Sun Is Shining Dub n Chill

Terra Nine Breathe Review

2012-01-24T12:57:00.000-08:00

Artist: Terra Nine

Album: Breathe

Label: Altar Records

Release Date: December 2011

I first came across Mike Westcott’s Terra Nine project on the Ajana Records compilation “A Magical Journey”. In fact I was so impressed with the use of the electric viola in his work I embarked on a mission to interview him for our blog.

I was suitably impressed when reviewing his last release “Stream Of Consciousness” which featured re-mixes by Ott and Pete Ardron of Orchid Star. This time the honours go to Astropilot and Squazoid and I’m even more impressed with this release.

The album opens with “Transmutation” where lush synth chords are layered over rainforest atmospherics and twitching notes of the viola. This creates a wonderfully warm and inviting surround sound. The beat takes a while to kick in and although it lifts the track I was happy enough without one. The next track “Star” like the title track features alluring vocals from Aviatrix and has more of a trance vibe about it.

In all honesty I could go on about the richness of sound and production quality of every track on the album. Mike creates a fusion of chilled organic strings, trancey keys and beats with a twist of psychedelica. Think System 7 with an electric viola!

However, I am going to pluck a favourite from a very strong album and its hat’s off to Mike for his re-mix of Astropilot's “Memories Maze”. This in my opinion is better than both the title track and Astropilot's re-mix of that. The tracks open’s with a soothing synth which is soon accompanied by a synthetic vocal chorus. The viola creates wonderful loops which keep the mind entertained until the rich exotic Eastern vocal and then at five minutes in the didge-like 303 and vocal fx are introduced it becomes aural ecstasy. I can’t put this track into words you just have to hear it.

The other re-mix by Squazoid a name unfamiliar to me is a wonderful piece in its own right. This track also has an Eastern vibe with psychedelic vocals and drags Terra Nine into the low bass realms of dub step.

Review by Woodzee

Eccodek - Remixtasy Review

2012-01-19T12:03:00.000-08:00

Artist: Eccodek

Release: Remixtasy

Label: Big Mind

Release Date: Sept 2011

Canadian artist Andrew McPherson’s Eccodek project has only recently come to my attention. Like many of the artists we feature this project combines the artists work with input from a variety of singers and musicians from around the globe.

Remixtasy as the title suggests is an album that features 11 re-mixed tracks from previous releases. Having not heard the original pieces I can only share my listening experience of this particular release and although, I’m familiar with many of the artists assigned with these re-mixes such as Transglobal Underground, Adham Shaikh, EarthRise SoundSystem & Dubmatix the tracks that stand out to me are actually re-mixed by the unfamiliar artists.

The album begins with Jeff Stott’s soothing re-mix of “Behind The Mask” where the music and vocals are not dissimilar to the sound of his Lumin project which fuses traditional Eastern folk and modern electronica along with the exquisite vocals of Irina Mikhailova. A firm favourite of mine is Four80Easts re-mix of “In This Drum A Secret”. It’s one of those down-tempo tracks that lift’s you off your backside and on to the dance floor. It seems to combine Ibizan chill & acidic psy-dub with African vocals and I was mildly surprised to discover they are a Canadian Nu-Jazz duo. While I’m also quite partial to Andrew’s own Stepper’s dub mix of Bizuru Dub which sits somewhere between dub-tech and dub reggae, again featuring African vocals.

To summarise this release combines traditional Asian and African music with modern dubby or funky electronica. Personally, I found the album a pleasure to listen to at home. While the Four80East re-mix is top notch, one I would like to hear out and will be playing for some time to come.

Reviewed by Woodzee

Ishq - And Awake Review

2012-01-16T10:32:00.000-08:00

Artist - Ishq

Album: And Awake

Label: Interchill

Release Date: 18th Nov 2011

I must confess that I was completely ignorant of Ishq prior to listening to this album.

Ishq are Matt Hillier and Jacqueline Kelsey and are based in St. Ives, Cornwall. The name Ishq derives from the Arabic word to describe Love. In Islam’s Sufi and mystic doctrine it is a concept that refers to ‘divine love’ i.e. man’s love for God.

My first impression was the beautiful cover for the album. The silhouette of a whirling dervish dancer framing the sunset colours of the ocean within.

This is a body of music that welcomes you right from the start with open arms- Like a half remembered dream on awaking that leaves you with a warm smile on your face.

Since being sent this album it has been a constant on my stereo and I-Pod. This music has accompanied me on early morning walks across the park with the winter sun low in the sky; watching the snow fall slowly through my bedroom window. It has eased me into sleep and prepared me for the day to come. The music seems to draw its influences from various parts of the world but never sounds contrived. It is always lush and natural, warm and expansive.

An album this strong as a whole it seems churlish to single out any particular tracks but I’m going to risk it! ‘Leaf’ with its introduction of soft lapping water, and soft gentle beats puts me in mind of ‘Life before Land’ by Another Fine Day. High praise indeed as it’s one of my all time favourite albums of ambient music. The haunting, melancholic feel to Blue Drop with its oriental flutes and otherworldly vocals is quite simply breath taking.

This is an album of sublime textures and multi layers that will transport you to somewhere tranquil and serene.

I will be seeking out more of Matt and Jacqueline’s music.

Reviewed by Matthew Foord

Desert Dwellers The Drumspyder re-mixes review

2012-01-08T16:21:00.000-08:00

Artist: Desert Dwellers
Tracks: Bodhi Mandala & Tala Odyssey
Re-mixer: Drumspyder
Label: White Swan Records
Release Date: Spring 2012

Both of these tracks will feature along with other re-mixes on the next instalment of the "Downtemple Dub" series. Having been impressed by the Desert Dwellers re-mix of the Laya Projects "Sunset in Akkari" championed by Monkey Pilot and Robin Triskele I'd decided to dig deeper and would now consider myself a fan of both the Desert Dwellers and Drumspyder.

The first track Bodhi Mandala is a beautiful slow burner fusing the Indian Bansuri and Tanpura with Arabic percussion, synths and a faint dub-step'ish wub wub bass. While Tala Odyssey is a slightly more up-tempo and danceable piece. Where the intro begins with a female Tarana style vocal and eases into Arabic percussion soon joined by a harmonium with a reggae'ish vibe which drifts into Arabesque synths, techy breakz and deeper wub wub low frequency bass.

Links:

http://www.whiteswanrecords.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/bio.detail/bio_id/47

http://www.reverbnation.com/drumspyder

http://soundcloud.com/desertdwellers/sets/downtemple-dub-remixed/

Reviewed by Woodzee.

Liquid Stranger - Cryogenic Encounters review

2012-01-05T15:22:00.000-08:00

Label: Interchill

Mastered By: Vincent Villuis @ Ultimae

Release Date: 5th January 2012

Sitting back playing this through an Arcam amp with new Denon headphones was a perfect come down from a hectic New Year. Martin Stääf‘s Liquid Stranger releases continue to amaze me. Although the material he releases on Interchill are generally less harsh than those on Rottun this album is even more chilled than it's predecessors. The album has a atmospheric backdrop reminiscent of the synthesized sounds of 70's space movies, expertly drifting in and out of different themes ranging from slo mo bass heavy and trip-hop beats, reggae, psy-chill, idm, spacey jazz-funk and beatless ambience providing a perfect soundtrack for getting warm and cosy on a winter’s night.

The opening track Beacon for example begins with a slow trip-hop vibe and soon envelopes you in a funky madness that slowly fades into a lush chilled ambient drone with bass heavy notes. A personal favourite Zeal begins not unlike the Art of Noise slowly enticing you in further through multiple layers until the bass drops. There’s plenty going on throughout the track including an unexpected and slightly vocoder’ish vocal accompaniment. While the final track Ectoplasm is an Ishq’esque beatless ambient affair ideally suited for total relaxation.

Reviewed by Woodzee.

Choice picks from December

2012-01-02T05:50:00.000-08:00

I'd like to thank all the people who've posted in the group through out December.

Once again I haven't had a chance to listen to all the mixes. However, I've gone ahead and picked some tasty tit-bits of ear candy for the blog below.

Isolated Mix 23 – Carbon Based Lifeforms http://soundcloud.com/astrangelyisolatedplace/isolatedmix-23-cbl

Youth – Ketema Vision

http://soundcloud.com/ketamarecords/youth-ketama-vision

Astropilot – Solar Walk

http://soundcloud.com/astropilot/astropilot-solar-walk-mixed-version-of-the-album

Kick Bong – Dreamix

http://soundcloud.com/kickbong/dreamix

Gil Scott Heron & Brian Jackson – The Bottle (13:30 version)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03KkZ_nV7bQ&feature=youtu.be

Machine 475 – Hillia Filla http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUHBo0cfVqc

Smokey Bandits – Smoke From The Attic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6yZzDwlQVw&feature=youtu.be

Mungo’s Hi-Fi feat Mus Bus – Indian Sun

http://soundcloud.com/mungoshifi/mungos-hi-fi-ft-mus-bus-indian-sun

C Campbell – Jah Jah (Mi Lazy Horn Yah Mix)

http://soundcloud.com/the-upsetter-1/c-campbell-jah-jah-mi-lazy

Alice Coltrane – Journey In Satchidananda

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuDuNfqXnrc&feature=youtu.be

Selected by Woodzee

Kick Bong Interview

2011-12-17T05:12:00.000-08:00

We talk to Franck Jousselin a.k.a. Kick Bong about his career, recent releases, live shows and his studio set up.

1) Firstly thank you for taking the time out from your busy schedule to complete this interview. Could you tell us a little about yourself and how you started your musical career?

I began to play drums at the age of twelve and by the time I was twenty I was playing with the pop/rock band Romy et les Gateaux secs. We signed with Barclay Recordings for 3 albums, played on French and Belgium TV and Radio shows as well as performing some concerts. In 1995 I started to take an interest in electronic music and I began to play percussions with a DJ. Two years later I started to compose in my home studio and signed my first track with Spirit Zone in 2001. Oh yeah! I was really happy! Since then I have released four albums and tracks that have featured on twenty compilations with several labels.

2) You appeared on a number of compilations for various labels for a number of years before your debut album “A Cup Of Tea” in 2005. This album has recently been re-mastered for digital release. What inspired you to re-master the album rather than just convert to digital format?

This album was released in 2005 by a French label Ultra Vista. After 5 years Nick (Side Liner) ask me to release it on Cosmicleaf Records . So we re-mastered the tracks and designed a new cover for a fresh feel to the album.

3) You’ve also recently released “Kick Bong Re-Mixed”. How did this project come about and how were the re-mixes for the album selected

I listened some old tracks and one day I remixed one track and then a second and finally I starting to remix several tracks for a new remix album. It was a true pleasure to remix, it was like a game! I began by asking Side Liner if I could remix one of his tracks and then Swordxl a Spanish producer from Another Chance records and so on. Now I’m ready for another one héhé!

4) Although you’re often tagged under the psy-chill genre your music also draws on other genres. I can re-call a mix aired on Fluid Radio which contained tracks by Depeche Mode and the Cure for instance. How would you categorise yourself?

It is true, my music evolves like me. My sound is slightly different with a more pop, electro feel. But always I strive to find the atmosphere. Now, I've been in love with music since childhood with so many musical influences some of which naturally appear in my music.

5) You have played both live sets and dj sets across clubs and festivals in Europe. Do you have any particular favourites and what appeals to you about them?

Both appeal to me as I like to mix and also play live. But when I play live I prefer to play with instruments (with a band) it’s more fun. I particularly enjoyed the Boom festival in 2006 for both the place and the ambience. I also enjoyed playing the Glade festival in England and Arcadia in France. Club wise for me I love le Batofar and le Cabaret Sauvage in Paris, a beautiful place like a circus.

7) Do you have any favourite piece of hardware or soft-synth when creating a track?

Yes! I work with Cubase and I like my Nord lead synth and also the Moog vst. I tend to use Trilogy for the bass and many more. But I don’t forget my instruments the true drum and bass!

Koan - Circe's Touch Re-mixes Review

2011-12-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

The original mix isn’t what I’d describe as ground-breaking. However, all the ingredients are tasty and baked to perfection. Lush synths are layered between those choral ooh’s and ahh’s I used to love playing with on keyboards and whoosh’s that sound like steam released from a valve. Creating a wonderful down-tempo arrangement that would fit nicely into any Christmas ambient compilation.

My favourite re-mix on disc 1 (the down-tempo disc) has to be Asura (and that's a tough choice with Krusseldorf providing a lovely ambient dub take where the 303 acid sequencer is reminiscent of early Plastikman).

Asura has mastered melding the down-tempo trance and space music for which Ultimae Records is renowned. This re-mix is somewhat different as well as additional glitchy percussion he’s tweaked the synths and emphasised those whoosh’s I mentioned earlier resulting in a high quality and well thought out re-mix.

Moving on to disc 2 (the progressive disc) I’m plumping for label boss Nick Brennan’s Odyssey mix which rolls along in lovely loops reminiscent of early Orbital or Underworld with plenty of ad-hoc sounds and less frequent loops keeping the ear busy and if that wasn’t enough the breakdowns are lush. You can preview the other mixes from Soundprank, Petite Ange and Rothe & Grey here http://soundcloud.com/sectionrecords/sets and it's available to purchase at all good digital download stores or direct from the web-site http://www.sectionrecords.com/

Review by Woodzee.

Little Thoughts - Different Thinking Album Review

2011-10-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

Having seen Little Thoughts play out twice and having being impressed by both his Soundcloud page and his aptly named free download “Free Thinking”. His debut album on Acidic Records was something that I’ve wanted to pick up for a little while. With only a limited number of cd’s available I eventually plugged for the digital download.

Little Thoughts weaves together hip-hop, tribal and spoken vocals mostly over down-tempo electronica with elements of glitch, dub, folk and psychedelic sounds. This young man utilises genres that cross the generations with a tight production and live he only dj’s his own tracks. My verdict this is an album well worth investigation.

Elixir Of Life 1st October 2011 @ Pulse, London

2011-10-02T22:24:00.000-07:00

Once again the promoters selected a fantastic line up of artists and dj’s. I began my night in the chill-out room to see the Egg. I didn’t really know too much about them only really being familiar with their Venice Beach track. I’d assumed it was one man rather than a band and their fusion of chill out and shoegaze was pleasant enough.

Next on my agenda was Gaudi and a few people mentioned to me later that they didn’t like the sound quality of the alternative room. For me that wasn’t the problem it was the layout. To get to the chill out room from the main room you had to go through the alternative room. This naturally meant that you were constantly jostled as you danced and I was half relieved when the set finished with a Bob Marley classic.

Next up was System 7 in the main room and luckily managing to get up to the front I could really notice how many sounds are actually created from Steve Hillage’s guitar through fx on the laptop. For me this really was the high point of the night even though it meant missing the Orb and overlapping on Banco De Gaia (who unfortunately I missed completely).

By the time Logic Bomb were on in the main room I felt like chilling out and caught the end of Lemon Tree a lovely blend of chill out with additional tribal percussion from Sean Spindrift after which the main room was the only option for more full-on psy-trance.

Whirl-Y-Gig with Transglobal Underground Sept 2011 Crucfix Lane

2011-10-02T22:22:00.000-07:00

Having seen T.G.U. on many occasions between 93 and 95 I was intrigued to hear there newer material and see their amazing stage show. For the latter I was disappointed. Admittedly, I knew Natacha Atlas had long left but even with her belly dancing aside, gone are the tribal masks and the energy of their live performance. The music mostly slow, tribal and dubby was interesting enough but the older numbers like “Templehead” stole the show.

I was gutted to have missed the 30^th Birthday the previous month but Monkey Pilot still produced a blinding eclectic set moving your mood up and down with the tempo and stretching the listening experience into various genre directions. Ade Laugee’s chill out set was a wonderful blend of the old and new with plenty of tribal elements and on the whole a wonderful night was had.

Red Seal Interview

2011-10-02T22:19:00.000-07:00

1) Firstly thank you for taking the time out from your busy schedule to complete this interview. Could you tell us a little about yourself and how you started your musical career?

It’s my pleasure. Well, I am a producer and artist currently living in Brighton, in the last few years i have been doing quite a few remix projects, but am now at work completing the next Red Seal album.

I’m also am working with Gerry Conlon (one of the Guildford 4, wrongly imprisoned for the IRA bombing at guildford) and John MCManus (head of Miscarriages of Justice Org) to produce and arrange a Dvd and big benefit concert to raise funds to build treatment centers for innocent prisoners on their release and to aid in their rehabilitation. These people receive no help from the system in any way on their release, even though they have had their lives ruined by miscarriages of justice. The Alabama 3 also do a great deal to help this organization as well.

I think that the Danish band Laid Back are definitely one of the biggest reasons that I started making music, after seeing their amazing video for “Bakerman” directed by Lars von Trier, a great treat was going to produce some material for them at their studio in Denmark.

2) The “Black Ops” album for me pulls together a wonderful combination of organic and synthetic sounds drawing on soulful horn accompanied reggae, dubby hip-hop breakz and ambient styles. Several years later and you’re working on a new album. Will this be a continuation of the “Black Ops” sound are you expanding into new territories?

There will be flavours of Black Ops in the new one, but more in the vibe than the actual sounds etc, since making the last album, I have teamed up with Richie Stevens, one of the best drummers in the world and several other great players, so I think the new one will have more of a live band sound, though most definitely with the Red Seal production sound and dub flavour.

3) The album heavily featured Cheshire Cat on vocals and also included prestigious guests such as Nightmares On Wax and Zion Train. Going by the Red Seal album teasers on Soundcloud Cheshire Cat’s vocal input remains what guests could listeners expect on the new album?

I have some awesome guests coming onto this one, Cheshire Cat is most certainly going to feature a lot again, as will the awesome David Fullwood (Zion Train) on trumpet, Kirk Brandon (Spear of Destiny) and hopefully Horace Andy, Dennis Bovell will feature on it, with Richie Stevens on drums.

The list goes on a lot longer, with some amazing names, but I want to keep the rest as a surprise. I will just say are all great talents and I am extremely grateful for the contribution coming from them.

4) When do you expect the new album to be released and what formats will it be released on?

I am hoping that late spring/early summer 2012 for release, which will definitely be available on both CD and digital download.

5) Which artists currently impress you?

The Stone Roses just reformed!!! Yeaaaah! That’s the best news in the music world for a decade!! Alabama 3 are a great band and Roachford live was the warmest and light-hearted gig that I’ve seen for ages (with a top band alongside him too) and Seeed watch them live! Theirs is the best Reggae show I’ve ever seen. It’s fucking dooope!

6) Are there any plans for a live tour?

Oh yes! I will be touring to promote the album and I’m looking forward to it!

Miquette Giraudy interview

2011-10-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

1) Firstly thank you for taking the time out from your busy schedule to complete this interview. Could you tell us a little about yourself and how you started your musical career?

I started my musical career with the invention of the synthesiser! Those machines with knobs and noises were the right media for my easily bored mind and body, I got bewitched and from the 1st VCS3 to all these plug in’s today I am still under their spell.

I remember trying to do one chord on Malcolm Cecil's Tonto, which was a whole room where every space was covered with mini-moog’s, you had to link them all together to make one chord! That was pioneer time ... the 1st synthesiser cowboys.

We were banned from the musician Union for stealing the work of real musicians!

2) Technology has changed quite dramatically since the 70’s when you joined Gong. Production wise what are the major improvements for you and is their anything you miss about the old technology?

Technology changed but for me for the better and for the smaller ... what a pleasure not to have to carry 200kg of gear at every gig. I am not stuck in the analog-digital barrier, for me any means are good as long as it is good.

