(How) can you feel it?

2008 may well be the year that house/techno gave up on ‘new’, swapping innovation for the quieter pleasures of renovation as it most of its practioners settle down to enjoy it in its mature form – a relatively stable genre music like any other.

Ask any one who’s ‘getting on in years’ and they’ll tell you – settling down tends to provoke reminiscing, nostalgia, even piety.

It’s no surprise therefore that a lot of European genres have been mining the golden years in order to produce fresh recapitulations of classic forms.

One of the fascinating things about classic deep house (as a particular form) is its bi-polar nature, sitting as it does between the gospel-inflected joyous exuberance of house proper (Kerri Chandler’s ‘Inspiration’) and a blue note melancholy designed to both provoke reflection and provide a cushion for the slings and arrows of life. In this way, deep house is split between drum codes and soaring vocals full of determined celebration and the chords and heart strings of indelible, personal pain. For me, Heard’s ‘Never No More Lonely’ is a track that captures this bitter-sweetness beautifully.

A deep house trope that attaches itself to both of ‘poles’ is the preach-a-pella, and it’s something that goes back a long way: at least – as far as my memory goes – to the version of ‘Can You Feel It’ with Martin Luther King Jr’s ‘I have a dream’ speech in it (a speech which puts a lump in my throat every time I hear it). It’s not like it’s anything new for white Europeans to appropriate such recordings, either: just listen to the KLF’s Chill Out or, even further back, Eno/Byrne’s seminal My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, for examples of such soul mining. There’s an important distinction that can be made at this point with reference to the examples above. Preach-a-pellas mostly appear in two modes, the former ripping recordings from southern gospel preatchers, the latter from the civil rights movement. It’s using the latter that, for me, is more problematic.

In 2006 preach-a-pellas re-attached themselves to European minimalist house/techno. The track that marked the moment more than any other was Efdemin’s ‘Just a Track’. I heard an unsubstantiated rumour that Larry Heard took exception to it – and I don’t entirely blame him, I can see why. Personally, I like ‘Just a Track’ and I feel that the abstraction and presentation of the preach-a-pella works well with Efdemin’s aesthetic (you can read my review of the single here). At the very least, it works – but why? Being of the ‘let there be house’ variety, this is less dodgy, but at the same time, you wouldn’t very well use a sample from a white, Catholic preacher – Ratzinger, for example. Despite his being appropriately messianic, it’s a fairly safe bet his vocals won’t end up on any German-produced tracks. The idea that they’d end up on a track from the US is laughably improbable (please prove me wrong on this).

Recently though, there’s been an absolute screaming shitload of preach-a-pellas doing the rounds – in fact, they’re as obligatory in a mix at the moment as an Akufen track was in ’02 or ‘Dexter’ and ‘Tightrope’ were in ’04. There are EPs doing the do, too: the A-side on Guillaume and the Coutu Dumonts’ new EP is a ten minute epic built around a preach-a-pella. I downloaded Luke Solomon’s interesting mix from the always excellent modyfier blog – there was Layo and Bushwacka having a crack on the second track. Ditto Even Tuell’s (really fucking excellent) mix for LWE, which includes a very moving clip toward the end. But the cake taker was Move D’s RA podcast this week, which had no less than three in the space of a ninety minute set, all of which were of the second kind – including an Obama speech (which pissed off one typically qwerty-challenged 'commentator').

The use of civil rights preach-a-pellas raises interesting and tense questions about cultural appropriation and collective memory. I think the tensions are probably irresolvable, but I’d like to make the following few contentions nonetheless:

1) Who owns the (algo)rhythms?: nobody owns house, though many people have tried. House is fundamentally a rhythmic structure, and it is open source and freely reproducible by anyone with a drum machine. This is the source of house’s incomparable plasticity and durability – the eternal, open groove. I make the strong claim that, despite the rhythm’s having a history, it is impossible to tell ‘just by listening’ where that groove was made.

2) All people participating in house (whether listening, mixing, or producing) are shaping house: past, present, future. We’re all involved, we’re all playing house. The question is not who has influence, but how much. Not only that, but such influence (and the modulations and transformations it effects) will continue (despite, and indeed because of, resistance). Recall the first point: recombination (differentiating repetitions) it’s all about.

3) BUT BUT BUT: a given style within a particular structure has a specific history, and therefore carries emotionally binding and powerful memories for those attached to it. ‘Never No More Lonely’ is changed utterly if it also conjures the memory of lost friends, lost parties, lost youth. This deserves respect: people’s memories deserve dignity. When you are playing records, you are also playing (with) people’s memories.

Taking all these into consideration, we come to the point: nobody can claim sovereignty over a sound-structure, and perhaps not even over a memory. Not only that, but, in most cases, such sampling is done in a spirit of inclusion and solidarity (however weak). But nonetheless, this fad for pasting preach-a-pellas into your ‘sequencing instrument’ may also be an act of erasure, of decontextualisation, and there are dangers here. In many cases it’s a lazy evocation that seeks to conjure ‘soul’ or ‘deepness’ with a sample: as music which is supposed to be ‘funky’ because it has a James Brown sample saying ‘aint’ it funky’ or soulful because it has a sample sahing ‘I got soul’. ‘There’s a soul revival going on’ – is there? I really, really wonder about that. Blackness can easily be slipped in as a prop, a prompt. I talked about this in reference to Tiefschwarz earlier this year, here... Just add 'blackness' and 'soul', and stir…. At worst, it amounts to a kind of semiotic colonialism – but just because what it being appropriated are symbols, it doesn’t make it acceptable, for the simple fact that there are memories involved, and those are often the memories of suffering, violence and death.

Back to the start, let’s remember: deep house was about celebration (and expression), but it is also about pain (and painful reflection) – this also means thinking about the sounds they make, who they borrow from, and what that means. That’s what deepness is.

PC presents: The Shortest Day of the Year

And now for something completely different, a walking sequence I compiled for a friend, made in Melbourne when the days were short for long afternoons spent wandering new cities. I emphasise both walking and sequence – this is not intended as a 'mix' in the conventional sense. All tracks are played at +-0, and most are allowed to play from beginning to end. The idea was to make a compilation in the tradition of mixtapes, but that would play at about the maximum duration of a recording on an audio CD (my friend hasn't made the switch to digital). The medium is (partly) the message. Then, beyond that, the sequence should enfold as the new city (where it's designed to be listened to in) unfolds, with the hope that, on returning, a repeat listen might reveal soft imprints of the remembered landscape. But you can, of course, use it as you like.





The Shortest Day of the Year

Tracklist:

Robert Fripp – Red Two Scorer
Icehouse – Crazy (Midnight mix)
Giorgio Moroder & David Bowie – Cat People (Putting out Fire)
Soft Cell – Seedy Films
Talking Heads – Slippery People (Jellybean mix)
Thomas Dolby – Dissidents
David Bowie – Fashion (12” mix)
Tubeway Army – Praying to the Aliens
ESG – Erase You
Grace Jones – Feel Up
David Byrne – In the Future
The The – Sweet Bird of Truth

...enjoy!

carry on efdemin

ever since seeing the news over at RA that efdemin has a mix CD on the way, i've been waiting for it to drop (17th november to be exact). efdemin is a producer and DJ the ssgs have been very keen on for quite some time. we are proud that we were perhaps slightly ahead of the curve being the only people to chart him in the 'best of 2006' awards for RA. pete and myself both regarded the sublime 'bergwein' as the best track of 2006, while cam charted it 2nd only to another dial record, pantha du prince's 'walden'. anyway, his star has most certainly been in the ascent since then, winning the 'best artist' category and being runner up in 'best album' for the 2007 RA awards. while he has been quieter on the production front in 2008, his recent remix of 'fearless fun' on petite is one of the best tracks of the year in my books. but it is not just his productions that we love efdemin for, the guy can also seriously play. he's a very intuitive DJ, who has a really good feel for the music. that can be seen in the impressive tracklisting for his new mix CD. this is all a very big preamble to the good bit: tom from the excellent curle recordings has very kindly provided us with a new 30 minute mix by efdemin (320 kbps no less) to get us all in the mood for the new mix CD coming out on the label. the mix is just as good as you'd hope/expect.

efdemin october radio mix

and here is the tracklisting for efdemin's 'carry on - pretend we are not in the room'.
out 17 november on curle recordings (nb: not the radio mix we're providing above).

