humor found on albums by the Orb. Cuts like the mysterious group's collabo with Lindstrøm on "A Blast Of Loser" are redefining the downtempo aesthetic with a nice mix of technology and tune. If the first disk was the Yardbirds in full Sixties glory than disk two is Led Zeppelin at their bloated Seventies worst with a lot more pointless noodling and indie chicanery and much less of the stellar amphetamine sculpted disco-delia found on disk one. It has its moments but you really have to sit down with a big spliff and neutralize yourself before anything even remotely good shows up on the musical radar-kinda like Lindstrøm.

Joachim Spieth-Presents Affin Selected 03 (Affin)(Germany)
The third installment of singles from German techno imprint Affin are exciting in some cases but most don't stray too far from the standard minimal template that rules the dancefloor these days. Spieth, who despite his young age, has already had a rather illustrious career and his tracks as well as remixes nicely straddle the line between more commercial motivations and underground purity on this comp. Other standouts on the label include Marc Miroir and Little Fritter who also turn in solid contributions for Affin Selected 03 . Beyond that, this is little more than a digital singles collection of which most buyers will purchase less than 20% of what's being offered-in this case 15 tracks-and it's hard to see that as being anything but wasteful.

Oscar G-DJ 2xCD (+DVD) (Nervous)(US)
As if offering a countering viewpoint to the oversaturation bombing campaigns being conducted by disposable digital labels such as Affin, house music heavyweight Nervous Records returns with another full length from Miami's Oscar G. In addition to the new artist album there is a live-in-the-club mix as well as a live DVD video for a mondo three disk package. It's almost ostentation considering how late in the game it is for disk-based media but never the less this marketing move does give this whole project-which is a little weak overall-some extra legs to stand on to make it appear stronger. The new material is about on par with last year's album by Oscar G-nothing great or out of the ordinary and certainly no new musical frontiers being assailed by the veteran house producer on this very conservative effort. The DJ mix is a bit flat and predictable and I won't even go into the video with its "Girls Gone Wild At The Club" appeal. And while there are some tunes to really dig on DJ, in the end it's mostly the nice, fat packaging that makes this whole project special and appealing not the amount nor the contents of the disks inside,

Umek-Umek? Hell Yeah! (Hell Yeah)(Italy)
Slovenia's Uros Umek seems to have a release out every other week and has worked in every style of techno from minimal to assembly line over the past two decades. This new mix for Italian label Hell Yeah is the same kind of big room techno mix you'd hear from just about any of the big names in Europe from Speedy J to Carl Cox. Subtlety and programming are not this guy's strong areas, rather he mixes well and works all matter of clattering drums into bubbling lakes of polyrhythmic stew. His manner is relentless and the roster of artists on this mix never allow for one moment of having the dancefloor stop shuffling for an epic breakdown. Ten years ago this compilation would have been the perfect antidote for all of that hands-in-air crap but nowadays Umek's mix sounds a whole lot like everyone else's. It's a shame, too because Umek has never once compromised his style or tastes, sadly the rest of the world finally caught up with him and sank his ship.

Vinyl Life-S/T (Tape Theory)(US)
Finally an album by a real funk trio from dudes playing real electro in the age of ELECTRO. It's amazing to hear engineers work their analog gear to create sounds, there is nothing digital that even comes close. That's what makes this album and this group so perfect, they care about sound and sound quality. Unfortunately, with that comes retro preservations tendencies-which I've never been a big fan of in my years of being an avid listener and yet is a common cubbyhole for many artists. While I loved electro as a kid and I do appreciate this authentic throwback artifact in opposition to say Deadmau5 I have to say overall this just isn't what gets me up in the morning ready to lay down a mix or edit a remix. I'd would say, however, based on the group's eclectic tastes that these guys will take their influences much further than many other electronic artists out there and this could spell eventual pop success. We'll see...

FREELAND 'ART REMIX' COMPETITION

With his June release of Cope™ blasting onto the musical charts, and a national tour stateside to boot, Freeland continues the momentum with a forthcoming remix release of this acclaimed full-length, offering you the opportunity to remix the album artwork.

To enter, simply download the album artwork in layer files Here, and create a new design for the cover of his upcoming remix CD.

