GhostlyCast #48: Fort Romeau – Spectres of Summer Mix

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 13:00:00 +0200

Hats off to our friends at Ghostly who managed to snap up Mike Greene AKA Fort Romeau from the ever brilliant 100% Silk label. Truth be told, all A&Rs should (and probably do), watch that label like a hawk. The amount of quality, forward-thinking dance music released in such a short time really is quite the achievement.

Last year the London-based Fort Romeau released his debut album ‘Kingdoms’ on the LA-based label and by all accounts he’s only just getting started. If his present course doesn’t falter, the upcoming Ghostly-released "Jetée / Desire" should be an album to remember.

Back to the matter at hand: the 48th edition of the GhostlyCast starts out in the warm and inviting end of the spectrum with track and edits by the selector himself, Prins Thomas, DJ Harvey and Jakob Korn.

Discobelle Mix 002: Teki Latex

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:00:00 +0200

Project Loon: Balloon-powered Internet Access for the Entire Planet

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:00:00 +0200

You would kind of expect a company like Google to go all in on their next venture, but we must admit that we hadn't seen an idea of this magnitude coming. Nevertheless, the aptly named ‘Project Loon’ could see the information giant take things to another level after the hugely successful Google Earth. Here’s what they had to say about the balloon technology:

‘We believe that it might actually be possible to build a ring of balloons, flying around the globe on the stratospheric winds, that provides Internet access to the earth below. It’s very early days, but we’ve built a system that uses balloons, carried by the wind at altitudes twice as high as commercial planes, to beam Internet access to the ground at speeds similar to today’s 3G networks or faster. As a result, we hope balloons could become an option for connecting rural, remote, and underserved areas, and for helping with communications after natural disasters. ‘

NeuroKnitting: Creating a Scarf by Listening to Bach’s Goldberg Variations

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:00:00 +0200

This thoroughly interesting merge of art and science was created by artist-duo Varvara Guljajeva, Mar Canet, and MTG researcher Sebastian Mealla who provide this explanation for how NeuroKnitting works:

‘We have plotted brainwave activity into a knitted pattern. Using a wearable, non-invasive EEG headset, we recorded users’ affective states while listening to Bach’s “Goldberg Variations”, concretely the aria and its first seven variations. The audio was about 10 minutes long and we downsampled each second of the signal coming from the 14 channels of the EEG device. Three main features were measured: relaxation, excitement, and cognitive load. After recording, those features were converted into a knitting pattern. Hence, every stitch of a pattern corresponds to a unique brain state stimulated by the act of listening. It means the user’s affective response to music is captured every second and memorised in the knitted garment pattern.’

Kenton Slash Demon Rocking TMA-1s in the Boiler Room

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0200

We make no secret of the fact that we like Kenton Slash Demon. I mean, look at them go. Flawless attire, effortless mixing and serene facial expressions. It’s almost like they’re little dance music Buddhas. This Boiler Room selection is particularly tight and showcases their knack for mixing the old with the new and cooking up that sweet-tasting atmosphere of house music-induced freedom from constraints. Yesiree, KSD are where it’s at.

New Flavour in Your Ear: Siriusmo ‘s New Album ‘Enthusiast’ is out Today

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:00:00 +0200

And so far we’ve uncovered more than half a dozen of those characteristic Siriusmo ‘WTF!’ moments. There’s no excuse not to get with this. Have a listen to the thumping ‘Itchy’, buy the album and tell us what you think.

Scientology's Warped House Band Once Made a Record Called 'Power of Source'

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0200

The EP 'Power of Source' was released in 1974 by L. Ron Hubbard. If the name sounds strangely familiar it is not because of any of his other releases or history in music, but rather because of the Church of Scientology. L. Ron Hubbard is the founder of the Church, which is notoriously known all over the world for being at the very least a highly questionable church, or a down right cult or sect. We'll leave that discussion in the middle for now.

Upon their quest for world dominance the Scientology acquired a fleet of ships, one of them named the 'Apollo'. Upon this ship a music group was founded, titled The Apollo Stars, made up entirely from shipbound members of the Apollo. Amongst them average musicians and not-so-average musicians, all under the musical supervision of L. Ron Hubbard himself. The band was created in order to promote the Scientology Church and they were offering free concerts on the piers of whichever city they would dock. Scientology propaganda.

