technasia - central

Central is the first new album from Technasia in five years, it took a year in the making and is set to become one of the musical highlights of 2010.

Taking its name from the Hong Kong metro system Central is essentially a journey through the senses that at times is both refreshing and familiar, while in places downright comforting.

The ride also has its moments of austerity and darkness as any journey would and as a result Central works on an instant aural level as well as a deeper emotional level. It is very different to its contemporaries because it is designed to get under your skin.

Central takes the listener into a musical universe that whisks them from the beautiful and peaceful midnight cityscapes (Music To Watch The City Lights Late At Night) to incredible Balearic sunsets (Tu Isla) and into the stark dark bowels of underground clubland, possibly somewhere just outside Chicago (Aries).

There is indeed a melodic soul to Central that raises it above others, the album not only transcends trends as it is designed to do, but also transcends the boundaries of electronic music, making it an album that is instantly accessible even to those who do not specifically follow the electronic genre.

Technasia mainstay Charles Siegling says:

“I deliberately avoided writing a record to reflect the current scene, I wanted to do something that would last, to simply compose music the way I want to, and to reflect my different musical tastes. After a year of hard work I’m very
pleased – I have achieved everything I set out to do.”

An excellent achievement.

Technasia – Central is released on Technasia Records on May 31st.

TECHNASIA TOUR DATES:

APRIL
17 HOT HOUSE OF TECHNO @TRIANGLE, ST. VITH, BELGIUM
30 NITSA, BARCELONA, SPAIN

MAY
07 INOX ELECTRONIC FESTIVAL, TOULOUSE, FRANCE
08 DOLLYSSEUS, NICE, FRANCE
15 BETA CLUB, LA CORUNA, SPAIN
22 BCM, PALMA DE MALLORCA, SPAIN
28 ROMY S. STUTTGART, GERMANY
29 THE STIFF KITTEN, BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND, UK

For further information visit the Technasia website.

integer EP

Giorgos Gatzigristos has released his latest offering on the Outside the Box label, an excellent three track EP called Integer that draws inspiration from the modern techno sound but with a distinctive atmospheric edge.

The Integer EP follows the inclusion of two of Gatzigristos’ tracks on the latest Bedrock Eleven LP, where Binary Star System and Pencils For The Weak can be found.

After releasing his first EP on Darko Esser and Ger Laning’s Wolfkuil Records in 2004, Giorgos Gatzigristos signed with Kompakt’s K2 and released
three records with that influential label.

He has been on a roll ever since, releasing music on Channels Music, Snejl Records and John Digweed’s Bedrock label. His work with the Manual Music family has seen him perform with the Manual Orchestra in Amsterdam and Gatzigristos is also responsible for some of their finest releases to date including Ronin, which was favoured by Sasha.

Tracklisting for Integer EP from Giorgos Gatzigristos
1. Latent Presence
2. Mutila
3. Integer
(Outside The Box) OTB028
Beatport Release: 26/11/09

Below is a list of the ‘Top Ten’ tracks for November 2009 as selected by Giorgos Gatzigristos:

Giorgos Gatzigristos – November 2009 Chart

1) Furrr & Hazendonk – Rrrhythm – Melomane
2) Giorgos Gatzigristos – Binary Star System – Bedrock
3) Pole Folder – Hate Myself (Sasha Intrumental Mix) – La Tour
4) Adam Beyer & Par Grindvink – Seq 3 Zoetrope – Drumcode
5) Guido Schneider Meets Jens Bond – Eijeijei – High Grade
6) Piet van Dongen – Firewoods with Strings  0.9c – Manual Music
7) Levon Vincent – Late Night Jam – stgut Ton
Applescal – Avoiding Mental Lazyness  (Russian Linesman rmx) – Manual Music
9) Giorgos Gatzigristos – Latent Presence – Outside The Box
10) Information Ghetto – How To Build A Brain (Xpansul Remix) – StolenMoments

For more information visit the Giorgos Gatzigristos website.

Vladislav Delay – Toive

Sasu Ripatti will be in the UK for a rare Vladislav Delay appearance on November 12, at London’s Union Chapel. Joined by Argentinian musician Lucio Capece (who also plays bass saxophone and clarinet on Tummaa), the show is co-headlined by British/Norwegian jazz outfit Food (Rune Grammofon).

Eyebrow, comprised of Pete Judge (Get The Blessing) on trumpet and Paul Wigens (ex-Blurt) on drums, have now been confirmed as support for the show.

