Interview: Erick Morillo

April 6th, 2010 by driscollobos

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Erick Morillo has long been a member of the international DJ A-list, with a career that began in the early 90s with the huge international hit ‘I Like To Move It’ under the pseudonym Reel 2 Reel. Since then he’s been responsible for many more club anthems – such as ‘Reach’, as Lil Mo Yin Yang with Louie Vega – plus countless other productions, compilations and remixes; collaborations with Puff Daddy; and a key role in the establishment of the legendary house label Strictly Rhythm.  He’s now widely known for his own label Subliminal and the string of worldwide DJ residencies he holds, including Pacha Ibiza’s Wednesday night mainstay, Subliminal Sessions.

Morillo spoke to us in the wake of another huge Winter Music Conference in his adopted home town of Miami, as he looked forward to another very busy Ibiza season and his first London date of 2010, when he’s joined by Sebastian Ingrosso for matter’s first Subliminal Sessions night on Saturday 17th April [GET TICKETS].

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How was Miami WMC this year?  We’ve heard reports that it was one of the best yet.

Miami was amazing – it was a great conference; really, really busy.  It’s really grown into a massive worldwide event.  I did two parties: I played Ultra Festival, which was incredible.  It was the first year that they sold-out completely – over 55,000 people.  I also played a party called Liv on Saturday night which is at the Fountain Blue: by 11 o’clock they had to close the doors, we were at full capacity with two thousand people outside trying to get in.  It was a really, really incredible party – I played til about 6 in the morning.

I also had my birthday party at home in my back yard, which was a really good mixture of not just industry people but celebrities and models and what have you.  WMC’s turned into the party of the year – cramming a whole summer of Ibiza into one week.  There’s so many events, all the biggest DJs are here, it’s just non-stop day and night – from pool parties to house parties.  It’s grown to be so massive, not only here in the US but worldwide – you just have people from everywhere, so there’s enough people to fill up all the great events that are here.

Did you get much chance to check out much of the other events during the week?

I really didn’t venture out to much other than my events – I kept it to my own little house parties or my friends’ house parties.  All the good events are so busy that for me it’s a little bit uncomfortable to head to a lot of different events.  The conference started on Tuesday: Tuesday and Wednesday I really took it easy cos I knew it was gonna be really a hectic weekend; Thursday I had my event; Friday was recovering from that; and Saturday I had two events, so I didn’t really have time to venture out and do a lot of stuff.

The matter date is gonna be kind of the London leg of your birthday celebrations – are you planning to celebrate elsewhere too?

Absolutely – I usually like to celebrate my birthday for a month – celebrating for a day is not  enough!  This is my 39th birthday – I start celebrating in the middle of March, when I usually do places like Barcelona and Moscow.  Miami is when it’s my actual birthday, then I usually do New York in the first week of April, then London – I believe in celebrating your birthday for a month.  I’m really looking forward to bringing Subliminal Sessions to matter for the first time and having Sebastian Ingrosso play as well.  I’m just really looking forward to bringing my sound and playing in that quality room at the venue.  I believe production-wise it’s one of the best in the world: I love what they’ve done with the projectors, the sound system and the floor that vibrates!

We’ve heard you’ve got some special plans for that floor…

Oh absolutely!  My idea is to for a bunch of girls have orgasms while I’m playing.  That’s my goal – I won’t be happy until I’ve made someone lose it completely!

How has your relationship with Sebastian Ingrosso and the Swedish House Mafia developed?

It’s phenomenal – these are guys I’ve kind of mentored and had a great friendship with even before they were as big as they are right now.  It’s been a great thing to see them grow from the first time I saw them, when I went to do a party in Stockholm for MTV – this is going back about ten years – and these guys were still really young, and they had an afterparty back at their recording studios for me.  I knew from then that these guys were gonna be massive.  Steve Angello kept sending me tracks, and I released a couple on Subliminal.

I’ve seen them grow from nothing to being among the biggest stars in the industry, to the point where Steve – even though he’s doing his own night in Ibiza – is also playing at my opening party at Pacha.  We have a very good friendship – I consider these guys to be my brothers.  To see them become what they have, I’m very proud and happy to call them my friends.

Have they influenced how you’ve approached things musically, in a similar way to how you will have influenced them when they were starting out?

I think so – not only musically and how they’ve dominated house music over the last 5 years, but in their energy and how they play together when they play as the Swedish House Mafia.  I consider myself to in that be in that category with someone like Carl Cox: we just give it our all – it’s all about energy and about creating a party atmosphere.  They do that as well, better than anyone I know.  It’s just awesome to see them do their thing, so I definitely think they’ve influenced me musically, and as a DJ they’ve given me some of the music that I play and made me a better DJ for it.

How’s your Ibiza season shaping up this year?  Have you got any special plans for the Subliminal nights at Pacha Ibiza?

Absolutely – our theme this year is Voodoo Nights, and I’m gonna be the resident Witch Doctor playing every Wednesday and we’re gonna have the other medicine men: Steve Angello, Dirty South, Harry ‘Choo Choo’ Romero, Jose Nunez, Little Louie Vega is coming back again this year, Audio Bullys, Annie Mac and Roo from Amsterdam.  M.A.N.D.Y. are also going to be doing a residency with us. I’m really excited about the season and our theme this year – I’m looking forward to putting people under my spell!