Binary Prints by Alex Trochut

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:00:00 +0200

There’s no doubt that this concept becomes that extra bit interesting and buzz-worthy because of its high-profile, hip collaborators. That said, the stated aim of articulating both sides of the musician is in itself a captivating idea that warrants further exploration.

In Trochut’s words, ‘these nocturnal portraits ‘wake up’ in the dark, just as the DJs “come alive” at night, as do audiences under the spell of music.’

New Flavour in Your Ear: Broken Twin

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 14:00:00 +0200

Did someone say Monday music? It’s definitely a sound you need to be in a particular state of mind to appreciate. The kind of state that longs for dust-covered instruments, affecting melancholy and spectacularly earnest vocals.

Broken Twin is the ear-pleasuring sound of strings being plucked, keys being hit and lyrics being sung breathlessly and mournfully. It’s as if Majke herself is stood right next to you, sighing her ethereal message into your unsuspecting ear, and it’s not without its moments of bittersweet triumph. It also sounds like the mic has been placed extremely close to each instrument, which is in all probability what gives you the sensation of being right there in Broken Twin’s decaying lighthouse of transient dreams.

DJ Fresh and Mindtunes: Letting disabled people create music with their Mind

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 17:00:00 +0200

We could do with having one or two less Smirnoff logos in the video, but that minor quibble quickly falls by the wayside when you understand the depth, magnitude and overall compassion that this project is about. People who had previously been unable to produce music because of physical constraints can now do just that with the help of a few exceptionally smart and gifted people and a new technology called Emotiv EPOC.

Sougwen Chung’s ‘Chiaroscuro’

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:00:00 +0200

In Sougwen’s own words, ‘Chiaroscuro’ is: ‘the interplay of light and dark, the tangible and intangible, the old and new. The installation is a contemporary interpretation of "Chiaroscuro", a term more commonly associated with 17th century painting, that is as hand-made as it is digitally enabled.

Drawing in the installation is the fundamental element -- spanning the physical structure, the light-mapping and the projection itself. By digitizing the drawing, the simple expression of mark-making becomes transmutable. It is reinterpreted to take on a new form and dimension in the software -- it transforms into structures manipulatable through time.’

MaKey MaKey - the Invention Kit for Everyone (including Your Cat)

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 14:00:00 +0200

Here’s how it works:

'The MaKey MaKey uses a USB cord to connect its circuit board to your computer. The circuit board takes over the functionality of certain key on your keyboard or mouse, like the space bar or the mouse click. That is where the fun starts. Using alligator clips you can connect the space bar function of the MaKey MaKey controller to the end of a banana, or a pencil, or a piece of Play-Doh, and make that object the keyboard or mouse input. Just touch your “banana” and you control the functionality of the space bar on the computer.'

New Flavour in Your Ear: Neeon - 'Zero Gravity'

Fri, 31 May 2013 13:00:00 +0200

Just like it did with the rest of the world, Daft Punk's 'Random Access Memories' divided our office into two entrenched camps that either hated it or loved it. The haters (yup, that's what you are) said that the drums were too weak, the timing all wrong and that this was an album made by middle-aged, out-of-touch men who should go back to the drawing board.

Personally, I absolutely loved it. I could write lengthy essays, not to mention odes to Bangalter and de Homem-Christo's dense condensation of influences into one confusing, yet utterly stunning masterpiece. But let's leave it at that before I stir up another equally lengthy discussion that doesn't go anywhere.

In any case, I suspect that music lovers who felt cheated by the lack of Da Funk on 'Random Access Memories' should be able to get heavily on board with Neeon's gleaming, dynamic pop that targets both the head and the ass in equal, life-affirming measure. It's fresh, imaginative and catchy as all hell.

Ryoji Ikeda's 'Superposition'

Thu, 30 May 2013 13:00:00 +0200

A little background info on Ikeda:

‘Japan’s leading electronic composer and visual artist Ryoji Ikeda focuses on the essential characteristics of sound itself and that of visuals as light by means of both mathematical precision and mathematical aesthetics. Ikeda has gained a reputation as one of the few international artists working convincingly across both visual and sonic media. He elaborately orchestrates sound, visuals, materials, physical phenomena and mathematical notions into immersive live performances and installations.’

