VIP Club Dance

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Dj: Dj DaSouLAffiliation: Sofi Tone Rec.Country: Italy

Listen / Download

1) Dom Navarra Ft Antonio Navarra - New Life(DaSouL & Hooger Re-touch)

2) Reel People ft Tony Momrelle - Amazing (Jon Cutler Remix)

3) ??????????????????????????????

4) Jovonn Feat. Tanisha - I Am A Lover (Bass Room Lover Mix)

5) Jovonn - Ey Biyea

6) Jesus Gonserv - everythig is illuminated

7) Patti labelle - material (abicah soul rmx)

Asia Lynn - If We Could Change The World (Joe Flame Mix)

9) Joe Flame - Resistance is mandorty

10) Dom Navarra Ft Antonio Navarra - New Life(Positano’s Bros Re-touch)

11) Joe Flame - I cant stand it

12) Doobie J feat Yvonne Yanney Mellow Heart (Dom-Navarras-Latin-Magic-Mix)

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“A gig can make me create a track depending on how good it was. The whole experience of the Tokyo Crossover Jazz Festival of 2006 inspired my remix of Shuya Okino’s “Shine” (with Diviniti). I was so touched by all the love for the music and the unity of everyone there, that when Shuya asked me to remix the track I tried to recreate the mixture of the live and the electronic.”

.Could you tell us how you got into music and about the beginning of your career?.

Hmmm, that’s a loaded question because it happened in many ways. As a child I was always playing records. I would crawl over to the big console unit, you know the big thing with speakers on either side and a record player and radio in the middle, pull myself up on the thing to watch the record go round and round, and I think by way of something larger I learned that it was where the sound was coming from, so I started actually putting the needle on the actual 7” inch or album that was on at any given time. My sisters would take notice of my love for records, and make requests and I would actually fill their requests. I also gathered a lot of the information of liner notes, and things of that matter. It crazy because that was also what helped my reading skills in grade school. I’d read the parliament comic books, and the obscure stories inside the Funkadelic albums, and the various publishing and copyright info, and personnel on others, which became this type of family joke (they still call me to find out what year a record was made, who the producer was, etc). I’d notice which record was which by the scratches on the wax, or the label, etc. It’s Quite funny actually because I still do that. We had a piano, which my mother would play after she’d put me down for a nap or something and I’d always get up and go bother her, reach up and bang they keys out of curiosity, and she tried to teach me a note or two on the keys hoping I’d get bored with it, but I enjoyed the complexity of the sound that came from that instrument. At the age five I got into playing guitar after seeing a p-funk concert which was almost like an epiphany of sorts, because later I got a chance to actually work with some of the same people I admired at that point. Maggot Brain introduced me to Band Of Gypsys, in a way. So really, music has been my life. I’ve done visual art as well, like painting and sketches but music was something more solid which I figured could give the feelings a voice to speak through..

What music did you grow up with and what music has influenced you?.

Growing up in a neighborhood on the east side of Detroit in the 1970’s into the 1980’s, it was weird. Basically because I was into everything I heard. My mom was into stuff like the spinners at the time, but she would rest to elevator music �” the kind that gets annoying to most people, but I dug it. Perry Como and Frank Sinatra covers, etc. My Father Liked Jazz and blues, he was on that vibration. My sisters and brother were just into the music of that era, Parliament-Funkadelic, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Rufus & Chaka Khan, etc. Some of my siblings were into the Carpenters, and Joni Mitchell. My cousin Bruce really dug the Isley Brothers, my brother was into the commodores, George Benson, and Peabo Bryson, but I was into shit like Jimi Hendrix, and KISS, as well as all of the R&B soul stuff like Motown. Also, Some friends and neighbors were into Mahavishnu Orchestra, Frank Zappa, and Weather Report. So, I figure I was I bit shocking to the rest of everyone around me because I was really into ALL of it, and being a P-Funk FANATIC I noticed all of that was molded into one Unit with George Clinton’s thing so it was really intense to me. Also, I was totally influenced by the way the electrifying mojo would play p-funk, Kraftwerk, and a Mozart concerto, all in the same set and would break new records by prince, and the bus boys. It was quite a stretch from what the normal radio DJ would do. I ended up learning a lot from that strange time I was into Mountain, and Cream, but also Sly (Stone), Prince and Michael Jackson (whom I really adored in the 80’s) so it’s all one thing to me �” It (Music) has no genre. .

How important is the dj to you? What does a good dj entail? Would you consider yourself as one of those? .

The DJ is the vessel for the music to the people. The DJ is the speaker and the source (talent) is on the record.People find out what record is what from what the DJ does through his or her selections. So the DJ is a very important part of the whole spectrum. A Good DJ gets out of the way and lets the record do the talking. Such as guys like Larry Levan Theo Parrish, or Danny Krivit. See, those cats can give a message through the music. They are totally out of the way of the music. They know how to put it together so that you can feel what the record initially meant for you to feel. I consider myself to be a good DJ, but I’m always learning something new about what the music translates into. I recently found myself being a bit in awe of the laptop situation, because I am not really in support of that, unless its used as a tool, with turntablists and such. Just because someone can beat-mix does not make them a good DJ particularly, but a good DJ knows his records, and can tell you what’s under the label on the record, and why they will select what they select. I get bumpy about the digital age, and I’ve been spinning records for a long time, but that means nothing. I know one thing about it. THE MUSIC on the RECORD is the MOST important thing. .

