VIP Club Dance

Playhouse continues its legendary and notorious compilation series named “Famous When Dead” with its fifth edition. Conceived to collect and present the labels 12“ highlights, this time it features some unreleased rarities by the likes of Isolee, My My and new arrivals Einzelkind and Simon Baker plus the biggest and most inspiring hits since the last volume. This is a real gem in the 13 year history of one of Germany‘s most style shaping and capricious labels and a listening pleasure par excellence for all fans and friends out there!

It starts with Rework‘s latest 12“ title track “Love Love Love Yeah”, a bass driven manifest for love by the Stuttgart trio. Take one half of Smash TV, add Dave DK, mix it well and you have a post-LFO hauntingly house track with “Mono Rain”. Would you believe that Einzelkind‘s background stems from many years in producing drum & bass? The Frankfurt duo presents the A-side from their debut for Playhouse, “Spam Bot”. Alter Ego‘s Roman Flugel is represented twice on this compilation �” like Rework �” for whom he did the 7“ only remix of their little ditty “Jogging Beat”. A wonderful light- hearted pop jewel! But first we hear the title track taken from his last solo album under the Soylent Green banner where he exploits his excursions into house music. Solid, groovy and irresistible! Simon Baker’s “Plastik” is making quite a splash these days, getting worldwide club play already by some of the most influential DJs around. Baker also runs Infant Recs. in conjunction with 20:20 Vision, and will get a proper 12” with this massive tune on Playhouse very soon.

Another newcomer is Boardroom member (see their releases on sister label Klang Elektronik) Petr Lazonby, who some might remember from his mid nineties classic “Sacred Cycles”. With “I Miss U” he created a cool rockin‘ club smasher to set dancefloors on fire. Losoul took Unknownmix’ “The Siren” from 1989 and straightened it in his very special way. This edit is hotter than hot! Cologne’s Max Mohr can be heard with the quirky “Lucky Go Wild” taken from his recent debut album “Trickmixer’s Revenge”. Isolee heads off to another beautiful space escapade with the yet unreleased track “The Jacko Theme”. We have a lift off here, definitely! Another unreleased track from the vaults is “Southern Comfort” by My My, who delivered one of the most anticipated albums in 2006 with “Songs For The Gentle”. The smooth and soft drink they pour in the glass here, shows their versatility very well and is a real listening pearl. No strings attached? You bet there are lot of strings here…

Famous? Yes! Dead? No way!

Tracklist:

1. Rework - Love Love Love Yeah

2. Holger Zilske meets Dave DK - Moni Rain

3. Einzelkind - Spam Bot

4. Roman Flugel presents Soylent Green - La Forza Del Destino

5. Infant presents Simon Baker - Plastik

6. Pete Lazonby - I Miss You

7. UnknownmiX - The Siren (Losoul’s Hot Edit)

8. Rework - Jogging Beat (Roman Flugel’s Tender Feet Mix)

9. Max Mohr - Lucky Go Wild

10. Isolée - The Jacko Theme

11. My My - Southern Comfort

The album is unmixed but has been programmed and stitched together so that the tracks are still a cohesive fit. It comes in an eye-catching sleeve crafted by Stefan Marx with a free sticker to boot.

References: http://www.ongaku.de

With minimal being the prevailing theme of the techno world, the musical equivalent of writing a word over and over until it has lost all meaning; it’s refreshing to stumble upon someone as anomalous as the highly inventive Ewan Pearson.

Long after his days of being a skint self-employed musician, and 11 years on since his first record was pressed, it’s quite obvious Ewan Pearson has undoubtedly found his groove �” and his sound is anything but soulless or uninspired. And his ever-changing, avant-garde productions seem to always surprise even the most jaded of ears. Offbeat yet on point, with a charmingly unpretentious disposition, Pearson makes pop-friendly music drenched in bass and sprinkled with addictive melodies. From his beginnings on Birmingham’s Bosting label as Villa America and Dirtbox, to his highly celebrated work on Soma as Maas, to his ever-expanding DJing career, Ewan Pearson has quickly climbed the ranks as one of electronic music’s most prodigious underground idols.

