On Saturday 26th November one of our favourite promoters, Rhythmatic turned another year older. The London based party has made a name for itself on the underground scene for its loyalty to good music and good times. Having seen collaborations with international names and artists including Marco Carola, Davide Squillace and Luca Bacchetti with their Hideout brand and Matthias Tanzmann with the mighty Moon Harbour, there was definitely excitement in the air for the 4th birthday celebrations.
This year Double Trouble productions teamed up with 28BLACK to put together something special for the anniversary bash. The event was advertised as a ‘secret warehouse East London location’ with attendees notified of the location just a couple of days before, giving the party a more exclusive feel. The night started by joining the lovely Livio and Roby for a few drinks to talk our favourite music, festivals and countries to groove. The guys were genuine, we had a laugh and they promised us magic behind the decks. We all made our way to the venue at around half past one to get Livio and Roby there for their set, but also so we could get grooving with our Rhythmatic buddies!
We arrived at Netil House in Hackney (E8), to an already bustling building and growing queue. You could hear the music coming from a way down the road, suggesting the residents (Stathis Lazarides, Wesley Razzy and Archie Hamilton) had things kicking off from the very start. There were tonnes of smiling and friendly faces as we came through the doors, I could tell the night was going to have good vibes all round. Stathis Lazarides was on the decks to ease us in and I couldn’t help but start half dancing with a casual ‘dance-walk’ that we all do as we go from the entrance to dancefloor. We said hello to our favourite twins (Kiri and Kostas) the Rhythmatic promoters that never fail to get anyone pumped up and ready to rave with their happy energy. The warehouse was quite a large space, with pillars throughout and an easy to get to bar. Nothing bores me more than long bar queues, especially when all you want to be doing is stepping it out on to the dancefloor.
The Romanian pair Livio & Roby (Desolat) produced a set of heavy techno beats for the evening. The pumping sounds received a good reaction from the crowd, with fists and cheers throughout. The Turkish talent, Onur Ozer (Cocoon) took to the turntables next for probably the most anticipated set of the evening. Again his set sat more on the techno side of things, with harder beats and a pace to push the audience through to the early hours. This harder techno sound did seem to suit the more open, four-walled space of Netil House as it filled the gaps between people and pillars. I must admit, I do like a venue to be a little more like a rabbit warren that I can weave around and explore. But, the vibes of the night more than made up for this and I have to note, the drink prices were very reasonable. It will be interesting though, to see the warehouse location selected for the next event – Rhythmatic Intimate Sessions Christmas Special.
From the feedback I’ve had everyone seems to have had a ‘proper right good time’. It was full of people who really appreciated the music and so, were there for the right reasons. As well as lots of those recognisable faces in attendance from the ‘Rhythmatic family’ to give it that extra boost. The after-party also made it easy enough for people to carry on the fun, which is always a bonus if you’re just not ready to go home at 6am (and many weren’t, as I hear this went off as much as the main event!) So all that’s left to say is, Happy 4th Birthday Rhythmatic, I’ll be seeing you again very soon!
Gavin Herlihy is fast becoming one of underground’s cherished artists, with forthcoming music on Visionquest, Crosstown Rebels, Culprit and Leftroom as well as previous outings on Cocoon, Cadenza, Get Physical and Buzzin Fly there are few he hasn’t touched upon.His name frequently stains the flyers of illustrious promotions where he delivers his techno infused, deep house DJ sets. Herlihy is moving up the ranks as one of the UK’s underground gems with a sharp ear for splendid sounds. With this in mind we asked Gavin for 5 tracks that will never leave his record bag and to tell us a bit about them…
Dan Robbins – D.B.D. (Chanting In The Dark)
Possibly my favourite ‘heads down’ rave your knackers off DJ tool style record of all time. It consists of just simple house beats, a monstrous classic tribal drum sample and killer bass. The moneyshot is a sample from a classic short story called Flibberty Jibb told by Ken Nordine (the guy who does the deep throaty voiceovers for the trailers of every big Hollywood film going). Flibberty Jibb tells the story about a tall dark stranger who gathers a crowd of villagers to the auditorium to listen to chanting and throbbing beats in the dark that invokes them into “insistent savage throbbing crescendos of ecstasy.” Sounds familiar?
Space – Carry On, Turn Me On
An old disco record that was lovingly remixed on Tirk a couple of years back. Either version is a great record to play at the very, very end of a really long party after lots of house or techno. It’s got bags of soul, sexiness and feeling. It’s also go an amazing groove to end a night/morning just when your legs are about to drop off that somehow enables you to make it to the end of the record with a spring in your step. In fact they should probably prescribe in on the NHS as it would probably clear hospital beds in no time.
Hiem – She’s The One (Mathew Jonson’s Circles in the Dark Mix)
I toyed between Ricardo’s Dexter and a whole heap of other MJ tunes for this spot but for a change chose this one purely because I think it doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. Also quite helpfully it doubles up as a really great “run to the toilet during your set’ tune as it’s super long. In fact you could probably read the sports section of a newspaper and still make it back in time for the last breakdown. But more importantly for me it tells a simple-on-one-level-but-elaborate-on-another story that escalates throughout the course of the tune. It’s beautifully strange and melodic but at the same time dark and ravey and if another DJ even tries to mix out of it early I will give them a proper earful!
The Reese Project – The Colour of Love (MK Remix)
There are plenty of dare I say it, better MK tracks and remixes I could have included here (Burning, 4You, Your Brought Me Love, Can U Feel It, Freek U, Boy and all the other usual ones we all love). And indeed lots of rarer house tunes and acid classics to show off to my spotter mates. But the MK one I’ve owned and played the longest and that I instinctively reach for to instigate some good vibes on the dancefloor most is his Colour of Love remix so that gets the nod for this interview. As far as I know it’s not as rinsed as his others which also helps and what I love about MK is he is the master of simplicity. Simple hooks, simple grooves that go a very, long way.
