House | Deep | Tech House | Techno
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
new promo shots.
taken @ the habitat birthday photo shoot.
by adam mazur of atomic art fame.
valle zoo.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
s. troxler
We’re discussing Seth’s recent track record with interviews. Demands from media for his time have surged this year and, in turn, he’s earned a reputation for colourful, sometimes completely crazy comment. What are we likely to get today?
“When I give interviews it’s probably 50% me and 50% fun and games, depending on the quality of questions I’m getting asked. I do play things up but it’s no different to DJing and working in the studio; it’s all an expression of my character. It’s a lot like Andy Warhol, who lived his art publicly. And, look, I’m passionate about the music, so that is always the major focus of what I talk about with people. It’s what I do.”
Seth has, with the help of close friends Ryan Crosson, Shaun Reeves and Lee Curtiss, proceeded to turn club music radically and stylishly on its head. The Detroit four firmly established themselves around four years ago, setting up shop in Berlin as Visionquest before quickly developing a line in top-drawer gigs and remixes. Lee and Shaun had actually moved to the German capital in 2004, Seth and Ryan joining them in 2007 (Lee has since returned to the States, and Seth has moved to London). Visionquest screwed with house and techno’s then popular minimal template, marrying it to eclectic influences such as folk, Motown and electro-pop, and defining a quirky new kind of dancefloor soul. Not mainstream, not underground, not like anything gone before….
“I think our success, both as Visionquest and individuals, is down to the quality of the music we’re releasing” Seth explains. “It’s tangible but not average by any stretch. It works in a club but at home also. It tries to say something different but without being pretentious; it comes with artwork… it attempts to make a proper cultural point. It’s part of all of us, it is properly driven by our experiences; and, well, let’s be honest, we have lived.”
Seth once described Visionquest’s live show as a “psychedelic mind trip to the future,” suggesting drugs have, or have had, an important role to play in the collective’s creative process. Is that the case?
“First and foremost we’re total music geeks,” Seth replies. “We have an insane passion for all sorts of music and sounds… abstract, indie-rock, whatever. Being open-minded is vital.
That makes sense, Seth’s biographical materials going so as far to mention ‘chirping crickets’ and ‘whistling voodoo magic’ among his aural passions. But what about the drugs? History reveals many famous examples of chemically-fuelled life inspiring art – Coleridge, Pollock, The Beatles...
“We’re not about promoting a drug vibe” he stresses, “but, sure, our experiences with acid and psychedelics have helped inform who we are today. A lot of that inspiration came from the early days in Detroit when we were young kids DJing and stuff, and researching ideas about music… finding ourselves, getting otherworldly. We were a close group of friends working out what we wanted to say, and psychedelics supported that process. We might be in a different position today but we’re still questing….”
Seth is, of course, staring down the barrel of married life. He and his fiancée Sonoya – a ballet dancer – will tie the knot next year at a ceremony featuring relatively low-level Bristol DJ Adam Gorsky behind the decks and “some philosophy professor dude” from the States; another of Seth’s good friends. The temptation to play as well must be strong but he won’t, he insists, let himself get distracted.
Which begs the question about whether or not Seth has started pondering his long-term career and future yet? An institution like marriage can easily provoke such a reaction.
“Life is really good but there have been occasions recently where I don’t feel in control of what I’m doing; my career seems to have a life of its own” he confesses. “I’m not going to let that happen next year. Right now I’m on empty, I’m completely worn out. Someone like Jamie Jones can push themselves harder than me; I don’t quite have his stamina to keep playing night after night. Don’t get me wrong, the gigs are great and I want to do lots more but, sometimes, the travel hurts and the creative juices run dry. I’m planning a big holiday at the end of the year with Sonoya, and a better work schedule after that. I can’t, and won’t repeat this year for the next 10.”
For now, there really is plenty going on. The release date of Visionquest's addition to the revered Fabric series has just been confirmed for early December, but first up is The Lab 03, the latest instalment of NRK Music’s cutting edge mix compilation series. Seth’s contribution is expectedly varied, corralling deep atmospheric cuts by Hatikvan and Bearweasel, slick tech-flecked grooves by Lindstrom, Dinky, and DJ Qu and then, on a second disc, everything from low-slung dub to freeform jazz via electro-psychedelia courtesy of Chaim, Superpitcher and Und.
