The Chemical Brothers are due to release a double disc “best of” collection this coming September.
Following their fifth consecutive number 1 album last year, the Grammy award winning ‘We Are The Night‘, The Chemical Brothers return with ‘Brotherhood‘ a best of collection with a kick and a twist, set for release on 1st September 2008.The Chemical Brothers have established themselves as true pioneers of electronic music and have become one of the most popular dance acts of all time. Now seems the perfect time to take stock of their seminal output with the double disc celebration that is Brotherhood.Brotherhood comprises of 2 discs, the first is a collection of 13 undeniable benchmark Singles from the band’s immense back catalogue and new track ‘Keep My Composure‘ which features the shimmering flow of Baltimore’s Spank Rock.The 2nd will feature exclusively Electronic Battle Weapons 1-10. Since 1996 Electronic Battle Weapons have acted as the laboratories for The Chems devious musical experiments and laid the rhythmic and melodic foundations for numerous tracks as well as providing some of the duos most formidable mixes. Until now Electronic Battle Weapons 1-9 have only been available on various limited formats and this is the first time they have been widely available.Brotherhood will be preceded by the digital download single Midnight Madness on 4th August 2008. Derived and developed from Electronic Battle Weapons 10, Midnight Madness is The Chemical Brothers at their most infectious, euphoric, report to the dancefloor best.
Tracklisting:
Disc 1
01. Galvanize
02. Hey Boy Hey Girl
03. Block Rockin’ Beats
04. Do It Again
05. Believe
06. Star Guitar
07. Let Forever Be (Feat. Noel Gallagher)
08. Leave Home
09. Keep My Composure (Feat. Spank Rock)
10. Saturate
11. Out Of Control
12. The Golden Path (Feat. The Flaming Lips)
13. Setting Sun (Feat. Noel Gallagher)
14. Chemical BeatsDisc 2
1-10 Electronic Battle WeaponsReferences: http://www.myspace.com/thechemicalbrothers, http://www.residentadvisor.net/
Life after bands: an idea with the most negative of implications. But there is indeed much vibrant life, brimming with heart and soul, left for James Ford and Jas Shaw, collectively known as Simian Mobile Disco. The name for their production/DJing outfit sings ballads about their musical history, from the very first word ” Simian, a psychedelic indie band that had its moment of taking over the world in the early noughties, with Jas on guitar and James keeping time on drums. Simian celebrated two critically acclaimed albums, globe-encompassing tours, working with Brian Eno (on their second album, “We Are Your Friends,” in ’02), even songs being featured in international adverts (most notably in a Peugeot 1007 advertisement) but, like all good things, an end was inescapable.
As a result, perhaps it’s only natural that their eclectic DJ sets often surprise those who expect the electro-heavy sounds of Justice to pour out of the speakers.James: “We’ve always had a sort of ” well, not contrary, but we sort of try to do the opposite…”Jas: “See, that is contrary.”James: “Well in that case, I guess we’ve always been quite contrary. (laughs) Maybe people expect us to play Ed Bangers or distorted electro, but we don’t play any of that stuff. We’ve just been DJing in America and I think, there especially, Justice are doing really well - obviously with our association with them, people expect us to play that sort of music. I suppose we play quite minimal stuff, really stripped-out disco. But that’s just the stuff we’re excited about.”All DJing aside, and considering their music backgrounds, inevitably the duo decided to explore the realms of a live platform. Their blinding (in more ways than one), unpredictable live shows have since become a mainstay on festival stages around the world.Jas: “We actually only intended to do very few live shows. We knew we didn’t want to put a proper live band together, because we’d been down that route with Simian. And although both of us play instruments, we didn’t really feel that represented the record. So the closest thing we could think of is to pretty much build a studio on stage and have loads of room for us to experiment and improvise. Then we kind of realised that people wouldn’t know what we were doing, so we thought we’d get shitloads of lights to make it more interesting for other people to watch.” (laughs)James: “The main thing is that it is actually something organic. We really didn’t want to be behind laptops, we really like old gear ” we like the way it makes you approach making music. We were very keen to have that as part of our live show, so we’ve got old synthesizers and drum machines on there. Really, we’ve made it quite flexible so we can change it every time we do it ” and because we’re mixing it all live as well, there are lots of areas where we can mix it up on the spot. Makes it more tied to a moment I suppose.”Jas: “There are quite a few moments where absolutely nothing is planned, and they don’t always go well! But that’s kind of the beauty of it. Different things are appropriate for different nights: if we’re playing to a bar-type crowd, we’re not going to play tracks really long and stripped-out; we’ll play the shorter, punchier tracks, maybe even more vocal ones. But then quite often we’ll play in a dance venue, like fabric ” and at fabric, you can get away with playing a track for ten minutes. Maybe you only play half the tunes you normally would, but you play them different. We’re not that good of showmen; if we’re bored, we look bored. So at least this way it keeps us on our toes.”Simian Mobile Disco keep all listeners keenly on their toes and, taking a step away from any misguided preconceptions, showcases an exemplary DJ set on FABRICLIVE 41: an arresting, expansive mix that shuffles with 4/4 rarities and gems. At times tough, other times spacey, and riveting throughout, the iridescent collection is an exploratory trip onto a dancefloor commanded by the improvisatory musicians. SMD strips back and lets loose with the thump of Smith N Hack, the disco shine of Metro Area and the proggy sounds of Sisters of Transistors.