Dunkel Radio Recommends: The 5 International Acts You Don’t Wanna Miss At Distortion 2013

Wed, 29 May 2013 19:00:00 +0200

Jeff Mills:
One of the founding fathers of Detroit Techno, co-creator of Underground Resistance, owner of Axis Records, master of the Roland TR-909… Do i have to say anymore?
Where to rave: Wednesday @ Culture Box

Kassem Mosse:
Gunnar Wendel aka. Kassem Mosse is a connoisseur when it comes to mind-belting, low-slung house and techno. His jammed-up analog live performance are always exclusively comprised of unreleased material, so prepare for an utterly unique concert, when this man takes on the Resident Advisor stage at Final Party.

Where to rave: Saturday @ FINAL PARTY

DJ Harvey:
“You can’t understand the blues until you’ve had your heart broken by a woman. And you can’t understand my music until you’ve had group sex on Ecstasy.”

Distortion has booked a fair share of living legends over the years and DJ Harvey is one of the finest additions to this list. Harvey is considered to be of extreme influence in bringing disco, garage and house from the US to the UK in the late 80's and is world widely known for his 6-hour marathon sets. Get ready to get freaky.

Where to rave: Saturday @ FINAL PARTY

Interview: Scuba

Wed, 29 May 2013 15:00:00 +0200

I’ve you’ve been following the progressive end of modern dance music for more than 5 minutes, chances are that you will at some point have come across the many manifestations of Scuba’s remarkable musical oeuvre. Paul Rose, as his mum calls him, has not only he been one of the primary architects of contemporary bass music through the founding and running of the hugely influential Hotflush imprint (Sepalcure, Mount Kimbie, Jimmy Edgar), he’s also a thoroughly talented artist in his own right with acclaimed albums and an impressive number of chart-topping singles under his versatile production belt.

Much like his label, Scuba has gone through an interesting creative transformation over the course of his career. From uncompromising, dark jungle and dubstep to lush, insanely tight and danceable house (albeit house, which retains that undercurrent of edgy, bouncy, boisterous bass) this shift of gears has in all likelihood lost him a few of his hardcore dubstep fans. On the plus side of things he’s gained an impressive new reach through a growing and dedicated electronic music fan base that freak out at his Sub:stance nights in Berlin’s Panorama bar and follow his releases with a keen and unswerwing eye.

Accomplished skills on the 1s and 2s, an irrefutable capacity for making people move and, as this interview shows, a curious and inquisitive mind are a few of the things that makes Scuba a musician quite unlike any other. Here's what he had to say about his main sources of inspiration, his views on music technology and the challenges in managing the Hotflush label. Enjoy.

AIAIAI:In terms of production, what’s currently your main source of inspiration?

Scuba: Recently I’ve gone back to the Autonomic podcasts that DBridge and Instra:mental put together in 2009. Every one of them is amazing, and I find them as much of an inspiration now as I did then. You can get them from club-autonomic.com

What's your favorite decade when it comes to dance music?

I guess I’d have to say the 90s. Obviously I wasn’t involved from a professional perspective back then, but I started going out clubbing as a very young kid in the mid-90s and all my formative experiences involved music from around that time. All my favourite albums are from the 90s – Orbital 2, Autechre – Amber, Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works etc…

Your vocal samples are always intimdatingly on-point: Do you spend a lot of time digging for them?

I do spend a lot of time trawling through acapellas yes… more recently I’ve been recording vocals myself and writing for singers though. It’s obviously a different approach and sometimes a couple of snatched syllables from a crackly acapella is the thing that works best on a track.

We’ve been following your Twitter and get the impression that you have a wealth of interests outside of music. Do you think it’s important to keep up with political and cultural developments as a contemporary musician?

I think it’s important for anyone to be aware of the world around them, I don’t think musicians have a special responsibility in that respect. Actually I think artistically it’s sometimes better to clear your mind of wider issues and just focus on your own consciousness. But generally I don’t understand people who don’t engage with politics. The argument that it doesn’t matter or there’s no difference between parties or viewpoints is utter bullshit.

What sort of hardware do you use at the moment?

Very little, almost everything I do is in the box.

