Tuesday 25 October 2011

Plex / Colony / Machine @ Corsica Studios (28th Oct 11)


On Monday we brought you news of a huge line up taking place in Berlin on Friday. Today we switch our attentions back home and have what's probably the biggest techno line up of he year. This Friday London promotions Plex, Colony and Machine join forces for a humongous party at one of our favourite venues, Corsica Studios.

From somewhere, the South London club have magic'd a third room, and it's wall to wall quality across all 3, starting with the main room and Plex celebrating their 5th birthday. Live sets are the order of the day and you can look forward to performances from some SDD favourites in the shape of Ancient Methods and Perc with live support from Neil Landstrumm and Matt Whitehead and DJ support from Dask, Luke Handsfree and James Tec.

Room 2 is Colony with the excellent Andy Stott live, Peverelist and The Village Orchestra (Live) and of course backed up by Colony's own MB & CB.

Finally Room 3 sees Machine complete the line up with a bit of help of UK techno pioneer, Surgeon, and NYC pioneer Adam X makes his first return to London since his UK debut appearance of Traversable Wormhole for us last year at the Hub Club. As if 2 techno legends for 1 room wasn't enough, they'll be supported by Machine mainstays, Ben Sims and Kirk Degiorgio. And all night your heads will be further twisted by visuals by MOX.

As you can probably imagine, with a line up like this, tickets are gone, but fear not as there will be some available on the door. Check out the RA event page to get all the info you'll need on the night.

The set times look like this

22:00-00:00 - Dask
00:00-01:00 - Matt Whitehead - Live
01:00-02:00 - Neil Landstrumm - Live
02:00-03:00 - Luke Handsfree
03:00-04:00 - James Tec
04:00-06:00 - Ancient Methods - Live/DJ
06:00-Close - Perc - Live/DJ

COLONY

22:00-00:00 - Tengui
00:00-01:00 - Andy Stott - Live
01:00-03:00 - Peverelist
03:00-04:00 - TVO - Live
04:00-06:00 - MB & CB

MACHINE

22:00-01:30 - Ben Sims
01:30-03:00 - Adam X
03:00-04:30 - Surgeon
04:30-06:00 - Kirk Degiorgio

More info on all parties involved can be found on their Facebook fan pages

Monday 24 October 2011

Grounded Theory 12 @ Arena Club (28th Oct 11)

The good times, and the great line ups, keep coming for Grounded Theor y. The previous 11 parties have been a veritable who's who of the very best acts in techno. GT11 was held at Horst Krzbrg but for GT12 they're back in more familiar surroundings at Arena Club.

The headliner will require no introductions. Ostgut artist, Berghain resident and head of the Klockworks label, Ben Klock has had quite a year. His name and reputation, as both an artist and a DJ, have been ever expanding worldwide earning him performances at the worlds best clubs and festivals. He's almost becoming a regular fixture in London these days. He's graced our soundsystems a total of four times this year and has been nothing short of monumental every single time.

Joining him will be Ann Amiee and Delsin Records artist, Delta Funktionen. You'll recognise this name too, as well you should. Those who made it to Plex in July or fabric in August will fully understand why we've been keeping such a close eye on the Dutch producer / DJ.

Completing the line up will be a live set from Subjected & Morbeck, under their Vault Series guise and the man behind Grounded Theory, Henning Baer. Fresh from his debut release, on the label he runs with Milton Bradley, K209, we're sure he'll have something up his sleeve to get your toes tapping and your heads bobbing in the very best way imaginable.

The party kicks off at midnight and goes on till.... There's no tickets just so just rock up and pay the, more than, reasonably priced 10 euros on the door. All the other information can be found on the Resident Advisor Event Page.

You can keep tabs on all the latest Grounded Theory movements via their Facebook Fan Page and the same goes for Ben Klock and Delta Funktionen.

Friday 21 October 2011

Weekend Picks: London - Blackest Ever Black @ Basing House and fabric's 12th birthday

Looking at the flyer you be forgiven for thinking that's enough for a club night, but the guys over at BleeD thought otherwise. Going by their Facebook page it seems that the Secret Special Guest is no longer a secret. Turns out that, for the first time since 2006, Regis and Surgeon, aka the British Murder Boys, will be performing a special one off live set.

