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DJ/Rupture & Matt Shadetek – Solar Life Raft

Vini — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:06:53 +0000

With the release of Solar Life Raft, DJ /rupture and Matt Shadetek emerge from the shores of Brooklyn bearing gifts from the future. A rich blend of bass, beats, and space, rocked by a tropical wind out of the west, Solar Life Raft is an arresting testament to the fruit that grows at the margins, free from genre orthodoxy and pulsing with gentle mutant energy. Created by two individuals with a shared appreciation for engaging with streetwise dance music from a ground-up, participatory perspective, as well as more experimental sounds, Solar Life Raft, the duo’s first extended project together, features tracks blended on three decks into a complete hypnotic and gripping narrative.

Work on Solar Life Raft began with Rupture responding to the recession by staying local and working with nearby friends and collaborators, including Shadetek, who he invited to co-produce the mix CD. They reached out to fellow Brooklynites Gang Gang Dance, Telepathe, and Jahdan Blakkamoore, offering their skills as remixers. To these remixes they added a half-dozen original productions, and a fascinating selection of other tracks. One of Rupture’s several collaborations with poet Elizabeth Alexander, who spoke at Obama’s Inauguration, finds a place here, as does entrancing multilingual poet Caroline Bergvall. Ghostly voices from classical wunderkind Nico Muhly’s Mothertongue flow into an exclusive beat from London’s leading female grime producer, Mizz Beats. French musique concrete and avant-garde legend Luc Ferrari rubs up against the latest wave of U.S. dubstep. Indeed, while others focus on the U.K. sounds, Rupture & Shadetek make a convincing argument for the creativity and excitement of stateside dubstep and electronica. At times the narrative flow is delicately smooth, at others the duo use the first-take recordings to capture the energy and freshness of a live mix. The inclusion of sounds and artists from outside of electronic dance music move Solar Life Raft into a territory all its own. This is an album with lasting emotional resonance that can still make the car trunks rattle.

American musician DJ /rupture is back in Brooklyn after living most of the ’00s in Barcelona. Rupture, aka Jace Clayton, began his career when he DJed internationally in Wax Poetic, a band featuring Norah Jones. He went off on his own following the 2001 release of his highly influential Gold Teeth Thief mix CD. Since then, his technically adept party-rocking has brought him to over 30 countries, including appearances at major festivals: SONAR (Spain), Transmediale (Berlin) and most recently, the Pitchfork Music Festival. Additionally, he released Uproot, his fourth official mix CD, Patches, a live album from a duo project with guitarist Andy Moor of The Ex, as well as collaborated with filmmaker Jem Cohen and Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto on a live soundtrack, all the while hosting a weekly radio show on WFMU.

Producer Matt Shadetek is a lifelong New Yorker. Albums Burnerism and Pale Fire won him fans across Europe and America, making him one of the few U.S. producers to record on the U.K.’s Warp Records. He has released instrumental hip hop, dancehall, dubstep and many things in the cracks between, including the viral hit “Brooklyn Anthem”. His recent turn to dance production foregrounding Caribbean and African influences has won him support from the ultra-competitive Brooklyn teen dancehall scene, as well as from trendsetting DJs like Skerrit Bwoy, Diplo and Green Lantern.

Solar Life Raft is out November 10th on the Agriculture label.

Released simultaneously with Solar Life Raft will be a digital-only compilation Solar Life Raft: The Ingredients. “The Ingredients” offers a selection of Solar Life Raft tracks in unmixed form, allowing the curious to hear how Rupture & Shadetek transformed the sounds, and pulling away the curtain of DJ mystery. “The Ingredients” compilation serves as an up-close guide to the “making of” Solar Life Raft.

1) Timeblind – Space Cadet
2) Matt Shadetek – Strength In Numbers
3) Jahdan Blakkamoore – For The Souls
4) Gang Gang Dance – Bebey (DJ/Rupture & Matt Shadetek remix)
5) Cauto – Despertar
6) Paavoharju – Urusulan Uni
7) Stagga – The Bad Dance
8) Babylon System – Get On Up
9) Cardopusher – Green Disorder
10) DJ/Rupture & Matt Shadetek – Underwater High Rise
11) Pumajaw – Buds (Various Production remix)
12) Timeblind – Coltan And Casserite
13) Matt Shadetek – Nightshade
14) Caroline Bergvall – More Pets
15) Noah D & Roommate – Street Sound
16) Matt Shadetek – Shield Dub
17) Hildegard Westerkamp – Breathing Room
18) Nico Muhly – Mothertongue: Pt 1
19) Mizz Beats – Blue Night
20) Pulshar – Mr Money Man
21) Shackleton – Into The Void (DJ/Rupture remix)
22) DJ/Rupture & Matt Shadetek – 4th Story Waterline
23) Luc Ferrari – Archives Génétiquement Modifiées 2
24) Jahdan Blakkamoore – Long Road (Lion Dub & Matt Shadetek remix)
25) Matty G – Laying In Bed
26) DJ/Rupture ft. Elizabeth Alexander – Overture: Watermelon City (acappella)
27) Lloop – Autumn Rain
28) DJ/Rupture – El Verdugo
29) Telepathe – In Your Line (DJ/Rupture & Matt Shadetek remix)