It sounds like the acts are going to be very diverse in terms of sound.

Yeah, I know a lot of people come for Erick Morillo and Subliminal Sessions, but I also try to book people cos I enjoy listening to them play – it’s not just about house music.  For example, M.A.N.D.Y. are a little bit more on the tech-y side and Little Louie is more of the soulful garage sound.  I’m into all kinds of music, so it’s about bringing people who are gonna help give something different to what I do already.

And how about the Subliminal label – who’s going to have a big impact for you this year?

We’re releasing an artist album by Richard Grey, who’s also playing at our parties this summer.  He’s given us a great album that we’re gonna start promoting early in the summer.  Jose Nunez is gonna have a great summer too – we’ve got three releases by him starting out with remixes of ‘Bilingual’, which was a record he released from him a couple of years back,  then he’s got another two records which are just absolute monsters.  We’ve got some stuff from Harry ‘Choo Choo’ Romero and I really believe that Eddie Thoneick is gonna have a good summer with us: we’re releasing two of his singles, as well as a record I did with him featuring Charlene Taylor called ‘Live Your Life’, which I think is gonna be massive.

I’m also putting out a compilation in June called ‘Subliminal Session: Voodoo Nights Summer 2010’, so I’m excited about that.  We have digital albums from Eddie Thoneick and Jose Nunez; plus we’re gonna be re-launching Sondos – which is our darker, tougher label which we’ll launch in the summer with a new record by Huggy.  Also Antranig’s got a new single and physical compilation too – I think he’s gonna be one of our stars in the near future.

That sounds like another incredibly busy summer – do you see yourself slowing down or taking a break?

Every year I say I’m going to, but I really am enjoying what I do and I still get a lot from it.  I am making a point to at least try to have one weekend off from the travelling every month or two.  I don’t really consider what I do for the label work, I really enjoy the music.  We’re getting so much great music that I don’t see myself slowing down too much in the next year or so, but maybe in two years we’ll see how I’m feeling.  I can’t say that I’m tired or it’s too much – I really am enjoying what I’m doing, and I’m still getting a lot from it.

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Erick Morillo headlines Subliminal Sessions at matter with special guest Sebastian Ingrosso on Saturday 17th April.  Tickets are £20 advance from www.matterlondon.com

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Interviews

Interview: Guy J (Bedrock)

March 25th, 2010 by driscollobos

DJ

Israeli producer Guy J has caught the attention of house and techno fans over the past couple of years with several productions and a full album released on John Digweed’s Bedrock imprint, and some incendiary DJ performances combining the melodic elements of house with the restless, undulating techno of the kind propagated by Guy Gerber and Richie Hawtin.
Having done matter’s Room 2 some serious damage with his set at Bedrock’s 11th birthday in October, he’ll join Digweed and Danny Howells at the venue once again for the Easter Bedrock session on Thursday 1st April [GET TICKETS], where he’ll unveil his brand new live show. We caught up with him just as he was preparing to head out to WMC to find out what the live show entails, what he’s got in the pipeline production-wise and how John Digweed has helped shape his nascent career.

Your sound shares some common ground fellow Israeli producers Guy Gerber and Shlomi Aber – driving house grooves with some intricate melodies. Would you say there’s taste for a particular brand of techno in Tel Aviv?

I think Tel Aviv was always open to different kinds of house music each time something else was popular, but it was changing fast so at any time you could always find what you like to hear. I’m not sure if it’s the place that make us have similar sounds, it’s just that there are lots of great producers and musicians of different styles.

You’ve released your debut album and several singles through John Digweed’s Bedrock label – when you started out in you career, was Bedrock a label that you aspired to become a part of?

Wow I remember when first release came out on Bedrock I was so excited. I didn’t expect it to be such an amazing and long relation with John and the label. It was always a dream to hear John play a production of mine, and I still get shivers when he does. It’s not something I take for granted.

The live performance aspect is a brand new venture for you – was it always a part of your plans to move from DJing into live performance? Do the DJ and live performances encourage a different approach to the flow and pacing of the sets?

I think the way I play now, which is partly live, is something that I always wanted to do. I try to produce different tracks for different parts of my set, from really deep to high dancefloor tunes. It’s not that there is no good music out there – there is great music, it’s just something special for me as an artist to do: to build the perfect night from my own productions, it’s achievement I’m working on.

You released your debut album ‘Esperanza’ in 2008 – are there plans for another full LP soon? Would you say you’ve made a progression in your sound since that album?

My second album is in progress now, it’s going amazing so far, and I think the biggest difference will be that it is more mature. I’m super satisfied with Esperanza, but with time I’ve learned more and more about sound and music, and developed myself as an artist. It’s an endless world of music out there, and there is always more to learn. The next album will be what I’ve learnt til now since Esperanza .

What else does this year hold in store for you? Are their any upcoming projects or tour dates that are particularly exciting for you?

Well I’m right now very very excited for the gigs I have at WMC, and matter of course. I’ve been twice before and it was absolute fun – each gig is a challenge and I enjoy it. I’m very much looking forward to it!!!