To submit your design, upload to Flickr and tag with the words 'FreelandRemixArtwork.' Entries will be showcased on Freeland's website, and the band will choose their favorite design as the front cover of this exciting remix release.

You will receive full credit for your design, as well as given a limited deluxe edition of the album!

The deadline for entry is September 10, 2009.

What's Cope™ all about?
You can now hear the entire new album streaming at Freeland.FM. Tommy Lee of Motley Crue played drums, Alex Metric co-produced it, Twiggy Ramirez plays bass. Joey Santiago of the Pixies and Tony Bevilacqua of Distillers/Spinerette play guitar. Plus there is a collaboration with Soundpool, Vocals from Brody Dalle (Distillers Spinerette) and Gerry from DEVO. Freeland's new frontman Kurt Baumann also sings on four songs. You can buy direct from Freeland.fm in a variety of formats including a deluxe limited version, every package includes immediate download of Premium DRM-free 320kbps MP3 or Apple Lossless or FLAC (highest quality audio download available).

Remix CD Tracklisting:
Disc 1
Rock On - Siruismo
Undercontrol - Zombie nation
Strange things - high Rankin
Do you - Joker
Mancry - Gui Boartto
Bring it - Marc Romboy
Wish I was here - TGR
Morning Sun - Prinz Thomas
Mancry - Justus Koneke
Do you - Panty Raid
--
Disc 2
Under Control (Alex Metric remix)
Borderline (Grum remix)
Strange Things (Shadow Dancer remix)
Wish I Was Here (My My remix)
Rock On (Nosaj Thing remix)
Strange Things (My Faust remix)
Under Control (Goldenbug remix)
Mancry (Justus Kohnecke Disco remix)
Wish I Was Here (Glimpse remix)
Rock On (Emalkay remix)
Under Control (TC remix)

Montreal’s STEREO will reopen its doors once again this Labor Day

One of the world’s legendary clubland hotspots, Montreal’s STEREO will reopen its doors once again this Labor Day Weekend, from Thursday 3rd September – Monday 7th September, announcing an extravaganza of festivities over a five day affair. Grammy Award winners Sharam from Deep Dish, and Roger Sanchez will join the star studded line-up along with Angel Moraes amongst others.

The Stereo team has worked diligently around the clock for the past eight months, on the new face of Stereo, after a fire in July 2008. Keeping true to the essence of “a club for the people” maintaining its original history and architectural shape, as well as upgrading and adding finesse to its sound-system and interior decor. Upgrades include a new live staged format for live bands of all genres with seating, creating a modern yet intimate feel. Stereo will also be eco friendly being a “full green club” using re-purified water and recycling methods; where party people can make their mark on the dancefloor, not on the environment.

With this in mind, you can expect to see a revitalized nightlife for Montreal, kick starting this Labor Day weekend with the re-birth of Stereo; where once again DJ royalty may play to a crowd with no boundaries; regardless of color, age, or sexuality – it’s the ultimate DJ’s playground. Looking back on this history of Stereo, international DJ and Grammy Award Winner, David Morales who previously owned Stereo for six years, was renowned for his 16 hour sets at Stereo “La Vie en Stereo”.
On Thursday 3rd September, one of the original pioneers of Stereo, Angel Moraes will grace the decks for the opening night, to pay tribute to the legendary nightclub that he built 11 years ago. Moraes plans to play a ‘Stereo anthology’ showcasing all the musical highlights from those memorable Stereo nights, as well as some new gems! There will only be 800 exclusive invites issued for this night so you have been warned!

Friday’s event will be an array of midget cowboys, and ‘get wild dancers’ as part of the exclusive Sharam (Deep Dish) Get wild Live show, featuring renowned singer Anousheh Khalili; with additional support from rising superstars, Sultan and Ned Shepard, showcasing its live staged venue, with special layout and audio set up which configure by a flick of a switch!

Introducing Stereo’s new Saturday concept, Saturdays at Stereo, we will see its traditional ‘staple’ nights return, all with a mysterious edginess every Saturday of the month! Expect no advertising about this night’s lineup - just come for the classic quality music played by a surprise hi-profile guest Artist. All will be revealed on Stereo’s dance floor….

