You Can Call Me Pelski

Tomorrow: get down to Christmas Jamm

2011-12-21T09:10:00.000-08:00

I'll be playing alongside Trouble Vision aficionado Park Ranger, Pelski-writer Charles Darkly and lively production duo Real Nice at Brixton Jamm tomorrow night (Thursday 22nd December) at what's shaping up to be a big night.

It's a truly eclectic lineup. In room one there'll be a bit of old school jungle on display (General Levy), plus classic UK hip hop (Rodney P & Skitz), seminal garage (El-B) and even a bit of Ragga (Deadly Hunta).

For the house and techno heads, steer yourself towards room two for a night of on-point underground selection.

Lineup

General Levy
Rodney P & Skitz
El-B
Deadly Hunta
Kris Kemist
Reality Shock + Guests
Real Nice
Skinshape
Park Ranger
Pelski
Charles Darkly
Any Guy
Finbar
Buzzlin

Be sure to grab your tickets here: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1593525277

10.00pm - 5.00am
Brixton Jamm, 261 Brixton Road, Brixton, London SW9 6LH, UK
£10 limited then £12

Pop edits

2011-11-27T14:18:00.000-08:00

It would be fair to say Phil Collins' 'I'm Not Moving' has seen enough remixes. Recently it's been sampled by Trickski, who turned it into an impossibly slow-burner; Pitto went the other way, stretching a small vocal snippet into a filtered house banger. This is a more middle-of-the-road affair, like the Idjut Boys edit, Jay Todd's is a jaunty house jam. Thanks go to Sloth Boogie blog for the pointer:

Phil Collins - I’m Not Moving (Jay Todd Re-Edit) {wav file} [pelski highly recommends]

A similar take to Ooft's rework of MJ's 'Thriller', this is a gently funky houser:

Michael Jackson - Thriller (Mike Fisher Edit)

We've previously posted the dramatic Cousin Cole remix of Rolling In The Deep; and here's a cut from Pelski favourite Jozif. It's a muted, futuristic kind of funk, a plodding momentum with a the flicker of guitars and a crack of snares:

Adele - Rolling In The Deep (Jozif Edit)

Bonus:

Miguel Campbell - Baby I Got It (Edit Murphy Remix)

Mark E - Oranges (Jacques Renault Edit) {wav file}

Pelski

Brooklyn beat

2011-11-22T11:57:00.001-08:00

Playing catch-up here after an internet-free few weeks, so here's a couple of tunes you might have already caught wind of .

A deep, old school house foray, as Bicep lend their deft hand to Medlar's 'Terrel', unfolding some rolling US garage snares:

Medlar - Terrell (Bicep's Brooklyn Shuffle) [pelski highly recommends]

This first appeared in Midland's Fact mix last year. The original's soothing melody is leant a bit of weight by Midland's chugging rhythms and grumbles of bass:

Boards Of Canada - Olson (Midland Edit)

Pelski

Tief round II: this Saturday

2011-11-18T08:55:00.000-08:00

Corsica Studios presents the second installment of its new 'in-house' night, Tief.

On Saturday the 19th of November, Tief returns with a massive line-up including live sets from Hamburg's Stimming and London's own Jay Shepheard.

Saturday 19th November, 22.00 - 06.00
Corsica Studios, 4/5 Elephant Road, SE17 1LB
(5 Minute walk from Elephant and Castle tube)

Line Up

Stimming - Live (Diynamic)

David August (Diynamic)

Jay Shepheard - Live (Retrofit)

Mano Le Tough (Buzzin' Fly)

KRL (Wolf Music)

The Pushamann (NoN Music)

Seldom Seen (Banquet Records)

Plus Residents:

Hesseltime

Mr Solid Gold + Park Ranger

Kitch & Sync

Tickets;
£8 Early bird, £10 / £13 Advance available here:
http://www.residentadvisor.net/event.aspx?281174
£15 OTD
Facebook

Boat Rockin'

2011-11-09T14:52:00.000-08:00

What with all the deep house and disco this blog's become immersed in, I thought I'd post a couple of tunes on the dubstep / garage side of things:

The late great Aaliyah was killed in an airplane crash in The Bahamas after filming the music video for single 'Rock the Boat'. The track has been remixed aplenty (the Soul Clap edit is a personal favourite), but it's easy to forget the original carries a lot of dancefloor weight in itself. The vocal as well as the gently clicking instrumentation wouldn't seem all that out of place in a lot of deep house, r'n'b-loving mixes in vogue in 2011. Ill Blu, on the other hand, speeds things up with some uk funky percussion:

Ill Blu vs Aaliyah - Rock The Boat [pelski highly recommends]

Some skippy beats skim over Madcon's sooothing cover of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons' seminal 'Beggin' . It's a super smooth ride chopped into an amalgam of fragmented vocal snippets, all the while remaining coherent and, crucially, retaining the soulfulness of the source material:

Digital Farm Animals - Beggin' [pelski highly recommends]

I've been keeping an eye on Maribou State for some time. Their music is of the ilk easily pidgeonholed as 'future garage', but that label doesn't do justice to their intriguing and often inventive productions. On their remix of Wretch 32, a cut up r'n'b vocal swirls amidst a thrum of hollowed out percussion:

Wretch 32 feat. Etta Bond - Forgiveness (Maribou State Remix)

Pelski

Friday: Exhibition #2 w/ Ossie, Casino Times and Pelski

2011-11-02T10:33:00.000-07:00

I'm looking forward to playing this Friday, where I'll be warming up for Ossie and Casino Times - two of our favourite new producers - at the second Exhibition, The Star of Kings.

Ossie recently came to the forefront with two impressive EPs on Lightworks and Hyperdub, a slick strand of uk funky, all organic tribal percussion and r&b vocal snips.

Followers of the blog will probably know Casino Times for their sublime 'That's The Truth' that appeared on Pelski as a freebie. The track went on to catch the eye of many the diserning house head after a vinyl release on Sccucci Manucci.

Support will be coming from myself, Sharkbait and a number of Exhibition Residents.

Ossie

Casino Times

Synamatix

Pelski

Shark Bait

Osky

Anyguy

Starts at 8pm, £5 before 10pm, £7 after.

Or fire your name over to the £5 guestlist: exhibitionuk@yahoo.com

Facebook event.

Exhibition's resident and clothing aficionado Yoghurt Warrior has put together a deep mix to get you in the mood.

Make sure you get down early on Friday to check out the streetwear showcase. Yoghurt Warrior will be selling the brand new Hush House collaboration tee as an exclusive sneak peak to the rest of their new range due next month.

Exhibition mix Vol 2. mixed by Yoghurt Warrior by Exhibitionuk on Mixcloud

Charles Darkly Interviews: Eats Everything

2011-11-02T05:33:00.000-07:00

He's the Big Mac of the low end, and he's thriving on a healthy dose of worldwide dance-floors. His 'Entrance Song' topped the charts this summer, and he's just unleashed his new ep on Dirtybird. It's looking good for the man that Eats Everything. We caught up with the man of the moment for a little supersize chat...

Your basslines pack some weighty rump. Your king sized marketing makes msg feel bloated. You go by the names of Tubs, Fats and Chubtop. Would it be reasonable to say your a man of consumption?

It would be more than reasonable to say that. It would be rude not to in fact.

This year has signified a lot of things for Eats Everything. What’s changed the most? Apart from your socks.

My hair has changed, I have more of an gown up haircut than I used to have, which is nice… I also have loads of gigs, which is really nice! I’ve also recently got engaged so it’s definitely been a year of transition.

M6 traffic jams are a perfect excuse for tuning into Tong’s show on Radio 1. Once locked in, your knowingly expecting that wonderful amalgamation of Genius-Ditz track selections from Tongey himself. But every now and then, Tong pulls out an “Essential Tune” which can only be described as head tilting-ly destructive. Such a moment of clarity was Tong announcing your forthcoming Dirtybird release ‘The Size’ as Essential Tune of the week. This must have been a full circle moment for you. Tell us a bit about the release.

The release was out today on the 26th October and I'm hoping it will be my biggest to date. It is a two track EP, ‘The Size’ and ‘Whatever Whatever’, both very different from each other and from a lot of stuff that is around at the moment. Both tracks again somehow seem to have that crossover appeal throughout the "Bass Music" guys and "Underground House" guys like my track Entrance Song. I don't set out for my records to have this appeal, it just seems to turn out that way!

How does it feel to be a fully fledged hatchling of the Dirtybird community now?

It actually feels really good to be a part of it as they are great, great people. They are all so down to earth and friendly and have all given me a lot of advice encouragement etc. They are also a lot of fun all of them and like to party as well as make great music which is the perfect ethos within this industry I think.

You’ve sited 90’s house as a major inspiration to your music. Many 90’s house records were heavily laden with samples, and in a recent Future Music interview with Rhythm Masters maestro Steve Mac, he sited vinyl sampling as a truly ‘fun way of making records’. How does sampling play a part in your production process?

I just want to say firstly that Steve Mac/Rhythm Masters and MK are the reason I got into house music in the first place, he/they are the ultimate producers who have delivered for over 20 years, were setting the standard then and still are now. With regard to sampling, my tracks are all heavily sample laden and most of the hooks in my tracks come from a sample to be honest. I don't think electronic dance music would a). exist without sampling and b). be as appealing or anywhere near as exciting if it weren't for sampling.

Your native Bristol receives a lot of worthy attention. The recent ‘Real Scenes: Bristol’ documentary on Resident Advisor, really charted the uncompromising sounds of the city. Do you seek a lot of inspiration from local producers?

Yes and no. I don't think that musically I have been inspired per se by any artists from Bristol but I massively respect what each and every Bristol artist has done for the city’s musical culture. There has been A LOT of great, great music come out of Bristol and is really amazing and a huge honour that I am now considered to be one of the artists that is pushing this particular Bristol renaissance.

Are you considering any collabs with any of the local talent?

Me and Matt (Julio) Bashmore are talking about it, it’s just a case of finding the time. I have collabs in the pipeline with a lot of the other Bristol House Music artists in the offing at present, the likes of Waif & Strays, Lukas, Christophe, Rio & Prest, Bowski etc. In a couple of years there will be 10 times the amount of house music that there is currently coming from this city I think.

Pepper makes people hot tempered.

Chamomile makes them bitter.

Vinegar makes them sour.

Barley sugar makes one sweet tempered.

What food puts you in a certain mood?

Most food makes me happy!!!!! It’s only parsley that really f*cks me off! As soon as I taste it that’s it, my meal is ruined. It always sneaks into the most un-parsley like meal and ruins everything. I like Pizza too. A lot.

Biggest tune in your record bag right now?

Thats a toughy, and I hate to do this as its shameful but is probably my secret rework of Adam F - Circles, it kills it every time without fail. Also Murk’s new one, ‘Amame’ which I think has just been signed to Defected of all places, which is also pretty massive but for different reasons.

Besides food and bass - what’s Eats Everything’s other hobby?

I like football, partying and long distance running. That last one is a lie.

A track that changed the way you heard music. It can’t be a dance track though.

Paul SImon - Graceland is a track that I remember as a kid really vividly. It sticks in my mind and every time I hear it I can remember listening to it as kid.

Who’s more hungry? The Hungry Hippos or Ronald McDonald?

I would go for the Hippo's purely because Ronald McDonald is a mere proprietor/mascot/face of/vendor of a rather shit food products, whereas the Hippo's job is to eat and eat. That’s it. Ron is there to look pretty and balance the books.

Haha. If you wanna see Ronald McDonald balancing the books while duelling the Michelin Man, then check the link here.

Thanks for your time Dan, it's been a pleasure.

Eats Everything ‘The Size EP’ is out now on Dirtybird.

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Friday: JUST & PELSKI at 93 Feet East

2011-10-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

This Friday is JUST's 6th London event and they're celebrating by bringing Teki Latex to the decks and Pelski will be running the second room!

*** TEKI LATEX (UK EXCLUSIVE HOUSE SET) ***

Founder and A&R of SOUND PELLEGRINO and INSTITUBES; and therefore responsible for career defining releases by SURKIN, PARA ONE, L-VIS 1990 and countless more - TEKI LATEX is unquestionably one of the most important men in electronic music right now. Far from being just a boss in the literal sense - Teki has one of the most popular electronic music podcasts going and has released a number of inimitable tracks and remixes of his own - featuring vocals taken directly from the leftfield. The latest of these - 'Bassface / Pretty Pretty Good' have soundtracked the summer and we're delighted to have a UK EXCLUSIVE HOUSE SET from such an unstoppable force.

*** ELDOKO (GOTTWOOD / WHAT! WHAT!) ***

In support we have the founder of GOTTWOOD FESTIVAL - a unique electronic soiree in North Wales taking in acts as diverse as MR SCRUFF, T.E.E.D and LEE FOSS in it's first two years. As a producer, Tom is a prolific creator of swing based techno that is seemingly impossible not to dance to. Support from Round Table Knights and slots at festivals across the continent have helped push things to the next level - expect big things.

*** URCHINS (JUST / CHEAP THRILLS) ***

With a release on SWEAT IT OUT and YOLANDA BE COOL's eagerly anticipated debut compilation album imminent, and with a second CHEAP THRILLS EP ready to go - URCHINS are making a strong finish to 2011 and complete the Room 1 lineup.

*** PELSKI ***

You know the blurb...

The ubiquitous We Are You Friends crew will also be supplying the beats, with Sharkbait and his crew ripping up Room 2.

*** AS ALWAYS IT'S FREE ENTRY ALLLLLLL NIGHT! ***

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RESIDENT ADVISOR

October: Pelski Highly Recommends Chart

2011-10-21T05:32:00.000-07:00

All tracks are available from beatport, juno or boomkat:

1. Daphni - Yes, I know

2. Miguel Campbell - Something Special

3. Willie Burns - Waste Your Time

4. Mercury - You Lift Me Up

5. Scuba - Adrenaline

6. Sneaky Sound System - Big (Nicolas Jaar Version)

7. Tim Green - Cherry

8. Kate Wax - Holy Beast (James Holden Woolly Beast Edit)

9. Crazy P - Open For Service (Hot Toddy remix)

10. David Woods - 10,000

11. Omar S – Sarah

12. Toro Y Moi - Still Sound (Voodoo Bear Remix)

13. Ossie - That's Mine

14. Maceo - Plex - Falling

15. Julio Bashmore - Father Father (B&S Edit)

Relish 3

2011-10-19T01:16:00.001-07:00

Relish, the label of Zürich disco-don Robi 'Headman' Insinna, is handing out a stunning freebie.

Hannulelauri (a cross between the two Finnish names Hannu and Lauri) have been whipping up a music storm for a year or so now. And on the dub of Europa the duo spin a cosmic concoction - part quirky electro, part balaeric hip-shaker. The original track appears on the 'Relish 3' comp released last week, also featuring tracks from JR Seaton, Stopmakingme, Montevideo, Chmmr, International, Manhead and Headman.

Hannulelauri - Europa (Dub) [pelski highly recommends]

An older one: tinkling tropical percussion rattles amidst the thud and squelch of bass, fitted with a typically bombastic Headman groove. A 2010 classic:

Hannulelauri - Super Monkey (Headman Rework) [pelski highly recommends] {128kbps}

Pelski

Seriously Sleazy

2011-10-18T00:57:00.000-07:00

Sleazy McQueen is one of those rare artists you stumble across and don't want to tell anyone about (but for some reason you run a narcissistic blog that you've named after yourself... and you feel compelled to shout about it).

Sleazy McQueen's disco edits, often popping up on the superb Whiskey Disco imprint, aren't just your run-of-the-mill edits (a sprinkling of hollow percussion here, a faint kick drum there...). No, the difference is they're unique, inventive and a lot of fun.

Sleazy McQueen whacks a whopping great big beat, chugging and old school, on top of the poppy diva vocal:

The Cover Girls - Wishing On A Star (Sleazy McQueen Extended edit) [pelski highly recommends]{HQ wav file}

A repetition of hefty bassed-out beats rain down on this edit. The whole thing picks up steam three minutes in, morphing into a medley of disco strings, tinkling percussion and slamming beats. Funky, peak-time stuff:

Martin Circus - Disco Circus (Sleazy McQueen Edit) [pelski highly recommends] {192kbps}

Serious caribbean flavours on this SisterNancy track; the edit doesn't diverge too much, opting for subtle tweaks of the original's clattering beats and reggae melody:

Sister Nancy - Bam Bam (Sleazy McQueen Edit){HQ wav file}

Next up is the 1976 classic 'Space Talk' by Asha Puthli. McQueen replaces the airy footwork of the original with a punchier beat and even funkier bassline:

Asha Puthli - Space Talk (Sleazy McQueen Edit)

Bonus:

Fatback Band - I Like Girls (Sleazy McQueen Edit){HQ wav file}

Stevie Wonder - Love Light In Flight (Sleazy McQueen Edit)

Pelski

Dust Collision

2011-10-17T02:43:00.000-07:00

Master of all things 'techno' and 'brooding', James Holden has lent his deft hand to the croons of Kate Wax.

It's a typically intricate soundscape, starting off with an abstract fizzling of glitchy white noise before the minimalist synthwork enters. The track really shines in its second half, with off-kilter kicks, echoing and ominous, countering those wiggling synths:

Kate Wax - Holy Beast (Holden's Woolly Beast Edit) [pelski highly recommends] {buy}

Pelski

Ossie strikes again

2011-10-14T06:32:00.001-07:00

Ossie crosses a lumbering techno beat with the skippy rhythms of 2-step to great effect, a looped and vox'd r'n'b vocal sitting atop. For those unfamiliar with Ossie, be sure to check out his 'Tarantula' and 'Set The Tone' EPs.

Ossie - That's Mine [pelski highly recommends]

Ossie releases the freebie in anticipation of his set at FOUND on Friday 14th October with DJs Applebim, Loefah, Mosca, Lone and the Eglo Records fam.

Tickets and info available on the Hidden website.

Also catch Ossie's set at our friends' party Exhibition with Casino Times and more on November 4th at The Star of Kings. More info here.

