Wednesday 29 February 2012

This Weekends Activities

Scandal with Fred P Aka Black Jazz Consortium (Soul People Music) @ Bar A Bar, Friday 2nd March.


Line Up


Fred P aka Black Jazz Consortium (Soul people music/Underground Quality)
Robin Ordell (Leftroom/Half Baked)
Greg Brockmann (Scandal/Half Baked)
Camille Hooz (Scandal)



Time: 10:00pm - 06:00am
Venue: Bar A Bar/ 133-135 Stoke Newington Road, Stoke Newington, London, N16 8BT
Cost: 8£ concession / 10£ at the door


Muak with Andre Lodemann, Dj Le Roi @ Basing House, Saturday 3rd March.



Line Up

Andre Lodemann
DJ Le Roi
Zaki
Manish

Time: 9pm - 4am
Venue: Basing House/ 25 Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, E28AA
Cost: £8, £10 Tickets

Monday 27 February 2012

iPad Drum Pad Controller: MidiPads


The iPad as a controller is at its best when it plays to its strengths, letting you use that continuous finger control do something useful. So that makes MidiPads worth a look. It’s a strikingly-versatile drum pad controller with all of the kinds of features you might want, and with a major version 1.5 release this week, looks even more useful as a control addition to your studio.
First off, it’s got all of the I/O you could want:
  • USB MIDI (so, use the Camera Connection Kit and a class-compliant interface, or dedicated interfaces like iRig MIDI and MIDI Mobilizer II)
  • Wireless MIDI over a WiFi connection
  • Virtual MIDI, for connecting to other apps (we need to do a round-up of these soon, so give a shout if you have a moment, devs)
Once connected, MidiPads sets itself apart with flexible control on each of those pads. Just tapping rectangles isn’t much fun on the iPad, of course – you lack tactile feedback and pressure sensitivity found on a physical pad. So, instead, MidiPads provides other modulation to exploit the touchable surface for continuous control. In fact, thinking of it as a “drum pad” is almost a bit unfair. New in this release:
  • Presets, which you can share with other users – which could in turn make a nice little community of users here
  • “Bouncing mode” for touch pads and sliders
  • Send multiple messages with each axis and knob
  • Individual up/down messages for each touch pad and slider, if you so wish
  • Enhanced views, settings reset, and MIDI connection settings
  • Resize pads and pad area (essential for either fat fingers or getting more controls!)
What I like best of all is the integration of X/Y controllers on pads, so you can send continuous messages as you trigger a pad. In the video at top, you can see that in action with Traktor Pro. (Yep: you can use this for DJing, not just drum sounds.)
To solve the lack of velocity response, you can choose from a few options, including tapping with two fingers or setting velocity from the vertical position of your tap on the pad. Those ranges are scalable, and you can even set some randomization.
You get 64 resizable pads, and everything can be customized, both in terms of the MIDI message and appearance. You can also send MIDI to those pads for bi-directional feedback. With that, I’m just waiting for someone to come up with some awesome preset for Renoise or a drum synth or Ableton or what have you. Let us know.
Other features:
  • CC messages, custom MIDI channels, definable ranges
  • Faders that snap, fade, and bounce
  • Incoming values can display on pads
  • Pitch bend or modulation, via sliders or the touch pads or the drum pads
  • Accelerometer control
  • MIDI learn on the controller (which is something of a novel idea)
  • Blink pads with MIDI sync
  • Integrated help

Thursday 23 February 2012

Defected present: All Gone Miami '12

Pete Tong and Groove Armada have put together a new mix package on Defected called All Gone Miami '12, due for release next month.

Both artists are well-acquainted with mainstream audiences: Tong is the iconic host of BBC Radio 1's Essential Mix, while Groove Armada have had four of their eight albums in the top 50 UK albums chart. That said, both mixes on All Gone Miami '12are heavy on (relatively) underground selections, with Tong throwing down remixes by the likes of Kenny Larkin and Deetron as well as Luke Abbott's "Brazil (Slow Version)" off the Border Community label. Groove Armada weave in a number of their original productions, including an exclusive cut called "Disco Love Groove". Nina Kraviz's "Ghetto Kraviz" and Fingers Inc.'s "Music Take Up" also make the cut.