1. The Showroom Recording Series - Watcha Waiting For?
2. Patrice Scott - Deep Again
3. Craig Alexander - Soul Revival
4. Tony Foster - It Is All Around Us
5. Scott Grooves - Only 500
6. Brothers' Vibe - Cuero Para Mi Gente (Altered Vibe Mix)
7. Tobias. - Second To None
8. Stephan Grieder & The Persuader - Kaos
9. Minilogue - Doiicie (A)
10. Surgeon - Floorshow (1.2)
11. Efdemin – America
12. Dettmann & Klock - Blank Scenario
13. Pigon - Kamm
14. Photek - T' Raenon (Version)

ok, carry on...

We Were Never Mnml, October 2008

Last month I had spring in my steps, this month it’s all I can do not to curl up in a ball. What a difference a month makes, eh? Maybe it’s the implosion of the world’s financial markets (which prompted a moment of schadenfreude, followed by the niggling reminder that it’s gonna be the already vulnerable who bear a disproportionate burden of the suffering); maybe it’s the fact that Obama still only has a couple of points over McCain (not that I'm so naive to think that'll make 'the difference'); maybe it’s the publication of several reports stating, bluntly, that ‘catastrophic climate change’ may already be inevitable (regardless of decisive action that is, in any case, not forthcoming); maybe it’s Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan or… in any case, I’ve been feeling dark. Not depressed, but dark. People have been asking me, ‘why are you angry?’ My rejoinder is simply: how could any right-thinking person not be angry, the way things are going? Or, to put it another way, how to stay skeptical and enthusiastic, and not succumb to resignation and apathy?

Never fear, music is here to help. For me, the music that’s been especially helpful in these darks times is ambience of one kind or another. Here are a few things that have really, really been helping me to soothe my beast.




Koss: Four Worlds Converge as One

A 2006 release by Japan’s prolific Kuniyuki Takahashi, this is a recording that I begin a lot of mornings with. The ‘Four Worlds’ in question are, judging by their titles, each dominated by an element. We start with Water, then move through Fire, Air, then Earth. Water, the longest composition, is entirely beatless Eno-esque ambient. Fire and Air bring in more rhythmic elements, then Earth is basically ambient house. What none of these tags gets a handle on is the way Takahashi manages to be both light and deep. At low volumes this is an amazingly gentle, soothing listening experience, but turn it up and it totally envelops you in its mood. A future classic.





Sly and the Family Stone: There’s a Riot Goin’ On

I listen to this as ambient, or, at the very least, for its incredibly strong ambience – the overwhelming feeling is one that’s strung out and muddy. It’s not funk or soul, it’s the inside of Sly’s head, and it’s a place that manages to make beautiful music despite (and sometimes because) of all that jaded bitterness. Never mind ’71, Running Away might as well be the anthem of USA 2008. And hey, a 1971 album that incorporates drum machines to drive mid-tempo instrumental grooves?! How can something so spiritually shagged nonetheless engender so much creative innovation? Here’s proof: going to seed is also the beginning of new growth, new possibilities.


Ezekiel Honig: Surfaces of a Broken Marching Band

Honig is working in the interstice of several genres: music concrete, microhouse, electro-acoustic ambient, and field recording. Often process-driven music ends up being limited by its obsessions. What’s great is how Surfaces… takes all these elements and weaves them into engaging compositions that are emotive, beguiling, sonically interesting and eminently listenable. I was so impressed with this album I contacted Ezekiel for a 'quick' Q&A. What I received exceeded all my expectations…








A 'Quick' Q&A with Ezekiel Honig

Tell me about your compositional process. What would a typical Honig composition involve?

I don’t think there’s a strictly typical compositional process, but there are definitely certain consistencies. I think there are some aspects of sound which resonate more with me, and especially since I don’t make attempts to specifically fall into one genre or another, I’m at liberty to go in the direction that feels ‘correct’ for lack of a better word. Making music is an extremely personal experience for me in that it needs to be something that I feel represents me as a person, not just as an artist, and not just the song itself. I think that’s why I’ve always had a hard time trying to make a more upbeat techno track. Something doesn’t seem right, and it starts to veer left of what it is supposed to be, because I love techno but it’s not what comes out of me naturally. It took me a while to embrace that and leave making ‘proper’ dance floor techno to people who do it better, and just enjoy listening to their work.

To answer your question a bit more directly, I always start with a basic idea that is either a loop or a melodic direction, and once I have a germ of a song that I am excited about, I build on that, making variations and seeing what ideas those variations spawn. It begins with playing with sounds I like and thinking about their relationship to each other or what instrumental bit I feel like working with and arranging and processing and editing until it makes sense. It takes a while for a skeleton of a song to take shape. It’s more about tiny pieces and ideas, almost like jotting down notes until they add up to a more meaningful story or structure of some kind. Often the place where I begin turns into something completely different, where a byproduct becomes more interesting than the original direction and takes over the song and then splits into two or three things that all go off towards their own place.

Musique concrete: how does it inform your intent, your method, the outcome?

It informs the basic building blocks and conception of my music in the most direct way possible. Because of the work of people like Cage and Schaeffer decades ago, there are tons and tons of people working with sound in a different way than had previously been known. Simply, it taught me that anything is fodder for music, and I embrace that wholeheartedly – to the extent that I don’t consider using electronic sounds (synths, drum machines, etc.) because there is so much interesting sound in the world already, and it’s impossible to run out of material when you think of it in that way. I use a computer and software to arrange and process and construct music, but the most interesting way for me to work is to make music that begins outside of that apparatus and use the computer as a tool for putting songs together and working with the sound I put into it.

Thinking of all sound as music is a complete game changer. It levels the field between a guitar, a drum machine and the sound of walking on the pavement. Once you accept that as your beginning, music can’t be the same thing or be thought of in the same way. I think that’s the biggest division line between those who think of music as harmony (or how that word is classically defined) and those who think of music as any sound that has been structured for that expressed purpose, or those who flat out equate the term sound with the term music. I would say that I’m most interested in the place where all those terms meet and become the same thing without losing a sense of the material being created for the purpose of being listened to. I find certain sounds that are captured, processed and edited in a particular manner as interesting and beautiful as anything that would fit the usual definition of melody. Working from a musique concrete perspective brings one to that place, though by no means is that the only road there.

The software, the interface, the technology… are they important for you? How active is their shaping role? Do people use the technology or does the technology use them? Plugging in and turn: what does it transform?