“I think I move around style-wise, I’ve got quite diverse tastes. I suppose, because of the remixes I was doing 5 years ago, I’ve been lumped into the electro scene, but what interests me is finding exciting new records. It’s that sensibility of trying to twist things slightly, trying to put things together in not such an obvious way, trying to change things style-wise. What I don’t like is hearing hours of the same sort of thing. At the moment, I love techno but I don’t just play sort of minimal clicky stuff. What bores me when everyone is doing the same thing. I just find the stuff that moves me and try and make it work.” �” Ewan Pearson

And it does work, with his position firmly cemented at the top of every label’s list for his production and remixes. The Rapture hand picked Pearson and indie-producer-extraordinaire Paul Epworth for their highly-acclaimed second album, ‘Pieces of The People We Love.’ His production credits also include Ladytron, Chikinki, two tracks of Gwen Stefani’s first solo album and seven tracks on Tracey Thorn’s recent cult phenomenon/media diamond ‘Out Of The Woods.’ He’s remixed and re-rubbed some of the most fascinating names on the charts, including Depeche Mode, Goldfrapp (three times in fact), The Chemical Brothers, Pet Shop Boys, Fields and Franz Ferdinand. DJing is challenging and enjoyable, but not the only string on his bow (“When people ask ‘So you’re a DJ?’ I’m like, ‘Well, sort of, it’s like my fourth or fifth job.’”); above all, he prefers lending his hand to his distinctive ability to re-imagining beats.

“I started doing a lot of remixes and the remixing was going well. I realised that I was enjoying stepping back a bit. I wasn’t enjoying the artist thing. I was getting enough creative satisfaction out of the remixing. And being let loose on people’s records has led to producing where I’m involved from the start, rather than being brought in later on. For me, remixing, when it’s done well, is an art form in its own right. My attitude is to treat it as a reproduction.” �” Ewan Pearson

On fabric 35, Ewan Pearson tells a gripping, equivocal story; at times it’s moving (“Berghain” by Aril Brikha), other times brilliantly off-the-wall (Konrad Black’s take on ‘Honeymoon’s Over”), even twists and turns towards the adulterous (100 Hz on “Trustlove”) �” but, from beginning to end, remains completely unpredictable. Pearson has crafted a wonderfully fluid mix, shifting from abrasive, percussive workouts to sublime, sparkling electronics with ease. The mix is underpinned by a menacing sub-plot; mechanical, treated vocals and low end kick drive the story deeper.

“I always try to have some more musical stuff in there, but it’s quite heads-down, with low-slung basslines. It ranges from quite a few styles but it’s a no-nonsense dancefloor mix, more down and dirty. Being interested in production, I’m always trying to find things that fit together - I like that happy accident that you find sometimes when you find two records that are in the same key and the same tempo; when you put them together, you make this brand new thing.” �” Ewan Pearson

Tracklist:

01. Jahcoozi �” Ali McBills (Robert Johnson 6am X-Ray Italo Rework) �” Careless

02. MarcAshken �” Nimrod (Marc Houle Is A Nimrod Remix) - Leftroom

03. Gui.tar �” Push In The Bush - Careless

04. Snax �” Honeymoon’s Over (Konrad Black Mix) - Terranova

05. Jens Zimmermann �” Tranquillité �” K2

06. Liquid Liquid �” Bellhead - DFA

07. Lee Burridge and Dan F �” Treat ‘em Mean, Keep ‘em Keen (Exercise One, Mix 2) �” Almost Anonymous

08. 100 Hz �” Trustlove �” Hi-Phen Music Delivery

09. Samim �” Paspd ft. Big Bully �” Circus Company

10. Laven & MSO �” Looking For God - Klang

11. Simon Baker �” Plastik - Infant

12. Samuel L Sesssions ft. Paris The Black Fu �” Can You Relate �” Klap Klap

13. Johannes Heil �” All For One (Tobi Neumann’s Swinging Remix) - Klang

14. Kaos �” Panopeeps (Origin) - Lektroluv

15. Beanfield “Tides” �” C’s Movement #1 (Carl Craig Remix) - Compost

**. Aril Brikha �” Berghain - Kompakt

Release Date: fabric first members: 03/07/07 uk/r.o.w. retail: 16/07/07

To listen to ‘FABRIC 35′ online visit: http://www.fabriclondon.com/previews/fabric35 (password required)

FORTHCOMING FABRIC RELEASE:

Fabric 36: Ricardo Villalobos

References: http://www.fabriclondon.com/

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DJ: Michele Benotto

Affiliation: MotionFM / PleasureHouseBlog

Country: Italy

Listen / Download

01. Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncè & Jamie Foxx - Family (Blaze Alternate) [Sony Urban/Col.]