Sometimes I regret the time when we were a whole bunch, mixing a track on a mixing desk and each one of us had a couple of faders and effects and the mix was like a live concert, but this now balanced by the fact that there is nearly no more mix, it is done at the time little by little as the track is taking shape it is more part of the creative writing process.

3) After so many albums since the self-titled debut album from System 7 in 1991 what approach did you use to keep the new album “UP” sounding fresh?

Sounding fresh .... well I guess this is a frame of mind, what I certainly don't want to do is to do again what i was doing 20 years ago, as Steve love to say "Forwards and Upwards".

4) Which artists currently impress you?

In this moment of time the guy that really inspires me is this piano player from Luxemburg called Francesco Tristano http://www.francescotristano.com/, he can play "The Bells" by Jeff Mills or Derrick May's "Strings of Life" at the grand piano and it sounds awesome. He plays with Carl Craig there is a fab remix done by Ben Klock as well, all this really vibes me.

5) Outside of the dance music scene what music do you listen to at home?

I mostly listen to dance music ... there is so much and so little time.

6) The festival season in Europe is in full swing where can people catch a live set in the coming months?

Well we will be playing 3 times (Steve 4) in Glastonbury festival as System 7 and Mirror System, Beautiful Days, Sonica in Montenegro is going to be fun, Fuji Rock in Japan and Womb in Tokyo ...this is what i remember for now.

7) If you could play anywhere, where would be your ultimate venue for a live set?

Where I like to play the most are islands or seafronts of exotic places. Where the sun is hot, the sea is warm and the people are happy. Or on top of the mountains, somewhere the view is breathtaking while I am playing ... I love music and life.

Links

http://www.a-wave.com/

Indidginus Interview

2011-10-02T22:14:00.000-07:00

1 ) Firstly thank you for taking the time out from your busy schedule to complete this interview. Could you tell us a little about yourself and how you started your musical career?

No problem Martin. I had to reschedule my Eastern Seaboard tour for you to be here, but it’s all in a day’s work.

A bit about myself – well, my name is Michael, I live on the second floor. Actually I don’t, I live in a one-storey cottage. Kills my Suzanne Vega impression stone dead. I’m from the UK, but have lived in Cape Town for the last 8 years or so. I was born in Iceland during a snow storm and I’ve had more jobs than I have years in my age. I no longer need to worry about the cutting my hair part of the real job equation as most of it has disappeared over the years of its own accord. My favourite colour is burnt orange and I enjoy drinking tea.

In terms of musical career - I started out by playing didg with various DJs and live acts in the trance and drum and bass scenes. Then I moved on to writing my own tracks and incorporating my didg into the live performance of those.

2) Your new album “Sofa Surfer” features a host of collaborations with artists from both the UK and South Africa. Could you tell us a little about the concept of the album?

I was in the UK last summer to gig, and I thought it would be a great idea to make full use of my time there to write an album (or at least start to write an album). I chose to involve various musical friends (old and new) in the project to add interest and variation. It’s also a brilliant learning experience to work with others – both from a technical and personal point of view. The album is called “Sofa Surfer” as a lot of time was spent surfing sofas when visiting said friends all around the UK to do the recordings. Riddim also plays a big part in the album.

3) Are there any live shows planned and will they feature any of the collaborators from the album?

I am super busy finalizing digital distribution for the album and doing promotion at the moment, but yes there will be live shows in the near future. There will be a Sofa Surfer album launch part at Rubadub here in Cape Town on 9th July 2011. The album release date is 23rd July 2011 - Hailie Selassie I's birthday :)

4) Which artists currently impress you?

Rusko, Burial, Various, Boxcutter, Liquid Stranger, Kode 9, Pinch, Scuba and Chase & Status are recently cropping up in my Winamp playlist a lot since my head is fully in dubstep mode – very varied, very talented, very inspiring…

5) Are there any club nights or festivals you would recommend to readers travelling to South Africa?

Rubadub is a brilliant dubstep night here in Cape Town run by James Matthes - http://rubadub.co.za. He’s doing good things for the scene. Highly recommended…

6) Which artist you haven't already worked with would you like to and why?

Oh there’s loads… Rusko because he has tapped into a massive market, which would help me on the promo side of things just a little ;) Burial because he has a very inventive sound. Liquid Stranger because I dig his tunes. On the local front, I’d like to work with Mix and Blend, Richard the Third and SFR as they are all very talented dubstep/drum and bass producers.

Sofa Surfer is available to pre-order now at the special price of $8.

This includes immediate download of 3 tracks - Lost Coast featuring legendary electronica pioneer Colin Angus of The Shamen, Madam Blerta's Carnival featuring stalwarts of the psychedelic dance scene OOOD and a free download of Sunrise over Sapporo featuring mainstay of UK downtempo Tripswitch. There's even a couple of bonus items thrown in for good measure.

http://indidginus.bandcamp.com/album/sofa-surfer

http://www.indidginus.com
http://indidginus.bandcamp.com/album/sofa-surfer
http://soundcloud.com/indidginus/sets/sofa-surfer-album-mashup-mix
http://www.facebook.com/indidginus.music

Drumspyder Interview

2011-10-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

Scott Sterling emerged out of San Francisco's dance and indie-circus scene and first came to my attention under his Drumspyder monikor on Dakini Records compilation Tribal Matrix 2. Not long after I downloaded his digital release the Nekyia e.p. which had a far funkier feel. We also featured his debut album "Kytheria" in our 2010 best of the year round up.

1) Firstly thank you for taking the time out from your busy schedule to complete this interview. Could you tell us a little about yourself and how you started your musical career?

I started out playing drum set in rock bands, most with a post-punk or indie flavor, but I was from the beginning somewhat curious and experimental with rhythms, drum setups, and sounds. I did a fair amount of industrial-style banging on oil drums and scraping on scrap metal, as well as exploring odd and arcane rhythms. Later I became involved with dance groups which combined acrobatic dance, aerials, fire, and music, and I then branched out into electronic beats and sounds. Working with these groups introduced me to the intimate relation of drumming to dance, which has been central to my music ever since.

It was the drum/dance connection that got me interested in the doumbek (arabic tabla) and bellydance, which led me to Arabic music and the whole family of Mediterranean musical styles.

My formative project in the realm of bellydance fusion was the Nekyia dance ensemble, directed by Kristina Canizares http://www.nekyiadance.com/ The choreography fused bellydance, latin, jazz with burlesque influences. The two Nekyia CDs are the music I produced for the ensemble and individual solos. There were some interesting side projects and offshoots happening then - Kristina and I were really into combining middle eastern rhythms with samba and afro-cuban styles; the whole group had a theatrical and circus side as well, and we took part in some crazy pyrotechnical theater productions at Oakland's Crucible…good times! At the same time a started playing with Jef Stott http://jefstott.com/, who took me on board to tour Canada and Japan, which is how I met Gio (Makyo) of Dakini Records http://www.dakinirecords.com/.

2) The internet has certainly expanded my mind if I’d have looked at an album cover in the early 90’s I’d have recognised bongo’s, congo’s, tablas etc but I wouldn’t have known the darbuka was a drum or a sarangi was a string instrument. How did you discover and compile your drum set up?

I think that being a drummer very commonly leads one to be curious about the wealth of rhythmic traditions around the world, and early I had some acquintance with african and asian drumming styles, being particularly inspired by Japanese Taiko drumming.

But by the time I got into Arabic percussion the internet and DVDs were there and they helped immensely. I've taken a few lessons from master percussionists in the SF Bay area but most of what I know is self-taught. I've gleaned a lot from internet, recordings and videos (In particular I'm into David Kuckhermann's http://www.framedrums.net/ framedrum series, and I highly recommend Faisal Zedan's http://faisalzedan.com/ derbakki DVD), but I think that experience is the ultimate teacher - playing live, working with dancers and other musicians, experimenting in the studio - seeing what works and what doesn't.

3) In the UK we had the likes of Natacha Atlas doing belly dance routines with Trans-Global Underground in the early 90’s and I guess belly dance classes have become popular in recent years. However, we don’t seem to have the belly dance breakz scene that San Francisco and Tokyo have. Is your music warmly accepted in the dance class community and do you plan to tour abroad?

Yes - although I'm not exactly in the mainstream of either the tribal or cabaret styles in the US, my music has made a good number of appearances in dance classes, videos, and performances. (At my YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/user/drumspyder I've collected a sampling of these) As for touring plans, I've lately only been doing West coast US gigs, have a new collaboration in the early stages which is shaping up to be a touring ensemble. You'll be hearing more from us soon!

4) My first experience of the Drumspyder sound was on Dakini Records Tribal Matrix 2. The track “Dunawi” had a real old skool electro bass sound to it and was a refreshing take on world fusion. Deeper exploration into the “Nekyia” e.p. and I discovered a lot of elements of funk and the debut album “Kytheria” had a deep house vibe. Are you just fusing the sounds you listen to or was this a conscious effort to be different?

My first tracks with the Nekyia were inspired a great deal by broken beat (you can hear it especially on "Pure Catnip") a bit of funky house and downtempo, and afro-cuban rhythms. Mainly it resulted from what I was listening to at the time - I was an avid follower of Bugz in the Attic and the like at the same time that I was learning the doumbek - a somewhat odd combination!

I've always loved house and uptempo dance music in general, so I put some of that on the Dakini album, and I have a lot of forthcoming projects that are going into electro/tech house and generally uptempo territory. There's a brand new track in the Live mix , "Ahlam Atrash" (forthcoming on Caravan records https://www.hollywoodmusiccenter.com/index.php?1=1&productId=1628&) which represents that direction. But I have downtempo and midtempo (moombahton influenced) tracks in the works as well - as a percussionist I feel the need top work with a balance of different rhythms and tempos.

5) You’ve recently re-mixed for the Desert Dwellers and Spy From Cairo are there any other re-mix projects on the horizon?

Yes - coming up in June I have a track on a compilation called Kundalini Yoga Remixed from the Sprit Voyage label http://www.spiritvoyage.com/?gclid=COjo4v_-76gCFQoTbAodnCjqCg - a remix of kirtan duo Mirabai Ceiba. Also in the works is a remix of Lumin, one of Jef's former groups, for Dakini. Down the road a little further will be some collaboration and remixing with SF bellydancer/disco diva Gypsy Love http://www.gypsytime.com/ and violin virtuoso Kippy Marks http://www.kippymarks.us/.

6) Who in your opinion is the greatest ethnic drummer of all time?

I have so many drumming heroes from different times and cultures, it would be hard to pick an absolute favorite. But in the middle eastern realm I have been particularly inspired by Mahmoud Fadl http://www.piranha.de/english/piranha_musik_verlag/mahmoud_fadl. "The Drummers of the Nile" series were some of my first middle eastern albums and I still love them - stellar percussion work, traditional music with a subtle blend of afro-latin /jazz influences, and all-around funky and soulful fusion. If you want to get introduced to middle eastern percussion I recommend checking out his work.

Drumspyder: http://www.drumspyder.com

Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/drumspyder

Dakini Records: http://www.dakinirecords.com

Trancient Dreams Interview

2011-10-02T22:06:00.000-07:00

Trancient Dreams a collective who fuse dub with world grooves, electronica, dub-step, drum & bass etc. In my opinion although if you like a track it doesn't matter how it's made. It's always good to watch a band rather than a laptop set.

So bearing this in mind and the interesting grooves coming out before the album release. Martin Hall-Davis took some time out of his busy schedule to introduce us to the band and their ideology with this interview.

1) Could you tell us a little about how you guys met and the ideas behind Trancient Dreams?

Well Spira and I met through Myspace in 2005. We were into each other’s music and had communicated by email from England to Norway (71 degrees above the Arctic Circle!).

It was in March of 2006, when we actually met. At Tim Brans Launch Party for his new project Subsonar (after he had departed company from Dreadzone). It’s a small world as we had both befriended Tim separately through Myspace and at the same time (unknown to him) we had both been invited separately to his launch party. With this in mind we made a week of it and built up a great friendship in that short time.

We had already decided to try to incorporate Spira’s vocals into Trancient Dreams at that point. It was something I had wanted for the project since I had started it in 2000. Prior to this I was using lots of vocal samples to achieve the desired sound (mainly female Eastern material). After our first meeting in March I decided to go to her Suspira Studios in the Arctic Circle to record our first song together “Time to Unwind”. It was amazingly easy to work with each other, both of us bringing unique and crucial parts to the Trancient Dreams sound. It was like a dream. We spent a week locked away in her Arctic Studios where we created and polished 3 new songs out of the ether. This was the start of many coincidences to come.

Bob Field our bass player has been with us for 2 years, enforcing the bass lines that are a prominent feature of our sound. Bob is a long term friend of Spira from her time living and playing in bands in England in the 90s. David Unlimbo plays guitar and brings his psychedelic style to our sound. David has spent many years developing with bands (the most current is Akahum). I'd also met David through Myspace and we played a lot of gigs separately at the same festivals and events over the last 4 years. It was only natural that he should join us for our live shows. Mark 'Mindflux' Fletcher plays Synths and Percussion with us for live gigs, again we met through Myspace. Mark is also a busy man with music projects such as ZubZub, Dream Machine and Champignon.

We all have a love of the same music. Music that has inspired us all over the years. There are just a few differences between us to make our sound an interesting and exciting addition to that whole underground psychedelic scene that came out of the 90s in England.

2) Your new album is due out next year could you tell us a little about what we can expect?

Well it’s been a huge learning curve but a very natural transformation from the mainly programmed 1st Cd “Into The Ether”. With all the new influences in my life (genres and band members) it is going to be stunning.

The Dub genre always plays a big part in our sound. While the addition of Spira Saxe's silky smooth vocals has enabled us to create songs which I think have a commercial value (in a good way of course and it still has a very cool and underground vibe to it all). The feedback we've got has been great and across a whole spectrum of people and ages. So, all in all I'm pleased that we haven't pigeon holed ourselves too much in terms of genre. We like to blend a lot of genres new and old together in whatever way feels good.

Of course you could say Dub is in there. The interesting thing with that is I have discovered that so many genres fit around Dub and its 3rd beat emphasis. This is the only genre from what I can tell has that much affinity with other genres and yet is so unique. So a great starting place for us and I was always drawn to dub music when I was growing up. So with the new material you get Drum and Bass, Dubstep, Breaks, Jazz and Trance influences all with a smattering of Psychedelica.

The idea behind the album is based on sound therapy and sacred geometry. Information that exists in sound when it’s created. Spira and myself have found an obsession forming from these amazing facts and have been inspired by it. I feel it is the most interesting thing; the universe and all that its mass holds. That and the fact we as humans can play with that and understand it (even if we don’t understand it). A Universal Language we can all understand, it says so much.

3) The album is produced by Merv Pepler (Eat Static, Ozrics etc.) have you managed to learn anything from all his years of experience or is it more a case of sending the tracks over the net and waiting for the final result?

Well I got to say it is an absolute honour to have Merv On-board this project. For me he has been my inspiration for creating music in the electronic world and everyone in the band has been influenced by him in some shape or form. So it seemed natural to ask him to produce tracks from the new album (I never thought he would agree to it, but what you don’t ask for you don’t get).

I think with me and Spira's love of Eat Static there is a definite influence there in our tracks. That and of course Ozric Tentacles (who were another huge influence on us all). So when we sent the tracks in a raw state to Merv we were sure he would hit the nail on the head. However, what has been coming back to our ears has surpassed what we expected.

It seems Merv has got an edge to what we should sound like as a band. We don’t like it, we love it! “Wild Fire Revisited” was the first track we collaborated on and the finished product just goes to show his natural affinity with producing us as a band. He has been amazingly supportive and we can say to him "we are not sure about that bit". He is so interested in what we like about it and makes sure we really do like what he is doing. So yes, we send the tracks and wait for the result. But so far the results have been exciting and excellent. So we are really happy to have someone that cares and respects our sound producing us. It’s the best decision we have made as a band to get him involved.

4) Could you tell us about your set up and if you have any favourite hardware or software?

Yes, well I come from the old school so there is a lot of hardware floating around the studio. We have Korg X3 and Z1 Synths and I borrowed a JD800 for a year or two (I love that Synth). Guitars (Electric, Bass and Acoustic), loads of percussion, the new Korg Wave drum and most recently an Alesis ADAT for recording all our ideas down (and anything weird and unusual that makes a great sound). Analogue Mixers and outboard signal processing.

However, I do love my software. The development in computers and software over the years has been amazing. So I have incorporated the two, hardware and software into the studio set up. I use an Ableton Launchpad which is an amazing interface and have the novation SL Remote and various other usb midi controllers, Evolution UC33 and other keyboard controllers. We mainly use Ableton and Reason 5 for ideas these days. But Cubase 5 to record Spira’s vocals and overdubs from the other band members. We can rewire the other apps if needed to Cubase. My favourite soft synths (well there are at least ten which I think are unique and different). The Korg Legacy collection and most of Native Instruments Vsti’s are amazing. Absynth and Massive are right up my street and I love Tone 2’s Gladiator and Firebird and Uhe’s Zebra 2 and Ace. Novation’s V-Staition and Imp Oscar…And of course I built two Quad core computers for Spira and myself to run all this amazing stuff

5) Are there any plans for a Trancient Dreams live show?

Yes there are! We are intent on doing a whole bunch of gigs in 2011 to promote the new album. We have been away a long time buried in the studio trying to get the best of the new material we recorded since being a band recorded down and committed.

So Festivals and events are being worked on at present. I now have a little more time to be arranging bookings which I have been trying to concentrate on since we returned to Norway in September after playing Waveform Festival 2010.

So any promoter’s out there looking for interesting bands please contact me

martindavis@hotmail.com

6) If you could play a live set anywhere you wanted where would it be?

Ha! Now that is an interesting question. Hmmmm…I think Sunrise at Angkor Watt Temple in Cambodia (one of the most amazing places I have been too) or Stone Henge at Solstice. Let the stones amplify us to an audience of like-minded people. Yeah!

http.www.myspace.com/trancientdreams
http://www.trancientdreams.co.uk

M&M's Interview

2011-10-02T22:02:00.000-07:00

Martim Joao a.k.a. M&M's is a Portuguese d.j. whose down-tempo sets cover a wide range of genres such as neo-classical, idm, ambient, psychedelic and jazz.

I felt this suited our eclectic tastes and asked Martim to submit a mix. As he finds profiles boring we opted for this interview to accompany the mix instead.

1) Could you tell us a little about yourself and what inspires you to dj in the ambient genre?

Well I've always been a music maniac; I was raised listening to Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Chopin, by my mid teens I discovered the love generation Classics such as Patti Smith, The Doors, Jimmy Hendrix and the Psychedelic Masters Pink Floyd. Different projects followed like Dead Kennedys, Crass, Sonic Youth, Swans, Young Gods, Diamanda Galas, Test Dept, Pixies, Fura del Baus etc. This was in the late 80's and music was rapidly changing. I started compiling my favorite tracks into K7s and playing them everywhere, from private parties with friends to everybody's Walkman. I had to get the right order to make some kind of sense or story.

In 1990 I went to live in South America and started to listen to more ethnic tunes and traditional folk music from around the world, it was only when I got back home in the late 90's that I was introduced to electronic soundscapes, drum'n'bass and psy-trance. The ambient genre was always present but I didn't really looked at it as a genre, but more like a state of mind, a frequency where the tunes are in balance with my true nature, this is probably due to my childhood living in the country side listening to classical music. So for me Ambient is music, all the rest are arms that emerge from ambient, but don't get me wrong I love all those arms. :)

Inspiration is a tricky subject; it happens most of the time in short and subtle moments that are really out of my control, the hard part is the everyday research for tracks between hundreds of artists. The moment that a particular inspiration comes is blissful and I live for that hit, from that moment on I float away until the work is finished. I can't live without it, it’s like that feeling when you find an amazing track and you play it over and over again like there's no tomorrow. That you've found the music and heavens doors are finally opened. Sometimes the true engine is a book or a movie, or just an interesting subject that crossed my mind talking to a friend, or a documentary of science or history, or just a simple and quiet morning observing nature’s simplicity.