How do you prepare for a dj - set? .

Prayer. I actually pray to the source of all things that the people listening get something from the music I play and that I get something from the music I play, and that we all become one and enjoy listening to the artist’ expressions. I actually had a really heavy out-of-body experience once while playing at ESCUELA (with Raven Fox) in St. Louis, because of that. Man, that scared me to tears. No drugs were involved, cause that’s not my scene. But it was something else…whew. .

What do you listen to nowadays? Is it the same music that you play when you are dj-ing? And to what extent does other kinds of music influence your work? .

Wow. Uh… My IPod has about everything you can imagine. So I may listen to Gino Vanelli one minute and Shuggie Otis the next. Right now, I’ve actually been reflecting on cats like J-Dilla, because I miss him. I listen to a lot of raw Jazz, so I’m really into the stuff I get from Japan. (Quasimode. SleepWalker, Kyoto Jazz Massive). There the musician scene is alive and appreciated. I listen to various things between moments of creation, like king tubby’s dub plates and Beady Belle’s Stuff (I’m a huge fan of hers). I always check for tastemakers choices, so I know what’s next because music is always growing. I don’t know what I’m gonna play sometimes. I select and prepare house music before I spin or while I’m spinning, but as I said before I want to make sure that it’s not about me. Some of it ends up being music that I listen to, but sometimes not. Music that I listen to really influences my experiences, and that really influences my work. On certain songs I feel it’s obvious. Someone in Switzerland had mentioned to me that they heard influences of Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’, and Gino Vanelli’s ‘Storm At Sunup’ in my remix of ISOUL8’s ‘Give it Up’. It was funny that that’s all I was listening to for a month.

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How do you think house music will sound in ten years due the different trends we see emerging and due to the commercialization of the genre? . Well, music in general will definitely be back where we began because of the youth in it now. I hear young cats now doing what Raymond Scott was doing in the 40’s trying to find something new on the techno scene. In house music, people are trying to get back to the purity of the records that birthed house, but they are trying to do it on an electronic basis, which can’t work fully because the whole industry is different now than it was when the Paradise Garage was open. So in ten years forward, it may sound like 40 years ago, but it cant be near what it was unless the music was recorded, mixed, mastered and pressed with analog components, and the mp3 industrytakes a back seat. Don’t get me wrong, I like what I’m hearing nowadays, but I’m not hearing anything any different. Nothing is really growing and not too many are taking risks. We’re all too comfortable in this ‘crabs in a barrel’ situation and that really corrupts this industry..How much do you value reaching out to people through your own music?

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Immensely. There is nothing else more that matters to me. I love people in general, and that is why I do this music thing. People need to share stories and that’s really all music is when you really look at it fully. Anyone who knows me knows I love to talk and share, and laugh. So I try to do that through the music as well as in everyday life. At the basic core of it all we’re a family so there it’s really important that the music is something that people are able to relate to. It’s like dinner with your best friends. I recently re-learned that while crying to some of john legend’s songs. It made me feel like a bit of a wimp, but the fact that he reaches through lyrics and melody is amazing. .

You’re producer, musician and a dj; what have these different experiences gained you? What would you say has affected you most musically?.Wow. I don’t really know how to answer that. Let me just say that from listening to music and being a music lover, I learned how to create music in some forms. I also learned how to express my love for it through being a dj. Each experience has been different but they have brought me different emotions, which make me want to express those feelings to whoever wishes to listen to what I have to offer musically. The little things are what affect me most. A chord, or the way a horn sounds. Coffee! COFFEE inspires my cigarette smoke to write songs. I don’t know. But I love it anyways. I think like a DJ when I produce certain tracks, and play records from a musician’s perspective. It gets to be a pain sometimes because If I’m requested to do a party or something somewhere other than here in Detroit, people are not sure what to think because my releases are so musical and musician oriented. It feels different to me sometimes and I am not sure what to market myself as, because others don’t know what box to put me in. So I feel kind of like the moniker I used as a project, SONIC ANDROGYNY. Like, It could be musician stuff, or DJ stuff but it’s good stuff nonetheless, right? It’s music. .Musician and producer… Would you say there’s a difference between live music and electronic music? And what would that be?

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Oh yes. BIG difference. When you’re in a room with some other cats and everyone’s got their thing, you know,

And a groove takes hold of everyone, man �” it can really be outtasight. That moment can really never be caught by anything other than the energy that’s there, unless its on tape or somethin’ dig? But a sequence can only go as far as you let it because the only mind there is the creators of that sequence or pattern. The sampler changed it kinda, but there is nothing like live, human people, playing instruments. That’s the reason why I always use a live string orchestra if I can. Because no matter how good the string patch is on a keyboard or sampler is, there are hearts beating behind those violins which are being played by humans, and they are thinking, and they have emotions, and everything. That’s really important. That’s why now everyone always samples to try and get back to that energy of some cats in a room groovin’ together, and an engineer catching that on an audio-camera. Certain things came out of sampling that can work, but it took skill. Like jungle, and anything J-Dilla did. I mean, He changed the face of R & B even with the way he programmed drums, so now every drummer plays like he programmed to an extent. The old school element is what’s really missing from today’s music I think, the soul of it, and the actual reality. For Instance, in ‘Freddy’s Dead’ (Curtis Mayfield, Superfly Soundtrack 1972) during the 8 bar break there are these hi violins that stays on a high note while the bass, congas and hi-hat are going, then it slides downward and crescendos at the same time. Instantly the sound is that of a plane crashing, and you can feel what’s going on in the actual story. Those instrumentalists were all on the same wavelength that day, and when you hear that the only thing you can think is, ‘Freddy’s Dead’! .

