Tuesday, July 29, 2008

24 h electroniques + C/POP Cologne


Hey folks!

A couple of weeks ago I've been to an event called 24 heures electroniques, few words about it.

Indeed, it lasted 24 hours non-stop: during the daytime there were some rather useful and interesting workshops concerning producing, DJ-ing, circuit bending and related topics. When the night started, a party in 4 halls kicked off.

I must say that with few exceptions all the big names represented nu rave and electro camp. Sometimes I wonder why this style is so popular in French speaking countries... Fortunately, not everything was so bad. For instance, there was a nice DJ set by Cassius decorated with samples and effects, Alex Gopher played some no-nonsense electronic house tunes, and even the live show by Digitalism positively surprised me (it's better than their records). However, the best electro live band was Shameboy from Belgium - never had heard them before, but their music was definetely better that usual avarage electro-rock stuff. Check their myspace.

It was already morning when for a pleasant change Apparat dropped some tough beats and bittersweet melodies in one of the halls, and one of the Tiefschwarz guys took over the turntables in another room to play something closer to my taste in dance music, e.g. German kind of house/techno. A happy end.

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For the first time I'm going to C/POP in the mid of August, which ir likely the best electronic music fair and festival in Cologne. In the frame of its clubnight, all the appropriate venues will host an impressive array of local and international artists, including such names as R.Villalobos, DJ Koze, Larry Heard, E.Pearson, R.Voigt, G.Ananda and many many more, see the full list yourself. It means not just great music but also a hard choice. The last but not least, the almighty Kompakt will hold their annual Kompakt Total party there. I'm hardly waiting.

Monday, July 07, 2008

miximal 4 minipower


Now it's time for some miximal.




I've put together a mix for the Minipower installation, which can be downloaded from their site. The mood is quite deep and trippy yet groovy, hence its codename "No Gravity Jack Mix". Don't ask me why listening to this kind of stuff I imagine some interstellar sci-fi shit, could be a bad influence of Polish comic books in my childhood or just my spoiled imagination. Whatsoever, groove along.

The tracklist

Heincha : No Gravity Jack Mix (Minipower 027)

1. Vladislav Delay - Recovery IDea (Andy Stott remix)
2. and.id - One Is Not Enough
3. Brendon Moeller - One Man's Junk
4. Sety - Mogane
5. Marcel Dettmann - Quicksand
6. Szenario - Demeaner VcAll
7. Hugo - The Siren
8. Lauhaus - Downunder + Marc Houle - Techno Vocals acapella
9. Radio Slave - Tantakatan
10. Jens Zimmermann - Rocket
11. Benno Blome - Eramina
12. Brendon Moeller - Changes
13. Pitto - Aphex

groovily yours,
Henchaman

In da box & playlist: May/June


A quick round-up of the records that have been thrilling me in last months.






> Ricardo Villalobos - Vasco EP [Perlon]

He did it again! Is it techno, dubstep, a kind of futuristic jazz or simply electronica? I think it doesn't really matter if music is so unconventional and inventive as this. Villalobos keeps surprising us. The both remixes are dope too!

> Vladislav Delay - Recovery IDea (Andy Stott Remix) [Semantica]

A.Stott's amazingly boosts up the original supplying a killing bass to V.Delay's generally mellow clicky sound.

> Brendon Moeller - One Man's Junk EP [Third Ear]

Another remarkable deep, dubby and jazzy excursion guided by B.Moeller. All tracks are a quite different and... great.

> Touane - The Birds [Persona]

This track comes from the same titled EP. A smoothly pumping bassline together with some brass instruments and percussions lead into abstract and deep atmosphere. Landers Grove is not bad either, given that you don't equal the bad with the dark.

> The Per Eckbo Orchestra - Kodo Verano [Oslo]

This is another project by lately highly demanded Guillaume Coutu Dumont, this time together with Federico Molinari. The tribal percussion and weird aboriginal samples are nothing original nowadays, however track's deep and hypnotic flow works nicely.

> Mark Henning - Jupiter Jive LP [Soma]

Funk in a trunk. I had to give some more listen to this, but it's clearly a goodie.

> Henrik Schwarz & Amampondo - I Exist Because Of You (Henrik Schwarz Live Version) [Innervisions]

A brilliant afro groove with likembe-like instrumentation. Check also his take on Ane Brun's song Headphone Silence, both tunes are lovely if you are not scared of melodies and actual singing.

> Dapayk & Padberg feat. Caro - Island (Noze remix) [Mo's Ferry Prod.]

Noze guys have provided a beautiful remix for this song. A melancholic and easy tune to enjoy when you are tired from all the big summer anthems.

> Cassy - A Plea For Me [Cocoon]

Taken from Cocoon compilation H. A hypnotic and percussive gem that might easily become a hit. Seductive.

> Four Tet - Ringer EP [Domino]

Kieran Hebden have done some 4/4 (not necessarily for the floor). Still sounds different and surprising. In a good way.

Other goodies:

Chic Miniature - Chanchita [Crosstown Rebels], Robin Drimalski - Hidden Peak [Vidab], Lauhaus - Downunder [Intacto], Hugo - The Siren [Tuning Spork], Dominik Eulberg - Es Klebt Noch Morgentau In Deinem Haar [Traum], Rhadoo - Dor Mit Oru EP [Cadenza], Los Updates - 4 Wheel Drive (Original Edit) [Cadenza]...


...have I've forgotten anything?

In brief: summer breeze


Hey folks! It might be the right time to interrupt the silence which has been lasting over here for some span. On the other hand, there's no many things to tell, apart from: don't be a geek - get out, breath some fresh air and enjoy the sun, visit some open-air festival, the summer is here!

So, in general I am at ease now: less DJ-ing, spending less time on smoky dancefloors or dusted vinyl shops. Said this, I must add that my life without music would be hardly imaginable, just the mood has got slightly different. Typically, the summer is a time for big, sometimes fluffy anthems, those have-fun-not-gloom-under-the-summer-sun hits appear everywhere. Hate it or take it. Or you can choose indulge yourself into the deep and dopey world of dubtechno. Or something else, everything goes.

Speaking about hits, our friends from Berlin's White label have succeeded to hit the right button with their 002 release - Martin Zadak's track Zahara to be more precise. I've seen even Juan Atkins playing this record at Luxembourg Philharmonie, who is a creator of techno as we know it. Not bad at all!

The last remark. As some of you may already know, our favorite venue Space:Garage has been closed down (thanks to the authorities, suckers!), so indeed less spinning and clubbing. This club has already become a legend and it served as a fertile soil for reviving the local 4/4 music scene. The guys (Fuck For Friendship crew) who were in charge of this club promise to keep doing some parties after having a summer break. We'll see, but it's clear that there's a need to fill the gap since the only Riga's club specialising in contemporary house and techno music does not exist any more. Anyway, my gratitude who made it happen - I'm not sure about the sexual implications, but for sure it was a damn groovy fun and I think this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Watch out for the follow-up (I can already tell you that the Garage's crew and the resident artists will be widely present at Riga Night in Brussels this September, more info will follow soon).

Pagaidām!