To say thank you for caring so well for local young people with terminal illness, breaks music producer Simon Tagg AKA Kouncil House put the call out to his contacts book and created a block busting album of exclusive tracks from some of the world’s biggest acts. Released digitally through leading download store www.trackitdown.net in June on his respected ADHD Digital label. All proceeds raised through paid for download will be donated to the worthy cause.

Testament to the old skool empathy of the underground dance community and the power of the new skool digital era, 45 amazing breaks, house, dubstep and drum and bass tracks came flying in from such heavyweights as; Justin Robertson, Brookes Brothers, Slipmatt, Meat Katie, Krafty Kuts, Leeroy Thornhill and Deekline & Wizard.

“It’s a pleasure to be involved in such a great project in such good company” says acid house legend Robertson, while Brookes Brothers agree “[that] there’s not enough projects like these for producers like us to get involved in.”

Simon Tagg was also motivated by the recent and sad loss of his mother who helped inspire this payback project and he dedicates all the effort and hard work to her memory.

Ellenor Lions Hospice is based in Greenhithe in Kent and will benefit from any proceeds raised by the digital sale of this amazing package of cutting edge tracks. For many years they have worked in the local community to help people with terminal illness act in comfort and dignity, and all involved agree that this is a worthy cause; ‘it’s for a great cause and everyone should want to get involved’ states drum and bass godfather Mickey Finn.

Krafty Kutz: “Im just really happy to be involved with this, I take my hat off to Kouncilhouse”
Leeroy Thornhill: “It is for a good cause and there are some great names involved, a top album.”

Trackitdown.net is the UK’s leading dance music download store with well over 200,000 DJ’s registered as customers giving this project a great platform upon which to launch. Founder Ed Real states; “we really hope that every one of our customers and the wider dance music community seriously consider downloading this album – even regardless of the good cause, this is one serious set of tracks for the biggest acts on the planet!”

Format: Full-length tracks plus DJ Mix available in 320kbps and Wav file downloads.

To support this release, please click here:

http://www.trackitdown.net/genre/breaks/track/1072882.html

For more information about this incredible charity project visit: www.itsgoodforthesoul.com

Hospice Website: http://www.ellenorlions.org
Label Website: http://www.myspace.com/adhddigital
Kouncilhouse Website: http://www.myspace.com/kouncilhouse

To support this release, please click here:

http://www.trackitdown.net/genre/breaks/track/1072882.html

Kicking off we get treated to their recent dancefloor success ‘Don’t Be So Drumattic’ which certainly hit the spot with an eclectic barrage of DJs and resulted in some impressive chart positions, (Beatport Number 1, Buzz and Cool Cuts). Urgent strings set the pace for the kick/snare, squelch-athon, whilst the old school D-Shake strings play tribute to the boys’ rave roots. ‘Hyperspeed’ originally released in 2007 has become some what of a classic, a signature tune for the DT’s decks N’ FX shows. Pumping bass and concrete beats are the order of the day, laying the classic funk foundation for a delicious slice of early electro. Originally taken from ‘The Return Of Captain Rock’, Hyperspeed’s vocal sample has been smashing up dance floors in one guise or another over the past 20 years. The Drumattic Twins have added their own inimitable flavours to the mix, punishing bass and fizzing acidic leads prove that the ‘old school’ can also be ‘new school’ for another generation.

Next up is ‘Broken Planet’, laced with eastern charms it soon signals the alarm before descending into a sub frequency workout, heavy, heavy breaks. Next into position comes ‘Sound of The Drum’ which grabs the reigns like a jockey riding a winning stallion to the finishing line; a relentless one note bassline, gated synth and tongue in cheek, chopped up hip house vocal drives this tune all the way. As the energy drops down a gear, we are treated to ‘HeartBreaker’ with its N-Joi inspired keys that drift alongside the percussive beats and synth breakdown, resulting in nostalgia that induces misty eyed memories of the good old days.

What better timing than to be slapped in the face with ‘Back to the Old School’, a piano driven, hands in the air, explosive tribute to where it all began. A modern day twist with Bamboata influenced strings, vocoder vocals that take us to outer space and of course that throbbing galactic b.line, all executed to perfection.

