Wednesday, November 25, 2009

kassem and his funky machines in tokyo


i dont have much to say, except this shit is essential. unfortunately there is some crowd noise in it, but the recording is still good enough to check, especially as i'm pretty sure this is the first live set from kassem to appear online. unsurprisingly, it is shit hot: kassem mosse @ mariana, tokyo

thanks to dave for recording this. i'd also suggest checking his set from the night, definitely the best mix i've heard from him. good late hours techno.

and if you are in tokyo, the next mariana party is on 5 december, with two ssg favourites: cio 'dor and mike parker. dont let labyrinth fool you, the scene in tokyo is pretty disappointing these days. it is rare to get nights like these, so if you are in the kanto area, definitely go check cio and mike.

20 comments:

  1. Thanks for pointing this out, I could really use something to sweeten this sour morning.

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  2. Thanks for this set but it isn't his first live recording on the web. Another one is available from the Mikrodisko website. Here's the link:

    http://mikrodisko.net/audio/mosse%20live%20tape%20mp3.mp3

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  3. @ tim: i forgot about that one. if my memory serves me correct, though, it is something like 96kbps, which does my fucking head in.

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  4. any idea what the track is that kassem plays at 17 minutes in? Sounds incredible. Same for 48 minutes!

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  5. @chris:

    Yeah, you're right. It's a really pour quality and sometimes you hear mor people screaming than music. But his live recordings show how good it can be to play with an equipment and not a Macbook. It's always nice to see that.

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  6. @ tim: agreed. the new ssg mix from jay ahern is a perfect example of that (and in 320kbps no less!)

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  7. @chris:

    I will give it a listen tomorrow but for today it's Mosses turn. Thanks a lot for both mixes again!

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  8. I was there! And I had a blast!! Gunnar (Kassem Mosse)’s DJ set was totally funky and awesome too.

    Dave (the organizer) can give more accurate info, but I think this was also a totally analogue live set. I was pretty drunk so I may have some details wrong, but I recall hearing from Dave that Gunnar spent an entire day programming beats in his 808 or something but lost it because of some malfunction, and he had to make a bunch of stuff up right before the live set. Who would have guessed??? The set is AWESOME!!

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  9. Btw,

    > dont let labyrinth fool you, the scene in tokyo is pretty disappointing these days.

    I take offense in this. It’s not that bad. It’s probably not as good as it was earlier in this decade, most local Japanese djs sound the same, the scene definitely isn’t as forward thinking as it could/should be, and in general, the electronic music trend is about 6 months behind. But come on, “disappointing” is harsh!

    There are enough people who care and make an effort to do something special here, like Russ, Dave, and a couple other organizers, and there usually are at least one or two really fun parties a month. It’s not Berlin and there aren’t parties with ridiculous lineups multiple times a week, but realistically speaking, once or twice a month is satisfactory. And most importantly, Tokyo clubbers (at least the ones you find at parties you and I and all the Japan-based ssg readers go to…) are polite, courteous, and music geek to the just-right degree for the most part, and I think this is what sets the scene here apart from others and also what makes Labyrinth what it is.

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  10. @ theyurinator: i stand by comments. tokyo has never really been about ridiculous lineups per se. it has always just had a regular stream of internationals coming through, with normally one or two playing at a party. for me there are some real differences compared to when i first started going out in tokyo in 2001:

    - key clubs have closed. this has had a serious impact on the health of the scene.

    - the promoters are much more conservative in terms of the people they book. you see the same names coming over again and again. tokyo used to be at the edge of what was going on. now it is way behind. this ties into the problem with key clubs closing.

    - the leading djs, people like tanaka, have really stagnated, and not enough new talent has come through (though there are exceptions).

    - the crowds are much less knowledgeable and informed about the music than they used to be. AND the crowds are also much ruder than they used to be.

    one thing that has remained constant throughout the years, though, is the quality of local djs is poor, compared to other places.

    i still love going out in tokyo, and it much better than most places, but it is a real shame to see how the scene has deteriorated.

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  11. Ooh, promising... a potential online fight between Yuri and Chris!! ha ha ...yippeee

    Thanks for posting Chris... yes KM was using a few bits (100% no...there was def a computer there) of analogue gear and yeah, considering the stuff he had programmed that morning (5 hours odd of work) disappeared from his malfunctioning hardware during soundcheck its a daaaamn fine set... actually I have the non crowd-noise version but I think the ambience adds to the recording rather than taking away from it...

    anyhoo...gota run. mac is fucked and am at the Mac store putting it in... for repairs. cry cry cry... what am i gona do for a week!!!!! seriously... my god i might have to ... read .... a ... boooook!!! just s joke... always got my vinyl...

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  12. The "yeah" at 1:56 in to the set was definitely me. You'll notice it's in time, as well as being in key. No need to thank me. I am completely analogue by the way.

    How did you mix that in Dave? Did you mic the crowd separately and then mix it over the board recording? My days of trading bootlegs are long over but isn't it called 'matrixing' or something like that...

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  13. @ jeff: hahaha. analog jeff. i like it. i am pretty sure kassem did the mix down with the crowd noises himself. presumably he had a mic. i think surgeon has been doing something similar with his recent recordings.

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  14. @chris
    As you know, I agree with everything you say, but all I'm saying is that's harsh. I got an email from a friend saying "so the Tojyo club scene's pretty dismal, huh?" after reading this and I just though it really isn't so bad that ppl from places with pretty crappy electronic music scenes should be thinking of Tokyo as dismal.

    So here I am standing up for my hometown.

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  15. @ theyurinator: i guess you and your friends need to read what i wrote more carefully. i said: 'the scene in tokyo is pretty disappointing these days.'

    disappointing does not mean dismal. it suggests it does not live up to my expectations. as i explained in my previous comment, these expectations are based on my previous experiences in tokyo. my benchmark - perhaps unfairly - is tokyo 2001-02.

    and given the size of tokyo - what 20 million people? - the scene is small. and as i said, the kind of artists being promoted and supported tend to be ones that are well established. the same people tour over and over. this is where the comparison to labyrinth comes in - the line ups russ gets suggests that japan is really getting the very creme of techno right now. that is not the case. so i guess you and your friends need to read what i am saying more carefully.

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  16. ok so i'm only 15 minutes in and this is incredible.

    someone bring him to melbourne.

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  17. anyone know the track at 25 mins...

    it was you, and me, against the world....


    man that's awesome.

    ditto for 48mins.




    This is sooooo good.

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  18. honestly, this set is the shit. slapped together or not.

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