Balance Series 016: Agoria

In two separate hour long mixes for the Balance Series, Agoria (French Techno Producer Sebastien Devaud) blends atmospheric, oblique at times electronica that sends you on such a journey you can’t help but wonder at the end of it just where it is you have gone and come back to.

The first CD is full of haunting melodies that start off quiet then climax to a lushness you’d expect to find in movie soundtracks.  Guitar riffs jostle for space amongst house beats superimposed with opera vocals.

Driving bass lines are filled out and rounded by stripped out vocals that gets smashed straight into an old school disco sound straight from the it’s New York hey days.  Agoria’s blending of so many different genres typifies the moniker of the compilation series- Balance.

The second CD moves us out of the 9 am post party warm fug created by the first CD and sends us back onto the dance floor with a more recognizable Techno sound.  It seems Agoria’s talent is to include the persistent 4/4 beat whilst manipulating off kilter tracks and layering them.

He cleverly plays tracks then later re-introduces key parts of them further into the mix.  The musical journey becomes full of moments of recognition that requires a certain level of attentive listening.  The pay off for this listening is your head exploding with the madness and brilliantness of his composition.

He hasn’t been indulgent of only big name artists for the mixes but cuts and splices the well known such as LCD Soundsystem, Tosca, Mark Broom and his own production with 12 new artist’s unreleased tracks, including Kid A, The Same and Arandel.

I think this gives freshness to both CD’s and shows not only an incredible talent but also a desire to forge his own path and create a very unique sound.   I would love to see him DJ, I can’t imagine how overwhelming his set would be.  He’s playing at Fabric the 13th of this month.  I highly recommend going there.

For more information visit www.myspace.com/agoriagoria

The first track ‘Press to Begin’ has 5 am shuffle all about it.  It sneaks in with looped sounds of dripping water before introducing the main drive of the track- multiple synthesised sound effects and a dirty driving bass line.  It’s the layers of the hooks and sound effects that turn what initially appears to be a simply constructed track into a sure fire summer smash for all the Minimal freaks out there.

The title track ‘Disko Kats’ continues to deliver the same clear and precise manipulation of effects and production tools.  The sound is all the more darker and sinister though and I can’t help but wonder what type of disco these cats go to?

By two minutes in, we are assaulted by a groovy bass hell bent on keeping us bouncing along to the track.  This is bang up to the minute Tech-House.

The other two tracks ‘Float’ and ‘Ganjah’ follow a similar aesthetic and ‘Ganjah’ includes a vocal sample moving it slightly more towards the Progressive House/ Tech- House spectrum of things.

The Jalebee Cartel mix of ‘Ganjah’ propels the track into a fairly definitive House camp with softer more rounded bass and greater attention to the vocal sample.

For more information visit www.myspace.com/animaltek

secretsundaze and Electric Minds join forces for a special Easter Thursday Party

secretsundaze and Electric Minds join forces for a special Easter Thursday Party with Morgan Geist, Nina Kraviz, Ilija Rudman & Ray Mang.

Room 1: secretsundaze w / Morgan Geist (Metro Area), Nina Kraviz (Rekids / Undeground Quality), Giles Smith and James Priestley

Room 2: Electric Minds w/ Ilija Rudman (Red Music), Ray Mang (DFA), Dolan Bergin

Secretsundaze are proud to announce details of our Easter Thursday party taking place in a hot new underground venue in the heart of Dalston.

This venue is fresh, only being utilised once before for an event. Taking place across 2 perfectly formed rooms working alongside our friends at Electric Minds this promises to the perfect way to start the Easter weekend.

In the secretsundaze room we have none other than Metro Area’s Morgan Geist. Morgan has already left a long lasting legacy to House, Disco and Techno with his groundbreaking work as Metro Area alongside Darshan Jesrani on his own Environ label.

A highly regarded DJ and remixer too, he has lent his touch to the likes of Hugh Maselka, Franz Ferdinand and Junior Boys and compiled and mixed a CD for the respected Fabric series.