Rather amusingly named ‘Deep Throat’ is a disco-esque departure from the more typical DT sound, keeping the funk firmly on the peddle ‘Deep Throat’ tickles and teases with its 70’s strings, P Funk bassline and beat rhythms. ‘Twister’ is another of the boys earlier success stories, featured on Playstation’s Pure Wipeout it has been a firm favourite with DT fans worldwide. Classic in it’s recipe, electro, breakbeats, acid and rave connotations throughout – compelling underground dancefloor material.

‘Under The Lights’ oozing with funk, confident like a classic and peaking on the vibeometer at plus 10, the uplifting string breakdown sooths the soul and makes us yearn for just one more E! ‘Pick me up Baby’ has ‘balearic’ smacked all over it. The laidback soothing vocals are soon engulfed by a mother of all basses as the strings fly high and Lanx is let loose with his masterful jazz keys. Leading neatly into ‘Soul Flower’, a piano/beat ensemble that grooves with confidence sets another mood for the album.

Now on the final straight we get the menacing ‘Fly Young Canaboids’. Sirens, live drums and a weaving synth take the listener on a trip into the depths of the mind of a drug user, hard, compelling and addictive! ‘Drum Thunder’ has orchestral stabs, a signature bassline that dances with the lead vocal ‘another jam’ before the ‘drum thunder catcher’ bursts into the proceedings with irresistible charm. An almighty breakdown twists the glitch to the max before propelling us back to the lead ‘drum thunder’ vocal. A potent slab of dramatic magic is unleashed. Until finally we arrive at the slower tempo of ‘Antique Vinyl’. A conceptual track that morphs from vibe to vibe, embracing a spectrum of sounds and influences and enlisting the vocal charms of Claire Gillgrass. So here it is, the latest in Finger Lickin’s award winning success, we give you theDrumattic Twins — ‘Hammer & Tongs’.

Standing out in the overwhelming compilation field – really rising head and shoulders above the rest, in 2009 has required a herculean 6-month A&Ring mission. Matched by its super-immersive, multilevel mixing, that is exactly what Solarstone has achieved with ‘Electronic Architecture’.
Far from just a neat idiom, ‘Electronic Architecture’ is Rich’s closely-held musical & spinning philosophy. A desire to conceive, design and then build a musical experience that, in 2009, aspires to the groundbreaking heights of ‘Northern Exposure’, Global Underground’ and (hushed tones please) ‘Renaissance’… An album that engages the mind before blowing the brain, and all within the first listen. One though that also continually reveals new layers and enthrals through repeated spins.

Such is the expanse of debutante artists that the first look at ‘E.A.’s track listing you could be forgiven for a brain-freeze. Bear in mind, this is a wholehearted attempt to bring YOU NEW music! Bot Cyprian, David Horne, Filigrio, Jahawi, Jox, Cormac Murphy, Souls in Motion, & LTN (who won Trance.nu’s ‘Solarstone’s Next Big Thing’ Competition); these are the progressive, breaks and trance names of the future – acts that Richard has discovered after sifting through thousands of submitted ‘EA’ demos.

As your eyes adjust though, marginally more familiar names start to jump out… Katcha, Tarrentella, Saints + Sinners; underground classics, taken from the archives and rewired by remixers like Breakfast and Solarstone himself – solely for the purposes of the album. ‘E.A’ subscribes firmly to the journeyman compilation theory. Weaving with absolute fluidity between the subterranean layers of deep house & soft-tech, through breaks and progressive and then through onto the melodic plains of balearically-blooded trance from which Solarstone originally made his name.

Electronic ‘Art-itecture’: The Imagery Behind The Architecture.
Conceived as a cross-media release, both the ‘Electronic Architecture’ CD and tour elements are supported by stunning design visuals, which play an intrinsic part in the overall experience. Richard’s love of sleeve artwork has always run hot through LPs like ‘Exhibition’, ‘Destinations’ & ‘RainStarsEternal’. On ‘Electronic Architecture’ he has taken that element up multiple levels with a look that will be almost as much ‘Gallery’ as it is ‘Club’. ‘Electronic Architecture’ is Music & Art combined – the man himself goes on to explain:
“For me, the visual aspect of this project was crucial from the outset. To have such a rich new musical tapestry and not represent it with an equally beautiful visual package would have been a huge missed opportunity. This album represents exactly what I stand for as an artist, producer & DJ. The musical progression through progressive house, breaks, soft-tech and trance is the CD equivalent of a 3Hr Solarstone club set, and it’s committal to plastic has been long overdue. This is the music I love to listen to. It is inspirational in its inventiveness, musically ambitious and never formulaic or predictable. This is an album that I want your finger to pause upon whilst browsing dusty CD shelves in ten years time, for both its aesthetic and auditory qualities”