2) You played a four hour chillout set at the Boom festival in Portugal, how did you find the experience?

DJ sets at Boom in the ambient area are always 4 hours long and I really dig it. It’s just the right amount of time in order to go into a full journey through different ambient spaces. I've always enjoyed long sessions - once I played a gig in South Africa for 12 hours! :)

The experience was amazing, Boom Festival is the right place and time to move forward in every aspect, it’s a Tribal gathering from all over the planet, lots of friends from many places join to express life and enjoy that awareness. So, yes it was amazing. It was great to have the 5pm/9pm schedule to make the transition from Sun to Moon, people enjoyed it and I was really happy with the outcome.

3) Your currently compiling a compilation cd "Noosphere" could you tell us a little more about the project?

Well I'm still compiling the VA to www.ajnavision.com, hopefully it will come out in early 2011, it is a digital release from a young Portuguese label, check the site for updates and releases.

4) When creating your sets do you prefer hardware, software or a combination of the two?

I’ve always worked with my CDJs-100 and DJM-300 from Pioneer, just recently because one of the CDJ got broken I tried some software and I found it really useful, so nowadays I use both, the software to edit tracks, samples and add effects, and the CDJ to mix all together.

5) Now for the Old Desert Island Disc question. Name three ambient albums you couldn’t live without?

Well that's a hard one really, especially because I really extract my favorite tracks and forget about the other ones...
I can say that presently I'm amazed by the work of Jon Hopkins, Doyeq, Field Rotation and Murcof.

But I have more than a few great albums that I can't live without and some of them are not really ambient:

Bob Holroyd - The Hallow Man
Sandoo - Twilight
Brian Eno & Robert Fripp - Evening Star
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
Jon Hopkins - Insides
Doyeq - Eyelashes of lanterns
Murcof & Erik Trufazz - Mexico
Field Rotation - Licht und Schatten
Amon Tobin - Permutation
Asura - life2
Bruno Sanfillippo - Piano Textures 1 and 2

Tripswitch interview

2011-10-02T21:58:00.000-07:00

1) Firstly thank you for taking the time out from your busy schedule to complete this interview. Could you tell us a little about yourself and how you started your musical career?

Having trained on the piano and trumpet as a kid, I settled on the guitar
as my instrument of choice at 12. I went up the classical grades through my
teens and taught myself the electric in parallel with that by painstakingly
learning licks from my record / tape collection. Play ... pause ... rewind
... play ... pause ... you get the idea. I played in a lot of bands in my
teens, blues, jazz, goth-rock, metal - we used to play pubs and clubs around
Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. I've always been broad-minded in my
musical tastes, I think it's healthy.

At the beginning of the 90s I started DJing progressive house and
Frankfurt trance, and I had a mate with a serious collection of analog gear
- a couple of 303s, a Juno 60, JX-8P, 808, 909, Korg Mono-Poly - so I used
to spend days and nights there mucking about and learning about midi and cv.
Then I moved onto Protracker on the Amiga, and started to build my own
collection of synths, starting with a Juno 106.

By '96 I was living in London and had immersed myself in the psy-trance
scene. I lived with Chris and Kostas from Magus for a year or two and we
kind of developed in tandem - I moved through Cubase, Cakewalk and finally
onto Logic in '98. By '99 I was co-owner of a studio and rehearsal room in
Kennington, which became a bit of a hub for all sorts of musical activity.
We put on some small trance parties under the name "Club Tiny" and hosted
some of the cream of London's trance DJs - the Transient guys in particular.

A CD of some trance I'd been writing ended up in the hands of Humphrey
Bacchus, who was managing Dragonfly at the time, and it had a couple of
chillout tracks tacked on the end - "Shamanic Tea" and "Deer Park" - and I
got a call saying he wanted to use Deer Park on a new LSD compilation. Then
he changed his mind and plumped for Shamanic Tea, and the comp came out as
"Mana Medicine". The rest, as they say, is history.

2) Your latest album "Geometry" was released in October. Could you tell us a little about we can expect?

Geometry's definitely moved away from "Circuit Breaker" and while it still
holds psychedelic influences, it's perhaps less identifiable as a psy-chill
album ... you can't keep writing the same stuff forever, it's important to
evolve musically or you just stagnate. It's been a bit scary anticipating
how it would be received among fans in the psytrance scene, especially after
so long and given the reputation "Circuit Breaker" has built up over the
years ... it's a relief to see that it's going down pretty well!

I'm now thoroughly in love with the guitar again and it features a lot
more on "Geometry". The ethnic influences have been replaced with more
6-string inspirations like shoegaze, blues and jazz while still maintaining
an primarily electronic thread. If anything it's generally a bit more dancey
than Circuit Breaker, with much of the second half sitting in the 115-120bpm
midtempo range.

Was this diluting of the psychedelia intentional? To some extent, yes.
Don't get me wrong, I love the scene, am still actively involved in terms of
festivals and parties and working with other labels, and I'm eternally
grateful for the support I've received from the psy community. At the same
time, I've been releasing for 10 years and there comes a point where you
have to start to think in commercial terms if you want to justify carrying
on. This scene, lovely and intimate though it is, is limited by its very
nature, and who wants to box themselves into a corner? Hopefully Geometry's
appeal is sufficiently wide to bring new listeners in without alienating the
old ones.

With CD sales in the psy scene all but dead in the water, and even digital
sales seemingly on the decline as fewer and fewer people are prepared to pay
for music, many artists now rely on gigging to make up their income.
Manageable if you're a main stage act gigging a lot, but as a chill producer
in the psy scene, there are very few promoters who consider what we do
merits more than a fraction of a main act's fees. It's understandable on one
level as people go to a dance festival to ... well, dance, so the budgets
are bound to be weighted that way. But on a practical level it makes it
very, very hard to build a sustainable career as a downtempo producer,
especially if you have kids to feed and mortgages to pay. Hence why
Geometry's taken so long to bring out ... you do what's needed to keep food
on the table, and sometimes the music has to take second place.

3) The album is being released on your own label "Section Records" could you give us an insight into the other acts you have on board?

I set Section Records up for 2 reasons - first, to take ownership of my
own music, and secondly to really focus my own musical tastes and provide an
outlet for anything fitting into those parameters. While quality downtempo
music will certainly be a cornerstone of Section, I'm also keen to explore
other, more uptempo styles and get back to my roots, as it were. I grew into
the psy scene after years DJing progressive house, and I'm going back to
that sound in a big way, both in my own productions and in the music I sign
and the remixers I'm bringing on board. I'm a big fan of dubstep and listen
to a lot of glitch too. I'm not ruling anything out at this stage, so be
prepared for some pretty diverse output over the coming years.

I've got a couple of really solid acts coming under the roster at the
moment. The first is Aurtas, a Japanese producer who's relatively unknown
but seriously, seriously talented. His music has an old-school progressive
house sound, Way Out West kinda vibe with delicate but solid production and
bags of skill with his composition. He's done some amazing remixes of my
first 3 singles which you'll hear soon. There needs to be more music like
his out there, so I'm gonna do something about it!

The other act I'm working with are Koan, who you may well know ... they're
a Russian act with a smooth and deep production technique and an ear for
melody that you don't come across very often. They also feature on the
Strange Parallels release and I have some excellent new material from them
to release in the New Year.

I'm also giving my own Codemonkey project some love after parking it up
for a while. Conceived as an outlet for anything more uptempo, it's
developed into two strands, one dark and dubsteppy and the other more
progressive and dancey. I'm having a lot of fun with it at the moment and
the New Year will finally see some Codemonkey releases hitting the shelves.

4) Which artists currently impress you?

Within the chill scene, I'd say Ultimae really have the crown right now. I
love everything Magnus (Solar Fields) produces, the new Asura album is
absolutely stunning, and I heard a sneak preview of some of the new Aes Dana
album the other week which really blew me away. Petit Ange is another great
producer under their wing. They're an amazing family down there and have
been super helpful with the set up of Section, and are also handling most of
my distribution.

In other genres - I've been listening to a lot of shoegaze and nu-gaze in
recent years, bands that stand out are Port Royal, Mint, Oceansize and of
course Sigur Ros and Ulrich Schnauss.

Dubstep / Glitch-hop/ IDM: Liquid Stranger, Opiuo, Bass Science / Matt B /
Nalepa, Deru, Tipper and my good friend Gaudi. On a UK dubstep tip, Kode9,
Burial, Benga, Breakage. For me, Burial's probably the most striking
producer overall of the past few years. His sound is so emotive for me, the
broken two-step beats take me right back to the years living in South
London, but he puts those memories in a deep, dark and otherworldly space
which I'd not really visited since Joy Division. Sublime.

Progressive / house / minimal etc: Shiloh, Luke Chable, Tom Glass, Ticon,
Perfect Stranger, Antix / Fiord and Iboga, Hope Recordings, Baroque and of
course Deadmau5.

5) Could you tell us about your set-up and provide a tip for inspiring musicians?

I've just stripped down my studio and rebuilt it ... I've actually gone
very zen this time. From being surrounded by synths, samplers and other gear
a few years ago, I'm now down to a bare minimum and far more efficient as a
result. I have one rack with my beloved Virus C and some mixing / mastering
outboard, a pair of Mackie monitors, Kurzweil K2000 and am still running a
Yamaha 01v mixer which connects to my interface via ADAT. The room is
acoustically treated with a number of products from the excellent Vicoustic
range.

I'm a Logic man through and through and have been using it for 12 years
now. Version 9 is outstanding, you can't beat it for flexibility and the new
Flex-time and Bounce in Place features are a godsend.

I have a couple of guitars at the moment, a Takamine steel-strung acoustic
and a Gibson Les Paul. I also have a bizarre aluminium foldaway Aria travel
guitar that's pretty dodgy really, but it's got a really bright sound that
works well for some things.

Here are my top tips for anyone starting out:

1) In terms of software, less is usually more. Don't be tempted to
overload your computer with every plugin and soft synth you can find,
regardless of how easy they may be to get hold of! Install less and devote
your time to mastering them, you'll be surprised what you can achieve
creatively and the theory you learn along the way. I have maybe 3 or 4
favourite soft synths which I use almost exclusively. Similarly with
plugins ... focus on quality rather than quantity.

2) When it comes to your album. work for the best publishing deal you can.
Find a publisher who will actively work with your music and get a lawyer to
look over the contract. That document could be pivotal to how your career
progresses from that point on.

3) Good quality monitors and a room whose sound you can trust will
probably be your most important investment if you're serious about your
production.

4) Be patient, believe in your music, refine your technique, and enjoy it!
Throw in a bit of luck and hopefully you'll be on your way. Writing music
can be a truly cathartic and enriching process if you do it for the right
reasons and with the right mindset.

Links:

http://sectionrecords.com/

http://www.tripswitch.mu/
.

http://www.facebook.com/nicktripswitch

.
http://www.facebook.com/sectionrecords

http://www.myspace.com/nicktripswitch

http://www.myspace.com/sectionrecords

*Originally compiled for Chillbase.org (but never featured)

Lemonchill Interview

2011-10-02T21:54:00.000-07:00

This is an interview I did for Chillbase around the beginning of the year which for some reason was never published.

Idan Or hails from Haifa and is one among the few artists emerging in the ambient side genre rather than the Goa trance scene more commonly associated with Israel’s electronic musicians. His releases over the last couple of years have combined sounds from trance, synth-pop, jazz and world music into his own unique ambient tapestry.

1) What or who inspired you to create your music within the ambient genre?

Wow good question, well when I first started creating music my "mentor" Yariv Atzion (Stereo Underground) heard my first few demos and he gave me the advice that I should go with the more down tempo style. So I did and I must admit that I really enjoy working with this kind of music genre.

2) You have released material on a few labels over the last two years. Did you embark on a different theme for each release which appealed to each label individually?

No, actually my first album "Sentnat" was almost released on "Cyberset records", but I got the reply from them a few days after I signed with my first label. After a while I noticed that they had made a real bad of job promoting my album so I released it with "Ricochet Dream records". "Cyberset records" are very pleased with my music style and I am also very happy with the promotion and treatment I get from them. Also Ricochet Dream records are cool to work with. Now I have received offers from bigger record labels to sign with them and release my albums. But for now I am very pleased with those two labels.

3) Do you combine hardware and software in your studio and do you have a preference for any particular synth?

Yes I do, I am in love with the "Korg" sound although it may sound a bit "80s" I still think it create unique sound that appeals to many people ears across many music genres. Regarding the soft synths I like the sound that "Absynth" makes and also "Moog" and "Mini Monster" while the music program I use is "Nuendo". For hardware I also use Adam a6 monitors as I think they are very accurate and have a distinctive sound, and I favour "Sennheiser" earphones.

4) You have a new re-mix album "Sleeping Giants" due for release on Ricochet Dream Records. Could you tell us more about the album?

"Sleeping with giants" will be released soon and I really love this remix project it has some unique re-mixes by Terra Nine, Side Liner, Zero Cult, Limbo, Hol Baumann, Mindwave, Chronos and one from myself too. There will also be another re-mix album released this year this entitled "Room 305" and it will contain progressive house and trance re-mixes by artists such as: Hi Profile, Ramin & Dash, Kay D and many more. In fact this will be a double album since I received so many good re-mixes. It will also include a first time collaboration between me and Kritikos (Feel) from Greece.

5) When you first heard the re-mixes did anyone really surprise you with the direction of their input?

Yes Dennis from "limbo" made a really unique re-mix something like "Shpongle" gone techno I was really amazed by this re-mix also I think "Side Liner" made a really good re-mix one of the best on this new re-mix album.

6) Are there any plans for Lemonchill live sets on the festival circuit this year?

At the moment no, I am really working hard on releasing the album "Sleeping with giants" and finishing the album “Room 305" since there are tracks there that I am involved with I find my self spending so much of my time at the studio. But I hope after the release of these two albums that I can start working on some live shows.

Links

http://www.myspace.com/lemonchill1

http://www.ricochetdream.com/

http://www.cybersetmusic.com/

Simon Lewis of Amanaska Interview

2011-10-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

Austrailia's Amanaska (a Sanskrit term for restfullness) combine electronica with music they have encountered on their travels around the globe. If down-tempo, jazzy Balearic sounds fused with Indian, African and Aboriginal vibes appeal to you then you can't go far wrong with Amanaska.

1) Which artists inspired you most in forming your sound?

With regard to the artists that inspired me. They all have a very strong and prominent acoustic and live element to their music. This is something I am passionate about and don't really dig pure electronica so much. Nitin Sawnhey writes great songs and is the master of understatement and space in his music. Karsh Kale is a bit more edgy and heavier, plus a killer tabla player. Pat Methany is and incredible virtuoso and composer and writes gorgeous melodies. As for Peter Gabriel, what can I say............

2) You utilise a variety of instruments the Fender Rhodes piano, Hammond organ, synths, melodica, didgeridoo, accordian and percussive instruments. What appeals to you about electro-acoustic sounds rather than solely synthetic?

The electro acoustic instruments have a unique personality of their own that inspires ways of playing and writing that may not be possible in the synthetic world. I feel a certain kind of 'soul' when I use them that makes me take up half my house and studio with storing them all.

3) A lot of your tracks have been composed on the road collaborating with artists around the globe. Was this something you had planned from day one? Or an idea formed from a collection of spur of the moment jams?

The 'on the road' collaborations were planned but there were many spontaneous events that lead to other collaborations as well.

4) You were involved with the Buddah Bar Ocean DVD which features several tracks composed by yourself. Could you tell us more about this project?

Dj Ravin used my track 'Sleep' from Circles on Volume IX which lead to the label contacting me about being involved with the DVD project. The brief was very simple. The only gave me single phrases as inspiration to write to. Their view was that they wanted me to write tracks inspired by my imagination rather than images or rough cuts they gave me. They then cut the visuals to my music. I ended up spending a week in Paris fine tuning the final edits and working with Alain. One of the tracks they had wasn't working so they asked me to write one for this scene. I did this in my hotel room on the laptop on a two octave keyboard. Great fun!

4) You’re currently working on a new album when do you anticipate this to be released and will there be an accompanying world tour?

The new one is more than half finished but I haven't had the time to put into it to fine tune everything and finish it. I hope to have it ready by March next year and would love to do a world tour with it. I have some serious planning to do!

5) Which artists are currently exciting you?

As I write this I am listening to Shrift - Lost in a Moment which is superb. I saw Seal live in Melbourne last week which was amazing. I would love to get him to sing on one of my tracks. what a voice! Would also love to get Emiliana Torrini. loving John Scofield and Marcin Wasilewski too

6) For people unfamiliar with your music where can they hear your work?

The best place to start is our web-site (click the title to go there). There is plenty of stuff on youtube too. the "Drift' video will give some background into the Indian recording sessions for Circles

Gods Robots Interview

2011-10-02T21:46:00.000-07:00

Gods Robots is a collaboration between San Francisco's Janaka Selekta and Taamara from Mumbai. Together they are fusing reggae, dub-step & electronica with classical Indian and soulful western vocals.

1) Being based in two different continents how did the Gods Robot project come about?

Surprisingly fast. The time difference makes it possible to work 24 hours (Shri does not sleep so it makes it even easier :)). Instrumentals that I send to Shri (Taamara) at night San Francisco time makes it to Shri in the morning in Mumbai. She will send back vocals by the time I check my mail in the morning. However, we are both looking forward to working on a song while we are both physically in the same space.

2) Taamara you’ve tended to work within the Asian electronica scene in India. What inspired you to work in this field as opposed to the classical industry?

I’ve been learning classical music for quite some time; attending seminars, lectures, concerts etc. It’s a beautiful form but for me these cross cultural collaborations and this coming together of various styles is equally interesting. To see the purity of classical music taking shape in the ideas of musicians from different backgrounds is a process that gives me as much bliss as the process of learning the art form. It’s more learning for me as well since I grew up listening to all kinds of music. So the distinction between forms doesn’t exist for me now.

3) Janaka your currently living in San Francisco where there seems to be an abundance of world fusion artists. How would you compare the scene there to the UK?

I believe the scenes in both parts of the world have gone through a similar arc as people have become familiar with sound. When I stopped putting on 'Dhamaal' and ' WORLDY' shows in San Francisco in 2007, after a 9 year run of monthly events, we were averaging 1400 attendees. For a big city San Francisco is tiny. On that basis alone it is amazing that such a large scene existed. Much like the UK music scene now 'world music' (for lack of a better word) elements have made their way into all genres of music. The newness has gone in both scenes but it has left a deep imprint.

4) Taamara when freestyling with dj’s are your performances completely impromptu or do you have a selection of prepared lyrics which you drop according to the tempo of the music at the time?

It depends upon the artist actually, who I’m playing with. In some cases the jam-sessions are overwhelming and we decide to just keep it open-ended and impromptu. At other times, the structured, perfect and rehearsed act feels and sounds great. It also depends on the venue; you can’t have an impromptu session at all places. My lyrics move according to the plan. During impromptu I drop things once in a while according to the tempo but most of the time it’s something that I have already prepared.

5) Is the collaboration solely a recording project or are there any plans for live performances?

We will be performing together in a number of India's cities in January! The songs have been parted out in Ableton so that I can trigger scenes or individual patterns using the APC40 midi controller. These elements and Taamara's vocals are then dub-able using the APC40. The level of control of each elements makes it very flexible in terms of creating a dynamic live performance. As Mighty Dub Killaz I have been honing these techniques with Papa Roads on the mic for most of 2009.