Heavyweight DJ/ Producer, Roger Sanchez will play a marathon set on Sunday 6th September, marking his long awaited return to Stereo, and of course not letting us down, but spilling over into the following day, with the finale event on the waterfront of Montreal’s old port in association with Neon. Artists include Tiga, Adam Beyer, Clive Henry (Peace Division), Audiofly, Martin Buttrich Live, Jordan Dare are just a few confirmed for this outdoor event.

Once again the sound system that became famous the world over will shake the walls at 858 St Catherine St. With a combination of a sleek new design and the best of the original concepts, Stereo promises to deliver what its best hailed for; creating yet another chapter in dance music history!

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Speedy J Charts

battant – the butcher – marc houle remix – kill the dj
james ruskin – sabre – blueprint
luis flores – dain bramage – drumcell and audio Injection rmx – droid
speedy j – klave – rekids
tommy four seven – surma – electric deluxe
brothers’ vibe, mark broom – mind / feeling – youandme hirsch edit – platzhirsch schallplatten
terence fixmer – machine – 6am dub – electric deluxe
glimpse – drifiting – c2 version – planet e
the automatic message – moving walkway – from 0 – 1
nathan fake – narrier – border community
chris liebing – auf und ab – trippel tool – clr
pfirter – de a poco – figure
collabs ft speedy j chris liebing – magnit parts – deep bassloop – electric deluxe
deuce – cue ed – ostgut ton
dustin zahn – wet skin – mindshake records
audio injection drumcell – cell injection – jpls remix – droid
dj slip – available light – thema
material object – ghostin – semisexual

Serge Santiago TOP TEN

1. Retro/Grade - Moda - Retro/Grade
2. Rondo Veneziano - La Serenissma (Serge Santiago Extended Edit) - Arcobaleno
3. Retro/Grade - Zoid - Retro/Grade
4. Retro/Grade - Woman - Retro/Grade
5. Daniel Wang - Not feeling it (Edit) - Balihu Records (1995)
6. Snatch - Another Brick in the Wall - Millennium (1980)
7. Missy Elliot - I'm Really Hot (Serge Santiago Version) - Showtime (2004)
8. Daft Punk - Da Funk (Serge Santiago Alive Mix) - CDr
9. Lil Kim - The Jump off (Radio Slave Re-Edit) - White (2003)
10.Patrick Cowley - Mindwarp - Megatone Records (1989)

June charts & reactions

Rift
Indigo
(Thoughtless Music)
Key track: Surface Patterns (Knowing Looks Rmx)
There’s a graceful, old school chillout feel to this track that just gives me goosebumps.


Mundo
Creep
(Blipswitch Digital)
Key track: J. Rogers Dub-Tek Odyssey mix
Amazing mix of deep house and deep dubstep with a wide array of sounds from J. Rogers, flexing his muscle, on this rework of Texan Jason Mundo’s single.



Tiefschwarz feat Seth Troxler
Trust
(Souvenir)
Key track: Original
Nice pumpin tech house jam with some crazy slappy sounds and great zings and pings.


Roy Davis Jr.
God Life Music Album Sampler
(Nice+Smooth)
Key track: Let It Ride
I can envision playing this at sunrise, this reminds me of old Chris Lum sh*t. Deep, tracky soulfulness.



Joel Mull & Sean Palm
Spice Market (Blackjack Remix Series)
(Railyard Recordings)
Key track: Acid Circus Remix
I really enjoyed the deep groove and textures that color this remix from LA’s Acid Circus.



Patrick Graeser
Squalid
(NightInGales)
Key track: Original
Beautiful usage of acid and melody here for something regal and understated. This is some nice sleek, late night material.



Ricardo Jefferson
Chi Town
(Nice & Nasty)
Key track: Original
Moody, tribal, and deep with a slew of Chicago house influences as the title might suggest.



Land Sound
The Sea
(Untitled & After)
Key track: Original
This is a great example of industrial techno, very assembly line sounding. Reminds me a lot of Drumcell's work on Droid.



Paul Brtschitsch
The Dentex
(Rootknox)
Key track: Adiamo
Great moody late night tech house with cosmic melodies and stellar groove.




Jean-Claude Ades
Shingaling/Harlem Remixes
(Great Stuff)
Key track: Harlem (Gorge Remix)
Nice deep house cut, very pastoral with some nice whooshes and a subtle breakdown.