Thursday 12 November
Union Chapel, LONDON (with Food & Eyebrow)
Compton Terrace, N1 2UN
Doors 7pm
Tickets £15 adv
http://www.jointhecircle.net

M.A.N.D.Y

M.A.N.D.Y make their debut Renaissance appearance on this latest Mix Collection, joining an elite roster of artists who have gone before them.

Heading up the Get Physical label, DJing, producing or compiling mix collections Patrick and Philipp – aka M.A.N.D.Y – are among the finest and most exciting pioneers of electronic music around right now.

The pair have built a reputation for delivering quality, eclecticism and the damn right weird and wonderful, be it at club appearances or on their record releases, a trend that is set to continue with their brilliant and eagerly anticipated Renaissance Mix Collection.

“Eclecticism has always been the key to our approach in selecting tracks for our compilations and the broad brief of ‘The Mix Collection’ enabled us to carry on this way. It’s never an easy process and, as with all our mix comps, this was chosen, edited and produced with blood, sweat, tears as well as a lot of fun and love!”

Eclectic, the album certainly is, Patrick and Philipp have managed to squeeze a massive 44 tracks over the two discs into a beautiful hybrid that flawlessly blends and balances tempos, genres, moods and emotion.

‘Upside Down’ (Disc One) kicks things off and, although it may be the more relaxed mix of the pair, remains true to its audio rollercoaster promise. Be it the ambient intro of Shed and dOP; their own ‘Full Off…’ (a production recorded exclusively for the comp’); the impeccably sequenced mid-section that fuses Lopazz, Sebastien Tellier and Bronnt Industries, or the finale of Schneider TM & Kpt-michi-gan’s Smiths cover – ‘The Light 3000′, this is a body of music that delivers throughout its 70 minutes.

‘Downside Up’ (Disc 2) puts on its dancing shoes, snatches the baton and picks-up the pace, transporting the listener further into M.A.N.D.Y.’s unique musical world. It’s a constantly shifting, yet perfectly poised landscape crafted out of the 27 records that comprise the disc.

Key names such as Peter Kruder, Chromeo, DJ Koze, Martin Buttrich, Felix Da Housecat and Ben Watt rub shoulders before giving way to the inspired inclusion of seminal Miami Bass classic, the aptly titled ‘Bass Generator’. Keen to underline the entire album’s cohesive diversity, things come to fitting close with The Black Dog giving way to the cheeky use of the piano riff from Radio Slave’s take on Hell and P Diddy’s ‘The DJ’ and bonus track ‘What It’s For’ by friends and Get Physical regulars, The Junior Boys.

The Mix Collection by M.A.N.D.Y is released on October 26th.

M.A.N.D.Y Dates:

October 31.10.09 – L.A. sports arena, Los Angeles (CA)

November
05.11.09 – Club 101, El Paso (MX) Philipp
06.11.09 – Escenica, Monterrey (MX) Philipp
06.11.09 – Studio, Würzburg (DE) Patrick
07.11.09 – Moroccos, Juarez (MX) Philipp
14.11.09 – Desertica Festival, Parque Vicente Guerrero, Mexicali (MX)
17.11.09 – Flex, Wien (AT) Patrick
28.11.09 – Get Physical@Cable, London (GB) Patrick

Lokai: Transition

I recently spoke to a colleague who told me about a minimalist play she had been to see, which included a period of action where an actor made herself sick onstage.  The question that naturally arose was as to the validity of such artistic licence, and where the line can be drawn between innovation for originality’s sake and innovation for the sake of artistic expression.

As undoubtedly open-minded music fans are to innovation, there is a line between what can be found interesting and what can be found listenable. I won’t – I couldn’t – try and draw that subjective line, but it is the question that continually strikes me the more minimalist and conceptual the recordings I am confronted with become.

And it is similarly the question when listening to Lokai’s second album Transition. What is undoubtedly an exploratory, descriptive, inventive piece of music is not an initially trying listen, but one that is exclusively enjoyable when approached from a critical, close listen, through headphones, in a dark room or whatever works for you.

The duo of Florian Kmet and Stefan Nemeth, having now moved into a rehearsal space of their own in an airy, light room in an old part of Vienna, are certainly conscious of the conceptual, artistic direction of their work, emphasising this more than the listening experience. Lokai describe the layering and structural building of the tracks on Transition as “a scaffold, [within] which … other, more complex structures, are suspended”, and then equally as “a panoramic view”.

The idea of a harmonious whole, formed from many, not immediately apparent intricacies is certainly reflected in their composition technique and the nine tracks of Transition. Equally, the recording process, unlimited by deadlines or by the need to move linearly from composition to production to mastering provided them with the opportunity to indulge in such detail.