Laurent Garnier – Flashback (Laboratoire Remix)
This is actually the first record I ever bought in 1996. I hadn’t a clue what I was looking for in the record shop as I it was my first time in one and I was scared shitless but I very luckily came out with this. I didn’t even have proper decks to play it on, just my dad’s stereo but I used to play it over and over again and still have it on hand out of respect for what it gave me although if I’m honest I rarely get a chance to play it because it’s very full on. It did however blow my mind, make me cut my hair and stop listening to heavy metal so I’m forever grateful for it for that reason alone (and to be honest I looked like a right dick with long hair).
Laurent Garnier is also one of the DJs who has influenced me most over the years. He’s no spring chicken but his insatiable love for music is as strong as ever (there aren’t many other DJs of his generation who can say the same). When I was a journalist, I interviewed him once and in the time I spent with him he pretty much just blitzed through his promo’s at every opportunity even in the car while picking me up from the airport. He’s surfed his way through every electronic music phase going from listening to disco as a kid to helping jumpstart acid house and rave at the Hacienda to bridging the gap between European techno and Detroit and nowadays is most inspirational for several reasons. His live act is ace. His radio station which is actually a clever piece of software that streams his record collection (which is about the size of a normal person’s house) automatically on repeat. He pops up once every two or three years with a mind-bendingly amazing and unique track. And his long DJ sets incorporate all sorts of music – from house, techno, rave, jazz, bluegrass, whatever. If it will shake an ass he’ll find a way to work it in the mix and I will always be a fan of DJs that play MUSIC not singular genres or fads! For all those reasons and more I vow to never lose this record from my collection even if I rarely get to play it.
FOUND is the new promotion attempting to break down the barriers between house and urban music. With the joining of two promoters from either side of the spectrum, we see Urban Nerds meet with Eastern Electrics to bring a series of events devoted to a variety of music genres with their roots firmly planted in bass music, showcasing everything from progressive to dubstep, dub-techno, and UK house strands to 2-step, garage, four-to-the-floor beats and drum ’n’ bass. As a concept, it sounds great, but musically will it work? UGroove’s Samara Moss explores, talking to James Benenson whose specialty has been in producing parties with a more urban music policy under the name of Urban Nerds and is part of the FOUND movement about breaking through clubbing’s convention…
In general there seem to be two teams when it comes to dance music; those who love the bass driven drum ‘n’ bass and dubstep sounds, and those who avidly opt for techno and house. The two sides rarely musically agree on much and tend to spend little time in each others company with clubs and promotions seldom offering the two together. In the past producers who have tried to cross from one side to the other, or include one in the other, have often been discredited. However, dubstep, breaks and the bassier sounds true to urban music have become more and more prominent in electronic dance with members like Skrillex topping our charts with his blend of electro and dubstep, Magnetic Man reaching global heights with their dance driven, bass laced productions and Laidback Luke working alongside Example with his offering of rap to create a piece that really is a pretty fine illustration of the new bridge in sound – it’s everywhere.
So the fuse has happened and it’s proved to have worked, but it is yet to fully manifest itself in clubs. Can it be done? Will FOUND truly breakthrough ‘what people know’ and create a following made up of those who appreciate both equally? Taking on the challenge of uniting both tribes under one banner could be a brave step for FOUND.
“There are avid clubbers with a purist attitude to outright house, drum & bass or dubstep and that’s understandable – they’re driving the growth of these now global dance cultures. At the same time, there are others who want to be surprised and open their ears to a multitude of sounds, looking a little deeper and that’s where the amalgamation of different genres plays its part, where DJs from entirely different musical backgrounds can feed off each other, broaden their sets and maybe go back a few years.” (James Benenson)
History has seen these opposite genres collaborate before, however. The late 1980’s and early 1990’s saw the growth of ghetto house in Chicago, and the single ‘Time for the Perculator’ by Cajmere became the prototype of the ghetto house sub-genre. ‘Ghetto house’, or ‘booty house’ featured minimal drum machine-driven tracks, alongside sexually explicit lyrics. Alongside the aforementioned artists we have seen producers such as Plastikman and Mount Kimbie successfully unifying techno with dubstep to make a slowed down, more electronic ‘dub-techno’. Maya Jane Coles also takes elements of her garage background throwing the 4/4 sounds onto the scene by mixing it with house to create tracks like ‘Beat Faster’ to give a grimier feel. Happy house heads are appreciating a generous dose of bass in their music as house gets sexier and sexier, think of tracks such as ‘Can’t Leave You’ by Maceo Plex, the trend of house colliding with bass music is in full force.
“It has been bubbling up for a couple of years but now is really coming into its own. Go back a few years and there’s a natural progression in underground British electronic music that’s seen these sounds evolve from the same roots. The beauty of the growth of a multi-genre club concept in all corners of the globe is that bass acts are now unafraid to explore the early house roots of their sound and push things further. At the same time the house producers are turning to bass to put subtle dark rumbles under explosive beats. It’s great to see the boundaries blurring between the two great camps that are house and bass.“ (James Benenson)
The two sides of dance music seem to be narrowing, both are continuing to take influence from each other and the two are marrying faster than the bpm count of a speedcore track. It seems we are amidst an evolution of two popular sounds evolving into something with an altogether fresher beat.