Pelski

After You're Gone

2011-10-13T13:03:00.000-07:00

A slew of semi-decent remixes of Tyson's 'After You're Gone' have appeared on Backyard lately. The pick arguably goes to Joe Goddard, turning in a rework that would sound right at home on a Turbo release. Over the yearning soul of Tyson, Goddard lays a gurgle of electro-tech bass that slowly unfolds into a more squelchy, acid-techno affair:

Tyson - After You're Gone (Joe Goddard Remix){192kbps)

Bonus:

Tyson - After You're Gone (The Magician Remix){HQ wav file}

Tyson - After You're Gone (Solo Remix){192kbps}

Muscular disco

2011-10-12T14:42:00.001-07:00

Bicep (of Feel My Bicep blog ) have been turning heads with their slow-burning disco bombs on Throne of Blood and Mystery Meat. More recently they've been remixing the likes of Toby Tobias and Medlar.

Now they're chucking out an edit of disco diva Evelyn Champagne King's 'Love Come Down'. It's a simple edit - purportedly banged out in three hours - and to be honest the 80s original already has enough dancefloor clout of its own. But Bicep beefs up those rolling snares, letting them tumble over a hefty, gulping weight of bass:

Bicep - Love Comedown [pelski highly recommends]

Pelski

Bunched-up house

2011-10-05T13:21:00.001-07:00

Mosca - the divergent garage wunderkind who gave us the criminally underrated 'Gold Bricks...I See You' and, more recently, the heavily hyped 'Done Me Wrong' - yesterday threw out a free EP to celebrate reaching 5000 Twitter followers. Unsurprisingly, the free EP doesn't offer up the instantly catchy allure of his more popular productions. That said, it's a sublime and deep excursion into low-slung house. Both tracks achieve a smooth old school feel thanks to some vintage hip hop sampling:

Mosca - Bunching

Mosca - The Way We Were

Pelski

Promised Land

2011-10-03T06:14:00.001-07:00

A glorious take on a Balearic classic from the masters of disco edits, Leftside Wobble. I played this at a couple of festivals this summer and it went down a treat (please note how casually I just dropped in the fact that I DJ at festivals). This uplifting gospel-drenched anthem is injected with a flurry of hollowed out wooden percussion and a satisfying crash of snares. Feel-good house of the highest order:

The Style Council - Promised Land (Leftside Wobble Edit) [pelski highly recommends]

Pelski

10-piece techno

2011-09-30T02:21:00.000-07:00

Having ditched the computers they used to arrange ‘You Make Me Real’, The Brant Brauer Frick Ensemble have expanded the trio band to a ten-piece so they can play handcrafted dance grooves completely live. The hotly anticipated album, recorded with their full 10-piece Ensemble, will be released at the end of October. True to BBFE form, 'Pretend' is a medley of clicking and clacking organic instrumentation executed in the form of a meticulous techno progression:

The Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble feat. Emika - Pretend [pelski highly recommends]

This dusty, kicking house bootleg was sent over by the Bootleg Bastards. With tongue firmly in cheek, Quinten 909 turn the vintage sample into a cheeky, upbeat disco remix:

Quinten 909 - Whatever You Do [pelski highly recommends]

Being somewhat adverse to club music James Vincent turned this edit down, confining it to a life in eternal bootleg / blog limbo. Of course, the edit actually couldn't be any more far removed from the club sound. Thanks go to the fantastic House of Disco blog for this one:

James Vincent McMorrow – If I Had A Boat (Lovebirds Demo Edit)

Dinosaurs go Gardening

2011-09-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

You might well ask where the once ubiquitous Pelski Blog has been of late? (Sadly there seem to have been few comments from you guys bemoaning our absence - but at least we have the trusty spammers, alerting us to their abundance of viagra on offer). Well needless to say, we're back, and we also have some exciting changes to announce very soon..

For now, let's get things rolling with a generous freebie package of TEED remixes that've been doing the rounds:

Hackman puts some rat-a-tat UK funky percussion over those yearning indie vocals:

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Garden (Hackman Remix)

Donaeo, the man who brought us the deliciously cheesy anthem 'Party Hard', serves up more of a straight-up UK funky take on 'Garden', with those rattling, militant drum beats laced with grimy surges of bass:

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Garden (Donaeo Remix)

Hot Chip and 2 Bears stalwart Joe Goddard goes for an old school vibe; despite the squidgey acid bass it's decidedly downbeat:

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Garden (Joe Goddard Remix) {192kbps}

Take your pick, or wait, with baited breath, for the Soul Clap remix.

Pelski

Saturday: Hemstock festival

2011-09-12T10:09:00.000-07:00

A great small festival to close the festival season is Hemstock. Following the success of Hemstock ’07, and by popular demand, the team are back this weekend, aiming to make Hemstock bigger and better than ever. This festival, set on private land within the rolling hills and lush countryside of Dorset, is about providing the very best in new, progressive music, local delicacies, comedy and literature.

Hemstock is a non-profit organisation where all the proceeds raised from the festival will go to support Prostate Cancer Research and Mondo Challenge (a charity which focuses on providing schools and educative grants to remote areas of India).

From midday Hemstock'll be cooking up a musical storm on the main stage by fusing eclectic flavours from Electro Swing, House, Techno, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Rock n Roll, Blues, Folk, Roots and Reggae.

As well as musicians and tents there'll also be some stand up comedy, recitals from well known Poets & Authors infused with scrumptious local foods and cider. All this will take us right up to our grand finale, the headline act, followed by an outstanding fireworks display over the festival site.

From Midnight there will be tents where we will continue the party. And of course, most importantly, Mr Park Ranger, Real Nice and Pelski will be serving up the banging beats well into the early hours.

Grab tickets for just £40 here.

Slo-mo by the pool

2011-09-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

1980s songstress Sade made put out a number of sumptuous and soulful numbers, ever ripe for a disco edit. The 2 Bears covered the track on their first EP. And Poolside have put together a funky remix: gently slapping percussion and deep bass make for a smooth and lush little edit:

Sade - When Am I Going To Make A Living (Poolside's Tons of Drums Edit) [pelski highly recommends]

One of the pleasant surprises of 2011 was Poolside's summer smash 'Do You Believe', a woozy, Balearic houser with a crooning hook, switching between uplifting piano chords and a moody 303 line. Goldroom's giving out his cut-up rework for free:

Poolside - Do You Believe (Goldroom Remix) [pelski highly recommends]

Pelski

Cameotation Flicks

2011-09-07T10:24:00.001-07:00

Love this one. A simple edit of an old school, downright funky tune from 70's soul band Cameo, bringing to mind Pam Grier and old Blaxploitation flicks:

Cameo - Rigor Mortis (DJ Apt One Edit) [pelski highly recommends]

Pelski

End of August: Pelski Highly Recommend Chart

2011-09-01T03:01:00.000-07:00

All tracks are available from beatport, juno or boomkat:

1. John Talabot - Leave Me (Friendly Pattern Version)

2. Kyle Hall - Get Down

3. Chopstick & Johnjon - Obviously She Is A Whore

4. Nicholas & Simoncino - Holdin On

5. Lewie Day - Some Kinda Man

6. Justin Martin & Ardalan - Lezgo

7. Finley Quay - Even After All (Guilt Trip Edit)

8. Thyladomid & Adriatique - Deep In The Three

9. Daniel Steinberg - Everybody Everybody

10. Retro/Grade - Mindfighter

Exhibition this Friday

2011-08-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

I'm playing alongside a whole host of esteemed guests on the 2nd September at a new night arriving in London, Exhibition #1, the first in a series of nights dedicated to street fashion and music. Kicking off at 8pm, they'll be showcasing the freshest, upandcoming streetwear labels along with some serious talent behind the decks to keep you moving until 4am!

HACKMAN (PTN/ Greco roman)

Hackman’s sound relies on a distinctively warm analog sub bass and asymmetric percussion layered over a 4x4 base. His sweet melodies nicely offset the dark subs and scattered drums, reminiscent of MJ Cole’s turn of the millennium 2-step productions:

Hackman's Fact Mix

GRAPHICS (Shifting Peaks/ Haunted Audio)

Oxford producer Graphics, is more than just your next 'future garag'e superstar. 'OK Rainbow’ and ‘Adjectival E’ have been described by FACT magazine as 'immersed in subtropical heatstroke, fogged so that every element sounds just slightly obscured and mysteriously smokescreened Graphics is a young producer to keep your eyes on.
Ok Rainbow by Graphics

Graphics' Gottwood Mix

SYNAMATIX (The Daily Street/ Dead Plate Records)

London's Synamatix has been a regular face on the Bass scene for a while now, seamlessly merging between a host of genres including House, Garage, UK Funky, Dubstep and Techno. First starting DJing at 15, he has been mastering the art for over 7 years and has played many of the UK's most established venues including Fabric, Ministry of Sound, Brixton Mass, SEOne and Motion. Creator of Deadplate records with forthcoming releases from Hackman, Lung, Artifact and Maxx Roach, Alex also helped bring us the outstanding fashion/ streetwear website 'The Daily Street'!

Synamatix's Exhibition Mix Vol 1

Exhibition mix Vol 1. mixed by Synamatix by Exhibitionuk on Mixcloud

PELSKI & SHARKBAIT (WAYF/ Yoghurt Warrior)

Later in the night, I'll be going back to back with Sharkbait, spinning an upbeat mix house and disco.

OSKY (Farr Fest/ Eastern Electrics)
QUEENIE (Plus One)
SENSE OFFENSE (Dirty Note)
SECONDLIFE (LNUK)
KOYEJO (Disruption inc)

Playing the best in House / Garage / Techno / Bass /

======TICKETS======
£8

STREETWEAR:

YOGHURT WARRIOR

"With smashing reviews from Mixmag, Tilllate Magazine and Front Magazine amongst others, Yoghurt Warrior have seen a steady rise in the UK streetwear scene. From designing tees for Festivals such as Secret Garden Party and Gottwood Festival to designing Rusko and Doorly's USA tour Tee, its fair to say Yoghurt Warrior have been busy. Now approaching the end of 2011 with plans for a new more expansive range, Yoghurt Warrior is finding its way into shops up and down the UK aswel as projects further over seas!"

Other:

LNUK

BEG DESIGNS

Entry is only £8 all night, or you can book early to avoid disappointment:

Resident Advisor & Ticketweb

See you there

Peaches, Grades and Disco

2011-08-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

Spaniard disco don Rayko, founder of Rare Wiri Records, has thrown out his edit of Whip & Contagious, a slow-mo funked-out disco groover. Cop the whole release on wax here.

Rayko - Contagious [pelski highly recommends] {buy}

Hailing from Belgium, Mickey serves up some serious dancefloor disco, with slapping beats and stunted piano chords galore. Disco with a punch. And of course it helps that the delicious vocal sample comes courtesy of US soul and house legend Colenel Abrams:

Mickey - Trapped ft Colonel Abrams

No doubt the esteemed scenesters amongst you will have got wind of this one by now. Yes, Peach Melba is the new house project of The Juan Maclean. Exciting indeed. Only this is the 'dub of the dub', meaning it's more dub techno than straight-up house. A slightly inferior offering to either the original or dub: the vocals are all but stripped away, and the bassy beats wield a clunkier, darker vibe. Be sure to check the whole release:

Peach Melba - Can't Let Go (Dub of Dub)

Retro/Grade have a bit of a Marmite effect on listeners. Personally I love their new track 'Mindfighter', there's something epic and yet gleefully shameless about the whole thing. The Blue Satellite remix is a frenzied rework, with plenty of twists, turns and funked up electro warps and wonks. It doesn't posses the ominous, spine-tingling build up of the original, but a fun remix nonetheless:

Retro/Grade - Mindfighter (Blue Satellite Remix)

Deep and soulful disco from Andy Hart's edit - with more than just a hint of sleaze:

The Crusaders - Spiral (Andy Hart Edit)

Pelski

Croz - International Summer '11

2011-08-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

22 year old DJ Croz holds an impeccable taste in house and disco (as well as an inexplicable penchant for wearing pink, fluffy road-kill on his head). He's put together a smashing mix filled to the brim with this summer's big hitters.

Croz - International Summer '11 (Part A) [pelski highly recommends]

Robin Ordell - The Show
Danny Daze - Your Everything (Feat. Lousahhh!)
Azari & III - Manic
Maya Jane Coles - The High Life
Virgo Four It's A Crime (Caribou Mix)
Tuccillo - Disco En Paradiso
Maceo Plex - Falling
No Regular Play - Owe Me (Nic Jaar Mix)
Benoit & Sergio - Everybody
David August - True Romance
Greg Paul - Nightime (Crazy P Remix)
Lucky Paul - Thought We Were Alone (Money Vs. Gold Remix)

Check out some of Croz's superb remixes of Burial & Four Tet as well as Bros.

Pelski

The Modfather returns

2011-08-11T01:37:00.001-07:00

Paul Weller's 'Starlite' was released a couple of days ago and to celebrate, the lush and laid-back Drop Out Orchestra remix is up for grabs.

Weller's original is already turning a lot of heads, a light and breezy nod towards his flirtations with house music in his late Style Council days. Whatever you think of the record, there’s no denying the cover art is fantastic.

Swedish disco dons Drop Out Orchestra turn the thing into a semi-Balearic groover, fitted with cowbells and a gently funky bassline. Lovely stuff:

Paul Weller – Starlight (Drop Out Orchestra Remix) [pelski highly recommends] {buy}

Pelski

Guilt Trip Edit # 2

2011-08-06T05:44:00.003-07:00

A while back I posted the superb Guilt Trip edit of Lindstrøm & Christabelle's 'Can't Stop'. The mysterious remixer is back with some gentle, percussive-based funk that can only bring to mind poolside partying, rooftop terraces and lazy summer days... to quote the Park Ranger: "Fucking Balaeric".

Finley Quaye - Even After All (Guilt Trip Edit) [pelski highly recommends]

Pelski

Nocturnal Sunshine AKA Maya Jane Coles reworks Alpines

2011-08-04T04:12:00.000-07:00

Maya Jane Coles has blown up in the last year or so with her deep and techy house releases, each production marked by a distinctive warmth. Producing under another alias, Nocturnal Sunshine, she turns her hands to the dubstep template. Her snappy yet gentle snares are offset by some nicely understated bass, a complement to Alpines soulful, ethereal vocal work. A stunning remix:

Alpines - Cocoon (Nocturnal Sunshine Remix) {128kbps} [pelski highly recommends]

Half a year old this one... Tokimonsta slaps some crunchy, utterly satisfying hip-hop beats over Adreya Triana's r'n'b soul:

Andreya Triana - Far Closer (Tokimonsta Remix) [pelski highly recommends]

VVV goes all crackling, fizzing and experimental on this excursion into the seriously deep:

VVV - Reveries [pelski highly recommends]

Knowing Looks AKA Jason Hopfner serves up some chunky 2-step, in the hefty techno vein of Blawan:

Knowing Looks - Abandoned Skip {192kbps}

Pitched-up vocals from Pittsburgh's Kastle float over a mish-mash of ravey, acid-laced garage. Deep and yet manically energetic. A freebie from the Time Traveller EP, released some months ago:

Kastle - I Know

Deadboy - the wunderkind currently wowing crowds with his house/2-step crossover - lays some jittery percussion over a brand-spanking new track from legendary rocker Paul Weller:

Paul Weller - Starlight (Deadboy Remix) {192kbps}

Pelski

Return with sunshine...

2011-08-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

You may well have noticed that the Pelski blogging machine has recently ground to a complete halt. With a couple of holidays in Portugal and Ibiza out of the way, it's time to get the wheel moving again with a couple of summer jams...

Last summer was dominated by the stripped back, floor-smashing 'Calypso' -all steel drum melody backed up by hefty pads - courtesy of Round Table Knights and the lesser know Bauchamp. Also hailing from Switzerland, Bauchamp have handed out a track on a similarly tropical tip, this time fitted with some hollowed-out percussive beats and stunted piano chords. It's a satisfyingly rough and bouncy production (and, yes, this one's been floating around for more than a couple of months):

Bauchamp - Don't Care {HQ 320 aiff} [pelski highly recommends]

Sleazy funk from the ever consistent Chromeo, with some diva-styled guest vocals from Solange Knowles. Breakbot turns in a punchy disco remix (both the Lifelike and Hercules & The Love Affair remixes are worth a see in too):

Chromeo - When The Night Falls (Breakbot Remix)(feat. Solange Knowles) {HQ aiff file}[pelski highly recommends]

Some jazzy, energetic tribal house music of the dirtbird/deadfish ilk:

Blood Orange

Camel - Coconuts (Leg-No Remix)

Funky, soulful r&b-laced number from Lightspeed Champion and Test Icicles and Theophilus London co-writer Dev Hynes:

Blood Orange - Dinner {192kbps}

Thuis sublime, unreleased edit of James Blake's 'Limit To Your Love' lays a gentle, groovy house beat beneath Blake's croon:

James Blake - Limit To Your Love (Few Nolder Edit) {128kbps}

Pelski

twitter.com/PelskiBlog

2011-07-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

Against our better judgement, we've finally moved to Twitter. Please follow us, tweet us, chat to us, er, twat us... whatever it is kids do these days...?

http://twitter.com/PelskiBlog

Pelski

July: Pelski Highly Recommends Chart

2011-07-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

All tracks are available from beatport, juno or boomkat:

1. Lovebirds feat. Stee Downes - Want You In My Soul (Hot Toddy Remix)

2. Fritz Kalkbrenner - Right In The Dark (Henrik Schwarz Remix)

3. Viadrina - Wont You (Pol On Remix)

4. Noir & Haze - Around (Solomun Vox Remix)

5. Homework - Rally Racquet

6. Auntie Flo - Oh My Days

7. Andi de Luxe - Boobsie Collins

8. Little Dragon - Ritual Union (Tensnake Remix)

9. The Black Ghosts - Talk No More

10. Cosmic Boogie - Fast & Loose

11. Lindstrøm & Christabelle - Can't Stop (Guilt Trip Edit)

12. Aloe Blacc - Dollar (KRL GBP Remix)

13. Tiger & Woods - Girls Like Boys

14. Mario & Vidis - Changed feat Ernesto

15. Motor City Drum Ensemble - Love

On Fire

2011-07-14T08:14:00.001-07:00

I've been addicted to this simple but effective soho808 edit for a couple of weeks now. A slow and steady kick pushes the track upwards and forwards: a slow, groove-laden propulsion.