I guess the last question was a good segue into this. I think of technology as a tool. I don’t fetishize it for its own sake, but I see the beauty in the possibilities of what it affords us. I have never been particularly interested in the newest gear or software or anything like that. Even when learning a new piece of software I’ve always wanted to dive in and just start working, and picking things up on a need to know basis. I think it’s so easy to get bogged down in cool new plugins or synthesizers or software, and it can keep you further from the goal, which is to make music and keep progressing in the music that you make. It’s just like graphic design or film editing or any creative practice where the computer has revolutionized how people work. It makes things easier and it does create some new possibilities which didn’t exist before, but it doesn’t make you any better and it doesn’t do the work for you. That being said, I would almost certainly not be making music if we only had conventional instruments at our disposal. It was through the filter of electronic music that I became interested in working with sound and through the ease of accessibility of music software that I was able to begin doing so.

Why found sounds? Why every day life? Why an emphasis on incidental ‘noises’?

On a certain level I can’t really answer this question. A lot of this is just instinct or what resonates with me sonically on a more emotional level. Yes, at first I became interested in these musique concrete ideas within electronic music genres like techno or house, and the idea that you might use a kick and a snare and a hi hat, but that the sounds substituting for percussion were something entirely different (cardboard box, plastic CD case, etc.), that could work on a purely sonic level, but also be something more than simply the places they held or the instruments they stood in for. They could mean something more on a subconscious level, because they add something to a song which could only exist with that specific sound, which adds what it does in that specific context and performs the function it performs in a way that can’t be detailed or explained, but is somehow understood. Why does one song work for one listener and not work for another? It’s personal taste, but within that taste it’s hard to determine what it is that connects (or disconnects) for each individual. Even if you think you know what it is and are an astute listener and have a good musical vocabulary, you could still be wrong about what that thing is.

So, the sounds of everyday life began as an exploration of the mundane as some way of looking at how the most seemingly boring object or incident can open an immense sonic universe, and on some level relates to a more personal experience. Re-appropriating sounds carries some semblance of the space form where they originated.

Why the emphasis on the micro?

This is one of those instances that fall into the category of rationalizing something after the fact. I tend to work in an instinctual way and then observe and self-criticize after in order to arrive at the final material. I think a lot of thinking and deciding goes on while you’re doing something else, where the brain is processing some issues in the background, while you’re actively and attentively processing others, so you arrive somewhere and don’t know specifically how or why you got there, but afterwards you can piece it together and figure it out somewhat.

I began making house and techno-ish music at a time when what got me most excited about this sound was the micro house movement, or whatever you want to call it. I can honestly say that if Perlon, Playhouse and labels of a similar nature didn’t exist in 1997/1998 then I would not be doing what I do now, as far removed as it may be. I think with music, or visual art, or anything like that, you build on what came before you, even if that isn’t what you’re trying to do. The context of the time and your areas of interest make some decisions for you regardless of whether you think about it or not. So when I began using microscopic sounds it was because the music I liked the most was using microscopic sounds. It was similar to using an 808 kick to make techno, because that’s a common sound people use when they make techno.

Once you get past a certain point though, you begin to think about what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. Now I can say that I still use sounds which are a very close-up view of objects because I record larger pieces and then look for the part that interests me most, or works the best in a particular song. So, if I throw a bunch of plastic bags against each other, and I am looking for a sound to act as the “snare” in a rhythm, than it’s going to be a tiny edit of that larger piece of sound that was made by those plastic bags. I guess because of my musical background, and musical interest background, I shy away from longer percussion sounds. I enjoy tightly cropped percussion rather than those hits which have a long tail to them. Of course, once you leave the realm of percussion, the whole microscopic idea goes more towards inspecting the tiny surfaces of sounds and bringing out parts of their character which were buried in there. That probably interests me because it’s all about looking at melody as sound to work with, rather than as a particular thing which is supposed to be approached in a particular way.

How much/in what way does NYC and all its cityscapes influence your ears and your music?

At the risk of repeating myself, I think my surroundings influence me, and I don’t know exactly how. I’ve lived here my whole life, so it influenced how I began creating music as much as it does my current process. On a surface level, you can only record the sounds around you (assuming you’re doing the recording) and once I leave the confines of my apartment the cityscape is what is there. In terms of the general space and tempo of the music, you could argue that I would do things differently if I lived somewhere with more quiet and more space, but it could also just be my natural inclination.

What have been the biggest landmarks in the landscape of your development?

As I wrote earlier, discovering the ideas of musique concrete was huge. Deciding that I didn’t make or want to make dance music, but rather that I made and wanted to make music which was influenced by dance music, was a turning point that allowed me to embrace what I do naturally and run with it and work on that and develop along those lines. It’s funny, but this is all about format, which makes it about the business of music distribution rather than music itself. I had to accept that I made CD (or mp3) music, and not what most would term “vinyl friendly” music. Because I was DJing and buying vinyl, I wanted to put out music on vinyl, but it wasn’t really functional enough to be popular with DJs or picked up by record labels that catered mostly to DJs.

Since then I think I’ve been steadily moving along a continuum that I set up for myself and the goal is to make advances from album to album which make sense as part of the larger view of all the releases taken as a whole. I think I’m utilizing more instrument sources because I thankfully have friends who play acoustic instruments, and I’ve been messing around more with instruments that I can’t actually play, but I feel good about processing the results into something that makes sense. It’s funny, but if you begin from a techno standpoint than using acoustic instruments is experimental. For me, the idea of approaching a bastardized form of a band is so interesting, even though it’s the most basic pop music ideal and is sort of boring. The idea of using instruments I’ve never worked with and building things in order to work with them is so exciting to me, because it’s within this context of initially not caring about traditional instruments and never thinking about music in terms of a band or what instruments you’re supposed to use. Coming at the idea of processing traditional instruments from a pure interest in sound affords endless possibilities, especially when combining it with the sound you can capture in the world around you.

What has collecting and arranging sounds using the methods you’ve developed taught you about sound?

It has helped me develop my taste for what I find sonically interesting, and how it can exist anywhere at any time. I think the great thing about recording incidental sound and using it in the context of a musical piece, is that it involves your personal sensibilities, which are always at work (hopefully), but it involves your specific view of sound and your process of working with it to a greater degree in comparison with tweaking an instrument or processing a sample differently. It captures a sound which hasn’t existed anywhere ever in the exact same way and then grabbing a piece of it which is likely different than the piece that someone else would have grabbed.

What’s been obsessing you lately? What really gets under your skin (musically, generally, cosmically, dermatalogically)?

Well, in the interest of remaining on topic, being a producer of music, from both a personal perspective and that of a label owner, I am constantly thinking about the pros and cons that the music industry transition brings, and what is going to come out of it in the next 10 or 20 years. In a way, I feel like an old timer because I actually love vinyl and in general crave a physical object with packaging and art, even though the music itself is a different material then what it’s contained in. (Vinyl is of course different, because it sounds the best!) At the same time, I think it’s nice how this fairly new era of music, or again, music distribution and consumption, is bringing with it the de-fetishization of the object, leaving it to be more of an interrelated web of music and social groups and shuffling from one interest to the next. I suppose this de-fetishization will inevitably bring with it a re-fetishization, because there is bound to be a backlash of some people who see the beauty in physical music releases again, once they are tired of having no connection to something besides the information in their computer/mp3 player/etc. I may be in this category, but I’m not sure yet.

I find it compelling how the game has changed and there is more of an immediacy to everything, and yet for the most part labels and artists feel the need to remain inside the system that requires albums and lead time for publications to write about a release and everything that is part of the way the industry functioned 20 years ago. I acknowledge that I am part of this too, though that might change soon. It just seems that at some point not far off the whole situation will open up a bit.

last orders?

ok, just another quick post. as it is the weekend, i headed over to bar25 to see what's on, and looks like it is the final couple of days before they close their doors for the summer, and perhaps ever. while the sounds coming from bar25 sometimes lapse into pretty standard uninspiring mnml, i've also heard plenty of great music care of their stream. thanks to bar25 for being nice enough to share with us! and if you are in the mood at any stage between now, and umm, about tuesday, head over to bar 25 and have a listen. this is the lineup. suitably extensive given the length of the party...