Egostereo – Paeonia (Review)

Vini — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:15:06 +0000

Egostereo’s Renaissance debut presents ‘Paeonia,’ a production collaboration which manages to simultaneously stimulate comfort and unsettling eeriness. Paeonia is a listener’s treat, due to its intricate and multi-dimensional layering evidenced in the track’s progression. Paeonia is a passively energetic production whose moody character reflects the depth of the production duo, and its intellectual atmosphere bears striking resemblance to selected tracks by the likes of Sasha, Satoshi Tomiie and John Digweed. Egostereo’s track is a subdued venture with little established energy and verve. One must become involved in the track to truly appreciate it, and thus the lack of movement-inducing rhythm matters little, if any. One will find a slightly darker and richer version of ‘Paeonia’ in the Beesley & Minkella Re-Edit. Lovely and intelligent progressive house.

Audioriver 2009 Summary

Vini — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:01:42 +0000

The forth edition of Audioriver recently came to a close. A record, since the event became a ticketed affair, 12 thousand punters from all parts of Poland came out on each of the days.

“It’s difficult to say which performances were the best, as the proceeding spanned across four stages, but after a quick look at Internet message boards, it looks as if Moderat, Richie Hawtin, Dirtyphonics, Dub FX, DJ Hell and James Holden, who rocked the crowed with a four hour set in the wee morning hours, made the biggest impression on the Audioriver faithful. Holden played for an hour and a half longer than we was slated to, only to go on to give a couple of encores, and ended the beach portion of the festival in style. Feedback regarding the festival is very positive, although there were a few hitches along the way, the biggest of which was the lack of free space on the tent field, despite the fact that it was twice the size compared to last year. This means that for next year we will have to find a bigger location for the tent field, as the beach itself can’t accommodate such a high number of tents. And we can’t simply make the festival grounds smaller, because this year’s edition took up the whole of the beach’s capacity”, says Audioriver spokesperson, Lukasz Napora.

And what did the headliners have to say about the festival? On Sunday, Richie Hawtin wrote on Twitter: “thank you POLAND… hope it doesn‘t take another 5 years to come back…”. The guys from Moderat, on the other hand, said that they had never played on such a good soundsystem, while Lee Jones, one half of MyMy, was very surprised by the reaction the duo received from Polish clubbers. “They’re amazing! They go crazy every 16th bar!”, said Jones.

Audioriver’s newest attractions, such as the Festival Cinema and Street Theaters, were also very well received, but the biggest success of all in this respect was without a doubt the Muzzo Stage, which during the daytime was surrounded by punters dancing in the Old Market Square and… in the fountain to be found in the Square. Several dozen people dancing in water up to their knees was definitely a priceless scene.

Unfortunately, for the first time in the festival’s history not all the artists that were booked performed. On the Friday, the organizers received a message from Rusko’s manager stating that the artist missed a total of three flights! The situation surrounding the absence of Chase, on the other hand, was a little more complicated. “A few weeks after we booked the duo, it turned out that only Status will be able to come to Plock, as on the same day the group had another engagement in London. We wanted very much for the performance to take place, so we refrained from renouncing the contract. However, it must be clearly stated that the contract included a paragraph which required the show to be promoted as a performance from both members of Chase & Status, which is why we did not inform the general public about this state of affairs beforehand. Needless to say, we are not fully content with such a turn of events, even though Status together with MC Rage literally tore the roof off”, says Lukasz Napora. Also, Polish DJ Poziom-X didn’t manage to play his morning set, which was supposed to commence at 6:30 on the Sunday. However, the reason for this was James Holden’s out of this world performance, which, as mentioned already, took up an hour and a half more than was originally planned. “We would like to thank Marcin for understanding the situation and giving his time to James. In short, the Sunday morning in question was without a doubt one of the festival’s best moments”, adds Napora.

