Crosstown Rebels announce Rebel Rave Global Tour

Crosstown Rebels has announced a worldwide Rebel Rave tour beginning this month.

The extensive tour will celebrate the label's first decade in business and will feature some of its most popular DJs. The Rebel Rave Global Tour began earlier this month and continues through to the beginning of May, marked by a new and forthcoming instalment of the Rebel Rave series, including a mix by recent RA podcaster Subb-an.

Over the next few months the tour will hit cities in Australia, Japan, Canada, and the US, with a stopover in Hong Kong as well. The mid-spring European leg will bring the Rebels to the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Germany and several dates in Italy, before winding down on a final trip through the UK, Russia, Sweden and Mexico.

Among the many artists billed to perform on the tour are founder Damian Lazarusand core Crosstown artists Jamie Jones, Maceo Plex, Art Department, Dinky, Subb-an, jozif and Amirali. Carl Craig, Roska, Cassy, Apollonia and Tiga have also been tapped to play.

Venues have not yet been announced, but initial lineup details and a complete list of cities are available below. The label have prepared ashort trailer for the tour as well.

CROSSTOWN REBELS 10 YEAR TOUR DATES Jan 25, Untitled, San Juan, Puerto Rico: Damian Lazarus, Subb-an Jan 26, El Rosario, Lima, Peru: Damian Lazarus, Infinity Ink, Subb-an, Jozif Feb 16, SCA, Sydney, Australia: Damian Lazarus, Subb an, Shaun Reeves, Francesca Lombardo, Brohn Feb 17, Brown Alley , Melbourne, Australia: Damian Lazarus, Subb-an, Shaun Reeves, Francesca Lombardo, Brohn Feb 22, Womb, Tokyo, Japan: Damian Lazarus, Subb-an Feb 23, Small & Tall, Hong Kong, China: Damian Lazarus, Subb-an Mar 01, Private Loft, Chicago, US: Damian Lazarus, Art Department (Kenny Glasgow), Infinity Ink, Subb-an Mar 02, Williamsburg, Event Space, New York, US: Damian Lazarus, Art Department (Kenny Glasgow), Infinity Ink, Amirali, Subb-an, Droog Mar 08, Stereo, Montreal, Canada: Damian Lazarus, Infinity Ink, Subb-an Mar 09, Moskito, Toronto, Canada: Damian Lazarus, Infinity Ink, Subb-an Mar 14, Public Works, San Francisco, US: Damian Lazarus, Art Department (Kenny Glasgow) Mar 16, Los Angeles, US: Damian Lazarus, Art Department, Maceo Plex, Maya Jane Coles, Subb-an Mar 23, Electric Pickle, Miami, US: Full Rebels Crew & Very Special Guests Mar 30, Into the Deep, Amsterdam, Holland: Damian Lazarus, Infinity Ink, Fur Coat, Richy Ahmed Mar 31, Nordstern, Basel, Switzerland: Damian Lazarus, Francesca Lombardo Apr 07, Venue T.B.A , Barcelona, Spain: Damian Lazarus, Fur Coat, Subb-an, Francesca Lombardo, Bill Patrick Apr 12, Cafe D'Anvers, Brussels, Belgium: Damian Lazarus, Amirali, Francesca Lombardo Apr 13, Bob Beaman, Munich, Germany: Damian Lazarus, Deniz Kurtel Apr 19, Spazio Energie, Rome, Italy: Damian Lazarus, Infinity Ink, Subb-an Apr 20, Link, Bologna, Italy: Damian Lazarus, Infinity Ink, Subb-an Apr 21, Moxa , Mantova, Italy: Damian Lazarus, Infinity Ink, Subb-an Apr 26, Canal Mills, Leeds, UK: Damian Lazarus, Art Department, Francesca Lombardo, Tiga Apr 27, Warehouse SE1, London, UK: Damian Lazarus, Ali Love, Deniz Kurtel, Subb-an, Francesca Lombardo, Matthew Styles & Dinky, Kiki & Silversurfer, Pier Bucci, Rob Mello Apr 28, Arma 17, Moscow, Russia: Damian Lazarus, Jamie Jones, Art Department, Bill Patrick May 04, F-16 , Stockholm, Sweden: Damian Lazarus, Art Department, Deniz Kurtel May 07, Marvellous Island, Paris, France: Damian Lazarus, Art Department, Deniz Kurtel, Subb-an, Francesca Lombardo May 08, Panorama Bar, Berlin, Germany: Damian Lazarus, Art Department, Infinity Ink, Amirali, Francesca Lombardo May 11, End of Tour Party, Mexico City, Mexico: Details TBA

Maceo Plex: Sleazy Rider Interview

Success is a blessing and a curse. Just ask Eric Estornel. 2011 was his biggest year yet as a musician. But he got there under a name he wasn't expecting—Maceo Plex—and the speed with which it happened was almost too much to handle. "I was surprised," he says. "I couldn't believe it. But that's the power of Crosstown [Rebels]." Damian Lazarus' imprint released Estornel's debut Maceo Plex album, Life Index, to rave reviews last year. It came at a moment when slower, funkier house was just beginning to take over clubland, and deep and sexy tracks like "Vibe Your Love," "Your Style" and "Can't Leave You" became monster hits as a result.   