“We dug through a lot of stuff that’s not very current. With a lot of mix CDs, you do them and you know it’s just going to go out and do its thing, but we always think a fabric mix is something that sticks around a lot longer. We weren’t aiming to make it the most current mix of tunes; of course there will be a few new things but a lot of it is us digging back into our record collections, just the stuff that people may have forgotten about, or that went overlooked.” ” Simian Mobile Disco
Alesis, the world’s leading manufacturer of professional audio equipment and studio electronics, is proud to introduce ProTrack, the world’s first professional handheld digital stereo recorder for iPod.ProTrack provides convenient, direct-to-iPod stereo digital recording to iPod in a portable, handheld form factor. Users can capture live audio anywhere and anytime with their iPod or iPod nano. ProTrack’s smart design integrates the iPod into the recorder, with included sleds to securely mount supported iPod models to the recorder.Two high-quality condenser microphones are built-in, fixed in XY stereo configuration for high quality field recording. ProTrack also offers users a pair of combination XLR - 1/4-inch inputs for connection for external microphones and line sources. When running on plug-in power using the included AC adapter, ProTrack supplies 48V phantom power so that it can power condenser microphones.ProTrack’s exterior contains a Universal Dock for iPod, LED signal indicators, and controls for 48V phantom power, limiter, and volume. Four AAA alkaline batteries provide four to five hours of operation. A threaded mount is integrated for tabletop use on a camera tripod.
The latest offering from Global Underground’s foray into the world of digital exclusives, Digitized 3 is another killer 15 track digital only mix crammed full of exclusives from some of the finest new signings in the world of underground electronic.With tracks from Dark Globe’s epic ‘Future’s Coming’, Patch Park ‘Carbage’, Roland Klinkenberg ‘Dusty Horizon’, Alex Dolby ‘Padzone’ and The Last Atlant ‘1111’, plus tracks from cuttig edge labels from Oosh and Dynami and a kaleidoscope of new talent from GU Music, Digitised 3 reflects once again the dynamic, trail-blazing nature of Global Underground’s inherently independent spirit.
Summer shindig organised by Birmingham club. This year’s line-up of the “biggest and brightest stars of dance music past and present” includes Kanye West, Moby, Mark Ronson, Armin Van Buuren, Tiesto, Roisin Murphy, Robyn, Laurent Garnier, Etienne de Crecy and loads, loads more. As well as 10 arenas of music, there will also be an urban village, chill-out area, fun fair, water slides, cinemas and bungee jumps.MOBY & MARK RONSON TO PERFORM LIVE AT GLOBAL GATHERING
Like symbiosis, like the yin and yang, like your left and right hands, there is something both so free and passionate, yet also so technological, somewhat clinical, even precise and methodical about Luciano’s music which onlookers always suggest is a reaction to him moving from Switzerland to Santiago, Chile when he was about 11 or 12. The suggestion that his music is directly correlated to those worlds colliding is not necessarily obtuse. Some parts minimal, deep techno and scientific electro, some parts southern rhythms and colourful melodies, making the identity of his music especially soulful as it seeps from a more alkaline space. “My father used to fix juke boxes for a living so we had many, many records. A lot of disco, some French music, a lot of the hits, but the good hits! We had a lot of music at home, always. Neither of my parents were musicians but they loved music. My mother gave me a guitar when I was younger, that’s when I first started to get into music. She gave it to me when we first moved to Chile. I was by myself often because I didn’t know many people at the beginning. My father is Swiss and my mother is Chilean. I moved from Switzerland to Santiago, Chile when I was about 11 or 12. Because my mother is Chilean, we already knew the language and we were a little bit used to the culture. Still, everything changed completely �” the rules, everything. But the best time of my life was in Chile for sure; I’ve always felt like Chile’s my home. Chile’s really amazing, it’s a beautiful country. Guitar was a really good outlet so I was playing a lot at that time. In school, we had a band and I played in that. It was kind of like punk music, a little bit, and I was the backup singer and guitar player. I wasn’t really singing, more like shouting.” �” Luciano. 
