The ill-ec-tro-nic

The relevance of the mix CD in today's times of frequently flowing and freely available podcasts is a subject which gets debated frequently but my stance on it is simple: if the mix is good then the CD is worth buying. Excellent examples of such worthy purchases were highlighted last month in Langer's double headed Fabric feature and the latest addition to the Boogybytes series is another such case in point. Boogybytes Vol.05 is mixed by Seth Troxler and is the first in the Boogybytes series not to be put together by one of the core BPitch roster and if this was done as a toe dipping experiment then Ellen Allien must surely be pleased with the results.

Setting out with an elongated and rather captivating intro that spans the first three tracks, the party vibe finally drops with the rather ubiquitous The Soul Part II (a track I'm not actually that keen on) before starting the mix's journey through a variety of interesting changes in pace and musical direction. The first half of the mix has an underlying house vibe but invariably with a deep techy undercurrent as exhibited on tracks such as Deniz Kurtel's remix of Fables and Fairytales. Things head into more minimal territory around the halfway mark, spearheaded by Alex Delano's Molar One and also featuring the likes of Hawtin, Hearthrob and Matthew Dear (in his Jabberjaw guise) before lightening up again with the excellent Birds and Souls and then finishing with a flurry of attention grabbing tracks including cuts from Roman Fluegel and Fever Ray.

In isolation, most of the tracks on this mix probably wouldn't get me particularly excited but Troxler's skill in selecting tracks that work well together and using them to move around the playing field and keep things interesting is what really makes this a worthy purchase and on the strength of this outing it's easy to see why Troxler is gaining a growing reputation as a DJ of considerable note.

The mix doesn't seem to be in all the usual places just yet e.g. Boomkat but you can pick up a copy at Phonica.

Labels: BPitch Control, Seth Troxler

We're not one for blowing our own trumpets too much here at ill-ec-tro-nic but we were the first blog ever to post Moderat. That's right, back in October 2006, RAW posted a then unreleased track named 'Let Your Love Grow' which appeared on a compilation given away with the 100th issue of De:Bug magazine.

Said track went on to become an undergound anthem when it appeared on Modeselektor's second album 'Happy Birthday!'

Moderat’s formation began back in 2002 when Sascha Ring (aka Apparat) and Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary (aka Modeselektor) recorded an EP for the record label BPitch Control. The making of this release was incredibly exhausting for the three of them, and at the last minute they renamed the EP “Auf Kosten der Gesundheit” (which translates to “At The Cost Of Health”). When it came time to begin working on an album, Moderat suddenly broke up.

Skip to spring 2008 and after lots of individual successes the men re-unite and decide to continue working on their album. The three guys began by renting studio space at the legendary Berlin Hansa Studios in order to record the album in analog with the help of the studio’s vintage tube technology and an old EMI console from 1972, restored especially for them. American software designer, Joshua Kit Clayton, was hired to program a superb reverb algorithm specifically for the recording process of this album.

And it shows. So many people, myself included listen in wonderment at how Modeselektor get such a 'Phat' sound to their music. The album itself is a classic combination of the Modeselektor + Apparat sound. The former's tutonic beats are once again to the fore, but this time layered with the fuzzy synth lines of Apparat which were so evident on his collaboration with Ellen Allien.

Other influences also spring out. First track 'A New Error' sounds exactly like Boards of Canada's floaty ambience before the megolithic beats drop. Elsewhere on 'Out of Sight' the beats are pure Burial with their wood block percussion. It is no surprise that Modeselektor have been influenced by the 'Dubtec' sound and Berlin's current love for all things Dubstep.

Moderat - Out Of Sight // BPitch Control Buy

The self-titled album is also be available as a limited edition DVD produced by the Berlin based artist collective Pfadfinderei, feature music videos and more exclusive content. Buy

Labels: BPitch Control, Moderat, Modeselektor

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

Labels: BPitch Control, Cobblestone Jazz, Cybotron, Electro, Electronic, Isomer Transition, Moderat, Modeselektor, Moodgadget, Techno

Modeselektor's first 'official' mix cd was launched this week and damn fine it is too!

At just over an hour long it's a little short but they still manage to fit over 30 tracks into it and it's party beats from start to finish. We strongly recommend you buy it!

It's a similar in style to the mix they did for the 'Boomkat Selected Mixtape' series a few years back, mixing up techno, dubstep, hip hop and whatever else takes their fancy although this one's a little more bleep oriented...which is nice.

Anyhow, here's the aforementioned Boomkat mix as well as a remix from last year of Modeselektor's Silikon by Siriusmo, one of the artists to feature on Boogybytes 3. Enjoy!

Modeselektor - Boomkat Selected Mixtapes Vol. 4 //Boomkat

Modeselektor - Silikon (Siriusmo Remix) //Bpitch Control

Labels: Boomkat, BPitch Control, Mashups, Modeselektor, Siriusmo