02. Studio Apartment feat. Deborah Bond - Something Between [New World Records]

03. Kemal feat. Maiya - My Faith (Vocal Mix) [Indeependent/Purple Music]

04. F Gee aka Jazzaffair Collective - The Forest Poetry (FG In The Mood Mix) [Deep Haven]

05. Mr. Mama - Unfixed (Dreamin’ Nyc Spiritual Reconceipt) [Promo]

06. Tonya Renee - Off My Mind (Will ”Reel Soul” Vocal Mix) [Home Recordings]

07. Algebra - Did It For Me (Jovonn Mix) [Motown]

08. LLV feat. Blaze - Elements Of Life (Richard Earnshaw Vocal Mix) [Vega Rec.]

09. Anto Vitale pres. Shabu Music feat. Alex Senna - Theorema Del Faya [Tea Party M]

10. Justin Imperiale feat. Jerome From Paris - Piano Daze (Chicago Jazz Mix) [Cabana Rec]

11. UPZ feat. Silvinha - Mundo Infantil (Rasmus Faber Remix) [Farplane Records]

12. Tiger Stripes - Missing You (Raw Artistic Soul Remix) [Slip ‘n’ Slide]

Stacey Mallory feat. Gerideau

Changes

Unreleased

Due to contractual problems, the two amazing mixes on this song will not be released. Stacey Mallory is giving it for free! Check his page www.myspace.com/staceymallory.

Volta is Bjork’s sixth studio album and follows the release of Medulla in 2004 featuring ten new and original tracks, Volta is written and produced by Bjork, with three tracks co-produced with Timbaland and Mark Bell.

If you wanted to find the last time Björk really let her hair down on a record, you’d have to look all the way back to 1995’s Post. From “Army of Me” (its video found her driving a tank and wearing gold teeth) to “It’s Oh So Quiet” to “I Miss You”, that record sired some of the most vibrant songs of her career. It’s a side of her we’ve only caught in brief glimpses ever since. In the course of moving back to Iceland after a letter bomb scare in 1997, engaging in psychological warfare with Lars Von Trier on the set of 2000’s oppressively bleak Dancer in the Dark, falling in love with Matthew Barney in 2001, giving birth to her second child in 2002, and of course, just getting older, Björk’s output has become increasingly austere and inward-looking. The unhinged, mischievous screamers that were once her calling card are now mostly a thing of the past, replaced by songs that more closely resemble holy moments than sing-alongs.

But in her pre-game interviews for Volta, Björk hinted that it might finally be time to flip the switch back. “All I wanted for this album was to have fun and do something that was full-bodied and really up,” she told Pitchfork– one of a handful of interviews to feature descriptors like “fun” and “poppy” and “accessible.” Disappointingly, it turns out that Timbaland and the Technicolor artwork were red herrings– Volta is not Björk’s pop record. Figuring out what it is, actually, is a much more difficult task; where even her most divisive albums have managed to push her artistic boundaries, Volta feels limp and strangely empty– almost unfinished.

