TEA

TEA 2nd Birthday Promo Mix

2012-02-01T16:13:00.000+11:00

It's been raining mixes at TEA thanks to recent contributions from three separate duo's in Northern Structures, AnD and Isolated Lines. To add to the down pour TEA has thrown one of our own into the mix to celebrate 2 years of interviews, podcasts, parties, tours and a noticeable improvement in punctuation and grammar! *streamers and party poppers go everywhere*

TEA's 2nd Birthday is only 2 weekends away and in the lead up to the celebrations I have knocked up a studio mix to hint at a few of the artists, labels and healthy cuts likely to get a run during my "It's my birthday and I'll DJ for 3 hours if I want to" celebratory set.

TEA's 2nd Birthday is Saturday the 11th of February at My Aeon - 791 Sydney Road where I'll be supported by the silky smooth Daniel Filipovic and tastemaker Nic Touhey. *more party horns and streamers go everywhere*

1. Claro Intelecto - Voyeurism [Modern Love]

2. Roman Lindau - Borne [Ann Aimee]

3. Lee Holman - Seek [Snapshot Records]

4. Mike Dehnert - Pneumatic [Ann Aimee]

5. Sven Weisemann - Trackz [a.r.t.less]

6. Silent Servant - Violencia (Kalon Mix) [Sandwell District]

7. Peter Van Hoesen - Defence Against The Self (Lucy remix) [Time To Express]

8. A Sagittariun - The Circle Stops Somewhere (MD2 HARD MIX) [Elastic Dreams]

9. AnD - DTS [Black Sun Records]

10. ASC - Magnetic [Perc Trax]

11. Zadig - Re-Form [CONSTRUCT RE_FORM]

12. The 7th Plain - Lost [Delsin] (Rerelease)

13. Silent Servant - Untitled (Regis Mix) [Sandwell District]

14. Walt J - Reborn 1 (DJ Qu's Journey Towards Birth remix) [Petite]

15. Braille - The Year 3000 [Rush Hour Direct Current]

16. Morphosis - Too Far (Marcel Dettmann Definition 2)

17. Resoe - Apart From Moorpark [Echocord]

TEA Recommends - SCKT01

2012-01-31T10:39:00.013+11:00

Friend, TEA interviewee and steadily rising techno pillar Markus Suckut launches his own SCKT imprint with SCKT01.

Suckut enjoyed a robust 2011 with releases on Stroboscopic Artefacts and Figure SPC as well as remixes for Gynoid Audio, Darkcell and a particularly impressive reconstruction of Session Restore's 'Warsaw Avenue'. The Velbert-Langenberg local opens his 2012 account with 3 rugged cuts in Grit, Strength and Object 700 - self explanatory techno.

Suckut at the moment is brimming with confidence as SCKT01's track titles suggest. Object 700 scored a video remake from techno editors the29novfilms and his vinyl only venture, still in its elementary phases shares similar parallels to Ben Klock's predominately solo platform Klockworks, only in a less melodic, non Berlin, Markus Suckut form.

TEA Podcast #18 - Isolated Lines

2012-01-25T11:56:00.008+11:00

Pannonia Superior by Isolated lines

Swiss duo Isolated Lines made up of Gwenael Magnenat and Simon Sol last year released their first and so far only EP on Greg Schappert aka Donor’s free net label Miniscule, with their track "Macer" receiving a strong remix from the New Yorkian (free to download along with every other release via Minsicule’s soundcloud). After a semi reluctant move back to Zurich from Berlin, Sol hooked up with Magnenat to form Isolated Lines, a name deriving from their experimentations with synthesis.

Isolated Lines dead paced style of production attaches itself to the legacy of dub techno, with clear influences of Rod Modell and DeepChord to Sascha Rydell and Fachwerk. Magnenat, a media engineering student recounts the days before his productions were geared toward the dance floor and says ‘I used to produce music that was a bit more experimental. I used to work at a lot of clubs and festivals as the guy who set up all the turntables. It was through that, that I really started getting into deep house and techno.’ Like many DJ’s before him Sol found house music through hip hop ‘I had a friend who was a hip-hop DJ and he taught me how to mix, it was about two years after that we started getting into house music. We would buy deep house records and play them after school.’

Since their "Pannonia Superior" EP the two have remixed local swiss band Casque (translates to Helmet in English.) ‘We really liked their track "Edgar" and asked if we could do a remix, which they were cool with.’ says Magnenat. ‘I think we will have one, maybe two EPs released later this year. Our second release should be out in a matter of weeks as well as another remix we have been working on’ adds Sol. Isolated Lines also launched their live show in late 2011 debuting at a local Swiss festival Les Digitales.