REDROBIN, MATHIAS KADEN, DIRTY DOERING, EVA MARIE, MARTINE, AARON HEDGES, ONZE, THE DOSE, ZANDER VT, SVEN DOHSE, DIMA, lassmalaura, EDWARD & OSKAR OFFERMANN, GEBRÜDER TEICHMANN, ONUR ÖZER, ANDRE GARDEJA, RIZZOKNOR LIVE, CHRISTIN BOLTE, YAMA, DISCO DAVE, GUNNAR, the monokid, FABIANO, LOUIS GUILLHEM, LARRSON, MIKE MACHINE, D.O.P. & JAKE THE RAPPER LIVE, AXEL BARTSCH, CARSTEN TEICHERT, BEANER, dwfb, BENNO BLOME, PHILIP BADER, CANSON LIVE, FUNZION & DARIA EMPRO, GIANNI VITIELLO, PILOCKA KRACH, bazillus & die antikörper, RUEDE HAGELSTEIN, DANIEL DREIER, JENS BOND, MARCUS MEINHARDT, WANDLER, digital kranky, LUNA CITY EXPRESS, MUTLU, TOBI NEUMANN, BRIAN CARES, KATE MOSS, HARRY MACHT SIE ALLE GLÜCKLICH, DAVID DORAD, RINO, DANNY FABER...

tracking...

i want pretty much all of these records. some pretty serious charts:

Cio D´Or Top10 Vinyl Pearls October/November08

1) jacek sienkiewicz - beacon (recognition)
2) pigeon/marcel dettmann - kamm (beatstreet germany)
3) silent servant (function rmx) - the blood of our king (sandwell district)
4) onur özer (jens zimmermann rmx) - kasmir (vakant)
6) donato dozzy & nud - aquaplano (aquaplano)
7) population one - view from above (frantic flowers)
8) pendle coven - iamnoman ep (modern love)
9) speedy j - edlx (redshift)
10) hess und fürstenberg - campfire dialogue (echochord)

LAWRENCE CHARTS 09-2008

1. V.A. - 000 - KANN
2. Jus-Ed vs. Fred P. - UQ017 - Underground Quality
3. John Roberts - Hesitate- Dial
4. Soundstream - Vol.4 - Soundstream
5. Move D & Benjamin Brunn - New Horizon - Smallville
6. Melchior Productions - Who Can Find Me - Cadenza
7. Dj Koze - I Want To Sleep
8. Efdemin - Float - Cocoon
9. Daze Maxim - One Million Shakers - Hello?!Repeat
10. Dntel - Dreams (Lawrence Remixes) - Deal

Ben Klock October Charts

Carl Craig & Moritz von Oswald - ReConfigured Vol.3 (Deutsche Grammophon)
Terrence Dixon - Emergency (Meakusma)
Santiago Salazar - Santuario (Historia Y Violencia)
Marcel Dettmann - Plain (Beatstreet)
Roman Lindau - Raumgestaltung (Fachwerk)
Silent Servant - Violencia (Function Mix) (Sandwell District)
Marek Hemmann - Junoka (Freude Am Tanzen)
Edit-Select - Asperity (Mark Broom remix) (Edit Select Records)
Donato Dozzy - Tropical One (Railyard Recordings)
Keith Worthy - Moon Dance (Third Ear)

sunday sounds

a new country, a new timezone, but it is a sunday and still a find myself working in the office (admittedly a new one, but more of the same in too many ways). what to listen to? after enjoying the new convextion album, i headed over to bar25. nup. bog standard mnml. nothing happening there. and then while distracting myself, i came across this treat from julietta. just like ana, who provided us with the 10th ssg mix, julietta is a resident at harry klein. it is pretty obvious to hear why she has the gig after listening to this mix. just over 2 hours of deft mixing, keeping perfect control of the tempo and vibe. the result is an incredibly smooth ride: plenty of nice records and the BPMs never get too high. all in all, it has been exactly what i was in the mood for. TIP! (i think i may have to permanently steal this from hardwax).

julietta - 11pm mix (september 2008)

all mixed up

ok, just a quick post. here are some of the sets i've grabbed and have been enjoying in the last week since arriving in the UK. normally i listen to sets quite a lot before posting them, but in this case most have been only listened to once or twice. with that proviso in mind, let us begin:

convextion @ faktion manchester 25.4.08

this set did the rounds when it was first released, but i made a note of avoiding it because i didn't want it to spoil seeing him at labyrinth. after his amazing livepa there, of course i was super keen to hear this. and it is brilliant. definitely check it if you haven't already.

bunker podcast 33: seth troxler

only listened to it once, but sounds like a keeper. seth really has something going on. so much life and joy in his DJing. it is impressive how much depth there is in his sound, you'd think he has been around forever.


bodytoniclive: shed livepa @ berghain

do i really need to bother describing this one to you? all i'll say is that it is as good as you'd expect. the opening is especially nice...

ed davenport @ betalounge 19.04.2008

this follows in the true betalounge tradition. seriously deep, special, chill vibes best suited for when the world has left you tired and in need of a musical pick me up. very glad someone has taken the time to rip this. fantastic stuff. as the hardwax crew would say, TIP!

serafin @ cityfox, zürich 10.08.2008

to be honest, i haven't listened to this closely, but i know there are quite a lot of people out there who like our suisse friend and may be keen for this. i wonder when the next production from serafin and/or mountain people is going to drop. overdue!

radio slave @ ibiza sonica 16.09.08

i'm pretty sure mr slave must be a good DJ. but i've never seen him live and i've felt that the few recordings i've heard have not done him justice. this is much better. and much closer to his productions. bit more warped and stretched out. it is ruined a bit by the annoying radio announcers but still worth grabbing.

mixmag.info presents dolshik, podcast #14 [2008]

our russian friends have been coming up with some really great mixes in their series, and this is another beauty. dolshik is someone new to me, and to be honest, i still don't know anything more than this mix. if the tracklisting isn't enough to convince you, hopefully my praise is. it finishes with a really amazing rhythm & sound record i hadn't heard before, but am now loving.

1.Masse/Memoire "Eta Merinae"
2.Gyges "4.44.444"
3.Fumiya Tanaka "For Set #3a"
4.DJ Bone "The Funk "
5.Norman Fairbanks "Engine Kiss"
6.Brendon Moeller "Humpback"
7.Deepchord "A1 - Untitled"
8.Daniel Stefanik "Dubplate"
9.Carl Craig "(B1) Demented Drums (Version)"
10.Nsi. Non Standard Institut "Clara Ghavami Extented"
11.cv313 "Motor"
12.Rhythm & Sound w/ Rod Of Iron "Lightning Storm"

samuli kemppi - dubiteknomiks 4

last up something from one of our favourite finns (he also has a mix coming up for the mixmag.info series i believe, so keep an eye out for that too). again, the tracklisting speaks for itself. just a very nice selection of dub cuts.

1. Atheus - Unendlich | Styrax Records
2. Pulshar - Nospheratu (Echospace Reduction) | Phonobox Records
3. Intrusion - Tswana Dub | (Brendon Moeller's Beat Pharmacy Dub) | Intrusion
4. Quantec - Greenfield Mill | Meanwhile
5. UB313 - Track 6 (Echospace Dub Mix) | Fortune
6. Claro Intelecto - Hunt You Down | Modern Love
7. Freund Der Familie - Sark | FDF
8. Petar Dundov- Oasis (Substance & Vainqueur Remix) | Music Man
9. MLZ - New Analogue Century | Modern Love
10. Deepchnord - Electromagnetic Dowsing Step 1. (Mike Huckaby Remix) | Synth

alright, that is plenty for the time being. enjoy...