6) Janaka although there’s a range of genres fused with Indian percussions and melodies, there’s a strong dub reggae element to your music. Are all the fx created on software nowadays or do you still employ the mixing desk when producing dub?

The dubbing mostly comes at the mix stage of the production cycle so most of it is done using software. However, I like the sound of hardware and have a Virus C, KorgX50, MicroKorg, Soundcraft 24 channel desk and various effects units like the Korg Koaspad, they help to define a richer and heavier sound.

7) Are you planning to release any material for this project in the near future?

The way that people consume music has changed so dramatically over the last 5 years. We have an albums worth of material that has been developed with the intention of performing it live. There will be a point at which selling the album will also be a focus but we are intent on getting the word out via our stage show. We do however have a facebook page (press the title to go there) where you can listen to our songs as they get created, literally. Reminds me of the Metalheadz documentary, they talk about songs being completed in the afternoon, pressed onto acetate and played at night. In the digital world it is rendered to audio and upload.

Terra Nine interview

2011-10-02T21:42:00.000-07:00

Terra Nine is Mike Westcot from Auckland, New Zealand. Mike has combined the sound of the electric voila with electronica. The result ranges from orchestral ambience to more beat driven techno and has taken the Terra Nine show worldwide.

1. My first knowledge of an electric violin was in the early 90’s with Ed Alleyene-Johnson’s “Purple Electric Violin Concerto”. Although, if I had read my album covers more closely I would have realised that John Cale used an electric viola on the Velvet Undergrounds “Venus in Furs” and they have been around for longer than that. When did you first come across the instrument and what attracts you to the viola rather than the violin?

My first exposure to the idea of an electric violin was as a 12 y.o., seeing Jimmy Page use a violin bow to play his electric guitar....making these awesome sounds as a result - after that, my violin classical practice time was not quite the same - degenerating as it did from then on (once I’d finished my scales) into a cacaphony of harmonic notes...

Later on I bought my first electric fiddle - a Barcus Berry Vioelectra - a lovely shiny jet black 5-string model, but I found that the strings were too close together and I didn't like the sound of the violin E-string - preferring the more mellow tones of the bottom C-string up to the A-string. So I did some mods to the fingerboard using a file and came up with a 4-string ‘viola’...it’s worked well ever since…

String-based musical influences for me as an impressionable teenager included Robert Fripp and David Cross in King Crimson, L Shankar and Jean Luc Ponty in the Mahavishnu Orchestra, John Cale in The Velvet Underground and Adrian Belew in early Talking Heads ….all of whom did amazing violin work, or played guitar using violin-like styles....

2. Stream of Consciousness is the sixth release by Terra Nina along with many tracks featured on compilation albums. How would you say the music has evolved since the last release in 2007?

The latest album features the inspired vocals of Aviatrix, aka Kerensa Stephens on a number of the tracks and is stylistically more uptempo and song oriented - with influences including breaks, drum n bass dub and a little bit of dubstep. Cath and Al Dragojevic also feature on this new release, perf,orming live bass, didge and percussion, while Damian Verna (Red Eye Express) and Ben Heppel (Stickleback) contribute the rhythm section in the drum n bass track So Human.
This release also features remixes by OTT and Pete Ardron of Orchid Star (and Glow) fame, both of which make this album less chilled and more ‘danceable’

3. Terra Nine as a project also includes a band comprising vocals, didgeridoo, harp and bass guitar. When selecting the band members did you have people in mind or where you more interested in the instruments required?

Both really - all the member of Terra Nine were chosen for their musical excellence and instrumentation, as well as the fact that we are on the same page musically and are all good friends.

4. For those who have not heard your music and are interested where would you recommend they start?

Start with the latest album and work back…;-) you can find links to everything at: www.myspace.com/terra9music
and at: www.terranine.com

5. You’ve taken the live show worldwide before. Which of the countries you’ve played in have you enjoyed the most? Are there any live dates currently?

I have loved playing everywhere really - Germany, Spain, France, Hungary, Slovakia, Australia, NZ and the UK - my festival faves so far would be Hadra and Ambiosonic in France, Al Andalus in Spain, Full Moon in Germany, Bakony in Hungary, Rainbow Serpent in Australia, Canaan Downs in NZ and Waveform in the UK.

The NZ and Australian festivals are always special to me because they are close to home and all my friends are there…

So far, confirmed Terra Nine gigs include Rainbow Serpent 2010 next January in Australia and Waveform 2010 plus Festival of Life next September in the UK… plus there will be a slew of other shows in Europe and the UK…Locally, here in NZ, I may be playing at Splore in February…but it is not as yet confirmed.

6. New Zealand seems to have an abundance of reggae artists. Many of which are exploring electro-acoustic fusions. Are there any less well known artists you would recommend?

Yup …Ecophonic for one, plus Ddub are another good band, although my faves are Pitch Black and Salmonella Dub and thety are pretty well known…

Ashtech Interview

2011-10-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

Click the title to go to the artist's web-site

1) Which artists were your biggest inspirations?

I listened to a lot of music genres and countless artists since I was very young. I have been inspired by many artists, but not one in particular.

2) Cheshire Cat (Leftfield/Red Seal) m.c.’d on some of the tracks on Walking Target. Did you work on the vocals together or did he have a free reign?

Cheshire Cat wrote all the lyrics. He is not just a singer or an mc he is a great writer, after all that's his job.

3) Which do prefer playing the bass with Ashtech as a live group or the versatility of Ashtech dj sets?

I like to do both sets and I love the contact with the people. Of course when I play and I see people dancing at my own music, that's always a strong feeling.

4) You have shared the stage with famous artists like Tricky, Groove Armada and The Wailers. Which of the artists you’ve met so far did you most want to meet and why?

I did not have one artist in particular that I wanted to meet, I have been playing live since I was a teenager and It has been an honor to share the stage with each one of the artists I've met.

5) Are there any live shows in the near future?

I just finished my tour and right now I am starting to work on my next album. stay tuned!

6) For those unfamiliar with your music where can they hear your work?

download and physical are available via all major services worldwide, you can visit me at my web-site (see above) or on Myspace http://www.myspace.com/ashtechmusic

Swati Natekar Interview

2011-10-02T21:38:00.000-07:00

Press the title to go to Swati's web page.

1. When did you first become involved in music and who were your greatest influences?

To be honest, I didn’t even realize when I got into music. Born & brought up into a musical family, I studied music from my mother Dr. Sushila Pohankar, who herself was a musicologist & PhD in Indian Classical & Folk Music. I remember giving my first stage performance when I was 10. Because of my mother, lots of famous artists used to visit us, stay with us & perform at our place, which influenced me a lot. Also since childhood, I used to listen to lot of old records collected by my parents. Even today, those recording are still fresh in my memory! Without knowing, music became my life.

2. You have worked with many established artists, who did you enjoy working with most?

Really can’t mention one name (sorry, not trying to be politically correct!), as I had the opportunity to work with so many great artists! My first recording in UK was with Ustad Zakir Hussain, one of the greatest Tabla players. As the track was already filmed, to fit in free flowing Indian Classical melody on top of it was a real challenge! But I loved doing that. With Nitin Sawhney, I got to create Nadia & Beyond skin, which was fantastic. After recording the track ‘Miracle’ with Craig Armstrong, I got the opportunity to perform live with him alongside a 60 piece orchestra at the Barbican, as well as in Paris & Brussels. While recording ‘Jakatta – American Dream’, I hardly ever thought that one day this track would reach No#3 in the UK charts.

3. As well as working with Indian Classical music and Spiritual World/Lounge fusions you also perform Ghazals. My understanding is this is a form of Arabic poetry that spread into India. Could you explain more for the readers who are a novice when it comes to forms of Asian music?

Ghazal is a poetry which can be written in Arabic, Persian or Urdu. It has got couplets and each couplet can be based on different subject. It’s a form of Light music. I have been singing Urdu ghazals since the age of 15. I had so much passionate about Ghazals, that although it’s not my language, I learnt to sing by myself. In ghazals, Urdu diction and expression is extremely important. Both my Ghazal albums ‘Dhanak – The Rainbow’ and ‘Anjuman’ are the results of my love for Ghazals.

4. Where can people hear your music and do you have any live shows in the near future?

People can log on to www.myspace.com/swatinatekar, where they can listen to my latest tracks, as well as they can buy my albums there.

Classical listeners can log on to www.myspace.com/swatiraaga

Where as Ghazal lovers can listen to the clips from my albums on www.myspace.com/harmonycreationsltd

Some of my music performances and TV interviews can also be viewed on http://www.youtube.com/ by searching on the term “Swati Natekar”

Currently, I am promoting my latest Fusion album ‘Destiny Chakra’ along with my talented team of musicians & singers. This tour has been supported by the Arts Council of England & Wales and for that, I can not thank them enough! We started this tour by performing at Purcell Room, Southbank for Asian Music Circuit, followed by a performance at London Mela 2009, which was a great success!

Our next concert will be on the 29th September, when we are opening the season at the recently refurbished popula venue ‘Band on the Wall’ in Manchester, where we will be performing tracks live from ‘Destiny Chakra’. http://bandonthewall.org/events/2557/

Also, we have a forthcoming show on the 6th November at Cramphorn Theatre, Chelmsford, where I will be presenting a show Raga2Destiny – Passage to India, which will be a journey of Indian Music starting from Classical, through Thumree, Ghazals, Bollywood, ending towards Fusion, the latest popular trend in India. http://www.gdspromotions.com/

5. Living in London has obviously broadened your musical outlook and influenced your work to some degree. I guess some traditionalists would see that as a distraction from the study of the classical form. Would you agree?

I strongly feel that first, one needs to be trained properly. Your Guru gives you the vision, which helps you to study further on your own. At that stage, I don’t think it will make much difference by living anywhere in the world. In fact these days, as there are various avenues available to listen to music at your own convenience while sitting at home, if one has determination, one can certainly progress. Probably this is why we don’t value the knowledge available to us the way our previous generation did! Talking about the determination, I must mention about one of my students, who has continued with the music lessons through skype after she had to shift to New York and I am quite proud to say that she is doing very well. In fact, just couple of months ago, when my students held a function where they all had to perform, she gave her first skype performance.

For me, living in London has played a major role in my life and music. All these years, I silently worked on the knowledge passed by my mum and also tried to create my individual musical personality. At the same time, London has given me a wider perspective, a great vision, an opportunity to listen to different styles of music & also to collaborate with them. I owe a lot to this place. Without London being part of my life, you wouldn’t have seen the same Swati Natekar.

6. Which artists are exciting you at the moment?

Every day is different for me. I enjoy listening to different genres all the time. One day, I listen to famous Classical artist Ustad Amir Khan, Rashid Khan or my renowned elder brother Pt. Ajay Pohankar. On another day, I enjoy listening to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s quawwali. Next day I would listen to Ghazal Maestro Mehdi Hassan or Ghulam Ali. Many times I listen to Fusion albums. Artists like Hariharan, Niladri Kumar, Mekaal Hasan inspire me a lot. I also enjoy listening to Coldplay, Zoe Rahman & Jamie Cullum.

Perpetual Loop Interview

2011-10-02T21:36:00.000-07:00

Click the title to go to Perpetual Loops web-site.

Perpetual Loop a.k.a. Charles Massey from Manchester. Charles is an artist who fuses ethnic, balearic, ambient, breakz and soundscapes which have appeared on compiliations and has just completed his second album. You can also catch Perpetual loop live p.a.'s and d.j. sets at various festivals and club chillout areas.

1. You used to run a promotion in Liverpool playing house, progressive & trance. Which artistsinfluenced you to work in the ambient genre?

I've always loved ambient / chill out music, I'm a huge fan of Vangelis. Voices is one of my all time favourite albums. Other people include Simon Posford, his production style is amazing. Shpongle, Celtic Cross, Younger Brother, you can always recognise his work. I love cinematic music as well, Cliff Martinez and Clint Mansell to name a few. I actually stumbled into the ambient genre when sending of 4 track demo to record labels (three upbeat and one slow). It was the slow track that caught the eye of Organic Records.

2. In 2004 along with veterans Michael Dog (Megadog/Pushmipulyu) and Joie Hinton (Ozrics/Eat Static) you appeared on the Rumour Records release “Gateway to the Sun”. What did you learn from this experience?

To be honest I was not involved in compiling the actual release, that was more down to Chris Organic and Om Records. I was just lucky enough to be included in the release with the slow track mentioned above.

3. Where can people hear your music?

Well there's Myspace and SoundSauce. There's links to these sites on my own website http://www.perpetualloop.co.uk/ . I've recently put up on my site some DJ sets I've done, as well as few recent live performances. I'm a resident DJ at Fluid radio so mixes are sometimes played there, as well as Last FM. Of course there is also sunisshiningdubnchill.blogspot.com now. :-) I've had tracks released on Compilations such as Gateway to the Sun, Psymeditation I and Psymeditation II, as well as my own album called "Universal Flow". I've also recently started to play live PA sets and are always on the look out for more places to play. I love playing live! It's a real buzz. I've play downbeat as well as upbeat chilled sets depending on the venue. To date I've played a few festivals (Offworld and waveform) as well as Inspiral Lounge (Camden) and a few times at Tribe of Frog (Bristol). My music is pitched as "psy-chill" but I think it's much wider than that and therefore I'm trying to play at a wider range of venues. I'd love to get out to Ibiza and do a few gigs there, but then again I'm sure alot of people are thinking exactly the same thing.

4. You’re currently working on a new album. Is there any new hardware or software you’re using on the project which excites you?

Well the album (Catching Zinc) is now finished, and should be getting released later this year. I actually made the decision to remove most of the my hardware from my set up. I use to have a 48 track desk, with several effect units, and a Super Bass Station, Emu Orbit and a Supernova (which I loved). Anyway most things these days can be done in Plug-in form like the Novation v-station being a softsynth of the supernova, so I sold it all. That way I have studio at home with a hefty computer, but also I can replicate the same set up on my Laptop and take that with me. What excited me the most was probably the Thor inclusion into Reason. An amazing peace of equipment. Cakewalk's Rapture is also pretty impressive. The first album was very much sample based from Reason, where this one was much more instrument driven and loads and loads of plugins over everything. I got to grip more with the production side things with this release as well and Wavelab has to be my choice for that.

5. You’re classically trained on both the cello and piano and havewritten film soundtracks. Which do you find more challenging playingas part of an orchestra or creating someone’s vision employing thecomputer as your orchestra?

That's a really cool question. Definitely the latter,as you are responsible for all the instruments and how they sit with each other, and not just one. I played the cello when I was younger and one thing that frustrated me at the time about it was that generally to play any peace of music you would need the rest of the orchestra with you. You were part of it which was great, but practicing was a bit isolated. Then I moved to the piano, basically because you can play the whole peace of music on your own with out the dependency being there. Now with computers you have the best of both words. You create the entire peace of music on your own but with the backing of 30 - 40 virtual players. Technology has really opened up the possibilities.

6. Which artists impress you at the moment?

I'm really loving the internet. It opens up your access to artists that the you would never encounter in the conventional music store. I use music-map.com allot of the time to find new artists that sound like artists I already know and like. Currently, I still love Shpongle and younger brother. Other artists are Phutureprimitive, Ted Madison, Ulrich Schnauss, Eat Static, Enoch Prusak , Chime, Snakestyle, OmniMotion and Lunar Sound, to name a view!

Mystical Sun Interview

2011-10-02T21:34:00.000-07:00

Click the title to download a Mystical Sun podcast for Ambient : Emissions of Sonic Beauty.

Mystical Sun is an aloof ambient project from California in the United States. His releases utilize both organic and synthetic elements as well as using custom built instruments to create an ethereal exploration into sound.

Q: How significant is heliolatry in choosing the name Mystical Sun and how does this reflect the music that you’re producing?

It plays a part on multiple levels. There are several layers of meaning in the name. In studying and reading about other cultures, particularly ancient ones, the Sun has always been central. You can find winged sun discs all the way from Egypt to pre-Columbian Americas. The physical Sun is something phenomenal. There would be no us without Sun, this is all possible because of it. The name is and homage to that as well.

Another meaning for the name is more akin to the spirit of the Sun as a being, entity or life-form. Somehow our brains are networked to the Sun and in the future I think we will discover that the magnetic fields produced by the Sun have effects on human consciousness.

Hopefully the music functions like the Sun and brings people some electromagnetic nourishment.

Q: When did you first start creating music and when did you find yourself drawn towards the ambient genre?

A: Creating music is something I've seriously explored since the early 90's when the project was intentionally formed to create this type of sound.

The mission began before I was aware of the genre. It began when electronic music was more underground and less infected by pop music culture. Creating cinematic soundtracks, atmospheric worlds, and dissolving time is the mission.

Q: For people visiting California are there any festivals or clubs you would recommend?

California has festivals and clubs of all kinds and many active scenes. There is the annual Earthdance Festival and several others that happen at various times around the year. Northern and Southern California are very different and sport alternative scenes. If someone is visiting California they'll have plenty of options. I tend remain peripheral to all this activity.

The best part about California though is the land itself. California has amazing terrains to explore like a multitude of beaches, deep ocean coastlines, high deserts, sand dunes, the lowest place in the northern hemisphere, alpine lakes, rolling grasslands with dotted oaks, ancient boreal rain forests, the oldest and biggest living life-forms on Earth, lava beds, several mountain ranges, inland seas, a 14,000 ft. volcano and sister volcanoes of immense power, a mega volcano and forest river systems. To fully explore all the terrains in California would take someone several decades.

Q: When creating music what do you prefer using most hardware, software or organic instruments?

All three. My criteria is the sound first, the source of the sound isn't as important as to whether or not the sound is what the track needs. I have several acoustic, ethnic and electronic instruments and a vast sound library that I have been building up since the 90's. I mix everything "in the box" now, in the past I had an elaborate mixer/effects rig analog tape based studio. I prefer to work digitally now because it allows for maximum flexibility and the option to evolve tracks over years with no sound degradation. When I work on a track, I hear the instruments and sounds in it, before they are actually added, so my task is to find the closest sound to what I am hearing in my mind.

Q: Where can people unfamiliar with Mystical Sun hear your music?

On the internet. This music difficult to find so the best way to find it is online. The internet really helped early on, because it enabled the music to reach the distant sets of listeners who are looking for something different.

The best and prescribed way to listen to the albums is on CD or in lossless format digitally. There are settings that work best. Like a sunset ride, drive some place cool during a sunset and start the CD. Space exploring, wait until late at night, wear a full set of headphones and listen. In the background, just put the music on all day long and ignore it. I've designed utility in there intentionally.

I'd like to get across to new listeners that the music is non-linear and moves through time in a different way than other music. A different way of listening opens many doors to understanding the tracks. The tracks are growers meaning, they make more sense over time.

Q: Apart from Mystical Sun are there any other projects you’re involved in?

Not right now, Mystical Sun is all I have time for.

With the longest solar eclipse due in 2009 there are various festivals running this theme. For those with a deeper interest there is this DVD from the Exploratorium & NASA. The soundtrack is by Mystical Sun

http://www.ideum.com/portfolio/total_eclipse

Tatva Kundalini talks about Chill Om

2011-10-02T21:32:00.000-07:00

Press the title above for a link to download a mix from Tatva Kundalini

THE IDEA BEHIND CHILL OM:

Chill Om started basically because of the frustration that I was facing a couple of years back to produce, release and promote the sound that I wanted to specialise in. The movement started 8-9 years back when I was producing music and a lot of indian major record labels ruled the music scene in the country and of course there was no space for independent music back then. Also, the majors had absolutely no idea about the global new age independent music industry that had already been existing in the worldwide scenario...the indian majors as I mentioned above were far behind in there strategies to promote new music and were not supporting good music..it seemed their final aim was to only make money...in chill om records perspective, of course money is important but not the most important thing. So basically, there was no outlet back then which could really do justice to the music and the existing labels. They were giving most of the independent artistes a tough time, so I guess as an artiste I took it upon my head to initiate Chill Om records and help support independent talent and here we are today...one of India's top independent record label promoting, producing and releasing music from great global music architects from around the world.