Next, making her secretsundaze and indeed UK debut we are also very happy to have the female touch with Nina Kraviz joining us. Nina has made a big impact of late with her unique sound on Underground Quality and Rekids and on a recent trip to Moscow Giles was so impressed with her DJing skills and had to invite her to play in London. Her sound is a healthy dose of old school House mixed with newer styles. Do not miss this chance to check her out.

Of course secretsundaze all stars Giles and James will be present in the house.

Hosting the second room is London based label, Electric Minds. They welcome regular artist Ilija Rudman who has provided a constant stream of dance music under different guises.

In addition to releasing for Electric Minds you can find Ilija’s tracks being picked up by the likes of Under The Shade, Wolf Music, 2020 Vision and of course his own label Red Music.

In support is Ray Mang. Another talented musician and producer his productions have appeared on DFA as well as 2020 Vision who recently commissioned his excellent remix of 2020 Sound System’s “Ocean” which is due for release later this year.

Raj is also a stellar DJ and will no doubt be pulling out a few surprises from his huge record collection. Last up Electric Minds founder and resident Dolan Bergin steps up after recent gigs in Berlin and New York.

All in all this looks like one of the must go to parties of the Easter weekend with an amazing line up, the meeting of two of East London’s brightest stars secretsundaze and Elecric Minds and a brand new exciting venue. See you on the dancefloor.

Thursday 1st April (Easter Thursday)
9pm to 6am
Secret Dalston Location TBS

Early bird and advance tickets £8 – £12 (Resident Advisor and Phonica)
£15 on the door
For more information visit

www.secretsundaze.net
www.myspace.com/secretsundaze
www.electricminds.co.uk

Fabulously mustached and fur wearing gay door bitch? Check.  The beautiful and the damned all wrapped up in fantastically out there clothing?  Check.  Cocktails made by handsome metro try anythings?  Check. Retro, ironic it must be cool screening of 1980’s classic film The Labyrinth?  Check.

The music perfectly suited the environment and the theme of the night.  The reviveHER DJ’s definitely worked towards fulfilling their manifesto ‘to ReviveHer! we must aspire to fulfil her lost sense of ecstasy.’

The DJ’s partly drawn from the Ponystep and Boom Box parties included Nathan Gregory Wilkins, Richard Mortimer and Daniel Mitchell.  Gay disco house was the order of the evening in the bar.

There was a definite 1980’s, 1990’s New York house sound permeating the room.

Five inch stiletto heels hindered any efforts of mine to try to dance in the basement; in fact it was those heels and an awareness of my unfashionable self which resulted in my very well behaved exit before the tube stopped running.

Next time I will wear far less ridiculous shoes so I can stay until the early hours and be revived!

Damian Lazarus - Diamond In The Dark

Nearly a year after Damian Lazarus released his debut album ‘Smoke the Monster Out’ he offers us a re-release of one of the tracks ‘Diamonds in the Dark’ on the Get Physical label.

He releases the track as it is on the album but then offers us a reinterpretation of it by way of the Damian Lazarus club mix.

For those who caught his album last year, it was a wonderful delight of weird soundscapes, melodic peaceful moments and tripped out glitch.

The re-release of the one of the least ‘dance music’ orientated tracks from the album shows the breadth of Lazarus’s talent as a producer.

Where the original sounds like a country and western singer strumming on his guitar under a full moon when a space ship beams down and interjects into the track with synthed out vocals; the club mix pulls us back into familiar Lazarus electronic music territory.

Here the acoustic guitar is replaced with the same melody by way of programmed music.  Loops provide the hypnotic perpetual motion of the track.  The synthed vocals from the original get slowed down to create dirty disorientating electro.

Lazarus also includes French Producer dOP’s remix with the release.  His interpretation sends the track into distorting and disturbing possible future sound of Techno to great effect.

Damian Lazarus, the head honcho of the Crosstown Rebels label shows in this re-working of his own track infinite skill in pushing dance music, in particular Techno, Electro and Glitch into the final frontier.