“All in all, we would like to thank everyone who came out to Audioriver this year. Thanks to such a turn out, we are motivated to more with each edition, as such high numbers confirm that there is a place for quality underground dance music in our scene. Sure, not everything was perfect, but be hope that punters appreciate our efforts to make each edition even better than the last”.

Pure Pacha Review (24th July 2009)

Vini — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:52:50 +0000

Chandeliers float elegantly above an impenetrable fog of dry ice. It puffs away in a cool breath letting the light fall on a sea of upturned faces. “This is Pure Pacha!” Sander Kleinenberg whoops from the DJ box, raising both fists in salute. The girl next to me bursts into a flurry of elbow-popping motion as Sander slams on a remix of We Are Your Friends that thunders across the dance floor like a charge of the Valkyries. Pure Pacha is the quintessential Friday night party in Ibiza – a mélange of music, spectacle and moments that simply wouldn’t happen anywhere else.

Tonight the sense of anticipation is as thick as the smell of cologne because none other than Paul Oakenfold is due on the decks soon. One of the original superstar DJs, Oakie “discovered” Ibiza in 1986 and floated back to London to kick-start the acid house revolution. There is a gradually thickening clot of clubbers around the DJ booth, edging closer in anticipation of his set. Even Sander seems to have caught the fan-club feel, skittering around the booth like a hyperactive kid, clapping, giving a photographer the thumbs-up, pouring champagne. Suddenly a boy dives past me, camera phone aloft to snap Oakie descending upon the DJ box.

He has flown in for the night from his “day job” as Madonna’s official tour DJ. A lot of DJs probably wouldn’t bother taking the time to play for a couple of thousand fans after rocking stadiums night after night, but the huge grin on Paul’s face says it all: he’s home. A flutter of fingers reach upwards and he hangs over the edge of the booth to grab and shake the waiting hands. Sander lets the music drop. The lights lower then remerge on a trio of stunning dancers who slither up onto the podiums, trailing a sea of sequins as the crowd ripples with excitement. Alice in Wonderland never saw anything like this. A wooden hatch opens beneath the stairs and two waiters pop up like surreal rabbits, carrying vast trays of iced glasses and bottles of vodka. No one is paying any attention, though. Every ear is tuned in impatient glee for the first shimmying wave off sound to crash over the room. The bass rumbles as a looped vocal intones: “welcome to Perfecto.” A palpable crackle of energy sparks across the room and suddenly everyone who has come to remember forgets – forgets what year it is, where they are, mostly likely who they’re with. The only thing that matters is the music lifting the club to the stratosphere and Oakie bopping at the controls, controlling the speed and altitude of the flight. Someone reaches up to pass him a CD. He pulls a jokey pose behind the decks. For a few hours, 2009 can be 1989… a pure celebration of sound and motion.

Sasha vs. Adam Parker – Highlife EP Review

Vini — Mon, 25 May 2009 19:21:57 +0000

Grinding, robotic and hypnotic, Sasha never fails to deliver the spiritual goods. Lowlife’s wicked bass chops lend meaning to the title. Slinking through the underbellies of the electronic underground, Lowlife’s kinky bass rhythm rattles ribcages and prolpels the track into an entirely sinister direction. Definitely a standout on Invol2ver.

Highlife (The original and the Invol2ver Remix) are decent tracks – however, the vocal intrusion leaves something to be desired for most tech-house sets. Certainly the lesser of the two tracks, ‘Highlife’ may be a reflection of Sasha’s willingness to enter melodica rather than true techno fervency. An interesting and worthwhile EP, nonetheless. Sasha and Adam Parker release a record mapping the ins and outs of what it means to live both the high – and the low – life of living four-to-the-floor.

Words: James Woodruff

Dave Seaman – Attack of the Abalones EP Review

Vini — Mon, 25 May 2009 19:20:23 +0000

Dave Seaman and Renaissance have history deep enough to fill a novel. This, however, is is the DJ’s first EP release for the prestigious label, and one can only hope to find something spectacular within.

Dave Seaman has brought into this decade a unique techno sound, with orchestral crescendos to boot. A definite floor-stomping track, “Attack Of The Abalones” abandons the harmonious aspects of Seaman’s productions in favor of flavors reminiscent of Smith & Selway’s cerebral techno productions. As the track progresses, reverberating female vocals up the feverish pitch. With a halt, the frenzy ceases and submits itself to a spacious breakdown. Exploding back into the rhythm, “Attack Of The Abalones” will rip dancing couples apart and increase the circumference of swaying hips. A true club banger, precisely timed for the summer months.

