'all things end things' greencarpetedstairs

um…
my name is neil i make jams.
i live in denver.
im in a band called swimming with models. with tranothot an oilcanharriE.
ive worked with gutter snipes crew, morbidly o beats, tranothot, oilcanhariE, nastynasty, pictureplane, micheal nhat, walter gross, id and sleeper, sole, hologramz, strange powers, hideous men, the birdseed collective and paper lanterns collective.
i like meat loaf and anticon and most of all sade.
i think the last good year for the radio was 1996.

Guy J

Guy J is a young, much-in-demand, innovative producer, DJ and live act, whose infectious production talents, busy worldwide touring schedule, electric live shows and groundbreaking debut album on Bedrock (released in 2008) have all led to this point and the creation of his stunning new masterpiece: 1000 Words.

Along with a handful of his fellow countrymen, this young Israeli (now based in Antwerp, Belgium) is now at the forefront of a movement towards the melody-rich and emotionally charged roots of the house music spectrum. 1000 Words, spread over 3 CDs on John Digweed’s forward thinking Bedrock label showcases the extraordinary talents of Guy J.

His productions have constantly earned praise and gained many fans for their tight, driving beats, shimmering, warm synths and blossoming, journey like arrangements. Across 3 CDs he is given the space to explore the exciting, timeless space between ambient, experimental electronica, house, techno and beyond. Throughout, he constantly maintains a melodic and highly emotive core, creating a body of work structured and presented in a highly creative way.

CD1 gives a nod to classical composition, taking the form of a series of movements, as Guy J mixes, segues and joins the dots between individual tracks to create an end result that is greater than the sum of all its parts. Opening with a swirl of muted bells and atmospheric pads, the lush opening 3-track sequence is concluded with the gorgeous, heavenly vocals of Miriam Vaga.

Just when you think you know what’s coming next, the soaring, melodic shower of “Fall Star”, Guy J lets the spirit of the Mad Professor into the studio and spins into a fizzing dub experiment (“The Right Place”), before getting horizontal and beatless with the melancholy beauty of “My Organ Friend”, to draw the second movement to a close.

“Spica” wouldn’t be out of place on the Bladerunner movie soundtrack, as it cuts to the pulsating disco swing of “Electric Tale” with a nod to Giorgio Moroder and morphs and breaks down into the spiralling, ecstatic chords of “Lamur”, before flowing into the distant storm of a perfect sunrise moment (“I Lost My Head”). The majestic beats reprise of “Stay Cow” and the stunning finale of “Fly” (once gain featuring Miriam Vaga), bring to a close what can only be described as a listening experience that has been heaven sent.

Imagine being able to create your perfect DJ set; having the skill as an artist to create all the music you want to play; all the subtle emotional nuances, mood swings and changes of direction at your fingertips. CD2 is packed with expansive dancefloor creations. In classic Guy J fashion this is a musically dense and diverse trip that is as dynamic as it is organic, gradually progressing, turning up the pressure, keeping you hanging on until the very last drop has poured out of the speakers!

From the deep, swinging, handclapping grooves of the opening sequence of “Doves”, “Limbo” and “Easy Can Be”, with their subtle, uplifting, intelligent beauty, this is a true journey by DJ, a master artist at work. As the mood moves towards the deep, throbbing intensity with lights down low (“My Thought Of You”, “Sahara” and “Teva”), it’s easy to become lost in the swirling electronic music as Guy J pushes emotion buttons, exploring the psyche of the dance, exploring possibilities, forging ahead into the future.

The full-length club mixes gathered on the unmixed CD3 rounds of this superb package in style, dedicated to bringing any self-respecting DJ’s record collection up to speed with a selection of some of Guy J’s finest moments from 1000 Words.

From the majestic opening notes of “Doves”, he first explores deep house vibes with an opening trio of low-slung grooves sprinkled with melodic flourishes, Detroit techno influences and dub drops. “My Thought Of You” turns up the energy levels and gets a little twisted, alongside “Teva” exhibiting no nonsense big room floor pressure.

“Sahara” lightens the mood with ethereal beauty, while the stunning, gorgeous voice of Miriam Vaga will prove to be a highlight in any set anywhere. The heavenly atmospherics of Detroit techno bring CD3 to a close with the moody magnificence of “Azimuth”, which is preceded by the pure melodic beauty of “I Lost My Head” and energetic techno styling of “Heliscope”, showing that Guy J is one of the stand-out electronic artists in the world today.