For more information visit

www.myspace.com/damianlazarus

www.damianlazarus.com/

Mike Monday new single on Get Physical

Mike Monday’s new two-track release ‘Yoppul’ and ‘Touch’ for the Get Physical label emphasises the producer’s ability to blend dance music genres to create his own unique sound.

As developed in his last full-length album ‘Songs without Words Part 1’ on Om Records, he manipulates and contorts both programmed and live sound to add to the aural aesthetic.

Both of the tracks stand fairly firmly in the House camp and show a masterful understanding of the genre. ‘Yoppul’ is funk flavoured and percussion heavy.  The driving mood is reminiscent of standing between three different sound stages at Notting Hill Carnival- a bit of a funky base line here, a steel drum coming over the top and a looping synthed sound meshing it all together.

This mish mash is perfectly constructed to create a stand out dance track for the summer.

With ‘Touch’ there seems to be a very intentional appropriation of Monday’s different influences in the execution of the track.  What appears on first listening to be a fairly simply constructed piece of Deep House actually opens itself up throughout it’s seven minutes to indicate a huge amount of depth within it’s repetitive rhythms.

Snatches of Detroit Techno loops and early Derrick Carter vocal arrangements merge with a sound that seems to fit onto today’s dance floors with ease.

On Mike Monday’s myspace profile he sees appropriation as an important part to finding inspiration, ‘And don’t bother concealing your thievery – celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from – it’s where you take them to.”’  With these two tracks Monday has drawn on his influences and his inspirations and turned them into two powerful pieces of music for you to shake your ass to in 2010.

For more information visit Mike Monday on MySpace or www.mikemonday.com

Sweatshop @ East Village

Sweatshop @ East Village returns on 13th March.

After a riotous start to the year with Andrew Weatherall dropping punk-funk bombs to nearly 700 revelers, Sweatshop marks its second year anniversary with another London first from one of the hottest new acts recent years.

6th Borough Project, forming of Graeme Clark AKA The Revenge and Craig Smith are making their debut decks and effects set, that’s set to see them tour worldwide in the forthcoming months.

This is the first chance to see these folks together in the London, with them taking over the basement all night long… kicking off which a special ‘Connoisseur’s selection’ from Craig Smith of retro disco, funk and soul.

The 6th Borough Project started life in 2007, and has since seen them set up their Instruments Of Rapture label (one of the biggest selling vinyl labels of the last few years), record for Delusions Of Grandeur & Permanent Vacation and remix the likes of Atmosphere and The Sunburst Band and many more.

They thought it was time to take it up a notch and start to take their infamous pitched down take on deep house and disco on the road. This event marks the launch of their latest offering ‘Part 5’ on their fantastic Instruments Of Rapture label… expect giveaways on the night!

After January’s fantastic debut, we welcome back Minkioni (Jen & Nadia) and Mintvibe (Dave O and Sammy J) back to the fold to take over the upstairs bar vibes.

East Village, 89 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3HX
£6 before 11, £9 after
9pm-4am

Basement:
6th Borough Project (Decks & Effects set – London debut)

The Bar:
Minkioni (Nadia & Jen) vs. Mintvibe (Dave & Sammy J)

Renaissance: The Mix Collection - Gui Boratto

Brazil’s most exciting house DJ export, Gui Boratto makes his eagerly anticipated compilation debut as he joins the ranks of the Renaissance Mix Collection series…

2009 has been a great year for Gui Boratto; he released his second artist album; brilliantly remixed the likes of Moby, Simian Mobile Disco, Sam Taylor-Wood & The Pet Shop Boys and Bomb The Bass; created one of the years best Essential Mixes, then perfectly capped it all by entering the DJmag Top 100.