“Wrong Side Business” brings forth memories of a Spektre or Audiojack track – well composed techno with just the right amount of electric groove carrying the stabs and fourth notes. The track deviates from the typical, however, due to its progressively spooky nature. Wailing female vocals, a sparse breakdown and maracca-esque cymbals fade in and out of obscurity like ghosts in a haunted castle. As quickly as the miracle of sound breaks the door down, it disappears like the gray-blue smoke from the tip of a cigarette. Overall, a *far* more impressive release than Dave’s last, and I thoroughly look forward to his next EP.

Words: James Woodruff

James Zabiela’s Renaissance Masters Series Review

GJ — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 23:06:18 +0000

Quite frankly I’m just pleased Renaissance flicked past the Dave Seaman and Satoshi Tomiie pages of their phonebook when they were shortlisting the DJ’s for the next Master’s Series. Not that I have anything against Dave or Satoshi and agreeably they are both indeed masters, but currently there is a stock of talented young DJ’s that have proven themselves as potential suitors to the Renaissance crown. The most notable and undeniably the most worthy of those is, of course, James Zabiela. The young apprentice has surpassed the hype that surrounded him following the endorsement of DJ royality and has established his unique style which provides a spectacle in clubs worldwide, along with refined knob-twiddling and twistlery on his CD mix exploits. Thanks to James Zabiela, a new blood of DJ’s are in the making, a generation not content with simply mixing tracks anymore – a suitable king and master, well selected Renaissance.

Previous Master’s Series heavy-weights have recognised the need to provide a collectors item, more than just a throwaway cover CD of tracks – an instant consumer classic. One of those CD’s that sits in your collection and is recalled from time to time to provide a solid listen, JZ certainly understood the attention to detail that such a mix requires. CD1 starts with some neat street bustle before the lead of Michna – Believe In It sets the mood and provides the chillout you can expect throughout the first disc. Spoken words aid the drop into Always Something Better and establish further the melancholy of the mix, some orderly scratching offers up some welcome funk. The familiar samples continue with an air steward clearly commanding some ‘seventies sci-fi’ synths, Kuriaki – Express would of had a suitable home on Jeff Wayne’s The War Of The Worlds – A dramatic masterpiece. Throughout CD1, there are interlaced samples from downtown streets, right through to cosmic whispers of teleportation. One such quote introduces the clippy percussion on Pattern 4 with atmospheric chords sustaining the mood. More fuzzy leads dominate the disc, a haunting theme that provides an intense listen. R3volve’s All That You Lost is probably the stand out track of the disc, its epic melody lifts the mix – dispelling the gloom of the opening half. An impressive transition into Meet Your Maker assists in this transformation. The closing quarter of the CD treats us to some drum n bass, Plaid’s Marry begins the tempo change before Quivver’s recent gem Chasing A Feeling rounds it off, the sombre melody of Departing Gate completes the disc. All in, the first disc is a satisfying still – expect a jump around from the second disc.

More effects, pads and vocal samples begin the second disc, before a distorted snare dumps us into the plonky driven rhythm of Komytea – Afghanistan plenty of saturation brings on the break which vigorously fills with acid. The rhythm builds further with a delayed kick before the main build puts your head somewhere between a fax modem and a shuttle launch – expect intergalactic invoices. As confusing as that explanation may be, it perfectly details the first track. Paul Woolford delivers another stomper and JZ’s switch plonks the mix straight back in the groove, this melody is killer. Reversed beats introduce a dirty sounding filtered synth, this synth and the melody duel throughout Surrender – it’s a battle that ends in the creation of a wicked track. Next up is the roaring bass of Extrawelt’s Added Planet and the zippy trippery of some trademark Zabiela scratching, the scratching is clever, adding a further percussive quality. The bass driven progression continues through Surface Scan and JZ’s own track Darkness 2, the latter featuring some insane chopped vocals and well composed poppy synth work. The flow picks up with techno Fins Komytea’s second feature on the disc, Professional Killers is a rocker with more looped vox and a wicked lead in the break – one for the rave lizards! Further vocal slicing from Nachtmensch and a thumping bass line will keep you bopping. So far removed from the first disc, the second is a definite rave mix installed with faultless programming of some quality techno. Energy Flash and Alex Millan’s Modern Love transcend proceedings into a more housey affair, Modern Love’s lead is heavy on the sustain and creates a wave of sound that is nicely punctuated by a slammin’ beat. Another of Zabiela’s tracks Perseverance follows before Luomo & Apparat get euphoric with Love You All. CD2 closes with Oliver Koletzki’s Since You Are Gone, finishing things nicely with the return of some choppy vocals and some serious filtering and slicing from JZ.