Are you big on music technology?

Not really, I’m a self-taught engineer with very little in-depth technical knowledge. I’m very much a trial and error kind of producer.

What have been the main challenges in managing Hotflush?

It’s difficult juggling the different parts of running a label, being a producer and DJing a lot. For a long time I was the only person working on the label and taking on some staff has made things easier but it’s quite hard to let go when you’re used to controlling every aspect of the operation.

Dunkel Radio Recommends: The 5 Danish Acts You Don’t Wanna Miss At Distortion 2013

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:00:00 +0200

Mads Rehl

Mads is one half of the Copenhagen based techno organization BULK, and will definitely fill your ears with lovely house and techno. This guy has been in the game for the past 10 years…so he knows what he's doing. We can’t wait to dance our legs off.

Where to rave: Wednesday @ The VEKTOR vs. BULK StreetBattleRave + Jeff Mills Night Party @ Culture Box

Asmus Odsat

Asmus is the other half of the BULK organization. He will be serving a big fat techno dish for you and play everything from electro cuts to old school rave tunes.

Christian D'or

The Disco concierge to rule them all! If you want to groove, get a big smile on your face and dance your ass off, Christian is the man you’re looking for. He is currently running his renowned Disco Dick parties in the meatpacking district of Copenhagen and they are strictly dedicated to the disco/not disco era from ‘76-’83.

Where to groove: Wednesday Night Party @ Søpavillonen

The perpetually hip, multi-talented Dev Hynes is making a new solo album

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:00:00 +0200

Dev Hynes is a man with many names and a slick ability to always be in the midst of some terribly cool electronic pop project. Last summer it was the breakthrough of Solange Knowles, in autumn it was Sky Ferreira and early this spring it was the very catchy cover of Kendrick Lamar’s Swimming Pools with Mutya, Keisha and Siobhan, also known as the original Sugarbabes.

The UK born Hynes has now swapped sides in the recording studio and is making his second album under the name Blood Orange.

Despite being quite secretive about the yet to be named album, he has during the past few months leaked a few hints on what to expect. So far it will be a collaborative album, with vocals including Spekta, Jessie Ware and Clams Casino on the production side. The album does not have a release date yet, but he says that it will be out before it turns chilly in New York. The album will be Blood Orange’s second album, following Coastal Grooves, which came out in 2011. And judging from his latest productions and remixes it bodes quite well for us listeners.

Brenmar and MikeQ rock the TMA-1 Carhartt Edition at Boiler Room New York

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:00:00 +0200

It’s always hard to say who or what started a musical trend, but Brenmar is definitely at the forefront of the whole fast and bouncy, bassy, potty-mouthed, ghetto-tech thing that has people doing gunfingers, bringing, airhorns and rocking goldchains at the party. Other than that, he’s an almost inconceivably dexterous selector whose combination of raunchy, 90s party bangers with crisp, cutting-edge beats creates the sort of environment where you feel like a bit of an asshole if you don’t get down, quite frankly. Check the main man Brenmar as he rocks a white towel like Evander Holyfield and the TMA-1 Carhartt like a champ.

Plugg – the Radio that lets You Put a Cork in It

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:00:00 +0200

Waze & Odyssey Rocking TMA-1s at Boiler Room Berlin

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:00:00 +0200

You never really know what you’ll get when you tune into Boiler Room. During this set there is, for example, a limber, dancing individual whose truly avant-garde moves speak of a deep and profound immersion in the relentless and uncompromising house bangers that this talented UK-based duo unleash on Berlin. Or maybe he’s just really drunk.

Review: Koreless - 'Yugen'

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:00:00 +0200

Lewis Robert's new-found musical direction is a quite radical departure his previous material, which all fell neatly in the increasingly wide slipstream created by house heads with bass music roots. For starters, one of the key suspects is missing: the beat. On "Yūgen," Roberts builds and builds, but he does so through tension and instead of pure pounding force. Of course, this only makes the EP's density all the more impressive and its title's reference to modern Japanese aesthetics all the more appropriate.

