Passwar D is a sound project with an identity conceived as an extraterrestrial creature connected to the human imagination. This is an original way of conceptualising a musical idea that is inspired by the various human experiences, our interests as rational living beings and all the emotions we experience throughout our lives.
Passwardy connects all these possible stories with sonic arguments that exemplify his conception from outside the planet. With The Death of Synthetic Parody he shows different developments in terms of the style of the album, his lo-fi mix of MIT BLA BLT can perfectly represent the information codes that a being from another planet could use, or the second cut which is a remix of Acid Elevator, a version of syncopated rhythmic sequences and acid lines that intermingle with spatial frequencies. The third cut on the other hand is the original version of the previous track and curiously the sound treatment completely erases the brightness in its textures, giving it a degraded character. Robo Tribe (Passwardy Mellifluous Remix) is a deep and gloomy landscape and Robo Tribe (Magdalena Baczewska Piano Remix) is even more disturbing due to the involvement of the piano. WORDS BY Industrial Complexx
Passwar D participated in the last edition of Teorema, a festival organised by Diffuse Reality.
The alien frequency creature Passwar D and the Dj's Daughter have been cooking some 808 experimental flavors and
are back this month with a new single release to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Roland TR 808 legendary drum machine, on August 08.
The record is coming out on Aug 07, as a pre-warming bash for the 808 day celebration at Alien Vibes from the Earth Radio in Brooklyn. All about the release and Roland 808 story at the Dj's Daughter
Hypercolour and its digital cousin, the imaginatively titled Hypercolour Digital were set up in 2006 by DJ/Promoters Alex Jones and Jamie “Cedric Maison” Russell and has subsequently released tracks and remixes from the likes of Glimpse, Frankie Flowerz, Dan Berkson, Agnes, Plasmik and many more to the delight of fans of underground house and techno the world over.
Both passionate DJs, Russell and Jones felt the need to create a home for much of the unheard music pushed in their direction by friends, colleagues and acquaintances met through their gruelling schedule of promoting nights, DJing and exploring the benefits of cock-nose comedy glasses and inebriated Sunday mornings. Despite Jones and Russell’s ability to avoid taking life seriously, Hypercolour quickly became a serious imprint picking up high profile fans and has become one of the most refreshing, interesting and dependable outlets for skewed, slightly left-of-centre electronic music.
With a small but dedicated roster of talent artists including Jones himself (in between releases for the likes of Kindisch, Turbo and more), Tom Demac, Glimpse and Frankie Flowerz, Hypercolour’s biggest selling point has been the avoidance of trends and themes, resulting in true freedom for the artists and something continually different for record buyers, djs and clubbers. This near belligerent attitude about providing something different is more than apparent in the two A&Rs DJ sets and the frequent Hypercolour nights around it’s London base, too.
Going forward, details of Hypercolour’s roster and output is anyone’s guess, but there’s no doubt that it will be surprising and quality in equal measure.
Echocord Records is Founded in 2002 in Copenhagen, Denmark by the Danish DJ & Clubowner Kenneth Christiansen.
It all started when Kenneth in the beginning of 2002 met Mikkel Meldgaard aka Mikkel Metal in a small recordshop where Kenneth was working. Kenneth has been thinking about starting a label for a while at that time, and when he heard the tracks from Mikkel he knew it was time. Already at that time he knew some of the people at Kompakt, so it was the place to try to get a distribution deal. Wolfgang & Michael liked it a lot so this was the beginning of a already now long relationship. A lot of things has happend since, many new artists has been signed. Tjeck the big rooster. The musicprofile has always been circling around Dub Music. from Electronica-Dub to Dub-Techno and House. Kenneth has always been very inspired from what came out of Berlin and the Hardwax Camp like Basic Channel, Chain Reaction & the DIN label, which you can hear on the label and in his dj-sets.
Few labels have established themselves as solidly and definitively as Matthias Tanzmann and André Quaas’ Moon Harbour. Since the turn of the millennium it has been a bastion of deep and tech house quality that has not moved with the times, but has defined them ahead of trend. Through a carefully curated series of EPs and LPs, the label has fomented its own close-knit family that expands and contracts with careful consideration.