And now? Now is when things get interesting. Riding high on the new wave of interest in his work, Estornel started his own label—Ellum Audio—late in 2011, and is already six releases in. While its first record was yet another Maceo Plex monster hit, "Stay High Baby," Estornel says that he is slowly heading away from the sound that made him famous. "I think the biggest mistake would be to do too much of one thing," he explains. And Ellum Audio's latest release is by his harder, more techno-oriented project Maetrik... albeit with a Maceo Plex remix. "I don't want to veer off too fast," he says.   Ellum Audio, which was originally started to simply provide an outlet for the enormous amount of music that he was writing, has now become a more considered affair. "Now we're actually, like, let's think about where we want to go musically instead of just getting out what's been written now. We're actually trying to write things for it. Hopefully this time next year it's going to be ten times more serious than it is now—and much more of a force to be reckoned with."  

This is the curse of success. How to maintain it after it first comes. How to build upon it to make it something even bigger. Talking to Estornel, it's obvious that he wants to take it to the next level, but he wants to do so on his own terms. He wants to be able to bring all of his aliases along with him for the ride. "Pretty soon, I'll find the balance, I'll be able to satisfy that thirst to make good underground records as well as big dance records. If I don't, I'll go insane," he explains. "It's funny, because you make these records that people love, and it's nice to see that these big dance records have connections with so many people. You just wish they connected more with you. It's your records that don't sell and nobody cares about that are the ones that you connect most with personally, so you kind of have to find a balance."  Estornel knows a bit about records not working. At the start of his career, he admits, the stuff that he made was too experimental. He grew up in the surprisingly vital Dallas scene, learning to produce from Gerard Hanson, AKA Convextion and E.R.P. "He's one of my best friends. He was kind of the one that taught me how to produce. Him and Dan Kurzius were the ones that I met when I started buying gear. They sold me their gear. It's a little bit sad to think about all my friends who made really, really good music but never got any attention."   

Estornel was the same for a number of years, working part-time jobs to make ends meet while he made electro—his first love—IDM, glitch and "minimalist techno." The focus, however, was much more on the music. Not as much on the needs of the party. "In my early days we were pretty purist about the music we listened to. I eventually kind of put being a purist aside [to try] to make dance records. About five or six years ago, I started going to clubs more and realizing that my music didn't work. There was a pretty major paradigm shift around 2005 where I started making tech house that could actually be played and enjoyed in clubs... Some artists are fine with that, and some others start realizing well, I dowant to make people dance. I respect the purists that just don't care, because there is a side of me that is like that, but at the same time I was like, well I could put my technical skills to use and actually make some dance records."    

"In an underground purist  sense, I sold out."     

Looking over Estornel's voluminous discography you can see what he means. His electro/IDM alias Mariel Ito had a very short-lived history, apparently the result of his epiphany that occurred in clubs (many of them European) in which he saw his music falling flat. (Soon, he'll revive the alias with a track on Ellum Audio—backed by an E.R.P. remix.) "I was kind of weirding people out. I started realizing that I should stick around and watch [other people's] sets and I remember listening and thinking 'Oh my God, it's so easy. It's got a 4x4 beat, typical sounds and typical loops.' I was so into this sound design stuff. [But] then I realized it wasn't as easy as it looked to make people dance. It took a while to learn how to make dance records."  

By this time, Estornel had a decent following for his Maetrik alias—and plenty of labels eager to give him the room to figure things out. This resulted in plenty of chances to release his music throughout the latter half of the '00s on labels like Treibstoff, Dumb Unit and Dirtybird sub-label Mothership. It was here that things started to get simpler in some ways—and more complex in others.   

"Deep down inside I would rather become more [recognized] on the experimental side, but I'm not the best experimental person either so something is better than nothing," he says, now referring to his success as Maceo Plex. "I could have probably tried to be better and better in the experimental and techno and minimal techno scene, but it wasn't until I tried out the house thing that people actually cared."  So, where do we go from here now that people do? This is the question that Estornel is wrestling with. As mentioned, he's cautious not to veer too quickly into a different sound—lest he confuse his new hard-won fans. He's also cognizant that his old fans are probably a bit confused as to why he's seemingly made such a wholesale move to house music. "In an underground purist sense, I sold out, but the way I justify it is that I don't make as bad records as others, so at least I sold out halfway [but] not too far," he says. "Now it's a matter of trying to reincorporate the sound design and the actual things I care about and getting the attention again of some of my earlier supporters that are kind of missing the old days. I'm trying to find a balance now." 