Electronic Architecture – The Tour.
Over the coming months Rich will embark on a tour that, through the power of its combined elements will deliver a unique, cross-creative experience. Audiences will prepare to see stunningly beautiful graphical superstructures built on video screens above their heads. Art constructed and deconstructed before their eyes – all sound-tracked by the music of E.A. That music is to all the important intents and purposes exclusive to Solarstone. Across the aforementioned span of styles it will form an entirely unique in-club soundscape for the tour nights that Richard plays at. Something only a handful of DJs in the world today can claim to.

Disc 1

Disc 2:

Electronic Architecture IS:
45% Progressive
35% Trance
10% Soft-tech
5% Breaks
5% House

100% Solarstone

Worldwide Release on 06/04/09

To be in with a chance of winning, please tell us the name of Solarstone’s 1999 Top 40 hit?

Nick Annand & Greg Fleming AKA Deekline & Wizard have spent the last five years building a reputation as one of the foremost production outfits in electronic music. With a dizzying array of club smashing hits already under their belts, the release of their 2nd album, “Back Up, Coming Through!”, on the world renowned Against The Grain records on 13th April 2009, will cement their position as the premier dance-floor duo that they most definitely are.

Dj Deekline came to prominence with his era defining top-ten anthem, ‘Don’t Smoke The Reefer’, which sold by the truckload and effortlessly placed him at the vanguard of the Two-step, Garage and Breakbeat movements. Greg meanwhile was carving out a career as an in demand studio wizard, working with the likes of Xpress 2 and The Chemical Brothers, and gaining notoriety for his unswerving drive and deft production abilities. After a quick aside – ‘Get Dirty Baby’ as The Booty Bouncers, – Nick & Greg unleashed an astonishing long player, ‘Breaks, Beats & Blondes’. Weighing in at a fulsome thirteen tracks the album was notable not only for its stylistic breadth, taking in Electro, Reggae, Two-step, House and Breaks but also for its heavy use of vocals from the likes of scene players Yolanda and Spoonface, giving a more human depth to the set. Championed by the Dance music fraternity it opened up a new chapter in Breakbeat, as the scene’s emphasis changed from tracks for a sweaty backroom boys club to music with real soul and sex appeal.

Further singles followed for both Botchit & Scarper and Nick’s own Rat Records imprint plus acclaimed remixes including Armand Van Helden’s ‘My My My’ which was a Zane Lowe Tune Of The Week and the Prodigy’s ‘Out Of Space’ which scored a number one on the German charts.

Whilst constantly delivering club smashing action and in between spates of Nick going out on the road and Greg topping up his studio tan, the pair have been working non-stop on their sophomore set ‘Back Off Coming Through’, described by themselves as the album that lets everyone know that they’ve been around and they really know what they’re doing, it certainly takes no prisoners. Driven to make uniquely thrilling music that shakes you to the core, the duo have covered all bases from Eastern sounds of first single ‘Dancehall Thrilla’ to out and out floor quaking joints. Refining their production style and adding even more musical layers to the melting pot, the album features vocal turns delivered by Top Cat, DJ Assault, Wonder Kid, Yolanda and a gospel singer called Vic, making it all the more obvious that Deekline & Wizard’s love of vocals shows no sign of abating.

Nick’s take is as candid as ever “Nowadays a lot of dance music has got a very short shelf-life and for me vocals give it that extra little element to keep your attention and it keeps me interested in a tune, if I hear a whole set of tunes without melodies or vocals I get bored. I think the vocals enable you to take your sets on a bigger journey, but it’s a thin line to be able to really use vocals in a dance track so that people will still play it.”