Tracklist
CD 1
01. Goldfrapp - Strict Machine (Jamie Jones Remix)
02. Dusky - Tyto
03. Bubba - Keep Love
04. Noir & Haze - Around (Subb-an Remix)
05. Mendo & Yvan Genkins - Gods On Hill
06. Anonym  - If Every Day Was A Summer Day
07. Someone Else - Pillow Face
08. Sable Sheep - Painting My Fur
09. SLZ - Strugglin
10. Tong & Rogers - Sand Dunes
11. Phillip Arruda - Feels Like Space (The Junkies Remix)
12. Kevin Saunderson presents Inner City - Future (Kenny Larkin's Tension Remix)
13. PRB Street Gang - Downstroke (Deetron Remix)
14. Mark Fanciulli - Sacrifice
15. Alfa Romeo - Sunday Bond
16. Marc Romboy vs. Rodriguez Jr - Picnic Electronique (Deetron Remix)
17. Luke Abbott - Brazil (Slow Version)
18. Delilah - Love You So (Joe Goddard Remix – Tong Re-Edit)

CD2
01. Groove Armada - Disco Love Groove
02. Toby Tobias - Tomorrow's Bringing (Bicep NY Mix)
03. Groove Armada - Stevie Late Night
04. Parallel Dance Ensemble - Shopping Cart (Maxxi Soundsystem Remix)
05. Fingers Inc. - Music Take Up
06. Cle - Reaching Out
07. DJ Nibc & Patrick L - Call Me (Tiger Stripes Remix)
08. Shenonda - Finally
09. Bingo Players - Devotion
10. Nina Kraviz - Ghetto Kraviz
11. Stacey Pullen - Get Up
12. Bubba - Dance With Me
13. Lazy Ants and Rob Threezy - Chi to Rome (Broke One Edit)
14. The Chain - Geo
15. Djedtronic - Walk With Me
16. NY Stomp - Can You Feel It
17. NY Stomp - NY House Track
18. Groove Armada - RJ's Theme

Defected will release All Gone Miami '12 on March 26th, 2012.

Wednesday 22 February 2012

This Weekends Activities

Fomp @ Plan B (Basement), Friday 24th February.


Line Up


At One
Joseph Hines
Pablo Martinez
Samuel Jeffries
Paul Jones



Time: 10pm till 4 am
Venue: Plan B (Basement)  / 418 Brixton Road, London, SW9 7AY
Cost: £7 Concessions more on the door


http://www.residentadvisor.net/event.aspx?325801




Tastebudz.Inc Deep Into Soul 1st Anniversary Party @ Music Bar & Club, Saturday 25th February.


Line Up


Groove Assassin
Matthew Bandy
Neil Pierce
Sy Sez
Ziggy Funk
Stephen Adams
Sabrina Chyld



Time: 10pm till 6am
Venue: Music Bar & Club/ 144 Brixton Hill, Brixton, SW2 1SD
Cost: £12 on the door £10 concession

Tuesday 21 February 2012

Video Interview: Loco Dice meets Boris Werner

The Desolat man chats on camera to Boris Werner, the resident DJ selected for the Amsterdam leg of Dice's Under 300 tour, which wrapped up this past weekend in London.



Loco Dice Under 300 interview w/ Boris Werner from Desolat Music Group on Vimeo.

Monday 20 February 2012

Video Interview: Basic Soul Unit

Stuart Li (Basic Soul Unit) reveals the ideas and influences that helped him build his first live set-up.



Basic Soul Unit from StudioFeed on Vimeo.

Thursday 16 February 2012

Wednesday 15 February 2012

This Weekends Activities

Mi Casa Es Su Casa @ Nomad, Friday 17th.


Line Up


Guests DJs
Nat Wendell (Ruffneck Records)
Sarah Finesse (Housefm.net)
Tashizm 

Frank Ainsworth (pressureradio.com)
Raw and Bones (House of Rhythm)
Nick Fernandez (Housefm.net)



Mi Casa Residents:
DJ Special Edition
Dean Jay (Soul:Fly/TEMPO)



Time: 10:00pm - 5:00am
Venue: NOMAD, 58 Old Street, London, EC1V 9AJ
Cost:£7 with flyer or on Guestlist. £10 on the door.




Tief Presents @ Corsica Studios, Saturday 18th.


