Friday, June 5, 2009

bits to pieces


ssg mixes

glad everybody has been digging the koss set. really lovely sounds... next week we've got a great mix of deep techno sounds from yuka. if you want a taste, head over to her soundcloud page and grab a few of her old mixes there. after that, we'll see. i am very, very excited about the people who have agreed to do mixes for us. get ready for some serious music!

twitter

i've decided to give twitter a go. if you are interested, you can follow me here. random musings and so on. i will also try to post any good sets as i am listening to them.

manchester

i really should give a full report of the erosion party i went to the other week, but i dont quite have the motivation to. but in short, i had a great night out. unlike pete who is a bit sceptical about heading to clubs these days, i still have a real need for them. nothing beats hearing the music on a big rig in a dark room and just being able to let loose and dance... seldom felt were quality, but it was marcel fengler who really owned the night, pulling out a couple of hours of perfectly weighted techno. it was great not only dancing to his sounds, but also getting to meet him. as expected, lovely individual. i'm expecting his star to continue rising. i hope so. he deserves it. on the whole, what was really nice about the night was just meeting up with people and connecting over a common bond, namely, a love and passion for techno music. i'm back in tokyo for the next 2 months, but on my return i am hoping to get up to manchester on a semi-regular basis. i really liked what i saw.

reflect

if you haven't read this new interview with donato dozzy posted over on the RA feed, i strongly recommend you do. i really find his whole approach to music and life very inspirational. while we are on RA, i'd also suggest having a read of pete's thought provoking piece on the relationship between DJ'ing culture and environmental issues. as usual, a great piece of writing by PC.

set up

dozzy & nuel - aguaplano sessions: the first two aguaplano releases by donato and nuel have been causing a stir, and for good reason, both are awesome. my only complaint is that they are vinyl only. anyway, no need to revisit that argument here! this is a live recording of donato and nuel playing tag. exactly what you'd expect from them - deep, tripping techno at its very best. excited about seeing donato spin in london next week.

adam x - big apple bites berlin mix: while on the techno tip, this one is also worth checking. been keen to hear something from adam x for a while, so i was happy when this appeared. quality stuff.

petar dundov @ oldiest goldiest: this is dundov playing an old school set. jam packed full of classics. a really fun listen. have trouble concentrating while listening to this, too many memories...

surgeon @ the shelter: head over to the media/audio section of his site to grab this beauty. reports are that he killed it in tokyo recently, and i am not surprised if this set is anything to go by. sometimes he bangs it out a bit too much for my liking, but this set is much more restrained and better balanced.

raster noton @ the bunker: wow. the bunker boys deliver the goods again. i think this alva noto set is equal with the speedy j/george issakidis gtc 'cast for the best mix i've heard this year. amazing stuff. essential. there are also recordings from frank bretschneider, byetone and signal, which are all first rate and should be listened to.

ok, think that's all for now. if you've come across any good sets, please share them in the comments. have a good weekend!

16 comments:

  1. speedy j set i came across and have been enjoying today

    http://rapidshare.com/files/220805179/speedyj-ump3-podcast-evocast-ep20-april2009.mp3

    ReplyDelete
  2. ....and if you want some intelligent sounds rather than wake you up on the way to work techno...here's a lovely mix from the one and only cio d'or:

    http://www.abram22.com/2009/05/cio-dor-monsun-11.html

    (imagine it has already been posted somewhere on these pages, but just in case...)

    ReplyDelete
  3. pc, i thought your RA column was brilliant. i've been feeling smug for a little while thinking that the rise of digital formats could reduce some of the emissions that take place during the manufacturing of physical products: vinyls, cds, sleeves, jewel cases, etc...

    but, shit, you've built a strong case. any potential reduction in emissions caused by the rise of digital formats is probably small potatoes compared to the culture of global jetsetting it's given rise to.

    have there been any studies mapping out the ecological footprints of music? i'd be really interested to know the impact of making vinyl records or the energy used to power beatport's servers.