Running up the spine of the label’s quality output over the years have been full length albums from the likes of Matthias Tanzmann in 2008, Luna City Express in 2009, Martinez in 2010 and Ekkohaus in 2013. So too does the label offer up a label compilation series, Moon Harbour Inhouse, which tells the story of the label’s evolution, and along the way there have been many underground hits including now close family member Sable Sheep’s debut EP Upon Burning Skies in 2013, Arado & Marco Faraone’s Strange Neighbours in 2010 and Santos’ Hold Home in 2009.
As well as Sable Sheep, Philip Bader is now part of the tight knit Moon Harbour family and along with label manager Dan Drastic, Marco Faraone, Sven Tasnadi and the aforementioned album artists, together these DJs and producers wholly encapsulate the infectious Moon Harbour sound. That sound is regularly and proudly showcased at label parties around the world, at conferences like Sonar Barcelona, WMC Miami and ADE Amsterdam and also in association with the Goethe-Institute.
Back in 2010, the New York Times declared Leipzig as one of the 31 Best Places you could visit, and noted that part of the reason for that was because of Moon Harbour and their independent musical wares. Of course, boss Matthias Tanzmann is also a celebrated resident at famous Ibiza night CircoLoco at DC10, continue reading
Valentino Kanzyani has been producing spellbinding electronic dance for well over a decade, but it’s perhaps on ‘PsiAmsterdam’ that the Slovenian DJ and producer has created some of most his hallucinatory and psychedelic work to date. The sleeve depicts a kaleidoscopic blend of amphibians and mushrooms in splashes of vibrant colour, a fitting visual to the music contained within.
‘PsiAmsterdam’ is a subtle and sedate piece, a chugging groove and worming bass, with Valentino’s, as ever, reliable beats under pinning an ever evolving synth arp. Splashes of ambience and reverberated sounds bounce off the groove as the 11 minute piece hots up. The sound design is one that evokes shades of the early electronic and ambient classics, such as Future Sound Of London, its haunting synths melting over the beat.
‘8.Agosto’ on the flip, continues this theme, with some well thought out ambience and piano work weaving its way around some solid drum work, keeping a timeless appeal by not resorting to current trends or gimmicks, just some sophisticated sounds and detailed arrangements from this unique artist.
A digital only ‘breakbeat’ remix of ‘Viole(n)t Thoughts’ completes the package, taking a favorite cut from his last Cadenza ‘Love & Gratitude’ release and remodeling it to a pacey broken beat, retaining the magic of the melody retained within.
Having released the aforementioned ‘Love & Gratitude’ trilogy already on Cadenza, and been behind many releases over the years for labels like Primate Recordings, Yoshitoshi, Tronic, Welcome To Masomenos, and his own label Jesus Loved You, Valentino Kanzyani is an artist most definitely creating his own sound on his own terms, and making a big progression on this release for Cadenza.
1Trax's numerical compilation series continues with 'Five' mixed by Samu.l. Just like the previous four chapters in the catalogue the creativity behind the mix is an artist whose style doesn't lack in distinction. Samu.l is known for creating deep, emotive tracks with an effortless groove, and more often than not building to that perfect peak time moment. Prominent labels including Saved and One Records have all released his material, with regular support from the likes of Marco Carola and Steve Bug. His live sets are accepted as a solid representation of his own sound, with rolling basslines and a stripped-back style capable of adapting to any time and audience. Samu.l's 1Trax 'Five' venture is no different, from the haunting feel of the first track Michael Mayer's 'Baumhaus' (Robag's Paavo And Veita Rehand Mix) to the introduction of Ilario Liburni's remix of Samu.l's 'Don't Worry' through to the swirling finale of Francisco Allendes' 'El Regreso De Los Abuelos' 'Five' twists and turns through a profusion of modern house variations and sub-genres.
SONICLAB is a creative electronic laboratory. The main goal is to present new projects and ideas of exploration in electronic music and visual art, in creative atmospheres, without limitations, feeding itself from experimentation and innovation. There will be various methods of communication, including a label that will be exclusively distributed by Kompakt. The first release is the album from the audiovisual concept called XNX. XNX is a project developed by Ilidio Chaves, best known as Expander from Soniculture. The live concept intervenes in a space and creates what we call a "chaos bubble" by using sound and visual design to surround people in a way that they feel inside of a space that is fondling with their perceptions. This album represents the works of XNX that were made between 2002 and 2013. Over ten years of audio production that was applied to several areas of art such as contemporary dance, video and installments. "Soundtrack from a life unexpected" is made in a way that all tracks are continuous so it presents itself as a voyage through different music styles, feelings and sensations, all combined in a way that the result is a whole soundtrack itself, which should be listened in one continuous take. XNX has prepared a special visual show for this soundtrack that is presented on stage with a 4m x 3m structure and advanced video mapping techniques. It has a very strong impact on the viewer.