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You can find more Guy J information and music at www.guyj-music.com

Bedrock with John Digweed, Danny Howells & Guy J (live)
matter, Thursday 1st April 2010
Further information and tickets from www.matterlondon.com

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Interviews

A Kraftsman’s guide to matter…

March 19th, 2010 by driscollobos

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As he prepares to return to matter on Friday 26th March [GET TICKETS] for another round of anything-goes party treats, we asked the inimitable turntable master Krafty Kuts [MYSPACE] to give us the lowdown on his special guests for the evening’s festivities. Check out what General Krafty has to say about the night’s line-up while you’re waiting for this brand new DJ mix from the great man to download.
Tickets for An Evening With Krafty Kuts are £15 – you can get yours HERE.

 

DJ Premier

‘A Hip Hop Legend from my personal favourite rap act Gang Starr, it’s an honour to have one of the all time greats perform at this night. The King of the Beats, Primo can cut & slice through all the party classics as well as an army of his own productions, ranging from Snoop, Jay Z, Notorious B.I.G and many more – this promises to be a hip hop journey to remember.’ [MYSPACE]

 

Roni Size

‘Another pioneer in his scene, Roni has always pushed the boundaries forward with his unique style of Drum & Bass. I have DJ-ed alongside Roni & Dynamite many times around the world and always respected the amazing connection & professionalism they have when they work together. This inspired me to work with Dynamite in the studio and when the time was right we ended up touring the world and experienced some legendary shows – all thanks to Roni. Roni picks and chooses his DJ gigs wisely so tonight will be the perfect venue to showcase his amazing talent.’ [MYSPACE]

 

Utah Saints

‘I have known Jez & DJ Tim for many years now having performed at their Legendary Sugarbeat nights & enjoyed many wonderful parties including live Radio 1 broadcasts, Miami WMC shows, Edinburgh Festival and many more. Having seen them rock crowds at every show, they are a perfect combination to add to the line up with their mash-up style of breaks, beats, house, electro, fidget, DnB and dubstep… these guys go across the board, giving the crowd an awesome taste of the wonderful music this country has to offer. I’m buzzing already!’ [MYSPACE]

 

The Nextmen

‘Brad & Dom are big players when it come to writing top quality music, but when it come to rocking the house these guys have an arsenal of incredible music put together in their own inimitable style. Always one step ahead of the game, they have flavour and style in abundance.’ [MYSPACE]

 

A.Skillz

‘The Boy Wonder & crowd favourite is back to cause mayhem: he’ll be playing playing 2 sets with a wide range of music – expect bass-heavy beats & funky treats. Krafty & Skillz will be performing an exclusive 4 CDJ and 3 dex set for this night only! We have been working crazy hours in the studio to bring exclusive edits & unreleased gems into the mix covering all genres & styles. Adam will also be spinning an hour set in Room 2, showcasing all his brand new tunes from forthcoming projects.’ [MYSPACE]

 

Will Bailey

‘Once part of the legendary act Twocker, Will has now set tongues wagging again, with his new future-flavoured house music storming the club scene. Having recently re-rubbed his forthcoming release “Hit The Club”, I felt it was time he graced matter with his groundbreaking style. Will is one of the UK’s most sought after producers, with his new guise Bass Weasel and an incredible work rate touring the world.’ [MYSPACE]

 

Featurecast

‘I first became aware of Lee Mintram talents back in the days when he wrote music for Brighton based label Catskills – there was a young, raw and exciting artist in the making. After many successful releases on various labels, he has firmly established himself as ‘Mr. Funky Breaks’. Only phat and funky beats are on the menu when he is on the decks.’ [MYSPACE]

 

Adsorb

‘I first spotted Adam back in the days when he worked in the wonderful Sheffield based Kenwood studios, a place where Adam worked alongside some of the worlds biggest artists: Dizzie Rascal, Roots Manuva, Jazzy Jeff and many more. He then moved to Brighton and started a residency with me at Supercharged. Tonight he will be spinning 2 different sets: a warm up in Room 1 and windong up proceedings in Room 2, rinsing out many of his new edits exclusively for this night.’ [MYSPACE]

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An Evening With Krafty Kuts feat. DJ Premier, Roni Size & The Nextmen
Friday 26th March 2010
Tickets £12 from www.matterlondon.com

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Audio: Josh Wink live at matter’s first birthday, September 2009

March 15th, 2010 by driscollobos

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Josh Wink returns to matter this Saturday, celebrating 15 years of his Ovum imprint with a special one off night going toe-to-toe with Dubfire’s SCI+TEC label: techno fireworks are guaranteed. [GET TICKETS]

Getting two genuine DJ legends in the matter main room at the same time will just the kind of very special occasion such a milestone demands – and that’s without factoring in Saved chief Nic Fanciulli and Circus ringleader Yousef into the mix.

To get you pumped, we’ve dug up this recordng of Wink in matter’s main room at our first birthday in September, when he got everyone present all riled up for Carl Cox’s headline set with a jubilant mix of heads-down techno thumpers and hands in the air party bangers.

Josh Wink, matter 1st Birthday, September 09 by matterlondon

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DUBFIRE & JOSH WINK headline OVUM 15 & SCI+TEC at matter on Saturday 20th March 2010.  Tickets are £15 from www.matterlondon.com
[GET TICKETS]

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Interview: Candi Staton!