George Benson - What's On Your Mind (soho808 something's going on edit) [pelski highly recommends]

Bruce Springsteen's 'I'm On Fire' gets a slo-mo house edit from Dead Rose Music Company, whisps of those familiar vocals float in and out amidst a light and restrained backdrop of plodding beats:

Dead Rose Music Company - Bad Reprise

Bonus: Harkin & Raney - Workin' & Steamin'{128kbps}

Pelski

The Era In Antartek

2011-06-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

Flutes, bombos and gaitas stick out their hand luggage, and the mysteries of the dance floor emanate from their Andean charm. They've come to summon the spirits from Gottwood's lake, while unlocking the secrets of the woodland in their wake, but they'll be lucky if they get any of that ancient medication past security. It must be Matanza.

Revered for their authentic take on Andean Street House, these shaman of the sound system have been causing a mystical ruckus on Antartek Records since their inception. Their careers started in the bohemian quarters of Chille, where that all too familiar transition took place, jumping from Hip-Hop to tropical Chicago house experimentation, finally culminating in that definitive Matanza sound.

Pelski and I are proud to be hosting their UK debut at Gottwood this weekend, where we shall see you down there for a riotous stomp, casting evil spirits over the canopies and into the night. Here's their ep for free download to get you in the mood, including a remix from another of Antartek Records hidden gems Daniel Klauser.

Be sure to check out the new Antartek Records website here, where you can download this whole Matanza release for free!

Matanza - Apolinar EP by Antartek Records

See you at Gottwood!

Darkly

If you go down to the woods today...

2011-06-29T09:15:00.001-07:00

Gottwood beckons. Tomorrow is the day we head off to the small yet formidably billed Gottwood festival, tucked away in the serene Welsh Woodlands. But it’s still not too late to buy a ticket – a lot of people aren’t arriving until Friday – so cop them here with our promo code (GOTTPELSKIJACKMODE):

To get you in the mood, here’s a few Gottwood mixes you can blare out of the car on your drive up:

***

Why, you might ask, is this mix above RTK, Monkey Safari and Dickon's you might ask? Good question. Nothing wrong with a bit of self-promo...

Gottwood's Got Soul Mixtape by pelski

Check the interview here.

***

Monkey Safari's Gottwood mix, a typically groovy, upbeat affair:

Gottwood Presents 005 - Monkey Safari by Gottwood Festival on Mixcloud

Catch their interview here.

***

Round Table Knights put together another of their famously well-picked mixtapes.

Gottwood Presents 013 - Round Table Knights by Gottwood Festival on Mixcloud

Interview.

***

Our Jackmode accomplices Dickon Stone and James Creed have also put together a special mix, you can catch them on Friday night:

Gottwood Presents 020 - Creed & Stone by Gottwood Festival on Mixcloud

Interview.

And for the general festival low-down (FAQs, info, etc) head here.

Full lineup with stages:

http://gottwood.co.uk/Lineup

See you there

Pelski

Auntie Flozza

2011-06-28T09:09:00.001-07:00

Initially a Glasgow based club night, Huntleys & Palmers has since taken their party-starting antics to London and, more recently, branched out into a label. Their first release dropped in April from newcomer Auntie Flo (what I thought was a really cute and cuddly artist name… until I realised what it meant). His debut EP ‘Goan Highlife’ was of the raw and earthy tribalist ilk, but imbued with real melody and groove. The flip was a refreshing slice of heavily looped hollow percussion sitting behind a big kick drums and some ethnic chanting. The EP was just as likely to be heard spun by Ricardo Villabos or Andrew Weatherall as by Ramadanman or Caribou.

H&P's second release caught my attention nestled away at the backend of Midland’s latest mix. And it’s more of the good stuff – afro-inspired, blistering beats – but with a keener focus on dancefloor house floors, with an insatiably upbeat vocal chant, rattling beats and booming bass drum. This one’ll be doing the rounds this summer:

Auntie Flo - Oh My Days (Clip) [pelski highly recommends]

Bonus: Hanggai - Flowers (Auntie Flo Edit)

Pelski

Guilt Trip

2011-06-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

Absolutely addicted to this edit right now. It dropped into my inbox via a very mysterious source: Guilt Trip. All we can say is that the producer is already an established artist ... producing under a new alias…

It’s a cheeky little edit of Lindstrøm & Christabelle’s funky disco number ‘Baby Can’t Stop’. The original’s glitter balls and mirror lights are traded in for some clean, stripped-back tech-house and tribalist beats. It’s not until four minutes in that we hear that catchy chorus:

Lindstrøm & Christabelle – Can't Stop (Guilt Trip Edit) [pelski highly recommends]

Park Ranger - Stop Making Sense Podcast

2011-06-24T09:30:00.001-07:00

Trouble Vision resident and promoter Park Ranger turns in another superb mix, this time for Stop Making Sense - the Croatian festival (12th - 14th August) at which Trouble Vision will be hosting both a beach and boat party later this summer.

A foray into deep house with plenty of choice vinyl disco cuts from the likes of Dikso, Delusions of Grandeur and Running Back, the Ranger's latest is the perfect summer companion:

Stop Making Sense Podcast by Parkranger

1. Nightmares On Wax - You Wish
2. Duff Disco - I Won't Forget
3. Andi de Luxe - Boobsie Collins
4. Soho808 - Get Up Disco
5. Double hill - Everytime i go
6. Boards Of Canada - Olson (Midland Edit)
7. Thomas Bangalter - On DA Rocks
8. Tensnake - In The End (I Want You To Cry) (Lone Remix)
9. Double Hill- I Wanna Get
10. Franc Spangler - Forever A Day
11. Alexis Raphael - Spaceship
12. Jayson Brothers - Keep On Moving
13. MANIK NYC - White Motif - Shur-i-kan vs. Milton Jackson Remix
14. Unknown - The stamp is unreadable!!
15. Linkwood - Dirty Love
16. Ame Feat. AMAMPONDO- Ku Kanjani (version 1)
17. Todd Terje - Ragysh

Head here for Stop Making Sense tickets.

Pelski

Sexual healing

2011-06-23T07:57:00.000-07:00

So scenesters and hipsters everywhere are agreeing that R'n'b is, in fact, no longer a dirty word… thanks, in part, to the arrival of The Weeknd. That said, the dubstep and garage scene have had a long-standing affair with R’n’B vocals; and, more recently, house producers have also kindled a certain fondness for the sexy and sleazier side of pop (Lee Foss and Hot Creations, anyone?). And it is perhaps this coupling of soul and dubstep arrangement that makes The Weeknd so appealing.

House of Balloons is the debut of Toronto-based Abel Tesfaye (there's some speculation as whether it is just him), and it’s a stunning, sultry array of dubstep-tinged productions. With such achingly soulful vocals the album is ripe for remixing and, sure enough, the bootlegs have been plentiful. Inevitably many of the remixes have revolved around mid-range dubstep silliness (somewhat defying the point of the productions – that stand out exactly because they are deep, not brash). But these are my picks so far:

Cralias splinter the track up, glitching the vocals and add some deep, low-slung bass beats that bump along under the strung-out chorus:

The Weeknd – The Morning (Cralias Remix)

Pelski favourites and hotly-tipped Prince Club turn in a straight-up house edit. A nice and simple rework – does the trick:

The Weeknd – The Morning (Prince Club Edit)

First I ought to mention that My Panda Shall Fly played an awesome set on the Pelski stage at Glade: filled to the brim with obscure garage as well as fast-paced techno cuts. We’ve already posted his remix once, a refreshing ethereal take, with off-kilter drums, atmospheric rain FX and a crackling of white noise:

The Weeknd - Love Through Her (My Panda Shall Fly's Forgotten Version)

A dubstep remix that’s nicely restrained (in comparison to the bro-steppers out there) with gently snapping 808 drums and squelchy, effects-laden bass:

The Weeknd - High For This (NastyNasty Edit)

Credit ought to go to Pete Carvell for bringing this one to my attention, a D'n'B cut from DJ Fracture that uses a slow amen break to great effect:

The Weeknd - What You Need (DJ Fracture's Wreck Your Weekend Remix)

Adam Port provides a deep yet buoyant tech-house take:

The Weeknd - What You Need (Adam Port Edit) by Adam Port

Pelski

Friday: Oscillate Wildy w/ Midland, Pariah & Blawan

2011-06-23T04:23:00.001-07:00

After the success of Oscillate Wildly in April at Visions Videobar, their second outing tomorrow marks the start of their new home - the last Friday of every second month at Old Street's CAMP. And the lineup is banging to say the least: three of Pelski’s favourite DJ’s and producers playing a back to back set for the first time. For three hours. Plus James Fox on warm up duties:

Midland b2b Pariah b2b Blawan (3 hour set)

James Fox (3 hour set)

Russell Smith

Tickets here.
£7 advance // £10 on the door
22:00 - 04:00
The City Arts & Music Project
70-74 City Rd, EC1Y 2BJ, London

MIDLAND

Pelski readers will be more than familiar with Midland. We placed his debut (a stunning deep house collab with Ramadanman) in our Top 10 tunes of 2010. Since then, he’s seen some blistering releases on More Music and Aus and cemented himself as a remixer in demand. His tunes' versatility has meant they’re just as likely to be spun by Sven Vath as they are Ben UFO. His FACT mix last year was championed by many as the best of the year.

PARIAH

Pariah burst onto the scene last year with an amazing debut EP on R&S – Detroit Falls and Orpheus are still personal favourites – followed by a 6 track follow up on the same label (and... an album is in the works). His sets are a choice and inventive blend of house, techno and bass. Check his Boiler Room mix here.

BLAWAN

Blawan is responsible for the fiercest kick drum around; his searing tribalist beats flirt with 2-step, house, techno and everything in between. He’s had some great EPs on Hessle Audio and R&S, most recently ‘Getting Me Down’ (a huge tune.. (shameless self-plug alert…) that recently featured on my mix).

JAMES FOX

James Fox had a big year in 2010 with the funky/tech-houser ‘Put It Back’. And, after some delay, James Fox's grooving New Jack Swing (the track you hear overtime you go out with the Gorillaz sample and amazing synths) has finally seen a release. Check out his latest mix.

Check Midland’s latest mix for URB, a tight underground selection from a serious crate digger:

Midland - URB Podcast -1/6/2011 by Midland

1.Comme Il Faut (6 AR) – Porn Sword Tobacco
2. Freerotation – Reagenz
3. Winter Rose (Nicolas Jaar Remix) – The Bees
4. Tape Burn – Consort
5. Journey to the Core of the Unknown Sphere – Space Dimension Controller
6. Tour de Force – Hunee
7. Twice – Joe
8. Dishes & Wishes – Roman Flugel
9. New Horizon – Black Jazz Consortium
10. Double Jointed Sex Freak Pt. 2 – Levon Vincent
11. Falling Acid – Tin man
12. CM (Chloe Remix) – Arnaud Rebotini
13. Magnetic Bodies – Cosmin Trg
14. Through Motion – Midland
15. August – John Roberts
16. Powerless – Ricky L
17. Glamorama – Photek
18. Year 3000 – Braille
19. Spaziale – Marco Shuttle
20. Unknown – Unknown
21. Serpentin – Ricardo Villalobos
22. Oh my days (Midland edit) – Auntie Flo
23. Need Someone – Stubborn Heart

Grab Tickets here.

See you down there.

Pelski

Damn those magnetic fields...

2011-06-20T10:05:00.001-07:00

Purveyor of all things cosmic, German trio Space Ranger are handing out a free remix from MCDE (purveyor of all things deep) no less. It’s a tastefully restrained rejigg: gentle steel-tipped percussion taps away against the bobbing pulse of disco bass…that’s all before those strings come in at the 3.30 mark. Be sure to check out their forthcoming album What About The Magnetic Fields?, an inter-galactic trip through the outer-reaches of head-nodding Balearic house and disco:

Space Ranger – Plastic Romance (Motor City Drum Ensemble Vocal Remix) {192kbps} [pelski highly recommends]

Japan's Kezy M (AKA Kazuki Yamaguchi) has thrown out a full-quality mp3, donated to help the charity Soul Aid. So if you like the music please donate some money to help Japan. The track itself is an ode to old school house, chugging along with a punchy beat and distant, swirling acid synths:

Kezy M - Diffusion

Bonus: Joakim - Forever Young (Discodeine Remix) {128kbps)

Pelski

Pressing Plays

2011-06-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

Ahead of Yuksek's new album, the Gucci Vump boys have coined the remix duty. This time their casual sway of house is interspersed by the rattle of a UK Funky rhythm, only to be interrupted by Yuksek's vocal about being 'On A Train' - (Check out the Yuksek's official video here, where you can enjoy an interstellar train journey with the man himself. I would certainly be more compelled to trust in British Rail, if we all had tickets for Yuksek's Skyline Express).

The Gucci Vump boys (Brodinski and Guillaume from The Shoes) have added a staple atmospheric 80's esque filter effect to the vocal, which is nicely carried by a slightly comercial electro dubb bass line.

Yuksek - On A Train (Gucci Vump Dub Remix) by Your Army

Frag Maddin has physically gripped the all consuming bloggersphere by the reigns, handing us his blend of special treatment house music on a regular and healthy basis. Once again he's back with another cracking hand out - and this time it's a three track mpfree e.p called 'Hats & Drive'. So far I'm really sold on 'Sternbrücke', which manages to encapsulate a warm TEED esque bass line, only to jump knee deep into some chunky rave stabs.

Frag Maddin - Sternbrücke

I just grabbed this one from Feel My Bicep today, and I can't stop playing it. I'm happy to reiterate the strong words of the Bicep that this is going to be a big summer tune. It speaks in volumes, conjuring up your glory days on the disco floor, with one of the meatiest snare hits I've heard in a while. Brought from down under, the south of the equator Future Classic crew have already smashed over 5,000 plays on soundcloud. Be sure to press play too.

Free Downloads from Future Classic by future classic

Darkly

More of the Wolf Pack

2011-06-18T05:37:00.000-07:00

I Need A Dollar is a great slice of soulful pop. And with such an insatiable hook it's surprising there haven't been a few more better remixes. Oliver $ put together a fun, sped-up mix, but was a rushed bootleg affair. Tensnake went for a more restrained approach. And, finally, the best mix is supplied by Wolf Music supremo KRL, a disco-tinged house offering:

Aloe Blacc - I Need A Dollar (KRL GBP Mix) (192 kbps) [pelski highly recommends]

[For the free full quality WAV head here.]

The speaking of the ubiquitous Wolf pack, Greymatter is throwing out a delectable disco edit that revolves around a funky-as-anything bassline:

Angela Bofil - People Make The World Go Round (Greymatter Rework) [pelski highly recommends]

Bonus: Hercules & And The Love Affair - Painted Eyes (Maxxi Soundsystem Remix)

Pelski

Underhill Festival 2011

2011-06-16T15:28:00.000-07:00

A new up-and-coming festival located slap-bang in between Bristol and Bournemouth is Underhill – two days and nights of the finest electronic and Balkan talent appearing from 29th July to 31st July, Ridgewood Park, East Knoyle, in Wiltshire.

Nestled in a natural amphitheater surrounded by dense woodland, Underhill offers an intimate crowd of 2500 people a diverse offering of music and art with local food and drink. Catch the brass bands, wobbly bellies and Rakia shots before burying yourself under one of their circus-style big-top blackout dance tents.

Underhill also happens to boast one of the best underground lineups of any of the more intimate festivals.

EROL ALKAN

The man who needs no introduction (and yet I’m going to give him one anyway…that’s what we do here). To call the Turkish DJ a bit of deity amongst his followers is somewhat of an understatement. He ran the legendary London club Trash for years before its demise. His sets are renowned, informed by an impeccable and often obscure taste, they’re nothing short of epic.

MARTYN

The high-brow purveyor of all things deep and bassy, Martyn will be playing a very special - never seen before - new live set. Since his seminal album (a 2009 standout), Martyn has been further blurring the boundaries between dubstep and techno, brazenly refusing pidgeon-holing – he’s just as likely to be seen sharing a bill with Omar S or Marcel Dettmann as he is Skream or Kode9.

ROUND TABLE KNIGHTS

Having graced the Pelski decks, we’re big fans of the RTK boys here at YCCMP. AS well as an array of colourful house productions under their belts, RTK are also famed for their lively DJ sets, championed by Jesse Rose as the ‘best house DJs of the year’.

JULIO BASHMORE

Julio Bashmore’s fame has been a steady ascent. It’s a truism to say that producers as prolific as Julio Bashmore tend to sacrifice quantity for quality. Not the case with Julio. The man has banged out a huge array of original productions and remixes in the past two year – and they’re all essential. Most recently Julio’s been turning heads with the huge 'Batak Groove' and 'Everyone Needs A Theme Tune' releases. Light and airy house music with a bounce that’s utterly distinctive..

ALEX METRIC

One of the few electro producers we still love here at Pelski, his productions are clean, neat and sublimely produced dancefloor weapons.

ZOMBIE DISCO SQUAD

ZDS’ booty-shaking brand of house music, is big, stripped-back and heavy on the congas. If they don’t get you dancing no one will.

OLIVER $

Oliver $ has been making cheeky house music for a while now. We all knew him first as producing jumpy fidget and in the last year or so has progressed onto fun, bumpy house. More recently he’s won over a lot of head with the slow, nostalgic house groover ‘Doin’ Ya Thing’.

RICHY AHMED

The acclaimed producer who’s recently joined the modish Hot Creations crew – notable for his contribution to Hot Waves Vol 1, ‘Suck It’.

STOPMAKINGME

An inventive and daring producer, Durr resident Stopmakingme crafts intruging and inventive music. Just as likely to be seen playing disco and electro as he is house and techno.