THE JOURNEY:

The journey for sure has been very adventurous. Considering the fact that when we started the only thing we had were lots of positive energy, passion, good music, exactly 100 dollars and a lot of support from fellow artistes who are now exclusive Chill Om records artistes...Over the past couple of years, artistes and all the crew members have made it possible for us to sustain what Chill Om intended to do and be strong and keep it going...its a label for the artistes, by the artistes and of the artistes.

INFLUENCES:

Lots and lots, life, struggle, hardships, my dogs, sepultura, slayer, massive attack, bjork, state of bengal, skazi, aluna, aerospace, vaishyas...the list goes on.....

INITIAL DAYS AND STRUGGLE:

No regrets at all..the struggle as I mentioned was of course there..but all of us have to sometimes realise that we all are born rich... you get successful in real life, when u get successful in your head...its simple...life is beautiful and simple..may god give more power to all the souls...hari om!

CURRENT GIGS:

All over india, dubai next week, then a russian tour in early june...full power full on!

JACK AND JILL:

Jack and Jill is Tatva Kundalini's next full length completely progressive record. The record is up for release in the month of July. There is going to be an all india pre-release tour for the same. I think after all the successful releases on Chill Om such as Azaad-e, the internationally acclaimed Swaraaj, the Indian Electronic Café comps, Jack and Jill for sure comes as a full live dance record that is going to establish the Indian dance movement worldwide...may the revolution keep sinkin deeper and deeper...

Hari om

Tatva Kundalini

http://www.myspace.com/tatvaindia

http://www.myspace.com/chillomrecords

A.I.A. Interview

2011-10-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

A.I.A or Ambient Intelligence Application is a new upcoming ambient, down-tempo group from Greece who are trying to explore some new atmospheric paths...this group consists mostly from two brothers (writing, producing ,djing,...) I spoke to Konstantinos one half of A.I.A. about the project.

1. Which artists inspired you most to work in the ambient genre?

We could say, that some of the artists inspired us are Robert Rich, Jean Michelle Jarre, Vangelis Pathanasiou, Brian Eno, Ian Boddy.The sound from these artists was the first feeling, which took us inside the world of ambient.It’s difficult to say and stop only on these artists, being an influence to us. Influence is all things and all situations around us. So we would say, influence is a whole mixture of situations, feelings, nature and music and not only some certain artists.

2. For readers visiting Athens which clubs or festivals would you recommend?

To be honest there are no clubs focused on chill-out, ambient music in Athens.
Only some production teams are organizing some events where well-known artists are invited to perform live or dj’ing. There are some teams like: Art Ubber Ales, Organic Dream which try to keep the chill-out spirit alive. Regarding festivals it is a big story. After the legendary festivals in Samothraki Island, many organization teams start making efforts for similar festivals. We would like also mention the Aurora team which tries to help the Greek scene. Another festival is Mafia island fest, organized by the same people who organized the legendary Samothraki dance festivals. Unfortunately this festival is in Africa miles away from Greece. We wish them good luck with this.

3. You released your debut album "Physical Moments" on Ajana records in 2009. Could you tell us more about the album?

Well the shared vision and the basic idea of forming came to us on Samothraki Island in the year 2005. Where we performed as chill-out dj's (and not with the name A.I.A). As a part of the dj sets we used live compositions. Our audience enjoyed it and that was the beginning for creating the album “Physical Moments”. Our common vision is to create new sounds that could be listened to at home as well as a festival. It’s a mixture of sounds created and recorded live in a dj set.

4. Which artists currently impress you?

It is impossible to name the entire artists that impress us. We have a large collection from all kind of music. We can name few: Desiderii Marginis, Subheim, Field Rotation, Mike Sheridan, Bersian Quartet, Half Dub Theory, Somnia records, Ultimae records, Younger Brother, Shpongle, Kaya Project, Makyo, Niyaz and many more….  Also, some post alternative rock and ethnic sounds pass through our headphones.

5. Are there any plans to take A.I.A. on tour in the future?

Yes there are plans to take A.I.A on tour and we hope to participate in festivals during summer 2010 as a dj & live act. Nothing yet is confirmed. We still try to focus on preparing the live performance to be sure 100%, continuing to add to our studio set-up to make new tracks and more interesting sounds.

6. Where can readers unfamiliar with A.I.A. hear your music?

In a few months the official A.I.A. site will be uploaded. On there, our fans will be able to listen to new tracks, re-mixes and dj sets. Until then, our home is on Ajana records web-site and our Myspace profile (click the header to go there).

Filthy Kicks Interview

2011-10-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

1) Your sound is a mash up of rap, breaks, drum n bass, synths, drums, gypsy violin & alluring female vocals. Collectively do you share a passion for all of these genres? Or are you gelling each others tastes to form the finished product?

I think it’s more of the latter. We all have a hugely varying taste in music. Personally I (Darren – synth / programming) listen to a lot of drum and bass and hip hop, but I grew up on 60s music, studied classical guitar and soak up world music as well. Ibrahim (DJ / MC) DJs a lot of electro and breaks and the Beats Boy is a funk man. Roland has spent years recording film soundtracks and opera, Violeta studies classical violin and Jana is a classically trained vocalist who has a healthy respect for dirty beats and bass. This mix of styles and influences definitely contributes to the varied sound of the band.

2) Considering the multi-cultural society of Britain today and popular music like Reggae initially being brought over in the 60's by the Jamaican immigrants. Are you hoping to open the minds of the younger (or even older generations) who are unfamiliar or have limited knowledge of the Klezmer music sound?

I guess although that’s a part of what we do, we’re really just setting out to make music that people can dance to. Often with bands that set out to update ‘world music’, it seems the traditional aspect of the music comes first, with the modern styles coming almost as an afterthought. For a Filthy Kicks tune to work, we try to really make the styles blend - beats and dirty synths that you’d expect to hear in a club in 2009 as well as modal violin melodies. In many ways if we can make someone who already appreciates folk tunes dance like a maniac to dirty drum and bass, then I’d consider that more of a success.

3) You’re advertising yourselves as live group. So I guess you're using hardware rather than software, as well as many organic instruments. Are any of you classically trained? Or is it more a case of being self-taught on the synthetic/percussion and passed down from parent to sibling on the strings?

We actually combine hardware and software in our live performances. I think we’re up to a count of 3 Macs for the live set-up so far… But essentially we’re combining that sound with the liveness of the drums, violin and vocals. Plus everything is performed by us – there are no loops or samples in the backing. Two-thirds of the band have had formal classical training. I think that comes through most with Violeta (violin) and Jana (vocals) who have both been to music college. Ro and I have also had classical training, but when we’re making dirty squelch noises on a synth, it’s much more about simplicity and filth.

4) Are there any album releases or gigs planned for the near future?

We’re booking gigs all over London at the moment, and will be touring the rest of the country in a few months. The next gig date will be headlining a massive Club Neurotica Valentine’s party somewhere in London. The location is so secret even we don’t know where we’re playing yet… Check our Myspace page for details of tickets for that and future gigs. As regards the album, we’ve spent a few months writing and rehearsing, and yes, now it’s definitely time to get the album ready. No firm date yet, but we have the Crave EP on Myspace as a taster. We’re hoping to have another few tracks soon, and will let you know when the album’s ready to go.

5) Which artists are impressing you recently?

The Apples – crazy hip hop / funk / turntablist crew from NY and Tel Aviv
Mud Sun – UK / Canada hip hop collabo – conscious party music
Low – beautiful down-tempo soundscapes from the US
Chase and Status – D’n’b / dubstep with basslines to die for
SKC – Hungarian euphoric drum and bass producer
K’naan – Somalian rapper now in the US
Edit – Glitch hop with ridiculously filthy basslines
Plus old favourites like Portishead, Reprazent, Prodigy, Cinematic Orchestra, The Roots, and on and on and on

6) Which artists inspired you most in forming your sound?

I think it was people like Nitin Sawhney and Talvin Singh, and also Asian Dub Foundation I guess, who were pushing the boundaries of the Asian sounds. They showed people years ago that it was possible to fuse the old and the new in inspirational and dance-friendly ways. Other bands like Oi Va Voi have been an influence along the way. Really though the major influence has been live dance music – drum and bass, breaks, hip hop. Bands like London Electricity, The Cinematic Orchestra or The Bays, who have taken the dance music template and created something new and exciting in a live context.

Don Peyote Interview

2011-10-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

1. When did you start to take an interest in making music and who were your biggest influences?

I started making music in the late seventies, played guitar in funk/avant-guarde band in Sydney, Australia. I was also involved in the production side of the studio recordings.....in those days big analog desks and great hardware Fx....
my biggest influence at the time :Bill Laswell, Brian Eno, Steve Roach, King Tubby, Pink Floyd & Miles Davis......
"my life in the bush of ghost" album by David Byrne & Brian Eno had a profound effect on me, it was the first time i heard ethnic sampling mixed with funky beats. Still a favourite!

2. Which approach do you prefer when composing a track. Organic? Synthetic? Or a fusion of the two?

It often starts with a simple synthetic kind of back drop, drums & bass lines and then add live elements. I play guitar, bass and live percussion on my recordings and often enlist the help of maestro multi instrumentalist friend of mine Dan Richardson who plays all sorts of flutes (metal & bamboo) and also sax and trumpet. This gives the music a 'live' feel, a good blend of natural and synthetic mix and the unquantized human factor....

3. Do you find your music more popular in Australia or world-wide?

I would say world wide. I have sold a good amount of cd's overseas because the market for down tempo/ethno beats lovers is bigger abroad than here. Chill space at festivals is a relatively new thing at festivals here. So for a chilled music producer the opportunities to get exposure are a bit limited here....The aussies liked their music quite wild and banging...

4. You have worked in film and television soundtracks do you find this allows you to explore your tastes fully or is it more restrictive than making your own albums?

In producing your own album ,you are the decision maker ,you call the shots .you can be as indulgent as you like and explore to satisfy your heart content. With films and documentary your are dealing with the "director’, the film industry producers and directors can sometimes be very pedendic,difficult and cryptic individuals. A few years ago this 'nature/documentary' director hired me to do a soundtrack; the 'brief' was nature sounds and acoustic instruments,
I plugged away for days and was happy with the result, sent a dat tape away.....A phone call later. The director was not too impressed with the result of my 3 days recording sessions and kept saying i want the music 'big and spacious' but was not able describe his vision further....
this process went on for weeks me sending him stuff and him still not happy and feeling just lukewarm about my musical offerings....An awkward situation..
So i said, can you play me some music, what you have in mind. He then managed to play me an extract from “river dance' the Irish musical over the phone....So i hired a fiddle player and a guitar picker and anything i sent to him from then on was approved with a big yes...So working for films & doco's is trial and error, a bit restrictive at times and can be an exercise in dealing with quite eccentric characters....
but it's all good. I feel blessed spending my time following my musical passion and getting hired & paid for it!

5. Which venues/festivals would you recommend to others?

In australia I'd recommend the 'Rainbow serpent" in rugged country Victoria and 'Exodus' in the lush sub-tropical settings of northern New South Wales. I did a small tour of Canada this year and 'Diversity' on texada island and 'Lasqueti escape' on lasqueti island were very friendly and much fun!!

6. Where can people hear and purchase your music?

my latest cd 'Peyote dreaming' is available to purchase on my web sites and my space:
http://www.donpeyote.com/goods.php
http://www.myspace.com/peyotesoundsystem

Alternatively just type 'Peyote dreaming' in a Google search and you will find numerous online stores who stock the cd.

Matt B of RND interview

2011-10-02T21:24:00.000-07:00

1. Which artists/clubs inspired you to form this electro-dub act?

The obvious answer would be DUB of course even tho my very 1st contact with playing live music was punk music. Dub is a quite simple music still very complex at the same time. I myself being interested with music production and sound engineering since day 1 , dub literally opened a new way to look at it. Also on a composition level and of course when it comes to performing a piece of music live. The mixing desk becomes an instrument itself with an endless number of possibilities and tricks. Dub was my foot in the door with electronic music. From there I was lucky enough to live in London during the time labels like WARP and REPHLEX were leading and inspiring the underground music scene.in the 90s. Which were a very interesting time for me and being in UK when bands like Prodigy and Meat Beat Manifesto were making history I was very lucky indeed.

From then on, there have been so many outstanding artists that directly or not inspired me I would find very hard make a comprehensive list .
Lee "Scratch" Perry, Twilight Circus, Mad Professor , Creation Rebel, Rhythm & Sound, Scape music, Soul Jazz Records are some of the artists and labels that I feel particularly attached to.

2. You appear to be a bit of a globe trotter residing in Italy, London and now Tokyo as well as touring widely. Where do find seems to have the most innovative music scenes at the moment?

I think you can find innovative music a bit everywhere really,the problem is wheter or not that music is coming to the surface and as consequence being approached by the masses. Right now Montreal is definitely somewhere to look at , with the Turbo Crunk crew doing some awesome stuff.

I have always been a bit of a fan of some of the Canadian hip hop since back in the 90s actually.Here in Tokyo the Made In Glitch crew is basically the only party existent in Japan offering something trurly different from any other promoter. We have been working hard trying to build this scene with our trademark Made in Glitch blend of hip hop and glitch, powered by laser basses .

3. Were you aiming to combine the electronic with the organic for the live tours? By adding Viscount on bass & programming and Shinsuke Inoue on tablas to the act and even featuring the Londonreggae m.c. Brother Culture.

Viscount: I think these days audiences want to see more of a live act than a few guys behind laptops. Although live digital manipulation is a fundamental part of dub, we also wanted the feel and energy of a live bass (probably the essence of dub itself), and of course an m.c to cheer things along. Any percussion or drums are basically the icing on the cake......

4. D.J.'ing wise do you prefer decks, cd decks or laptop software?

Dj'ing wise I prefer vinyl's simply because that’s what I started with and I'm ok using CDj's. It's honestly not much fun doing a djset on a laptop. Myself I prefer using laptops for live sessions.

5. What was the first record/c.d. you brought with your own money?

It was a tape and it was Kick by INXS in the ‘87
I still quite like some aspects of that album.

6. Do you have any current releases and where can people hear the music?

As for RND ,there is the full length album Ask The Dust that came out last spring. There is also ‘Tortuga’ , an RND’ track we wrote in collaboration with recently released on this compilation called Brixton Session out on Celestial Dragon.

And we just finished recording some new tracks with Mikey Murka.Currently doing the mixdown.

7. Your also involved in glitch and dub-step projects do you see these scene's fizzling out or as a whole new generations underground scene that will eventually become part of popular music?

I don’t know if we can talk about a scene as a whole. I mean a scene is made up by people, people do their things, grow up and pass away. The regeneration of a scene will always lead to a shift from the original purpose/direction, so I am not sure how any scene is truely existing as a whole or a passing fad. Dub-step has been out there for 10 years almost, it is morphing into something different from what it was but that really applies to any other style of music.If you listen to some 90s dub is very different from a classic ’70 plate and really that’s the way it should be.It's evolution and it is a natural process.

glitch-hop is something that interest me also, being a fan of hip- hop. I especially got the 90s sounds (Six Too, Latryx, Company Flow, Anti Pop Consortium). I see glitch-hop as the combination of hip-hop with some sort of idm'ish sounds and some electro-punk feel ; the results is something definitely accessible to the masses. More of a party vibe, especially compared to something like dub-step.

DJ Fada Interview

2011-10-02T21:22:00.000-07:00

Click the title to go to her myspace page.

1) Which artists or parties inspired you to d.j. in the psy-chill and progressive styles?

I have been involved with the electronic music parties since 2003 when I started working with decor ( back drops, psychedelic fluorescents etc.) in Vitória / Espírito Santo (Artfluor Deco www.artfluor.com.br). It was also where the electronic psy scene was in fact established in my city, the parties were overflowing at weekends.

Over time, there was a need to create an alternative environment in some parties, so chillout started to appear here. We began to take care of chillout because we were among the few who knew and loved this style of music. In the beginning I appreciated some artists like Shpongle, Talvin Sighn, Apollo 440, Aural Planet, Saafi Brothers, Hallucinogen, among others. After the test of time with several studies of the genre, my passion for chillout was strengthened by having contact with Aes Dana, Asura, Carbon Based Lifeforms, Electrypnose, Entheogenic, Cell, Master Margherita, Androcell, Distant System, Solar Fields and many others who actually create pleasurable sensations with sound, or music that affects the deep conscious, taking the listener into a state of reflection and personal development.

In 2006 after becoming tired of hearing the same style of sound that most djs always insisted on playing in the more dance floor orientated scene. I found the progressive sound to be more modest than full on psy and very nice to dance to. Then I discovered the dark progressive or psygressive style released by the artist “Sensient” and decided that this was exactly the sound I wanted to play. In fact I was the first dj to play this style in my city. It took years to buy equipment and expand my contacts and it was at that point things started to fall in place. Now I'm at the stage of pulling all my experiences together and displaying this with my sets.

2) Your name “Fada” translated into English means “Fairy” how did that name come about?

It was Rabana my husband and working partner who gave me this nickname. He always had a passion about fairies and always painted them in his art. When we met he looked at me and declared that I was like a fairy and asked if he could call me that. So all our friends here and all the people I know call me this as well ... if you ask for Andreia Mendes nobody know who I am, Fada has become my name.

3) How do you see music evolving in the future?

It is difficult to provide you with any direction or trend. As electronic music, especially, became a manifestation of sound, mixed with other styles and instruments, producing infinite combinations of probabilities. I believe that music can operate according to our personal development as a vehicle for synchronization with the universe. I admire the studies of the Akasha Project on universal vibration, how to define the sound of the universe and how it is based upon ourselves. All this is well explained in his site (http://www.akashaproject.de/).

4) For anyone visting Brazil which parties or festivals would you recommend and why?

Because Brazil is a very large country, there are many festivals for various occasions which appeal to various sections of our society. There’s the New Year's festival, Universe Paralello (www.universoparalello.art.br) that occurs in summer in the ocean coast of Bahia. There’s the Cachoeira Alta festival (www.cachoeiraaltafestival.com.br) which is surrounded by waterfalls and mountains, located inland in the Minas Gerais State. Also in Minas they have the Samsara Festival (www.myspace.com / samsarafestival). And to the north, in Maranhão, is the Festival Fora do Tempo or Out of Time Festival (www.festivalforadotempo.art.br) that values the Mayan culture and is on the edge of a river and close to the natural caves. I could not leave out Trancendence (www.trancendence.com.br), one of the most traditional Brazilian festivals and the heart of Goiás. In Brazil there are areas of Cerrado (savanna) at any time of year there will be a festival somewhere there.

5) Do you play many home grown artists in your sets? If so, which ones would you recommend?

I'd recommend

Pedra Branca http://www.pedrabranca.mus.br/

Salvinorin http://www.myspace.com/salvinorinspace

LSDream http://www.myspace.com/mindream

Uakti http://www.uakti.com.br/

Dj Soneca http://www.trottermusic.com.br/

Cine Mad in Chaos http://www.cinemadinchaos.com/

Phunk Dub http://www.myspace/com/phunkdub

Terra Patris http://www.terrapatris.com.br/

among others.

6) Where can people hear you d.j. this year?