It has been 12 years since Scott Monteith quietly launched his Deadbeat music project with an unassuming performance on the street outside a Montreal café as part of the first edition of the city’s now internationally lauded Mutek festival. And while the venues and audiences have grown steadily and seriously in the years since, the crackling dub sonics, deep grooves, and rumbling bass which characterized that performance have remained a constant in his live and recorded work, and earned him a substantial number of devoted followers the world over in the process.
Having worked with a virtual who’s who of the most respect labels in the industry over the last decade, Monteith now takes the plunge into the murky depths of labelhood, launching his BLKRTZ imprint with no less than a full album of new material. “When I received the news a few months ago that ~scape was officially closing its doors, I was incredibly sad to hear it.” says Monteith from his new home in Berlin. “Though I hadn’t worked with them in a few years, I always saw ~scape as the natural home for a very important part of my work. Not necessarily the more listening side of things per se, but certainly the most unconcerned with genre or function, from a creative stand point the most free I guess. Barbara and Stefan worked very hard to promote a great deal of quite marginalized material over the years and did a lot to help me and many other artists out personally who otherwise would have had a much harder time of it. Though I’ll be concentr ating on my own work for the first few releases, it’s my hope that BLKRTZ can serve a similarly honorable purpose in the years to come.”
In celebration of the label’s inaugural release, Monteith has teamed up with long-time friend and world renowned video artist, Lillevan, to create an immersive audio/visual performance quite unlike any other. “Lillevan and I were invited to take part in the Cinechamber project at this year’s Transmediale festival, and though our performance sadly fell victim to the technological bottle necks of a decidedly experimental environment, we came away from it with a lot of great ideas that we felt were important to develop further. I’ve known Lillevan for a great many years now and have always enjoyed his work and company and I think what we’ve put together something that stands out as quite unique from anything either of us have done before. Mutek has always been a strong supporter of both of our work and we’re very happy to be able to debut the fruits of our labor at the festival this year.
The Orb & Lee Scratch PerryThe Deadbeat Remixes / Blkrtz
Deadbeat's dub credentials are by this point are as solid as they come, and being asked to remix 2 of the genre's heaviest hitters, not once, but twice is just about the greatest complement anyone in said position could ever hope to receive. Originally released on CD as part of the deluxe package for the mind blowing collaborative Orb and Scratch albums via Cooking Vinyl, we here at BLKRTZ are over the moon excited to commit these 2 dub monsters to wax for the first time. Without a doubt, this limited vinyl only 12 inch release is an essential purchase for any and all archivist of all things dub wise.
Passed Me By / We Stay Together (Jewel Case Repress) / Modern Love
Produced slowly and meticulously over the last 12 months, these two EP's were originally released on vinyl during 2011 and have become the most widely admired productions yet from Manchester based Andy Stott. Taking influence from an array of seemingly incoherent noises, from the indefinable and unforgettable mind-tricks of Arthur Russell to the slowhouse of Kassem Mosse, from the alternate VHS realities of James Ferraro and Jamal Moss to the Linn Drum classics of the vintage Prince era - these tracks create their own pace and agenda, largely shying away from the dancefloor in favour of something more complex and hard to define..
The world has been waiting for this album for eight years – DJ Koze returns with an astonishing, mindblowing album that has not exist in this form as of yet! "Amygdala" is Koze's Sgt. Pepper. It's an unreal 78-minute walk through Koze's mind, complete with moods, intensities, sounds and scenes as yet unheard of. It feels more like a double album, urging you to turn over and change the records time and time again. "Amygdala" amazes by its sheer musicality, deepness and its ethereal sound design. Nobody else could unite artists like Caribou and Dirk von Lotzow, Hildegard Knef and Mathew Dear, Ada and Milosh in such an organic way and on one and the same record as Koze did. There's never been anything like it. In the true style of Kosi Kos, it's all about "the courage to dare", about letting voices resonate undisguised in all their authentic peculiarity. About creating truthfulness. How much can you cut out, when does the flame die down? On the other hand, under which circumstances could it even burn for ever?
