Buzzin Electronic Music

Dalston Superstore was a fitting location for Mr. Atari Denim-Ofosho to host his after party for his Il Corsetto menswear fashion show.

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