How would you describe your music?.Chaos that rhymes, or basically just a thought process that can be danced to. I can’t really describe it because it’s always going on in me. It’s like a comfortable noise. Really, I am afraid of trying to put it into words because I am so scatterbrained it’s pathetic. My flat looks like a James Brown tornado hit it, and it’s mostly records, CDs and Posters of musicians. Week-old coffee mugs and empty cigarette packets, but I know where everything is. Somehow that is how I would describe it I guess. A well-informed mess..Are your productions connected to your dj-ing and the experiences you gain from there?

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Yes. Very much so. A gig can make me create a track depending on how good it was. The whole experience of the Tokyo Crossover Jazz Festival of 2006 inspired my remix of Shuya Okino’s “Shine” (with Diviniti). I was so touched by all the love for the music and the unity of everyone there, that when Shuya asked me to remix the track I tried to recreate the mixture of the live and the electronic. So I was really inspired by a gig that way. .

What were your first experiences of producing music? .There was a few different ones… In the 80’s I was in a neighborhood band, we were so crazy we didn’t have a name. We all chipped in for recording sessions at United Sound Recording Studios and such. But in the late 80s and early 90s I was doing some work with this band, the Charm Farm here in Detroit (The Static Revenger knows exactly what I’m talking about), which was closely linked with KMS Studios and Transmat. That gave me a big push in learning what this stuff was about. They had really helped me in learning what to do with a sequencer and sampler. Then When I moved with my mom upstate I joined a company called Studio 707 which helped me in the craft of production and songwriting a lot. Those cats were really great. We put out some local stuff and basically primed artists to actually perform, and did things really raw on a 16 track tape machine. Some stuff sounded a lot like Motown stuff, which I thought was great. Some of the songs I wrote then end up inspiring the ones I release now..You’ve studied sound engineering and musical studies (I read something about classical orchestration, could you develop this?); have your studies changed your musical outlook and how? .

Long Story. I studied engineering with Bob Dennis at the Recording Institute of Detroit and the Disc Recording Studios. I mean actual analog recording, grease marking the tape editing, and warmth. Just Pure. Warmth, tape and human minds. Now the Musical studies came from everywhere. I learned by ear first, there was some basics taught but other than guitar mentors teaching me how to execute what I learned and so forth �” it was records that I would imitate. But as far as actual music theory goes, it was Bernie Worrell and Joe Heyden In NYC before an Enemy Squad gig, and I was trying to decipher the cycle of fifths, and Bernie taught me what it really meant. (How to add colors to chords, how spiritual and vibratory it is in the universal realm) and Joe Heyden kept on schooling me for the rest of that tour. So when I started going to college again, a Cellist, and violinist whom I was working with (that I actually did a house track with that is still unreleased) urged me to quit my liberal arts curriculum, and take some serious theory courses. I did, and got into ear training and all of that. Sight singing solfege. Weird stuff. But I got into the jazz department by way of effort and ended up taking some jazz theory workshops with Dr. Matt Michaels, who is an amazing arranger. And I decided for myself that arranging string orchestras and horn sections was the next step in creation for my work. Actually, let me be REALLY Honest. I was trying to figure out HOW Clare Fischer (the guy who does strings for Prince and Celine Dion, etc.) got me to cry with those beautiful voicings. .

As mentioned, you’ve done a lot of different things within your musical career, what drives you to try out new things? Where do you find this inspiration?.What drives me to try out new things is the fact that sound can go elsewhere and bring something new out of the new people coming in to hear it. I heard a recording from a satellite NASA put near Jupiter and Saturn and it sounded like minimal techno but with some Sun Ra elements. I liked it because the rhythm of it was like a baby’s heartbeat while in the womb. You know, the ultrasound. See, there it goes again, It’s bigger than us. The Parallel of Quantum Physics to everyday life. At any rate, what I want to find out is what’s out there! There is nothing new under our sun, but under another there may be. Where I get the inspiration is GOD (or Whatever it is). Waking Up and having a cup of coffee at one of my favorite cafe’s in my neighborhood, calling my mother for a conversation about any and everything. Laughing with my sisters about how fun it was to go roller skating back in the day. Writing in my journal, Listening to Diviniti’s inspirational lyrics. That’s a serious blessing. Going to Europe and meeting new people. MEL CHEREN inspires me. Shuya Okino Inspires me. KDJ Inspires Me. DJ Minx Inspires me. And this chick Josephine asked me all these questions that REALLY made me look deep inside to find out (amidst this madness of this crazy industry), Why I DO THIS! That’s an inspiration, and I am grateful. . What’s coming next, I see a lot of music on your myspace page, what should we be looking out for?