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Audience, 2012 is the year of BOXER. And it has already been 10 years since Frank Martiniq came up with "Adriano". For Boxer, this was a fantastic kick-start into the international and national music world, and up to now, you can still enjoy its traces engraved on the asphalt. We would like to celebrate this little, yet significant event—on vinyl and of course with you! With streamers, confetti, and with four artists which are particularly dear to us: Robag Wruhme, von Spar, Lexy/Shades of Gray and Le Dust Sucker. An alluring aperitif to start 2012.
BOXER: "Times changed in 2002. So did we. And we moved on - at first it was just a hobby (Mehrwert Records), now it has become our job. The responsibility we feel towards our artists made this step necessary. At the start there was a one-sided promo-12. Frank Martiniqs club hit Adriano became Boxer Sports first release. 70 releases later Eric Eltrons and Beatschubiger's club-oriented record labels attracts a steadily growing community of fans and artists worldwide. Recent playlists and frequent demands for licenses prove how well the label works in spite of promoting unknown artists at the beginning. Boxer Sports & Kickboxer musically sophisticated label discography includes international signings like Dusty Kid, Rodriguez Jr, Kolombo, Steve Lawler&Audiofly, Delon & Dalcan, Matzak, Paul Nazca, Solaris Heights, Phonogenic, Ekkohaus, Paul Rich & Okain, Marascia or as well as German artists such as Haito, Martin Eyerer, Ron Flatter, Stephan Hintz, Patrick Chardronnet, Frank Martiniq, Wessling&Schrom or Goldfish & der Dulz among others. Also Great Remixers and Remixes from Oliver Koletzki&Florian Meindl, Popof, Kollektiv Turmstrasse, Robag Whrume, Michael Maier, Catz`n Dogz, Simon Baker, DASO, M.A.N.D.Y or Gui Boratto to name just a few!
In 2009 we will work hard on the label to serve you some nice surprises & great music. And by the way. KICKBOXER will move your ass too. The fantastic cover art is done by oli flunke from "the pixelz" BOXER!
Seth Troxler, Ryan Crosson, Shaun Reeves and Lee Curtiss, the most innovative and exciting new breed of DJ/producers to come out of the city of Detroit in a generation. Last year their remix of Kiki’s ‘Good Voodoo’ on BPitch Control was one of the summer’s biggest underground hits and together they have released tracks on leading labels like Crosstown Rebels, Spectral Sound, Get Physical, Circus Company, Supplement Facts, Wolf+Lamb, Wagon Repair and Minus. Both individually and together they play regularly at clubs the world over like Fabric (London), Watergate (Berlin), Cityfox (Zurich), Tenax (Florence), Fiesta Privada (Rome), Cocoon (Frankfurt) and Circoloco@Dc10 (Ibiza) as well as holding their weekly ‘Soulshower’ residency at Club Der Visonaere in Berlin. Their Visionquest party at the Old Miami at this year’s Detroit Electronic Music Festival brought together many of the scene’s freshest talent in a spirit of friendship, fun and radical progression, much needed in a scene so easy to stagnate.
First up a bit of history... for over two decades the city of Detroit, Michigan has been the home and birthplace of techno. In the mid eighties, inspired by German electronic bands like Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream, the ‘Bellville Three’ (named after their high school), Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May started experimenting with synthesisers and drum machines establishing a musical soundscape that was soon hailed as techno. In the early nineties local African-American DJs like Jeff Mills, Rob Hood and Mike Banks were joined by local white kids, Richie Hawtin and Dan Bell, who experimented with stripping the sound back to its bare essentials creating the early template for minimal techno. A decade later, this inspired Ann Arbor college kids Matthew Dear, Ryan Elliott and Hawtin’s friend Magda, to build on this sound, exporting it globally and creating one of dance music’s dominant scenes. While all this was happening house legends like Theo Parrish, Kenny Dixon Jnr and Aaron Carl were defining the Motorcity’s unique and deeply emotive take on house music.
Now comes Visionquest, a new generation of young, talented producers from Detroit who draw influence from all who have come before them, following in their footsteps, while defining a unique sound of their own. Here you have four DJs who have grown up organizing parties and DJing in the city and around the world for the last ten years. Their attention is firmly focused on the deeper soul of quality electronic music, driven by emotion and developed from their very different musical backgrounds. Visionquest have their roots in Motown, draw ambitious spiritual vibes from forerunners like Theo Parrish and Moodyman, deliver the quality of sound and attitude of a best selling Minus record rounded off with the dreamy, otherworldly vibe of the Spectral sound.