While Luciano’s collaborations with Ricardo Villalobos, Pier Bucci and Argenix Brito have possibly resulting in some of the techno’s most cherished music and performances, his beginnings promoting Sense Club and Encuentros con la Technocultura in Santiago Chile amongst other local creative initiators like Senor Coconut aka Atom Heart, Washington Miranda, Microman, and more over Dandy Jack & brother Adrian Schopf, became the start of his career.“My beginnings with electronic music were also in Chile. This was through a really close friendship with a guy called Adrian Schopf, the little brother of Martin Schopf, who is also Dandy Jack. Adrian and I knew each other from school and we were super close. We both decided to start DJing, to make little parties in apartments and things like that. Adrian was always speaking about his brother Martin, who had moved to Germany. Martin once came back from Germany after a long time to visit Chile and we decided to do more parties, like inviting people from outside to DJ. At the beginning, electronic parties did not exist! There were parties in apartments and that was about it. At the very beginning when I first started DJing with Adrian, we were playing at rock places, for example, it’d be like �” a half hour of rock music and then two guys playing records and playing electronic music. At the beginning it was really hard because everyone hated it. Everyone would yell for us to get off and it was really difficult. But then things started to really come along, we started doing one party a month and then the club would allow us to do two parties a month, and then it became every weekend and suddenly the clubs started to open. During around ’92, ’93, ’94 up until 2000 was the whole developing of the scene. I started when I was really young. I think I was starting to make my first parties at 16 or 17. I even sometimes had to hide in the toilets, because I was too young! But it was so much fun. Because I was with Adrian and we were both having the same ideas and we were always sharing music. When we got one new record, it’d be fantastic, we’d cherish it. When I first started DJing, I was getting the records I was getting, you know? Records were really difficult to get in Chile. If you compared the price of one record to what people earned in Chile, it was almost impossible to buy a record. And the records were not arriving �” the only records that we were getting there were salsa or meringue or cumbia, South American music. So getting vinyl from Europe was very, very, very, very hard. Basically we were playing the records that everyone was getting, so we played trance �” not trance like today, but old Goa weird trance �” and music between techno and - I don’t know what! (laughs) It was a mixture of everything we could get. The first time we started to really branch off into one particular sound was when we discovered all of the Detroit stuff. I was a big fan of Derrick (May) and all those guys; I’ve known most of them for a long time. They helped to pull me a little bit at the very beginning, a long time ago, putting out some records I did on Transmat. But before that, maybe in ’94, I remember Martin came back from Europe with Ricardo for us to make a party, this was the first time we met. We’ve known each other for a long time now, it’s really nice.” - LucianoHis treasured releases have spanned labels like Cadenza, Mental Groove Records, Transmat, Perlon, Lo-Fi Stereo, Bruchstuecke and Klang Elektronik paving more of a beloved family following, than a collection of fans and peers. People become innately dedicated to Luciano, likening his work to almost friend-like fond memories than just pieces of music or sets in venues the world over. Trying to house the spirit of this, his freedom with symmetry, his minimal swollen with groove, trying to piece that into a mix for fabric 41 was something that Luciano put a great deal of reflective consideration into, to encapsulate and stay true to his own beautiful sound in such compact medium .