*edit* here is a mirror of mnml ssgs mx10 by ana. apologies it has taken so long to get one up.

tales from the labyrinth...

from chris:

labyrinth. it is hard to know where to start in describing the few days i spent there. i am not at all religious or spiritual, but this was about as close i have had to that kind of experience. it was a unique, special couple of days. i have been listening to electronic music and going to parties since around 1997 and this was by far and away the best party i have been to. the artists, the sound, the environment, the people - all were amazing. saying this, there were still a number of major hiccups (including move d's late cancellation, which was a major disappointment) and the whole party was on a very slippery and muddy knife's edge for a period time. but things were worked out and everything came together just right.

a few of general remarks and observations, before giving a more detailed account:

- the sound system was simply incredible. i have never heard anything like it. it was a funktion one, but with a lot more muscle and clarity than others i have heard. talking to the artists there was a general consensus that this was one of the best sound systems they had played on. so when i explain how good the music was, you need to keep in mind that it was on a sound system that is most likely far superior than anything you have heard.

- most of the artists there were very friendly, warm, cool people and i spent a lot of the weekend hanging out and talking to shit with them. also, the crowd was equally nice and good natured, which all made for an excellent environment to enjoy the party in. speaking with some of the artists, they were all very positive about what we've been doing with mnml ssgs, and this really gave me some extra motivation to keep working hard and trying to do my bit. also, i think i managed to convince some of the guys there to do ssg mixes for us...

ok, onto what happened. i arrived in japan on the friday morning (my birthday), and headed up to the campsite in gunma early evening. it is located about 2 hours north of tokyo. it is set on the side of the hill, with a really nice view. we got there just in time to see dj pete from scion open proceedings. after about 20 minutes of ambient sounds, he moved into the sound he is most closely associated with, and despite the mixing sometimes not quite being there, he put together an enjoyable set filled with rhythm and sound goodness. it was a treat to be able to hear these records on the sound system. next up XDB played. really nice sounds again. before this i didnt know XDB that well, but now i do, and will be keeping an eye out. i was impressed with his set. and also with his musical knowledge. this guy really knows his shit. missed the end of his set, though, as i was delirious from lack of sleep and passed out for a bit. i woke up to caught the last half of peter van hoesen rocking it out with an impressive livepa. given that peter has not been putting out records for too long (to my knowledge), his live show is already at a really high standard. rocking stuff. after that MLZ dj'd for a few hours. he pulled it back quite a bit and focused on deeper, more dub based sounds, as you'd expect someone from modern love to do. i know he played some really bomb tracks, but i am not even close to remembering what exactly they were. supposedly he finished with 'spastik', which would have sounded amazing, but i was passed out again by that stage, having given up about 2 hours into his set. after sleeping for a few hours got around 11am to see deepchord play a semi-live ambient set. donato dozzy was supposed to be doing an ambient set in this slot, but his records had yet to make it to japan, so deepchord got moved there. despite most people being sitting around or sleeping by this stage, the deepchord guys put together a lovely set of lush, ambient sounds. again, a privilege to hear it on the sound system. they finished off around midday (i think) and that was the end of day one. not bad at all. after that, we headed off to the hot spring for some relaxation, before trying to get some more sleep.

on waking up around 9pm, we heard that it had begun to rain. this was not good, since deepchord were on at 10pm, and well, it is an outdoor party. and then it starts raining harder. and harder. we made it down to the main indoor area near the dancefloor, but when 10pm came around the music was yet to start. and soon the word going about was that the police had made a few arrests, they were now searching the campsite and were threatening to shut the whole party down. meanwhile, still no music and the rain had turned into a torrental downpour. to say things were not looking good would be an understatement; there was a sense that the whole thing might come to a very, very premature end. but then, somehow, things started to turn around. deepchord started playing around 11.30 (i think) despite the rain continuing to bucket down. they even had about 20 or so crazy people out there dancing to them. we were not that devoted/stupid and stayed undercover. i think deepchord were good but hard to say, the rain and the chance of the party being shut down basically destroyed their set. a big shame for everyone, as they were undoubtedly one of the most anticipated acts there (on a side note, spent a lot of time talking to the deepchord guys. really really cool individuals. what is hilarious is that for people that make some of the most relaxing, calm music, these guys talk non-stop. anyway...). somehow (perhaps a combo of rain and smooth talking) the cops left and didnt shut the party down and then the skies cleared up. things were going to be ok. and what better way to celebrate that fact than the hose knocking out a killer dj set. if anyone has heard his ssg mix, you know this guy can really play. he put together a great set, with the highlight for me undoubtedly being when he dropped 'positive education' by slam (which he also plays in the ssg mix). hearing that in such an environment caused me to almost go into meltdown, but i survived. just. wow. what a track. much respect to peter for both of his sets and for playing that. next up was fellow ssg mixer mike parker, who provided an impressive set of deep, dark and twisted sounds. what really grabbed me about mike's set - and this was something that many of the artists there shared - was a very distinctive sound. mike played some serious headfuck techno, which was perfect for the setting. from memory, mike dropping an old school jeff mills track was the highlight of his set for me. also, keep an eye out for a couple of new releases from mike. definitely capable of serious damage. on another side note, chatted with both peter and mike a lot of the weekend. not only are they great musicians, but they are also fantastic people - very genuine and warm. after that, it was time for more sleep.
got up around 10am to discover that the clouds and rain had been replaced by a beautiful clear, hot, sunny day. around 11am convextion started and proceded to deliver what would be the first of 3 sets i heard that i would describe as 'perfect'. for a long time, i used to constantly talk about the 'best set i've heard', but a while ago i realised that this just doesn't work, because i have seen quite a few perfect sets, ones which would score a full 10 out of 10 (if i used a points system, which i don't). anyway, convextion. wow. i haven't heard any of his live recordings before so didnt know quite what to expect. his livepa was incredibly tight, carefully structured and well put together. pretty much everyone was losing their shit while he played. i am still kind of in shock by it. he finished the set with a track (which i'd later discover is untitled and unreleased), which was well, i dont even know quite how to describe it, but fuck me it was good. to finish procedings for day 2 was donato dozzy doing the ambient thing, as his records had arrived. given that the crowd was still very much up for it when convextion finished, dozzy did a very good job of handling things and slowly bringing the tempo down. the set begun with beats under the ambient sounds, but these slowly disappeared as he continued. supposedly he played a bit of old school aphex twin from SAW 2, but by this stage we were again at the hot spring trying to recover from too much dancing and mud. after that, we went back for some much needed sleep.