1000 Words – Tracklisting:

CD1 – Mixed
1.Intro
2.Moderate
3.Guy J & Miriam Vaga – You
4.Fall Star (Rising Mix)
5.The Right Place
6.My Organ Friend
7.Spica
8.Electric Tale
9.Lamur
10.I Lost My Head (AM Mix)
11.Stay Cow
12.Guy J & Miriam Vaga – Fly

CD2 – Mixed
1.Intro
2.Doves
3.Limbo
4.Easy As Can Be
5.My Thought Of You
6.Sahara
7.Teva
8.Guy J & Miriam Vaga – No Under But You
9.Heliscope
10.Personal Haze
11.Azimuth
12.I Lost My Head (PM Mix)
13.Whirlpool

CD3 – Unmixed – Full-Length Club Mixes
1.Doves
2.Limbo
3.Easy As Can Be
4.My Thought Of You
5.Sahara
6.Teva
7.Guy J & Miriam Vaga – No Under But You
8.Heliscope
9.Personal Haze
10. I Lost My Head
11.Azimuth

guy j - 1000words

Guy J
1000 Words
(Bedrock) BEDGJ002
3 x CD LP
Release: 25/04/11

Guy J Tour Dates:

15 April   India TBC
16 April   India TBC
21 April   Bedrock @ Arcadia, London
23 April   Bedrock @ Arches, Glasgow
29 April   Bedrock, Tel Aviv TBC
30 April   Noize, Falsterbo
14 May    H2O, Mexico City
21 May    The Proud Bird, Los Angeles
12 June   Cafe D’Anvers, Antwerp
25 June   Boat Party, London

Drugg debut release, Shackled

Experimental duo, Drugg release their debut 12″ vinyl and digital download, Shackled on through Less Music label.

In a London garage, long time collaborators and childhood friends Tom Hanley (Vox/Sounds) and Max Whatley (Drums), collude to create electronic duo Drugg, who are set to release their debut EP Shackled in March 2011, through independent label Less Music. The esoteric imprint from the trio of This Is Music, More Music & Less Music, Less Music’s debut release came by way of dubstep innovator Shackleton, with his ‘Wizards In Dub’.

Drugg - Shackled by This Is Music

Drugg, bestowed with a background in experimental noise create multi-layered electronica, moving effortlessly from dance, to glitchy minimalism and soundscape beats. The addition of vocals and live drums lift the music beyond other electronica, with nods to both new wave and new pop vocal stylings, and the original post-rock innovators, such as Disco Inferno and Bark Psychosis. The EP has already been championed by Berlin based minimalist dub DJ and producer Pole, aka Stefan Betke. Upon hearing the record, he instantly offered up his services to remix In Those Found Times and to master the whole EP.

Conjointly in a side project called Thanks with Joni from Visions of Trees, who provide the second remix, Hanley was initially influenced by a juvenile passion to emulate DJ Premier and DJ Shadow, before growing tired of creating instrumental music and began experimenting with vocals. Further influences include Group Inerane, Group Doueh, Steve Reich, Phillip Glass, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr and newer beat artists such as Flying Lotus and MF Doom.

With a few live shows under their belt, that were mostly improvised and more reminiscent of Hanley’s early work in Thanks, Drugg aim to further develop a live set up for 2011 that will combine both compositions and live improvisation.

Shackled by Drugg is due for release on 7th March 2011.

Technasia - Force 10th Anniversary issue

When the classic Technasia track Force was released way back in April 2000, how many of us would have thought that track would be as popular ten years down the line as it was on the millennium dance floor.

This summer Technasia launched a competition in conjunction with Whatpeopleplay.com inviting young and upcoming DJ’s around the world to come up with their own unique take on the classic track Force via the medium of the remix.

The results were astounding, like a fine wine the track just improves with age,  of course the latest technology also helps a little too.

The ultimate prize for the competition entrants was to have their personal remix included on the tenth anniversary release of Force.  The five track compilation was released to critical acclaim at the end of the summer and the remixes are almost certainly being played at a club near you as we write.

The Whatpeopleplay.com remix competition winner Zadig hails from the French capital of Paris, his version of Force is described as elegant and completely redesigned.

In second place was Matt Star & Michael Peter and in third Petkovski, their respective visionary remixes of the classic track are described as delicate yet bursting with vitality.

The Technasia compilation is completed by the reworking from hotly tipped Catalan talent Dosem who delivers a 2010 style funky remix that is sure to cause mayhem on the dance floor. Marc Romboy makes up the numbers with his dark and acidic techno remix.