February 26th, 2010 by driscollobos

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As the inimitable voice behind the disco anthems Young Hearts Run Free and You Got The Love, Staton has had a remarkable career that’s endured since the late 60s. Starting out as the ‘First Lady of Southern Soul’, she went on to become one of the defining voices of the disco era before her team-up with The Source provided the house music generation an anthem that continues to inspire the likes of Florence & The Machine today. With another new club anthem, Wild Side with Rasmus Faber & Alf Tumble, released on Defected on 3rd March, we called her up at her Atlanta home to talk about the different seasons in her career, the UK live tour and what she thinks of Florence’s cover of You Got The Love.

Could you tell us a bit about your new album? Your new material seems to be a return to the southern blues & soul that you started with at the beginning of your career…

Yeah, when you talk about the genres that I do, besides gospel, that’s probably the next one on my list. I love to stay with what I like to do so blues & soul is probably one of my favourite genres of music.

So although you’ve worked in lots of different genres, like disco, gospel and dance music, blues & soul is your ‘natural’ genre?

Yeah – everything else I’ve done has kind of come out of that. I can do other types of music, you know that. But we say we’re going to ‘take it home now’, that means we’re gonna get into that soulful area of that song. So that’s pretty much where I live – in that area right there.

There a few songs on your recent album that have come out of working with contemporary artists such as Groove Armada and more country-type artists such as Mark from Lambchop and Bonnie Prince Billy – was that a deliberate choice or did it come about naturally?

It was very natural. I like to do country music and soul it up a little bit, like I did with ‘His Hands’ and ‘Who’s Hurting Now’ for the Honest Jon’s label and EMI in the UK. I also just did another project [with Rasmus Faber & Alf Tumble] from Sweden, a dance song called ‘Wild Side’: “Bring out the wilder side in me tonight…” It’s a real uptempo dance thing – like all the way disco, for the clubs. That’s going to be out on Defected records this month.

You’ve Got the Love has continued to be a huge hit, and has been covered by artists such as Florence and the Machine and Joss Stone. Is it a surprise for you how big it’s continued to be?

Yeah, isn’t that amazing? I think it’s wonderful people like it enough to want to cover it – I’m very proud that I created something people liked. And the words are so great, it makes you feel good when you sing it, it really does – it brings you to another level. I think that’s why people love it so much, because what we’re going through now in terms of our economy and all the other stuff – when that line ‘You’ve got the love I need to see me through…’ comes in we know we’re gonna get through this. It might be hard now but eventually we’re getting through it.

Your career has spanned over 40 years and you’ve been part of all these different genres – are there any periods of your career that you look back on as especially fulfilling?

All in their own way – I look back on it now and the times in my life are seasons: I would say we go through different seasons in life. There was a season that was bleak for me when I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and there was the gospel season when I wanted to take my time and reinvent myself for a while: I had done everything. I’d sung everything, I’d been disappointed, I’d been into drugs, I’d been into alcohol, I’d been to places I shouldn’t have been, with people I should have never been with… and after a while you have to reinvent yourself.

So I took a twenty-year sabbatical from the clubs, from the singing, from everything, and totally went back to church and sung gospel music, which was my stabilising factor. My voice got better – I almost lost my voice when I was doing drugs, then I got better and it came back. Then you get through that season and you say “You know what? I think I’m ready now to do some more secular music and I won’t have to deal with drugs or alcohol or crazy people because I know who I am now”. So that’s when I came back and did the things for Honest Jon’s, and that’s where I am now.

So maybe right now is the best you’ve ever been – you’ve got the freshness back to your voice, you’ve taken the time to do the gospel stuff and you feel you’re at your peak again.

Yeah. And that’s a good feeling – you’re where you’re supposed to be, in the right place. And a lot of people can’t say that – they’re still searching. But when you can put your foot down and say ‘this is me, this is where I am, this is where I’m supposed to be right now’, you really feel good about yourself and that’s a great feeling.

So tell us a bit about the live show? Are there going to be songs from all the different seasons?

Yeah, there are songs from every season. I don’t do gospel per se – I do songs that are very positive songs. I do little gospel at the end of ‘Young Hearts Run Free’. ‘You Got the Love’ was an inspirational gospel song. I’ve also been getting a lot of requests for ‘The Upper Hand’, the Northern Soul hit, that was my first record. A lot of folk on my Facebook have been asking that I do ‘A Heart on a String’, so we’re gonna do lots of old and new new stuff. We’re gonna change the set a lot and give everybody a chance to hear their favourite song.

In London we’ve had a real resurgence of disco in the past couple of years. Have you found among your fan base you’ve had a newer generation joining in?

Absolutely – it’s amazing! Naturally I’m gonna have to do ‘You Got The Love’, ‘Young Hearts Run Free’, ‘Nights On Broadway’ and ‘Suspicious Minds’… They were big hits over there so we’ll always do those in the show. It’s going to be a nice set.

You’ve always had a sizable UK fan base. Is the UK particularly special to you?

Very special, there’s no place like it. I’ve gone a lot of places, a lot of countries but the UK is one of my favourites. The fans are so receptive, they really let you know how they feel. They don’t sit back and just gaze at you – they get into it. They let you know how much they enjoy it and that makes any artist feel great.