Its emptiness is doubly disappointing when considering the caliber of guest performers involved. In addition to Timbaland, Volta features Antony Hegarty (of & the Johnsons fame), improv drummer Chris Corsano, Lightning Bolt drummer Brian Chippendale, Konono No. 1, Malian kora player Toumani Diabate, Chinese pipa player Min Xiao-Fen, and a 10-piece Icelandic brass band. Some of that guestlist goes wasted; Chippendale is banished to slow-build purgatory on the brooding Antony duet “The Dull Flame of Desire”, while Konono No. 1 are reduced to fighting for space with 37 other elements in the already overstuffed “Earth Intruders”. Even Timbaland’s contributions feel oddly apathetic; aside from “Earth Intruders”, which pales in comparison to any Timbaland/Björk collaboration you’d hear in your head, neither of his other productions bear much of his imprint at all. With its distorted, squelching rhythms, “Innocence” sounds, ironically, more like the work of longtime collaborator Mark Bell, and “Hope”s scampering percussion and spindly kora lines, while interesting, are marred by an atrocious lyric about terrorism: “What’s the lesser of two evils?/ If a suicide bomber made to look pregnant/ Manages to kill her target or not?”

For a record ostensibly about tribalism and reconnecting with our animal sides, much of Volta plods. Insulated with samples of running water, long, mournful horns, and gently plucked pipa, “I See Who You Are” is a tranquil lullaby without much of a melody at all. “Vertebrae by Vertebrae” rests on a looped horn sample not far from Peter Thomas’ “Bolero on the Moon Rocks” (sampled by Pulp on “This Is Hardcore”), but Björk can’t take it anywhere, instead filling its five minutes with runs from her catalog of preferred vocal shorthand scribbles. On the heels of those two songs, the rhythmless “Pneumonia”– which finds Björk utterly adrift melodically– is an even harder sell.

There are, of course, a handful of lovely parts as well. While I have problems with the way “Earth Intruders” sounds– muddy, clunky, overcompressed, and not nearly as aerodynamic as you’d expect a Björk/Timbaland track to sound– its charm comes through with time. With lyrics pulled from a Russian poem made popular by Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker (how’s that for pop!) and regal, curling horns reminiscent of the crescendoing strings in Henryk Gorecki’s 3rd Symphony (uh, ditto), the 7½-minute Björk/Antony duet “The Dull Flame of Desire” is a darkly elegant setpiece that beautifully showcases both voices. Ultimately, though, it’s the industrial jackhammering of “Declare Independence” that steals the show. Built around a wriggling synth lead, some brash EQing, and white-hot swaths of digital noise, it’s a gloriously messy few minutes– one of her most transcendent tracks to date.

In the end, though, those golden moments are too few and far between, and the slow, unfurling, lingering moments too long. If the critical and fan response to this album reflects that of the fascinatingly eccentric (but largely maligned) Medúlla, I’ll be curious to see how she responds. Until then, Volta is mostly proof that Björk is as fallible as the messy, unpredictable humanity she celebrates, and that even her definition of “pop” is avant-garde.

Review by Mark Pytlik (http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/42768-volta)

“I am always looking for words that have some sort of energy. Usually the name just comes, from a magazine or somebody says something. I had waited for years while working on the album but it didn’t come. In the lyrics there are words like “voltage” and “voodoo”, which I found to be too common somehow.

I have always tried to choose titles which are kind of latin or something, which aren’t english, which is a little funny because we europeans find latin to be sort of neutral language… But I found Volta… I don’t recall how it came about, but I Googled it and found that it is both the name of a scientist in Italy who invented the battery, and also a river in Africa which had been built by men, and a lagoon built by men called Lake Volta. So several parts come into it .

I’m not going to name anything specific, people can guess for themselves what it is. There is also a mideval dance with carries that name, a very funny dance which is very hard to learn. Thusly, I got a lot of things in one word: a dance, a river in Africa which doesn’t work anymore, and the battery. So okay - this fits.” -Bjork (http://unit.bjork.com/specials/albums/volta/)

Tracklist:

1. Earth Intruders

2. Wanderlust

3. Dull Flame Of Desire

4. Innocence

5. I See Who You Are

6. Vertebrae By Vertebrae

7. Pneumonia

8. Hope

9. Declare Independence

10. My Juvenile

Previews of Volta by Amazon

Volta Lyrics can be found on the Gallery Section

References: http://www.myspace.com/bjork

Who thought it would be possible to shrink a professional DJ system to a size no larger than a peanut butter jelly sandwich? Well, according to their own announcement, a new company called Tonium proved it is possible! Pacemaker is the worlds first pocket-size DJ system, weighing in at 200 grams, and allowing for five hours of mixing on battery.Although we are still wondering how this space age device actually works, and what distinguishes the device depicted from a portable radar detector there are some specifications among the first announcements.