“Music is always ready to move forward, to change or adopt a new blueprint. Just look back a few years to that evolution and it’s evident. This will always happen. In terms of the ‘teams’ I guess some people obsess with the next big thing, the newest sound or the most underground of styles whilst others maintain a purist attitude. These two camps both have a part to play in driving things forward though, whilst making sure the roots of a sound are secure.“ (James Benenson)
And whilst this evolution is true, and each add their own chapter to dance and urban music’s story, it’s not simply adding a classical piano sample to a rap track, or laying an opera vocal down on a techno tune – it’s taking two cultures and marrying them together. With the growth of Ibiza culture and festivals abroad, we are seeing more and more people coming together from all over the world and having the opportunity to be exposed to decent dance music. This summer saw nights like ‘I want my MTV Ibiza’ featuring at Amnesia, bringing acts like Snoop Dogg and Kelis in to the home of highly accredited underground night Cocoon. We even saw places like Ushuaia book varied acts from RnB artists like Usher, to dance legends such as Jamie Jones and Luciano to draw in a mixture of crowds. With this, a more accepting and adaptable collection of dance music fans are forming, allowing for new ideas, concepts and cross-overs in culture to emerge, each adding to the dance music scene, as James so rightly puts “We’re blessed to be in the midst of a time when finally the snobbery in electronic music is giving way to a new era that will embrace the old whilst turning it on its head with the new“, yet we hope it still makes sure it’s feet remain firmly planted on the ground.
Perhaps, FOUND are just one step ahead of the game, predicting a greater merging of the genres…perhaps, it’s just a stab in the dark. That aside, we can only wait and see… The limited edition roster of Friday night events will be held at Vauxhall venue Hidden, for a 13 week series. Last Friday November 25th Audio Doughnuts celebrate their first anniversary, alongside Kuedo (aka Jamie Vex’d), LV & Joshua Idehen and others. And Trix follows a storming October launch party at FOUND, joining forces on December 16th with hot label Ten Thousand Yen, and playing host to Boddika, Dark Sky, Doc Daneeka, xxxy and more.
“Once upon a time in a parallel party universe, two damsels in distress collided across a twisted WMC palace. It wasn’t love at first sight, but a fairytale meeting of the minds spellbound by music, midgets and magic potions. An uncontrollable force propelled, and out of immaculate conception…Blond:ish was born”
Anstascia D’elene and Vivie Ann Bakos better known as Canadian DJ duo, Blond:Ish are the two sharp taste-maker instincts with technical flair that has not only charmed the industry masses but has paved the way for them to gather a loyal following in over 40 countries.Blond:ish have developed their own unique and divine cocktail when it comes to their production; provocative bass-lines contrasted with smooth textures and sticky vocals that blend into a genre of house that fights back against being branded to any definite category. Recently Blond:ish made the big move to London, this has enabled them to keep up with a steady release schedule with many more brews in the works. UGroove’s Yasmin Dangor sat down for a chat with the duo find out more about their new release ‘Truth in Me’, featuring Ted Alexander, as well as to get the inside scoop on upcoming projects…
Hi girls, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to do this interview for us…we’re looking forward to getting to know a bit about the girls behind Blond:Ish, how are you today, what are you currently doing?
Viv: Organizing my fridge, sipping on a glass of rustenberg.
We know that Blond:Ish is made up of you two girls…Anstascia and Vivie-Ann can you tell us how the two of you met and how you went on to form the duo?
Viv: We met in Montreal but became friends at the WMC in 2007 after Anstascia almost ran over me with her car while I was crossing the street outside of Space at 8am. We bonded inside a school bus at Pawn Shop at Sunday school and that was the turning point.
I was already djing at the time and Anstascia was promoting in the scene in Montreal as well as djing all her afterparties at her house. In 2008 there wasn’t much going on in the house scene at the time, so we hijacked Wednesday nights at a new spot called Cherry. We both DJd in separate rooms but eventually decided to join forces and invited guest DJs.
We still hold a monthly residency at Cherry today, and put on random warehouse parties 2-3 times/year. We have a loyal crowd that is attentive to our events as we’re always trying to put on an event that tickle’s people’s fancy and this keeps us super passionate to raise the bar everytime. It’s all about the WOW factor minus the duda.
I’m also sure everyone wants to know the story behind the name Blond:ish, it’s a very unique catchy name how did the name come to be?
When we were high up in the Peruvian mountains under the supervision of a shaman in a hut, the aliens told us to name our weekly mangle at Cherry, Blond:ish and after a month or so everyone just started calling us Blond:ish. It was all very organic (don’t panic).
The sound of Blond:ish is described as “Deep, electronic, eclectic, psychedelic, techish house”. Is this how you would describe your sound, and out of all these genres what elements appealed to you in the beginning?
Moving to London about a year ago has really got us focused on our vision and place in this industry. Now, we’ve really got grasp on it and figured how to focus on it 100%. I don’t think we would have come to this point in our musical careers if we were still based in Montreal. We’ve been extremely influenced by the enormous amount of talent that come play in east London every week.
The psychedelic/eclectic aspect refers to our recent inspirations after sifting through our parents dusty old records and the sheer intrigue we have to those times. Really loosely played organs, classic drum kits, elongated guitar solos, whimsical vocals are all very appealing to us at the moment. We definitely don’t like to be pigeonholed into a certain category which explains all the descriptive words. Its more of a feeling than a label.
What would you say was the funniest/interesting thing you’ve ever seen or done? Feel free to be as honest as possible.
Anstascia: Wow where do we start? One of the craziest things that we’ve seen was when we were DJing in Venezuela 2 years ago. We were on our friend’s yacht anchored in the middle of nowhere somewhere north of the venezuelan coast, there were hundreds of party goers on yachts that knew where this secret tropical party location was. After 12 hours with only liquor we were starving and had no idea how to get something to eat. All of a sudden this small motor boat with a venezuelan local came by and had the MOST incredible fresh lobster /fish ceviche and paella. We thought we were dreaming.
Viv: We didn’t have any Venezuelan cash with us, so we were joking around, “Haha wouldn’t it be amazing if this guy took Visa.” Just as we said that, he pointed to a sticker on the his motor that was a VISA sign. We thought we were hallucinating when he took out his wireless credit card machine to charge us. We couldn’t stop laughing for days.