Line Up


Prosumer (Ostgut Ton)
Axel Boman (Pampa / Studio Barnhus)
San Soda (We Play House / FCL)
Midland (Aus / Phonica)
Dan Beaumont (Jam Factory / DSS)
Zoo Look (Tenth Circle)

Hesseltime
Thick As Thieves
John Malcolm Moore



Time: 10.00pm - 6.00am
Venue: Corsica Studios/ 5 Elephant Road. London SE17 1LB
Cost: £8 Early bird / £10/£13 Advance, MOTD

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Video Documentary: Jack to Juke: 25 Years of Ghetto House

"Currently all the rage with hipsters worldwide, Chicago Juke music has roots that run deep. This documentary chronicles the birth and evolution of a genre over 25 years."



From Jack to Juke: 25 Years of Ghetto House from Sonali Aggarwal on Vimeo.

Monday 13 February 2012

Q & A with Kai Alce of NDATL Muzik


BY 
BIANCA VON BAUM

“Deep House” is a widely used, even abused term – and needless to say it usually means different things to different people. For some, the pounding New Jersey warehouse four-to-floor with fat basslines, while for others it might signify the raw, minimalist grooves found on Hamburg’s Laid imprint. For NDATL Muzik boss, Kai Alce Deep House is neither here nor there – it’s all one and the same as long as it is seeped in soul, layered with raw textures and doesn’t steer too far from it’s vintage, Motor City roots.
So the story goes: Alce was born in NY where he lived to watch the Hip-Hop movement boom, then spent most of his adolescent years growing up in Detroit, experiencing the early days of the now-esteemed Music Institute parties, the breeding grounds where legends such as Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson first got their shine in the spotlight. And so it all makes sense then, that NDATL – along with Alce’s independent productions –  have kept this old school aesthetic fresh all these years.
After a hearty re-stock of NDATL Muzik titles late last year, we published a primer on the respected label, it’s reflective Music Institute 20th Anniversary series, and the man behind it all. Now four years since it’s inception, NDATL is still going strong offering release after release of exceptional deep House by the genre’s royal family, artists like Alton MillerOmar S, and Abacus, to name a few. With the new year in full force, Alce is continuing his creative vision on a strong streak with releases lined up by deep House maestro, Patrice Scott, and collaborations with vocalists such as Robert Owens and Azulu Phantom.
Ahead of Alce’s guest appearance at the anticipated Discovery party this weekend along with cohort, Chez Damier, we reached out to the man of the moment for a litte tete-a-tete. Here, Alce reminisces about long (but not forgotten) record shops, his connection to Spain’s vibrant underground, and his inspirations beyond the music he helped define.
halcyon: First off, since this interview is around your February gig here, let’s start off by talking a little bit about New York. We know you were born here; does this city still hold a special place in your heart? Are there any particular parties/venues/record shops in NYC that have really stood out for you over the years?
Kai Alce: New York is, always has been & always will be a part of me & what I do. Being born there and [during my] first crucial part of growing up having been exposed to all the different cultures while being Haitian was worldly in itself. Venues: MARS, Red Zone, Nell’s, Sound Factory & SF Bar, Shelter. Records: Dance Tracks, Vinyl Mania, Rock & Soul, Downtown Records. Parties: Wild Pitch!
h: Respectable places, to say the least. Talk just a little bit about Detroit when you first got there and the Institute. We know you were working at the club at a very tender age, but were you DJing/ making music then? Or did that come after?
KA: No, just mastering my craft of DJing although I did some mixes of tracks back then that might have been up on the mixing board while hangin out at KMS Studios so I have some personal mixes of Inner City, Chez Damier & Derrick Carter & other various KMS productions.
h: What is the House scene like in ATL these days? What are the parties/venues that are really happening down there right now?
KA: Right now the coolest venue for me is The Sound Table which I currently have a monthly there called “DISTINCTIVE” some other  parties are Spreadlove, Tambor, Afrique Electrique which help to keep the ATL nightlife satisfied.
h: We want to know more about what’s going on with NDATL. We know you have Patrice Scott and Robert Owens coming up, that’s very exciting. Can you tell us more about those releases? What other releases coming up are you excited about?
KA: Well I’m extremely excited about the Robert Owens release. To able to remix a work by not only Robert but a creation by him and Larry Heard was an honor. I’m also excited to release new EPs by Brett Dancer, Founder of the classic label TrackMode, (who also coincidentally released my first 12″) and Damon Lamar of Tetrode fame. Another track with vocalist Azulu Phantom.
h: Right, that brings us to our next question – we’ve noticed the collaboration between you and another of our favorite Deep House labels, Deep Explorer, both with Alpha Revisited and the new release coming up with Azulu Phantom. How did you get hooked up with Dubbyman and the Spaniards? What’s your take on the Deep movement that’s been happening in Madrid for some time now?
KA: Yes, I released a 12″ with them a few years back and they wanted me to be a part their 25th release so I just thought of doing a cross label release which the orignal should be coming out soon on Deep Explorer while the NDATL release will come out later this year with remixes from Above Smoke and… they play deep house in Spain?? :)
h: Looking forward to those releases. Now, speaking of producing, indulge us with a little studio nerd talk for a moment. When you go into the studio, do you have an idea in mind or do you just go in and do what happens? Do you have a favorite piece of gear? Is there any software you’re excited about, or are you more of a hardware guy?
KA: If it’s a remix, yes sometimes I do. But when just creating, no I just turn ‘em on, drop a beat and see what happens. Favorite piece, the MPC then my Logic, newbie to the Mashine and [I have] my little hardware goodies to keep it analog.
h: Speaking of technology, what is your take on the Internet and what it’s done to/ for the music business and the state of vinyl? You don’t seem to be slowing down with pressing vinyl at all. What is your strategy in keeping the beloved format relevant?
KA: I mean what we do without the internet!? We’d be f@#$%d! But at the same time its really f*&^%ing us ‘cuz you can no longer control what you sell whether its music or media. From authors, to publishers, to newspapers to musicians to producers it has totally taken whatever control they once had on how to distribute their content and still make the same money. Just to put out things that are worth buying, the day of the average 4 tracker on vinyl is no longer enough. You gotta try your best to stand out not only amongst what’s out there on vinyl but also what’s out there in the digital world. And for those labels that do put out vinyl & digital try and keep something specific to each. So if the 12″ has the extended version then digital version contains an edited version but then an instrumental or dub whatever, but I don’t want to pay a hefty price for the vinyl & then it’s all available digital, [sadly].
h: Good answer, we  could go on and on ourselves about this. However, due to time constraints, let’s move on and talk about this Saturday’s party. You’re playing with Chez Damier at the Discovery party. It seems a very natural fit for you two to play together, given the history and your respective styles. Do you play together often, and if so, are there any memorable gigs together you’d like to share?
KA: We don’t play together too often but enough. One memorable time we were playing together was actually in New York at PS1 about 3 years ago. It was a great all day event.
h: What one thing, not related to House Music, brings you great happiness in life?
KA: My family and friends.
h: Obligatory top 5 records that never leave your bag.
KA: That’s tough here are a few that come to mind:
Bang The Party – Bang Bang You’re Mine
Larry Heard – Missing You
Gregory Porter – 1960 What?
Lil Louis – How I Feel
Blaze – Journey
Originally posted: https://halcyonline.com/2012/qa-kai-alce-of-ndatl-muzik/