Candi Staton brings her full backing band to matter on Saturday 10th April, 6pm-10pm, as part of her UK tour. Tickets are £21.50 from www.matterlondon.com - BUY TICKETS

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Interviews

Charlie May (Spooky) interview & live set, plus Aeroplane & Friendly Fires DJ sets

February 25th, 2010 by driscollobos

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Charlie May has had a lasting influence on modern house and techno: As one half of Spooky, he helped pave the way for the current generation of techno performers with the acid house duo’s pioneering live sets in the early 90s; while as production partner to Sasha, he’s had a hand in some of modern electronic music’s most iconic moments.  As he prepares his live show for an appearance at matter on Saturday 6th March, we asked him to reflect on the balance between solo and collaborative production, how he approaches live performances and what he makes of the current wave of live electronic artists.

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How would you say your solo work differs from your collaborations with Sasha and as one half of Spooky?  Do you use the solo project as an opportunity to explore different ideas?

Making records on your own is a much more introspective process, but it is where you consolidate all the gigs and collaborative work into something you hopefully believe in.  I really enjoy doing both as one tends to fuel the other, certainly I do a lot more exploration on my own…  I get lost down various rabbit holes which don’t necessarily always yield sonic goodies but it is definitely a much more meditative process working alone.

What’s your set-up for live performances and how do you approach live sets in terms of engaging the crowd in a way that differs from DJ sets?

I keep my set up minimal: It has to fit in an overhead bin on an aircraft.  I use a four deck system on Ableton with a midi controller and four separate stereo outputs so I can still mix the audio on the DJ mixer as I like the tone controls and effects on those.  The set differs mainly in the way that all the tracks are something I’ve been involved in or remixes of tracks I’ve done, or my own productions.  Some tunes are broken down into groups of sounds and I re-blend them and re-structure them live… I try and do something different every show so it doesn’t ever become a repetition.

In our recent interview with Sasha, he spoke of the close connection you have musically, especially in terms of melody.  How does your studio dynamic with Sasha work, and does it differ to when you work alongside Duncan Forbes on Spooky projects?

Sasha and I really enjoy a lot of the same music and also the way certain people approach their production, mixing  etc..  He has a really good ear for sonics and the subtle things in a club record that make all the difference.  I’ve learned alot from him about dynamics within a DJ set and he translates that to individual tunes too.  He needs to play the piano more and noodle about on his lap top too just writing ideas!  I bug him about that all the time.

Duncan is different – much more hands on especially in the programming department.  He can sit at the computer for hours without getting up.  I’ve already had heaps of tea and gone to the shop a couple of times before he even needs the bathroom – amazing concentration.

As Spooky, you were among a select group of pioneering live dance acts – what’s your take on how live dance music has progressed, especially with the increased popularity of Ableton?

It is definitely at a stage now where anyone can have a go – this is a good thing I think but it makes the business of getting attention tougher.  Coupled with the constantly shifting sands of the whole scene anyway it can be hard to keep up with it all.  I tend to just man my guns and do my own thing.  I know what I like to hear and I try and make that sound for myself.  With all the instant accessibility and disposablility of dance music now I think you have to keep it simple in your own head.  But it is very exciting to see a new trend for ‘live’ dance artists.  I think it is open season on what you can do in a club… as long as it rocks out of the speakers.

Your production work has influenced many of the current generation of producers – is there anyone at the moment whose current output inspires you also?

I like a lot of the older generation of electronic artists like Robert Henke, Massive Attack, Jeff Mills… DJs like Ricardo Villalobos and Luciano inspire me too.  I do think your taste mellows a bit over time though – I’m more likely to be listening to radio 3 than anything really, it’s a bit pipe and slippers once the techno is turned off!  There are many great new producers about though – I find electronic music more exciting now than ever before if I am honest.  The technology is so amazing now also.  It is tough at times for sure but still such an interesting field to work in.  Never before in history have musicians had such a vast sonic palette to work from.

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Charlie May performs live at matter on Saturday 6th March, when he’ll join headliner Sasha and further guests including Paul Woolford, DJ Three, Aeroplane and Friendly Fires.  Tickets are £15 advance.

CHARLIE MAY LIVE SET:

Charlie May (Live) by Charlie May

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6th March’s Room 2 line-up will feature balearic disco kings Aeroplane and a DJ set from BRITs-nominated indie-disco trio Friendly Fires. To sample some of their DJ talents, check out the latest Aeroplane mix below and this Friendly Fires mix currently hosted on Soundcloud


Aeroplane "Chart Mix" February 2010
 by 
Aeroplane (Official)

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SASHA A/V SHOW AT BIG DAY OUT TOUR, PERTH, 31ST JANUARY 2010

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Downloads • Interviews

Dennis Ferrer joins Frankie Knuckles and The Shapeshifters at matter this weekend!

February 22nd, 2010 by driscollobos

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***ALAS, AFTER THE PUBLICATION OF THIS BLOG, DENNIS HAD TO CANCEL HIS APPEARANCE DUE TO INJURY. WE WISH HIM ALL THE BEST AND A SPEEDY RECOVERY, AND HOPE TO SEE HIM BACK IN THE UK SOON***

 

Saturday 27th February sees us welcome a truly heavyweight house line-up to matter: joining Nocturnal Groove’s The Shapeshifters will be a pair of geniune NYC house legends in Frankie Knuckles and Dennis Ferrer.