Producing is not easy an easy job how did you get into producing and where do you draw your inspiration from? Are you both geeks or does one of you take care of the more technical side of your productions, and the other the more creative side?
Anstascia: Producing is definitely not easy but when you have the drive, passion and obsession (like with anything) that we do then its just about getting over the learning curve at the beginning. We both have taken courses in uni, watched countless tutorials, a lot of self teaching, asked a lot of questions and spent countless hours in trial and error developing our sound. Our most recent inspirations emerged from our incredible journey at Burning Man. Going to a different dimension is probably the best way to describe it.
Viv: I mean, I was a comp sci major, so I guess I’m a nerd or a geek if you want to label it. I would rather read a Computer Music or Future Music magazine over a Cosmo any day!
Anstascia: I’ll drink a cosmo and read Future Music simultaneously. I don’t consider myself a nerd but Viv has definitely influenced me to be more geeky. I think its contagious.
Can you tell us a little more about your latest release ‘Truth in me’ featuring Ted Alexander which has just been released on Noir Music. It’s quite a big track and gets my head bobbing nonstop every time I hear it. The vocals and melody fuse together perfectly to take the listener on a trip. What was the inspiration behind the track? How long did it take to produce it?
We wanted to do a sequel to our track ‘She’s Not There’ on the Lover’s in Limbo EP coming out on Kompakt but it sort of morphed into something completely different to what we had originally planned.
We’ve realized that you just have to go with the flow when making music and not plan it out too much. It took us about three full days, then we added an extra sine wave bass after the break…and it all came together. Ted laid down the vocals in a couple hours over a few beers and we got a good take in one shot.
You have started experimenting with using your own vocals on your tracks. Can you tell us how this decision came to be?
Anstascia: Neither Viv or myself ver considered ourselves singers but it seems that there is a huge lack for female vocals in the deep house category at the moment, so we just thought why not give it a shot? Recently a lot of artists like Art Department, Maceo Plex and then Visionquest are signing all these male units have started a vocal male trend, so we feel there’s a definite niche for female vocals.
How are you finding it?
Anstascia: The first time we did it we thought it would be a good idea to lube up our vocal chords by drinking Extra Virgin Olive Oil chased by a shot of Jameson. Ummm, yeah, not only did it help the sound of our voice, but it also helped in writing effective lyrics. We also practice in the shower and at the karaoke bar on every third Wednesday of the month but only on full moons.
Are you planning on going live using this element?
VIV: We are definitely planning to incorporate a live element. And we don’t just mean an ableton/laptop/mpc 40 live element. We wanna dig a bit deeper. Anstascia’s dad is an electronic engineer so we’ve sent him our specs and 2 hardware units so he can take an inside look to construct our custom gadget. Hold your horses on the singing live part, but definitely up for the challenge.
What do you each prefer to work on instrumental tracks, vocal tracks or remixes?
VOCAL TRACKS! We just can’t get away from them. Call us whatever you want, but we’re suckers for a good vocal and bassline….and realllly long guitar solos. There are so many remixes we want to do, just not enough time in a day to do them!
How do you plan your sets, if at all? Do you each have any random rituals before playing?
You can plan a set to some degree – but its all about molding to the moment. There are so many factors that go into the programming like mood factors, amount of people, amount of girls vs guys, body language, amount of mood setters (alcohol, and other stuff), are they drinking JACK or champagne? Are they taking horse tranquilizers or anti depressants? How was their day? Is there a musician playing an instrument? Is it too loud? Does it go with what we’re playing? Do we tell them to stop? What shape is the room? How is the sound? Then the same questions go back to us – the ones playing the music – What mood am I in right now? What have I been drinking? Am I taking horse tranquilizers or anti depressants?…you get the idea – we’re not a band with an album with a finite amount of tracks– we play other people’s music (with a few of ours in between) and there’s an infinite amount of it.
I know many of us are wondering how two people DJ together as opposed to just one person so what’s it like being a duo, do you always agree?
Anstascia: If we don’t agree on something while we’re playing we usually break out into a frenzied pillow fight and I always win.
Viv: and when there are no pillows, I use a bottle and I always win.
Anstascia: Ouch.
Viv: it was a blowup bottle , relax.
<insert fight here>
What has been the biggest challenge that you ladies have faced in the industry and how did you overcome it to get to where you are today? Any lessons learnt you can share with upcoming DJ’s/Producers, especially aspiring females?
We would guess it has been finding our sound. It’s not really something that you can fabricate overnight. It comes through lots of practice, experiments, errors, triumphs and influences from your social environment. But when you find it, its such a rewarding feeling, and then you can focus on creating, rather than searching. Its very liberating.
Can you tell us what lies in store for Blond:ish lovers, what can we look forward to in terms of new tracks, gigs, residencies and the like. Don’t leave out the details on what your plans are for the next year and where Blond:ish are heading?
We have a 3 track EP coming out on Kompakt in the new year that we’re super stoked for. We’re also working on a new remix for Blair – Life (remember that classic Derrick Carter remix), a remix for Michael Senna & Peter Zohdy on Suruba that’s out in a few weeks. An EP for Cray1 Labworks. An original with My Favourite Robot’s Nobot on vocals.
We started to do our own vocals as well and got a couple of those polished off. Also, 4 other originals that will be ready to shop very soon. We have a bunch of parties setup in support of the releases around Europe & we’re already planning for the official end of the world after party in January 2013, which we will be hosting <you’re invited>.
And last but not least, some quick fire questions for you both…<not so quick>
1. When you’re not making music /DJing what can you be found doing?
- Anstascia: cooking, yogaing, shopping, drinking(wine) while watching modern family or educating myself on making music.
- Vivie-Ann: reading up on eating healthy, organic, gluten free…. this whole naturopathic thing really intrigues me, did a detox and feel amazing…it’s incredible how rude we are to our bodies.