Full line-up:

Erol Alkan
Martyn (live)
Round Table Knights
Krafty Kuts
Julio Bashmore,
Alex Metric
Zombie Disco Squad
Richy Ahmed
Stopmakingme
Oliver $
Lone
A-Skillz
Duffstep
Fatima (live)
Skull Juice
Thick As Thieves
Park Ranger
Darkly
Pelski

Rest of the lineup: Funkineven, Waifs & Strays, Lukas (live), Outboxx, Hessletime, Gypsy Hill (live), DJ Kobayashi & The Other Tribe (live).EFA, Shandy, Kelly Twins, Jambo, Spooks & Shaun P, Leisureware, Angie Walter, Gygo b2b Mush, Shanti Celeste, Alex Golesworthy, Seka, Real Nice, Stereo 8,Amo, Sway 2, Dub Boy, Ghettospheric, Feel the Real Soundsystem, Thick as Thieves, OhMan, Ste-V-Something, Maribou State, Broke DJs, Audio Sleaze, TK421, Tosh Ohta, Only Richard, Adam Oppenheimer, Cubiq, Jan Doe, Zoo Look, Lucas Lafone, Le Jockey, Deepgroove and Saxadelic (live).

Tickets

Early Bird weekend tickets are £46 and have sold out. A full weekend ticket is priced at £52 (inc. camping):

The festival offers easy access by rail. Buses are providing return buses from Bristol.

Wolf it down

2011-06-15T09:51:00.001-07:00

Fast cementing itself as one of the most consistent labels to emerge of late, Wolf Music Recordings is turning all the right heads. The fledgling label already boasts an array of future classics from the likes of KRL, The Revenge, Greymatter, Medlar and Session Victim. Initially part of the Wolf 007 EP vinyl-only release, Wolf Music are handing out ‘Just Peachy’ in celebration of the Wolf Music & Sleazy Beats compilation release. Ooft (AKA The Revenge) serves up a funky little edit, all hollow disco percussion and squidgy bass until the vocal loop finally enters at the 3 minute mark (grab the free full WAV here):

Ooft – Just Peachy

There’s an abundance of mediocre dance remixes of Nina Simone floating about in eternal internet limbo – bootlegs simply not worthy of a download. On this occasion however we have Hrdvision going for something a little more leftfield. The 29 year old Canadian arcapeggiates the vocal, with an uber stripped-down backdrop of stuttery sonics and prickly synth stabs. Wonderful stuff:

Nina Simone - Feeling Good (Hrdvsion Remix) [pelski highly recommends]

Houltoug goes for a restrained edit of a Dusty Springfield classic, adding a pattering of bass pads and a sparse rattle of funky percussion:

Dusty Springfield - Son Of A Preacher Man (Holtoug Remix)

Pelski

June: Pelski Highly Recommends Chart

2011-06-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

All tracks are available from beatport, juno or boomkat:

1. Benoit & Sergio - Principles

2. Eddie C - Love Journey

3. Electric Wire Hustle - Again (Scratch 22 Remix)

4. Jam Factory - One Night Stand

5. Russ Yallop - Crossroads

6. Jamie XX - Far Nearer

7. Locussolus - I Want It (Lindstrom & Prins Thomas Remix)

8. Jacob Korn - She

9. Andy Ash - Hip Joint

10. Matias Aguayo - Don't Smoke

11. Session Victim - Right From Wrong

12. Aloe Blacc - Loving You Is Killing Me (Mano Le Tough Remix)

13. Roman Rauch - Can't Get Enough (SoulPhiction remix)

14. Fantastic Man - Groove With You

15. Kellerkind - Just Me

Huw Stephens + Cardiff Arts Institute presents at The Lock Tavern, Camden FREE ENTRY 19/06

2011-06-14T02:26:00.000-07:00

BBC Radio 1 linchpin Huw Stephens teams up with one of his hometown’s most forward thinking venues, Cardiff Arts Institute, on 19th June to bring you a fantastic selection of Bass friendly DJs and producers over at the CAI’s sister venue, The Lock Tavern in Camden. Alongside two of Northern England’s rising stars, is a heavy representation of their native city’s talent, who are finally making their presence felt over the Severn Bridge:

Fantastic Mr Fox (Live)

With James Blake and Pariah hailing him as the next big thing, The XX taking him away on tour with them and all the hype backed up by some stunning releases on seminal labels Black Acre and Hemlock, it’s suprising we’ve heard little from Manchester producer Fantastic Mr Fox recently, but seems like he’s been hard at work in the den working on his live sets, which he shall be heading up proceedings with for you here.

Hyetal - Phoenix (Fantastic Mr Fox Remix) {192kbps}

Jamie Grind

Leeds rising don of skittering electronic riddims has made a big impression on the scene with his first 2 fantastic EPs on respected labels: Infrasonics (Spatial, XXXY, Hot City) and Fortified Audio (Submerse, XXXY, KingThing) and his forthcoming releases on Wicked Bass and Chicago Juke label Ghettophiles prove he is definitely one to keep watching.

Hackman - More Than Ever (Jamie Grind Remix)

Ratcatcher

After cutting his teeth on the Cardiff clubland as part of Skinny White Boys and C.R.S.T. – Ratcatcher (formerly Rodski) is now riding solo and has returned to his first love, House Music! His residencies at Cardiff Arts Institute and Dalston’s popular underground Rhythm Talk parties have shown him to be one of the most astute DJs on the scene and remixes for the likes of Crystal Fighters, Lokiboi have shown him as a more than worthy producer on the rise.

Ratcatcher - Rain (unmastered)

Didz + Chico

Despite their early Grime background, Didz (aka Diddy aka Ill Diddy) + Chico have always hinted at deeper more uplifting side in their DJ Sets and productions. Stalwarts of Cardiff’s music scene, Chico was better known as an MC and Diddy remained largely in the shadows until their anthemic garage track ‘Something New’ on Doc Daneeka’s ‘Ten Thousand Yen’ label, which was rinsed by the likes of Marcus Nasty, Seb Chew, Julio Bashmore, TRG, and Mosca.

Chris Coco - Butterfly Heart (Didz & Chico Remixx)

Kaptin

Holding it down for the Welsh massive for years as a DJ, MC and Promoter, Kaptin heads up the Chrome Kids family alongside Stagga and Monky, recording mixes for the likes of BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio Wales and Knowledge Magazine and playing firing sets at Glastonbury, Bestival and Swn amongst others. He is also part of the Big Swing Soundsystem (alongside DJ Moneyshot + Matt The Hat) and is in charge of weekend bookings at Cardiff Arts Institute.

Mr Healan

Definitely showcasing a more Hip-hop approach to future music, Mr Healan has been making a strong name for himself on the Welsh scene supporting acts such as Daedelus, Bullion and James Blake, whilst his productions have received play on BBC Radio 1, Radio Wales and 1Xtra and being picked up by the likes of Distance, Starkey and Darkhouse Family.

Ifan Dafydd

After handing some of his own productions to BBC Wales’ presenter Adam Walton, the keyboard player to Wales’ fantastic festival band Derwyddon Dr Gonzo bounced round some of the Beeb big dogs until his unofficial (and unfinished) Amy Winehouse remix ‘No Good’ aired on Gilles Peterson’s show and he caused an instant blog / forum blast. With an obvious ear for great music, we look forwards to hearing what Sunday afternoon delights arise from this exclusive DJ set.

Ice Cream Crew Pt. IV : Gottwood Presents : eLDOKO

2011-06-11T04:44:00.000-07:00

Gottwood Presents 018 - eLDOKO by Gottwood Festival on Mixcloud

This week's Gottwood Presents podcast and interview comes courtesy of none other than eLDOKO, one of the main men behind Gottwood, whose forward thinking, jazz and swing infused house music has seen him break through in the last 18 months. With releases on Germany's What! What! records and well received remixes of the likes of James Blake, Monkey Safari and Graphics, the future looks bright for eLDOKO. He took some time out of his frantic schedule for a quick interview...

What's been keeping you busy lately?

At the moment its Gottwood we’re two weeks away now and it’s pretty hectic! Juggling it with a full time job as well as trying to get some production work done is pretty tough… it is hugely rewarding though!

Tell us a bit about your Gottwood Presents mix...

This mix is actually for a new EP I have coming out on Freshly Squeezed. I play a really wide variety of music but this really showcases the more swing and jazz influenced sound that I have been pushing for a few years now, you’ll hear towards the end that’s there’s some deeper stuff coming in which might lead you to where I’m heading in my next few releases… a deep, organic, fun, sampled filled sound.

How and when did you first get into DJing?

I’ve been in bands and involved with music since a young age, so when I moved to university and got into going out and clubbing it seemed like a natural move. I actually sold a guitar and bought some decks in my second year and jumped straight in at the deep end and put together a mix on Ableton without really knowing what I was doing!

I then got booked to play 2 gigs of the back of it, it was a pretty steep learning curve as I was determined not to be an Ableton DJ… 5 years down the line though now and I’m pretty sure I picked it up OK.

Woodworm Blues by eLDOKO

And how long have you been producing for? How long was it before you were happy with the tracks you were making?

Me and my best mate used to attempt to produce our bands records, whenever we went into a ‘proper’ studio we used to be those weird kids that we’re really interested in what the engineer was doing. I picked up a pretty good grounding from this and then when I discovered Ableton I was like a kid in a sweet shop, as it’s a lot more user friendly than pro tools.

Producing dance music is really different to bands though, there is the infamous sub in there that bands just don’t have! It took me ages to get my head around this and I don’t even think now I’m fully happy with where my production is at, but it’s at a level where I can get away with it and get my ideas down.

How would you describe your musical style right now? And have your tastes changed much over time?

Right now I’m really into this deeper more organic Chicago esq sound coming through, it great as it’s a little bit slower and has such a better groove to it than other styles. You’ll hear it in my new EP’s that are going to be surfacing towards the end of the year and remixes in between them.

What's your approach in the studio, do you have rules or a typical process?

Well I sample a lot, be old swing records old blues or anything with a bit of colour and character too. I usually put a simple beat together and layer from there and then work backwards to create the finished tune. I’m not afraid to say I use sample packs either, but what I don’t do is just lay them straight out into a track, I break them down and re program them in order to make them my own.

Your Woodworm Blues EP on What! What! records got some big support, and your James Blake remix was all over the blogosphere, what else do you have lined up for the future?

I’ve got my Run For The Trees coming out this month and also a couple of remixes, one is for George Vala & Audio Prophecy which I’m really happy with, I’m really looking forward to hearing the master. In the future I want to get a couple more Ep’s out and just keep pushing my sound, I’ve got so much ready but there’s just not enough hours in the day to get them finished at the moment!

James Blake - CMYK (eLDOKO Remix) by eLDOKO

You're one of the brains behind Gottwood, what's the story, how did the concept first originate? And what was it like making it reality?

Well it started in Berlin of all places! We were all at a Villalobos party and the vibe was just insane, on the way back we just decided we had to do something like it in the UK and decided to give birth to Gottwood!

It started out as a small family and friends affair and just escalated form there really, last year we secured our main site license and we’re just learning as we go now, it’s amazing fun and we’re so grateful for the reception it has received.

What does the future hold for Gottwood?

We want to maintain the intimate party vibes we had last year, and hopefully are due to have this year. There are a lot of people that say they don’t want to sell out and then do, but honestly we all have other jobs and Gottwood is a hobby, all we want to do is keep this amazing vibe up without becoming a big corporate monster, with branding everywhere and the same line-ups as everyone else.

Who would be your dream Gottwood headliners?

That’s a bit of a hard one for me to answer without giving our ideas away for next year, we really want to make sure we get all our favourite artist overs though! This year we’ve ticked quite a few boxes with who we’ve got on board.

What are your tips for 2011?

Artist(s): Wattie Green

Label: Flapjack & Upon.You.Records

Club: Mint - Leeds

Blog: You Can Call Me Pelski

And the killer question...If you had to be stranded in the woods, what items could you not leave home without?

1: Friends

2: 12 pack of Weston’s

3: A guitar

4: A tent

Catch eLDOKO playing the Pelski Gott Ice Cream Truck this Sunday @ Glade Festival!

Ice Cream Crew Pt. III

2011-06-11T03:55:00.000-07:00

My Panda Shall Fly - Sorry I Took So Long EP (Growing Records) by My Panda Shall Fly ♥

Having originally started as a 3 piece electronica band, these days this talented Panda flies solo - chartering a quest in the exploratory realms of acidic ambient dubstep and garage. Luckily for us, he'll be flying in to Glade this Sunday to play an one off set on the Pelski Gott Ice Cream Truck. Expect a fragmented post dubstep offering, that remains to be classified in an unclassifiable context - one could say it's a very fitting soundscape for Glade Festival.

In Their House #06 - Zoo Look by Defected Records

Renowned for their transitional tapes along the spectrum of deep and groovy house, Zoo Look's anaesthetic blends and shake downs have been picked up by the notorious Defected Records. The mix was recorded on a selection of vinyl and CD's, keeping to a slow-motion tempo, that seems to be the recurrent raw burn sound of the moment right now. Catch them tomorrow on the Pelski Gott Ice Cream Truck, where they'll be playing a headlining set.

Darkly

Pelski Mixtape 1

2011-06-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

In anticipation of our stage at Gottwood festival in just three weeks time, I've put together an hour-long mixtape. I hope you enjoy:

Pelski - Gottwood's Got Soul Mixtape

1. Herp Albert – Rotation (Dj Harri Edit)
2. Good Parts – Temptation 100
3. Meanderthals - Andromeda (Idjut Boys Mix)
4. Solomun – Love Recycled 2
5. 6th Borough Project - 7 Grams Of Funk (6th Borough Project Edit)
6. Genius Of Time – Houston We Have A Problem
7. Prins Thomas – Kukkelure
8. DJ Nature – Everyone
9. Session Victim – We Want To Thank All Our Friends
10. Blawan – Getting Me Down
11. Black Traxx – Your Mind Is So Crazy
12. Phil Weeks – All Day Every Day (Joss Moog remix)
13. Drrtyhaze - New York City Jacks (Popular Peoples Front Remix)
14. Teengirl Fantasy – Cheaters (John Talabot’s Classic Vocal Refix)

Remember you can grab Gottwood tickets here - only 200 left - and if you enter the exlcusive pelski code (below) you'll bag a free programme, a free drink and plenty of other goodies when you arrive at the festival: GOTTPELSKIJACKMODE

Ice Cream Crew Pt. II

2011-06-08T08:47:00.000-07:00

EXCLUSIVE CUBIQ DOWNLOAD!

I've been tracking Cubiq for sometime now, and it's comforting to say, that it's been worthing keeping on their heels. It isn't so much that I think they're going places, which they are - it's more to do with the fact, that in due time they will have already arrived. So don't flounder in the wake, just be sure to be on the bandwagon - and if your looking for a head start, then make sure your aboard our Ice Cream Truck at Glade Festival this weekend, where Cubiq will be playing a headline slot.

The Cubiq boys are currently in talks with a few labels to make their releases a little more physical and concrete - alas I hope this is not the end of the free hand outs for us all. By way of note, if you enjoyed the Real Nice collabs, then you can expect another serving of cartoon baguette bangers on the horizon - let's just hope the children don't get caught in the cross fire again. Amidst the music itself, there are the festivals too, so ahead of their performance on Sunday at Glade, catch the Cubiq boys playing Gottwood, Truck & Underhill. And finally, stay tuned as very soon I'll be featuring Cubiq's side project Wild Swim, which is yet another dipping pool of mature and characterised musings in the realm of electronic exploration.

Tune time. First up is a remix of Amerie's 'One Thing'.......uh oh, really you say? It is quite likely that you'll be sensing faint groans emanating from your sighing speakers, as once again Amerie's perfectly auto tuned pop masterpiece is taken to the cleaners. But as predicted, I'm going to eat my own words, as they've done the pop re-work total justice, with a classic defected house vibe underpinning a gyrating rolling bass line.

Amerie - One Thing (Cubiq's 'Caught me slippin' Remix) [PELSKI EXCLUSIVE]

Borrowing a melodic tip from Max Cooper, the winding and revolving synth parts over lay the stomp and chug of techno syncopation. White filter washes, and a stuttered vocal reprise keep the spirit of the original firmly in our grasp.

Graphics - That Week (Cubiq's Sorry Remix)

Darkly

BUY TICKETS 4 GLADE FESTIVAL

Date: Friday 10th - Sunday 12th June 11

Location: Houghton Hall, King's Lynn, Norfolk

Cost: Tickets £135

Ice Cream Crew Pt. I

2011-06-07T11:23:00.001-07:00

Throughout the rest of this week, you can expect a run down of tasty freebies from the Pelski Gott Ice Cream residents. First up, it's Bristol's Seka. Never shaking in the face of attitude, one could therefore say, that this boy has got the attitude to take it all the way. He's been launching a steady torrent of originals and remixes over the last year, readily displaying to his listeners that if your gonna make a song smash, then you've got to do it properly.

But before you help yourself to a Seka freebie, be sure to check out some loose end meets high brow techno trickery from the man himself. Seka's productions are full of quirks, and round about break downs, and would sit happily at home on a Reiner Weinhold compilation. So take a pew, and let your morbid fancies run away with you to these two trumpets:

Sequioia (Demo) by SeKa

The Big Baloo by SeKa

So that's techno illustrated in the style of Seka, and now I'll leave you with a nice downloadable remix he did of Cubiq recently. Please be sure to check out the next post which features some rough patched originals from the Cubiq boys, who are also headlining the Pelski Gott Ice Cream Truck this weekend at Glade Festival.

Cubiq - Ideas (Seka Remix Demo)

Darkly

Pelski Gott Ice Cream Truck @ Glade Festival - LINE UP - June 12th

2011-06-06T12:33:00.000-07:00

At the end of this week, the Pelski Gott Ice Cream Truck shall be cruising it's way into your Sunday session at Glade Festival.

The notorious 'I Scream' nano system shall be disco sprinkled in butterscotch bass, and you may have a golden taster spoon to sample the cream of the crop. So help yourself to the scoops and screams, and we'll make sure we never turn the dispenser off.

So who are the deepest cuts in our deep freeze? Well you might just recognise a few of these guys from the Gottwood Festival line up, and over the next few days, we'll be showcasing some of their finery in the shape of mp3's and mixtapes. But first of all, here are the all important set times for the Sunday:

12:00 - 1:00 - Get Your Geek On

1:00 - 2:00 - Sharkbait

2:00 - 3:00 - Eldoko

3:00 - 4:00 - Pardon My French

4:00 - 5:00 - Pelski

5:00 - 6:00 - SeKa

6:00 - 7:00 - My Panda Shall Fly

7:00 - 8:15 - Cubiq

8:15 - 9:45 - Zoo Look

9:45 - 11:00 - Charles Darkly

TUNE IN TOMORROW FOR MPFREE'S FROM SeKa & CUBIQ!