Pablo Bolivar
Looking For A Shape
(Hidden)
Key Track: Original mix
Great dubbiness, crisp percussion, and good house groove. Solid track.




Denny Trajkov
Soulful
(Logos)
Key track: From Chicago To Detroit
Top notch filtered tech house ala Plastic City w some stoned immaculate bliss going on in the melodies.



Wilson, Smallwood & Ingram
Perfect Sunrise
(Leaders Of the New School)
Key track: Alex Kenji Dub
Deep, spacy morning track. Perfect for nestling up to some cozy cloud for awhile.




Spencer Parker
The Beginning
(Buzzin Fly)
Key track: Michel Cleis Rmx
Love the bongo action on this one, very soulful and warm.



Luomo
Tessio Remixes Pt. 2
(Great Stuff Roots Edition)
Key track: Ramon Tapia Remix
Always a sucker for this cut, not sure how many more remixes i'll be able to sit through. Tapia does some nice tweaky stuff but wish he would have used more of the vocals.



Glimpse & Alex Jones
True Friends
(Kindisch)
Key track: Original
Great chunky house w some minor chorded moodiness from Get Physical offshoot. Love it!



Digitaline
Seeking Attention
(Cityfox)
Key track: Altra
Dark, late night sounds and deep tribal techno.



Douglas Greed
New Innerstate Strategies
(InFine Music)
Key track: Original
Great vocal cut w a flare for dramatics and a good house beat underneath. Nice work here.



Stefano Vozza
Twenty Remixes Pt. 3
(Dublin Xpress)
Key track: J. Riordan 20% Off Marked Price mix
Languid, rich, and tribal. Definitely the kind of sound I am looking for on this solid release.



Symbio
Gasp & Fissures Parade Remixes
(unsigned)
Key track: Fractured Dub Mix
Like the atonal sounds and deep, wandering bass. Good clacking percussion, too.

MC Flipside joins Toolroom Records as well as firing up his own label, PBR Recordings

Toronto native, MC Flipside can be described as one of the few dj/producers that can rock a dancefloor with his records, but also sprinkle his MC-ing abilities, keeping his crowd in check with his lyrical genius. Add radio show host and record label honcho to the Flipside belt, and of course not forgetting the ever changing signature haircut that he continues to dazzle us with every month! MC Flipside still remains down to earth and humble about his work, quickly spotted by Toolroom Records label boss and DJ/producer, Mark Knight. Flipside was soon snapped up for Toolroom projects and put to work right away. Flipside’s vocals appear on Dutch producer Bart B More’s “So It Goes” (A Day In The Life) courtesy of Toolroom Records, climbing the Beatport Electro Chart to number 6, as well as a cool chart placing at number 15 on the DMC Buzz Chart.

MC Flipside zigzags fluidly between house, electro and hip hop, enabling him to work with an array of artists including Kurd Maverick, Lee Mortimer, Yves LaRock, and Wolfgang Gartner (keep an eye out for Wolfgang’s and Flipside’s dancefloor smasher “Flashback”.
Deadmau5, (another Toronto music phenomenon) teamed up with MC Flipside in 2008, adding his infectious Flipside vocals on the club hit, “Hi Friend” which quickly became a favorite on Pete Tong’s Radio 1 Essential Mix Show, as “Essential New Tune”. Not only has “Hi Friend” reached number 4 on the Beatport Top 100, but it’s been a dancefloor gem to many a compilation, featured on “Toolroom Knights” mixed by Benny Benassi, Ministry of Sound’s "Ibiza Annual 2008", Underground Ibiza 2008, "The Annual 2009”, Clubbers Guide Russia, Hed Kandi’s World Series: Brazil and Global Underground 2009.

When Flipside is not representing label royalty, he’s busy with his own label PBR Recordings, which he started in 2007, releasing his own productions and heading up the artist repertoire department. To date, PBR Recordings is home to a dozen up and coming house and electro artists, such as Granite and Phunk, Simon Gain, Matteo DiMarr, Joey Seminara, Carlo Lio, Breakdown, and Gigi Barroco, to name a few; stacking up a wealthy library of releases. Granite and Phunk’s dance floor favorite “So Fly” and Matteo Dimarr’s “Beside You” both charting high once again in the Beatport charts. Upcoming releases on PBR include MC Flipside’s "In The Zone" featuring exciting new remixes from Deadmau5, Bart B More and Carlo Lio (recently signed to Dubfire's label, Sci-Tec Records).