Feedback from the top DJs around the globe has been excellent for the ’stars’ who have contributed to this tenth anniversary release of Force, with each of the contributors earning praise for their particular versions, but particular favour towards the Dosem mix.

Artist: TECHNASIA
Title: Force 10th Anniversary Remix Contest with Whatpeopleplay.com
Label: Technasia
Cat #: TA05RMX
Format: 12” & digital download (all stores)
Release date: Out Now
Tracklisting:
1. DOSEM MIX
2. MARC ROMBOY MIX
3. ZADIG MIX
4. MATT STAR & MICHAEL PETER MIX
5. PETKOVSKI PROPERLY DEEP MIX

International Peoples Gang - Up

Not what you might call prolific, this is the third album from The International Peoples Gang since 1995’s debut 3395, their second Action Painting was released in 2006.

Up is the first IPG album to be released through Amsterdam’s Hi-Phi Music and it finds the gang expanding their hybrid sound even further than before, creating a sumptuous mix of kaleidoscopic house, funk, folk, down-tempo and pop music.

Inspired by a lyric from David Bowie’s Panic In Detroit, The International Peoples Gang was formed by Nottingham (UK) residents Martyn Watson and Ric Peet who have since created their own sublime sound through their IPG albums and masses of production work and remixes.

Martyn and Ric use concepts of sound as their material, throwing them at blank spaces and watching abstract images and audio-visual beauty take shape. The result combines warm, organic dub soundscapes with classical stylings, elements of folk with fuzzed guitars, creating a manipulation of language with electronic experimentation.

Up kicks off with the anthemic and uplifting Second (featuring elements of The Who’s “Blue, Red and Grey”) showing off the pair’s impeccable taste for beautiful sound but as the name also suggests, this album was produced by Martyn & Ric with much valued contributions from their gang.

The pair have brought out fantastic vocal performances from Jay Thomas (daughter of house producer Tony Thomas) on Angel Delight and Katty Heath (who has also sung for Mylo, Bent and breakbeat duo Slyde among others) on the tracks Caught Up In Something which features Crazy P producer Jim Baron on Trombone and 271 The Trencherman, with upright bass by Arwel Hughes.

From the shimmering and hypnotic Son of Still to the more upbeat stance of Instant Sideways and Chika Woodward’s spoken word diatribe on the sparsely beautiful Nascent, International Peoples Gang continue their musical ascent with Up.

The sleevenotes give a valuable track by track insight into how the album evolved from none other than the The International Peoples Gang themselves;

Up Sleevenotes:

Junior Cycle
Due to a love affair with the fuzz-tone noise of Johnny Thunders and Mick Jones I’d always fancied a Les Paul Junior and, after treating myself to one as a birthday present, I played it non-stop for about a month…riff, riff, riff and then another riff. Eventually I formulated this pretty little cyclic tune that has alternating bars of 6/4 and 5/4 but; please don’t go scratching that ‘prog’ rash y’all, it grooves.

Second
I’ve always loved the ‘me against the world’ sentiment of Townshend’s lyrics to ‘Blue Red and Grey’ and, with its sonic-palette of ukulele and brass, it’s certainly an odd sounding Who record. The track has been a nagging inspiration since autumn ’75 and Ric and I were so made up when Pete let us use it.

Caught Up In Something
Featuring an ace vocal interlude from Katty Heath, a woozy, boozy coda courtesy of Jim Baron’s trombone (Fa fa faah…), an experiment with mutating room-ambience and a lawn-mower solo; this is the latest in a long line of IPG ‘musique-concrete’ melodic creations.

Place des Abbesses
Whilst living in Paris during the late ‘80s I often found myself ‘people watching’ at the Café St Jean and the art-nouveau splendour of Metro Abbesses. This tune, with its reflective clarinet theme, accordion splashes and heat-haze Algerian buzz takes me right back there.

Son of Still
Anyone remember ‘Still’ from em:t 3395? Check it out. I love the way that the nagging sequencer resonates with the naïve, piano part to create a kind of theatrical suspension between aggression and humility. Yin and Yang.

Instant Sideways
This one’s got a disorientating party vibe as it lurches from one idea to another…never quite making its mind up…like most Friday nights. The joyous kids were recorded on a carousel in Paris, the bells are from a June wedding in Derbyshire and the harmony guitars are totally 1973.

Angel Delight
The centrepiece of the record for us. This track has got a spacey, loopy, bluesy quality that Jay Thomas absolutely nails with a totally gorgeous vocal performance. I’d demoed this in falsetto so Jay sings it in an unusual register for her but still reckons that she’s never sounded better. Love on ya baby.