Matthew Burton & Kate Rathod are the next duo to leave their distinctive mark on the Visionquest imprint. Delivering a deep and dreamy melodic work out with softly fractured beats and reverberating vocals 'The Flip Side EP' is three wintry cuts of understated house music.
Influenced by their techno forefathers and favouring analogue gear, the duo's organic production style exudes an improvised quality. Kate says her strengths lie in the melodic side of things, whereas Matthew is more about creating the groove but whether you're witnessing the unique sound they make through this EP or their expanding live set, the pair's fizzing musical chemistry is clear. 'The Flip Side EP' perfectly encapsulates this raw sound padded with soul.
From a naked kick and snare, 'Warehouse Fool' builds with warm pads, melting vocal echoes and spacey FX. The stripped back beauty of restrained hypnotic beats will provide a soothing after-hours soundtrack. 'New Funk' has more dancefloor purpose with its rolling, dirty groove and dynamic synth melodies.
In 'Flip Reverse Girl' suggestive vocals coalesce with a casual swinging groove fuelled by deep broken beats. The composition is simplicity at its finest, an entirely self-possessed sound that strikes a chord with its atmosphere, jamming feel and wry sensuality.
Long-term partners turned collaborators Matthew Burton and Kate Rathod have been producing music together for around 3 years, collecting various hardware synths, instruments and effects, which allows their sound is continually evolve. Matthew has been in electronic music for the past decade and worked with Connect Four, Retrofit and Leftroom, also giving Sammy Dee's Ultrastretch label its first release. Kate came to dance music a little later after meeting Matthew in 2007.
After an acclaimed RA podcast, collaborative releases on Retrofit and Organic Art Movement and now Visionquest, Matthew and Kate's live act will continue grow their burgeoning set of fans.
On October 24th Tri Angle is very excited to be releasing 'Harbored Mantras', the debut album by San Franciscan duo Water Borders. At Tri Angle we always try to avoid making any grand, sweeping statements about the music we release, but on this occassion we feel very confident in saying 'Harbored Mantras' sounds like nothing else you'll hear all year. Primarily inspired by their lifelong passion for 80s industrial legends Coil and the kind of underground UK dance productions often heard on Rinse FM, ‚Harbored Mantras' is a dense and dizzying soundworld; a dank, tribal and often disorientating dance record which as the two piece state was intended to be ‚" a coalescence of digital and analog sounds and textures". As well as looking to Coil and the UK dance scene for inspiration Harbored Mantras also incorporates a vast array of Water Border's influences including Gamelan rhythms, proto techno, Scott Walker, African drum patterns, dub, Popul Vuh and Glasser, who actually designed the artwork for the album.
TRI ANGLE: Formed in 2010, Tri Angle, a record label helmed by Robin Carolan of 20 Jazz Funk Greats, aims to mirror the eclectic spirit that has defined the XXJFG ethos, as well as providing a safe haven for artists who specialize in a very different kind of pop music, one that’s been dragged through multiple parallel dimensions and re-emerged back on earth spooked and just a little bit messed up.
In order to provide Berghain- and Panorama Bar residents with an artistic and social home, Ostgut Ton has been launched as a label at the end of 2005. Immediately, the interaction of club and label has proven to be a very fruitful combination. The unique sound architecture of Berghain especially, has directly left a mark on productions by Ben Klock, Marcel Fengler, Len Faki and Marcel Dettmann. The club serves as a permant linchpin for everyone involved. Here, all new tracks and records get their first test, the club is the reference. Over the last few years, this constellation brought forward a signature sound, which fortunately didn’t pick up on any recent trends dominating dance music. This sound can best be paradoxically described as an utterly unnostalgic take on Techno, which has been produced with the experience of Techno’s heyday during the 90s still in mind. Although the tempo has been slowed down, it still oozes with vitality. Of course this doesn’t mean that every Ostgut Ton sounds the same. On the contrary; It should just be clear that Len Faki’s „Rainbow Delta/Mekong Delta“ EP is the other, ravier side to Marcel Dettmann’s and Ben Klock’s coin. „Rainbow Delta“ has been voted ‚best track“ by the readers of german Groove magazine in 2007. As if this wasn’t enough, Len Faki also made best producer and best newcomer in the same poll.