For me it’s a 9 out of 10, buy it and expect it to become a favourite.

Words: G. Johnson.

You can catch James’ second blog here.

Creamfields: The Best One Yet

Vini — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 09:15:44 +0000

Creamfields innovative 10th anniversary festival brought an incredible 2 days of entertainment to the North-West countryside at the weekend generating fantastic feedback as the world’s best dance festival promoters paved the way for the next decade of dance music festivals.

Introducing camping for the first time, 85% of revellers snapped up the chance to stay over and the brand new boutique campsites proved a success as they completely sold out with the festival attracting 35,000 to the show on Saturday and 30,000 on Sunday.

Kasabian’s highly anticipated headline set on Sunday night saw the band fuse rock and dance like never before, kicking off with a cover of dance anthem ‘Your Love’ and leading a field of 15,000 revellers in a singalong to their hit ‘Cutt Off’ for an unforgettable Creamfields moment.

Fatboy Slim rocked the fields on Saturday night with his headline set on the main stage, playing a mix of house and big-beat techno as glow sticks waved far into the distance and the crowd swirled in mass appreciation for one of the world’s greatest superstar DJ’s.

Other storming sets came from Paul Oakenfold, Paul van Dyk and Tiesto to name just a few iconic beat masters who took to the decks on the main arenas. Ian Brown who performed Live in the Radio 1 / Chibuku arena took the roof off with electrifying performances of Waterfall and I Am The Resurrection.

The hospitality arena was another popular hang-out this weekend with award winning restaurant Puschka providing quality food with top DJ’s lining up to take to the decks.

James Barton, Cream Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are really happy with the success of the festival this weekend. There were some delays getting customers into the campsite early on Saturday morning, but this was soon sorted out. We’ve had a really good festival, with a fantastic line up of acts and great audience which has made this our 10th Anniversary very special. And we’d like to thank everyone who came to the show.”

Creamfields introduced more live bands then ever this year, and this diversity reached out to festival goers but the dance acts were as popular as ever, filling the 10,000 capacity Cream arena along with others like Ape, Tidy, Annie Mac, Bugged Out and Chibuku every night with a genre of dance music to suit every euphoric reveller.

Crime was at an all time low with only 7 reported incidents of theft from the campsite, with customers taking advantage of the Lockerbox service onsite. Creamfields festival-goers are described as one of the happiest festival crowds on earth and this year was no exception, roll on 2009!

Skank Sinatra – Barcoded Review

Vini — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:27:56 +0000

“Barcoded,” the latest artist album from Skank Sinatra, bears witness to what good electronica should evoke; a wholly honest digital vibration.

Sixteen tracks grace the disc, which itself is a murky, misty and a bit eerie journey through the lower regions of electronica consciousness. The tracks, like mist, vaporize from one ambient crescendo to the next with male vocals. “Souls,” “Slick” and “Cruse” are perfect examples of the creation of this atmosphere. Other tracks, though fewer in number, carry a bit of uptempo energy such as the title track, “Barcoded.” At this pace, electronica can seem soothing, almost inspiring – like catching a memorable sunset.

In a world of raging dancefloors and body-thumping techno, Skank Sinatra prove that electronica continues to occupy its respective niche in the dance culture.

Tracklisting:
1. Souls
2. Auto
3. Slick
4. Cruise
5. Barcoded
6. Sun
7. How Deep
8. Sun (Olvera remix)
9. Slick (Kay Nakayama remix)
10. How Deep (Tom Middleton remix)
11. How Deep (Future Funk Squad remix)
12. Auto (Shur i Kan remix)
13. Hot (NuTone remix)

~ James Woodruff

Krafty Kuts – Dynamite Love & Beer Chucka Review

Vini — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:18:28 +0000

More sweat and a pulsating ocean of outstretched arms than domestic ambience, Krafty Kuts’ latest mash up of Dynamite MC’s vocals from “There They Go” with the instrumentals from “Freestylers In Love With You” is a strong track that carries energy and a catchy hook. The vocals sound harmonized with the track’s rhythm and aren’t obtrusive unless one specifically dislikes hip-hop. Certainly a festival anthem in the making, if ever one should come along.

The 12” Mix adds a bit of zest and funk to an already wonderful and unique hip-hop/retro blend, capping off Krafty Kuts’ latest EP. Listen and you will hear.

~ James Woodruff