The future looks bright for the charismatic MC Flipside; collaborations with Tom Neville and Bart B More are in the works, as well as a vocal driven EP entitled “No One Trick Pony” on PBR Recordings. We can expect to see him flexing his vocal and production talents on an upcoming artist album penned for 2010, with extensive touring of the US and Europe.
To listen to MC Flipside’s latest Podcast please visit:
http://pbrrecordings.podomatic.com
For more information on MC Flipside please visit:
www.pbrrecordings.com/ www.mcflipside.com
www.myspace.com/mcflipside/ www.myspace.com/pbrrecordings.com

Chris Fortier July/August 2009 Chart

1. Hauntologists- B2 (Hauntoligists)
2. Adam Beyer – Shes Got A Cactus Crown (Mad Eye)
3. &Me - +++ (Kleinmusik)
4. Part Time Opportunist - - (W/L)
5. Signal Deluxe – Dehoras (Chris Fortier_40oz Remix) (Dialtone)
6. Sleazy McQueen – Naked (Kink Mix) (Hairy Claw)
7. Dave Shokh – AH (Dipo)
8. Siopis – Pesti Nasty (GP)
9. Tobias Becker feat. Lopazz – Willeios (Platzhirsch)
10. Jus Ed – Some More Deep Shit (UQ)
11. Runaway – Poltergeist / Don’t Block The Box (On The Prowl)
12. Jamie Jones – Snake Pit (Crosstown Rebels)
13. Mariano DC – Bourbon & Wizards (Traut)
14. Chris Fortier – Take The Light (W/L)
15. Taster Peter – Elephant & Castle (ViTva)
16. Johannes Heil – True Love (Shit Happens)
17. S Johny K – If (W/L)
18. Skunk Anansie – Because of You (Michel Cleis Remix) (One Little Indian)
19. Moritz Piske – Cant Keep (Opossum)
20. Derek Marin – Bright Lights, Dark Room (Pale Mix) (Subtrak)
21. Disco Nihlist – Everythang (LWYF)
22. Roman Portela – Beat Up / Warehouse (Foundsounds)
23. Sebrok – The X (Sci-Tech)
24. Demetrio Giannice – Talk (Third Ear)
25. Profile25 – Girls Like Monkeys (Fade)

Top 5 picks this week

Abe Duque-Don't Be So Mean (Process)(US)
New York's Abe Duque is one of the few DJs I've ever really cared about and have been following him pretty steadily since his early days in the early to mid-90s. Back then, both he and Frankie Bones- to me -epitomized the Big Apple's hard banging rave sound-one that was very heavy on the relentless acid and techno. Over the past five years, Duque has moved on to a mellower, more refined version of techno that reflects his age and veteran status. His new focus mostly includes elements of house and techno alongside modern urban funk. His new album Don't Be So Mean is a snapshot of this new found maturity, I can already see hard techno fans rolling their eyes in disgust, but no matter because there are still elements of the old days on tracks like "Tonight Is Your Answer" and "Trash Acid House. However, for those looking to get E'd off their face like it was 1997 the new album is comprised mostly of the kind head lolling lethargy found cuts like "Life Is So Good To Me" and "Wake Up". Even the supposed back-in-the-day cut "Let's Take It Back" featuring Detroit legend Blake Baxter sounds more New Jersey than NASA party. But hey, I guess that's what they call progress and for me this album is part of Duque's natural progression as a vet in the game but for others this may just reek of yet another artist selling out to the unholy Berlin/Detroit axis. Your call...

Mark O' Sullivan-Fragments From a Long Country (Nice & Nasty)(Ireland)
Mark O'Sullivan may best be known for his work as one half of Swedish techno duo DK7 but he's also put out some great singles and now a full length for Irish imprint Nice & Nasty much in the same vein. Fragments captures all of the Teutonic iciness of old school analog techno (we're about talking Ashra Temple and Neu! not Sven Vath here) merges it with the Detroit influenced chill sound so prevalent in the Dublin scene and adds some punchy modern tech house groove for seasoning. The results are, I guess at this point, everything you'd expect from the Irish techno scene- a mix of nitrous laced airiness and heads-down late night torso grinders. The melodic qualities defined by O'Sullivan make Fragments From a Long Country one of the better techno albums in this vein to emerge from 2009.