At celebrations of the Espírito Santo primarily, Foro De Tempo, Shivarati dance festival. I will disclose more when it is confirmed on my myspace page. Incidently, it is far easier for Brazilian underground artists to be heard in other countries than here in our own.

7) Have you or do you have any plans to release music of your own?

Yeah, sure. I learnt music production and have taken many exams. I'm still baptizing the projects and preparing for a few tracks of psy chillout & psygressive that I will be announcing in the not to distant future.

Steve Miller a.k.a. Afterlife Interview

2011-10-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

1) Which genres and artists were the major influences in developing your sound?

Everything that I have ever heard that I liked, especially dub (Sly and Robbie, Lee Perry, Bob Marley, Studio one, Peter Tosh) Jazz and Blues (Coltrane, Sinatra, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Bessie Smith, Quincy Jones, all the old blues players, Seasick Steve, George Gershwin, Lalo Schifrin), Rock ( Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Stones, Beatles, the whole 70s thing), House Music ( I could go on all day)

2) You have a new album called "Electrosensitive" due out this year. Can fans expect more of the same. Or would you say your style has taken a different direction?

I've been told it's my best album so far, more songs, lots of different vibes including a deep house tune featuring Sharon Musgrave who sang on "Fascinating Rythmn" by Bassomatic (William Orbit) and a classy parisian dub featuring Juanita Grande who works with Charles Schilling. You can hear both of these at www.myspace.com/stevemillerisafterlife

3) You have collaborated with a range of artists including Danni Minogue, Cathy Battistessa and Chris Coco. You also have a project with Chris "the Normalites" with a preview e.p. released recently. How does this project differ to the chilled balearic sound that you and Chris are known for?

Like any collaboration it's a mixture of both of our vibes but I find what also happens in a collaboration is there's a real sense of the unknown, anything can happen and probably will because there's a greater sense of experimentation and bouncing mad ideas off each other. What's come out of this so far is guitar based dub and satirical lyrics with the odd bit of house and ambient drum and bass, we have no idea what will happen next but I'm looking forward to it.

4) Are there any Afterlife live shows or are you d.j.'ing at any events?

I'm booked to play in a bullring in Ondara near Denia, Spain for a new festival called Dance4 Life
in June, also looking at Moscow, Ibiza, Amsterdam but it's really difficult as wifi gives me a headache so I have to specify wifi free zones and that is not always possible hence the name of the new album.

5) You have appeared on Cafe Del Mar compilations. Are you a seasonal visitor to the Islands yourself? If so which artists do you see breakin' through big this year in Ibiza's balearic and chillout scene?

I visited Ibiza every year from 1994 to 2003 and will probably return this year to promote my album. There are so many new artists it's very hard to say but I do know that Chris Coco has got a brilliant new album coming out called "Feel Free Live Good" which is fresh, quirky, super balearic and in the best tradition inspired by his time there last year. One Eskimo should do really well and Gelka and anything else on Wax On Records.

6) Which artist you haven't already worked with would you like to any why?

Quincy Jones, I could learn so much, he's a genius and so humble too.

7) What advice would you give to inspiring artists just starting out?

Do what you love and stick to your guns.

Liquid Stranger Interview

2011-10-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

1.Which artists or clubs inspired you to work in the dub genre?

To me, dub is more a way of manipulating and reshaping recordings than it is a certain style of music. I do enjoy the roots dub from Augustus Pablo, and King Tubby. However, I also find inspiration from all kinds of different music, and life in general. Funny enough, the music from vintage computer games has been a great influence. Then again, most of the time a melody or rhythm usually pops up in my head when I am driving, working out, or making food...

2. Is your music entirely synthetic or do you add live instrumentation at gigs?

Whether I use acoustic (live) elements depends on the track. If I am after something organic, I might add live percussion, guitar, flutes, etc. Since I am mostly playing gritty dubstep when I am performing live nowadays, I do not normally add acoustic instrumentation. I bring my analogue modular system to every gig, creating bass lines and fx as I go. It is a very flexible and creative way of performing live.

3. You seem to be quite experimental in fusing genres and the use of sound fx. Do you try and push the musical boundaries of dub or does it just come out unconsciously?

It is not something I think about.

4. Which artists are impressing you recently?

I do not search for music much nowadays, and I am not keeping up to date with what is being released. A lot of people send me music, so most of the music I listen to is either made by my friends, or something I hear when I am out playing. Dorothy's Magic Bag and Goto80 always impresses (amuses) me, I like the hard dubstep/techstep from Rottun recordings, and yeah, I heard this great marimba band when I was touring Canada. They were brilliant!

5. What direction do you see electronica heading in the future?

Well, ten years ago the genres were more easily defined. Lately there has been so much fusing of genres, so I do not even know what electronica is anymore. I like that evolution. No style, no boundaries, just good vibrations!

6. Do you have any new releases in store and where can people hear your music?

Yep, I have a bunch of dubstep releases coming up, for example on Rottun Recordings and Adversion Records. Planning a new album that might come out on Interchill next year. Where can people hear your music? Ha ha, just Google Liquid Stranger. There are tons of sites/stores with my music out there. It is so easy to get hold of music today. “underground” does not really exist anymore.

7. Any advice for people getting started with electronic music?

Start simple - do not buy too much gear, you do not need it. Get productive - Do not focus too much on tiny production details. Make more songs instead.Have fun - Experiment, do not take it too seriously.

For a more up-to-date interview here's one I did for Chillbase http://www.chillbase.org/interviews/172-liquid-stranger-interview.html

Abakus Interview

2011-10-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

1. Being the son of the Kinks founder Ray Davies you obviously were raised in a musical background and found many influences with in the family home. Which artists or music scenes outside of that circle first attracted your attention?

Well I grew up as a teenager in London and it was the techno/trance scene from 1993 onwards which was my main influence, I loved it. I was never really a record collector in those days, I listened more to compilations and mix tapes. There were some keys albums though that definitely stood out as my soundtrack to my youth. A compilation called Reactive 10 (1995) - I loved this album so much and probably listened to it a million times back them. Journey by DJ mixed by Paul Oakenfold (1994) was also pretty sweet - and it has one of my favourite musical moments of all time -The eerie 'Possible Worlds' by The Shaman, which appears near the end of the mix. Also The Future Sound of London album Lifeforms, which was an magical masterpiece - no-one has come close since.

2. Where can people hear your music and do you have any live dates planned?

With the previous album I toured the world quite a bit playing at festivals and parties, around Europe, Japan, Russia, Australia... So now I've released the second album I'll be doing the same again. At this very moment I'm organizing a tour of America for spring 2009.

3. You had a new album "We Share The Same Dreams" out early last month. Which seems more uptempo than the previous albums blend of down-tempo, ambient, dub & acoustic styles are you expanding into new territories?

The sound of the new album is different, but it's still the same spirit - It's just created in a different period of time. The album is all upbeat dance and is influenced mostly from all the cool music that has been coming out of house/minimal/electro in the last four years, such as people like Dusty Kid, Shonky, Lindstrom, Bookshade/Mandy, Alden Tyrell, Loco Dice, Tiefschwarz, Andomat3000 and so on.. I think really these scenes have by far been the most forward thinking and progressive and there is now this really cool hybrid zeitgeist techno sound. So I guess the new album is influenced mostly by this movement in music but definitely with my own sound in there - of course it's important to keep your own personal touch.

4. Which artists are currently impressing you?

I have really eclectic taste and am not into a style of music purely because I'm into the 'culture'. In whatever genre I'm listening I just look for something really fresh and original. I'm really not into bandwagon music, and probably 99.9% of all producers today are bandwagon producers. But occasionally someone comes along and does something really fresh. I listed some artists in the preview question which fulfil this category for sure. I'm also really into the French electro producers at the moment - I really love their no nonsense approach. Most of the stuff on Edbanger Records and Recordmakers Records is pretty sweet.. And German labels like Boxer Sport and Bpitch are great for modern techno. I also love all the disco related productions on labels Environ, Clone, Eskimo.

5. What venues/clubs have inspired you over the years?

My teenage years throughout the 90's we're spent in clubs around London, and it was the electronic scene of that period which was my real influence. So it was the early trance/techno being played in places like Tyson Street, The Fridge, Battersea Power station. I think my first pivotal club was in 1994 at Megatripolis @ Heaven on the Thursday - although that meant bunking school the next day.

6. What's the best advice you've ever been given regarding writing music?

Don't be a bandwagon producer. Longevity is the key.

7. What direction do you see electronic music heading in the future?

That's pretty hard to say. Technology will always effect electronic music - and who knows what wonderful technological developments wait for us round the corner. And with it musical ideas will continue to sprout in infinite different directions, as it currently is. But although musical creativity is wild and infinite, human culture moves at a much more sluggish pace. And electronic music is very much defined by current culture, so this is the most defining aspect I think. Occasionally some new 'thing' comes along that will root a musical creative concept into a scene. Then all the bandwagon producers jump on and create enough similar sounding music to play for a whole night. And there you have a new culture of music and people and ideals, and after the initial explosion of creativity and freshness comes the mind numbing and gruelling process of watching the late adopters and laggards encroach on the scene who begin stripping it of any dignity and class it once had. Either way though change does happen and when it does it a wonderful thing. If we're talking purely from a musical perspective a common trend in electronic music is the fusion of old ideas and modern ideas, the oscillating to-and-fro from futuristic to retro and back again. And as the history of electronic music grows and expands into the future so does the possibility for fusion. Producers will keep on referencing difference eras of music whilst fusing it with the latest sound and technology. So in the future for electronic music I guess we'll just see a greater and broader oscillation between past and future ideas, some great new technology and techniques, and a whole plethora of youth cultures sprouting accordingly to changes in music to declare their status as devout followers of this new 'sound' and hence, in their eyes, the coolest people around.

Russ Davies a.k.a. Abakus

http://www.myspace.com/artistabakus

Jiang Liang Interview

2011-10-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

When I came across Jiang Liang on Sly & Robbies Myspace friends. I immediately took notice of the traditional reggae and dub vibe of tracks like "Kong" and "Ye Gou Shan" as well as what this artist is trying to accomplish. I hope you can take the time to read the interview and listen to his music. I think this guy could make an impact on the reggae scene in the future.

http://www.myspace.com/reggaechina

1. Which artists inspired you to work with the Reggae sound?

Bob Marley, Burning Spear, Sly & Robbie, King Tubby,etc.....At the beginning, I like roots reggae very much. Then, I was interested in DUB and music of instrumental performance.

2. You say you aim to make Reggae big in China. With such a vast population that sounds like a big task. Are there any Reggae radio shows in China that would reach the rural communities or do you hope to achieve this with live performances?

In China, people rarely listen to radio shows. The source of information and the ways Chinese people getting to know different kinds of music are TV, Internet, magazines, CDs, live performances. I do hope to achieve my goal with live performances. But, recently, I am playing music all by myself. I am playing all the instruments and recording my own music all by myself. I am need people to play with me. I am really longing for finding some musicians to play with me as a band. I am looking for help and support. So far, Reggae is not a major popular music in China yet, coz there is a large number of people don’t know about reggae. At the beginning, it’s hard to get reggae into the major media in China. But, I still see a big market for reggae in China. There are already so many people are crazy about reggae music and this kind of culture, especially among the young generation. Everyone who has ever listened to or gets to know reggae falls in love with this music. I am sure there will be more and more people in China love reggae. I am very confident about the success of reggae in China. So I hope to promote reggae as a way of life and a culture. it’s very fresh to Chinese people.

3. Where can people hear and purchase your music?

Recently, people can only hear my music on My space. I am looking for producers or records companies who could co-operate with me or publish my music.I would also like to learn more ways to let more and more people to get to know China’s reggae music.

4. Which artists are currently impressing you?

There are so many, any good music or musician would impress me. I like listening to various kinds of music, in addition to reggae. In China, listening to music is the best chance to study music. I am craving for the chance to see the authentic reggae masters perform live in person and communicate with other outstanding artists.

5. Which clubs/venues would you recommend for people visiting China?

I'd like to recommend a town called Yangshuo. Yangshuo(part of Guilin city) is a world famous small town in China. I am living here now. Coz, personally, I don't prefer the life of the big city. Here is a peaceful countryside with one of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. It's one of the most popular attractions in China and a must-see place for all the travelers coming to China. Yangshuo is also a great place for creation and composition for all the artists. Where it gives you a lot of inspirations. There is also a reggae bar here by the name of KAYA，If you search “Yangshuo” in internet, you will find a lot of information and great pictures about this place.

6. Do you prefer to use synthetic or organic instruments?

I like either. I like to use both of them depending on my tracks. I play guitar and bass and make the rythum and percussion with my laptop. sometimes I use synthetic and organic at the same time. I don’t usually spend much time on choosing the sounds. I emphasize more on the substance of music.

7. In which direction do you see style of Reggae music heading in the future?

I think reggae music could be merged with many other music styles. I hope I can make my reggae with Chinese music style and music melody. I hope reggae will develop and be varied while keeping the roots. Personally, I haven’t got to know about the situation of reggae in other countries. But in China, if I could receive some support and help, I am very confident that the development, achievement and success will be seen.

Whirl-Y-Gig's Monkey Pilot interview

2011-10-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

Exclusive D.J. Interview - Richard Sutcliffe (Whirl-Y-Gig's "Monkey Pilot")

1) What does the Chinese symbol on the Whirl-y-Gig flyer mean?
.
It comes from the I Ching (Book of Changes) and represents "Disillusion", or the moment when illusion falls away, usually brief and often associated with song and dance. I interpret this as an experience of ordinary ecstacy, for example when we hear that special tune for the first time, and we are completely captivated and suspended in the song! Or that moment when our dance just happens at one with the music! I think we seek these experiences, and Whirl-y-Gig is an environment in which they become possible!

2) Where did the name Monkey Pilot come from?
.
Monkey Pilot was the title of a song by the Comsat Angels, from their first and classic album called "Waiting for a Miracle".

3) After all these years d.j.’ing where do you store all your music?
.
For many years we lived in a tiny one bedroom flat, and my vinyl occupied a wall in the living room which was stacked high with record boxes. For the last ten years we have lived in a small house in which I have a whole room the size of a large box room. I disappear into my "studio" for at least five long days every month to prepare my eight hour set. I have a four speaker system at eye and ear level, shelves of vinyl and drawers of CDs all up to the ceiling, and views out of a west facing window across Harrow cricket pitch towards the hills of Pinner and Grimsdyke.

4) Do you make or produce any music of your own?
.
There was a time when I completed a music technology course with Jose Gross, and subsequently remixed several tracks with Jose and also with Swordfish from Astralasia. Although it was very exciting to be part of the creative process, I found it required me to listen to music in an analytical way which was at odds with my more subjective dj ear, as was the huge amount of time and creative energy that music making requires, once again in competition with my dj self. I concluded that Monkey Pilot should stick to doing what he does best…..whirly dj!

5) Do you have an all time favourite track?
.
As a dj music enthusiast, I tend to be most excited by my latest discoveries, but in recent times I would probably choose "Tango ‘n’ Bass" by Emunah as most expressive of the amazing possibilities of whirl-y-music.

6) What would be your ultimate venue to hold Whirl-y-Gig at?
.
It was always my dream to take Whirl-y-Gig to the Roundhouse, as it was the original Roundhouse Implosions which provided the bedrock of inspiration that would ultimately manifest at Whirl-y-Gig. However, now that the Roundhouse has been so beautifully refurbished, I suspect this will remain just a dream!

Maria Joao Interview

2011-10-02T21:10:00.000-07:00

Exclusive Artist Interview - Maria Joao (& the Sound Strippers)

Solo artist, former member of Kamel Nitrate & Glow amongst others and manager of various world music fusion acts

1. Who are your major influences on your music and why?
.

Well many, many influences, many artists alive and not alive today have influenced me since a little girl. Where do I start? Music is just infinite. From someone like Amalia Rodrigues to Frank Zappa, Blondie to Goran Bregovich. Extremely different artists but so interesting and riveting and innovators of music. I'm always astounded and inspired when listening to amazing music from all corners of the world.

2. How would you describe your sound and where can people hear your music?
.

I find that very difficult to answer, describing my sound, as I don't only do one genre, in fact I don't even think of genre, I just do it!! I can say that my tastes are very eclectic. It comes from the all the far corners of the world and everywhere and my brain waves. What sounds 'right' to my ears and my heart, goes! If I tried really hard to describe my sound, I think it would go something like this; global/world addictive electronica sensual grooves and moods, psychedelic colours and smooth sexy looks with exotica funk flavours. Will that do? I like to experiment with sound alot and beats, creating moods and making people feel something. At mo, I'm doing my solo album and all going well, you will be able to hear my music in all good record stores once the project is finished and released ... soon.

3. What other genres interest you and would you incorporate them into your music in the future?
.

I love all genres, as long as it is good music and yes, I would pick elements and blend them with mine. Whether it'll be reggae, classical, mongol, rap, disco (yes, I said disco!), trance, rock etc. I have an open and curious musical mind, so no limits, no frontiers, no barriers.

4. Which club nights, festivals would you recommend to others?
.

As festivals go, I would recommend Womad, Glastonbury, Larmer Tree, Big Green Gathering etc Club nights, Synergy in London Bridge which had to stop their wonderful variety of art and music due to some legal battle of who owns the name. Whirl-Y-Gig for their world of colour and music. Planet Angel, there's plenty of others, I could go on and on and ...

5. If you had the opportunity to headline the jazz stage at Glastonbury. But were also invited to play for the Queen at the same time. Which would you choose?
.

Ah, interesting, funnily enough we were invited to play at the jazz stage at Glastonbury but due to someone's inability to inform us of this opportunity (no names here but you know who you are, you twat! Just Kidding!), we didn't get back to ehm in time and so, we just lost that slot. But answering the question, mmmmh, difficult really because all I'm thinking about is which one would give you more exposure. Sorry music makers and music fans but artists have to earn a living and be a bit business orientated so that we don't end up in tents all our lives he he he. But my first thought was, jazz stage at Glastonbury for the sheer fun of it.6. Do you have any releases in the near future and are you playing anywhere live?I'm currently doing my solo album 'Labyrinth of Visions' with my project Maria Joao and The Sound Strippers and hope to release it early next year and perform it widely. Also another great project of mine, The Fizzymoon Project, which is more instrumental and aiming at dance floors and DJ's and background music for films and any other visual stimulant activities, which will be out there sometime. At the same time I'm also doing some studying for holistic therapies (the world needs love man!) so hopefully I'll have time to do everything on time!
.

I'm afraid no gigs just yet as I'm putting it all together but you'll be able to access info on that @ http://www.myspace.com/mariajoaoandthesoundstrippers or http://www.myspace.com/thefizzymoonproject
.

Bliss

Maria Joao

Lexus Task Interview

2011-10-02T21:08:00.000-07:00

Interview with Kash of Canadian Electronica act Lexus Task

1. Who are the main influences in your music and why?

The main 'known' influences that people might recognize are actually Boards of Canada, some Autechre's earlier stuff, Roni Size, Saint Germain (in the house department), Thievery Corp and a few lesser known acts like Auditory Canvas.

2. Your a collective of musicians are any of you classically trained?

We are a Duo Group Collective meaning two of us. The Classical training part will be kept secret for now.

3. Where can people hear your music and are you doing any live dates?

For now myspace, in the future Beatport and Blipp.

5. Which direction do you see down-tempo/chillout music heading in the future?

I see it going in two directions - either more organic with live instrumentation, OR becoming more technical.

6. What are your favourite clubs or festivals and why?

We really enjoy the Toronto, CA scene. Lots of great clubs down there, one being the Guvernment and Blue Moon Lounge (however we havne't been there in years).