And it’s with his fast-rising DJ status he continues to focus as he kick-starts 2010 with his first mix album for Renaissance. Gui’s diverse, melodic style is a natural fit with the compilation genre, which he perfectly presents across 2 discs, highlighting some of the scenes most exciting producers such as Tricky, Josh Wink, Martin Buttrich, Lusine, Jonh Tejada, Mathew Jonson, Christian Smith and many more… Dance fans will take further delight in the fact Gui’s also featured 8 of his own tracks and remixes; 4 of these are brand new productions, including an exciting co-production with Bomb The Bass called ‘The Infinites’ and a forthcoming Renaissance single, ‘Trills’.

“I really enjoyed mixing my Renaissance Mix Collection,” says Gui Boratto, “I tried to find the perfect blend of my favourite producers and tracks; exclusives from friends and peers, plus my own material, be it original or remixes.”

And Gui hasn’t actually stopped there as he’s provided further production and edits throughout both mixes, ensuring the stage is well and truly set for one of the most exciting comps of 2010… and it’s only February!

Renaissance: The Mix Collection – Gui Boratto – is out 8th February 2010

The City & Arts Music Project

With the talk of January detox you could be forgiven for thinking clubland shuts down for the month at the beginning of each year. But you’d be wrong.

London nightlife is alive and kicking and one of East London’s newest ventures, The City Arts & Music Project has lots in store to keep you warm and entertained in the winter months.

Here’s a look at what’s coming up including the the launch night of James Priestley’s new London residency – One For Me, One For You – which will take place on the last Friday of every month.

Best of all, all of the events are free entry.

Art

The Camp Presents: Botanists Of The Asphalt
Curated by Stephanie Pochet.
This show runs until 26th January

Inspired by the baudelairean figure of the flâneur, this exhibition invites you to experience the city through the eyes of the artists. In Baudelaire prose and poems, the “flâneur” designates a nineteenth century urban bohemian who wanders the city streets aimlessly, collecting impressions of modern life; alienated by the city and yet at one with it.  According to him, the artist is the perfect candidate to fulfil this role of observer and capture the multiple facets of the metropolis. Several artists have undertaken this urban inquisition and explore what attracts, repulses and stirs them about the city. Buildings, faces, stimuli and experience become instruments to their creative process, resulting in a multitude of narratives, which are developed through sculpture, photography, video, installations and illustration. Artists involved are Wayne Chisnall, Ruth Pickard, David Macdiarmid, Kerim Aytak, David London and Aisling Roycroft.

Music

Friday 8th January
The CAMP presents Drop The Bomb w/ Billy Biz & Pogo
7pm – 1am / free
A throwback to the social dance parties of the 1970’s, Drop The Bomb is a night that celebrates music, jamming and dancing, with lockers and poppers from the scene throwing off the shackles of the week and enjoying life.  DJs play funk, disco, house and afro beat.

Saturday 9th January
The CAMP presents FixedFear w/ Nick Priestley, Reverend JFK & Jamie Blanco
8pm – 1am / free
An eclectic party for all kinds of music lovers showcasing up and coming bands and singers. Tonight’s event will showcase live acts alongside resident DJs Nick Priestley, Reverend JFK and Jamie Blanco.

Friday 15th January
The CAMP presents Disco Bloodbath goes CAMPing w/ Damon Martin, Dan Beaumont & Ben Pistor
7pm – 1am / free
These guys really need no introduction. The Disco Bloodbath boys have been tearing up dancefloors across London with their trademark disco grooves for the last few years now and it seems there’s really no stopping them. Tonight all three residents join together for an intimate little shindig at The CAMP.

Saturday 16th January
The CAMP presents: Sammy J’s w/ Minkioni, Mintvibe, The Cosmic Truth DJs & James Priestley
8pm – 1am / free
Cocktails, dancing and canapes plus music from…
Minkioni – Turns out hot girls CAN mix!
MintVibe – And hot guys!
The Cosmic Truth – East London’s answer to Hall & Oates!
James Priestley – Even the proprietor is getting his hands dirty!
& even more special guests

Thursday 21st January
The CAMP presents: The Meltdown w/ Ross Allen (MOS Radio) & Raf Daddy (Greco Roman) plus guests
7pm – 11pm / free
The Meltdown is a weekly exposition of talent, both new and old, presented by two of the finest in the business, Ross Allen and Raf Daddy. The aim is to create a regular platform for up-and-coming talent, with special guest appearances from established big names and collaborations with your favourite labels.