onto the final night/day, which somehow managed to top the 2 excellent nights that had come before it. pendle coven kicked things off with a livepa. perhaps because of a limited amount of releases, and being overshadowed by their bigger name labelmates claro intellecto and andy stott, i think these guys tend to fly under the radar a bit. i have to admit, i only chanced upon their productions reasonably recently. well my advice would be to make the effort to keep an eye on them, as they have definitely got something good going on. their sound has the modern love feel to it - deep, dubby soundscapes. you can find a recording of a livepa they did earlier this year at samurai.fm. i would recommend heading over there and giving it a go. anyway, a very nice opening to the last night by the manchester guys. respect. next up was oliver ho. i used to love ho's tribal stuff on meta back in the day, but havent really been following his raudive releases. i was still keen to see him, though, as he has always put in a good performance when i have seen him. well, not that night. to be honest, of all the major artists, oliver ho was the one guy who really came up short in my books. his set was ok, but even that might be a bit generous. it lacked coherence and focus, with a collection of big tracks but not much linking them together. shame, because i know he is normally much better. and there was a really strange moment when he played dubfire's stinky ass 'ribcage' but then mixed DBX's 'losing control' in. of course i was excited to hear DBX, but it somehow felt tainted by being mixed with dubfire. once ho had finished it was time for the scion boys. i had been waiting a long, long time to see them, and they were who i was probably most excited about seeing. despite me having incredibly high expectations, they still managed to exceed them. scion's 2.5 hour livepa would prove to be the 2nd perfect set of the party. it was exactly what you'd expect from scion. again, a very distinctive sound signature. the whole set had this kind of infinite feeling to it, like it could just go on and on forever. the best description i can come up with is that it felt like a spiral looping round and round, with each loop being simultaneously similar but different. it was at this stage that the hose provided us with one of the calls of the weekend: 'this is fantastic. ... but if you didn't get it, it would sound so fucking boring and repetitive'. luckily we got it... there was no roof, but had there been one, i am sure scion would have brought it down. immediately following was pete playing as substance. i missed the first half of his set having a break, but was back to enjoy him closing his short set with a pretty serious remix of monolake's 'alaska melting' (i think). to be honest, after scion i would have been happy to pack up my bags and go, but there was still more to come, most notably the closing set from dozzy. but first i needed some more sleep.

after about a 2 hour power nap i got up for pier bucci playing at 10am. about 15 minutes into his show his mac laptop completely died and that was the end of him. shame, i had been looking forward to seeing bucci. from what i have heard he has a seriously impressive live show. ah well, much respect to bucci for being so chill about it all. he took it incredibly well... when bucci's set came to an unexpected finish, mathias kaden got on the decks a bit early and started doing his thing. he barely managed to walk a tightrope between enjoyable tribal house and bog standard german minimal. the set was enjoyable enough, but it suffered in comparison to what came before and would soon come after it. also, i am not particularly sympathetic to the sound he was playing. still, he did played 'higher state of consciousness', which was pretty fucking cool. but. but. i dunno. i think others liked him more than me. and then dozzy. dozzy dozzy dozzy. i wondered why they had him closing the festival, surely they could have put him on earlier? well once he started playing i knew why. he took things to a different plane and created the perfect, intimate vibe to close out a very special couple of days. with no disrespect to the other djs that played at the party, donato's set was totally next level shit. it was incredibly deep, warped, mindfuck music. i barely recognised anything he was playing, though much of it sounded old. what was really impressive was the way he managed to forge a completely distinctive and unique sound. every record had a 'dozzy' stamp on it. considering he was not using a computer at all it was amazing the sound signature he created throughout the set. i know we have been pushing donato for a while here, but let me simply say, keep a very, very close eye on the man. he truly is something special. without doubt the highlight of the set was when donato dropped 'consumed' by plastikman. this would probably be in my top 10 alltime records and it evokes very strong emotions in me. i had never heard it out before, and i never expected it to. but when donato put it on, i recognised it from the very first bar. and i then proceeded to go into complete meltdown. while this record was playing the whole festival was crystallised and condensed into 10 minutes of complete perfection and bliss. i can honestly say that this represented not only one of the high points of my techno career, but my life. it was a strong reminder of how incredibly powerful and elemental this music we listen to can be. donato, if are you reading this, thank you. that moment - and indeed the set as a whole - was the perfect statement of what this music is about and should be about. as dozzy continued, fog rolled down over the mountains and reality became even more distant and removed. it felt like you were in a different realm, totally separate. no one wanted it to end, but eventually around 7pm, the party finished and slowly reality begun to return as we left the music and campsite behind for the metropolis of tokyo. normally something like this would feel like a dream, but the whole experience was so powerful and inspirational it remained with you long after the funktion ones had been shut down.
i could keep on going, but i shall stop. much respect to the organisers, artists and everyone there for all contributing to such a unique, special event. i have never experienced anything like this. and doubt i will. at least until next year...


*edit*: one of the organisers of labyrinth asked me to clarify that the rumours about the police on the saturday night were just rumours: 'no arrests had been made, and the officials never threatened closing the event. the officials who showed up at that time were making a scheduled appearance to see what the music of the event was like.' cool. given the propensity for japanese police to be a bit heavy, the organisers did a great job of making sure that there were no problems. actually, that reminds me of one thing i forgot to mention in my review - something which was really obvious was how much care and attention to detail had been put into the whole event, and the different it made was huge.

from cam:

I'm a man who likes his creature comforts. I don't like camping, and I feel distinctly uncomfortable in the great outdoors. And yet, for the third year running, I've enthusiastically made the trek up into the forested mountains of Gunma, Japan, for a three-night outdoor electronic music festival (or a "bush doof", as we'd say in Australia). And I'll do it again next year. That's because I can say, without a trace of hyperbole, that when it comes to techno the experiences I've had at Labyrinth have been some of the best I've had in my life.


Labyrinth isn't your standard "let's just throw some speakers into a field and see what happens" set-up. The organizers have an incredible eye for detail, and it's this attentiveness and care that's poured into even the most minute of details ('cos they know that's where the devil lives) that transforms the event into such a special experience. For starters, there's the location. The site itself is gorgeous, nestled in the forested mountains of Gunma, with an almost magical mist that rolls in some evenings. The natural beauty is subtly augmented with some candles and some tasteful lighting (and a bonfire or two) ... no lasers or cheesy strobes here. It's wonderfully soothing and relaxing place to be.


Then there's the sound system. Special mention needs to be made of this. The sound system takes a beautiful location and turns it into audiophile heaven. It is, quite frankly, the best sound I have ever heard in my life. The organizers bring in a truckload of Funktion-One speakers, and then very carefully calibrate it (the festival gets a special mention on the news page of the Funktion-One website). To hear (and feel) some of the world's best electronic music on such a beautifully clear system is an absolute joy.

Did I mention some of the world's best electronic music? Yes I did. The last few years have seen some stellar acts at Labyrinth, but this year was an embarrassment of riches, with some sets that were nothing short of utterly brain-melting. Both of Peter Van Hoesen's sets (live and DJ) were fantastic, as was Mike Parker's super deep/dark DJ set. Deepchord's daytime ambient set was lovely, with waves washing out over the forest. Pendle Coven's live set was a great evening starter, with some great ambient dub gradually giving way to more and more beats. And XDB is now on my radar after a really nice set.

And then there was Convextion, Scion, and Donato Dozzy. These three sets were absolutely amazing ... each of them filled with countless moments when I looked around me to see people with their mouths open in awe, the words "sweet Jesus, what the fuck is this" written all over their faces. And each of these sets was a perfect example of an artist taking a style/sound, making it their own, and then diving as deep and as far as they could possibly go. Convextion and his precise dub-tech with a hint of IDM, Scion and their surging spiraling loops of metallic dub-tech, Dozzy and his deep headfuck techno ... All three acts totally and utterly owned their sound ... and as a consequence they completely owned the festival.