 

Ferrer returns to matter for his second appearance at the venue, having made his debut last April for Nic Fanciulli’s Saved sessions. Founder of NYC label Objektivity and mentor to teenage house sensations The Martinez Brothers, Ferrer has consistently made balancing mainstream success and underground credibility seem effortless. With a string of huge anthems to his name, including ‘Son of Raw’, ‘Sinfonia Della Notte’ and last year’s huge ‘Hey Hey’ (Beatport’s most charted track of 2009), he’s worked with the likes of Kerri Chandler, Masters At Work and Jerome Sydenham over the course of a twenty-year production career, in addition to being nominated for this year’s Grammy Awards for his remix of Dido’s ‘Don’t Believe In Love’. Widely regarded as one of the most technically-proficient producers around, you can find out more about his techniques in his recent interview with Resident Advisor:

“Look, if you’re a bad motherfucker, you’re a bad motherfucker…”

 

 

Joining Ferrer on the bill will be the man pretty much responsible for House music itself: it was during Frankie Knuckles‘ early days in Chicago that the genre took its name from the legendary Warehouse venue where he was resident: as disco evolved in the early 80s with the use of drum machines and synthesizers, it was the sets Knuckles and his fellow Warhouse DJs were playing that helped define the new strain of electronic dance music. Check out this Beatportal interview with Knuckles for the great man’s own take on the birth of house, plus this radio interview conducted with Noctunal hosts The Shapeshifters on their Galaxy FM show and their single collaboration last year, ‘The Ones You Love’:

 

 

Returning to matter themselves for the first time since their Room 2 takeover last February, The Shapeshifters will be on hand for a main room set of their own: the Anglo-Swedish duo became one of the world’s biggest dance acts in 2004 with their UK #1 hit Lola’s Theme and its follow-up ‘Back To Basics’ – through their Nocturnal Groove parties they’ve continued to be among the most in demand house acts around ever since.

 


Latest tracks by TheShapeshifters

 

In addition to that bumper bill, Defected star ATFC and Positiva’s Serbian up-and-comer Gramophonedzie will be putting in shifts to celebrate their new releases: With new album ‘ATFC In The House: London ‘10′ out now, enjoy ATFC interviews and mixes galore at his Defected micro-site; and find out a bit more about Gramophonedzie in this recent interview with The Sun, where he talks about his quiet lifestyle and the jazz influences that inform his massive upcoming single ‘Why Don’t You’, which is released on 28th February.

 

NOCTURNAL & DIRTY LONDON featuring The Shapeshifters, Frankie Knuckles, Dennis Ferrer, ATFC and Gramphonedzie
27th February 2010
Tickets £15 advance

Downloads • Interviews

Interview: Sasha

February 15th, 2010 by driscollobos

Sasha
Dance music icon Sasha returns to matter on Saturday 6th March, when he’ll debut his brand new A/V DJ set with accompanying visuals from Montreal artists Alexis Laurence, Baillat Cardell & Fils and matter’s in house team The Pixel Addicts, and support from Charlie May (live), DJ Three, Paul Woolford, Aeroplane and Friendly Fires (DJ set).  Returning to the venue for the first time since late-2008, we caught up with him to find out what he’s got in store for the show, and what his touring and recording plans are for this year.

–

Where are you at the moment, and what are your touring plans for the rest of the year?

I’m in Hong Kong for a gig tomorrow night – I’ve just finished headlining touring the Big Day Out festival in Australia, which was absolutely amazing.

In terms of the rest of the year, after this gig tonight my next one is at matter so I’ve got a month off to take a long awaited holiday – I haven’t had a break in a long time. After matter I’ve got some really cool things lined up at the music conference in Miami, and I’m just in the process of planning out the summer. I’m really trying to lock down Glastonbury, I really want to do that this year.

Really my focus has got back into DJing over the last couple of months. The Big Day Out tour was the first time in a while that I’ve toured with a visual aspect. I’m working with some visual artists [Alexis, Baillat & Fils] from Montreal who do a lot of stuff with Cirque du Soleil – they gave me a load of content and came out and DJed on the tour too. That was the first stage of it – the second incarnation is going to be taken a step further by The Pixel Addicts for the matter show, so I’m really looking forward to it. The matter set’s gonna be three hours long, my first club set with a visual element completely synched to it – I’m really excited.

Working with the Canadians and the Pixel Addicts, were there any specific ideas or elements you wanted to bring to it that would raise it above what you’ve done before?

Yeah, I worked with the guys on storyboards and developing an identity to it, and I looked at what other people were doing and the things I really liked. I was inspired by things like Etienne De Crecy’s cube, and the Nine Inch Nails guys: the visual aspect to their shows has always been really powerful. For some reason a lot of the people involved in the visual arts are either French or French-Canadian: a lot of really cool people work out of Montreal.  Alexis, Baillat and Fils and the guys that work with Nine Inch Nails are out of Montreal, they’re quite a tight knit group.

I ended up working with the Canadians because I went to Montreal to do a show a couple of years ago. I walked into this huge exhibition centre and the visuals they’d done for it were just out of this world, they were absolutely amazing. So I toured with them – we did a very low-budget tour in the states, just a very simple set-up, and they made it look fantastic. And then for the Big Day Out tour we had a bit more budget and they developed specific content for that. It’s just about developing that and taking it further – it’s in its infancy at the moment really.