Pulsing rhythms, best characterised by both ‘Roads’ and ‘Roads (Reprise)’, come from found sources such as the body of an acoustic guitar or the clinking of the heating system and form a metallic structure over which are draped soft, elusive and slow-building melodies.  Another album highlight, ‘Volver’, is cold and isolated, whilst suggesting harmony and contentedness.

More minimalistic are ‘Glimmer’ and ‘Bruit’, the names providing a decent indicator of their content, but these are perhaps not the parts of Transition that withstand separation from the context of the album. For whilst Lokai may find it hard to truly cross the barrier into the immediately gripping, it is without doubt a beautiful, descriptive work which wonderfully suits the form of the album which will reward close listeners with moments of truly brilliant detailed pieces of music and a whole album with the same rewards of studying the panorama of a landscape.

Vladislav Delay to play Union Chapel, London

Vladislav Delay (aka Sasu Ripatti) has announced a rare London show at The Union Chapel on 12th November. The performance will be a co-headline with British/Norwegian jazz outfit Food.

The Finnish musician (electronics/live percussion) will be joined by Argentinian Lucio Capece (bass saxophone/clarinet) who features on Vladislav Delay’s new album, and first for Leaf, Tummaa (to be released on 7th September).

It has been a busy summer for Sasu Ripatti. As well as European shows under the guise of Luomo and Uusitalo, Ripatti has been playing shows with his partner Antye Greie as AGF/Delay and as a part of the Moritz von Oswald Trio, who released debut album Vertical Ascent (Honest Jon’s) in June.

Moritz von Oswald Trio will make their UK live debut at Fabric on Saturday 26th September.

Vladislav Delay has also been named ‘Artist in Focus‘ at this year’s Dis-Patch festival in Belgrade, Serbia, which runs from October 23 – November 8th.

See all of Sasu Ripatti’s shows at www.vladislavdelay.com

Vladislav Delay will only play one live UK date this year:

Thursday 12 November
Union Chapel, London (with Food)
Compton Terrace, N1 2UN
Doors 7pm
Tickets £15 adv

For more information on Vladisalv Delay visit www.myspace.com/vladislavdelaymusic and
www.theleaflabel.com/vladislavdelay

music for astronauts and cosmonauts

A unique audio visual experience is promised to fans of film and electronic music at London’s BFI Southbank venue on Friday July 17 2009, starting at 11pm.

Film director Jake Martin of Zik Zak Filmworks/Blacksheep Films, will present a very special UK premiere of his stunning new high definition experimental film work ‘Music For Astronauts and Cosmonauts’,  that acts as a kind of visual poem for the album of the same name created by producer and artist Howie B and Icelandic artist Húbert Nói.

Music for Astronauts and Cosmonauts is a real time soundtrack, organised into 4 tracks, Morning, Day, Evening, Night, and running for 90 minutes.  This is the time it takes to experience a full Earth orbit. Filmmaker Jake Martin has carefully created an ambient collage of some of the most amazing films from NASA’s collection to mirror Howie and Hubert’s pulsing, mesmerising electronica.

This late night screening will follow a presentation of Stanley Kubrick’s  classic sci-fi voyage, 2001: A Space Oddesey, making for a truly cosmic experience.

BFI’s brand new audiovisual club event, Dark Fibre will continue the lunar theme with live AV performances late into the night.

Lindstrom & Prins Thomas II

This is the second time that Lindstrøm and Prins Thomas have collaborated, the first being three years ago for Eskimo Records’ debut release. The two Norwegians, both of whom are at the forefront of the leftfield dance scene, come at their music from different angles – Lindstrøm is a multi-instrumentalist whilst Prins Thomas is more of a DJ, and the music they create together occupies that space between the two – electronica blends with live instruments; live instruments take on the qualities of digital music.

The album opener ‘Cisco’ builds slowly, a relaxed tribal feel reflecting the shuffling rhythms and calm growth of the synths, which never quite tip this slow-burning and sturdy piece of electronica into a bursting piece of glam-influenced electro. This has two effects, both keeping the subtlety that their music is known for whilst giving the impression of something somehow anti-climactic.

This is the difficulty for much of Lindstrøm and Prins Thomas II, which has glimpses of brilliance in its use of loose patterns, hypnotic repetitions, gentle electronics and flashes of melody, but which can all too easily fall by the wayside when the album is played in the background. When this is the case, it becomes nothing more than lift music, and you can almost feel yourself rocking on your feet and looking around at anything but the person next to you.