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Well, definitely VINYL! I’m gonna try and help keep the RECORD PLAYING INDUSTRY ALIVE!!!! Not facsimiles of records, actual records. My second release on my label is actually entitled music. It’s almost auto biographical. Its up on my myspace page now I think, and on my website. www.pirahnahead.com. Also there is a new Diviniti song called ‘Can’t Explain’ �” which was really an interesting piece, cause I almost threw it out and started from scratch. Shuya Okino and I have a new project coming soon. Diviniti has a cover of ‘Harvest For The World’ and ‘Spread Love’ (The Isley Brothers & Al Hudson). Which I produced because our corner of the universe is in PAIN right now and needs LOVE!!!! There is also a Napihedz track being released on a new UK label called Prime Numbers which is kind of interesting because Reggie Dokes and I do a fusion between house and dub reggae, and there are some new projects in the works with Les Nubians, Kenny Bobien and a duet with Clara Hill. And Others upcoming after those, and others featuring them, etc. Also, I just began a weekly radio show on pushfm.com, so I don’t know what’s next, but it will be next. .Could you give us a top 10 list of what you will be playing at your next gigs?

.This is subject to change at the point of entrance to the venue, but right now it is:.

1. Stevie Wonder �” AS

2. Diviniti �” Can’t Explain

3. Pirahnahead �” Music

4. Marcellus Pittman �” Something’s out there

5. Theo Parrish �” Synthetic Flemm

6. Donny Hathaway �” The Ghetto (Live Version)

7. Shuya Okino �” If It Is Love

8. Prince �” All The Critics love you In NEW YORK

9. L’Renee �” I wanna Fall In Love

10. The It �” Donnie Interview by Josephine

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Dj: Joey MazzaAffiliation: Exact NatureCountry: USA

Listen / Download

1-Impilo-The Animators

2-Taxi Nights-Anto Vitale/Heidi Vogel

3-NHO Anthone Escaderode-Cesaria Evoria

4-Cabo Parano-Martin Solveig-JoJo Flores Therapy Edit

5-Now You’re Calling-Mellow Madness-Casamaena Bsment. Mix

6-The Mood-Luis Radio

7-Freak Me - Abicah Soul

8-Que Viva-Louie Vega-Abicah Soul Remix

9-So Lonely-Monique Henry-Jihad Muhammad Remix

10-Apache-Joe Rizla

11-Joy and Pain-Steal Vybe

12-Cloud Nine-Pico

13-Inner Child-Randy Brusseto-Melchyor A Remix

14-Voodoo Bounce-Claude Monnet

 Winter Music Conference, in its 23rd year, is regarded as the singular networking event in the dance music industry, attracting professionals from over 62 different countries. With its high concentration of top international artists, DJs and industry professionals, WMC permeates the international press and is thereby one of the most publicized events in the business.Every aspect of the industry is represented including the top technological innovators, artists, DJs, producers, radio and video programmers, retailers, distributors, audio manufacturers and many more. There are countless reasons why people from all over the world return year after year for this event, the most outstanding one being that there is nothing else in the world like it.References: http://www.wmcon.com/, http://www.madeevent.com/