2. The one person (producer/vocalist) you dream of working with and why?
- Anstascia: Prince. Why? because he’s Prince and wears manscara.
- Vivie-Ann: I don’t have just one..I’d love to get involved with so many artists from the psychedelic rock era. Like, get inside their brains and really understand where they were coming from. I want to hear their stories, jam on the guits, organs in the desert and let loose with them while they tell/reminisce. That music speaks to me, and we’d love to put a twist on it for modern day use – although the music is timeless and some would argue it should be left alone, still wanna touch it and see what comes from it.
3. If you were not a DJ/Producer you would’ve been a……
- Anstascia: A crime scene investigator. or maybe Dexter’s sidekick.
- Vivie-Ann: A start up entrepreneur. Or, in another life, a Charles Bukowski:ish poet.
4. Three things you absolutely can’t live without?
- Anstascia: Is it cliche to say my macbook, bbm and google?
-Vivie-Ann: Access to the interweb, Booja-Booja Stuff in a Tub Coconut Hullabaloo and a hot shower!
5. One thing your fans don’t know about you?
- Vivie-Ann: I only read non-fiction and I’m really a robot.
- Anstascia: I am a 5 time olympic gold medalist on the Jamaican international bobsleigh team. I can also read minds.
Lastly, I’ve been trying to solve this one for ages maybe you ladies can shed some light. What came first the chicken or the egg? hmm…
Anstascia: I tried googling that same question the other day and the internet broke.
It’s been an absolute pleasure interviewing you girls. We wish you all the best in the upcoming projects of Blond:ish and look forward to catching up in the future. Might catch you playing somewhere around the globe soon.
‘Truth in me’ featuring Ted Alexander by Blond:ish is out on Noir music now…listen and buy here.
At UGroove, if we love it, we share it, so that you can groove to it… One lucky UGroover is in with the chance of winning a pair of tickets to Richie Hawtin presents Plastikman Live 1.5 at Manchester Academy on Thursday 1st December!
The award winning live show, unveiled at superclub Amnesia in Ibiza earlier this year will incorporate brand new Plastikman music, visuals and interactive technologies developed by Richie Hawtin and his extensive production team.
To win simply share this post on Facebook or share it on twitter/re-tweet, (for twitter, tag @UGroove). That really is all you have to do! The lucky winner will be chosen at 6pm on November 29th. Good luck!
Richie Hawtin’s Plastikman creation returned just a year back, in 2010, with a debut at Timewarp. Since, it’s already established a reputation as one of the most spectacular electronic live shows of all time and reignited it’s fans from 1990’s.
As with all previous shows, Plastikman Live will be fully interactive for any fans with the free SYNK iPhone application, which itself has been re-launched with new features including a live chat, live behind-the-curtain camera feed and more interactive elements, making the show one of the only genuinely interactive concert experiences in the world today.
Richie Hawtin states: “I’m incredibly excited to finally take Plastikman on its first standalone tour. These dates will represent the last opportunities for fans to catch Plastikman Live in its current form: the 1.5 version of the show we’ve spent nearly a year of fine-tuning. After that, Plastikman will be returning to the shadows to begin work on a brand new 2.0 concept. The fall tour will be full of surprises, and the performance will continue to be spontaneous and unique for every show – the way I believe live music should be performed in 2011.”
Support at the Manchester Academy show will come from Magda, Gaiser presents Void and Ambivalent and a DJ setfrom the man himself, Richie Hawtin who will close out the show.
To win the Plastikman 1.5 Tour Tickets to the Manchester show on 1st December. Simply share this post on Facebook or share it on twitter/re-tweet, (for twitter, tag @UGroove). That really is all you have to do! The lucky winner will be chosen at 6pm on November 29th. Good luck!
MUSTACHIO! presents…A series of parties fuelled by the music we love to accompany a tour of The World Of Mustachio! ..Through each stage of our journey, venues will be transformed bringing the Tashed Lands to life. Accompanying visuals will flicker around the space as our favourite DJs will move us through the adventure. Come with us as we open the portal to a tash dimension and team up with U Groove TV who will do what they do best; capture amazing footage to document this untouched world of wonders! ..If you’ve been living under a bearded rock for the last however long, U Groove TV is a channel filled with footage of the world’s finest parties and festivals – bringing together music fans from around the world, it’s the place to be/see/catch up on top goings-on, so check it out!
Our Groove-Tashio Team, as we like to call it, are proud to be supporting Movember – a moustache growing charity event that runs across the month of November to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men – you will have seen our series of DJs for Movember (more to come on that). For more info muzzy on to www.uk.movember.com
Via the moustache, Movember aims to fulfill its vision of having an everlasting impact on the face of men’s health, by continuing to spark conversation and spread awareness of men’s health each year, and so with MUSTACHIO! Events, U Groove, and with the support of Rainbow Venues and Face Events we plan to make the event a tashtastic success! In support of the event, MUSTACHIO! DJs have answered a bunch of moustache based questions for your entertainment…literally.
Lewis oxley
What is your favourite famous moustache dead or alive?!
Chris Kamara. Love how thin it is!
If you could take any type of moustache to a desert island what would it be?!
One thats really sound and friendly. And also gets on well with sideburns.
What is your favourite after party track?
Mike Dunn – Phreaky MF
If you could run away with the circus which one / where would you go?
Moscow State circus.
Quick Fire Round:
Monobrow or curious eyebrow? Curious eyebrow
Tash or gash? Gash
Perros, or no perros? Does that mean dog or no dogs?
Festival or Carnival? Festival
Matt and Devon
What is your favourite famous moustache dead or alive?!
Devon: I’d have to go for the best tash in town. natures own walrus
Matt: The Hulk Hogan Baby
What is your favourite after party track?
Devon: My favourite after party track would have be be Oh So Good by Mathew Bushwacka!