So you think that as technology becomes more involved in people’s DJ sets, there’s going to be potential for it to go even further?

Absolutely, I think this is just the first incarnation of it and I think it’s just going to develop. The exciting thing that the Pixel Addict guys do is develop custom-built structures to use for their visuals. It’s a combination of visual mapping and LED stuff. That technology’s come down in price, but it’s all about content: it’s about what you’re mapping onto the visuals and how well it synchronises with the music. I’ve seen great visuals in a club before but if it’s not synchronised with what’s going on with the music it just doesn’t have that powerful effect. But when you see something like a UVA installation that they do for the Chemical Brothers or Massive Attack or Radiohead, and you see it all completely synched to the music, it just becomes something else completely.

Audiences are a bit more sophisticated with the visual side of things now – they respond more to the stuff that has that extra thought put into them…

I just think putting on a show is really important. It’s really exciting from my point of view, I’ve always just gone to festivals and DJed and relied on the production that’s there, but by bringing something that makes your show different to everyone else’s, it’s about getting inside people’s head and putting on a show. I think that’s really important these days.

The Etienne De Crecy show took a simple idea and showed how far you could take it – now the challenge is to take it that step further…

Yeah and to do something different – no-one wants to be derivative. I think the simple ideas are usually the most powerful. It’s about finding a simple idea but then delivering it in a really exciting and new way. With Etienne De Crecy, it’s the way that the cube was completely synched with his music that made it so powerful.

How about recording and production at the moment – you’ve done some remixes for Kasabian, Little Boots and Damian Lazarus recently – are there any others on the horizon or acts you’d like to remix?

I’ve got a few things on the go at the moment, but they’re more like re-edits I did for my Big Day Out show. I’m just working on a lot of mash-up re-edits for my live sets at the moment, but a couple of them are actually developing into full-on remixes. I know this sounds crazy but I did a Tiesto re-edit! He’s done this record with Jonsi from Sigur Ros, which is just a beautiful record so I’ve been working on that. There’s a couple of XX tracks I’ve got that I’m playing around with – a few things I’m messing around with but nothing’s an official remix at the moment.

Is that kind of carrying on the Involver concept?

Yeah, but I’m not really doing fully-fledged mixes – I’m just getting the stems of the parts from the producers and re-arranging stuff, putting some of my own sounds in. They’re just stuff I’m designing for my set. By the time I get to matter I want most of the set to be original re-edits and stuff, that’s kind of how I see my DJ sets developing this year: as it being a lot of unique mixes. I was doing that with Ableton but now I’ve gone back to CDs for a while – I’m actually getting everything prepared ahead of time. I’m not doing it on the fly, I’m actually thinking about it at home and using Ableton to do those mixes, but then I’m actually DJing with CDs.

Are there any plans for these edits in terms of a new album?

Yeah, I’ve got an idea that these edits I’m doing are actually going to develop into something, I’m just not quite sure what it is yet. The Big Day Out set is very banging, very in your face – a lot of the records are edited down: some of my 8 minutes records are down to 5 minutes just because of the pace of that set. It was a rock event really, everyone’s there to see the bands: I was on between Calvin Harris and Groove Armada’s live shows and only had an hour to play, so it really had to be to the point. I don’t know if that would see the light of day as a release – I don’t know whether that’s a relevant release… maybe as a bonus. But I think some of the other mixes I’m doing are much more relevant – they will develop into something, I’m just not sure what it is yet.

So in the long term do you think you’ll ever return for a more traditionally-defined ‘artist’ album, or is the re-interpretation of other artists more fulfilling for you creatively?

I know I’ve got another record in me somewhere I just don’t know how that’s gonna come together, what direction that’s gonna take. I’m gonna go in the studio in April and may and see where it takes me.

Going back to the 6th March show, can you tell us a bit about DJ Three, who’ll be on that bill?

He’s a very close friend of mine from New York – he used to be based out of Tampa, Florida. Tampa and Orlando had this healthy rivalry back in the day – John Digweed and I used to play in Orlando a lot and there were these huge parties there. Tampa was kind of the cooler side of things, spearheaded by Chris (DJ Three) and the whole Rabbit In The Moon posse. He’s just an amazing DJ – one of my favourites to play with and to listen to. He’s one of those DJs that always surprises me, his musical taste is phenomenal. He always takes people on beautiful journeys – he’s the perfect DJ to play into the early hours of the morning, because he’s very good at playing that wonky sound that belongs in club after 6am.

And Charlie May will be celebrating his new solo album release on the night – can you tell us a bit about why you and him have worked so well together in the past?

Before I worked with him I was a massive fan of Spooky: I used to listen to Spooky records over and over, they were very influential to me. When I started to work with him there was just an emotion to his music that was so powerful. We really see things the same way when it comes to melody and things like that. Whenever he sits at the keyboard magic happens – he’s amazing. Every time we get in the studio results happen and we have a fantastic time. We have a very close connection musically.

–

Sasha headlines matter on Saturday 6th March, with support from Charlie May (live), DJ Three, Aeroplane, Friendly Fires (DJ set) and Paul Woolford. Tickets are £15 advance.