Headlining Glade will be: Trentemoller, Adam Beyer, and Global Communication.

The rest of the lineup includes: Andrew Weatherall, Luke Vibert, Afrika Hitech, Photek, Hybrid, Dirtyphonics, Sub Focus (DJ Set), Eskmo, Young Montana?, Photek, London Elektricity, Koreless, Pirate Soundsystem, Ben UFO, Pangaea, Blawan, Bicep, Elphino, Hyetel, Mark E, Midland, Mxxi Soundsystem, Mosca, Objekt, San Soda, Space Dimension Controller, Untold, Krafty Kuts. Tim Sheridan, Disco of Doom, Tom Demac, Throwing Snow, T.Williams, Huxley, Alex Jones... and plenty more...

BUY TICKETS

Date: Friday 10th - Sunday 12th June 11

Location: Houghton Hall, King's Lynn, Norfolk

Cost: Tickets £135

Music Sounds Better With Justin

2011-06-06T06:24:00.003-07:00

Justin Martin has let his trademark spattering of dirty mid-range splutters loose on 1998 french house classic 'Music Sounds Better With You' by Stardust (a one-off collab between Alan Braze and Daft Punks' Thomas Bangalter). The edit is fun... but decidedly silly stuff:

Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You (Justin Martin Edit)

Pelski

Pelski & Jackmode at Gottwood Festival 30th June - 3rd July

2011-06-01T08:19:00.001-07:00

As I’m sure you know by now, Gottwood returns on the 30th June to triple in size. The small festival, nestled away in the Carreglwyd woodlands, this year boasts an absolutely stonking lineup including Mr Scruff, Lee Foss, Jamie XX, A Guy Called Gerald, Jack Sparrow and Midland.

We’re very honoured to be hosting a Pelski vs Jackmode stage on the Saturday, headed by Round Table Knights, Monkey Safari and Matanza. A mainstay at Glastonbury, the stage itself is an inflatable dome with a wall of light boxes that are synced to the music - with the DJ playing in the middle - fitted with a booming Funktion 1.

Pelski vs Jackmode Stage, Saturday July 2nd

Round Table Knights (Made To Play)

Matanza (live) (Anabatic Records)

Monkey Safari (What! What!/ Monaberry)

Eldoko (What! What!)

John Marshall (Pehjy)

Darkly (YCCMP)

Pelski (YCCMP)

Sharkbait (Yoghurt Warrior / Get Hype)

Timmy P (Groove On Records)

Seka

Croz

Our headliners ROUND TABLE KNIGHTS need no introduction; if you hit up any festivals last year then it’s pretty likely you that heard one of their colourful house bumpers - be it the steel drum banger ‘Calypso’ or gypsy-house anthem ‘Cut To The Top’. Informed by an impeccable and eclectic taste in house music, RTK are famed for their lively sets and on-point mixtapes:

El Guincho - Kalise (Round Table Knights Remix) [pelski highly recommends]

Round Table Knights - Say What feat Ogris Debris (Ogris Debris Version)

Round Table Knights - Say What? (Mat Cant Remix)

MATANZA’s famous live set incorporates a collection of South American instruments, including the Colombian 'Gaita', 'Zampoñas' (big pan flutes), Andean 'Bombo', the Dominican 'Tambora', bongos, bells and loads of others, mixed with thier laptops and midi controllers. Playing a truly organic version of house and techno, their set will undoubtedly prove to be one of the highlights of the festival. Watch the following video and snap up their flute dominated track Lutiva below:

Matanza – Lluvia [pelski highly recommends]

Matanza – Why No

MONKEY SAFARI have really come to the fore over last two years with their party-starting sounds. Their productions revolve around some cheeky soul-sampling – always inventive and fun – backed up by some serious tribalist house clout:

Monkey Safari – Stoned [pelski highly recommends]

Adam Port – Own (Monkey Safari Loves Adams Mickey Mix)

Also signed to What! What!, Gottwood head-honcho ELDOKO has a similarly tongue-in-cheek approach to his productions. Mischievous jazz and swing samples are the name of the game, underscored by chunky beats and bumpy tech-house rhythms:

Monkey Safari – Run Run Run (eLDOKO Remix) [pelski highly recommends]

James Blake – CMYK (eLDOKO Remix)

James Copeland – What Is Jazz (eLDOKO Remix)

The lineup elsewhere includes: Mr Scruff, Lee Foss, Jamie XX, A Guy Called Gerald (Live,) The Correspondents (Live,) Kollektiv Turmstrasse, Zeds Dead, Phil Kieran (Live,) Lee Foss, Max Cooper (Live,) DJ Format & Friends, Chris Coco, Deadbeat, Perc, Mr Thing, Midland, Dark Sky, Dan Beaumont, Royalty, Itchy Feet DJ's, Autophase, Ben Gomori, Schadenfreude + lots more.....

Buy tickets here and enter the following code to receive a free drinks token, programme and goodie bag upon arrival:

GOTTPELSKIJACKMODE

Friday, June 30th - Sunday 3rd July

The Woods, Carreglwyd, Anglesey, Wales

Stay posted for more exclusive mp3s and podcasts from our headliners.

Pelski

Now Wave @ The Apollo

2011-06-01T05:25:00.000-07:00

Now Wave and The Warehouse Project are thrilled to present:

★ ☆ NOW WAVE AT THE APOLLO ★ ☆

★ ☆ FULL LINE UP ★ ☆

☆ CARIBOU
☆ BATTLES
☆ PEARSON SOUND AKA RAMADANMAN
☆ ACTRESS
☆ STAR SLINGER
☆ KELPE
☆ ILLUM SPHERE
☆ JONNY DUB
☆ NOW WAVE DJS

Battles’ hugely anticipated new album Gloss Drop is released around the time of this exclusive Now Wave event, and their live performance promises to be a fitting celebration. Known for their virtuoso improvisation and innovative use of cutting edge effects and loop pedals, few can match the visceral intensity of Battles live.

Now Wave will be bringing you a full supporting line up of forward thinking DJs and Live acts from up and down the UK, including a careful selection of Manchester based Artists.

The entire venue will be open for this event, with acts performing on all floors and people free to move around. Every artist performing will be backed with unique visuals.

Here are a few free downloads and an official Now Wave mix-tape to get you in the mood!

Alex Winston - Sister Wife (Star Slinger Remix) by Star Slinger

Bjork- Hidden Place (Illum Sphere Remix) FREE DOWNLOAD by Illum Sphere

Seeland - Black Dot White Spider (Kelpe Remix) Free DL by Kelpe

Now Wave - Spring 2011 Mix by Now Wave

TICKET PRICE £22.50

TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM:

http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/ 08444 777 677
http://www.skiddle.com/events/11444846/ 0844 884 2920 /
http://www.ticketline.co.uk/ 0161 832 111
http://www.seetickets.com/ 0115 912 9000

THE LAST 250 PARKLIFE WEEKENDER TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT THIS EVENT!

New Life

2011-05-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

Newcomer Jeremy Glenn’s handing out a 128kbps copy of ‘New Life’, the title track off of his 4-track debut on Future Classic, out soon on both wax and digitally. It’s a gently bobbing, slo-mo nu-disco groover (all the rage these days)… pushing a catchy Daft Punk-esque vocal. Sublime summer beats:

Jeremy Glenn – New Life {128kbps} [pelski highly recommends]

A brooding techno piece here (by way of our friends over at Keytars & Violins). The whole thing starts off pleasant enough, before morphing into an altogether darker beast whereby an omninous hum of techno bass unfolds. With it’s dubbed-out strings and thudding momentum, ‘Dancing Queen’ holds all the menace and atmosphere of a really great soundtrack:

Borngraber & Struver – Dancing Queen {192kbps}

Newcomer Deigors, from Latin American label Cómeme, offers up a slice of bassy, bouncy tech-house. There’s plenty of jittery 808 drum action, drawing both on old school rave and the clanging percussion of Detroit:

Diegors - Unga {320kbps}

Pelski

Pelski 'Gott Ice Cream Truck' at Glade 10th - 12th June

2011-05-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

The Pelski crew are heading to Glade in a fortnight’s time, equipped with an ice cream truck (the infamous ‘I Scream’), a hefty soundsystem and a tasty little lineup to boot.

Kitted out with a mighty Funktion 1, with the tastiest mr. whippy bass cone antics around, you can expect a deluxe scoop of house, techno and dubstep from My Panda Shall Fly, Eldoko, Zoo Look, Get Your Geek On, Sharkbait, Pardon my French, Pelski and Charles Darkly. There will also be Yoghurt Warrior clothing coming straight out the original deep freeze, so roll up for the fresh looks and garms.

My Panda Shall Fly (Wichita Recordings)

Eldoko (What! What! Records)

Zoo Look (Tenth Circle Records)

SeKa
Cubiq

Get Your Geek On

Sharkbait (Yoghurt Warrior)

Pardon My French

Pelski & Darkly

Grab tickets here, there's still a few left:

http://www.gladefestival.com/html/tickets

In anticipation of our Sunday takeover, we have a stunning remix from our headliner, psychedelic bass-smith My Panda Shall Fly. It’s arguably the best remix yet of hipster r’n’b outfit The Weeknd. A sauntering drum beat taps and rolls at a woozy pace beneath the clipped ‘n’ snipped vocals. The whole thing positively beams with ethereal soul:

The Weeknd - Love Through Her (My Panda Shall Fly's Forgotten Version) [pelski highly recommends]

We also have a lovely, deep mix from Timmy P to get you in the mood. Timmy will be playing our stage at Gottwood this year:

Timmy P - April Mix 2011 by Timmy P
Tracklist
1. Agaric - Run (Ostern Jam) [Ovum]
2. Chris Lattner - Sick [Fear Of Flying]
3. RJ Fletcher - Root 1 [Fear Of Flying]
4. Strich Acht - Laundromat (Afrilounge's Deep In You Remix) [C47 Digitla]
5. Subb-an, Adam Shelton - It's Time [One Records]
6. Okain, Hector - Tacos & Frogs [Tsuba]
7. Will Saul, Tam Cooper - Hi-Lo [Simple Records]
8. MANIC (NYC) - White Motif [Dark Energy Records]
9. Gorge - Imara (Liapin & Tjoma Rework) [8Bt]
10. Mutiny UK - Swimming With Sharks (Dub Mix) [Ovum]

Headlining Glade will be: Trentemoller, Adam Beyer, and Global Communication.

The rest of the lineup includes: Andrew Weatherall, Luke Vibert, Afrika Hitech, Photek, Hybrid, Dirtyphonics, Sub Focus (DJ Set), Eskmo, Young Montana?, Photek, London Elektricity, Koreless, Pirate Soundsystem, Ben UFO, Pangaea, Blawan, Bicep, Elphino, Hyetel, Mark E, Midland, Mxxi Soundsystem, Mosca, Objekt, San Soda, Space Dimension Controller, Untold, Krafty Kuts. Tim Sheridan, Disco of Doom, Tom Demac, Throwing Snow, T.Williams, Huxley, Alex Jones... and plenty more...

Date: Friday 10th - Sunday 12th June 11
Location: Houghton Hall, King's Lynn, Norfolk
Cost: Tickets £135

More Bash

2011-05-27T08:49:00.001-07:00

'Into The Valley' by Los Angeles-duo Classixx (aka Tyler Blake and Micheal David), featuring the soulful vocal work of Gospel singer Karl Dixon, has been floating about for some time and is finally seeing a release on Green Label Sound - and they're kindly throwing out these two top-notch remixes for free:

The ubiquitous Julio Bashmore attaches his trademark pad-like beats, with a typically airy, light-footed bounce. Catch Mr Bashmore at Underhill Festival this year (stay posted for more info):

Classixx - Into The Valley ft. Karl Dixon (Julio Bashmore Remix)

YACHT provide a medley of jittery synths and analogue bass, at one point constructing a build-up out of a ricocheting of raw, metallic sonics. Stunning retro house:

Classixx - Into The Valley ft. Karl Dixon (YACHT Remix)

Pelski

Tim Green remixes Friendly Fires

2011-05-26T08:14:00.001-07:00

Friendly Fires dropped their hotly anticipated sophomore album ‘Pala’ a few days ago. And it’s a stormer, edging their sound even closer to a dancier template than their first album, it’s flecked with woozy beach-side electronics and 80s funk over those winsome vocals. Buy a digi copy here.

I was expecting a typically high-octane tech-house remix from Mr Green, rushing bass, filtered build ups… the works. But instead he stays in keeping with Friendly Fires’ blissed-out sound, layering it with chirpy click-clacking house beats, cowbells and a slow-ish tempo. And, of course, the level of production on the remix is nothing less than superb:

Friendly Fires – Live Those Days Tonight (Tim Green Remix) [pelski highly recommends]

Pelski

ZDS Tees and Mix

2011-05-26T04:48:00.000-07:00

Pelski favourites Zombie Disco Squad have just launched their brand spanking new website. To go with it, they’ve released some fresh ZDS tshirts, following on from their popular ‘Jack It Like A Zombie’ range.

http://www.zombiediscosquad.com/shop/

Nat and Luca have also sent over a tasty mix in celebration of the launch - all bouncy, percussive summery vibes (and I love how to-the-point the title is):

Zombie Disco Squad - Buy Our T-shirt and Enjoy it in the Sun mix

Catch ZDS at Annie Mac Presents alongside Skream, Benga, Fake Blood, Riva Starr, Rachel Barton and plenty more big-hitters... Grab tickets here.

Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts - Promess Lovin'
Steve Bug - Jack's Back
Crazy Cousinz - Inflation
Andhim - Extragold
Rubix - Tobbaco Man
Prok & Fitch - Cabala
Metodi Hristov - I Hate Latino
Tube & Berger - So In Debt
Zombie Disco Squad - Pinky
Madskillz - Carnival Choas - Format B Remix
The Beatthiefs- Umbungo - Chocolate Puma Remix
T-Coy - Carino - Greg Wilson's Re-Edit

Parting the Unknown

2011-05-24T10:01:00.001-07:00

Canadian Eddie C has been turning a lot of heads lately with his deep and disco house records. Sure enough his debut album, released on Endless Flight, has arrived and it’s filled to the brim with the smooth, tinkling good stuff. Soulful vocal samples and nods to 70s and 80s boogie are a plenty. Highlights on Parts Unknown come in the form of the uplifting funk of ‘Love Journey’, the groove-laden ‘Deepa’ - and ‘Your Love’ even features some of Eddie C’s own vocal work.

He’s handing out We Need We from the album as a free a download, a slice of shimmering cosmic disco, fitted with some sweet as pie female vocals, at once cute and off-kilter. Typical of an Eddie C production, the whole thing glimmers in an offbeat charm:

Eddie C – We Need We [pelski highly recommends] {buy}

The next one is from a year back, and has since achieved semi-classic status. A piece of disco wierdery pieced together from fragments of J Dilla’s ‘Made in Detroit’. The fractured funk, is washed over with filters and a jumpy stop-and-start rhythm. Vocal snippets of yelps, gulps and half-words are worked into a funky, stuttery patchwork of disco soul:

Young Montana? – Sacre Cool [pelski highly recommends]

When it comes to house music, it’s always hard to resist a piano. Trends come and go, but piano house will be with us forever. This is another funky number, with a pitter-patter of congas laid beneath a mighty great jazzy piano line. It comes in wav form so prepare for a whopping great 50MB file:

Sylvester - I Need You (Bonar Bradberry Piano Dub [pelski highly recommends]

Pelski

Maribou State and Gang Colours

2011-05-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

With an EP imminent on Fat Records (preview it here), Leeds duo Maribou State (formerly Ghost) are an act on the up. They've given a big rolling 2-step remix to thug-step anthem 'I Need You'. Removing the cheesiness of the vocals and mid-range bass, MS better the original with some punchy, hollow percussive beats and a stripped back tropical melody. Keep your eyes on these fellas. And be sure to catch them at Underhill Festival in Wiltshire sharing the bill with Julio Bashmore, Martyn, Krafty Kutz, Lone, Richie Ahmed, Zombie Disco Squad, Stopmakingme and yours truly...

TMS feat Jagga - I Need You (Maribou State Remix) [pelski highly recommends]

Released on the upcoming somethinksounds imprint on June 13th, Lucky Paul's 'The Slow Ground EP' is all futuristic, off-kilter hip hop in the same vein as James Blake and Flying Lotus. The remix package comes with a cut from Elphino as well as the debut release from G$ vs Gold, a collab between Gadi Mizrahi of Wolf & Lamb and Eli Gold of Soul Clap. The label is handing out the full-quality Gang Colours remix for free. And it's a compact burst of snare-snapping electronica, jumping and clapping along like a more cheery relation of garage:

Lucky Paul - Thought We Were Alone (Gang Colours Remix) [pelski highly recommends]

Pelski

Exclusive: WeAreBlahBlahBlah debut

2011-05-18T01:26:00.001-07:00

Esteemed and always eclectic in taste, Brighton-based We Are Blah Blah Blah are one of those blogs (and club nights) that have stood the test of time. For the last three years they’ve posted prolifically; whether it’s Ed banger electro, tinkling deep house or chin-stroking Hyperdub steppery, BlahBlahBlah are always on point.

A few years back I posted BlahBlahBlah’s excellent mixtape installments religiously (until we fell a little behind...). And now they’ve put together their first production and handed a 128 to us as an exclusive.

It’s a slice of slow-building, powerfully surging electro-tech. The steady smack of a house snare slowly but surely pushes upwards and forwards behind a mist of restrained 80s electro synths. In all it's whirring, menacing glory 'Left' comes on like some kind of mutated love child of Kavinsky and Bicep:

WeAreBlahBlahBlah - Left [pelski highly recommends] {128kbps}

Pelski

In Roads...

2011-05-17T04:43:00.000-07:00

A free download made available by one of Techno's most solid production units around. The Brit based duo have mastered the sense of apprehension, making us really wait for those reaching crescendo stabs that eventually send us over the edge, to finally resound in a revolving chatter of warm circular stabs. This may have come out 8 months ago, but it's lost none of it's charm.