Thanks for the interview. We have privacy issues to deal with and are just starting out however in the future we will be open to a "Greater INterview".

Kash
Lexic Task
www.myspace.com/lexictask
Toronto, Canada

Latest Guest Mix Sunday Dub Club

2011-10-02T10:32:00.000-07:00

A Chill In The Sun

The Sunday Dub Club is a facebook group run by Ian Taylor from Leeds in England. This group features tracks, mixes and events that encompasses dub in all it's style and genres.

Roots, dub-plate, digi-dub, steppas, ambient, heavyweight, electronic, new school, pyschedelic, experimental, vocal and plain instrumentals.
All DJ sets/mixes are recorded at Liquid Lounge Studios and are done to include as much of each track as possible to further your listening pleasure.

Sun Is Shining Mix 010 - Sunday Dub Club - Chill In The Sun by Sun Is Shining DubnChill

Guest Mix Tree Shepherd

2011-10-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

Growing up in the 70's he found a passion for psychedelic rock and by the 90's had joined an experimental performing arts group "Tribe Of Dog" where he learnt musical production.

Moving on to the noughtie's he was dj'ing as Gooyz at the ambient stage of trance parties and in dub bars. His passion for ethnic music arose after travelling to the African continent, giving birth to his latest project Tree Shepherd, which reveals it's self in the ancient sonorities, towards the recreation of the tribal world with a strong ethnic appeal that bonds man with nature.

Those of you who have followed our facebook group may recall the wonderful tribal chill set "The Journey" that we shared last year. This set takes the listener on a different journey, a journey into SPACE!

Cignus by Tree Shepherd

Sun Is Shining Mix - Fatpatcord

2011-10-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

Matthew Foord a.k.a. Fatpatcord a regular contributor and now a vital team member of the Sun Is Shining provides a reflective set featuring gems from The Orb, Pink Floyd, Sabres Of Paradise, Ozric Tentacles, Tom Middleton and more. The concept of the mix came to him while thinking about his son and what the future holds for him in these uncertain times.

Sonrise by fatpatcord

Guest Mix Drumspyder

2011-10-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

Scott Sterling a.k.a. Drumspyder emerged from San Francisco's alternative circus scene. Moving into production and re-mixing Scott's blend of Arabic percussion, Latin Funk and Deep House progressed from tracks appearing on compilations and his self release "The Nekyia E.P." to re-mixing for the likes of the Desert Dwellers and A Spy From Cario to his own debut album "Kytheria" on Dakini Records.

Live Mix 5-2011 by drumspyder

Guest Mix Macka X

2011-10-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

Macka X a.k.a. Mackaroot (of Atlas Dub Sound System Germany's premier Dub and Chill Sound System) has been producing his over-dubs for various sound systems since 1989 re-mixing the likes of Bowery Electric, Natacha Atlas, Smith & Mighty and Ken Ishii.

Macka X has alsos released two 12"s on Dodge records and compiled Chillout Basscapes 1 & 2 and Subsonic Basscapes on Cologne's Area Code 221 label. Macka now hosts the Subtopia web-site and is churning out his over-dub mix sets on Soundcloud.

JAHFARIDAS 6th GENERATION DUBZ - Live AtlasDubSoundsystem OverDubMix by Macka X by Macka X_SubAtlasMovement

Guest Mix M&M's

2011-10-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

Martim Joao aka M&M's is a Portuguese dj whose downtempo mixes cover a range of sub-genres: ambient soundscapes, neo-classical, idm, psychedelic, world and jazz which I feel suits our blogs eclectic tastes.

Martim took the time to answer a few questions for us as well as submitting his personal favourite a set inspired by a dream.

"iDREAM" by M&Ms

Guest Mix Ade Laugee

2011-10-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

Ade Laugee has now amassed 11 years of Dj’ing experience, has recently turned his attention (after a 10 year break) to production & has also filled the role of MD for the burgeoning reputation that is Acidic Records, working with such talents as Cellardore, Little Thoughts, Beaton & The McMash Clan.

Most notable Dj achievements have been playing alongside Eat Static LIVE, Banco De Gaia (Dj set) & twice for the Dreadzone Sound system, a coveted spot at Whirl-y-gig on NYE 2010 then also a 3 year residency at Planet Angel London between 07-09.

Ade's set a warm up for the Dreadzone Sound System @ the InSpiral Lounge is a wonderful journey from psy-chill to uptempo ska/breakz & not shy a couple of stops along the way.

Ade Laugee LIVE - Dreadzone Soundsystem warm up set @ Inspiral Lounge London 06th Nov 2010 by Ade Laugee

Guest Mix Robin Triskele

2011-10-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

Robin works as a PR and management consultant for artists, labels and festivals covering psy-trance, progressive, ambient etc working with festivals such as Glade, Hadra & Sonica and prominent labels such as Interchill, Six Degrees, Ultimae & Aleph Zero.

Robin has also returned to dj'ing focusing on down-tempo global & psychedelic electronica she is featuring in the chill areas of festivals and events all over Europe. Her featured mix is from her set at Elixir Of Life New Years Eve 2010.

Robin Triskele :: NYE DJ set @ Alchemy vs Liquid 'Elixir Of Life' London 1/1/11 by RobinTriskele

Sun Is Shining Mix - Woodzee

2011-10-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

This Set was part of a series celebrating Dubmission Records 15th Anniversary featuring Pitch Black, Warp Technique. Third Ear Audio and International Observer.

A shorter version was used a Sun Is Shining promotional cd at my Whirl-Y-Gig After party set in 2009.

Woodzee's Mystical Thali by dubmissionrecords

Guest Mix Majah

2011-10-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

A part of the Chillbase team who also hosted the back home show on Zagreb University radio.

Majah's down-tempo sets often feature psychedelic and Arabic elements and can be heard at the chill areas of events and festivals in her native Croatia. This set is part of a series for Digitally Imported's Psy-Chill Channel.

MaJah - Tribal Faith - Trip to Psychodelic selection April, 2008 by ma_jah

Guest Mix DJ Fada

2011-10-02T10:12:00.000-07:00

Fada supplied this lush down-tempo set along with her interview which features artists as diverse as Asura and Pink Floyd. Those of you who like the more up-tempo dark psygressive genre will probably want to explore deeper.

Dj Set Psy Chillout "MindWalk" (jun09) by djfadamusic

Guest Mix Dave G

2011-10-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

Dave started DJ'ing house in the early 90's supporting big names like Eddie Richards and Mr C and going on to promote his own Tech-House events.

The music has changed since then in his own words "A sonic voyage into psybient soundscapes for Kosmic hammock dwellers"

Tales of Transdimensional Travel. by Dave G

Guest Mix One Tribe

2011-10-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

Prateek Pandey aka One Tribe is the youngest member of the Chill Om crew. When I intitially approached him about submitting a mix, he openly admitted he really plays progressive or techno and chill just isn't his thing. However, he was sporting enough to put this set together and I for one was pleased with the final result.

Sun Is Shining Mix 007 - One Tribe by Sun Is Shining DubnChill

Guest Mix Steve Lee

2011-10-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

Steve Lee artist, promoter and dj has championed the nu-breed of Balearic artists at his events Disco Not Disco and Balerica in London.

As one half of the Project Club along with guitarist Andy Black their blend of guitar laden chilled electronica can be found on the Is It Balearic? label.

http://www.juno.co.uk/labels/Is+It+Balearic/

Sun Is Shining Mix 006 - Steve Lee - Pure by Sun Is Shining DubnChill

Guest Mix Perpetual Loop

2011-10-02T10:04:00.000-07:00

Charles Massey a.k.a. Perpetual Loop delivers a blend of ambient trance, electronica, psychedelica, global, balearic and ambient breakz.

Charles tracks featured on a number of compilations before his full length release "Catching Zinc" in 2009.

He has also took Perpetual Loop on the road with appearances at Offworld Festival, Waveform, Tribe Of Frog and InSpiral Lounge.

Sun Is Shining Mix 008 - Perpetual Loop - Somewhere Else Vol 3 by Sun Is Shining DubnChill

Guest Mix Ambient Intelligent Application

2011-10-02T10:02:00.000-07:00

A.I.A (Ambient Intelligence Application) is a new upcoming ambient, down-tempo group from Greece who are trying to explore some new atmospheric paths...this group consists mostly of two brothers (writing, producing ,djing,...)

Their debut album "Physical Moments" released on Ajana records in 2009 was a journey into ambient electronica with an atmospheric sci-fi feel.

Sun Is Shining Mix 005 - Ambient Intelligent Application - Origins Part One by Sun Is Shining DubnChill

Sun Is Shining Mix - Mark Scholfield

2011-10-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

Myself and Mark created the Sun Is Shining facebook group with our combined love of roots reggae, dub and ska. As more and more reggae groups formed we branched out into chill another genre we both love.

An avid collecter with eclectic tastes also covering funk, disco, lovers rock, house and trance here Mark delivers an Ibizian style chillout set.

Sun Is Shining Mix 004 - Mark Scholfield - Heading For The Sunrise by Sun Is Shining DubnChill

Guest Mix TaTva Kundalini

2011-10-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

Emerging from Goa TaTva's dj sets are combined with live vocals and guitar. These sets have seen TaTva play festivals and clubs all over India and beyond.

He is also the founder of Chill Om records and like the label this eclectic mix weaves in and out of ethnic chill, electronica and progressive vibes.

Sun Is Shining Mix 003 - TaTva Kundalini by Sun Is Shining DubnChill

Guest Mix Emmdragon

2011-10-02T09:56:00.000-07:00

Emma started dj'ing on the free party scene after re-locating from London to Bournemouth which eventually led to running her own event in North Wales. This set combines psychedelic elements with bass heavy dub riddims.

Sun Is Shining Mix 002 - Emmdragon - Trippin' on a Dub Note by Sun Is Shining DubnChill

Guest Mix Matt Splatt

2011-10-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

Matt Splatt

Better known for his psy-trance and breakz sets at free parties @ Vagitor hill top parties in Goa. This roots reggae, dub and chill set explores the more down-tempo side of Matt's tastes.

Sun Is Shining Mix 001 - Matt Splatt - International Traveller mix Oct 2007 by Sun Is Shining DubnChill

Guide To France

2011-10-02T01:56:00.000-07:00

For me France has produced classics from the likes of Deep Forest, Laurent Garnier and La Funk Mob. However, the giants of the French scene are probably Daft Punk and Air and I have never really been a fan of either.

On holiday in the early 90’s I soon established Bob Marley was massive but I also picked up on a compilation series “Rave Master Mixers” which introduced me to some of their progressive and techno DJ’s of the time.

On the darker side of electronica Die Form combined operatic vocals with fetish themes while MC Solaar came to the forefront of French Hip-Hop with lots of exposure on Acid Jazz compilations and we certainly can’t forget the wonderful fusion of world and chill on the Buddha Bar compilations.

Artists

Deep Forest http://www.deep-projects.com/

Inspired by the chants of the Baka Pygmies Michael Sanchez and Eric Mouquet found instant success with their smash hit “Sweet Lullaby” and the self titled album “Deep Forest” in the early 90’s. The albums continued using a variety of ethnic themes leading to re-mixes, film soundtracks, world music awards and working with prominent artists such as Peter Gabriel, Youssou N’Dour and Apollo 440. Eric Mouquet has more recently composed a series of solo albums in the same vein called the “Deep Projects”.

Aes Dana http://www.myspace.com/aesdana

Vincent Villuis a.k.a. Aes Dana after playing bass for a number of coldwave and industrial bands turned his hand to many electronic musical projects as a founder member of Asura, one half of H.U.V.A. Network, d.j. and co-owner of Ultimae Records. Aes Dana uses acoustic sounds, tweaked and layered over down-tempo trance like electronica influenced by space music.

Toires http://www.toires.com/

Florian Seriot seems to be slightly aloof when it comes to a bio on the web. So all I can really tell you is he has produced five albums fusing Arabic, tribal and ambient electronica since 1996 and has composed and contributed to Digital Mystery Tour.

High Tone http://www.hightone.org/

Hailing from Lyon High Tone have fused together roots and dub with electronic, dnb and world music since 2000. Ignoring the current trend of computer dub High Tone create their sound with guitars, drums, keyboards and turntables taking this live show to a world-wide audience.

Kick Bong http://www.kickbong.com/

Franck Jousselin the drummer for French electro-pop band Romy and Biscuits started to release psybient tracks on compilations in 2001 and his debut album “Cup Of Tea” was released in 2005. His third and latest album “Kind Of Imagination” has drifted away slightly from the initial psybient vibe introducing techy, electro-pop and shoegaze sounds. Franck is also actively dj’ing in clubs and festivals both in

France

and abroad.

Other artists worth exploration

Zenzile http://www.zenzile.com/

Serge Gainsbourg http://www.sergegainsbourg.com/

Jehro http://www.myspace.com/jehromusic

Claude Challe http://www.claudechalle.com/

DJ Ravin http://www.djravin.net/

Metastaz http://www.myspace.com/metastazmusic

Choice Label

Ultimae Records http://www.ultimae.com

Based in Lyon, France Ultimae Records has released, mastered and distributed down-tempo trance and ambient electronica since 2001. The label has gone from strength to strength with prolific artists such as Solar Fields, Aes Dana, Carbon Based Lifeforms and Cell they are a popular choice with fans of ambient music.

Guide To Africa

2011-10-02T01:55:00.000-07:00

Compiling this reminded me of a book by Mark Hudson “The Music In My Head” where Litch an instantly dislikeable lead character claimed to be the leading expert and driving force of signing African artists to English labels. The character stated something along the lines of … “Most people who say they know African music only have a few albums. I really know African music”. I would have to put myself in the former category.

Looking back old skool house gems such as More Kante’s “Yeke Yeke” and Mombassa “Cry Freedom” were made in Europe and even the Afro-Beat compilations like Strut’s “Africa Funk” contained acts like Oneness Of Juju, American and the Lafayette Afro-Rock Band, French.

U4-I-C’s web-site http://www.global-trance.co.uk/ has been a very useful tool in discovering the artists behind certain tracks (and introductions to one’s I was unaware of) played at Whirl-Y-Gig. In recent years Six Degrees records deserve a mention for bringing some fantastic artists to a wider audience. I think most of you will agree even if you don’t like the music you have to admire what most of these artists have done for human rights through their music.

Fela Kuti

http://www.fela.net/

Born in Nigeria in 1938 Fela Kuti went to London and studied at the Trinity College Of Music at the age of twenty where he formed a highlife (a fusion of jazz horns and guitar originating from Ghana) band Koolas Lobitos. He returned to Nigeria in 1963 where he reformed the band and a few years later visited Ghana to find new musical inspiration. Fela fused jazz with funk, psychedelica, highlife and traditional African chants coining the new sound afro-beat. They took this new sound to the States in 1969 and were introduced to the Black Panther movement which changed his whole outlook. They were soon sent packing for not having the legal work permits and on return he re-named the band the

Nigeria

70.

From this point it’s hard to separate Fela’s music from his involvement as a human rights activist as they were really intertwined. He sang in English so there would be no language barrier across the African nations. His lyrics angered the Nigerian government and eventually led to imprisonment upon what many believed were false charges. Various human rights groups fought for 20 months for his release. In 1997 Fela died of aids and more than one million people attended his funeral. His son Femi Kuti also a member of his band went on to have a prominent career on the world music circuit and collaborated with rap and soul stars raising money for research into combating the aids virus.

Baaba Maal

http://www.baabamaal.tv/

Born in Senegal in 1953 Baaba and his friend Mansour Seck embarked on a journey to study the music of Mauritania and Mali. Baaba went on to study music in Dakar and in 1982 was offered a scholarship at École des Beaux-Arts in Paris where he was later joined by Mansour. On returning from Paris they continued to study traditional music and formed the band Daande Lenol. He continued to fuse his sounds incorporating other music forms from across the diaspora and has firmly established his place among the World Music festival circuit.

In 1991 he collaborated with Simon Emmerson who had noticed the similarity of one of Baaba’s melodies and a traditional Irish song. He went on to form the Afro-Celt Sound System with members of Baaba’s band. Baaba has also worked with One Giant Leap and has tracks featured in the movie Black Hawk Down.

Youssou N’Dour

http://www.youssou.com/

Born in Dakar in 1959 Youssou N’Dour is probably the most famous African artist of our time. He started performing at the age of 12 and within two years he joined one of Dakar’s biggest acts The Star Band. At twenty he formed his own Latin jazz band Etoile de Dakar in the 80’s the line up changed and so did the sound. With the Super Etoile de Dakar Youssou began to fuse mbalax (a traditional Senegelese form of music) with samba, jazz, hip-hop and soul.

Youssou has collaborated with stars such as Peter Gabriel, Sting, Ryuchi Sakamoto and Bruce Springsteen. He has been a part of many major events in 1985 he organised a concert for the release of Nelson Mandela. Performed in Amnesty Internationals “Human Rights Now!” and “Secret Policemans Ball” and in 1998 he collaborated with Axelle Red for the FIFA World Cup anthem "La Cour des Grands”. There have also been two films made about his life.

Angelique Kidjo

http://www.kidjo.com/

Born in Benin in 1960 Angelique was singing in her mother’s theatre group by the age of six. In her teens her cover of Miriam Mikeba’s “Les Trois Z” was played on national radio which led to her recording the album “Pretty” and touring West Africa. In 1983 due to political unrest in her native country she moved to Paris to study music at CIM jazz school. In 1985 she joined the band Pili Pili and after three albums they had become one of the most celebrated acts on the Parisian live circuit. In 1990 she went solo and recorded the album “Parakou”. A year later she was signed by Island records recording four albums before signing to Columbia records and moving to New York in 2000.

Angelique sings in four languages Fon, Yoruba, French and English fusing afro-pop, jazz, gospel and latin sounds. She has collaborated with stars such as Peter Gabriel, Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock and Bono. She is also an active campaigner for women’s rights in Africa acting as an ambassador for UNICEF, founding the Batonga Foundation which builds schools to provide education for girls and helping to gain scholarships for higher education. She has also performed to raise awareness of (and money for) tetanus and aids.

Tony Allen

http://www.myspace.com/tonyallenafrobeat

Born in Nigeria in 1940 Tony began to learn the drums with no tutor while working as an engineer for a radio station influenced by jazz supreme’s Art Blakey, Max Roach and highlife drummer Guy Warren. He joined a band the Cool Cats initially playing claves and eventually taking over on drums. He played for a few more bands until his unique sound came to the attention of Fela Kuti and in 1964 he joined Koola Lobitos.

Tony recorded three solo albums whilst drumming for Fela Kuti and the Nigeria 70 and was the only member of the band who Fela didn’t write the music for. By the late 1970’s Tony felt he wasn't receiving enough recognition for his part in the afro-beat sound, that there were too many hangers on and parasites when it came to dividing the pay. So in 1980 he formed his own band and began to develop his own sound afro-funk a fusion of afro-beat, dub, funk and rap.

Other artists worth exploration

Manu Dibango http://www.manudibango.net/
Thione Seck http://www.myspace.com/thioneseck
Ali Farka Touré http://www.myspace.com/alifarkatoure

Vieux Farka Touré http://www.vieuxfarkatoure.com/
Issa Bagayogo http://www.sixdegreesrecords.com/artists.php?artist=Issa_Bagayogo

Information sourced from wikipedia.

Guide To Japan

2011-10-02T01:54:00.000-07:00

I’m actually surprised that for a country which for decades has had such a strong stake in electronics and synthetic music instruments and bearing in mind the abundance of music available from around the globe on-line, just how few Japanese artists in this scene I’m actually aware of. In fact the first name that springs to mind is

Japan

’s electronic music pioneers the Yellow Magic Orchestra probably most famous in the west for their cover of Martin Denny’s “Firecracker” (or more likely the variation of the same theme “Computer Games”).