Still, there is something strange about the five tracks. All of them wear their simple yet maxed out aesthetics well, but as a listener, you wonder how to interpret Koreless' work. There is a physical component to the music, but it is the kind that keeps pushing you back in your seat rather than drawing you closer to the speaker (arguably, getting any closer to your headphones is challenging). The dissonance between the apparent subtlety and effective richness of the music is hard to adjust to, if only because nothing else quite sounds like Roberts does on this one.

That DFA Documentary is Here

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:00:00 +0200

Dunkel Radio Presents: Maskinrum Live Podcast #3

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:00:00 +0200

After having presented four of the finest electro acts Copenhagen has to offer, we decided to expand our horizon and invite over the prime of Aarhus, Jutland, for our third event on the 17th of April. Electronica wiz-kid Aebeloe and the brains behind the new label Pattern Abuse Liquido lined up their mechanics and showed us some real machine funk. All music in the video above is taken from the live recordings.

Aebeloe plays the kind of electronic music that is quite frankly impossible to put under one genre-umbrella. The Aarhus-based musician Natal Zaks is the man behind the name, who is also involved in projects like Averos, Escar and Mislyd. he is also the head of the electronic record label Farver Music. Ambient, house, trip hop, glitch, techno and 2-step is what inspires Natal, genres which are all glimpsed at in his vast creative output of electronic compositions. Despite the loose-fitting genre-pants, Aebeloes uncompromising attention to every single detail in his perfectly balanced, nostalgic sound library is what makes his music so bloody good whatever genre he makes.

https://soundcloud.com/natalzaks

Clerkd: the New App that Lets You Listen to the Sounds of Your Favorite Hood

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:00:00 +0200

Here’s how it works: The app plugs into a number of music services, like Spotify, Soundcloud, Jamendo, VK, and iTunes. Clerkd lets you follow your buddies and tastemakers such as bands, blogs, writers, the roadie from Insane Clown Posse, you get the picture.

On top of that – and this is where it gets really interesting - the map function gives you an overview of the music that's popular in the vicinity of your smartphone by assigning each genre with its own color. After selecting a location, you just press play and hey presto, you get a playlist of the music that's been played in that particular location.

Dunkel Radio Interviews Ron Morelli

Mon, 13 May 2013 15:00:00 +0200

The world’s biggest online electronic music magazine, Resident Advisor, selected L.I.E.S. [Long Island Electrical Systems] as the best label of 2012. A choice that is well deserved considering the amount of high quality records the imprint has put out in a very shot span of time.

The label is run by the skilled DJ and producer Ron Morelli, who will be playing at the Resident Advisor stage, at this year's Distortion Festival, alongside Kassem Mosse, Xosar, SvengalisGhost and DJ TLR.

New Flavour in Your Ear: Hemingway "Ace Neptune (Jokers of the Scene Remix)"

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:00:00 +0200

Kicking things off with immersive, atmospheric oldschool rave vibes and deftly placed 808 clicks, it takes a full three minutes before the shift kicks you right in your unexpecting teeth; The ‘drop’ hits and the alteration in mood is so suprising that there’s a split second where you actually wonder if you’re listening to the same track.

Too Old To Be New, Too New To Be Classic: 12 Years of DFA

Tue, 07 May 2013 10:00:00 +0200

140 - the Rhythm-based Minimalist Platform Game

Mon, 06 May 2013 16:00:00 +0200

The development team is headed by Jeppe Carlsen, known in independent game circles as the lead designer on one of 2010's most successful releases, the dark and slightly disturbing Limbo from Playdead (who's studio is right around the corner from the AIAIAI HQ).

With him on the project is his old friend from college and current colleague at Playdead, Jakob Schmid who developed the soundtrack. On the graphics end they recruited two very talented designers from outside the gaming industry Andreas Peitersen from the famed Copenhagen design studio e-Types and Niels Fyrst who spends his daytime at national broadcaster DR - my own first experience Fyrst's work was some years ago with his wonderful animated music video for Bjørn Svin's Modular Noia:

Shugo Tokumaru - 'Katachi'

Fri, 03 May 2013 16:00:00 +0200

In an overwhelmingly digital world, tangible, analogue production techniques more often than not make our sinuses tingle with rampant delight.

The combination of moving, bright colours, organic shapes and knowing that a bunch of talented nerds have spent weeks crafting a smorgasbord of visual treats is enough to make you bust out the oooohs and aaaahs.