    ReplyDelete
  4. @ jonny p: yep, that is a goodie... if you check cio's fairtilizer or home page, she has a bunch of her old mixes (including this one) for download. such a distinctive sound... i think cio is working on a new mix soon, fingers crossed!

    ReplyDelete
  5. ah cool chris, been looking to download that mix for a while. indeed such a distinctive sound, here's hoping she plays somewhere near soon. when is menta finally going to come out btw? keep checking juno but still not there..! i was all ready to go see dozzy today and realised i got the wrong bloody friday! roll on one week today...

    ReplyDelete
  6. i thought 'menta' was out by now... it must be very soon - perhaps this week or next. hmmm...

    one week to donato. pump! see you there!

    ReplyDelete
  7. That Adam X mix is the shit. Must investigate further.

    ReplyDelete
  8. nice one PC! that million djs was a great read.

    speaking of rasternoton, their performance last night confirms my suspicsions they're gravitating towards dance music more and more. until last night, i've never heard alva noto use handclaps before.

    byetone too was using 808 samples. it sounded like fad gadget.

    ReplyDelete
  9. "any potential reduction in emissions caused by the rise of digital formats is probably small potatoes compared to the culture of global jetsetting it's given rise to."

    Any of the arguments of digital formats offsetting vinyl’s carbon footprint were spurious to begin with; sure vinyl is not very environmentally friendly, but neither are laptops/notebooks used for Serato/Traktor etc. Also, sites like Beatport run on huge servers. In the US data centres/servers have eclipsed the domestic use of electricity in volume terms (I’m not sure if Peter mentioned this in his piece or not - which was a great read), so the notion that the digital revolution would make electronic music more eco-friendly is questionable.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anyone have the tracklist to the Dozzy & Nuel set? Nearly every track on there is bomb.

    ReplyDelete
  11. @ Mike (and sorry for taking to long to reply): my 'research' such that it is was gathered by including some basic questions about how DJs make money these days: whether they make money from production and remixes and how much they rely on appearances. Almost universally they say that production breaks even (covers cost of time, equipment, etc); is just reputational (just to get on the good labels to get good gigs); or makes them nothing.

    ...as far as overall impact goes, it's difficult to say I think. But personally: my father worked for an airline for many years, so cheap/free flights are nothing new to me. Yet now, despite the fact I pay for them, they cost so little, that I fly 25% more than I ever have. And this is far from exceptional.

    Anyway, thanks for the kind words, it's appreciated.

    ReplyDelete
  12. @ Richard: it's a tough one in terms of format and environmental impact.

    If people kept their computer chassis for ten, fifteen years, if power was from low-impact renewables

    ~ BTW, anyone hear about polymer solar cells... and can anyone who has explain why nobody's invested in 'em yet

    http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2550612.htm

    ...we could even manufacture an electricity generating audio format/laptop/synthesizer...

    ~

    ...but perhaps that question has to be asked about format and environmental impact. It would require a lot of energy-intensive research though....

    ReplyDelete
  13. the Dozzy & Nuel set seems to be offline as do all the other sets from that Phunkster Phrench Phries podcast...anyone know what's up, or can re-upload that set? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  14. will try to re-up it later for you.

    ReplyDelete
  15. the concert with alva noto is a collaboration with two other artists, i went to see them at the stunning La Fondation Cartier last month here in Paris:

    "Anne-James Chaton’s litanic writing meets the minimalist electronica of Alva Noto (Carsten Nicolai) and the experimental rock of Andy Moor (The Ex).
    Décade is a dense and structured sound piece where words, rhythms and melodic loops inexorably intertwine."

    The best gig i've seen since Stars of the Lid in London last year.

    thank you for the kind words regarding our mix and comparing it to Decade!

    ReplyDelete
  16. dozzy and nuel set back online...thanks though.

    ReplyDelete

Say something constructive, bitte. Or if you're gonna take a swipe, at least sharpen your nails.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.