Having ticked all the necessary boxes on the checklist of success, winning support from Sven Vath, Dubfire, Bodzin & Laurent Garnier, it's clear that Spektre have no plans to resign from their throne anytime soon.

Spektre - Memory Effect (Extended mix)

Born in the south of France with a hi-end sound system close to his bed side, it's no wonder that the pursuit of weighty bass came rather naturally to Loacs. But his electronic infancy really started when he was bought an 50mhz computer by his parents, encouraging him to find that shifting balance between analogue and digital sounds, always in search of the perfect equilibrium. Loacs signature frequencies keep their distance from the more obvious realities of typical dance constructs, paving a way that soars high within the ideas of IDM, whilst brushing that thin line between house and techno.

Loacs Erepam - Easier to Run

Darkly

May: Pelski Highly Recommends Chart

2011-05-16T05:39:00.000-07:00

All tracks are available (some forthcoming) from beatport, juno or boomkat:

1. Till Von Sein, Aera – Dynamite

2. Midland – Through Motion

3. Simon Baker – No Pressure

4. Teengirl Fantasy - Cheaters (John Talabot Remix)

5. Adam Port – Symphony

6. Modern Amusement – Cold As Ice (Louie Fresco remix))

7. Daniel Bortz – Don’t Call

8. Jamie Woon – Night Air (Solomun Edit)

9. Tale Of Us – Dark Song

10. Slow Hands – Belle Of The Ball

11. Kenton Slash Demon – Daemon

12. Greg Paulus – Nightime (Crazy P Remix)

13. Julio Bashmore – Father Father

14. Solomun – Daddy’s Jam

15. Cosmic Kids - Reginald’s Groove (Classixx Remix)

Clipping Your Wings

2011-05-11T18:41:00.000-07:00

The Panda flew and these boys shot him down. It's no easy feat to bag and tag a Panda of such notoriety, and it's another thing to clip his wings. So they gave this Panda a fresh lesson in down trodden bass music, and since then, this Panda's high five - get low handshake has never been the same. The remix was constructed by the HiLo LoHi boys, a project consisting of Anthony from God Don't Like It, and new comer Oliver Price. Catch these boys playing with bass music star XXXY at The nest on the 27th of May.

My Panda Shall Fly - Yoyo HiLo LoHi Remix

LetKolben is the first free release from the self branded 'psychedelic' label Kommunikation Records. The translation of LetKolben in German is 'Soldering Iron', which may bear reference to the careful adjoining of sonic circuitry in his productions. In 2006 LetKolben became fully immersed in the world of house and techno, becoming renowned for his diverse selection of tunes plucked from his record bag. Check out 'He Hit Me' on his soundcloud, his next up and coming release.

LetKolben - Abus

Darkly

Gottwood Presents: Round Table Knights Podcast & Interview

2011-05-11T04:39:00.000-07:00

It's time for another exclusive Gottwood Festival Podcast! So whose bringing the screams across the sky this time round? Suddenly the clock strikes 13, and it's the Round Table Knights who provide the 13th installment, of what has already been an exceptional woodland podcast series. Make sure this mix fumbles onto your impending playlist to be, because let's be honest, when has there been a RTK summer mix which hasn't provided those essential summer jams. Expect a slew of fresh releases by Henrik Schwarz, Zombie Disco Squad and Soul Clap up in the mix, with particular nods to the notorious Jackmode crew, who shall also be headlining and hosting the Pelski vs Jackmode stage with us at Gottwood this summer, alongside the Round Table Knights of course.

Gottwood Presents 013 - Round Table Knights by Gottwood Festival on Mixcloud

Tracklisting

1. Frivolous – One Final Slostice
2. Chris James – Habanera
3. M.In – Cruzando
4. Dj Gregory – Looke
5. Joanna Knutsson – Heavy Baby
6. Beni – Bubble (Round Table Knights Remix)
7. Heartik – Grenadilla (Uto Karem Remix)
8. Zombie Disco Squad – Pinky
9. Dj Le Roi – Valdemossa
10. Mike Dunn, MD X-Press – God Made Me Phunky
11. Camel – Jelly Jazz (Mr. Ho Remix)
12. Round Table Knights – Say What (Mercury Remix)
13. Freaks, 012 – Conscious Of My Conscience (Henrik Schwarz Remix)
14. Soul Clap – Lonely C Feat. Charles Levine

If the mix does not suffice, the Gottwood mercenaries have kindly provided us with some exclusive parchment scroll for your reading. You'll find a stately interview from one half of these bearded Knights inside, so be sure to check it below. Besides this, all gentleman with a penchant for ancient shields, lances and grey hound racing best check out this medieval house duo...

What's been keeping you busy lately?

Touring, we just got back from Australia. It was super nice, our first festival tour there. In the studio we're working on some remixes right now, and there is also some new original material on the way, plus a mix CD.

Tell us a bit about your Gottwood Presents mix...

We put some stuff together which we really like, old and new stuff. Also you can hear a new remix from us which will be out soon...

You have your musical roots in hip hop and turntabalism, what brought on the move towards house music?

It was just a natural progression. We're always looking out for new inspirations. Our love with house music started when we started producing music. It was the best way for us the express ourselves musically and combine all our influences.

Which Hip-Hop artists have influenced you the most?

A Tribe Called Quest, Camp Lo, Gang Starr, Wu-Tang, Common, Beat Junkies, Madlib, Jay Dee.

Your style of music features all kind of samples, and clearly takes in a lot from a variety of genres. Do you listen to obscure music purely to hunt for samples? What's the sampling process like for you?

I don't think I've ever found a good sample when I was actually searching for one. I'm not patient enough to listen to music for hours just to hunt for a sample. Most of our samples are from music we actually also listen to at home.

DJing as a duo must be a lot of fun, but do you ever have the urge to make music individually?

Marc: Of course we do! I play in a Rock Band as well called "Labrador City". We just released our first mini album "Volcano" on our own label "Oh, Sister".

Do you think growing up in Switzerland has had much of an effect on your music?

The environment always has a big effect on what you do. I think the good thing about growing up here was the big range of cultural events happening. Switzerland is so small and it's really easy to travel from city to city to go and see concerts. We also had the chance to do our own events very early in our career. That helped us a lot to get the connections we needed in the music world.

Do you have any tips for growing a good beard...

You have to shape it from time to time!

Your fantastic debut album Say What!? was released earlier this year and has been universally praised. How do you plan to follow it and what have you got in store for the rest of the year?

We're doing some remixes right now. There will be a new EP for sure and we are working on a mix CD.

Exciting stuff, we look forward to it! You've just finished touring Australia where you played some huge gigs, how are you finding your busy schedule?

We love it when we are busy!

If you could put on your dream party, where would it be, who would play and would there be a theme?

Marc: Somewhere at a beach in the summer, with a nice sunrise and Soul Clap playing.

What are your tips for 2011:

Artist(s):Monkey Safari
Label: Delusions Of Grandeur
Club: Club Bonsoir
Blog: www.booooooom.com

And the killer question...If you had to be stranded in the woods, what 5 items could you not leave home without?

Swiss Pocket Knife, Barbour Jacket, Yashica T-4, Gum Boots and a Compass.

Cheers guys, look forward to seeing you at Gottwood!

Catch Round Table Knights alongside the likes of Lee Foss, Jamie XX, Max Cooper, DJ Format, Midland and plenty more at Gottwood Festival from 30th June - 3rd July ... where there''ll be a mighty Pelski vs Jackmode stage.

Buy tickets here:

https://www.eventelephant.com/gottwoodfestival2011

And type in the following promotional code for FREE DRINKS on site plus a free program, CDs, etc:

GOTTPELSKIJACKMODE

An Interview with Lee Foss

2011-05-10T05:46:00.001-07:00

Pelski favourite Lee Foss has released a slew of deep and sexy disco house records over the last couple of years to much acclaim, going on to top plenty of ‘best of 2011’ charts last year. We caught up with the man of the moment for a good ol' chin-wag:

Pelski: Hi Lee. Can you tell us a bit about your various production guises? How would you say your solo outings as Lee Foss differ from Hot Natured and Modern Amusement?

Lee Foss: Well Hot Natured tracks are really special to me but in the past Jamie and I rarely had the time to work together. Those are great because there is a great energy when we collaborate. We’ve just made the Hot Natured Album a priority again in the past few weeks and been working on it full time, mostly with Ali Love, and also some with Kenny Glasgow and I’m so excited about the results. I’ve never worked as hard in my life as I have this month with the studio work and DJ travel, most weekdays I’m doing as much as 20 hours a day in the studio with my work and the Hot Natured album and another new project I have with Kenny Glasgow called Under Covers...

I’m doing fewer and fewer edits; most of those were done a year or two ago. I chose the name Modern Amusement for my solo edits. Not much to say. They’re edits not original productions though you could pass them off as such. They’re ones where I’ve not got the accapella and I’ve left enough of the original because it added energy that I’ve chosen to just do an edit of it.

When I’m working on my own music it's usually about a mood. If I’m doing an original production these days its about how I’m feeling, if its for a girl, or a message I need to give, or what’s happening in my life. Sometimes I do songs and they come to reality, and sometimes reality makes my songs, but they are always intertwined in ways that shock me. I feel more and more in my life that music gives me messages or that life informs it in ways that make it complete.

How did you meet Jamie Jones and decide to team up? Did you see an affinity between your productions?

Jamie has been one of my bestfriends for 10 years, and he started the production game before me. When
I got started over the years I would send him what I was working on and sometimes he would respond or give me feedback if it was good. When I moved to LA and started working on music full time I did some edits that were his favorite tracks at the time. He came to LA to DJ for us at the standard and at the time Droog and I were in the planning stages of starting a label so I asked him if he would work on some tracks with me for the label as he didn’t really have any original production for us to sign at the time. He agreed and
as we got to it just worked so well, and the perfect thing was that I learned a much better process of making music from the collaboration and I grew from there in my own skill. I think there was definitely an affinity for each others productions, though I was pretty raw at the time and working in logic, but I had other skill sets
and knowledge bases that brought something special to the table and we’ve always trusted each other and been able to communicate well which is important when collaborating.

There’s clearly a big r’n’b/hip-hop influence apparent in your productions. And they're all drenched in a sultry 80’s vibe. Which artists specifically had an impact on you?

Wow I could take all day answering this question, but specifically in terms of early 80’s funk/boogie/R&B/Italo and early 90’s hip-hop and R&B some of my biggest influences are...
Jacques Fred Petrus, Mauro Malavasi, stuff like ‘Change, BB&Q, Band, High Fashion, Peter Jaques Band. Paul Simpson, SOS Band, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Patrice Rushen, Chaka Khan, Larry Levan, Kano, Notorious BIG, Outkast, Dre Dre, J-Dilla, The Pharcyde, Boyz II Men, Michael Bivins, Teddy Riley, SWV, Wu-Tang/RZA…
Blah blah blah, too many to do this right now and I’ll just leave stuff out.

Do those influences explain why your productions tend towards the more sample-based stuff?

I’ve moved more and more away from that, though chronologically the music I’ve made hasn’t really been released in order at all, so some of the first tracks I made 2-3 years ago have just been coming out now, so it definitely might seem like I’m heavy on the sample tip right now.

It had a lot to do with the fact that…

a) 3 years ago sampling and people referencing rare 80’s funk and 90’s R&B was far less common and they were genres I knew well that I think people have only recently gotten into, but at the time it was a skill set I knew I could take advantage of.

b) When I was new to producing I was incapable of just sitting down and just writing music without building it around a sample, the notes I was playing just weren’t good enough. So I could take a sample and build a track around it and feel the notes out and make it into something cool and that was my contribution. I still do that occasionally but now it’s not a case of necessity its more just if I’ve got a special idea worth trying. But even now I’m doing a covers project and we’re just replaying everything.

There’s always room for sampling in electronic music if its done right and adds something but I feel like most people doing it right now are more ruining a good song than adding something to it.

Your label Hot Creations received a lot of props last year, every release has been outstanding. How did the label come about?

Well we started Hot Natured as an edits label at the end of 2008 early 2009, and also chose it as the general brand name, and specifically as Jamie’s and my artist name in the following months. It became clear quickly that we needed an original production label in addition to Hot Natured Re-Rubs, so we started thinking of names. It was born of a desire to have a home for new artists like Robert James, and for our own productions, and it’s grown from there. Jamie came up with the name Hot Creations and the releases started falling into place.

Did the quick and widespread popularity of the label come as a surprise?

Not really to be honest, I’d been confident for a long time in the material we had coming and the concept and brand. I knew it was a matter of time. I’ve always had complete confidence in Hot Natured as a brand, Hot Natured as Jamie and I as an artist entity, and Hot Creations as a label. If you do things in the right way and treat people well things will usually work out.

The edits you’ve done, first as Hot Natured and more recently as Modern Amusement, are quite complex for pop edits. They don’t just ‘slap a kick drum on it’, you really deconstruct the track. What do you say to accusations thrown at Soul Clap and the like for laziness?

I don’t say anything. Sounds like the sort of thing people talk about when they aren’t busy making music and DJing.

Do you see yourself as part of what people are calling this so called ‘nu-disco’ renaissance thing?

No, I don’t think of myself as a part of anything except Hot Creations/Hot Natured. I feel like we make and play a diverse range of good music. I’ve got no use for labels.

What’s your set up like at the moment?

In LA I use my Macbook Pro with Ableton Live as my sequencer, an RME Fireface 400 soundcard, Adam A7 monitors, a Roland MKS 80 Super Jupiter, Roland Juno 60, Yamaha DX7, Roland Juno 106, Korg Electribe MKX and one or two plug-ins...

In London I share Jamie’s studio which is great, he’s got the Adam sub to go with the A7’s and an Jupiter 8 and a bunch of toys I don’t have like a stage piano with a weighted keyboard, Nord rack, SH 101, TR 909, Micro Korg blah blah blah I could go on for ages. We use a Mac Pro Tower there, and he’s got
a nice mixing desk as well. We’ve just got a few new synths in the London studio, but that’s top-secret
haha…

You’ve been producing music for a while, was there a turning point in terms of your technique and quality of production?

The turning point was when I moved to LA, I decided to work on music full time and to make it happen no matter what. The turning point was all the hours I spent in front of a sequencer and when Jamie and I started collaborating in August 2008 which allowed me to switch from logic to ableton once I saw a better more efficient working method. It was more like November 2008 when I really started putting time in on Ableton instead of Logic, and that just opened up a world of difference and over the last few years as I’ve spent time making music I’ve learned to play the right notes to where now I’m a musician instead of a DJ dinking around on a keyboard.

Did growing up in Chicago have a big influence on you and your inclination towards house?

Yeah I mean I’m so fortunate to come from Chicago and that place is my heart. I am and will always be a Chicagoan. Most american’s entry point to electronic music is trance or progressive or other nonsense. I was a hip hop kid who started listening to daft punk and going to raves and warehouse parties in Chicago that were mostly house music. Chicago in the late 90’s early 2000’s was still pretty cool and had and has so much DJ talent. Starting out listening to quality house opened the door to an interest in 80’s funk, boogie, disco etc, and the record stores there are just filled with quality black music from the last 4 decades, all you have to do
is put in the work. Its one of the most musical cities in the world.

What was it like moving from Chicago to LA?

It was definitely the right decision but it was tough. I had it good in Chicago, and I took a big risk, and
financially it burned me. But as a part of the big picture I knew that was the move that would get me involved in a meaningful way in electronic music if I wanted to really start contributing. Working on music full time in a new expensive city, carried a really really really heavy cost, and sometimes I’m still filled with regret of that time because I lost something that really mattered to me, the most important thing in my life but I gained what I’d been chasing which was a self actualized life creating music that I love.

I’ve heard you have some pretty wild parties out there in LA. I have some naïve delusions that living in LA is just like an episode of Entourage? If that’s true I’ll move there in a flash…

HAHA, hmm well I hope its starts being more and more like Entourage. Yeah it’s definitely been wild sometimes. We’ve had some great parties on the standard rooftop, and there was a great afterparty scene at the Droog house for a long time. I think we’re all more involved in music and traveling now, I mean I’m basically never in LA anyway. I do still love it there though, its not a scene that rebuilds itself naturally, it takes work which I don’t have the time for, but it’s a place that has a lot going for it.

I’m sure you get asked this all the time, but I’ve heard some stories from the infamous Mercy Hotel in New York [an underground party community for all these cutting-edge artists, namely from Wolf + Lamb and Crosstown Rebels]...?

Marcy Parties are great, some of the best parties I’ve ever been to. It’s been a while since I’ve been to one, over a year. The crowd really trusts you there and it’s such a great crowd and such a remarkable space.
There’s no specific stories fit for print…

What’s your next project / release?

Well, Hot Natured (feat Ali Love) – Forward Motion EP (Hot Creations) just came out on vinyl yesterday and digital in a couple weeks. That’s Hot Creations 008. Next month is the Lee Foss – Starfruit EP (Hot Creations), so its my next solo EP. It’s another 4 track EP and I think it’s pretty good, hopefully it stands up to the U Got Me EP, I think it does.

And, finally, what are you’re top 5 tracks at the moment?

Hot Natured – Magic Carpet Ride (Hot Creations) this is a new one we’re doing with Ali Love, I’m buzzing about this one, it has an Arabian feel with a mega bassline and cool meaningful vocal.

Danny Daze – You’re Everything (Hot Creations) Wow this is probably the biggest record of the year. So ridiculously mega when it kicks in from the break. This and Forward Motion were the soundtrack to Miami.

Steve Winwood – Higher Love… ha I’ve been loving this again lately, not sure why just love the last couple minutes with Chaka Khan. I’ve been listening to it in the sunshine. Her voice has this incredible texture to it.

Class B Band – Horrendous Master Plan… Big noisy bad boy of a record. Basstalo!

Miguel Campbell – Be My Baby (Hot Creations) this is a wicked album track, Miguel really has his own twist on the French touch going right now. It fits so perfectly with Hot Creations.

Thanks for your time Lee, we really appreciate it. Look forward to catching your set at both Gottwood and Trouble Vision later on this year.