After all of this, coming down from the mountain and returning to reality was hard. Everything seemed dreamlike up there ... looking back it seems even more-so now. I think it's because Labyrinth is more than just a "music event". Even the word "festival" doesn't do it justice (although if you're thinking more along the lines of "festive" you're on the right track). It's a celebration, a ritual, a ceremony ... a place where nature, sound, people and artists come together to create something truly special.

mnml ssgs mx11: silent servant

'fuck you. this is techno!' that is probably how we'd describe the message conveyed in the latest ssg mix from silent servant. this is some serious techno. wow. it makes for a very nice contrast to the summer beats of the last ssg mix by ana. but then again, when you ask someone from sandwell district to do a mix for you, what do you expect? silent servant has released two eps on the shadowy label, and may well have some more in the pipeline (lets hope so). if you want to find out more about sandwell district, make sure to check richard brophy's excellent piece on them over at RA (for my mind one of the best features on RA all year). since then, we've been thinking about getting someone from the label to do a ssg mx, and silent servant seemed like the perfect candidate. and as you'll hear, he really came through with the goods. this mix carries on in the mighty tradition of the downwards collective, mixing together a set of raw, dynamic, pulsating sounds. enough talk, onto the tracklisting and mix.

mnml ssgs mx11: silent servant (mixed live 6.9.08)
(rapidshare mirror - mix in m4a format)

ROBERT HOOD // AND THEN WE PLANNED OUR ESCAPE
DMO // MOVEMENT
SLEEPARCHIVE // QCD
STEWART WALKER // 10 YEARS OF ANGER
JONAS BERING // UNTITLED
BANDULU // FOUNDATION SOUNDWORKS
IGNACIO // ORGANA
DAMON WILD // UNCONDITIONAL
FUNCTION // DISAFFECTED
NORMAN // GREENROOM
G-MAN // DEFO
REGIS // GAYSCENE
MARCEL DETTMANN // LATTICE
SILVER & KASH // VORTEX
CH-SIGNAL LABORATORIES (8003 LUCERNE// SCALE 1
BASIC CHANNEL // Q1.1/3
TRONIKHOUSE // SMOOTH GROOVE
SOUNDERS DEPARTMENT// COSMOPOLITAN (MIX 2)
WAX NO. 10001 // A
FUNCTION // REYKJAVIK
MILLSART (JEFF MILLS) // GAMMA PLAYER
PLANETARY ASSAULT SYSTEMS // KAT
SILENT SERVANT // DOOM DEFERRED
STEWART WALKER // JAPANESE MAPLE

much respect to silent servant for taking the time to put this mix together and apologies for the slight delay in getting it out there. for more info on silent servant, make sure to check his myspace. enjoy...

Bvdub returns to Tonglu

Another very brief post ... on returning from The Labyrinth last night I checked my email to discover that the ever-prolific Bvdub has released a new four-track EP on his Quietus Recordings label called Return To Tonglu.

Limited to 500 hand-numbered copies, the first hundred are available directly through Quietus Recordings (hit the link in the first paragraph). As a huge Bvdub fan I didn't even listen to the samples, but instead immediately hit "Buy" ... and it appears copies are still available (insert sigh of relief here) ... but don't snooze as I'm sure these will go quickly!

the land of the techno gods

just back from the labyrinth festival, and a very quick post now before retiring. i'll do a full report on the event later, but suffice to say, i have been listening to electronic music since about 97 and i have never experienced anything like what i did over the past few days. truly amazing and inspirational. so many highlights, with my favourites being convexion putting together a pretty much flawless livepa, scion destroying it for about 2.5 hours, and donato dozzy closing the festival with an absolutely mindblowing set. this guy is seriously something special. as i said, more to come, but for now, much respect to the organisers, all the artists and those that made it the event it was. 

mnml ssgs mx10: ana

when we decided to put together the ssg mx series, ana was the first person we contacted. it has taken a while, but she has come through with the goods, providing us all with a lovely mix of summer sounds. like all the contributors to this series, what attracted us to ana was her unique sound and skills, which we were introduced to through ezoo radio and the weekly recordings from the harry klein club, where she is a resident dj. i am flying out in less than a day, so unfortunately i don't have the time to keep talking about how much we all like ana. i'll just let the mix do the talking:

mnml ssgs mx10: ana (fairtilizer direct dl)

more info about ana at her myspace and homepage. big thanks to ana for taking the time to put together the mix for us. next week we've got a serious techno workout from silent servant off sandwell district. after that, we've got artists from circus company, raster norton and ostgut that are all doing ssg mixes. plenty more great sounds of the way. in the meantime, enjoy the 10th in the series from ana.

MIA

just a quickie - i am currently in transit on my (eventual) way through to the UK, so i won't be posting much in the next few weeks as i sort out basic things like finding a place to live etc. also, apologies to those who have contacted us. i am in charge of that department, but i haven't been able to reply to emails because i've been so busy. will get back to people eventually, so feel free to write to us, just don't be offended if there is a delay in the reply!

i'll be posting the latest ssgmx from ana very soon. in the meantime, here is the latest from the club where she is a resident dj, harry klein. this is a monster recording from their birthday celebrations. i've just put it on now. 367 minutes long. nice.

marcel dettmann, marcel fengler, violett, ana, julietta @ 5 jahre harry klein 6.9.2008

that is a pretty serious lineup. can't wait to hear the fresh goodies the ostgut boys have in store for us. also a teaser, ana isn't the only person in that lineup who has an upcoming ssgmx...

We Were Never Mnml, September 2008

Southern spring is sprung! And although those brave enough to venture forth in t-shirts will still be met with diamond tipped nips and goose flesh, there’s an undeniable feeling of something being lifted. 'Tis also the season for some exceptional EPs, adding to what’s shaping up to be a bumper year for those who like lashings of quirk and sophistication with their boom boom. You really get the feeling that groove-based electronic music is growing up and settling down to write music that’s comfortable with an understated, refined sense of its own groove and purpose.

An EP which is emblematic in this regard is Lee Jones’ Soon on Aus, which takes (another) two of the outstanding tracks from Jones’ poised, quietly confident album Digital Frank. This is minimal house in no hurry to be or say anything – so relax, and let it enfold your ears. The A2 is MDMAzing, which is full of a kind of soft rushing euphoria that sounds like Booka Shade’s Mandarine Girl – but re-done in aquarelles. Also included on this EP is the Mole’s remix of Soon, which is yet another demonstration of his deft handling of loops, taking apparently simple sounds and weaving them into a mesmerising flow.

Another equally hypnotic piece of low-fuss, low-friction excellence is Thomas Melchior’s Who Can Find Me EP on Cadenza. Melchior’s got his mojo working here, with the A Who Can’t Find Me showing off his prediliction for soft, white, female vocal loops, and layer upon layer of rhythmic intrications that sit buried in background of the mix, until you turn it up – then it’s a party full of butterflies, just like the cover art (great as always) depicts. Choir, on the flip, as got more of the roll, clump and tock you expect from Melchior, as well as those tight, dry little snares. As with the Mole’s remix of Jones, what I like here is the non-apparence of the groove – you really have to look in, but the closer you peer, the deeper (and more subtle) the reward.

So much for getting butter fluffy about drumwork – what if you want the kind of melodic minimalism that’s perfect for the breezy, cloudbursting spring mornings we’ve been having? Well then, you must check out Donnacha Costellos’ newie on his own Minimise imprint. As with his best ambient works, this EP is all about the incredible emotional mileage Donnacha can get out of the simplest possible arrangement. There’s such an abundance of space here: on It Simply Is (the A) it’s filled with dry metallic pads that carry much, much more expressive punch than they should (by rights). Ditto the B, Trust, which floats (where It Simply Is ascends), harking back to some of the later EPs in his fantastic colours series. Damned if this doesn’t get me every time.

Last but certainly not least for this my pick of the month, the new debut EP on Dial by newcomer John Robert, and… damn. You can hear it all here: Kassem Mosse meets Thomas Brinkmann (with a touch of Suguru Kusumi) performing a highly polished duet for Dial. The samples are superb (pianos, whips, thrown, spun, beaten-down and re-pitched drums), the arrangements fresh and engaging, but decisively the overall effect is extremely listenable. It’s crazy to think that this the debut EP by an artist under the age of twenty-five. Filthy old negativo curmudgeons (like me) take heed: the future looks like a spring bright sky.