“I’m really happy with the final result” he confirms. “I’ve blended a number of popular underground house and tech sounds, with some really weird shit… music at the other, more abstract end of the scale. It’s all about pushing boundaries.”
Those boundaries will shift a good distance more in the coming weeks and months as Visionquest, the label, unveils its next (eagerly awaited) tranche of releases. Crosson is set to release a new artist album with Vagabundos staple Cesar Merveille, in two hefty parts; Ewan Pearson is adding final studio touches to Footprintz’ pop-edged debut album, and tasty Italian duo Tale Of Us are also busy preparing preparing their first album.
Can Seth divulge anything more about the latter?: “It’s pretty much left the concept stage now; there are few tracks taking shape. The guys [Tale Of Us’ Karm & Matteo] have some surprises up their sleeve; the album won’t just be riffs on the deep house and techno material they’ve released before. They’re musicians; their ideas are wide-ranging. They’re outrageous.”
Visionquest’s label has found its feet rather spectacularly since launching at the start of the year. Even at this early stage of life, its A&R decisions seem to be carrying an awful lot of sway within clubland – the kind of sway that properly sets up careers. But how much of label strategy is emotional and how much hard-nosed business?
“Three of the four of us have to agree before signing anyone to the label,” Seth answers. “But we’re usually all in agreement, and we take the A&R really seriously. There are business practicalities, and there needs, obviously, to be an emotional connection to the music, but we go further than that. We ask artists to hang out with us for a few weeks; we get to know them as people and artists, make sure they’re not knobs or anything, and then we make our decision. Everyone in our family is a good friend, and that makes what we do that bit more special and successful.”
Special enough to run and run? “Yes, I really think so, things are going great so far” he concludes. “It’s…what… 30 years on from when dance music began? It feels like we’ve reached a pivotal moment where dance music is embracing all of these different ideas, a mix of underground and mainstream, and has its first chance to be universally accepted by everyone. It is becoming accepted culture, and that is completely amazing. I love being part of that.”
SOURCE: Defected.com
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
PDMA are now open
the perth dance music awards are open again. this year the party is being held on the 11th of december.
if you enjoy what i do please take the time to vote for me as Best Tech House DJ.
it would be very much appreciated.
much love.
Monday, October 31, 2011
sebastien Leger @ geisha 11/11/11
a taste from when seb hit our shores earlier this year.
this will be a show not to miss.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
aarin fraser's latest mix.
the man who heads up perth's hottest parties <lucid dreaming> has released his latest mix.
it is a belter of a mix so throw it on, crack a beer, sit back and enjoy.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
art department.
Their gothic electronic bomb ‘Without You’ was one of 2010’s biggest tunes. With a debut LP full of the same moody genius, Art Department have arrived...
It’s fair to say that Belgium’s Fuse club is pleased to see Art Department. The crowd’s attention is firmly focused on the DJ booth and the duo who’ve just entered it. Jonny White is in the centre, setting up the decks and making room for a bottle of tequila that’s just arrived. The crowd clutch at them like devout believers who’ve finally met their messiah. A blonde girl, slightly the worse for wear, tugs at Kenny Glasgow’s arm from the side of the DJ booth, attempting to get him to dance with her. “I’m sorry, am I bothering you?” she asks. Kenny smiles accommodatingly and shakes his head. She backs off, seemingly satisfied, and declares, “Look, it’s fucking Art Department. Woohooo!” They’ve not even played a tune yet.
The reason for this Belgian crowd’s excitement over a Toronto duo with a handful of releases to their name? Art Department’s debut single ‘Without You’, released late last year on Damian Lazarus’ Crosstown label, was one of the smash tunes of 2010. Combining a dark, electro bassline with Kenny Glasgow’s haunting and emotional vocal, it sounds like a meeting of Depeche Mode, Laurent Garnier and Edgar Allen Poe, and it was just pipped at the post in our top 100 tracks of 2010 by Tensnake’s monster ‘Coma Cat’. It was huge with the likes of Jamie Jones, Soul Clap, Seth Troxler (who contributed vocals to its B-side, ‘Vampire Weekend’) and, naturally, Damian himself. “It’s got that balance of coolness and emotion without the cheese which you can’t learn at school,” he tells us from his base in Los Angeles. And despite (or maybe because of) its underground, atmospheric feel, ‘Without You’ found its way into the sets of everyone from Erol Alkan and Jaymo & Andy George to Laurent Garnier and The Revenge.