I thought I'd add in this Y.M.O. 2011 re-mix by Translunar for your listening pleasure

BEHIND THE MASK/FIRECRACKER 2011 - TECHNO REMIX AND TRIBUTE TO YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA - FREE DOWNLOAD! by TRANSLUNAR

Dakini themselves also proved somewhat tricky as most of the artists (including artist andlabel owner “Makyo”) are not actually Japanese. Still they gave me the introduction to our first artist on their Tribal Matrix compilations.

Artists

Rain In Eden http://www.rainineden//

Comprised of founder Megumi Rain, Kelly Williams, Herman B and Shiori Ishida Rain in Eden’s concept is simply the clash of culture in modern day Tokyo. However, they are also looking to the past and fusing together modern day electronica with the traditional sounds that would have travelled with the caravans forward and back along the Silk Road. I was especially impressed with their track “Haqiqa” a lovely organic piece which featured on “Tribal Matrix 2” and am keen to hear their new self-titled debut album.

DJ Krush http://www.sus81.jp/djkrush/

Hidaki Ishi a.k.a. DJ Krush inspired by the classic hip-hop film “Wild Style” and in the fashion of Afrika Bambaataa turned his back on gang culture and began to source the equipment to dj. Forming Krush Possee in 1987 they soon began to make a name for themselves in Japanese Hip-Hop. In 1992 they disbanded and Hidaki went solo. He has released numerous albums and singles firmly placing himself on the global map. His blend of Hip-Hop often stews Jazz, ambient and other genres bearing similarity to trip-hop.

Stomu Yamashata http://www.furious.com/perfect/stomuyamashta.html

Hailing from Kyoto Stomu Yamashata was considered somewhat a child prodigy playing percussion in the Kyoto Asahi Orchestra an introduction from his sister to timpanist Saul Goodman who encouraged him to study in the States. He moved New York at the age of Seventeen and when he wasn’t studying immersed him self in the avant-guarde Jazz scene.

Since then he has had an illustrious career bringing the Red Buddah Theatre company to Europe in 1972 which he both directed and composed led to composing music for David Bowie’s film

“The Man Who Fell To Earth” and the British Royal Ballet amongst others. He formed his own band “Stomu Yamashta’s East Wind Band and was also part of “Go” with Steve Windwood, Karl Schulze, Michael Shrieve and Al Di Meola. His compositions have ranged through neo-classical, ambient, jazz and prog-rock.

Kyoto Jazz Massive http://www.kyotojazzmassive.com

Although Shuya and Yoshihiro Okino’s Kyoto Jazz Massive music has graced our facebook group in the past I must confess they joined the pile of “must explore deeper” which I never got around to. In 1994 they began to release self-titled compilations eventually releasing a single “Ecli

pse” in 2000 which led to them being signed by Germany’s Compost Records. In 2002 they released their debut album “Spirit of the Sun” and still in demand for re-mixes and dj’ing globally.

Audio Active http://www.skysaw.org/onu/artists/audioactive.html

Again I have to confess to knowing relatively little of this band’s material having heard only a few tracks and having now discovered a discography of 12 albums. Picked up in 1992 by On-U Sound’s Adrian Sherwood (who if I remember rightly had a show on

Japan

’s J-Wave radio). Influenced by Lee “Scratch” Perry and hip-hop Masa, 2DD, Shigemoto Nanao and Takeshi Akimoto have released their blend of dub on Alfa, On-U Sound and Warner Music. With tracks like “Free The Marijuana”, “Weed Specialist” and “Kick The Bong Around” I guess you’ll get

the drift of their vibe.

Ones To Keep An Eye or Ear out for

Linda Bjalla http://www.lindabjalla.com/

Originating from Japan and now located in Stockholm. Linda Bjalla has an interesting web-site "Fountain Of Dreams" which has a blog like format. The site features artwork, videos and other subjects of interest as well as her ambient, neo-classical and experimental compositions which have led to her vocals being featured on a track by Italian electronica outfit Port-Royal.

Yukiki Iiri http://www.yukikoiiri.com/

Initially from Tokyo pianist Yukiki Iiri moved to the U.S. in 1998 to study jazz and film scoring at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. Her vocals soon brought her work in that area and Yukiki Iiri’s Jazz group became popular with live sessions in Tokyo clubs. Another area Yukiki delved into was ambient/lounge and first came to my attention with the beautifully mellow “Talk In The Dark” on the compilation “Lemongrass Garden Vol 2”. Unfortunately, I can’t say I’ve heard any new material since.

Choice label

Dakini Records http://www.dakinirecords.com

A leading label in eastern electronica from Arabic ambience to tribal breakz. As well as hosting their own event Dakini Nights their dj's regularly spin in Tokyo's bellydance breakz scene. They release both compilations and albums from artists such as Makyo, Toires, Adham Shaikh, Lumin and of course Drumspyder.

Guide to Germany

2011-10-02T01:53:00.000-07:00

Germany is a nation I feel has been unfairly stereotyped for heavy metal and pounding industrial techno.

Kraftwerk the first entirely synthetic band emerged from the Krautrock scene which saw a resurgence a few years back. Tangerine Dream (another big act to emerge out of that scene) combined synths with prog rock, ambient and celtic sounds.

Acts like Jazzanova and Mo’Horizons were influential in nu-jazz while Schiller teamed up with prominent artists like Moya Brennan, Sarah Brightman and Tarja Turunen. Which took his blend of chilled electronica on to the big stage.

So without even touching on synth-pop, techno, ebm or electro-clash. I’ve picked out some choice artists not included above.

Artists

Ulrich Schnauss http://www.ulrich-schnauss.com/

Originally from Kiel. Ulrich moved to Berlin and in the late 90’s under the pseudonyms “View To The Future” and “Ethereal 77” started to release ambient material.

2001 saw his debut album “Far Away Trains Passing By” which had an instant impact that started to gain Ulrich some well deserved attention.

The next album “A Strangely Isolated Place” weaved layered synths soundscapes with shoegaze influences establishing Ulrich’s sound and often cited as a classic release in the ambient electronica genre.

Bazoo Bajou http://www.boozoobajou.com/

Hailing from Nuernburg Florian Seyberth and Peter Heider first released their blend of electronica and dub with their 2001 release “Satta”. Which featured the dubby trip-hop classic “Under My Sensi”.

Their next album “Dust My Broom” combined dubby down-tempo vibes with a touch of c&w.

I must confess I’ve heard little of their 2009 release “Grains” and none of 2010’s “Coming Home” but going by their first two releases I really should investigate.

Karunesh http://www.karuneshmusic.com/

Born in Cologne Bruno Reuter travelled to India after a motorcycle accident in 1979 where he joined Indian Guru Osho’s (founder of the Rajneesh movement) Ashram and on his initiation was renamed Karunesh.

On his return to Germany he spent five years in a Rajneesh commune in Hamburg where he met many musicians from all over the world and began to combine elements of their music with an aim to break barriers and let the music of different cultures flow as one.

Now residing in Hawaii Karunesh has released numerous albums of global fusion, new age and tracks designed for meditation.

Pete Namlook http://www.namlook.de/

Born in Frankfurt Peter Kuhlmann has released a vast catalogue of ambient and electronic music. I first came across this artist on Dark Side Of The Moog (a collaboration with Klaus Schulze). Where I stupidly expected a Pink Floyd cover and dismissed it without a full listen.

He really came to my attention with Re:Sonate his excellent collaboration with Gaudi. Further exploration revealed some more fascinating pieces as well as collaborations with the likes of Mixmaster Morris & The Higher Intelligence Agency.

Akasha Project http://www.akashaproject.de/

As high lighted by DJ Fada in her interview Barmin Schulze formed the Akasha Project in 1989 and progressed ambient electronica with a unique scientific approach.

Using a calculation of Swiss mathematican Hans Cousto to create the cosmic octave and recreate vibrations synthetically, enabling the listener to hear beyond the normally perceived octave range. Effectively tuning our bodies into nature.

Barmin has delivered lectures and live shows sometimes alongside Cousto and as part of B.E.L. (Brain Entertainment Laboratory) as well as minimal techno sets as Mel Trom.

Seamoon http://www.myspace.com/seamoonline

Seamoon is Simon Neumann a German artist who came to my attention with his free e.p. “A Twisted Downbeat Adventure” on chillbase.org.

Specialising in exotic psychedelic downtempo beats he identifies his connection to Zen through his music. His debut album “Expression Of The Moment” is due to be released on Awakening records in the near future.

Simon is also involved in another project as one half of Dark Progressive Psy duo "Sonic Tickle".

Choice Label

!K7 http://www.k7.com/

A long standing label who released the infamous "DJ-Kicks" mix compilations. Whose impressive back catalogue includes prominent artists such as Kruder & Dorfmeister, Bazoo Bajou, Four Tet, Smith & Mighty, DJ Cam, Erlend Øye ... this list of quality ear candy goes on and on. So if your unaware of this label it's high time you checked out their web-site.

Guide to Norway

2011-10-02T01:52:00.000-07:00

Although the original Balearic grooves were sourced from a range of European countries like Italy, Belgium and the UK with Nu-Balerica your more likely to find it was created in Norway.

I'm 50/50 with some of the releases in this genre but they're definately worth some investigation.

Artists

Oslo

Mungolian Jetset
http://mungolian.com/

Oslo’s Nu-Balearic re-mixers extraordinaire progressed to releasing their own brand of dubby psychedelic jazz fused with cosmic disco. They also have two album releases under their belt "Beauty Came To Us In Stone" and "We Gave It All Away ... Now We're Taking It Back".

Lindstrom

http://www.myspace.com/feedelity

A big shot to emerge out of Oslo’s Nu-Balearica scene. His spacey sonic journey’s into disco fused electronica such as “I Feel Space” have progressed to an almost Michael Jackson feel with Christabelle on his latest album release.

Xerxes

http://xerxes-music.com/

Klaus Lunde produces quality ambient electronica with the option of purchasing at a very reasonable price or even downloading for free. Don’t let that put you off I certainly recommend a visit to his site or listen to his track on Chillbase’s free compilation “Chillbasics Vol 1” compiled by Ambientium.

Tromsø

Biosphere

http://www.biosphere.no/

Hailing from Tromsø Geir Jensson (formerly of Bel Canto) is a veteran in ambient electronica with a style often referred to as “arctic ambient”. He has collaborated with Pete Namlook, Higher Intelligence Agency and Jah Wobble. Live laptop sets usually comprise video backdrops to his cold atmospheric electronica.

photo by Trine Falch

Bjørn Torske

http://www.smalltownsupersound.com/2010/02/04/bj%c3%b8rn-torske/

Is yet another artist from Tromsø who’s been around for some time. He actually is closely linked to Geir obtaining his first releases through him and for a time playing synth with Biosphere. His own material contains elements of the cold electronica sound often warmed with Balearic, dub and ambient jazz not too unlike his other friends Röyksopp.

Röyksopp

http://royksopp.com/homepage

Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland are without a doubt the most commercially known outfit to emerge from Tromsø. Their debut album “Melody A.M. caused quite a stir back in 2002 and who can forget the classic track featuring Karin Dreijer Andersson (The Knife) “What Else Is There?”.

Choice Label

Smalltown Supersound

http://www.smalltownsupersound.com/

An independent label based in Oslo which releases electronica and Nu-Balearica with prominent artists in this field who often touch on post-rock, indie, disco, jazz and pop within their sound.

Nightlife

Feel free to let us know about related events in Norway.

Guide to San Francisco

2011-10-02T01:51:00.001-07:00

I for one couldn’t help noticing the rise of a modern “beat generation” emerge out of San Francisco a city famous for being at the forefront of the hippie movement in the 60’s. Of course they’re not alone in this global melting pot where labels and artists fuse together traditional eastern grooves with modern electronica, hip-hop, house and breaks. However, I feel it well worth focusing on the some of the labels, artists and nightlife at the heart of San Fran’s vibrant scene.

Artists

Jef Stott
http://www.myspace.com/jefstott

Founder of “Stellamara” and “Lumin” Jef has studied both string and percussion under highly regarded musicians in Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Iran and Turkey.

Jef’s own material, his re-mixes and collaborations often fuse traditional folk songs with modern day electronica, Having released music through labels such as Six Degrees, Hearts of Space, City Of Tribes, Universal and EMI.

Jeff is now releasing music through his own Embarka label which includes his most recent project “Eliyahu and the Quadim Ensemble”.

Photo by Trevor Traynor

Cheb i Sabbah
http://www.chebisabbah.com/

Born in Algeria and establishing himself as a prominent Parisian dj in the sixties. Cheb I Sabbah now re-sides in San Francisco.

His well renowned world fusion sets can be heard at festivals from the infamous “Burning Man” to the beaches of Goa.

Cheb I Sabbah has also released material on Six Degrees records which often draws on the Indian classical music he discovered on his many visits, since the seventies. Collaborating with accomplished artists they re-work compositions from respected artists such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Ustad Salamat Ali Khan.

Photo by Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Drumspyder
http://www.drumspyder.com/

Scott Sterling emerged from San Francisco’s dance and indie-circus scene. Scott was the percussionist and composer of the AWD and Xeno Ensembles. Over time Scott progressed to dj’ing and producing eastern flavoured electronica.

His first full length album “Kytheria” a mix of tribal percussion, middle eastern melodies, deep house, funk and electronica was recently released on Japan’s Dakini Records, while his mp3 e.p. The Nekyia is still available for download.

Janaka Selekta
http://www.janakaselekta.net/

We’ve already featured Janaka’s “Gods Robot” project with Taamara where he mentioned his collaboration “Mighty Dub Killaz” with Chicago reggae vocalist Papa Roads. Janaka made an impact with BBC Asian Network's Pathaan and Bobby Friction with his album “Pushing Air” last year: A bass heavy fusion of dub reggae and Asiatic vibes that is well worth investigation.

Outersect
http://www.outersect.net/

Rob Rayle aka Outersect who has composed and played in numerous rock bands took a change of direction after attending the renowned “Burning Man” festival. Drawing on psychedelic prog rock and bluegrass influences he combines these with modern day psy-chill to produce a cutting edge electro-acoustic sound.

For those in San Fran and surrounding areas Rob puts on regular Outersect live shows and dj appearances and for those of us further afield his recent release “God Love The Fool” is out now.

Photo by Martin Tickle

Choice Label

Six Degrees Records
http://www.sixdegreesrecords.com/

An independent label based in San Francisco which releases both solo albums and compilations of traditional world music and electronica fusions. The range of high quality artists and music is as diverse as it is wonderful.

Here's some to wet your appetite.

Gaudi
.
The Bombay Dub Orchestra
.
Vieux Farka Toure
.
Alice Russell
.
Pacifika
.
Banco De Gaia
.
Ojos De Brujo
.
Tom Middleton ... The list (and indeed the beat) goes on.

It's well worth listening to the Six Degrees Traveller Installments uploaded on soundcloud http://soundcloud.com/sixdegreesrecords

and also check out their Globalnoize blog http://globalnoize.wordpress.com/
Events
Hookahdome http://www.hookahdome.com/

Friday the 23rd of July outside the Dome 2 @ 1015 Fulsom, San Francisco

THREE ROOMS OF BEATS and BELLYDANCE FOR YOUR PLEASURE

desert breaks, dubstep, whirling dervishes, bellydance, live Middle East music, opulent decor all in high Hookahdome style

if you loved Hookahdome on the Playa come out and support us!
we need your to help make Hookahdome 2010 the best ever!!

FEATURING:

Front Room
Cheb I Sabbah (Six Degrees, 1002 Nights)
Radiohiro (Freakeasy/Hookahdome)
Jimmy Love (Non Stop Bhangra)
DJ HAX
Ra So (Hookahdome / Soma Olam)

Upstairs Dubstep Room
Kush Arora (Surya Dub)
Janaka Selekta (WORLDLY)
Joro Boro (NYC)
Jocelyn (Club Exotica/Get Freaky)

Downstairs Hookah Lounge
Jef Stott - Live (Six Degrees/Hookahdome)
Drumspyder - Live (Dakini)
DJ Feral (Hookahdome, Anon, WOW)
Lokesh (Moonrise/Geomagnetic)
Arcane Dimension - Live

Belly dancers~
Fat Chance Belly Dance
Summer Sahar

Other event links

Switch - Sundays @ The Triple Crown, 1760 Market Street, San Francisco
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=103151419743769

Out Of Exile 12 Aug @ 103 Harriet Street, San Francisco.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=140684132622277

Guide to Brighton

2011-10-02T01:51:00.000-07:00

Once infamous for the bank holiday clashes between the mods & rockers. Nowadays Brighton's reputation is probably more focused on the abundance of gay bars and clubs. Like most University towns Brighton has a thriving music scene which covers a wide range of genres. So I guess it's hardly surprising there's a selection that interests myself.

Artists

Pan Electric
http://www.myspace.com/panelectric

A collective of musicians from Brighton and London brought together by Matt Hillier (Green Nuns Of The Revolution) which fuses prog rock with ambient electronica. Their first album "Conscious Pilot" has to go down as a modern chillout classic in my opinion. There has been two more releases since a collaboration with Ishq "About Time" and more recently "Green Nuns On Ice: The Pan Electric Variations".

Quantic
http://www.quantic.org/

How to categorise Quantic I ask myself? It's not easy with tracks ranging from downtempo electronica to tropical jazz. But one things for sure William Holland injects the funk with perfection and with singers like Alice Russell in the ever changing Quantic Soul Orchestra a live show is a must (although as William now re-sides in Colombia it maybe a while before he plays in Brighton again).

Iambic
http://www.iambicmusic.com/

Iambic is an electro-acoustic project of Guy Andrews which fuses ambient electronica, post-rock and jazz. Initially drawing a large response from net releases Guy has found his way on to compilations and released e.p.'s under Iambic and his classical electro-acoustic project "The Moving Dawn Orchestra". His latest e.p. "Nocturnes" was released this month and if you join his mailing list you can download his e.p. "Echoes" for free.

Red Seal
http://www.myspace.com/redsealproductions

After releasing "Black Ops" in 2004 a stunning dub-drenched reggae/hip-hop fusion featuring "Cheshire Cat" of Leftfield fame another Red Seal album hasn't yet surfaced. However, Charlie McGougan seems to be working more on re-mixes for the likes of Radiohead, Tricky, Cypress Hill and the Deadbeats as well as working with Laidback and the legendary Lee "Scratch" Perry.

Choice Label

Tru Thoughts
http://www.tru-thoughts.co.uk/

Brighton's Tru Thoughts have been releasing high-quality funk, nu-jazz and latin grooves for a decade now. With acts like Quantic, Nostaliga 77, the Hot Brass 8 and veteren soul singer Spanky Wilson on their books. This is a label that lovers of Funk and Soul shouldn't ignore.

Nightlife

With such a thriving nightlife scene I'm sure some of my friends living locally will point out all the great promotions and venues I've ignored. However, I plucked out some that I'm aware of.

Roots Garden @ The Jazz Place http://www.myspace.com/rootsgarden

A weekly event featuring the Roots Garden soundsystem and guests acts from the world of roots and dub

Positive Sound System http://www.positivesounds.com/

I'm not sure this event is still running but had a great NYE here a few years back. Expect deep house, tech-house through a bass-shaking jamaican style sound-system.

Psychedelic Sundays @ the Volks http://www.volksclub.co.uk/

A sunday all-dayer ranging from ambient prog-trance to full on psy with dj's and live artists.

The Om Bar http://ombrighton.co.uk/sound-of-om

Brighton's answer to the Buddah Bar with combining eastern decor, cusine and chill out grooves.