Spacebook
Dave Morton squeezes out a gorgeous violin tone from his electric guitar and sucks the listener into a propulsive electro groove. Ric’s orchestral collage has a disassociative quality and, when I close my eyes, I get a similar vibe to the stylings of ‘Aeroplane’ from our first album. Lush and dreamlike.

Nascent
I woke up from one of those mad semi-lucid dreams with a template for this in my head. I scribbled down as much as I could and stuck it on the studio wall. Ric spent the best part of six months sound-designing and it ended up as a sprawling monster; a soundtrack looking for a narrative. Independently, Japanese artist Chika Woodward had written a poem musing on the Hiroshima bombing from the perspective of a young mother taking her child to school that morning. We put them together and it worked. Just like that. Synergy.

Astronomy
Dedicated to Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)

Easy
This was written, late at night, during a snowstorm and is my reflection on a brand-new relationship. If Bowie hadn’t done it first this would be called ‘A New Career In A New Town’. I dig what Ric did with the scratchy, flanging, phasing guitar sounds and the breakdown to silence. “Of course you can…”

271 The Trencherman
This one’s a collision between a desire for love and peace and a more prosaic, gritty realism. Kind of like a Hippy v Punk wars being fought in your mind. The title is the address of a Chelsea restaurant owned by ‘60s hipster Terence Stamp…the building seen being bombed with graffiti in The Stones/Godard film ‘Sympathy for The Devil’. The lyrics are a paean to dream state of pre-Manson California and Arwel Hughes’ upright bass cunningly avoids jazz. Phew.

Up
Ric and I worked hard at establishing a sense of order/disorder by the use of pop-art/action-painting/mixed-media collage techniques. We love shaking things up and there are no rules. We did a lot of field recording (aren’t mobile phones ace?) and cared not one jot if we found ourselves ‘doin’ our thang’ in a ‘studio’ or not. Indeed, Isobel’s front room, post-fracture morphine, Ric’s sunlit yard and serene interludes amidst episodes of mid-tour mayhem all played their part. All in all, ‘Up’ took about 3 years to put together…we’d write and record in chunks and then spend ages reviewing and editing material…attention to detail and all that. We guarantee that this record will reward careful listening. You know us.

ARTIST: INTERNATIONAL PEOPLES GANG
TITLE: UP (LP)
FORMAT: CD / DIGITAL DOWNLOAD
LABEL: HI-PHI MUSIC
CAT NO: HIPHILP1
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW DIGITAL / CD COMING SOON

Clicks & Cuts 5: Paradigm Shift

In 2000 the German music label Mille Plateaux released the first compilation in the Clicks & Cuts Series. Always looking for new sounds and innovative ideas in music it introduced me to a new movement in electronic music known by various names including clip hop, blip hop and most commonly as glitch.

The original Clicks & Cuts CD introduced me to new experimental electronica artists such as Vladislav Delay and Kit Clayton, along with more familiar artists Pole and Pan Sonic.

Ten years on and Mille Plateaux release Clicks & Cuts 5: Paradigm Shift.  17 tracks introducing me to 17 new artists that in 2010 are at the cutting edge of electronic experimental music; and as with previous releases in the series I listen to this more as a sampler rather than any type of ‘Now That’s What I Call Glitch 2010’album.

Merging glitch with dub overtones always seems to work for me, and so I single out Aoki Takamasa’s RN04-09 and Isolex 03 by Loom as artists I want to hear more from. But there are other fusions and interesting sounds I will follow up here including the beautiful and chilled minimal techno of e.coli by Marow and Inner by Nicolaus.

Clicks & Cuts Volume 5.0 features a totally new generation of young artists giving a 360 degree view on fresh glitch sounds: from Glitch to Minimal Techno and Dub Electronica to Ambient and Sound Art . Each song has its own distinct character. Mille Plateaux never usually fails to deliver interesting electronic music, and Clicks & Cuts 5.0 is a perfect latest edition to this great CD series.

Clicks & Cuts 5.0: Paradigm Shift is released on Mille Plateaux on 7th May 2010

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

Boredoms: Super Roots 10 (Thrill Jockey)

Boredoms – Super Roots 10 – EP review

Boredoms, the boundary- breaking, sonic-shifting, head-messing group are releasing the Super Roots 10 EP through Thrill Jockey, only available as a limited double 12” release. Super Roots 10 is produced by EYE, who equally created the artwork accompanying the release.