Friday 22nd January
The CAMP presents: Spangles w/ Luca Cazelle (Cazals) & Dom Chung (Chibuku) plus guests
7pm – 1am / free
Well known for their pursuit of the perfect party blend of Italo, cosmic and classic disco sounds, not to mention mutant-edits and 80s pop masterpieces, east-end party purveyors Spangles are back at The CAMP tonight. Expect the unexpected as surprise guests play alongside residents residents Luca Cazelle and Dom Chung.

Saturday 23rd January
The CAMP presents: TBC
7pm – 1am / free
We invite some of their favourite east-end party crew’s to host a night at The CAMP.

Thursday 28th January
The CAMP presents: The Meltdown w/ Ross Allen & Raf Daddy plus guests
7pm – 11pm / free
The Meltdown is a weekly exposition of talent, both new and old, presented by two of the finest in the business, Ross Allen and Raf Daddy. The aim is to create a regular platform for up-and-coming talent, with special guest appearances from established big names and collaborations with your favourite labels.

Friday 29th January
The CAMP presents: One For Me, One For you w/ Mark E (Running Back) & James Priestley (secretsundaze / The CAMP)
7pm – 1am / free
And now for something we’re very excited about… The CAMP’s very own James Priestley starts his new residency ‘One For Me, One For You’ tonight. Taking place on the last Friday of the month, One For Me, One For You will showcase an eclectic spread of adventurous music that will appeal to party revellers looking for something above and beyond the conventional club experience. Just as the name suggests One For Me, One For You will give James and guests the chance to spin some of their favourite tunes along with some of the crowd’s too. This month we’re treated to the laid back slo-mo disco grooves of the wonderful Mark E. Best known for his hugely successful re-edits of artists including Janet Jackson and Womack & Womack, Mark E is also an established producer in his own right with a string of celebrated releases on labels including Running Back, Internasjonal, Sonar Kollektiv and his former label Jiscomusic. Tonight we’ll see him open up his record collection for an  ‘anything goes’ music policy – one not to be missed!

Saturday 30th January
The CAMP presents: TBC
7pm – 1am / free
We invite some of their favourite east-end party crew’s to host a night at The CAMP.

The City Arts & Music Project
café / bar / arts & music space
70 – 74 City Rd, London, EC1Y 2BJ

Mon – Thurs: 7am – 11pm
Fri: 7am – 1am
Sat: 7pm – 1am
Sun: Closed

Food served till 10pm
Tel: 0207 123 4567

eastern electrics new years eve party venue

The much anticipated Eastern Electrics New Years Eve Party location has been revealed as 61 St Thomas Street, London, SE1 3QX.

The building is just three minutes walk from the St Thomas Street Entrance at London Bridge station. This is the entrance next to the new ‘Shard of Glass’ building.

Eastern Electrics warn that the numbers for the venue on New Years Eve are limited by the capacity of the venue and recommend booking as soon as possible to ensure a place at one of London’s most eagerly awaited party nights.

Tickets are £32.50
www.residentadvisor.net/ee
www.ticketweb.co.uk
www.datatransmission.co.uk/ee

Credit card tickets will sell out this week.

The midnight set at Eastern Electrics NYE party will feature the legendary Steve Bug, who will take to the decks at 11pm and will be playing the magical midnight tune.

Bloc are thrilled to have the party starter Appleblim playing deep and low at Midnight, while the irrepressible MMM have the prodigious Murkules laying down the law in their cavernous room. All Rooms will be powered by Funktion 1.

Early arrival is recommended with party hours being 9PM to 7AM.

Eastern Electrics New Years Eve Party

61 St Thomas Street

London

SE1 3QX