 The Orb virtually invented the electronic genre known as ambient house, resurrecting slower, more soulful rhythms and providing a soundtrack for early-morning ravers once the clubs closed their doors. Now they invite you to join them to sit back, relax, and drift into ‘The Dream’.It’s been a busy year for The Orb, recording the album, playing Bestival, and seeing the seminal number 1 album, UFOrb getting a re-release. ‘The Dream’ sees Alex Paterson and Youth at their blessed, and melodious best. Their history speaks volumes, and the future is certainly bright…The Orb, for years the most fearlessly fascinating sonic marauders on this or any other planet, return in February 2008 with a new album marking a long-awaited reunion between eternal mainstay Dr Alex Paterson and lifelong friend and original inter-galactic conspirator Youth. The Dream sees a return to the original spirit which spawned the first two classic albums, The Orb’s Adventures In The Ultraworld and U.F. Orb. Working with former Dreadzone studio-wiz Tim Bran and a gaggle of guests, Alex and Youth have created a work of stunning beauty and immediacy while never losing sight of The Orb’s original quest to homage personal musical obsessions while exploring sonic territories few dare to tread. One of those rare albums which weaves its own unique magic after repeated listens.The story of The Orb has been the proverbial long, strange trip. Alex and Youth went to school together, and made adolescent discoveries from drugs to punk rock. When Youth achieved notoriety as bassist in apocalyptic post-punk Killing Joke, Alex was the roadie, howling the Sex Pistols’ ‘Bodies’ or Stooges’ ‘No Fun’ during encores. In the mid-80s, Alex moved in with Youth at the Coach House on Wandsworth Common. For years, Alex and Youth had been enthralled and inspired by tapes of New York’s groundbreaking radio stations KISS FM, WBLS and WKTU where tracks were mashed up and edited into wild, extended soundclash masterworks which predated sampling and the aural anarchy of acid house. It was in Alex’s tiny bedroom that the germs of a musical project started sprouting in the acid house hurricane. By this time, old mucker Jimmy Cauty, who’d been in Youth’s post-Joke band Brilliant, was on board and joined Alex in marathon DJ sets in the chillout room at London’s earliest acid house clubs like Land Of Oz and Trancentral.Alex and Youth started the W.A.U.! record label. 1989 saw The Orb’s Kiss EP: proto-acid with hints of the aural mayhem to come before ‘A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld’ slapped its hallucinogenic hosepipe on the table and squirted a delirious nation down the trouser-legs with widescreen Orb-style musical rule-breaking. After Jimmy departed to the KLF, Alex signed to Big Life and worked with, among others, engineer Kris ‘Thrash’ Weston and Youth on the first Orb album. This trio’s first outing was the monstrously-successful ‘Little Fluffy Clouds’, created in a buoyant atmosphere of rampant invention.Alex and Youth collaborated again on the ensuing U. F. Orb, which surprised many by steaming straight into the album charts at number one. Although remaining friends, the pair saw each other less often as their careers followed their own trajectories. By this time, Youth was busy on a string of other projects which included building his Butterfly studio and Dragonfly record company, both ambitious projects which later ran aground. Meanwhile, Alex was dealing with his new chart-rider status, leaving Big Life in 1993 to sign with Island Records. He then spent the 90s wilfully steering The Orb into whichever strange waters he felt like taking it, sometimes with dark and twisted consequences. The music became more low-key and relaxed after Alex greeted the 21st century working with respected Berlin producer Thomas Fehlmann on albums like 2005’s Okie Dokie It’s The Orb On Kompakt for Cologne’s mighty Kompakt imprint.Two years ago Youth started building another studio at the end of his garden, across Wandsworth Common from the old Coach House: The Dreaming Cave [maybe referencing the transcendental Aboriginal dreamstate which inspired Kate Bush on The Dreaming]. Alex popped round and the pair started hanging out again. Inevitably, this turned into throwing musical ideas around like in the bedroom of the Coach House. Alex and Youth discovered that, although trends and technology have changed immeasurably, the bond between them was still as strong, along with the thrill of throwing together disparate elements and drawing from mutual inspirations to forge something startling and, indefinably, The Orb. During that period, Youth produced albums including Primal Scream’s Riot City Blues and, most recently, the return of The Cult. Tim Bran, who was with Dreadzone from their early 90s inception until 2000 and has a solo album under the project name of Subsonar which was also digitally released recently (full release in early 2008) on Youth’s Liquid Sound label, was his studio partner on these projects and slipped into working on what would become a new Orb album. Alex describes it as the follow-up to U.F. Orb.The Dream was created without pressure from record companies or the studio. As with previous albums, the basic Orb nucleus is joined by guest singers and players, including System 7’s Steve Hillage, who goes back to the earliest recordings, Battersea toaster-singer Eric Walker aka The Corpral and vocalists Aki Omori [the Japanese singer who appeared on 2001’s Cydonia], singer Andy Caine from the W.A.U.! days, and renowned soulstress Juliet Roberts who, according to Alex, is ‘the cherry on the cream on the gateau on the bed of Smarties.’And who says dreams don’t come true?1 The Dream [The Future Academy Of Noise, Rhythm And Gardening Mix]

 2 Vuja De

 3 Something Special

 4 A Beautiful day

 5 DDD [Dirty Disco Dub]

 6 The Truth Is…

 7 Phantom Of Ukraine

 8 Mother Nature

 9 Lost & Found

 10 The Forest Of Lyonesse

 11 Katskills

 12 High Noon

 13 Sleeping Tiger & The Gods Unknown

 14 Codes

 15 OrbisoniaReferences: http://www.theorb.com/

Thomas Brinkmann (born 1959) is a highly regarded German producer of experimental minimal techno music. Although experimenting with records since the early eighties, he gained wide reputation with his re-workings of material by fellow artists Mike Ink and Richie Hawtin released in the second half of the 90s. These productions were made by playing physically modified vinyl records on highly customized turntables with an additional tone arm.Brinkmann later founded the Ernst record label and introduced his own productions on a series of 12″ records taking their titles from female names. He has since expanded his extensive production catalog on his own Max Ernst label, as well as other highly respected outfits such as Traum Schallplatten, Raster-Noton and Mute Records (under the Soul Center alias).Tracklist:



01. Words

02. Spiral

03. Birth & Death

04. Meadow

05. Souls

06. 2suns

07. Uselessness

08. It’s Just

09. When Horses Die…

10. 40References: http://www.last.fm/music/Thomas+Brinkmann

 It has been clear since his very first release, in 2005 (with ‘Let Me Ask You’ on Freak n’Chic), that Shonky is an exceptionally talented producer. At 25 years of age and with little more than two years since his first production effort, Shonky releases his debut artist album ‘Time Zero’ on Dan Ghenacia’s Freak n’Chic imprint - get cosmic.“The style of ‘Time Zero’ is kind of techno/hypno, with many roots coming from Detroit techno and San Francisco psychedelic house; always super hypnotic.. The album is spacey Shonky world, I used more pads, no vocals and all the tracks have an atmospheric feeling within. They all drive you into a universe which is why I gave them all spacey names.. Ultimately, I did what I do the best, danceable tracks.” - Shonky