There is 120 GB of storage, there are bend, pitch, cue, loop, EQ and sound-FX functionalies and, of course, there is a separate line-out and headphones jack. According to the press release, the two independent channels are controlled via the same one interface �” all elegantly wrapped in their svelte casing.

The product launch date is set for October of this year. If you can’t stand the waiting, visit Sonar in Barcelona in July, as the people from Pacemaker (Tonium) will be at the Festival where the first devices will be available to play around with.

References: http://www.pacemaker.net/

Following on from the rather massive Azure single, Slam bring you their outstanding fourth studio album “Human Responce“. Not content to stand still, this album sees Stuart McMillan and Orde Meikle pick up the techno baton, twisting the genre even further still, to create a forward-thinking new sound all of their own. These are artists at their creative peak.

In this technological age Slam utilise the human touch to inject a myriad of emotions into their electronic machine music. The end result is much more than a collection of tracks. “Human Responce” flows and grows and, in an era of single track downloads, Slam provide an album that you can listen to from start to finish.

Human Responce opens with “Subject Invisible”, a sublime haunting piece of introspective electronica that sets the mood for the journey ahead. “No One Left to Follow”, the first of two collaborations, follows, as My Robot Friend delivers a hypnotic vocal over an intricate dubbed-out, deep, twisted modern day work-out. “Weekday Mourning” with its poignant strings is next. A warm emotive interlude which leads on nicely to last year’s “Looking North”, (one of the highlights from Soma 200, written specifically as a taster to this album), re-edited and remixed. This is an epic, soulful, Detroit-inspired excursion that weaves a web of glistening, unfathomable melodies and intricate percussion. “Ghost Song” is a swinging, jacking spiritual anthem with syncopated sequences and spacey chord triggers, already a big favourite in Slam’s sets. Next is “We Medicate”, an unusually dark, filmic, epic slice of electronica. Add to this, the talent of long-time collaborator, Dot Allison, fresh from her tour with Massive Attack and duets with Baby Shambles singer Pete Doherty. Dot adds her own eerie enchantment to the track making it one of the albums undisputed highlights. “Reluctant Traveller”, a beatless, high octane, synth-led expedition, spaced-out and emotional, leads perfectly into “Azure”.

The first single from Human Responce, has already caused a stir, gaining support from the likes of Laurent Garnier, Sven Vath Mandy, Radioslave, Carl Craig, Josh Wink and a whole host of others. Already huge, this tune is predicted by many to grow further and become one of this Summer’s anthems. “Staccato Rave” is 21st century twisted techno mayhem with unexpected twists and turns. During this dark experimentation the album approaches its ethereal climax before the freakish “We’re Not Here” kicks in, with its hypnotic rhythms and tripped-out sounds and percussion, it bleeds intensity from its pores. The journey ends memorably with aptly named “Memoir” and its dark edged beauty. Slam respond to what they see around them, releasing an album brimming with emotion and honesty, uplifting and beautiful electronic music, with that moody Slam undercurrent. The end result is a soundtrack for now and for the future.

Slam have played all around the world, championing UK underground electronic music, whilst always living and working in their home base of Glasgow, where they have helped to develop and influence one of the best music and party cities anywhere. Ask any of the bands and DJs who have performed at their monthly Pressure parties. People like Vitalic, Luciano, Beyer, Villalobos, Mills, Hawtin, Green Velvet and Weatherall all cite the city and the club as being amongst their favourite gigs in any year. When you add that Slam are currently preparing their eleventh production of the annual, (15 thousand capacity) Slam Tent at the T in The Park, (which sold out in an hour again this year), then you start to get a feel for the passion for their scene and their music that Orde and Stuart have. Soma is another example of their dedication to the cause. At a time where its daunting to be an independent label, Soma are incessant in their march forward, after confirming their position in history with last year’s Soma 200 release in the label’s 15th anniversary year. Soma artists like Alex Smoke, Vector Lovers, the Black Dog and Funk D Void all help to make their label one of the most forward thinking around.