A few hours before the gig at Fuse, Art Department sit in their Brussels hotel room drinking a cup of English tea. Both are visibly tired from touring (Kenny missed dinner with the promoter due to fatigue and a stomach upset), but still friendly and accommodating.
Despite their seemingly overnight success, the duo, who have only been together since the beginning of 2010, have both served their time in the Toronto electronic music scene. Kenny, who sits on the side of the bed, is the older of the two, at 41. He’s extremely thin, a fact made more obvious by his tight T-shirt. He’s softly spoken and a touch nervous at first, but he soon perks up as the interview progresses and his flashing grin soon comes to the fore as he explains how he got into dance music. “I didn’t have a father figure growing up, so my mom would send me to stay with my uncle during the summer, to instil good values in me,” he explains. This was during his early teens, and he started hanging out with his cousin a great deal. “He used to buy disco and garage records and so that got me into playing records and DJing.”
Soon Kenny was dodging school and hitting the record shops in Toronto. “I used to just go in there and hang out, I didn’t even buy records,” he says. “Then I met two very cool guys called Jeremy Beckman and Mike Sitchon and they really liked my taste in music, so we got together and started to play and throw parties together. We became a crew, JMK – Jeremy, Mike and Kenny – and we started getting the most bookings in the city.”
In the early 90s, as the rave scene hit Toronto, Kenny’s musical direction changed – with a little help from a certain publication. “I got a copy of this Mixmag CD – a techno CD by Richie Hawtin – and I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is the best thing I ever heard’, and so my style progressed from there. It changed my life!” he recalls. Kenny went on to become one of the main players in Toronto nightlife, just as his future musical partner was spreading his clubbing wings.
“I used to pay thirty bucks to go and hear Kenny when he was a resident at Industry [one of Toronto biggest and best clubs during the 90s and 00s],” says Jonny White. “I wasn’t so much into the music and the DJs, it was more about the culture and the scene. But I always knew who Kenny was – everybody did. He was pretty much the biggest DJ at the time.”
At 31, Jonny is the younger of the pair and the more laid back, sprawling across the bed and sporting thick long hair and an even thicker beard. He grew up on the outskirts of Toronto where his father was an A&R man for Polydor Records, and he always knew he wanted to work in the music industry. “At first I didn’t want to be a DJ, I wanted to work more behind the scenes,” he explains. In his late teens he dropped out of school and started going to the clubs in midtown and downtown Toronto. Almost immediately, he started putting on parties himself. “I started hanging with these older guys when I dropped out of school,” he says. “I was making good money promoting and always did quite well financially, and the DJing and production side of things was a natural progression.”
The guys have known each other properly for seven years, since meeting in Toronto’s ‘Play De Record’ vinyl store where Kenny worked. They were both producing: Jonny had his own label, No 19, and Kenny released under his own name and a number of guises such as Sick Puppy and The Talent. He’s behind the lead vocals on Art Department’s album: “I’m from a gospel background and so was vocally and musically trained from a young age,” he says.
Back in Fuse Club and Art Department are mid-way though their epic three-hour DJ set. They continually drop huge slates of house and techno rife with throbbing basslines that work in tandem with their own musical production. Out on the floor, the crowd are only too happy to declare their adoration for the duo. “I flew all the way to hear them play at Fabric a few months ago. It was amazing and well worth it. The energy both the guys and their music has is unbelievable,” says one perspiring punter. “I can’t believe they’re here in Brussels!” exclaims another. There’s also a palpable excitement and curiosity about the new album ‘The Drawing Board’. Suddenly a behemoth of a bassline sweeps across the room: “This is our new remix of one of Damian Lazarus’ tracks,” Kenny says, grinning.
“I’ve not even heard that yet!” exclaims Lazarus later, on the phone. Renowned for his hats, his brilliantly strange podcasts and his uncanny knack of nurturing and developing new artists, if it wasn’t for Damian there might not even be an Art Department. “I’ve been playing Toronto for many years and it became very clear they have something a little bit special going on there,” he says.