Turn it up a little though, and it is almost impossible not to be sucked into the musical journey of each of the tracks, which extend at times to thirteen minutes. Here, the evolution of sounds absorbs the listener and it is possible to distinguish several layers going onother than the overall impression, all familiar and at once always new to the ear.

Equally, the whole album is a journey. The meandering (almost directionless), piano-led ‘For Ett Slikk Og Ingenting’ emerges seamlessly from the much more urgent ‘Rothaus’. The glitchy ‘Rett På’ (think Junior Boys or Four Tet on Everything Ecstatic) fades out and into the ethereal beginning of ‘Skal Vi Prøve Nå?’, in which, as on various points of the album, subdued aspects of disco and glam seep into the production.

It is this track, along with ‘Rett På’, when this collaboration is at its best. Glitchy like subdued disco, there is no risk of these ever being played in a lift to aggravate your awkwardness, or down the phone as you get more and more annoyed. Unlike, perhaps, the duller areas of this second album from Lindstrøm and Prins Thomas.

Visit Eskimo Recordings here and listen to Lindstrøm and Prins Thomas’s music on their MySpace here.

Jon Hopkins: Insides

Jon Hopkins’ rise to fame has occurred largely to his extensive work on Coldplay’s most recent record Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends. His current single ‘Light Through Veins’ went on to be used on Coldplay’s single  ‘Life In Technicolor’, whilst he co-produced various other parts of their album.

Along with producing he creates a lot of electronic compositions, incorporating elements of piano, his primary instrument. Insides is his third album, and first for Double Six records.

It is a work of electronica that is made with the meticulousness of a classical composer, and in fact Jon Hopkins was a classically trained pianist at the Royal Academy of Music before going on to become a bedroom dance music obsessive. Each element on Insides is carefully placed for maximum effect, and the album works like an opus, with areas of light and dark, of abrasiveness and calm permeating the ten tracks.

Insides is a purist’s piece of work, too. Featuring no vocal samples, it plays with heavy, aggressive bass rumbles contrasted against ethereal piano parts (‘Insides’ and ‘Autumn Hill’); it features languishing, drawn-out synths against the blips of electronica (‘Vessels’). Certain tracks are ambient (opener ‘The Wider Sun’), whilst others are like the electronics for some kind of epic stadium rock band ( ‘Wire’).

Some even take more from the drum and bass scene than the kind of Four Tet/Boards Of Canada groups you would class as among his contemporaries. ‘Colour Eye’, for instance, has relentless, pumping, fast-paced beats. On ‘The Low Places’ and ’A Drifting Up’, it is most obvious that there is an affiliation with Boards of Canada’s trippy electronica.

All of it is the work of a precocious talent, and you can see why Hopkins has been enlisted by such a big group as Coldplay to add his expertise to their songs. He has also worked with King Creosote, and it was when working with him that he was inspired to create this new album.

It is odd hearing ‘Light Through Veins’ without the entry of Chris Martin and the gang, and this is the only sticking point on Insides, an album which is so accomplished that it is hard to believe he is still so unknown as a solo artist.

Here is Jon Hopkins’ MySpace.

Jon Hopkins' new single: Light Through The Veins

Jon Hopkins’ new single Light Through The Veins is the first from his new album Insides – his first in four years and his first on Double Six records, a branch of Domino.

‘Light Through The Veins’ comes in at nine minutes. It is an epic piece of electronica, one which Coldplay were so taken with on hearing it that they used a reworked version on their latest album Viva La Vida and got Jon Hopkins to open for them on the final six months of their tour.

If their endorsement isn’t enough, then you can add mine to it, too. The opening of ‘Light Through The Veins’ is appropriately evocative of flashing lights or the pulsing and rushing of blood through the veins.

The crescendo isn’t rushed though, and the sense of anticipation that builds through the track leads to the unbearable expectation of an ecstatic, climactic peak, not followed by an explosion, however, but by the continuation of this peak, the track becoming a hypnotic and trance-like groove before finally relaxing into a melodic piece of ambient electronica.

‘Light Through The Veins’ is an exciting and beautiful release from Jon Hopkins and foreshadows a great new album, Insides.

‘Light Through The Veins’ will be released on 12” Vinyl and as a digital download on April 27th.
Jon Hopkins will be playing on May 15th in London at the Roundhouse (Short Circuit, A Taste Of Sonar/Erol Alkan Presents Disco 3000, with Moderat, Roland Olbeter and Tim Exile) and on the 26th at Dingwalls as a headline show.

Visit his website here and his MySpace here.