Track 1 ‘Time Zero’ - the album’s title track and also the first track to be released from the album (coming March with remixes from Paul Ritch and Mathias Kaden) lets loose with spiralling effects and a repeat-repeat vocal that heightens the psychedelic vibe. The airy chimes of ‘Nebula’ evoke the questing spirit of Detroit and bring in a breath of Kraftwerk a la ‘Tour De France’. ‘Ringside With Dione’ slows down the beat to push up the intensity; turning out late night music with dubby, shooting stabs that trip your mind inside out. The obvious titular nod to Voodoo Ray is reflected in the warm, burnished tribal-tech of ‘Cosmic Ray’. He returns to psychedelic techno with stand-out cut ‘Galactica’, a tune whose dense atmospherics, backdrop of wolf-like wails and clever use of a female vocal would make the Belleville Three proud.. Beckoning you ever further into the cosmos, ‘Ellipse’ matches horn licks to gently rattling percussion as the main melody seems to come floating in from outer space; its shimmering, progressive synths reminiscent of a peak-era Sasha record. ‘Ondulation’ hypnotizes with shimmering waves of acid and gleaming synth lines. There is more classic, intricate Detroit styling up his sleeve on Odyssey, a clean cut tune rippling with sharp metallic synths and an eerie radio-signals-from-space motif, which tempts you to follow the sound to another dimension. Sexy, dubby, hip jackin’ musical movements rule the intro on Magma, moving into a deeper, more atmospheric space. And the final track ‘Minor Planets’ embraces pure techno with its lush washing synths and crystalline beats.. Smoothly tripping you out to now, to this moment, to Time Zero.Shonky, whose real name is Olivier Ducreux, was first introduced to the Parisian dance scene via Dan Ghenacia’s infamous Sunday ‘Kwality’ Batofar parties. He studied mathematics for five years until he decided to become a full time producer and DJ - releasing his first track on Freak n’Chic in 2005 and fast becoming a key player in the revival of the underground scene in Paris.. He went on to release on Crosstown Rebels, mobilee, Substatic and Reposal in 2006, and in 2007 released ‘Olympia’ and ‘Phantomas’ on Freak n’Chic, whilst also remixing Danton Eeprom’s ‘All I can say’ for the label. Shonky currently lives and regularly DJs in Berlin, alongside playing in the UK, Italy, France, Spain and more - having also recently completed a US tour.Finally, ‘Time Zero’ has landed and it doesn’t merely justify the hype, it goes beyond. This is not a first class debut. It’s a first class album, full stop. ‘Time Zero’ is ripe with a musical intelligence well beyond Shonky’s years.The first single to be taken from the album will be ‘Time Zero’ - with remixes from Paul Ritch and Mathias Kaden, released at the end of March,Tracklist:01- Time zero

02- Nebula

03- Ringside with Dione

04- Cosmic Ray

05- Galactica

06- Ellipse

07- Ondulation

08- Odyssey

09- Magma

10- Minor planetsReferences: http://www.myspace.com/shonkar, http://www.myspace.com/freaknchic, http://www.freaknchic.com

 “The Truth” is a hard hitting, no holes barred, excursion into the heart of techno music, proving that Woolford is a force to be reckoned with at the cutting edge of his field. This definitive work will cement his place amongst the electronic elite and should be filed alongside LFO, Audion and Carl Craig.Woolford has grafted throughout his career and produced over 100 releases prior to this album. There have been many tough times along the way and these have been documented and laid bare in this brutally honest musical narrative.One of the most significant chapters in the story details his recent finding of his birth father after 26 years. On their first meeting he found out that his father was also called Paul and also a musician.We can only imagine what impact this must have had on someone who has pursued their own musical path all their life. In fact Paul Hession is a highly respected Jazz drummer and writer whose album,”Soft Drum Set” became a favourite for Wire magazine in 1999. The reunion must have got even more bizarre when Woolford found out his father had also toured with Warp artist Squarepusher, one of his own influences!On “The Truth” Woolford marks this event by cutting up Hession’s drums on the tracks “Anatomy of Desire” and “Emotional Violence”.The 2006 hit Erotic Discourse has now sold 20,000 copies and become an anthem worldwide, thrusting Woolford into the public eye. Erotic Discourse has become one of the few true underground crossover tracks of the last years and was played by a huge range of DJs including Sasha, 2ManyDJs, FK, Laurent Garnier, Luciano, Trevor Jackson, Erol Alkan, Carl Cox, The Chemical Brothers, Weatherall, The Unabombers and Lindstrom to name but a tiny few. Every week we were surprised by yet another DJ from a different genre that was playing this track.On “The Truth” Erotic Discourse gets a working over by the legendary Green Velvet who produced an exclusive re-edit on meeting Woolford the day before he was going to cut the album! The two met in strange circumstances when they played together in Liverpool and Curtis (G.V) found himself without a hotel room and wanted to freshen up. Woolford gladly lent his room out and Curtis offered the use of his edit in return. Its great to know that it is not always all about “da money!”“The Truth” features 10 exclusive new tracks including “Emotional Violence”, “Scandal” and “Radioactive” which will be released as singles but this album is not just about dancefloor bombs. Woolford further showcases his production skills as well his ability to write songs. We start off with the title track, which is a whirlwind assault the DFA would be proud of, live drums and bass are cut up over sirens and we are off to a flying start. “Throb” is reminiscent of early Martin Gore productions for Depeche Mode and sounds as massive as a Chemical Brothers track. Further diversity comes in the shape of “Each and Every Time”, which shows Larry ‘Mr Fingers’ Heard early influence on Woolford.”Once Bitten” has hip hop drums firmly as its backbone and hits as hard as a Wu Tang workout.”Venom” is included as we felt it had not only stood the test of time but stands out as the turning point for Woolford’s production pre-Erotic.”Aguire” and “Shibboleth” round up the work with a touch of classically influenced music so often missing on electronic albums.“Shibboleth” was directly inspired by Doris Salcedo’s installation at The Tate Modern if you were wondering about the strange title! All in all the range of tracks and influences are diverse, yet always consistent, as “The Truth” seeks to give a very personal viewpoint of life as Woolford has lived it. If you get to question him closer you will uncover many more interesting stories that lie behind the music.Woolford is also one of the best DJs on the planet-fact. He plays alongside Fanciulli and Zabiela as one of the weekly residents at We Love Space, Ibiza. This is one of the most high pressure residencies in the world and has further concentrated and honed his DJ skills. This, alongside Erotic Discourse has hugely increased his worldwide profile as he guests at an average of 150 international gigs per year. In fact, after his set to a 20,000 strong crowd at Serbia’s Exit festival this summer Danny Tenaglia gave him the accolade of being his “new favourite DJ”. This rendered Woolford speechless!He won Best Newcomer at the Ibiza dance awards 2007 and in America he supports Deep Dish on tour, whilst in Italy he is regarded as one of our finest exports. “The Truth” is that Woolford is going to go all the way with this album.Tracklist:



01 The Truth

02 Throb

03 Scandal

04 Anatomy of Desire

05 Shibboleth

06 Once Bitten

07 Radioactive

08 Emotional Violence

09 Venom

10 Society

11 Each and Every Time

12 Aguirre

13 Erotic Discourse (Green Velvet re-edit)“Paul Woolford presents Bobby Peru - The Truth” arrives on 2020 Vision on March 3, 2008.References: http://www.beatfactor.net/news/1232/paul-woolford-presents-the-truth.html

The 2 day festival, taking place this year on March 28th and 29th, has always been THE party of the famed annual Winter Music Conference and this year for their 10th anniversary they have once again raised the bar to a new level. MetroWize has the inside scoop and your opportunity to win a pair of tickets to this massive event.As in previous years, headliners for UMF 08 include all of the biggest names in djing and electronica. Day 1 of the event features Tiesto, Carl Cox, Danny Tenaglia, Richie Hawtin, BT, Justice, Rabbit in the Moon, James Zabiela and Deadmau 5. Day 2 features Paul Van Dyk, Armin Van Buuren, Sasha and John Digweed, Benny Bennasi, DJ Dan, David Guetta, Dirty South, Goldie and Fabio among many many more. The stage is certainly set for the biggest electronica dance party in the US.Ultra is no new comer to the massive event. With 10 years under their belt and a list of locations that includes Miami, Ibiza, Brazil, Puerto Rico, New York and other top party destinations, these guys know how to throw a top notch production with the biggest names on the international DJ circuit. In recent years, Ultra has also begun to incorporate live electronica and even more mainstream acts into the mix by bringing in groups like The Cure (last years UMF headliner), The Prodigy, The Killers, Moby, LCD Soundsystem and this year welcoming groups like Justice and Boyz Noise.Tickets to the event ramp up in price as the date draws nearer. Currently you can buy a 2 day General Admission pass for $129 and a VIP pass for $350. UMF 2007 had over 50,000 people in attendance and this year festival promoters expect an even bigger turnout. MetroWize will be there to cover all the madness and we want to bring you with us. Sign up today for your chance to win a 2 day ticket for you and a friend. Winners will be notified via email on March 21st.References: http://www.myspace.com/umf