Basing House is the perfect setting for the party. Small, dark, intimate surroundings with an excellent Funktion 1 soundsystem. The venue plus the new development turns this from a great night out, into a phenomenal night out! Advanced tickets have now gone but there's spaces available on the door. Check out Resident Advisor for all the info.

Our second weekend pick is one of my favourite weekends of the year, fabric's birthday. 30 hours (and probably a few more) of partying in London's best club, listening to some of the worlds best DJs playing on London's best Soundsystem. I'm not going to go through all the names on the flyer, because I'd be here all day.

The techno stand outs are of course Ben Klock and Peter Van Hoesen. Both Ben and Peter have been in scintillating form in the last 12 months, and their most recent ventures to London have resulted in 2 of the best nights out we've had this year.

Tickets were sold out, but fabric have released some more. Head over to the fabric website to see what's still available.

Tuesday 18 October 2011

Mix Of The Day: James Ruskin - CLR Podcast 138 (17th Oct 11)

Chris Liebing has been giving UK Techno a whole lot of love over the last few months. In 2011 the CLR Podcast has featured mixes from up and comers Sigha, Truss and Shifted as well as more established acts like Perc, Tommy Four Seven, Mark Broom and Forward Strategy Group.

For episode 138 it's the turn of probably the biggest name in UK techno, James Ruskin. It's been a great month for the boss of Blueprint Records. First came the incredible party at Cable a few weeks back with truly life changing sets from Marcel Dettmann b2b Ben Klock as well as James himself. Closely followed by the first release of The Fear Ratio (his new collaboration with Mark Broom) came out on Blueprint and now, as all good things come in threes, the CLR Podcast.

You can download the mix from the following links or search for it in iTunes.


Tracklisting

1) Coil Something
2) Thomas Bangalter - Rectum
3) Seda Muerta (Female Remix)
4) Mike Dehnert - Oblique
5) SCB - Overlay
6) Blawan - What You Do With What You Have
7) Mike Dehnert - Plonger
8) Planetary Assault Systems - Bell Blocker
9) Cosmin TRG - Fizik
10) O/V/R - Live In London
11) O/V/R (Version)
12) Autechre - Drane
13) Objeckt - CLK Recovery
14) Planetary Assault Systems - Cold Bolster
15) Pacific Blue - Industry (RRose Remix)
16) SP-X - X-5684
17) Sigha - Let Me In
18) The Fear Ratio - Mas
19) The Fear Ratio - Morning Blues (Plaid Remix)

For more info on James Ruskin you can follow him on Twitter or you can like Blueprint Records on Facebook

Monday 17 October 2011

Video: Dave Clarke - fabric 60

The new fabric cd is out and it's mixed by Dave Clarke. If you're a fabricfirst member, like me, then you'll already have yours. If you're not, then go get yourself a copy right now. If you need a little bit more persuading then help is at hand in the form of a fabric promo video. Check it out below...

The CD is available at all good shops, some rubbish ones and online through the fabric website or from Amazon. You'll find all the tracklisting and album info on the fabric site.

The launch party will be held in the legendary techno bunker that is Room 2, on the 12th November, and Dave Clarke will be joined by Octave One. Tiefschwarz and Tom Trago will be joining Craig Richards in the Main Room and the Room 3 line up is yet to be announced. Tickets are available on Resident Advisor.

Facebookers can 'Like' Dave Clarke's Fan Page and Twitterers can follow him here

Thursday 13 October 2011

Weekend Picks: London - Warm @ Plastic People (14th Oct 11)

Our London pick of the weekend is very simple. Warm, Plastic People and Scuba launching his DJ Kicks Album with a set that's going to last all night long! What more do you need from a Friday night out?

The event will kick off at 10pm and go through till 4am. Advanced tickets are sold out but there will be 100 tickets available on the door. So make sure you get down early to avoid disappointment. Check out the Resident Advisor Event Page for all the info.

The DJ Kicks album will be out on Monday 17th October. You can pre order it from Amazon. But have a look at the DJ Kicks website for the write up and tracklisting for the cd.

Social networking fans will find Scuba on Facebook and Twitter.