Thursday 9 February 2012

Maya Jane Coles mixes DJ-Kicks

Maya Jane Coles has mixed the next edition of DJ-Kicks, due for release in April.

Coles has been one of house music's most popular new artists ever since her breakthrough single, What They Say, came out on Real Tone Records in 2010. At just 24 years old, the London-based DJ and producer is now a hot commodity at clubs and festivals around the world, and last year slipped into the top 10 of your favorite DJs of 2011. DJ-Kicks will be her first commercial mix CD, and according to Coles, shows her at her most diverse.

"I don't just do one thing and I wanted [the mix] to reflect that," she says. "Most of the mixes I've put out there so far have been house based, but I also produce stuff under the Nocturnal Sunshine moniker, which is more two-step/bass influenced stuff. This mix evolved into something that wasn't just four-to-the-floor."

Like every edition of DJ-Kicks, the mix features exclusive tracks from the curator: one is "Not Listening," and the other is "Meant To Be," a track from Coles' more two-step influenced alter-ego, Nocturnal Sunshine.

Tracklist
01. Deft - Loqux & Past
02. Kris Wadsworth - Mainline (Jimmy Edgar Remix)
03. Chasing Kurt - Money
04. Bozzwell - In My Cocoon
05. Larse - Karoo
06. Milscot feat. Angela Sheik - All Alone (Domyan Just Slow Remix)
07. Adam Stacks - Hey Love
08. Phil Kieran & White Noise Sound - Never Believed
09. Sigward - Nuerd
10. Maya Jane Coles - Not Listening
11. Virgo Four - It's a Crime (Caribou Remix)
12. Roberto Bardini - Hate Me (Muteoscillator Fairy Tall Remix)
13. Tripmastaz - Guess Who
14. Standard Fair - Little Helper 16-3
15. Nocturnal Sunshine - Meant to Be
16. Zenker Brothers - Berg 10
17. Last Magpie - No More Stories
18. Zoe Zoe - Church
19. Gerry Read - Roomland (Youandewan Remix)
20. T. Williams - Analog Tour
21. Marcel Dettmann - Translation Two
22. Claro Intelecto - Hunter's Rocket to the Sky

!K7 will release Maya Jane Coles' DJ-Kicks in April 2012.