 In an era where credit is rarely given when due, a lot of today’s so-called “minimal” enthusiasts may not actually be familiar with its creator: it’s near impossible to find anyone who can rival the magnificence and innovation of Robert Hood. With an absolute, visionary state of mind, Hood has been one of the most extraordinary and forward-thinking artists in the history of techno. He’s regarded by some of the biggest names in electronic music as being one of the founding fathers of techno’s development, yet some of the newer faces to minimal are none the wiser.Raised primarily on Motown in Detroit, Robert Hood’s family was enveloped in music: his mother recorded a 45” locally, his uncle managed jazz and R&B bands, his grandmother’s first cousin was Berry Gordy, his father was a jazz musician (piano, drums, and trumpet). Robert followed his father’s footsteps at a young age, picking up trumpet in the school band. But, distracted by youth, it wasn’t long before he swapped the trumpet for vinyl, obsessively focussing on the arrangements, musicality and instrumentation of the records he cherished. His zealous interest in production guided him to a pawn shop, where he picked up some basic equipment and began recording demos. Unable to find someone able to do “some kind of political abstract MCing �” a cross between Chuck D and Q-Tip,” Robert laid down his own lyrics on his productions. Eventually, a fortuitous introduction to a well-connected musician, Mike Clark (a.k.a. Agent X), led to him eventually pass on a demo to a key player in underground Detroit, Mike Banks. Instantly enamoured with his lyrical styling, Mike Banks and Jeff Mills took Robert on board as an MC for 2 tracks on a compilation they were putting together. As Robert’s productions grew stronger, the incomparable Underground Resistance crew formed, putting political outrage to an experimental beat, and Robert found his place as a seminal member, the “Minister of Information.” With UR, Robert forged a path for himself, creating a simple yet powerful sound that fully encompassed the Detroit ethos, but also pushed unparalleled levels of imagination.Many seminal UR releases later, shortly after the X102 project Jeff Mills and Robert decided set up Axis, which was “more of a housey, abstract sound that was different from the experimental techno from UR, and that was different from the Detroit Metroplex and Transmat/KMS sound. It was more of a grounded sound.” Hood & Mills hopped cross-country to NYC in ’92, the home for their brilliant H&M productions together. Robert’s own ground-shattering ‘Minimal Nation’ LP (on Axis) hit the electronic music world with unprecedented explosion �” it is credited today as a turning point for techno. Shortly after, Hood took a step alone, and in an entirely different direction, with M-Plant in 1994.“M-Plant kind of borrowed from the sound I was using from Axis and really expanded on that sound. I had developed this “grey area” sound - what I mean by that is that in Detroit, even when the sun is out, there’s something in the atmosphere. The sky has a grey haze over it. It’s got to be something from the industrial factories there. I’d never really heard a sound like that before and it came from a Roland Juno - it was a chord sound that really went along with my depiction of what Detroit was at that time. A lot of buildings were abandoned and there was a lot of lifelessness in the city, especially downtown. The M-Plant, in minimalism, kind of reflected that. I remember thinking of Detroit like a museum. You know, like a work of art standing still, suspended in time.” �” Robert HoodAnd how does the visionary behind ‘Minimal Nation’ feel about the upsurge of minimal these days, 14 years later? “These days I am focussed purely on minimalism and really embracing minimalism, because it’s taken on a life of its own. It’s now a music style separate from techno. I would never have imagined that it would take this direction. I didn’t see that one coming! I saw minimalism in life becoming more and more evident - in furniture, in electronics, in art, in automobiles, appliances - you know, I could see that coming. But, as far as music itself being thought of now as an art form? Back then, I think people looked on at it as a trend but they didn’t realise that minimalism is an art form. I did not realise it would take on this characteristic as it has now. So, where I’m at right now is embracing minimalism and seeing how far I can push it - in my interpretation of what simplicity and the music is all about. I am really representing it as an art form and not a trend. As the future evolves, we’re going to get more and more minimal…” Robert HoodIt’s no wonder Robert Hood is so easily able to see music as an art form, being a visual artist himself (Robert is also an illustrator, creating pencil, charcoal and graphite renderings). On fabric 39, he wondrously illustrates emotive, scenic and rippling pictures through layered, hypnotic techno blends. The no-nonsense, trend- defying mix doesn’t timidly tiptoe around the obvious; it boldly stomps right through the unfamiliar and unforeseen. Fabric 39 stands equidistant between extremes �” yin and yang, head and feet, up and down, black and white �” indeed, that “grey area” embodied to disc. It is simplified, intelligent music that moves and challenges at a fast, unrelenting pace, imaginatively mimicking the feeling of Detroit itself in all its industrial glory. Robert Hood takes stripped-back minimalism and sets beauty to a beat, pours emotions through hi-hats, sings with undulating rhythms and gives machines a tangible feeling of humanity.“A set from fabric is the only way I want to go. This mix has to be about the club. I’d like it to be dancefloor orientated and to take the listener on a trip. Any project I do, I like to read like a book. I like it to tell a story, you know? Not to just be random songs or tracks. I t has to have continuity to take you on a ride. It should have a concept and be able to translate and read as such. The DJ mix will be enhanced with live elements added to the mix. The live elements are just tracks or patterns, rhythm patterns that will be exclusive to the CD.” �” Robert HoodTracklist: 01. Monobox - Silicone Fingers �” Logistic

02. Element 9

03. Robert Hood �” Who Taught You Math �” Peacefrog

04. Pacou �” X-Factor �” Cache

05. Robert Hood �” Strobe Light �” Music Man/N.E.W.S.

06. Marco Lenzi �” Taboo �” Molecular

07. Joris Voorn �” Fever [Rephrased] �” Keynote

08. Fab G �” Bust The Vibes [Real Disco Mix] �” Grand Prix

09. Dan March �” Sand Dune �” Meta

10. Element 3

11. Diego �” Mind Detergent [Robert Hood Remix] �” Kanzleramt

12. Jeff Mills �” Skin Deep �” Axis

13. Robert Hood �” School �” Music Man/N.E.W.S.

14. Element 23

15. John Thomas �” Mr. Funk �” Logistic

16. DJ Skull �” Informant �” Hypnotic Tones

17. Scorp �” One Side �” Music Man/N.E.W.S.

18. Pacou �” All It Takes �” Cache

19. Phase �” Mass �” N.E.W.S.

20. UK Gold �” Agent Wood [Adam Beyer Remix] �” New Records

21. Solid Decay �” Legalize! - Lessismore

22. Element 7

23. Robert Hood �” Side Effect �” Music Man/N.E.W.S.

24. Mion- Drop The Filter �” Music Man/N.E.W.S.

25. Scorp �” New Energy �” Music Man/N.E.W.S.

26. UK Gold �” Agent Wood [Original Mix] �” New Records

27. Robert Hood �” Still Here [Los Hermanos Remix] �” Music Man/N.E.W.S

28. John Thomas �” Pulp Funktion 2 �” Logistic

29. Robert Hood �” The Greatest Dancer �” M-Plant

30. Low Life �” Exclamation - Mosaic

31. Robert Hood �” And Then We Planned Our Escape �” Music Man/N.E.W.S.

32. Element 12Release Dates: fabricfirst Members: 03/03/08 UK/R.O.W. Retail: 17/03/08 USA: 04/14/08To listen to ‘FABRIC 39′ online visit: http://www.fabriclondon.com/previews/fabric39 (password required)References: http://www.fabriclondon.com