Sunday, September 30, 2007
Wildstyles - 25 Years of Hip Hop Photography
'Wildstyles' is the new exhibition at the PYMCA Gallery. Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the movie 'Wild Style' the show contains 25 years of Hip Hop imagery from photographers such as Normski, Janette Beckman, Eddie Otchere and Josh Cheuse.
The exhibition is on from now until November 2nd at the PYMCA Gallery, 41 Clerkenwell Road, London. EC1M 5RS.
11am - 6.30pm Mon - Fri. Free Entry.
The opening party was off the hook and we created a road block with Break dancers on the street, DJs and MC battles. Check out the video below.
If you missed our last exhibition, "Pills, Stills and Bellyaches - 20 Years of Rave" here is your chance to recapture those heady days of Acid House.
Check the PYMCA website and Myspace for more details. Word.
Labels: Hip Hop, PYMCA, Wild Style, Wildstyles
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Rib Tickling
Deep, Deeper, Deepest.This chest crunching new record by Dubfire (aka Ali Shirazinia from Deep Dish) was inspired by a visit to Ibiza Techno mecca and home of all thing dark and minimal, DC10. At over 12 minutes this is a track which builds into a dark trippy soundscape with the ever pervading baseline that on a big system will cause chest cavities to vibrate to the point where you feel your internal organs will fall out.
It is topped off by a rush of white noise after 9 and a half minutes that brings the track to an epic climax that will have people screaming in ecstasy. This a monster.
It is topped off by a rush of white noise after 9 and a half minutes that brings the track to an epic climax that will have people screaming in ecstasy. This a monster.
Dubfire - Ribcage // Desolat
Buy this as a single side 12" from Phonica or 320kbps MP3 from Beatport
Labels: Desolat, Dubfire, Electronic, Minimal, Techno
Thursday, September 20, 2007
In My Absence
I have been neglecting the blog of late. Two festivals and long hours at the office have contributed to my lack of posts. Luckily in my absence RAW has posted some gems which have gained much critical acclaim from you electro fans out there.However I have some quality Techno to share. First up is some tracks sent by DJ Robbie Pardoel straight out of Rotterdam, Holland. The Agatho EP in colaboration with Van Hilst contains three slices of deep Techno. The title track utilises some uplifting synth action that carries the track to some dizzying heights. "Pardo Extra Large" goes into deeper territory and sounds more menacing. You can check out more tunes on his myspace This producer could be one to watch in future.
Robbie Pardoel & Van Hilst - Agatho (original mix) // Manual Music
Robbie Pardoel & Van Hilst - Pardo Extra Large (original mix) // Manual Music
Another producer who has only started releasing music since 2006 but has notched up releases on Get Physical, Resopal Schalware, MiniSketch and Fumakilla.Paul Ritch. His latest on Get Physical is a killer which should ignite dancefloors with it's tough beats and wailing siren sounds that give way to a driving riff which will send anyone within earshot into some serious loopy aerobics. Nice.
Paul Ritch - June // Get Physical
Flashback by Arwid starts off in a similar vain to the previous offerings, but then goes deep and mellows into a beautiful beguiling melody, perfect for mid set mixing. This track just grows and grows unearthing new textures everytime you listen. It's a very impressive debut for BPitch Control.Arwid - Flashback // BPitch Control
Seek out all these releases on Beatport
Labels: Arwid, BPitch Control, Electraonnic, Get Physical, Manual Music, Paul Ritch, Robbie Pardoel, Techno
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Rare Emotion
I was planning on posting one of the tracks from a mysterious new outfit known only as seldom felt but I haven't got round to ripping the tracks yet so I suggest you just check out the samples from their website and buy yourself a copy. If future releases are up to this standard then the label's gonna become a household name pretty soon even if the producers' names remain hidden!Not wishing to leave you without at least one new tune, I thought I'd post something that came out on the ever-reliable Speicher series a few weeks back. Once again, this is dancefloor fodder so find yourself something solid to tap your fingers to.
Perc & Fractal - Up (Perc Mix) // Speicher 52
Buy Speicher releases here
Labels: Fractal, Perc, Seldom Felt, Speicher, Techno
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Underwater Love
Few names in techno / electro history are as highly revered as that of Drexciya and as tomorrow marks the fifth anniversary of James Stinson's untimely death, it seemed only fitting to finally get round to doing a post dedicated to them. As with the UR collective with which they were associated, Drexciya were always shrouded in mystery and for many years their true identifies were a closely guarded secret; hidden within the sub-aquatic fairytale that they portrayed to the world. Using a combination of simple electro percussion, hypnotic basslines and luscious melodies, Drexciyan productions were both emotive and cerebral and as equally suited to home listening as for the dancefloor. Using a clever mix of anti-marketing and erratic release schedules, each new Drexciyan offering was cherished by the underground cognoscenti as much for the fact that it might be the last new production ever to be heard from the duo as for the quality sounds that were contained within.As most of you are no-doubt aware, both Stinson and fellow Drexciyan , Gerald Donald were, and in the latter's case, still are, involved in a large number of side projects as both solo artists and as part of collaborations. Such releases are also surrounded in mystery and probably only the true uber geeks out there are able to pinpoint exactly who contributed where.
Ironically, the year or so preceding Stinson's death saw the most proficient period of Drexciyan-related work with the release of seven different albums, aka the seven storms. Whilst certainly interesting, many of the tracks contained within these albums were actually quite far from some of the more danceable productions of previous releases and in my opinion it's really a case of cherry picking through the material. Of the seven, my favourites are the superb Abstract Thought and The Other People Place albums, both of which are true electro classics. If you're looking for a place to start with exploring all these side works these would definitely be my recommendations.
I'm not going to try and unravel the whole Drexciyan myth as it is neither within my time constraints or capabilities to do so. Numerous other people have written far more extensively and informatively about this whole subject than myself and if you're interested in learning more then an extremely good place to start is the Drexciya Research Lab.
I'm just going to leave you with some of my favourite Stinson-related productions and suggest that those of you not already well versed in the wealth of quality Drexciyan-related material out there do some digging and invest in some releases for your collection. However, be warned though as some of the original releases come with a hefty price tag; not least Stinson's extremely rare Clarence G 12" which allegedly sold on e-bay after Stinson's death for over £6,000 making it the second most expensive record of all time!
Drexciya - You Don't Know // The Return of Drexciya - UR 12"
Elecktroids - Perpetual Motion // Elektroworld - Warp LP
Clarence G - Data Transfer // Hyperspace Sound Lab - Flourescent Forest Rec. 12"
Lab Rat XL - Lab Rat 3 // Mice or Cyborg - Clone LP
The Other People Place - Let Me Be Me // Lifestyles of the Laptop Cafe - Warp LP
Abstract Thought - Bermuda Triangle // Hypothetical Situations - Kombination Research LP
I also obtained this interview a while back too.
Drexciya Interview
Labels: Abstract Thought, Clarence G, Drexciya, Elecktroids, Lab rat XL, The Other People Place