Shifted - Telic, Solus, Image/Channel [OCS003]

It's been 6 months since the last release on Our Circula Sound from label owner, Sigha. James Ruskin's remix of 'Politics Of Dying' has probably been one of my favourite tracks of the year. Great memories of Marcel Dettmann dropping it at Cable on Saturday.

For OSC003 Sigha has passed the controls over to Shifted. No stranger to OCS fans of course. He did a fine job remixing 'Over The Edge' on OSC002, an atmospheric , dubby groover. 'Telic' however is a whole different kettle of fish. Faster and more in your face, techno of the highest order but still remaining dark and trippy. 'Solus' almost takes your breath away with it's depth as it builds up the anticipation with euphoric undertones. 'Image/Channel' drones away relentlessly to round off the release making for a great package of 3 very different pieces. Check out the snippets below


The release will be out in November so keep your eye out for it. If you want to see Shifted live in the next few months he'll be performing at our two favourite venues, Berghain on the 29th October and fabric on the 19th November. For more info on these and others including events in Finland and Switzerland head over to his Resident Advisor DJ Page. For everything else you can 'like' him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter. The same goes for Our Circula Sound too (Facebook / Twitter)

Tuesday 11 October 2011

Video: Marcel Dettmann b2b Ben Klock @ Blueprint Records, Cable (8th Oct 11)


Saturday night was the third and final Blueprint Records party of year and it was an absolute belter. I witnessed the full four hours of Marcel Dettmann's back to back set with Ben Klock and i can tell you the first two hours were incredible, the third hour was totally unreal and the last hour was pretty much out of this world. They toyed with our emotions, dropping it deep before launching back even harder.

I've seen both Marcel and Ben play separately over the last few months and, although, all those times, the nights have been quality, something about Saturday was better than almost anything I've heard before. I left feeling thoroughly discombobulated after having my mind systematically taken to pieces by the Berghain residents. I managed to get a video of the two hard at work, but this fails to do the party justice. In hindsight I should of got some of the crowd, but thinking wasn't really an option at the time, with the barrage of beats coming from the Cable soundsystem (which sounded better than I've ever heard it before).

Special mention of course goes to James Ruskin. His first set of the evening set the place up perfectly for what was about to happen, then when Marcel and Ben had finished, James stepped up for another 3 hours to keep the party going right through till 9am.

All in all it was an incredible night and the best Blueprint Records party yet, bring on 2012. I can't wait to see how they're going to top this year!

Friday 7 October 2011

ROD - Mori [Balans 004]

ROD first came to our attention with his 'Malmok' EP on Klockworks. Since then he's featured on the CLR Podcast and performed at a number of parties in his home country of the Netherlands. His next release, 'Mori' comes on Darko Esser's Balans Label and comprises of three stripped back thumpers to pick up the pace of any party. Check out the samples below.




The release is in the shops now, so go get it. For more info on ROD you can check out his Facebook Fan Page. The same goes for Balans also.

We Fear Silence pres Blueprint Records @ Cable (8th October 11)

You shouldn't need me to tell you that tomorrow night at Cable, We Fear Silence will be hosting the next edition of the Blueprint Records parties and it will be featuring three true techno heavyweights.

2011 has already seen two label parties featuring some of the best names in the scene. The last party, in July, was an incredible night. Peter Van Hoesen provided one of the best live sets I've ever seen and utter carnage ensued when DVS1 hit the decks to close out the night. Back in March Surgeon, Luke Slater and O/V/R teamed up with James Ruskin to provide another 'night of your life' moment.

Back to tomorrow, and it's possibly their biggest line up to date. Considered by most to be the biggest names in the business, Marcel Dettmann and Ben Klock epitomise what techno is all about. Unlike some music scenes, there's no hype without substance. These guys deserve their position at the top of the techno tree and have worked their way to the top using nothing but talent. Their legendary residency at techno's best known club, Berghain, has only helped to catapult them to global fame. Taking in sets at clubs and festivals worldwide to spread the word of what they so deeply believe in. For some, techno is a fun distraction from the drudgery of modern day living. For Marcel and Ben, it's a way of life.

The pair will be partaking in a 4 hour b2b set, the like of which should get the hearts fluttering of many a techno fan. I remember the smile on James' face when he told me he'd just confirmed the line up back in July. It's fair to say I was excited too!