And, because we SSGs are so smitten with John Robert's new EP, we've contacted him for a quick Q&A to fill in those blanks. Here 'tis:

Tell me a little about your musical development: what were you listening to at ten, fifteen, twenty, and twenty five?

When I was ten i was mostly listening to jammin 92.3, a hip-hop radio station in Cleveland, along with these Kris Kross and Vanilla Ice tapes that I had. When I was 15 I was listening to more radio rap and r'n'b and just getting into ghetto house. I found a record store in Cleveland that sold these house mixtapes from Chicago so I started collecting those and listening to them a lot. When I was 20 I was getting pretty into 80s Chicago house, deep house, and starting to listen to some overseas labels like perlon and playhouse. I'm not 25 yet but i've been pretty into 80s r'n'b lately and I imagine ill still be listening to that in a few months.

Was there any epiphanic moment with electronic music? What records and circumstances did it involve?

The first time I ever heard Cajmere / Green Velvet's "Percolator" is something I think about sometimes. I was at this sort of mainstream underage club when I was about 14 and when the vocal of that track came in everyone started going nuts. I had never heard it before so I didn't know what to expect but everyone went so wild for it. I guess I realized then that a track can be very simple but completely catchy and timeless at the same time. I still go nuts when I hear that track now; I don't care who says its played out.

Tell me a little about some inspirations and influences (of course focusing on, but not limited to, music):

I feel like one of my biggest influence will always be listening to rap and r'n'b on the radio. It's just something that i've done forever and i still love it so much. Going to second-hand record shops is pretty important to me too...i'm really picky when it comes to buying records so i love when i find one that im willing to spend money on. I also have a visual aesthetic that i try to work with alongside the music that im making, so a lot of the images that i collect for that are inspiration for me. I try to loosely work on a soundtrack for those images I guess.

How did you begin production?

I started producing after a long period of asking people how they made music. No one would really give me a clear answer and at that time I didn't understand why. Eventually my friend Adam (Atomly) showed me this program called a tracker that he was using to sequence tracks. It basically works by each sample having a number, and plotting out these numbers on a grid of more numbers. I hated it at first, but now I love it and still use it for a lot of the final sequencing that I do.

How has your process developed - tell me a little about how you work.

I just relocated to Berlin so my process is changing slightly again, but when i was living in New York I would go to the record store for a couple hours, buy some old records to sample, take them home, and record what I wanted. Then a different day I would work with some of my friend's synths and record those. The end was always me laying down with my laptop in bed or on the couch and doing the sequencing of the tracks. I think its important to be comfortable while you're working.

Where do you get your samples from?

old records, synthesizers, drum machines, and field recordings.

How did your relationship with Dial begin?

I got a message from Romy (Snow) saying how much she liked my tracks. I was visiting Berlin in February and asked her to meet me for a coffee. We got along really well and she told me how she was also a DJ and worked with Dial. She was actually moving to New York for awhile so I got a message the day before she left saying something like, "see you soon, tonight is my going away dinner, im going to give all of the dial people your tracks on CD." Later that night I got the most flattering e-mail from David (Carsten Jost) and Hendrik (Pantha du Prince) saying how much they wanted me to be a part of the label. It was the best letter i've ever received for sure.

What are you working on at the moment? What directions is it pulling you in?

Right now i'm working on finishing my next EP for Dial, and some tracks for the full length album. The track im doing now for the EP is more dancefloor oriented and the tracks for the album are quite slow so i think its giving me a nice balance instead of pulling me in a certain direction.

What's something that music has taught you about life, and vice versa?

I guess i've learned from both that it's important to have a good time and enjoy what you're doing. If you aren't enjoying it you should try something new.

What do you know now (perhaps about music) that you wish someone had told you ten years ago?

That there is no 'right' way to do anything.

Finish this: 'The world would be a better place, if only... '

intercontinental flights were free.

What's something the world needs to know about John Robert (that it doesn't already)?

I can't come up with an answer for this one that doesn't make me sound totally pompous so i'll just take this opportunity to say THANK YOU.

trust in the techno gods

the other week i bitched to you all about missing what is shaping up to be one of the best techno parties invented because the brits had decided to take their sweet time with my work visa. well, as fate would have it, the techno gods intervened and my passport magically appeared, with the correct visa, about a month earlier than expected. luckily the labyrinth ticket i'd asked for had still been saved, which means it's on and two of the ssg crew will be attending. rock! the only slight problem is that the short notice meant i've had to pack up my life in less than 2 weeks, while still working full-time. i'll spare you the details, but it hasn't been fun. besides peter van hoesen's really excellent ssg mix, here is some of the music that has been keeping me sane through this rather challenging period:

nd_baumecker @ berghain 9.2.08

i came across this gem completely by chance. it is a 5 hour recording from one of the berghain/panorama residents. supposedly he dj's more at panorama, but this night he was on the berghain floor and explored deeper and darker sounds. this is a really great representation of what berghain sounds like - dynamic, a well balanced set of old and new, quality throughout. the mixing is sometimes a bit rough and ready, but that comes with the territory. he opens with alex cortex and it is nonstop fun from there on in. excellent stuff.

andré galluzzi @ mystery land afterparty studio 80 amsterdam 23.8.08

for some reason, i've always had a bit of a mental block with galluzzi. just never really been able to get into him. and to be honest, i'd largely given up. after hearing his excellent 'cocoon morphs tokyo' release with guido, i thought it might be worth trying again. and the fact that this was an afterparty sealed the deal. i love the afterparty vibe and it often works really well in letting a dj explore a bit more and come up with something special. this is the case here.

those two sets will have to do for the time being, as i am bit pressed for time. will be posting the next mnml ssgs mix either tomorrow or the following day. it's a lovely mix put together by harry klein resident ana (i know she didn't have a track included in PVH's mix, that person will most likely be the next in the series. we shall see!). also a couple of records i have really been digging:

• the new melchoir on cadenza: how good is 'who can find me (i can't)'?! the whole thing just magically floats... i have seriously gone off cadenza in a big way, but this is an exception. melchoir really has such an amazing touch. so perfectly composed and put together. you hear this and so much else sounds like complete and utter rubbish in comparison.
• the forthcoming donnacha costello on minimise: i love this guy, always have. i just wish he'd realise more because everything he does is gold. well, perhaps that is why. like melchoir, there is a real beauty in the simplicity of his tracks, even though this simplicity is actually rather complex (if that makes any sense). two melodic gems. essential.
• the new shed album on ostgut: this has been getting rave reviews for a reason. amazing album.
  
• the new sten album on dial: in one sense this is a bit disappointing, sten/lawrence doesn't move out of/escape his signature sound pattern, and he does include that god awful 'take me to the fridge' track. but then again, the sten/lawrence sound is a lovely one and his tracks are well put together. this is not the most exciting album, but it is enjoyable. kind of like the musical equivalent of comfort food.
• the remixes of sascha funke's overly ripe 'mango': the supermayer mix is actually pretty good. but it suffers in comparison to dj koze's special effort. this guy has always been an amazing producer, nonetheless, he is seriously on an impressive run right now. just quietly one of the top producers of '08...
• the two latest perlons: fellow ssg dave really doesn't like these at all, but i strongly disagree. it is interesting to see perlon branching out to different artists and i reckon the results are worthwhile. 'release' by portable is especially nice (as is his RA'cast).

that'll do...