“For me, the hardest thing to do is make a mix CD. Really. It was a big decision for me to d a CD for fabric. To me, mixing is about the live moments, it’s about the moment you live with the people: that’s why you choose one record, and this is how you push the music. So to make a mix CD and already have a playlist in my head, it’s something that disturbs me. Then I know I have to play this and that; I feel obliged to do something rather than feeling free to just create something. It was really difficult for me. I always try to think, ‘what music do I like?’ and I try to make something a bit more natural. Not too soft or too thin, and not screaming either, but to mix both together. I try to use also a lot of tools, some elements that I can put in and put out, so it’s more like a composition, but it’s still very tough to make a mix feel right. I took a very dance-approach and I tried to make a sort of crescendo, music-wise. It starts a little bit deeper with fewer elements and slowly it modifies and modulates into something more charged and more rhythmic.” �” Luciano
Meet the most compact family of USB-MIDI controllers ever! Introducing the new Korg nanoSERIES USB powered slim-line controllers - so small you can put them on your workstation, in front of your laptop, on a recording console or anywhere else you need versatile control over your DAW, virtual instrument/effect or DJ software.Three Flavors to Satisfy Your Creative Palette Despite their small size, all three controllers go HUGE when it comes to functionality, yet their intuitive layouts provide extremely easy operation for any user. The nanoKEY features a great-feeling 25-key velocity-sensitive keyboard that’s ideal for song production. The keys can also be set to send MIDI control data, further expanding its power. The nanoPAD features 12 highly responsive trigger pads, also capable of sending both notes and MIDI control data, plus an X-Y pad with roll and flam functions giving you a unique interface for realistic drum programming. The nanoKONTROL offers nine faders, nine knobs and 18 switches plus a full transport section for expansive control; plus it features a note input mode to help you lay down your next big groove!nanoKEY - A Flexible MIDI Keyboard Controller That’s Smaller Than a Laptop Keyboard
When Korg set out to build a slim-line MIDI controller keyboard, they utilized their years of experience in manufacturing innovative MIDI keyboards to create a great-feeling, velocity sensitive keyboard based off a laptop keyboard. The resulting 25-note keyboard on the nanoKEY will transmit your playing dynamics to your software accurately and expressively. In CC (Control Change) MODE, the keys become MIDI controllers, allowing you to control any MIDI assignable parameters within your software.The Octave Shift function offers immediate access to the entire MIDI note range. Pitch and modulation buttons are also provided, giving your performances the kind of expression that you would expect from any controller regardless of its size.With the “KORG KONTROL Editor” (downloadable free of charge from korg.com), you can customize the nanoKEY to match your control needs. It lets you select between three velocity curves or fixed velocity, set MIDI CC values, and even allows you to edit the assignments for the minimum and maximum values of the control change messages transmitted by the modulation buttons or in CC MODE.nanoPAD - A Small Pad Controller That’s Big on Control
When Korg set out to make a drum pad controller, they did their homework - with unique features and exceptionally responsive pads, the resulting padKONTROL became and remains one of the most highly sought-after pad controllers on the market. Enter the nanoPAD, offering 12 excellent feeling and highly responsive pads in a new, smaller footprint. In addition, a new Chord Trigger function lets you enter chords onto a single pad, helping you to make the most of the work surface as you create. The pads are also able to transmit control change messages, making this a great interface for soloing or muting mixer tracks, turning objects on and off, or triggering clips during your live performances.nanoPAD’s X-Y pad offers ‘Roll’ and ‘Flam’ modes, to help you lay down ultra-realistic drum grooves. The X-Y pad will also send MIDI CC (Control Change), making it a go-to interface for any parameter within your software that requires full range MIDI control such as pitch, cutoff, volume and beyond.With the “KORG KONTROL Editor” (downloadable free of charge from the Korg website) you can customize four scenes that address the pads and X-Y pad can be stored within nanoPAD to suit your control needs. That means you actually have access to 48 notes/chords, 60 MIDI controllers, or any combination of the two types of data at any given time. Also, select one of three velocity curves or a fixed velocity to tailor the nanoPAD to your touch.nanoKONTROL ” The Most Expansive Array of Controls For Its Size ” PeriodThe nanoKONTROL features a plethora of controllers to help you get the most control out of your software for the size and money. nanoKONTROL offers nine faders, nine knobs, 18 switches and a full transport section. For each of the four programmable scenes the nanoKONTROL offers, you can set the controllers any way you need them. That means that you can transmit a total of 168 different MIDI CC (Control Change) messages, as well as MIDI notes with the switches. The six transport buttons can each transmit either MIDI CC messages or MMC messages to control functions such as: start, stop, loop, or record on your DAW software.Imagine taking full control of your software ” transport, a full track’s worth of faders, pans and mutes - or how about precise dedicated control over the many parameters of software synths, samplers or virtual drum machines. It’s all possible with the nanoKONTROL.To add to the nanoKONTROL’s flexibility, an attack and decay time can be specified for the eighteen switches. This allows you to smoothly feed controller messages into parameters such as wet/dry levels for an effect, a filter for a synth, or a volume fader for that perfect fade.By using the “KORG KONTROL Editor” (downloadable free of charge from the Korg website) you can customize the nanoKONTROL to your fit your control needs. It offers full access to the entire control surface for each of the four available scenes.What’s a Controller Without Software?Even if the Korg nano Series controllers are your first foray into MIDI control, you can rest assured that you’ll be able to get connected to software quickly. As an added value, the nanoKEY includes a download code for the full version of Korg’s M1Le, which faithfully recreates the legendary Korg M1 workstation. Plus, an upgrade path will let you graduate to the Legacy DIGITAL EDITION software suite, which has an even more expansive version of the M1, the renowned WaveStation and 19 great MDEX effects. The nanoPAD comes complete with a download code for Toontrack’s EZDrummer Lite, offering super-realistic, highly responsive drums in a convenient plug in, plus you can upgrade to the full version of EZDrummer for a special price. The nanoKONTROL includes a discount coupon for Ableton Live LE software. What’s more; a free downloadable Editor/Librarian will help you create setups to suit your specific control needs in all three models.