Because why should the party end
Matt: Freeform Five – Perpex Sex
If you could take any type of moustache to a desert island what would it be?!
Devon: My dessert Island tash would be the Vincent Price all sharp and darty even though I have leanings towards the Classic 18 hundreds gentleman’s curled at the end, Frinsbury rules, dumb bell lifting, I should strike you down where you stand good sir – chart topper.
Matt: My desert island moustache would be the Tom Selleck as he’s already dressed for the occasion.
If you could run away with the circus which one / where would you go?
Devon: I’d choose a small Russian gypsy circus to fill the role of the Dancing Bear.
Matt: Could I combine the middle America carnie circus from the TV series Carnival with Cirque du Soleil – The tour would have to included Vegas for it to be the perfect blend of weird, dark, magically jaw dropping and damn right crazy.
Quick Fire Round:
Monobrow or curious eyebrow?
Devon: curious eyebrow
Matt: Monobrow
Tash or gash?
Devon: Gash
Matt: Gash
Perros, or no perros?
Devon: Perros
Matt: No Perros
Festival or Carnival?
Devon: Carnival
Matt: Festival
Get into the Groove on Sat 26th November at MUSTACHIO! At Rainbow Venues in Birmingham… Celebrate and embrace as our world’s collide.
There is excitement lingering in the London air, and it’s all down to one of the city’s favourite promotions -Rhythmatic. Renowned for producing a host of cutting edge parties with favourable line-up’s the team are due to celebrate their fourth birthday this coming November 26th. Having spent the past four years tailoring their events to perfection we are all uber excited at UGroove HQ for what is sure to be another banger! Yes, they’ve brought names like Matthias Tanzmann, Davide Squillace and Marco Carola to the table, but they remain adamant that their loyal residents have also made the event what it is over the years. We caught up with Wesley Razzy, Rhythmatic resident, to talk about the party, the difference in his home country of Brazil and what it’s like to play on the same bill as Marco Carola….
Hi Wesley, thanks so much for talking to us. So, you’ve been DJing the London circuit for a few years now, but you’re originally from Brazil. What is it about the scene in the UK that keeps you here and keeps you excited?
Hey Lauren, thanks for having me here. The UK is on the top of the chain when it comes to underground electronic music. In London there are so many great events happening every weekend, everywhere you go there’s this great passion for music, and more importantly underground music. Unfortunately that’s not the case in other places. In Brazil, for example, people just want to be entertained – which is great too. But it’d be nice to find a bit more interest in the music itself.
How do you feel the music/house scene differs in the UK to over there?
Club Licenses. Most venues there can go on forever if they want to…
Do you go back a lot? When you do, do you take anything back from there that you like to inject when you come back to England?
I go back once or twice a year. Definitely! It’s hard to mention one thing now, but I always come back with a fresh head and try to apply things that I see there to here and vice-versa.
Do you see a lot changing at the moment?
Absolutely, the scene over there is growing so much lately. Promoters are finally having the chance to bring upcoming international talents rather than the same usual big names. More and more people are starting to enjoy underground music and they’re finally getting more in tune with it. I hear some great new venues are being launched as well – one of them is Space Club which is set to open in the south of Brazil next year.
You have been with Rhythmatic for 2/3 years now. Do you think your career has progressed in this period?
Absolutely! I joined Rhythmatic 2 years ago in October. I had just recently moved to London and had only DJ’d at a few small parties, Rhythmatic was the first big capacity event I played here. Holding a residency for them and playing alongside many amazing and inspiring artists has made me a better DJ.
What is it about this party that you love so much?
I haven’t come across any other promoters with as much dedication as Kiri and Kostas yet. They always make sure everything runs smoothly from having a great sound to making sure there’s enough taxis outside the venue so people can get home safe at the end of the party. That attention to detail is one of the reasons I always love playing for them.
Do you think it’s important to hold residencies?
If the party is good then, yes!
What are the pro’s and con’s of a residency?
Being a resident DJ for a party sometimes means you’re gonna miss out playing some other local events because of promoters being competitors. But on the plus side it’s great to have great regular gigs and you get to know the crowd you’re playing for really well.
It’s had you up playing against some big names, Marco Carola as an example, how does it feel?
It’s great being able to share the decks with some of the biggest names in the industry. Names like Carola attract a much bigger audience than usual as well. It’s very interesting to play these gigs as they don’t happen often.
Do you ever change your style to fit certain headliners when you warm up for them/play on the same bill?
I wouldn’t say that I change my style. I might take it a bit deeper or a little stronger depending of set times and headliner on the bill, but it’ll still have the characteristics of my sound and style.
Are you looking forward to Rhythmatics 4th Anniversary that is coming up this month?
Yeah, I can’t wait to play there! I’m very excited to be part of another Rhythmatic birthday – if it’s anything like the last one, we’ll be talking about it for months!! [laughs] I’m also looking forward to hearing Onur Ozer’s set. Once again, Rhythmatic has managed to bring a very rare headliner to a warehouse event. Livio & Roby, Stathis Lazarides and Archie Hamilton will be above amazing too and there’s a very special after-party lined up – what more could we ask for…?
Have you produced any juicy tracks exclusively for this event?
I’m in the process of finishing a track I’ve started with a friend Ryan Winters (Coconut Ritz). Hopefully it’ll get its first play on the 26th.
Who are some of your favourite DJs and producers at the moment?
So many great producers at the moment. Off of the top of my head I’d say Dinky, Avatism and Djebali have been making some serious tracks this year.
Any advice for budding djs and producers out there?
Keep on at it!
Thanks Wesley, looking forward to seeing you play at the event!