Tags:
Interviews

Simian Mobile Disco’s Delicatessen opens for business

February 5th, 2010 by driscollobos

smd

One of the biggest and best UK dance acts to have emerged in the past decade, Simian Mobile Disco have been quick to join the pantheon of legendary British dance music duos alongside Paul & Phil Orbital, Tom & Ed Chemical, Simon & Felix Jaxx and Paul & Neil Leftfield.  On Saturday 20th February, Simon & Jas Simian will team up with NME and their Bugged Out! pals to present their Delicatessen to serve up a night of delicious musical treats headlined by the boys themselves with their first ever live performance at matter.

With just a couple of weeks to go until the dinner bells rings, Bugged Out! grabbed the guys to talk us through the tasty morsels on the night’s menu…

 

*Green Velvet*
‘Old school legend who is still making amazing stuff. His tracks have been staples in our DJ sets for ages now, very excited to hear him play. Cameras ready, prepare to flash!’

 

*Retro/Grade*
‘Italo aficionado Serge Santiago has teamed up with Tom Neville to make Retro/Grade. Expect classy souped-up disco vibes from this exclusive live set.’

 

*Joker*
‘Arguably the most exciting prospect in dubstep at the moment. A cutting-edge remixer, he turned in a huge mix of Cruel Intentions that has been blowing up clubs and radios all over the world.’

 

*DJ Pierre*
‘Acid pioneer DJ Pierre absolutely nailed a remix of Cruel Intentions for us. Watch him join the dots between acid old and new like no-one else.’

 

*Boy 8-Bit*
‘Last year’s stellar ‘Baltic Pine’ set Boy 8 bit apart from the pack. His DJ sets are simultaneously pastoral and mean: A real British talent.’

 

*Ralph Lawson*
‘2020 Vision is one of Britain’s finest techno labels and head honcho Ralph Lawson is sure to showcase some of his new gems from the likes of Bobby Peru and Spirit Catcher, along with his usual techno goodies.’

Ralph Lawson Jan 2010 mix by ralphlawson

 

*JoJo De Freq*
‘Britain’s first lady of techno. Her sets are always thunderous and uncompromising, as are her productions.’

 

And if all those aural delicacies haven’t quite left you fit to burst, indulge yourself in this UK-exclusive Simian Mobile Disco mini-mix for dessert:

Simian Mobile Disco – January 2010 mini-mix by matterlondon

Tags:
Downloads • Interviews

Q&A: Eric Prydz prepares PRYDA

February 3rd, 2010 by driscollobos

 

Chart-topping house superstar Eric Prydz returns to matter on Saturday 6th February to kick off his 2010 residency at the venue, welcoming a special guest line-up including Sébastien Léger, Aril Brikha (live), Aus Music & Simple Recordings chief Will Saul, matter resident Yousef and Global Communication’s Tom Middleton. Eric will headline the night with a special stage-based DJ performance that will incorporate a brand new visual installation and lights show from matter’s in-house visual geniuses, The Pixel Addicts.

 

Could you tell us a bit more about the Pryda label, and how a Pryda production might differ from an Eric Prydz one?

I set up Pryda Recordings back in 2003 because I was tired of labels telling me how my music should sound and how my artwork would look etc. I felt that I wanted to get my very own platform to release music in a way that made sense to me, from the actual making to the final product.

The music I release on Pryda doesnt really differ from the tracks I’ve released under my own name Eric Prydz.  Its all Eric Prydz really.  Tracks like ‘Proper Education’ and ‘Pjanoo’ were actually first released on Pryda, but then crossed over and became huge hits.

But looking back the difference between Pryda and Eric Prydz is that Pryda is for the dancefloors and the Prydz ones are for everywhere!

 

We’re inundated with lists of the past decade’s highlights – what have been your personal highlights of the past ten years – as a DJ & producer, and as a music fan in general.

I dont know where to begin! …My career kicked of in 2001 with a record deal with EMI UK…
My personal highlights of the last decade is basically every thing that happened between 2001 and 2009! :)

 

Looking ahead, what’s coming up in 2010 that you’re particularly excited about?

We have so much stuff going on for 2010 its scary! One of them is definitely my new residency at matter in London where I will turn matter into Pryda HQ!  :)

 

Sebastien Leger and Aril Brikha are among the guests joining you on February 6th – can you tell us what it is about these artists that excites and interests you, and why you’re looking forward to sharing a bill with them.

I’ve known Sebastien for a long time now and I love his sound and DJing style. For me a Pryda event would feel empty without him.

Aril Brikha I’ve known since my Stockholm days and he is one of a hand full of producers that really have inspired me over the years. His live set is one of the best things musically that I’ve even heard. I’m so exited to hear him perform again on the 6th of Feb.


Eric Prydz February Top 10:

1. King Unique – Two Million Suns (Bedrock)
2. Future Beat Alliance – Diagram (Spectrum)
3. Maetrik – Paradigm House (Treibstoff)
4. Chromeo – Night By Night
5. Cirez D – Glow (In The Dark Dub) (Mouseville)
6. Andre Sobota – One Day Out
7. Acki Kokotos – Alyssa (Promo)
8. Faithless – I’m not Going Home (Eric Prydz Remix)
9. Carlo Lio – Breakfast In Bag (Quartz)
10. Gui Boratto – Azzurra (Its Not The Same Version) (Kompakt)

 

www.ericprydz.tv

 

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Interviews

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