Wednesday 8 February 2012

This Weekends Activities

Electric Roller Disco @ Hackney Downs Studios, Saturday 11th.


Line Up


Horse Meat Disco
Floating Points
Warm Residents
Dolan Bergin
+ more tba





Time: 8pm - 4am
Venue: Hackney Downs Studios/ 1 Downs Road, London E8 5QJ
Cost: £8 to £15 advance




BEAT PLAYERS present ROOM 26 (Rome) @ East Village, Saturday 11th.


Line Up


Luis Radio 
Neil Pierce
Sy Sez


Fitzroy Da Buzzboy
DJ SoulProvyder 
Shaun Samuel


Time: 8pm - 3:30am
Venue: East Village, 89 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3HX London, 
Cost: £8 

Tuesday 7 February 2012

Mark Radford mixes Rinse: 18

Mark Radford has mixed Rinse: 18, due for release at the beginning of March.

As a radio station and a mix CD series, Rinse's main focus is all things bass-related, from grime right through to funky, but Radford's mix shows that they dabble in European-style 4/4 as well. Though his roots are in jungle and drum & bass, the London selector has warmed more and more to house music over the years. "When I started playing this stuff, no-one else was really playing it, and people were turning their noses up at it," he says. "It wasn't until they started coming to the clubs, hearing it and seeing what it was doing at the parties, that everyone started getting into it." 

Radford mostly sticks to contemporary tech house on the mix, highlighting artists like John Tejada, Subb-an, Solomun and Steve Bug, but there is a hint of bass as well, thanks to Al Bassline's "Bouyancy." 

Tracklist
01. Alex Niggeman - Point of No Return
02. Rekleiner - Some People
03. Mark Henning- Sin City
04. Max Cooper - Dark Room (John Tejada Mix)
05. Steve Bug - Wet
06. Agoria - Speechless (Carl Craig Remix)
07. James What - In the Dark
08. Lee Brink - Over You (Wildcats Remix)
09. Noir & Haze - Around (Subb-an Remix)
10. No Artificial Colours - Girl You Know
11. Al Bassline - Bouyancy
12. Tiger Stripes - Voyage (Solomun Remix)
13. Martin Landsky - Morning Caffeine
14. Lazaro Casanova - Morning Confessions

Rinse Recordings will release Rinse: 18 on March 5th, 2012.

Monday 6 February 2012

Redbull Music Academy Lecture: Masters at Work

Their name says it all - Masters At Work. 'Little' Louie Vega and Kenny 'Dope' Gonzalez celebrate 20 years together, channeling dance music down new paths with their inventive production style and imaginative feel for different musical forms. The two native New Yorkers have amassed an overwhelming body of work including hundreds of original productions and defiantly mix everything they can find - house, hip hop, funk, disco, Latin, African and jazz - into a universal groove. XLR8R's Shawn Reynaldo sits down with them on the couch during Red Bull Music Academy's 'New York City to SF Bay' lecture series in San Francisco to discuss the start of their careers and dissolving the barriers between genres.

Lecture: Masters at Work (San Francisco, 2012) from Red Bull Music Academy on Vimeo.

Wednesday 1 February 2012

This Weekends Activities

Vibes with Phil Asher @ The Horse & Groom, Saturday 4th February. 


Line Up


Phil Asher
Paddy Freeform
Wez Saunders





Time: 9:00am - 4:00am
Venue: The Horse & Groom/ 28 Curtain Road, Shoreditch EC2
Cost: Free bf 10 pm // £4 bf midnight // £5






Soulmates Chicago Session with Boo Williams (Strictly Jaz Unit) @ The CAMP Basement, Saturday 4th February. 


Line Up


Boo Williams (Strictly Jaz Unit / Chicago)
Rap Saunders
Dennis Christensen






Time: 10:00pm - 4:00am
Venue: The CAMP Basement/ 70 - 74 City Rd, London, EC1Y 2BJ
Cost: £6/8/10