Tickets for the night are still available on Resident Advisor, otherwise you can pay on the door. All the info you'll need can be found on the event page too.

For more info on all the parties concerned you can check out the relevant facebook pages

Or if Twitter is your preferred method of social networking you can follow James Ruskin and Blueprint Records. In the mean time WFS caught up with Marcel and Ben for a chat before tomorrow nights party. Here's what they had to say...


You’re known for playing marathon sets of up to 12 hours at Berghain, how do you balance these sets between music that may be seen as leftfield and more club-focused material?

Ben: How do I balance it? I just play what I play when I think it's the right time to play it.

Marcel: In general I don't prepare my DJ sets record by record because I always try to be responsive to the atmosphere of the crowd. Being focused on the moment and then picking the right record is every time a great challenge for me whether it's a marathon or a short set

Although your lineage is in Techno you play everything from house classics right up to present day UK bass music from the likes of Pearson Sound, Scuba and Actress. What producers are you taking notice of at the moment and why?

Ben: I'm definitely more into Techno than Dubstep. It seems to be very fashionable at the moment to say: ‘Oh yeah, I play a lot of Dubstep in my Techno sets.’ The reality is it almost never happens and for good reasons. Where is the fun and the groove in those nerdy self-absorbed tracks? Don't take me too seriously, I just like to provoke a bit. I follow Robert Hood, Planetary Assault Systems, DVS1 and Truncate.

Marcel: There are quite a lot of good producers at the moment who really surprise me so I don't want to point out single names.

Having a respected Techno label like Ostgut Ton backing your sound, what made you decide to start your own label?


Ben: Klockworks has a more raw and stripped down feel - not as ‘epic’ as Ostgut. I wanted to have a, Work In Progress, platform besides Ostgut Ton.

Marcel: It started when I began to work at Hardwax. To get to know the [record] label business better felt very attractive to me and I really liked the fact of being my own boss. So I built up my own label MDR [Marcel Dettmann Records]. The thoughts behind it were - and still are - to provide a platform for friends and their music. Little by little I also released some of my own music. MDR was always meant to be a label with clear statements just focused on music. In connection with that I'm happy to announce that I just signed a new artist Wincent Kunth and there are two other great artists I'm just talking to at the moment.

What can we expect release-wise from you and your respective labels in the near future?

Ben: There is a new DVS1 release coming next month. Really looking forward to playing these tracks from vinyl finally. We [Marcel and I] wanted to work on a new double 12" but we were both too busy with our own projects and traveling this year. We will try to make it next year.

Marcel: The Conducted mix compilation will be released at the beginning of November. My last 12" on Ostgut Ton has just been released and on MDR I will come up with a Wincent Kunth 12" beginning of December. In matters of new things for Deuce [with Shed] or with Ben I hope we can manage something next year.

With such a heavy touring schedule, when was the last time you enjoyed yourself in a club when you weren’t playing?


Ben: That barely happens. I enjoy myself in a club when I play. Work and joy is one thing for me.

Marcel: To be honest I love my job and I can't remember. I'm always on tour and playing every weekend, so when there is a free time slot which I could use for going out I prefer doing other things and spending time with my wife and our friends.

As the Blueprint records night moves ever closer, what can we expect from your 4-hour back to back set with Marcel?


Ben: We'll work our asses off to make it a good night for everyone. And of course expect some dubstep here and there in our set!

Marcel: Let us surprise you.

Thursday 6 October 2011

Dystopian @ Arena, Berlin (7th October 11)

After the huge weekend in Berlin clubland just passed, there's no letting up this week. Dystopian is a party that we have big respect for. Putting together line ups including acts such as Regis, Lucy, Ben Klock, James Ruskin, Redshape, Shed and a few more besides.

In their own words (roughly translated by google) "Dystopian wants to illuminate the harsh, melancholy, dark side of electronic dance music by linking people, things and music with each other". They will hope to achieve this with the help of some more of techno's top names, in the shape of Pfirter, Staffan Linzatti and Don Williams (check out his superb remix of Resoe's 'The Black Void Of Space') all joining the Dystopian resident Rødhåd at one of Berlin's best venues, Arena

For the full info on the event check the Resident Advisor event page. More info on Dystopian can be found on their Facebook Fan Page.