ones to watch in 2008...

About this time last year, 3 of the 4 members of this blog had just ranked ‘Bergwein’ as our track of 2006 and were tipping big things for Efdemin and the whole Dial crew. While recognizing that the boys from Hamburg were on the verge of a special year may have been a somewhat easy spot, it has given me/us enough encouragement to think about what 2008 has in store. Here are a couple of people I think are about to have a breakout or standout year. I’d be very keen to hear who you think are worth watching closely in the new year…

The Mountain People

The Mountain People are made up of Serafin and Rozzo, two guys from Suisse who are seriously house. If anyone has heard one of the Mountain People releases or their dj set recorded on Rundfunk FM (which has been getting serious play on my stereo) you’d know exactly what I mean. Both in their djing and production, Serafin and Rozzo really, really know what they are doing. They remind me a bit of Thomas Melchoir not so much in the sound (even though there is a bit of a similarity there) but more in the design – the beauty, the depth of this music comes from its feel and its simplicity. The three Mountain People records that appeared in 2007 have rightly been getting a lot of play and charting, and my feeling is that we can expect much more in 2008. To give you an idea, check out these sets from the Mountain People:

Mountain People DJs on Rundfunk FM available here care of filter27
http://www.filter27.com/archives/2007/09/mountain_people_djs.php

And here are some from them individually:

Rozzo – House is Alive mix
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2IZVM8T4

Rozzo – Live at Slutfunk After Hour 11/07
http://www.p45.ch/sounds/mixes/RozzoLive@SlutfunkAfterHour11-07.zip

Rozzo – Live at the Bedroom (maybe 11/06)
http://www.trackdownrecords.com/sounds/mixes/AndreRozzo_LiveAtTheBedroom.mp3

Both these Rozzo sets are id’d as ‘live at the bedroom’, but they are different…

Serafin – Live at Loftclub 12/05
http://www.p45.ch/sounds/mixes/serafin@loftclub_dec2005.mp3

Serafin – Starship discotheque pt 1
http://www.p45.ch/sounds/mixes/starshipdiscotheque1.mp3

There is a part 2 to this mix, I shall try to find the link for it later…

Pawel/Turner

Pawel/Turner is another person who has been around for a while, but you get the feeling he is really hitting his straps at the moment. Having released on Ladomat 2000 and Dial, in 2007, two fresh records came out in 2007 on his new label, Orphanear. Both still sound very much within the Dial aesthetic, but at the same stage, it looks like Pawel is really taking the next step in defining his own musical identity and carving out something separate. ‘Salta’ was a clear highlight for me in 2007. An absolute gem. I can wait to see what is in store for the new year… Check out his myspace to hear what I’m talking about:

http://www.myspace.com/turnerpawel

Pawel and Orphanear are definitely worth keeping a close eye on...

Girls with skills

One of the more positive trends for this year was the growth and success of a lot of female djs and producers. Increasingly the ‘djane’ crap is being dispensed with as the number and profile of females in techno is on the up. We may post more about this trend later, but for now it is enough to say that you’d have to expect it to continue. One dj keeping an eye on is Margaret Dygas. Her sound as a dj has really been maturing of late so I am very interested to see what 2008 holds. Plenty of other names could be added, for now I’ll just put two more. First is Kate Simko. She did some really nice things in 2007 and has a great livepa. Second is Cio D’or. While she doesn’t have that big a profile yet, I really, really like the sound she pushes. Anyway, keep an eye out. Finally the sausage party might be coming to an end...

These are two 20 minute mixes from Cio D’or which give a good account of her style:

Cio D’or Origami 11 mix
http://www.cio-dor.de/data/Origami11Oceanmix.mp3

Cio D’or Kristall 11 mix
http://www.cio-dor.de/data/Kristall11OceanMix.mp3

And a great liveset from Kate Simko recorded at DEMF 2007
http://www.katesimko.com/Kate_Simko_Live_at_DEMF2007.mp3

Hopefully some of the other blog members shall add to this post later with others to watch and please tell us who you think in the comments...

Pete's two cents:

I think Chris is totally on point with his selections there (as usual). To these I’d add a few:

DJ Swap

I say this based on the strength of one EP, ‘The Walk’, released on Smallville records. All three tracks on this EP are fantastic, and they’re super-useful to DJ with – no doubt that’s why Steve Bug included ‘Consequence’ on his recent (fairly decent) Fabric mix.

Mark August

Mark’s already well on his way, having written one of 2007’s most beautiful tech-house tracks with ‘Old Joy’. His live sets are the bomb, too – I think we described his style as being ‘like the baby that Alex Smoke and Donnacha Costello had…. in Ibiza.’ More emotional release than Costello and not as relentlessly glum as Smoke’s big arpeggiated ‘storms-a-brewing’ attacks… yeah, I just have a feeling that August is gonna be rrreally big.

[chris here - really, really agree with pete on mark august. amazing how textured and complex his sounds are given that he appears to be a relative newcomer, though i could be wrong on that. anyway, here are some of his livesets:]

Mark August livepa @ Flexbar 30/11/07

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=B7NKWTEW

Mark August livepa @ Teleskope 13/10/07

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1G7FOJDN

Mark August livepa @ Studio 80 26/10/07

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8YZOBNVL

Kassem Mosse

Holy shit, that EP on Workshop is fantastic. I urge all and sundry to get their mits on a copy and give it a good rinse. His music is exciting in the same way that James Din A4’s is/was – it’s microhouse, but super monged: slow-mo quasi-beardo narcohouse, IDM’d trip-outs, acidic wonkfests, you name it, his EP has it. Also, he’s due for a release on Smallville, which, given that Swap is also releasing on that label, makes it one to watch in 08.

Jacek Sienkiewicz

Well, he’s hardly a newcomer, but I’ve just got an inkling that the Pole with the unpronounceable (to me, to me) last name is gonna take it to the next level in 08. Hey, he even released on Smallville recently…. hmm, is there a pattern emerging here?

Bruno Pronsato

2008 will be a huge year for this man... Just wait 'til the album drops...