With releases by Prosumer &Murat Tepeli, Tama Sumo, Nick Höppner and MyMy, the label also caters for the different shades of House music represented by all the Djs at Panorama Bar. Wether it’s a very personal take on Chicago’s oldschool sound as on Prosumer & Murat Tepeli’s debut album „Serenity“, or wether it’s MyMy’s contemporary style tailor made for dancefloors, Ostgut Ton hardly knows stylistic boundaries, as long the music meets the label’s quality standards. With all sleeves designed by friendly artists, there’s a visual counterpart to the club’s and label’s concept.
On the mix cds by André Galluzzi, Cassy and Marcel Dettmann released so far on Ostgut Ton, the focus lies on capturing immediate, authentic moments. None of the mixes went thorugh digital postproduction, as in our opinion nothing is more boring than flawless perfection. Especially Marcel Dettmann’s mix „Berghain 02“ has won wide spread, critical acclaim. It contains unreleased material by artists like tobias., Norman Nodge and Shed. On the occasion of its release, german Goove magazine dedicated a cover story to Marcel as well as Ben Klock. „Berghain 02“ has also just been voted ‚best compilation in 2008’ at Resident Advisor. The influential and highly frequented website also voted Ostgut Ton ‚best label 2008’ and made Shed’s debut album „Shedding The Past“ on Ostgut Ton their favourite album of the year. In just a few years, Ostgut Ton managed to foster an idiosyncratic style with an uncompromising and coherent release policy. It is no exaggeration to say that the label has become one of the most influential platforms for Techno and House of today, of which a lot may be expected in the future. We are looking foward to it.
Berghain's Marcel Fengler presents the fifth installment in the club's expanding mix series. A central resident at the club since its early days, Fengler continually and consistently fires up the Berghain floor with his vast and exemplary collection of Techno, House and Electronica. Opening with the eerie echoes of Emika's "Count Backwards" - treated by Marcel Dettmann - we quickly discover the first exclusive gem of the mix as Peter Van Hoesen's incredible "Axis Mundi" sets the tone from here on in: full, lively and not short on drama. Pushing into darker zones, Regis' typically haunting mix of Tommy Four Seven's "G", or Luke Slater's L.B Dub Corp mix of Fengler's own "Thwack" segue with more classic cuts from Secret Cinema's "Timeless Altitude (Minneapolis Mix)" and Ratio?s "Doublefeature". Fengler keeps the surprise element alive while maintaining tension and pressure throughout. Gerd's tripping "Time and Space (Duplex Southside Mix)" mixes wonderfully with UK bass veteran Seiji's "More of You" in a glorious mid point throw-down. The mighty Claude Young teams up with production partner Takasi Nakajima on "Think Twice", which then swells to pick up the tension in a beautiful piano-led hypnotising moment. With the focus on more current developments in more edgy Techno and House, combined with a hearty nod to the past, the mix continues with newcomers like Puresque showing promise, alongside a weighty new Ben Sims track, and the pounding filtered glory of Vril's "UV" - another exclusive for the mix. Marcel includes a new track that heads straight for the floor with "Sphinx", while men of the moment Skudge put forward "Man On Wire". The slow burning house of Reagenz? "The Labyrinth" leads us into a psychedelic game of funk, dub and abstraction as the mix winds down. Before drawing to a close with Convextion aka E.R.P's stunning "Vapor Pressure", we're treated to a UK house classic by 20:20 Vision's "Future Remembrance (Livestyle Mix)", in all its analog glory. In Berghain 05, Marcel Fengler has proved filling floors doesn't have to be about ticking boxes. This mix is a perfect example of the type of dexterity, sensitivity and scope he possesses as a DJ.