Acclaimed by top producers and DJs alike, Alex Dolby’s output has been causing major waves on the electronic scene since 2003, when “Psiko Garden”, the 1st release (included in its original form on the album) caught the attention and support of heavily influential international DJs, such as Radio 1’s DJ Pete Tong and Fluke DJs.Alex’s eagerly anticipated second release ‘Hazy Way’ (also featured), which Pete Tong called ’the best classic progressive house track of 2003’, furthered his reputation as one of Europe’s most talented production DJs, leading to the Evil 9 remix winning ‘Best Remix Of The Year’ at the ‘05 ‘Breakspoll Awards’, and to Alex’s hero progressive house DJ Hernan Cattaneo, making Alex Dolby his ‘one to watch’. ‘Hazy Way’ has become one of the most heavily sampled vocals of 2008 so far, and looks set for continued acclaim.Today, Alex Dolby enjoys the major support from the heaviest hitters in the scene, from John Digweed to Steve Lawler, Pete Tong, Satoshi Tomiie, Anthony Pappa, Hernan Cattaneo and John Acquaviva.With the most recent single release ‘Ushuaia’ included, Psiko Garden encompasses the very best of the Italian outfit’s production, and continues GU Music’s strong affiliation and support of this most exciting young producer/DJ.
“End Titles ” Stories for Film” is a collection of eclectic recordings from UNKLE and various collaborators that were inspired by the moving image in the last two years since “War Stories” was recorded.. It will be released on August 4th on Surrender All ” the all encompassing label/studio/music company co-founded by James Lavelle. The current UNKLE line up comprises of James Lavelle and Pablo Clements.This pioneering act are never prepared to stagnate or run out of fresh ideas about musical styles and collaborations, and so have teamed up with some of today’s most exciting and cutting edge acts within this album, including Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), Black Mountain, Gavin Clark, Joel Cadbury (South) James Petralli from White Denim, Chris Goss (Masters of Reality, Queen of the Stone Age) , Dave Bateman, James Griffith (from UNKLE’s touring band), and Aidan LavelleAs well as bands and artists, UNKLE have always chosen to work with some of the most directional and avant garde film makers in recent years, and have become known for their inspired marriage of audio and visuals. From their cult music videos, like the Jonathan Glazer-directed video for ‘Rabbit in Your Headlights’, to their mesmerising visuals at live shows, Lavelle and co. are masters of using the two media together to dramatic effect.Highlights on this new release include ‘Heaven’ and ‘Blade in the Back’ which features on Spike Jonze’ skate video ‘Fully Flared’, as well as being the opening and closing title tracks from ‘Odyssey in Rome’, the Alex Grazioli documentary about celebrated director Abel Ferrera, for which UNKLE provided the entire soundtrack. The album also covers collaborations with Warren du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones who they worked with on the artwork for ‘War Stories’. Other tracks are collaborations with Philip Sheppard who recently scored the movie ‘In The Shadow of the Moon’, as well as pieces of music created in their Surrender All studio, just by James and Pablo themselves.Compiling this collection has been a liberating experience for Lavelle; ‘’it covers a much wider range of influences than an album, like “War Stories”, which has a particular focus. There is room for everything in this kind of collection, from classical all the way to beat-driven instrumentals and electronic rock.’’To celebrate their return, UNKLE will take this album on the road for an extensive word tour later this year, which will include a headline slot in the dance tent at Glastonbury, as well as a one off spectacular Somerset House show on 12th July. In addition to a set packed with classic UNKLE songs, fans can expect a special, upfront live taste of brand new material taken from the forthcoming studio album, out in 2009.
Spain’s annual progressive music and arts festival returns to Barcelona for three-days of cutting-edge technology, interactive exhibitions and emerging music. It is the place to be for switched-on music fans, radical artists and influential movers of the modern arts.During the day there is over 300 activities including concerts, films, installations and DJ sets before the event morphs into a Mediterranean Mecca for clubbers with a selection of DJs, VJs and shows that explore all of dance music’s connotations across four simultaneous stages.
For more info on ticket bookings, maps and airline tickets please visit: 