Hot Natured – Forward Motion EP is out now [Buy]

Grab a podcast that's a few months old from Lee as part of Hot Natured here:

Lee Foss - Hot Natured Podcast 01 by Hot Natured Music

***

Catch Lee Foss alongside the likes of Round Table Knights, Jamie XX, Max Cooper, DJ Format, Midland and plenty more at Gottwood Festival from 30th June - 3rd July ... where there''ll be a mighty Pelski vs Jackmode stage.

Buy tickets here:

https://www.eventelephant.com/gottwoodfestival2011

And type in the following promotional code for FREE DRINKS on site plus a free program, CDs, etc:

GOTTPELSKIJACKMODE

Pelski

Solomun's edit of 'Night Air'

2011-05-06T02:26:00.000-07:00

Solomun's been kind enough to hand out his edit of Jamie Woon's 'Night Air'. Admittedly, it's hard to make a poor remix of a production with such stunning vocal work, but, as expected, Solumun adds a perfectly restrained house touch, laying a gentle clatter of percussive beats behind that croon. An absolute must for any warm-up DJs who like a bit of the deep stuff:

Jamie Woon - Night Air (Solomun Edit) [pelski highly recommends]

Pelski

Prince Club

2011-05-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

We've been long time supporters of Prince Club - formely Mad Kidz - and with their new name comes a whole host of tunes and a slightly different sound, but with the production level safely in tact, if not better. As Mad Kids they released one of the most underrated tunes of last year, 'House of Damon'. The Canadian duo have recently seen releases on blog-trendy labels Snatch! and Discobelle Records.

Their style is a decidedly stripped-down, loopy brand of cheeky house.

Prince Club pitch-down Janet Jackson's vocals from 2001 hit 'Someone To Call My Lover', and lay a choppy, lumbering house beats under it:

Prince Club - Love Jackson [pelski highly recommends]

Fidgetty and slightly wobbly, 'I Know' is nothing short of immensely fun. Epic breakdowns, jittery beats and rushing filters all punctuate a dancefloor piano house bomb. This was originally released on It_Tizz Recordings and has now been reissued as a freebie on Riva Starr's Snatch! imprint:

Prince Club - I Know [pelski highly recommends]

Bouncy minimal grooves, with plenty of spluttering and clicky-clacky business; not far off from a lot of Camel and Mowgli's output:

Prince Club - Humpty Dumpty

A seriously loopy piece of house music that worms it's way into your head and refuses to leave, with it's unrelenting juddering rhythm and gulping synth snippets.

Prince Club - 303s and 808s

The original mix of 'La Charma' was released on Discobelle last year. They threw this tasty remix out for free:

Prince Club - La Charma Pt. 2 (Prince Club Sub-Marine Mix)

Bonus: Adele Rolling In The Deep (Prince Club House mix)

Pelski

Shady. Shady. Aftermath.

2011-05-04T05:44:00.000-07:00

Substituting the pitfall paradigms of roller disco in aid of bass cone hypnosis, we bring you Gatto Fritto (Italian for 'fried cat'). His consuming mirage of disco-funked dynamics sit deep on the horizon, and shall hopefully be filling a summery watering hole near you soon. Listen out for the Gentle nods to old timer Kraut-rockers, interspersed with the techniques of techno's founding fathers, laced with the poppier elements of the mainstream. Be sure to check out his next release on International Feel.

Gatto Fritto - Hex

Darkly

A New Fella

2011-05-03T15:13:00.000-07:00

Home to all things techno, Berlin is hardly a city associated with 2-step and underground garage sounds. That said, Scuba and a few others have been blurring the boundaries between housier beats and the futuristic dubstep template for some time now. And Sub:stance, based in the German capital, has brought the likes of D-bridge, Mala and Kode 9 to the high-brow techno temple that is Berghain.

Well, the budding 22 yeard old producer KoolFella (who sent me over a couple of demos a few weeks ago) isn't on quite the same deep techy tip as those 2-step-meets-techno pioneers. But he's certainly got a similar idea in mind, but with a cheekier, cheesier take on bringing the two genres together.

'Poise' is a straight-up garage jam, but the beats come with a heavy-hitting weight suited to peak-time floors. The whole thing's wrapped around a delicious Mary J Blige sample:

KoolFella - Poise [pelski highly recommends]

'Itom' flirts even more with thudding techno beats, incorporating some echoing, warehouse acid synths, whilst the snares skip and skid along with the snappy fervour of old school 2-step. Great stuff:

KoolFella - Itom

Keep your eye on this fella...

Pelski

FREE Sunday All-dayer at Old Queens Head, Islington

2011-04-27T06:04:00.000-07:00

This Bank Holiday Sunday the Old Queen’s Head will be playing host to a FREE all-day event headed by Snatch! head-honcho and blog favourite Riva Starr.

Support comes from Psychemagik – an upcoming duo who’ve seen early releases on the super chic ‘History Clock’ label and, more recently, whose stunning bootleg of Fleetwood Mac has been doing the rounds. Psychemagik will be serving up those sunny Balearic house and nu disco vibes.

Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere (Psychemagik Edit)

With Blamma Blamma’s upcoming album setting the tone for a new and widely received direction, they’re sure to keep the vibe going through to the early hours. Esteemed blogger and disco fiend Tony (Slutty Fringe) will be providing support. And yours truly will be spinning some slowed-down deep house earlier in the day.

3pm – 3am
The Old Queens Head, 44 Essex Road, Islington, London N1
FREE before 7pm, £5 after

Resident Advisor Event
Facebook Event

An Interview With The Martin Brothers

2011-04-21T03:46:00.000-07:00

Pelski: Hi Justin and Christian, firstly could you tell us a bit about  The Martin Brothers and how it differs from both of your solo aliases? 

Christian: I approach my solo releases and Martin Brothers tracks the same way – I want to create music that's fun, hits hard in the club, and evolves from beginning to end. When I'm working with Justin, I think we've gotten that process almost down to a science – we can run through ideas and options at a pretty fast rate, getting from concept to banger in just a few days.

Justin: I agree. I definitely work a lot faster when I am in the studio with Christian. We both like heavy hitting music that is fun and full of surprises, and of course has some serious low end. The music we make together usually explores a lot of our different influences as well, from hip hop to drum and bass. I don’t know that a Martin Brothers release differs too greatly from a solo project because in the end we are both just trying to make quality music for the dance floor. Sometimes its just more fun to get together and join forces on an idea.

Pelski: What were your first experiences of music?

Justin: We both grew up in a very musical household, and our parents had me and chris taking piano lessons from a very young age. When I was in 4th grade I switched to the saxophone as my main instrument and chris stuck with the piano, and we both studied and played jazz for the majority of our youth. Our dad had a killer stereo system that he would blast everything from classic rock like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin to classical music. I would say that thanks to our parents our musical tastes are very widespread.

Christian: My parents got a piano when I was very young – I sat down and plonked out the American Airlines theme song. My parents freaked because my mother had just started working for AA. I started piano lessons very shortly after that.

There's certainly some hip hop influences in your tunes. What was it  that pulled you both towards electronic dance music?

Christian: I still listen to hip hop all the time – it's a huge influence on my style. I love the minimal aesthetic of artists like E40 – snaps, claps, hi-hats, a vocal sample, and killer 808 is all he needs. Keeping tracks free of musical clutter is very important to me. As far as the pull towards electronic music - hip-hop is a more personal experience, something I enjoy listening to in a car or while travelling. I was attracted to electronic music for the social aspects – raves / clubs / desert parties are all long blocks of time, more about dancing and socializing than watching someone on a stage.

Justin: I am addicted to watching hip hop videos.

Justin you released 'The Sad Piano' all the way back in 2003, it was a  somewhat deeper track than the jumpy, dirtier house you're making these  days. What made you change direction?

Justin: Well Sad Piano was one of the first tracks that I ever made… I didn’t really know what I was doing when I produced that, it just sort of came from my heart… While all of my music still comes from my heart I think that over the last few years I have really started to hone in on what works on the dance floor. I am always trying to push my sound more and more creatively but I’ll admit I often think about trying to recapture the feelings of that record and just make another simple track with a nice melody from the heart.   

You certainly both have a healthy penchant for bassy house!

Christian: Some of my first clubbing experiences were drum & bass nights. Hearing dnb on club soundsystems was a turning point in my taste as far as what I wanted to hear and feel in my ribcage. Since I started producing tracks, bass has always been the first thing on my mind.

Was there a turning point for both of you, when you knew things were  looking good, "yeah we can make a good living out of this now?"

Justin: I never once looked at it that way...I mean, it has always been a goal to make a living doing what I love, but for me there really is nothing else I want to be doing at this moment, so regardless of whether or not I am making a “good living” I would still be doing what I am doing.

Christian: When I was officially signed to Liason Artists (formerly Blue Collar) I realized that I had a great opportunity to travel and develop my craft .. but I think if you're complacent, you're already done. Signing to Liason was just the beginning.   

Is there any brotherly competition between the two of you?

Christian: I think the most competition we have is when we both want to play the same track at a show. Compromise is the key though – there's enough great tracks these days that we can both play what we want, just by communicating and planning out our sets.

Justin: Yeah, obviously we both have similar tastes in music… So I have to call “dibs” first in order to be able to play a song I know we both love. But if it’s a show we are playing together as Martin Brothers it really doesn’t matter which one of us plays what. That only really happens when we are playing separate.   

Christian, I read somewhere that Justin said you were the real  crate-digger between the two of you, with a knack for finding unknown gems  and dance floor weapons. Now that you're popularity has gone through the  roof do you still set aside time to root around for the good 'uns?

Justin: OH YES! Without a doubt we are both on a constant search for new dope tracks. There is such an abundance of mediocrity out there so there is nothing like discovering something new that just blows my mind. I am always on a hunt for gems, and it is awesome that I have someone so close to me doing the same. My brother has a different ear for music than I do which is great too because he will hear things in tracks that I may have normally passed right by, and vice versa. But we both agree that quality is key, and finding and playing that dope secret weapon is what makes our jobs so much fun.

Christian: I have a pretty wide net bringing great music in - from various promos, friends, and producers I respect from around the world. I discover bomb tracks on Beatport all the time, simply by following my favorite producers to their labels, then checking out that label to find a whole other network of producers and labels. It's a never-ending hunt.

Although similar, both of your production styles are  quite distinctive in their own right. When you get in to the studio  together do you have an differences of opinion? (sorry for the potential  shit-stirring, I'll stop this line of questioning soon..!)

Justin: I think we are both pretty open minded to each other’s ideas when we are in the studio… the common goal is to make something different and seriously fresh. I know I value Chris’s opinion very highly, so if he is adamant about changing something we can always find some compromise that makes us both happy. I think we are pretty well aligned in our tastes, and I love working in the studio with him because it is really exciting for me to see what we can come up with… its also quite fun.

Christian: Our differences are what takes our music in cool directions – we don't really butt heads about creative decisions. It's more about keeping the work flow going, finding solutions and staying focused. If we're both making bass faces and bouncing around in our chairs, we know we're on the right track!

You've both been heavily involved in the Dirtybird label. How did you  meet Claude Von Stroke and get all that going initially?

Christian: I met Claude in 2000 – I was working on a hip hop video, he was working at a post-production studio we used to create the final product. Back then he was producing really heavy drum n bass, and we hit it off right away. When he created his seminal DJ documentary “Intellect,” Justin contributed a bunch of his new tracks to the score. The label came about when Claude decided to follow the advice he'd learned when creating the documentary. By that time we had already started our Birtybird BBQ in Golden Gate Park - it just made sense for Claude to name the label dirtybird as well.    

Do you still play a role in the running of the label?

Christian: Just moral support! Ultimately it's Claude's vision. Contributing music to such a quality label is enough involvement for me.

Dirtybird's always been popular with the blogs. Did you ever have any  problems with piracy and free copies of the label's releases floating  around the internet?

Christian: There's always going to be piracy, it's just a matter if you choose to look for it, or if you choose to support the label. As long as people still want to spend money on vinyl and wavs, Dirtybird will live on.

Justin: I try not to think about that stuff or worry about it… If people are downloading my music and digging it then I am happy.   

You've been signed to the new Jackmode label in Berlin which sounds very exciting. Can you tell us a bit about that?

Christian: I'm excited to bring my sound to the Jackmode label! It's been an honor to be affiliated with them as a booking agency - every Jackmode party I've played has been awesome. My music for the Jackmode label will be an encapsulation of that wicked party vibe – whether it's techno, house, or something else.

Justin: Yea, its very exciting for me as well… they are such a great group of people and artists… it is an honor to be working with them all, and the Europe shows have all been amazing since I started working with them.

There's been some discussion lately on the divergence between the  Eruopean and US house/techno scenes. Do you see a big difference between  the two? How do you see the American dance music culture in contrast to  the European one?

Justin: I used to think that the US was pretty dismal for dance music compared to Europe… and while I think Europe is still at the forefront, I feel like North America has really stepped it up in the last few years… Its hard for me to knock the US when I live in one of the most amazing underground electronic music cities in the world: San Francisco! And with tons of other US cities being put on the map by local djs, promoters, and thriving underground scenes, and festivals like DEMF becoming so popular I feel like there is definitely hope for us.

Christian: I think Europe has an advantage over most US cities because the hours of operation are so much longer, and the alcohol policies aren't as severe. However in recent years the US has adapted and thrived, the dance scene here is as strong as I've ever seen it. It all comes down to the promoters passion in each city, and whether you can click with their vision when you visit. SF, Portland, Denver are always great for me, and I love visiting Detroit for DEMF weekend. Even Miami was fun this year!! :)

Could you both give us your Top 5 tracks at the moment? Or any artists  we should be keeping our eye on?

Justin: My current top 5 is very confidential… hehe… but I would definitely keep an eye out for Ardalan in 2011… his sound just keeps getting better and better and he has some amazing ideas he has been cooking up in the studio.

Christian: I can't reveal my top 5 but I will say that I buy almost everything put out by Maetrik, Sei A, DJ Koze & Robag.

Justin your 2010 collab with newcomer Ardalan resulted in one of the  biggest dancefloor bombs of the year Mr Spock. How did that come about?

Justin: Ardalan was a friend of my girlfriend who I met at a Dirtybird BBQ… as me and Ardalan became closer friends I realized that he had some serious talent. He sent me a few of the tracks he was working on and one of them was a rough version of Mr. Spock.. I simply did some minor tweaks, trimmed it down a little bit, looped the best parts, and mr spock was born.   

What can we expect from your set on 23rd April?

Christian: A lot of bass, and a lot of fun.

Justin: Yes! Bass and fun!   

Finally, other than the Jackmode stuff, do you have any  projects/productions on the horizon?

Justin: I am officially working on my first artist album for Dirtybird Records. I attempted an album a few years ago for Buzzin Fly, but i just never could complete it… I feel like I am more focused than ever before now and this time around I am determined to MAKE IT HAPPEN! It will be out in the fall of this year, and I am so excited about the new stuff! I cant wait to unleash it!

Christian: I'm working on EP's for Dirtybird and Night Slugs – 2010 was all about remixes for me, so 2011 is all about originals!!    

Well thanks Christian and Justin for taking the time to answer our  questions, we eagerly await your set at Crucifix Lane on 23rd April.

Jackmode vs Pelski present The Martin Brothers + guests

BUY TICKETS HERE

@ 7-9 Crucifix Lane, London
Tube station: London Bridge
23rd April 2011
10pm - 6am

A Quick Fire Q&A With Nat Self

2011-04-20T05:04:00.000-07:00

The previous Pelski vs Jackmode party had the pleasure of bringing Zombie Disco Squad to the decks, but this time we're splitting up the dynamic duo, with Luca Lozano taking the helm with the Klasse Crew in Room 2, while Nat Self takes to the the bridge on the Jackmode platform in Room 1. If we're lucky, hopefully we'll hear a preview of Nat's up coming Jackmode release this weekend - his 'Dinner Party On The Moon' e.p is set to come out at the end of May, and will include a supporting remix by Hanne & Lore. In the mean time, Nat's giving away a groove a plenty edit of the classic Rolling Stones anthem 'Miss You', plus a tidy little mix-tape for you to jam to in your bedrooms.

WHEN I'M STONED I MISS YOU - NAT SELF EDIT by Jackmode

NAT SELF - KICK UP AND OUT MIX by Jackmode

Here's the quick Q&A...!

Are there any releases on the horizon for Nat Self?

I have my first ep dropping on the new Jackmode label.

What's Nat's top tune right now?

Joe smooth promised land is what I'm listening this second. There is so much good house around right now too!

A dogs needs a daily walk. Where does Nat Self run wild and free?

Naked in a field looking for treats and rabbits.

What's been Nat Self's most memorable show to date, and when's the next big party?

T-bar with Claude Vonstroke was amazing.

What's in Nat's party bag?

Cake, stickers and good times.

We all know from previous Pelski vs Jackmode parties that both Nat Self and Luca Lozano are the definitive Zombie Disco Squad. However this time your both playing under your solo aliases. Will you both be focusing more on solo projects this year, or are you just mixing it up a little bit?

ZDS is still our shit. Our side projects just give us a chance to do stuff that might not fit under the ZDS umbrella.

Any exciting future projects for Nat Self?

New ep finished and have started a sexy deep house project with another producer.

Nat's Top Musical Tip for 2011?

Hugs & Kisses & House.

Darkly

Jackmode vs Pelski present The Martin Brothers + guests

BUY TICKETS HERE

@ 7-9 Crucifix Lane, London
Tube station: London Bridge
23rd April 2011
10pm - 6am

An Interview With Hanne & Lore

2011-04-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

Flying in from Germany, Hanne & Lore will be unleashing their wayward form of tech-house upon us this coming weekend at Pelski vs Jackmode. Be sure to have a listen to their 'Hello London Mix' as you scroll the page, it's an all out afternoon sunshine affair, and a perfect warm up for their debut set in London. We got a chance for a brief catch up with these rising stars...

HANNE & LORE - HELLO LONDON by Jackmode

Your tech house remix of Andhim's 'Like a cabbage' is an infectious and bouncy affair, having recently smashed the 10,000 plays mark on Sound Cloud. Can you tell us a little bit about the track?