This new Boredoms EP includes a remix of the Antz 10 track by Lindstom, the critically acclaimed Norwegian dance/house producer who has remixed a whole host of artists, including Franz Ferdinand and LCD Soundsystem. Super Roots 10 also includes a remix from the Japanese artist Altz.

Ant 10 Original is nine minutes of buzzing, tribal, rhythmic intensity, with a small thirty second break in between. The drums are thick and saturate the track, as do the drones. The Mineral Dub Break Remix is almost unrecognisable whilst Linstrom does another full overhaul on his remix, bringing in some crisper beats, subtle 80s synths and keyboards, making the pounding drums part of the background arrangements. His style from his recent collaboration with Prins Thomas is certainly recognisable.

A studio album can be expected in 2010, whilst Boredoms member Yoshimi P-We is to release her new album with OOIOO entitled Armonico Hewa on Thrill Jockey in November.

Track listing for Super Roots 10:

1. ANT 10
2. ANT 10 / ESTEREO 10 (REMIX BY ALTZ)
3. ANT 10 (REMIX BY DJ LINDSTROM)
4. ANT 10 / MINERAL DUB BREAK (REMIX BY ALTZ)

Christian Smith Platform DJ Mix CD

Christian Smith – Platform (Renaissance)

With DJ mixes coming out of our office ears and being two-a-penny for the last two decades, any new DJ mix that drops on our doormat needs to instantly grab us or it may not be given a second chance; and when two heavyweights like Renaissance and Christian Smith collaborate the expectation is all the greater.

Christian Smith Platform delivers a superb Detroit techno inspired mix that will have your neck muscles pumping in no time!

Having made his name as a true heavyweight of the techno scene with a string of seminal productions to his name, Christian Smith is undoubtedly one of the best-respected names in the genre. Often collaborating with his long-time studio partner, John Selway, Christian’s work has set the benchmark for quality techno; as his releases with Josh Wink’s Ovum imprint, John Digweed’s Bedrock, Steve Lawler’s ever-innovative Viva Music and of course, Renaissance, are a true testament to that.

“I wanted to do something special… that stands the test of time, but that has not been done for Renaissance before” Christian Smith suggested when asked about this new DJ mix for the Renaissance label.

To achieve this he has given each mix of this two-disc package a different flavour. Devoting the first CD to Detroit techno he has selected tracks produced by European artists that are heavily inspired by the early Detroit sound. He mixes up the hypnotic groove of Radio Slave’s remix of the Humate classic Love Stimulation with standout tracks from Stimming, Nic Fanciulli & Steve Mac.

Smith also adds a generous helping of his own unreleased original production to create a shimmering soundscape, that is as beautifully crafted, as it is compelling.

The second disc represents Christian Smith the DJ in a more peaktime, club environment – big records that convey the energy that he always brings to the dancefloor. Incorporating tracks from such production luminaries as Timo Maas, Cirez D and Guy J (as well as a further sprinkling of previously unheard material from his own studio).

Christian Smith comments on the second CD mix:
“At the end of that day it’s all about a good party and this is exactly what this second cd is to me.”

Christian Smith Platform is released on Monday 7th September on Renaissance.

Christian Smith Platform: CD One
1.Taho – Atlantess
2.Subotic – The Seed
3.Humate – Love Stimulation (Radio Slave Mix)
4.Stimming – The Kiss (Ripperton Mix)
5.Technasia – Crosswalk
6.Christian Smith & John Selway – Daytona
7.Secret Cinema – Kurzweil
8.DJ Yellow feat. Rucyl – In My Heart
9.Quince featuring Paris The Black Fu – My Life’s Rhythm
10.Nic Fanciulli & Steve Mac – 10%
11. Psycatron – Tipping Point

Christian Smith Platform: CD Two
1.Christian Smith & John Selway – Manfreak (Athos Mix)
2.Samuel L. Sessions – Can You Relate (Slam Remix)
3.Wehbba – The Hiss
4.Alex Under – FI (Tobias Remix)
5.Christian Smith & John Selway – Mistral (Pietee Mix)
6.Karotte – All She Wants Is
7.Christian Smith & Reset Robot – Elixir (Gary Beck Remix)
8.Guy J – Bianca
9.Pan-Pot – Confronted
10.Florian Meindl – Here Today Gone Tomorrow
11.Christian Smith – Indecent Exposure
12.Timo Maas – Jetstream
13.Carlo Dall Anese & Diego Logic – Brigadeiro Demais Engorda
14.Psycatron – Directions
15.Cirez-D – On Off

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