Tracklist:

1. Subject Invisible

2. No One Left To Follow

3. Weekday Mourning

4. Looking North

5. Ghost Song

6. We Medicate

7. Reluctant Traveller

8. Azure

9. Staccato Rave

10. We’re Not Here

11. Memoir

References:  http://www.myspace.com/slamofficial

UNKLE are back with a third album “War Stories“. It has been four years since their last outing “Never, Never, Land”. The latest sees James Lavelle teaming up with Richard File for a second time.

‘War Stories’ guest vocalists include Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), Ian Asbury (The Cult), 3D (Massive Attack), The Duke Spirit, Autolux and Gavin Clark (Clay Hill). James makes his vocal debut on ‘War Stories’ singing on ‘Hold my Hand’ as well as dueting with Richard on ‘Morning Rage’.

War Sories will be released on James Lavelle’s new label, Surrender All, and the packaging features paintings specially commissioned by Massive Attack’s 3D. The standard cd comes witha 32 page booklet. The 2xCD limited edition is a gatefold case, with extended 50 page booklet and an outer slip-box opening up to reveal the standard CD and a second CD featuring the instrumental versions of the songs appearing on ‘War Stories’.

Tracklist:

Disc 1

01. Intro

02. Chemistry (feat. Josh Homme from “Queens of the Stone Age”)

03. Hold My Hand

04. Restless (feat. Josh Homme from “Queens of the Stone Age”)

05. Keys To The Kingdom (feat. Gavin Clark from “Clayhill”)

06. Price You Pay

07. Burn My Shadow (feat. Ian Astbury from “The Cult”)

08. May Day (feat. The Dute Spirit)

09. Persons & Machinery (feat. Autolux)

10. Twilight (feat. 3D from “Massive Attack”)

11. Morning Rage

12. Lawless

13. Broken (feat. Gavin Clark from “Clayhill”)

14. When Things Explode (feat. Ian Astbury from “The Cult”)

15. Buying A Lie (feat. Lee Gorton from “The Alfie”)

16. Mistress (feat. Alice Temple)

Disc 2 - Instrumental

01. Hold My Hand

02. Restless

03. Keys To The Kingdom

04. Price You Pay

05. Burn My Shadow

06. MayDay

07. Persons & Machinery

08. Twilight

09. Morning Rage

10. Lawless

11. Broken

12. When Things Explode

References: http://www.myspace.com/unkle

As it has been a hot topic of discussion countless times in the past, it seems that the location of the German Super Party ‘Loveparade‘ has finally been confirmed for 2007! Finding its way to Essen, in the heart of the industril district, in Ruhr, this incredibly green and lush landscape will be hosting this world renowned event for the next 5 years.

The city of Essen is quite pleased about receiving a gainig attention. Being the stage of such high profile event heavily supports the city council’s way and further spreads the word that in 2010 Essen will be Europe’s Capital of Culture.

Since the last minutes Love Parade company stuck to July 7th being the appointed day. When introducing Essen they also changed their date which is now August 25th. A police report about security requirements is still pending and could in fact stir up everything though.

Since its early years the major part of Love Paraders are from Eastern Europe, especially Poland. It’s expected this year’s Love Parade will be even smaller as many people will now have a longer way to travel. It’s also the first time a Love Parade is being held outside of Berlin.

References: http://www.loveparade.com

As promised, here is the most up to date information pertaining to the recent rulings by the Copyright Review Board and online radio stations

It is becoming more and more obvious that in a years time, the majority of our beloved internet radio stations will be a part of the past. Webcasters’ are pooling their efforts to fight the Copyright Review Board’s ruling to pay a fee to SoundExchange, former RIAA division tasked with collecting and distributing online radio-licensing fees, but the battle is a hard one to say the least.

All webcasters’ have until the deadline of July 15th to pay their royalty payments. This dead line includes all of 2006, and the first 5 months of 2007. As you can imagine this is going to have a huge financial impact on many online stations.

The full article can be found here. Please take the time to read this article and the others we have posted here on DanceNode to educate yourselves about the situation. The more educated we all become the more we can be aware of the implications to us and our scene.

As we have always promised, we will keep you up to date as information is released.