It was our first coop with our homies from Andhim. We know each other very well and have released with them on the Sunset Handjob label. We just love their sound, so we didn't have to think twice about doing the remix for them, especially as the track was released on Monika Kruse's Terminal M. We've always had a good relationship to Monkika, but we never expected that we would ever release on her label;)

The German club scene continually pushes the musical boundaries into the future. Some have branded Berlin as the official think tank for experimentation. Where do Hanne & Lore go for inspiration when your both out in Berlin?

Berlin, to us at least, eminates an indescribable feeling of vitality. 2-3 days in the capital and our reserve tanks are refilled ... Everything here is completely different to anywhere else, even the night life is 24/7; This is where 1000's of people of all shapes and size come to swap experiences...

You're Philipp Straub remix of 'Alliance' was just released on your Mutekki. Are there any more releases on the horizon for Hanne & Lore?

We have a new Hanne & Lore release on the horizon on Style Rockets. In addition to this, there will be up coming remixes for Nat Self (Jackmode), Remerc (Trapez Ltd) and AkaAka (Bourlesque Music).

Are you looking forward to warming up for the Martin Brothers at Pelski vs. Jackmode?

Absolutely Yes! It will be our first appearance in London and are looking forward to it. We're already in the middle of our mini easter tour and Pelski vs Jackmode will be our highlight!

What's circulating in your record bag at the moment?

Our record bags are can be likened to magic sacks... filled with a whole lot of colorful, crunchy beats. Out of which always comes a good mix of unreleased promo stuff, new artists or labels and some Classics.

It's time to check your color-scope. Producers often associate their music with color, searchable as those who cite Synesthesia as to influence during the composition process. If you had to choose a colour to represent your music, what colour would you choose and why?

Since we can not agree on a colour...the closest thing would be the blue of the "waterkant" ("water's edge" - our first release on Monaberry). Where it all began ...

Darkly

Jackmode vs Pelski present The Martin Brothers + guests

BUY TICKETS HERE

FACEBOOK

@ 7-9 Crucifix Lane, London
Tube station: London Bridge
23rd April 2011
10pm - 6am

The Martin Brothers - Mix Vol. 1 (Spring 2011)

2011-04-17T04:31:00.000-07:00

Arriving all the way from sunny San Francisco, we can barely contain our excitement at having The Martin Brothers play the third Jackmode vs Pelski event at Crucifix Lane, under London Bridge. Of course, either Christian or Justin as an individual headliner would've more than sufficed. But we have both.

The Brothers will be rattling the mighty Funktion 1 soundsystem with their crunchy, bass-heavy brand of tech-house - a distinctive style (a now Dirtybird trademark) that utilises low 808 bass and crunked 909s to form an unusual techno hybrid. That's all very well, the odd hip hop influence, but what about ducks, houseflies, and werewolf sounds? Yup they don't exactly pull from a hackneyed pool of samples. Their solo outings as well as their 'Brothers productions are leagues ahead of the generic, by-the-book house bangers churned out by many of their peers.

Since their 'Martin Brothers EP' debuted on Dirtybird in 2006, they've produced a formidable collection of subwoofer-shaking Tech-House bombs: 'Stoopit,' ‘Venus Fly Trap,’ 'Dum,' 'Full Moon,' 'Duckface,' & 'Steal Drums..'.

And now they've put together their first ever mix and, in anticipation of Jackmode vs Pelski on Satuday, London, they've passed it on to us as an exclusive. As expected, it's an absolute stonker:

The Martin Brothers - Mix Vol. 1 (Spring 2011) [pelski highly recommends]

1. T. Williams – Heartbeat (Paul Woolford Rewurq) [Local Action]
2. And.ID - Erotica [Mobilee]
3. Audiofly – Fela (Davide Squillace Simple Chaos remix) [Get Physical Music]
4. Will Saul & Tam Cooper – Hi-Lo [Simple Records]
5. Jesse Rose & Martin Dawson – Nonstop (Catz 'n Dogz remix) [Made to Play]
6. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – How Far (2 Bears remix) [Greco Roman]
7. Canblaster – Jet Pack (Kry Wolf remix) [Sounds of Sumo]
8. Pimp Sessions & Soil – Pop Korn (Doc Daneeka remix) [Brownswood Recordings]
9. Kill Light – 4D [Cheap Thrills]
10. Sade – Love is Found (The Martin Brothers bootleg) [Epic Records]
11. Onur Ozer – Oval [Cocoon Recordings]
12. Terry Toner - A Walk in the Dunes (Alexi Delano remix) [Echoism]
13. Riva Starr – Jump (The Martin Brothers remix) [Snatch]
14. Scott Grooves – Mothership Reconnection (Claude VonStroke Energy Pattern remix) [Soma]
15. Marcel Knopf - Perchance to Dream [Clap Your Hands]
16. Burial – Stolen Dog [Hyperdub]

***

Catch The Martin Brothers on Saturday at Crucifix Lane:

Jackmode vs Pelski present The Martin Brothers + guests

BUY TICKETS HERE

FACEBOOK

@ 7-9 Crucifix Lane, London
Tube station: London Bridge
23rd April 2011
10pm - 6am

An Interview with Mr. Ho

2011-04-17T03:45:00.003-07:00

The man behind the brilliant Bumps EP on Klasse, will be playing our second room. We fire a few quick qeustions at him:

Darkly: When can we expect the next release from Mr. Ho?

Mr Ho: The next thing is going to be "Bumps remixes" EP , it will come out on Klasse Recordings beginning of May. Its basically some additional remixes that were done after the release of "Bumps" EP last September. There's going to be one from my good friend Patrick Pulsinger and another one from French new talent Darabi. Also, Luca Lozano and I are just putting the finishing touches to a new EP that we have worked on.... I guess that should come out probably round August at the earliest on Klasse Recordings, as there is so much stuff coming out on the label this year!

What's Mr. Ho's top tune right now?

For a current tune, I think it will have to be Oliver $ "Doin Ya Thang" - the song is ridiculous, I can't wait for it to come out officially for the whole world to hear. Top throwback tune is Liberty City "If you really love Somebody" (Murk Dub) - dooooope bass line.

A dog needs his bone. Where does Mr. Ho get his goodies and treats?

Hahaha, I don't know what's implied here, so I will keep it clean and wholesome :) Actually, I just started skateboarding again after a ten year hiatus, so trying to relearn all the my old tricks and hopefully learning some new ones without breaking any bones in my body is how I'm getting my kicks right now!

Whats's been Mr. Ho's most memorable show to date, and when's the next big party?

I would have to say that the first ever Klasse Recordings party at Horst in Berlin last year, simply because it was the first ever time that we as a label put on a night, and it was a success. I mean we are a new label, and the most of us have only put out one record. We didn't know if anybody would even show up, let alone have a big crowd dancing all night to our music -some people were even requesting me to play "What we want", which is a tune off my EP that had only come out six weeks before the party!

The next big party is going to be the Jackmode party on the 23rd April at Counter Culture in London, where we will be hosting the Klasse Recordings floor.

What's Mr. Ho's party trick?

Ummmm.... amusing anecdotes? hahaha, no. Party trick.... I can dislocate my shoulder... is that a trick? Or maybe it's just gross.

Any exciting future projects for Mr. Ho?

All musical projects are exciting to me, that's why I take them on! But I guess the next exciting thing is working on a live show with some of the Klasse Recordings crew. Can't tell you too much about it right now, but I guarantee that its going to be more than just two people staring into their laptop screens :)

Mr. Ho's Top Musical Tip for 2011?

This crew called the Bronx Project.... they are making that tough, rough moody house music that I like.

***

In case you missed the free mp3 from Mr. Ho, head here.

Jackmode vs Pelski present The Martin Brothers + guests

BUY TICKETS HERE

@ 7-9 Crucifix Lane, London
Tube station: London Bridge
23rd April 2011
10pm - 6am

An Interview with Johanna Knutsson

2011-04-17T03:01:00.000-07:00

The amazing Johanna Knutsson will be playing in Room 2 on Saturday, we caught up with the young Swede:

Darkly: When can we expect the next release from Johanna Knutsson?

Johanna: Soon hopefully, I am working on tracks right now! It has taken forever though since I'm a newbie, but soon I'm there I hope..

What's Johanna Knutsson's top tune right now?

Oh, it's the prettiest song ever; Tribute-"We love dreams" (Tribute 04). I'm so happy I got my hands on that one! The original Fleetwood Mac was my favorite song when I grew up, hehe. Plus forthcoming releases on Klasse Recordings, especially the one from Florian Blauesteiner. I get crazy goosebumps when I listen to it.

A dog needs his bone. Where does Johanna Knutsson get her goodies and treats?

I get inspired from the weirdest things that isn't at all related to music, but when it comes to music I love going to Panorama when my favorite DJ's are playing( that's one of the reasons I moved to Berlin) or just walk around in record-stores. My around-the-corner-store is OYE, a great place to go vinyl-shopping. Hanging out in Klasse's studio is also real nice, that's where all the magic happens! My partner in crime,Tobias is also a great source of inspiration, we can talk and nerd out about music for hours and hours. Real boring for all of our friends I guess...

Whats's been Johanna Knutsson's most memorable show to date, and when's the next big party?

I must say that the release-party at HORST (Berlin) for KLS004 was one of my best experiences as a DJ so far. The crowd was amazing and the vibe was just perfect. It felt like everyone was at the same state of mind both DJ's and audience, dancing and enjoying themselves and making new friends on the dance-floor. Love was in the air, and for DJ's to get that feedback; man, that's just beautiful. I've never felt so secure in my life! Next big party that I'm absolutely stoked about is the Jackmode & Pelski party on Saturday in London. I love London, it's going to be great!

What's Johanna Knutsson's party trick?

My best night are the ones that lasts forever and are planned properly . Going out is like working out; you have to be prepared for a marathon. Here you never know how long you end up being out! Always a disco-nap in the evening ( never more then 2 hours,then you've lost yourself to Mr Sandman). Dress up nice and comfy,make sure your hair is in place and wear shoes that allows you to dance for 8-9 hours or so. Never drink beer (makes too tired), make sure to take your caffeine-pills and drink tons of Club Mate+vodka. Make sure you know where your favorite DJs are playing, or look up the lineups so you know what to expect. If the music doesn't do it for me it doesn't matter how much I feel like going crazy. It's all about the music,right?

Any exciting future projects for Johanna Knutsson?

I just signed up to host a radio-show in Sweden a couple of times every month, which I'm super-exited about! They allow me to play whatever I feel like which makes me really satisfied. There is not enough house -music in Swedish Radio, I'll make sure to change that. One hour of my favorite music, plus I get to have monologue about music without anyone interrupting. The KLS Gang are also talking about starting up some sort of live-thingy but that I can't talk about. We'll see when there is time..:)

Johanna Knutsson's Top Musical Tip for 2011?

There are so many!! All the KLS previews I've heard are super,I really recommend you to keep your eyes and ears open. Being a Swede, I happen to fall madly in love with all new Swedish house (no, definitely not SHM) that is coming out now from; Aniara,Kurbits,CrimeCity Disco and Studio Barnhus (especially Acid Andy's release, Jack Dawson Polka is huge). 2011 is going to be a great year for music I'm sure!

***

In case you missed the free mp3s from Johanna head here.

Jackmode vs Pelski present The Martin Brothers

BUY TICKETS HERE

@ 7-9 Crucifix Lane, London
Tube station: London Bridge
23rd April 2011
10pm - 6am

Room 1: Jackmode

The Martin Brothers

Nat Self

Hanne & Lore

Pelski

Charles Darkly b2b Oli Hackett

Room 2: Klasse

Luca Lozano

Mr. Ho

Johanna Knutsson

James Creed

SATURDAY: Klasse Recordings host Room 2 of Jackmode vs Pelski

2011-04-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

The upcoming label Klasse Recordings has seen some big releases of late from the likes of Mr Ho, Johanna Knutsson and Luca Lozano, all of whom'll be smashing Room 2 at Crucifix lane this coming weekend.

Klasse have already been receiving heavy support from the likes of Steve Bug, Ramon Tapia, Tim Green, M.A.N.D.Y, Catz & Dogz and more.

Speaking of which, check out our recent interviews with:

JOHANNA KNUTSSON.

MR. HO

The Berlin house label, hosting our Room 2 on Saturday at Crucifix Lane, have kindly thrown a couple of freebies our way:

A deep and, er, crunchy take on Avant's 'Seperated'; ethereal, rainy atmospherics are countered by a rolling groove, all clicks and clacks, set against those deliciously soulful vocals. This track is a real grower - a beautiful and inventive slice of soulful house:

Avant - Seperated (Jorge Takei Remix) [pelski highly recommends]

Big warehouse beats slap against the sumptuous diva croon of Loleatta Holloway:

Loleatta Holloway - Dreamin (Pol_On Edit)

Another great edit from Johanna Knutsson, she brings some more old school house vibes fitted with a tasty disco sheen:

Imagination - So Good So Right (Johanna Knutsson Edit)

A change from the usual conga-based tribal house of his ZDS productions, Luca Lozano (the label's founder) lays down some straight-up house. It's peak-time stuff, with big thumping beats and surging bass:

Luca Lozano - Full Black

Sascha Robotti gives a jacking makeover to the Stevie Wonder classic. Hefty house beats clunk, cluck and bump in this weird and wonderful house bootleg:

Sascha Robotti vs Stevie Wonder - Supastition

In case you missed either of these gems in my last post from two of Klasse's staple artists:

Donna McGhee - Make It Last Forever (Mr. Ho edit) [pelski highly recommends]

Sinnamon - Thanks To You (Johanna Knutsson Quick Fix Edit)

Don't forget to grab your tickets for what's set to be a big one. Earlybird tickets can be bought in advance for only £8, then £10, or £12 on the door.

BUY TICKETS HERE

@ 7-9 Crucifix Lane, London

Tube station: London Bridge

23rd April 2011

10pm - 6am

Room 1: Jackmode

The Martin Brothers (Dirtybird)
Nat Self (Sound Pellegrino / Mad Decent)
Hanne & Lore (Monaberry / Style Rockets / Sunset Handjob)
Pelski
Charles Darkly b2b Oli Hackett

Room 2: Klasse

Luca Lozano (Klasse / Dirtybird)
Mr. Ho (Klasse)
Johanna Knutsson (Klasse)
James Creed

Pelski

It's A London Fing

2011-04-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

For almost a year now everyone has been oooing and aaahhing over George Fitzgerald's unreleased remix of Groove Theory's 'Tell Me' on Soundcloud. Well now he's only gone and offered it up for download. It's a juicy vocal garage mix with some lucious r'n'b vocals (the first 6 bars sounds strangely similar to Lee Foss' 'U Got Me') bolstered by Fitgerald's trademark soft bass pads and skippy 2-step beats (yes... it's very Joy Orbison). Fun, soulful stuff - tuck in:

Groove Theory - Tell Me (George FitzGerald Remix) [pelski highly recommends]

Gold Panda gives a softly melodic remix of Lykke Li, add some crackling white noise/ vinyl fuzz and a slowly clicking beat and you have the ever-atmospheric Gold Panda at his best:

Lykke Li - Sadness Is A Blessing (Gold Panda Remix) [pelski highly recommends]

Not content with forging an intelligent and deep hybrid of drum n bass they can could call their own, Instra:mental have now set their sites on the house and techno template. Although always on a bit of techno tip, their foray into new territory really started with last year's 'Vogayer', a dark, eerie techno beast played by house and dubstep heads alike. Now, under the alias of Boddika, they're releasing techno-related tunes that retain the snappy essence of their d'n'b and 2-step roots. As part of the promo for Hotflush's Back & Forth comp they're giving Boddika's 'Warehouse' away for free. Be sure to check out both disc one and two of the comp.

Boddika - Warehouse {buy}

A garage classic hailing from all the way back in 1997, Scott Garcia's 'It's A London Thing' has been given a dub remix. A refreshing reinvention and nicely understated version in comparison. But nothing beats the original.

Scott Garcia - It's A London Thing (MST dub)

Bonus: My Panda Shall Fly - Injury (Throwing Snow Remix)

Pelski

Musical Missionary

2011-04-15T06:45:00.000-07:00

Feeling charitable? Well then check out the Miami based non profit charity - Musical Missionary. Their mission is to establish an ultimate feedback loop, where established artists and musicians are brought in to teach the younger generations of Miami about music and art. So far they've established fundraisers, events and an online digital music label to get things off the ground, bringing in established electronic producers to help the cause.

Their first compilation release 'Break Out' features some great soulful house numbers which they're giving out for free. These tracks seem to signify the selfless attitude that their mission upholds, with MikeZ's 'His Spirit' simply asking you to 'Feel It In Your Soul' and 'Just Believe' - simple messages with lasting meanings.

Now it's easy to become all whimsical and washy when music and charity come together, so I'll promise not to follow on with a Bob Geldof rant. But if you can allow yourself to believe in the power of the dance-floor jack, then you'll understand the simple idea, that it's possible to elevate people's situations through music and art.

Thank you to the Mundo Vibes blog for the heads up on this one. Please read more about Musical Missionary in the Miami New Times.

MikeZ - His Spirit

Swanken - Lose The Man

Swanken - Come Back With The Love (Darren DuVall Remix)

Darkly

X Gets It

2011-04-13T03:20:00.000-07:00

X first appeared on our radar last September, serving us a medley of crunk slunked Hip Hop beats - check the post here. Now he's back with early summer crops, varying the tempo from 123 bpm all the way to the top of 134 bpm. There's plenty of drunken African drums, with a strict regime of shuddery sub bass. Old school vocals make the grade, with an unexpectedly clean set of rave stabs in tow. The tracks are reasonably short, yet this is to be expected due to X's hip hop roots, as the late snare rattles off the end of each bar. I will definitely be dropping some of X's bass weighted tribal chops at our up and coming Pelski vs Jackmode party. Get the remaining tickets here!

Talented producers like X, refuse to reserve their talents for just one particular genre, and why should they? It's slightly archaic to stick to one's single barrel gun these days, all be it loyal to your singular cause. So to see a producer depart from their comfort zone, bringing a fresh cross fire of diversity and flavour is always a pleasure.

X Gets The Crest - When African Drums Ring Out

X Gets The Crest - Slow It Down...

X Gets The Crest - Mind Does Wonder

Darkly