Artists: Marcel Fengler / Byetone / Peter Van Hoesen / Vril / Reagenz / Secret Cinema / Gerd / Skudge / Claude Young / Takasi Nakajima / Convextion / E.r.p. / Puresque / Tommy Four Seven / Ratio / 20/20 Vision / Emika / Seiji / Terrence Dixon / Ben Sims
Inspired by the purchase of a Lebanese synthesizer playing microtonal scales and lo-fi Eastern drum patterns, Rainbow Arabia began a escapist diversion from Danny and Tiffany Preston's day jobs. The demos they recorded, which were written and put to tape in a matter of a days, became their debut, The Basta. Barely existing for only a few months, the married couple were picked out of the ether by NYC sonic alchemists/kindred spirits Gang Gang Dance to support them on a cross-continental tour in 2008. Once they got back (and to their surprise) they quickly found themselves a legitimate act with acclaim from PITCHFORK, THE FADER, XLR8R, NME, in addition to a word-of-mouth groundswell for their fresh, contemporary East meets West take on the Sublime Frequencies catalog that inspired them so much in the first place.
With a penchant for global pop and psychedelic tribal beats, Rainbow Arabia caught ears across the pond releasing the "Omar K" seven-inch on UK's Merok Records (Crystal Castles, Teengirl Fantasy) leading to their first European tour in 2009. Shortly after they released their follow-up digging deeper for inspiration from worldly found sounds, the Los Angeles-based duo's follow-up EP, Kabukimono, expanded the color palette of their Middle Eastern-tinged "fourth world" pop with darker industrial dancehall and comfortably sitting alongside brighter Caribbean and African flavors.
Not interested in merely musical/cultural tourism, the Prestons shifted their focus outward in writing their first full-length album Boys And Diamonds. The inspiration that they found landed squarely in between future-thinking contemporary club music (techno, hip-hop, dubstep) and the organic globe-trekking dance music of the last century (reggae, ragas, gamelan) they've been known to draw from. Add in an affection for the 80s synth-pop they grew up on and the gothic influences informing Tiffany's teenage years specifically (Love and Rockets, OMD, Christian Death), and you have an interesting recipe that is utterly unclassifiable as it is repeatedly listenable.
"Kaleidoscopic, intoxicated dance music made out of dervish rhythms, snakish melodica, and percussion procured from the labyrinthine corridors of some smoky souk." - Guardian UK
"Creating the kind of noise you could imagine the DFA might make had they ever decided to throw a party in the underground ruins of Egypt, the ghosts of the Pyramids shaken into action by the sinuous rhythms and earth quaking basslines." - 20JazzFunkGreats
Boys And Diamonds / Kompakt
Rainbow Arabia have been one Kompakt's most endearing acts to work with us in years. The husband and wife duo Danny and Tiffany Preston started our year out with the genre-defying full length "Boys And Diamonds" which went on to become one our most acclaimed releases of recent time - the Los Angeles Times went so far as to proclaim "Rainbow Arabia are L.A.'s new electro heroes" in a recent feature. In honor of the exhaustive touring throughout the US and Europe the band continues to trail blaze, we found the need to put out another limited edition 7" for the fans and collectors out there. The title song "Boys And Diamonds" combines the sway of '80's pop with the raw power of cumbia and ethno-dance mayhem. Tiffany's vocals are hauntingly powerful and a testament to the sheer will and work this band has put in over the past year. Hardmix are a favorite of the band and we here at Kompakt were honored have him tackle the song. What we received is melodic techno bliss - a shapeshifting extravagance that uniquely keeps the essence of the original but with a solid bass kick to keep the dance floor well on momentum.
KOMPAKT
As a record store, Kompakt has been linking the past, present and future of Cologne's house and techno sound for over fifteen years. Originally initiated by Wolfgang Voigt, Jürgen Paape, Reinhard Voigt and Michael Mayer, the shop quickly gained a reputation as a cultural hub, much like other record shops that have become the basis of so much more (Rough Trade, Wax Trax), and in turn grew to harbor not only a round of like-minded DJ's and producers, but also the Kompakt record labels and club nights. These days, the network also houses a distribution centre, booking agency, publishing house, artist and label management centre. As a label itself, Kompakt has gone from strength to strength and thanks to it's ever evolving roster continues to develop musically in different directions. The cornerstones of Kompakt’s rise has as much to do with the busy hands of its producers as it does with a collective of deft ears that can slice through to the most compelling details of a long history of club music, strip them, redress them, and throw them back at an audience as something deceptively new. What makes it work is the label’s obsession with pop sensibility – sensibility, not the music itself – and the uncanny ability to grow together as a group, proving yet again that all that rises must converge.Over the course of its history, Kompakt has operated under a variety of different sublabel guises: Kompakt Extra, Kompakt Pop and K2.