'Mind Over Matter' Fur Coat's Debut Album

Fur Coat will release their first album, Mind Over Matter, this September on Crosstown Rebels.

The album comes less than a year after Fur Coat first came on the radar with Space Ballad, a collaboration with Argenis Brito released on Crosstown Rebels in September. They've put out just one more EP since then: You and I with Cari Golden, also released on Crosstown. Mind Over Matter is loaded with guest appearances too, including Rap Lisa, Mel Blatt, Stee Downes and go-to tech house vocalist Big Bully. The album combines new productions with songs from their two EPs. According to group member Sergio Muñoz (AKA Delete), the title is a reference to the duo's life perspective.

"Mind Over Matter is a way of thinking that we have," says Muñoz. "We believe if you think what you want and you visualize it you can get it, and with the power of mind you can overcome any obstacle."

Tracklist
01. Mind Over Matter (Intro)
02. Those Days
03. Pettit Pillow feat. Rap Lisa
04. She's All Good feat. Big Bully
05. Falls Away feat. Mel Blatt
06. The Man Of The Hour
07. Spirit
08. Going Nowhere feat. Stee Downes
09. Change Resistance
10. You And I feat. Cari Golden
11. Space Ballad feat. Argenis Brito
12. Understand What I Do feat. Big Bully
13. This Is The End

Crosstown Rebels will release Mind Over Matter on September 17th, 2012.

Free Mix Friday

New Crosstown Rebels Offering: Amirali

This May, Crosstown Rebels will release the first album by new arrival Amirali. 

Damian Lazarus is known for his A&R acumen, and Amirali is the latest artist he's thrust into the spotlight. The Iranian-Canadian producer hadn't put his name to any recorded material until earlier this year, when Crosstown Rebels released Beautiful World, the single extraction from the upcoming album. According to a press release, Lazarus was on the hunt for something more "alternative" when he stumbled across Amirali, and it shows—In Time is a hard-to-categorize medley of house, downtempo and avant-pop, often led by the artist's own brooding vocals. Amirali will support the album with a string of live performances throughout the spring, including dates at Get Lost in Miami and Lovebox in London. 

Tracklist
01. The Harmonious Song
02. Missing
03. Just an Illusion
04. Painting on a Canvas
05. Last Words
06. Midnight Train
07. My Way
08. Beautiful World
09. Whisper
10. No Doubt
11. Hear Me
12. Story of Us
13. The Sounds of My Life

Crosstown Rebels will release In Time on May 14th, 2012.

An Interview With Deniz Kurtel (Crosstown Rebels)

Last year, we were wistfully swept away by the sensational debut artist album of Crosstown Rebels leading lady, Deniz Kurtel. Straddling the disciplines of New York's most sophisticated house and techno with ambient sweeps and dancefloor bounce, ‘Music Watching Over Me’ has left us tentatively set for when we’ll next get an entharlling glimpse into the greatness of Deniz's creative prowess.

So you can imagine our excitement when we speak to Deniz ahead of her highly-antipated Room One live show next Saturday, alongside Perlon's Sammy Dee and she tells us there's a collaboration album soon to drop on her regular staple spot Wolf + Lamb, followed by a second solo album where she hopes to feature her own lyrics and vocals. If it all seems too good to be true, read on to get the whole story here first. 

Hey Deniz, how was your New Year, where and who did you celebrate it with?
I played at the Electric Pickle in Miami with Wolf+Lamb, Soul Clap and Tanner Ross, it was an amazing party both outside and upstairs. The Electric Pickle feels very homey to us since we've been in Miami both last winter and this winter and I have a residency there. We also had a bunch of our friends visiting from New York so it felt very special.

Following the huge success of your LP, ‘Music Watching Over Me’ - do you have plans for a follow up album?
Yes, I have a collaboration album coming out in a few months on Wolf+Lamb, with tracks I made with a bunch of Wolf+Lamb artist including Tanner Ross, Gadi Mizrahi, Wolf+Lamb, Voices of Black, Pillow Talk and Thugfucker. After that I'm gonna start working on another solo album.

We read you’re interested in writing lyrics and vocals, are these new passions or something you have always wanted to do. How are ideas developing for this?
No, I never thought of it before I made my first album. I really enjoy using vocals from other singers I think it adds a fresh element to the tracks when it comes from a completely different source, but I also want to try singing myself and write lyrics. I tried writing lyrics for one of the tracks on the collaboration album and tried singing on another one, that's about it. It will take some time to get it right but I definitely want to have more on my next solo album.