“I kept missing my flight home and partying with these two characters, Jonny and Kenny, who were working separately from one another but were always together. They both kept giving me demos, so it made sense for me to suggest that they team up. They were both on cusp of something so I suggested they did a remix for us.” The track was Riz MC’s ‘Don’t Sleep’ and hit the streets in November 2009 under the name Jonny White and Kenny Glasgow. With other labels sniffing around their music Damian immediately locked them down for an album.
“Art Department was fully born on January 1 2010 when we decided on the name while out mangled together,” explains Jonny. ‘The Drawing Board’ only took about 10 months to nail, the guys bringing together their respective studio skills. “I use Ableton more and Kenny uses Logic, so we were able to use both,” says Jonny. Now complete, it’s a fusion of electronic grooves and Kenny’s soulful vocals. “They’ve delivered an album that’s full of beautiful melodies and catchy tunes that aren’t cheesy,” says Lazarus, “I couldn’t be happier.” There’s also a live show.
The guys are also very proud of their home city and the current electronic scene, and how it’s blossomed over the last few years with artists like Caribou, James Teej, Azari & III, My Favourite Robot (both artist and label) and Nitin. “We have a great little crew there. I think that Nitin will make waves this year as a producer, and it’s My Favourite Robot’s time to shine as a live act,” Jonny says. “People should already know James Teej because of his album [‘Evening Harvest’, on Rekids] but he’s really going to blow some people away this year with his live show at spots like Fabric and Panoramabar.”
Right now, though, it’s Art Department’s time. With ‘The Drawing Board’ one of Mixmag’s Albums of the Month in the last issue and as well received as any dance music release of the last few years, the duo touring endlessly, the live show already debuting in Miami, and great clubs like Fuse and Fabric full of people losing it to Kenny and Jonny’s DJ sets, there’s really only one thing left to say: “it’s fucking Art Department! Woohooo!”
Art Department’s debut LP ‘The Drawing Board’ is out now on Crosstown Rebels
SOURCE: mixmag
Thursday, September 22, 2011
boat party season is upon us.
first stop LD boat party, 10th december with the annual maiko boxing day party kicking off on the 26th.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
ra review - damian lazarus get lost 4
While the selections on Get Lost 04 aren't as eclectic as those on his fabric mix, calling this mix linear would be a massive disservice. It's only more straightlaced than we've come to expect from someone who prides themselves in snatching the rug from under his listeners at regular intervals. Lazarus uses Get Lost 04 as a showcase for some of the emerging talent we're doubtlessly going to be hearing a lot more about in the months ahead. Iranian newcomer Amirani kicks things off with "My Way." Full of pitched down vocals, warming synths and wobbly reverb, it's comforting in its familiarity and a perfect opener.
From there, things get steadily darker, culminating in the haunted house weirdness of Left's "Don't Come Alone," a track that seems intent on carelessly tripping over its own beat until joined by softly persuasive hi-hats, giving it a relative sense of purpose. It makes you feel downright miserable, but it's also an unquestionable highlight. Confused? Excellent, he's obviously doing his job properly.
Things start to gather pace again with the jerky broken beat of Kowton's "She Don't Jack," after which barely a breath is taken as Lazarus steams through 30 flawless minutes. You'll find yourself helplessly grinning as each new track finds its mark, especially during the synth funk of Nico Purman's "Fade Away" and the incessant throb of Acid Pauli's "Japan." It's all topped off with Avey Tare's weird and compelling "Oliver Twist."
There's a little blip at the penultimate hurdle in the form of Art Department's "All Mine" (it's totally a personal thing, but I just can't take any more of that voice), but any notion that the mix would end on a semi-low note is blown away by Mario & Vidis' epic "Kashyyyk." It's a fitting finale for a compilation that further establishes Lazarus' already obvious credentials as both tastemaker and mixer.
source: RA
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
tumblr.
so i now have a tumblr.
it is a collection of photos and random stuff that is pretty much unrelated.
feel free to stop by and check it out from time to time.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
2nyte.
tonight this happens. one hell of a party you do not want to miss.
head down early for beers and pizza. the ZOO hit the decks from 7-9.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)