MUSTACHIO! presents…A series of parties fuelled by the music we love to accompany a tour of The World Of Mustachio! ..Through each stage of our journey, venues will be transformed bringing the Tashed Lands to life. Accompanying visuals will flicker around the space as our favourite DJs will move us through the adventure. Come with us as we open the portal to a tash dimension and team up with U Groove TV who will do what they do best; capture amazing footage to document this untouched world of wonders! ..If you’ve been living under a bearded rock for the last however long, U Groove TV is a channel filled with footage of the world’s finest parties and festivals – bringing together music fans from around the world, it’s the place to be/see/catch up on top goings-on, so check it out!
Our Groove-Tashio Team, as we like to call it, are proud to be supporting Movember – a moustache growing charity event that runs across the month of November to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men – you will have seen our series of DJs for Movember (more to come on that). For more info muzzy on to www.uk.movember.com
Via the moustache, Movember aims to fulfill its vision of having an everlasting impact on the face of men’s health, by continuing to spark conversation and spread awareness of men’s health each year, and so with MUSTACHIO! Events, U Groove, and with the support of Rainbow Venues and Face Events we plan to make the event a tashtastic success! In support of the event, MUSTACHIO! DJs have answered a bunch of moustache based questions for your entertainment…literally.
Jonny Wren
What is your favourite famous moustache dead or alive?
Tom Selleck
If you could take any type of moustache to a desert island what would it be?
A massive handlebar to sit back and sup pina-coladas through.
If you could run away with the circus which one / where would you go?
Moscow State Circus
What is your favourite after party track?
Kerri Chandler – Hooked on Love
Quick Fire Round:
Monobrow or curious eyebrow? – Curious eyebrow
Tash or gash? – gash
Perros, or no Perros? – Perros
Festival or Carnival? – Festival
Ernest Otoo
What is your favourite famous moustache dead or alive?!
Favourite tash has got to be Inspector Piorot’s. Next level tash.
If you could take any type of moustache to a desert island what would it be?
Probably one like Piorot’s think it’d be funny to be looking really dishevelled and struggling to survive on a desert island whilst having the most immaculate badboy tash!
If you could run away with the circus which one / where would you go?
I’d probably go to Tokyo. Looks mad over there & anyone I know whose been says it’s wicked. Also really interested in the culture. I don’t know what i’d to in the circus though, maybe juggling 2 oranges or something.
What is your favourite after party track?
The Rozzo remix of under the radar by Mike Shannon. Pure niceness. No matter how much I am lagging I can always get a groove on to that badboy. Some really easy going and super sexy shit right there.
Quick Fire Round:
Monobrow or curious eyebrow? - Curious eyebrow
Tash or gash? - Absolutely detest the word gash haha but obviously not Tash…
Perros, or no Perros? - I have no idea what Perros is so ‘no Perros!?’.
Festival or Carnival? - Carnival
Get into the Groove on Sat 26th November at MUSTACHIO! At Rainbow Venues in Birmingham… Celebrate and embrace as our world’s collide.
Richie Hawtin’s long overdue return to the UK under his Plastikman guise is one of the most anticipated tours of the year. With a career spanning 20 years he is one of electronic music’s true ambassadors, revolutionising the sound and pushing the boundaries of live performance. Currently on a world tour with his new Live.1.5 concept, the plastikman live experience is arguably one of the only live shows around where all aspects of the performance – music, lighting, audio, visuals and real time audience interaction via the SYNK app – are controlled by him alone. Amidst his busy touring schedule we managed to grab some time with the techno pioneer ahead of his UK dates which hits our shores in December.
Hey Richie, so, you’ve recently embarked on your Plastikman Live 1.5 Tour, can you tell us how this differs from your previous shows?
Plastikman Live 1.5 takes into everything we’ve learned with the 1.0 version of Plastikman during the last year of touring. On a technical level computers have been replaced, updated. Control surfaces like the Lemurs have been updated to iPad software and there’s been constant updates to the Griid and Kapture plugins (by my company Liine). BUT of course, the main thing people will see/hear are new updates to the visuals and songs. Every song has been updated to sound better and look better…new connections have been made between new sounds in each song, and new visuals for the L.E.D cage. We’ve also moved songs around into a different order and replaced 2 songs with totally new version helping to give the entire show more power and momentum and giving the entire experience a smoother overall feeling. If you add all of these small subtle updates together, you end up with a show that is closer to my original vision than the earlier shows we did in the beginning! We’ve also updated the iPhone SYNK application (avail. free from iTunes) to 1.5… which now offers LIVE camera feeds from within the cage and a new live chat area for all the Plastikman fans at the concert…. the live video feed is also used more on the front of the cage than ever before, strengthening the connection between the audience and myself!
What production will you be using on the show?
We spec out every last detail to make the PM Live show a reality… we need a specific type of L.E.D panel to build the cage around me… making sure that it is both high resolution AND transparent so that people can also see me sometime. To make the show happen we also need a series of very special components…fibre optik cables, LAN cables, DMX cables all going from the FOH (mix position) to the stage so that I can communicate with all the lighting/video computer systems and bring the show to life. This is a very important thing to understand about PM Live… the entire experience is controlled by me from within the cage, my main computer system sends out signals to create SOUND, LIGHTING AND VISUALS, the audience’s entire experience is controlled from within the cage.
What equipment do you use when you’re playing live?
The entire experience is controlled by a custom version of Ableton Live/Max4Live running on the fastest Macbook Pro 17″ (actually 2 of them, 1 for a backup). This system is then connected to a series of RME and Marian audio cards sending 20 channels of analog audio to 2 Midas audio mixers (1 on stage and 1 at FOH). To handle all the control data (for lighting/visuals/iPhone) we have a Cisco router on stage for routing all of this information, DMX lighting translator hardware to send our Midi information into DMX to the lighting console. Three iPads running Griid, Kapture, Synk and TouchOSC allow me to interact with the Ableton computer, controlling modulation, sample/clip playback and recalls of special information, there’s also a set of analog faders and 2 custom midi boxes my Dad made to help me add/control effects like Reverb and Delays. Nearly all of these items are duplicated so that we are running 2 full systems of the live show next to each other incase we have any problems!