What’s it like having Damian as a mentor- what’s the best piece of music advise he’s given you so far?
He's been good at pushing me to reach my potential. When he signed my album I had no experience playing whatsoever and a few months after I started playing, even though I had wrapped up the album he suggested that I should make some more music for it with the experience of performing live and he felt like I would make a big dance track, and I made "The L Word" which did ended up being the most popular one.

What new faces on the Crosstown roster are you really excited to share with the rest of the world and what involvement do you have in finding/ welcoming new talent to the family?There is a new artist on Crosstown named Amirali, so far I only heard one track from him but he seems to have a pretty unique sound. I just remixed his first single "Beautiful World", which had really cool, melodic elements. He also sings on it and has a really cool voice.

What was your favourite Rebel Rave memory of 2011?
I haven't been in that many Rebel Raves this year but the one in Los Angeles in August was one of my favorites, followed by the 12 hour road trip to Burning Man with Damian, Jonny and Kenny.
What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced so far in your career?
The touring part is perhaps the most challenging to me because I'm not so used it and it's a bit of a distraction from studio time. The traveling also gets a bit exhausting, but it's definitely worth it. Being in Miami with the Wolf+Lamb family the last 2 winters has definitely helped keep a level head for all of us, being in nice weather, eating healthy, enjoying each other's company.

We’re waiting in anticipation for the return of your live show in Room One at the end of the month. In what ways have you been developing the live project since we last had you with us? Can we expect another sensory overload from you?
Both times I've played in that room so far has been magic, so I'm really looking forward to sharing my new music there again. Since last time I've been incorporating a bunch of new material into the set, from new tracks and remixes and also some rework on older tracks. I really wanted to include a LED installation like I had the first time I played there but unfortunately I'm using all my LED supplies in two other projects at the moment so I won't be able to do that. Next time I play there I will make sure to time it right and bring a new LED installation!

Are there new plans to explore DJ sets or do you prefer to play live and if so why?
DJ'ing hasn't been a priority for me yet. I'm definitely interested but music production and my LED projects, together with the touring isn't leaving enough time to get into DJ'ing. Hopefully next year I'll have some time.

Are you consistently working on your LED installations? What’s new and exciting you about your very special and personal project?
Yes, I've definitely been working on more LED projects this year since I finished my album. I've built a LED installation inside a trailer, which I showed at the Electric Pickle in Miami for Art Basel and NYE. I'm planning to go on a road tour of the US with it in April as part of my album tour, starting in Miami with WMC, ending in California. I'm also designing a new club in Istanbul which is scheduled to open in February, for which I'm building a bunch of new LED pieces.

In your attitude and artistry who do you always look to for inspiration in life and in the music world?
I look to my mother a lot for inspiration, who has played a huge role in shaping my artistic approach, and musically I feel very lucky to be part of such talented group of friends that are constantly inspiring each other.

What projects do you have in store for us in 2012?
Main projects I have in store are the collaboration album, the Trailer project, the club project in Istanbul, and a bunch of new exciting remixes.

Finally, if we left you on a desert island tell us five things you couldn’t live without.. 
Food: coconut water
Music: jazz
Companion: My family 
Book: Beast and Man
Gadget: Telescope 


Written by Annie Buckle


Originally posted: http://www.fabriclondon.com/blog/view/catching-up-with-deniz-kurtel-crosstown-rebels/

Art Department New Album on Crosstown Rebels....

Art Department have unveiled details for their debut album, The Drawing Board. Given the soaring popularity of lastyear's "Without You," you'd think Jonny White and Kenny Glasgow had been at it together for years. In fact, though both artists have long been active in Toronto's club scene, that 12-inch was the first (and is still the only) record in the duo's catalog. Much like that massive single, their debut album is all about sinister but sexy vocal house, often with Glasgow's own deep croon.

The Drawing Board also features a few guest appearances: Seth Troxler delivers vocals on a new track called "Living the Life" as well as the already released "Vampire Nightclub," and Osunlade joins Boston duo Soul Clap on "We Call Love." The album will come out on CD through Crosstown Rebels at the end of April. A month ahead of its release, Art Department will debut their new live act during the Get Lost party at Electric Pickle in Miami.

Tracklist

01. Much Too Much

02. Tell Me Why (Part I)

03. Living The Life feat. Seth Troxler

04. What Does It Sound Like?

05. Without You

06. We Call Love feat. Soul Clap & Osunlade

07. Vampire Nightclub feat. Seth Troxler (Album Version)

08. In The Mood

09. Roberts Cry

10. Tell Me Why (Part II)

11. I C U

Crosstown Rebels will release The Drawing Board on April 25th, 2011.