Greg is similarly forthright about the importance of a good vocalist “It’s personal preference, some people don’t like vocals, club types, but for me and Nick they’re essential, you have to give a tune an identity and a story. The main thing for me in working with vocalists in the studio is that they have different ideas of melody and the whole process of working together is when the magic happens, bringing a vocalist in adds musicianship, it helps gel the track together so it sounds classy like old tracks used to do and you don’t get lost in that whole digital thing.”

Due for release early on 13th April 2009 and crossing vast stylistic planes with the unflinching swagger of a bare knuckle boxer, ‘Back Off Coming Through’ is stunning evidence of a production duo at the height of their mercurial powers.

“Unparalleled speaker-smashing, arse-wiggling perfection, that sets them apart from almost any other underground act”. DJ Magazine – Album Of The Month *****

“Coming off the back of an absolutely mental worldwide tour schedule we thought it was the right time to drop another Stanton Sessions comp. It’s going to be the 3rd instalment of the series and contain all the unique tracks, edits and remixes that define our sound today. We have been playing and running our Sessions nights successfully at fabric for 8 years now, so it seems only natural to continue this partnership with the release of Stanton Sessions Volume 3.” – Stanton Warriors.

Stanton Sessions Volume 3 is due for release on October 27, 2008 with a USA release following in November (11/11/08).

The Stanton Warriors will be supporting the release with a world tour, kicking off with the album launch at FABRICLIVE on Friday October 24, followed by a date at the Amsterdam Dance Event, before travelling through the UK, Europe, USA, Japan, Australia, and South America.

“We’re at an age where we really just wanted to make music we thought was really good and moving our sound forward, not worrying about what anyone else would think.”

Dipping their toes into other styles of electronic music has certainly paid off for the guys. ‘Pleasure Machine’ has a velvety sheen, touching on modern sexy D. Ramirez-type electro-house, juddery Justice riddims, old skool electro, bleepy Trickyesque bizness, speak ‘n’ spell robotica and a hell of a lot more. There’s a consistency to their sound that glazes the whole album – sexy electronic dance music that’ll be rocking floor from Brighton to Beijing.

Accumulating all the tools to soundtrack a fantastic night out, the Splitloop guys have set the dials for pleasure. The touring that’s going to be accompanying this album is going to bring them into contact with a whole new set of pleasure-seeking individuals set for a collective experience of orgasmic electronic dance music. But where did the ‘Pleasure Machine’ idea come from? Is it a sex toy? A Wilhelm Reich invention to rival his Orgone Energy Accumulator? What?

“The basic premise came from a tune we were writing,” outlines Bren. “We wanted a robotic vocal bouncing off a female vocal. The first word that came to mind for the robot was ‘machine’, and the first thing that came to mind when thinking of a relationship between women and machines was ‘pleasure’ – if you know what I mean! That became the vocal of the tune, and it seemed like a good concept so we doubled it up as the album title as well.”

Breakbeat has all too often been weighed in favour of blokes. As many women as men are going to be into ‘Pleasure Machine’, though: you just know by its kick-ass yet funky electro-breaks feel. The album is sure to elevate them above the traditional breakbeat acts and into a whole new realm, and the guys are excited about what the future has in store.

Splitloop are the group who, infamously, met on the bus in Ireland going to a Prodigy gig back in the day. Finding they had more in common than just a love of Liam Howlett’s beats, Phil and Bren formed an enduring partnership that’s rocketed them high into the breakbeat premier league.

Naming themselves after one of their first productions together, the guys started making a name for themselves with early releases on the acclaimed Sinister label. It was the ‘KFC’ release on Against The Grain, Krafty Kuts’ label, that really made their name on the breaks scene, though, and led to them signing to the leading breakbeat label that also boasts The Freestylers, Deekline & Wizard, Ed Solo & Skool Of Thought and more. Phil is philosophical about their early career. “Our first studio had a broken toilet, so everything smelled like wee,” he remembers. “We could never afford monitors ‘cos all our money went on pills and beer. As soon as we gave up pills, we bought monitors and got signed. Lesson learned, kiddies.”

Their ‘Here On Business’ album, released in late 2005, garnered acclaim in DJ, Mixmag and i-DJ and pretty much rounded up where they were at. A snapshot of their top-notch productions, it was nominated in the Best Album category at the annual Breakspoll awards. The guys also received a Best Producer nomination as well for good measure.