Various-Darek Records pres Aleph Compilation (Darek)(Switzerland)
Darek is a sub-label of the Swiss imprint Dilek, but between the two rosters, it's pretty hard to tell the difference. This is your basic mid-Continental cum South America stack o' Latin techno tracks-some hit (Dub Dummies' "Teethno"), most do not. I suppose that's the state of the techno full length in the digital age-wildly overproduce in the hopes that someone, anyone, will buy something.

Chelonis R. Jones-Chatterbox (Systematic)(Germany)
I can always hope that an album titled Chatterbox will steal more than just a little of the over the top audacity of the original chatterboxes-the New York Dolls. Sadly, that's not the case here on Jones' new album, which is mostly Terrence Trent D'arby like histrionics on a K-Mart hissy fit budget. The album does incorporate some cool mid 80s post punk influences as Jones gets whole lot more musical on this album than most of his peers in the genre but the songs just lay on the dramatics too thickly and just wring you out after awhile. There are nice moments on Jones' Chatterbox just not enough to satisfy after such a long drawn out affair.

The Herbaliser Band-Session 2 (!K7)(US)
Unlike comtemporaries and close rivals Rae & Christian, the pioneering UK hip hop duo Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba aka the Herbaliser have decided to stay relevant rather than riding off into the sunset on golden donkeys (affectionately know as asses, which is what most of the tracks on R&C's latest cash-in collection Raiding the Vaults sounded like). Spanning their own decade of work the duo move away from the 1200s and MPCs into a world of full band orchestrations with nods to the big Seventies soundtrack guys like Barry, Jones, and Schifrin. Honestly, it comes across a tad forced and nowhere near as funky as the seminal Herbaliser albums for Ninja Tune but it is still nice albeit odd to hear beats getting cut in the middle of a stirring string section.

July DJ charts

New summer mixes

Dean Sultani
June 2009 mix

Cobblestone Jazz
Noice #52

Mathias Kaden
Freude am Tanzen podcast

Sam Gracie
RV Cast 002

RV Cast 003

Derrick May
BBC Radio mix

Brackles
XLR8R podcast

Planetary Assault Systems
Roof.fm mix

Justin Long
Push FM Radio London 5/2/09

Paul Corey
Gastonomic Delights 7 Pts. 1 & 2

Catz N Dogz
Petcast 4

Tensnake
Summer mix

Traxx
Entrance To The Alter

Jet Project
Summer 09 mix

Ibiza Voice
Episode #129
Manon

Episode #130
2000 And One

Episode #131
Varoslav

Episode #133
Dyed Soundorom

Vinyl Life
Jack The Hype mix

Marcin Czubala
Mobilee Podcast 006

unit.one
Select's Summer Time Reggae mix

Pharaoh, Ferola & TiNy w/ Special Guest Keith P
Broken Teeth Episode 5

DJ Select
Swag Surfin Mixtape

Scrase
May 2009 Delete Techno mix

Drums of Death
July mix

Adam Freeland
Went to Brighton and All We Got Was This Lousy Mixtape mix

Vega
The "D" Word mix

Portable vs Bodycode
LWE Podcast 22

Aaron Q
2009 mixes

Lopazz
Tour 2009 mix

Process 148

Stompy Summer Sampler
https://www.stompy.com/index.php?section=chart&parameter=1058

D.Ramirez
July 09 mix

Arandel
The Minuit Song mix

Gavin Herlihy
Electronic Beats

Cadenza Showcase mix for Doce Pulgadas (Spain)

Shit Robot
Shit Robot's Simply Shit mix

Reynold
July 2009 mix

2009 Exclusive Trenton Tracks

Live set Kyoto

DJ Mark Jordan
UK Funky mix

TrackwerkScott's Balmy Barnsley mix

Carl's Powell & Hyde mix

Scott's Dark Shadows mix

Struggle guest mix

D'jeronimo guest mix

Carl's I've Got No Idea What To Call It Mix

Beat Pharmacy
Dubstep mix

Symbio
July 2009 mix

Acid Circus
Proton Radio mix 3/20/09

A Trak and Treasure Fingers this Friday at the Girls & Boys