Who is Plastikman?
Plastikman is one of my alter-ego’s, I believe that we are all made up of dozens of different personalities and it’s the combination of these that make us who we are. Plastikman and Richie Hawtin are the two strongest characters I have.
Can you sum up the difference between Plastikman and Richie Hawtin musically?
Richie Hawtin is the extrovert who is shaped by the people, music, environment around me. As Hawtin the DJ, I take all of these influences and try to perform, mixing music together in a special and unique way. Plastikman is of course also inspired by things around me, but is deeper to the heart of who Richie Hawtin is. When I close all the doors and look deep into myself, at who I am, what I like, etc, this is when I’m at the closest to Plastikman.
How do you perform differently as Plastikman and Richie Hawtin?
As I said before, a Hawtin show is created by me (Hawtin) filtering other people’s music through my ears/mind and putting it back together in a way that is uniquely me… but remembering that the foundation of that is other peoples music. Plastikman is created by my own unique musical productions and is based specifically on how I think music should be made and sound.
Where do you find inspiration for your music? How did you go about making ‘Spastik’?
Inspiration comes in many forms. For instance Sheet One was inspired by an intense period of Dj’ing in the Detroit area, a time which bought together many new friends, sounds and experiences. This group then inspired the Musik album and Recycled Plastik etc. Spastik was directly inspired to an incredible night listening to Derrick May play at the Bankle Building in Detroit! You never know when inspiration will hit, you just need to realize when you have it, grab it, record it and make sure you don’t miss these small fleeting moments of creativity!
You’ve mentored a vast amount of DJs via your Minus label, do you find that propelling the next generation of DJs has helped keep your creativity fresh?
One of the most important things to keep you going is renewed innovation and inspiration. Running Minus allows a constant flow of new ideas, people, talent and young producers. Through these new connections I’m able to help inspire the next generation who then also re-inspire me and show me new younger perspectives. You must remember that Technology based music must constantly renew itself, progress and develop, just like the machines and software programs we use to create and perform.
You’ve been DJ’ing as Plastikman for twenty years, how has your sound progressed over the years?
My musical progression has been one of small development steps and continuity. It’s as if 20 years ago I started to create my own sonic language to explain the ideas/thoughts/feelings deep inside of me, and I continue to develop that language, adding letters and symbols, making new words each time I work on creative ideas. This language is perhaps not understandable by everyone, but for those who feel connected, who understand how I put these sonic symbols together, a deep connection sustains and further strengthens our bonds.
Do you miss the 90’s scene; does anywhere globally still capture that?
What is the 90′s scene? Early rave culture? Detroit Techno? Acid House? Electronic Music continues to be a creative output of musical ideas that look beyond today. This is where my focus is so I guess I’d rather think about 2020 than 1990.
Ambivalent and Magda are supporting the UK leg of the Tour, both of which you have given a platform to via Minus, can you tell us a bit about them?
Both Ambivalent and Magda are longtime friends and collaborators who I feel a deep musical connection to. They are both forward thinking individuals who use their love of music and technology to delve into slightly different areas of electronic music. Having both of them on the Plastikman Tour allows us to offer a wider musical experience to all the attendees than any one of us can do alone.
Detroit was the birthplace of techno yet Berlin seems to be the base for the sound these days, what’s so special about these two cities for that particular sound?
Detroit and Berlin both went through their own radical upheaval in their histories, Detroit with the race riots and subsequent white-flight and Berlin with the war and the wall. Because of this, both cities ended up being isolated not only from their close neighbours but also internally as well. This created an interesting nesting ground for the citizens to look beyond these problems and escape through musical and creative ways.
What have been your greatest achievements personally and professionally to date?
Creating and sustaining platforms like Plus 8, Minus and even Plastikman Live which brings together creative types and introduces their ideas to the world.
Did sorting your Plastikman Arkives bring back some good memories?
Arkives took us over 2 years to bring to fruition, it was a long, hard and intense road that was lined by many beautiful memories. Part of the main process was not only listening to the music, but contacting old friends and colleagues, sharing stories and photos to bring us all back to that time in order to give the correct story for the book. I was happily reminded by many stories that I had since forgotten about, some of which reminded me of my mind set back then, when I was locked into my studio for days at a time, playing with my Roland 303′s, 808′s etc and being engulfed in music inspiration. The entire journey was incredible.
Why did you decide to release the Arkives now?
Plastikman Live and Arkives are companion pieces. With the renewed interest in electronic music from all over the world, I thought it was the perfect time to (re)educate the crowds with some of the things I had done in my earlier years that helped define what I’ve been doing more recently.
Who inspires you in the industry? Who did you look up to when you started out?
Daniel Miller inspired John Aquaviva and I in the early days of Plus 8. His attention to detail and his attitude and independent direction still sustain that belief and inspiration to us and many others still to this day.
Where did the idea come from to perform in a fruit and veg stall in Barcelona? Random yet amazing!
Very easy…and totally not random. The best ideas are ones that make sense to you because they are part of your way of thinking of life, things that you already have a personal connection, this creates something that is real. And real is something that you cannot fake. My friend Eva and I love the market, we’ve been meeting there for lunch for many years and always talked about doing ‘something’ there. The market is full of life, it’s a social gathering place, so to us it seemed natural to try and bring people together in the market for another reason, MUSIC!
Any plans to do a market stall tour in the future?
Yes, we’re just trying to figure out if Del Monte or Chiquita is sponsoring it!
Richie Hawtin presents Plastikman Live 1.5 world tour hits UK Shores in December and will see him performing in Manchester, London and Glasgow. Support on the tour comes from Magda and Ambivalent.