Magnenat and Sol remain modest about the clubbing situation in Zurich but name tag Hive Club, Zukunft and Cabaret as some of the cities better represented venues and the two are supporting Jeroen Search’s live show at a Motoguzzi release party on the 10th of February. As a precursor the two have compiled TEA's 18th podcast which features some healthy techno cuts from Mike Dehnert, Redshape, Adam Rivet and Skudge as well as their remix of Casque's "Edgar". This Swiss have made a strong name for themselves through house acts Deetron, Ripperton and Quarion as well as labels Drumpoet Community and Morris / Audio, whereas the Swiss techno fold has been a little underrepresented. It may only be their first baby steps but Isolated lines see themselves in a good stead to boost the profile of techno in Switzerland.

Download TEA Podcast #18 by Isolated Lines

1.Nuel – A-Side [Aquaplano]
2.Mary Velo – Random [Coincidence Records]
3.Redshape – Plonk (Dub) [Present]
4.Mike Dehnert – RGS (Roman Lindau Remix) [Echocord Colour]
5.Martyn – Masks [Brainfeeder]
6.Shed – Well Done (030-Edit) [Soloaction Records]
7.Casque – Edgar (Isolated Lines Remix) [Unreleased]
8.Rivet – Slant [Naked Index]
9.Unbalance – 1#001 [Unbalance]
10.2562 – Wasteland (Head High Remix) [When In Doubt]
11.Marcel Dettmann – Translation Two [Ostgut Ton]
12.Mondo – Work Me Baby (Marcelus Interpretation) [Deeply Rooted House]
13.Skudge – Overture (Substance Remix) [Skudge Records]

TEA on KISS FM Tonight

2012-01-24T16:35:00.009+11:00

Once again I have been invited along to Pinksilver don Daniel Filipovic's weekly Kiss FM radio slot Drowned In Sound. I will finally be putting 2011 to rest by having a chat and carousing through some of the more interesting tracks from TEA's top 100 tracks of 2011.

It's a scorcher of a day here in Melbourne so if your find yourself on the way to the beach or doing laps of Acland or Fitzroy street in St Kilda, you may as well have my nasally vocal projections and musical leanings blaring through your sub woofa's mate.

Melbournians keep it locked to to either 87.6 - 87.8 - 87.9 - 88.00 FM

The rest of the world can stream it here.

Melbourne 8:30pm

UK - 9:30am

Europe - 10:30am

EDIT: Tonights tracklisting

Tropic Of Cancer - Be Brave [Downwards]
Aardvark - (Just Washed) That Pig (Extended) [Rush Hour Vault Series]
Reno Wurzbacher - Julischkaa [Colombage]
Sascha Rydell - SR2 [Fachwerk]
Anne James Chaton - Événement27 [10label]
Martyn & Mike Slott - Pointing Fingers [All City Records]
The Carter Bro - I Didn’t Need You [Black Catalogue]
Furesshu - Lucid [Project Squared]
AnD - Non Compliant [Inner Surface Music]
Floorplan - Baby Baby [M-Plant]
K209 - Going Forward [K209]
Gerry Read - Roomland (youandewan remix) [2nd Drop]
Aux 88 - Soul Of Black (Arthur Oskan Beat remix) [Puzzlebox]

Basic Soul Unit - Northern Heights EP

2012-01-21T16:18:00.000+11:00

Basic Soul Unit

Northern Heights

Other Heights

Other Heights has become the beating pulse that taste makers have been placing their collective fingers on since 2010. Entering its third year the Belgian imprint has released an impressive assortment of music ranging from the dubbed out crackles of Mohlao, to the kooky cuts of Kowton and Conforce (under his Mi-24 moniker), to Ghostek’s Burial-esque dubstep/techno. The label has also released two stellar albums in Herbstlaub’s “Per Sonare” - a metamorphosis of Moderat’s dysphoric textures and Pantha Du Prince’s snow covered percussion, as well as Alteria Percepsyne’s unfathomably deep seated masterpiece “Cloaks Of Perception”.

Basic Soul Unit's “Northern Heights” EP was originally scheduled for a release on Other Heights’ sub label Moody Heights, but due to practical and artistic reasons the sub label has been put on hold. Basic Soul Unit (real name, Stuart Li) is partnered with Russian producer Unbroken Dub who supplies remixes for both BSU tracks. At first “Come On” resembles a druggy version of DJ HMC’s 95 classic “Cum On” - released on the now legendary “Phreakin’ ” EP by Dirty House. Mellow steel drums accompany Li’s chesty kick, clap and snare combo as flanging pads and omnifarious piano stabs unfold over inviting claps. “Come On” then slightly veers off course via a primitive breakdown, where saw wave stabs and booming bass drums build the track back up toward an expected climactic crescendo, only for BSU to dispel any preconceptions of ecstatic white noise swoops and incessant side-chaining, opting to fall back into his original stab happy groove.

Unbroken Dub’s washed out take of “Come On” unites dubby effects and airy textures, held together by tightly programmed drums and hi hats set to a slow attack. Basic Soul Unit opens “Growing Pains” in similar fashion to “Come On” as a thumpy kick and hat compound meets cheeky bass pulses and short synths shots that zig zag around an insidious pad, dropping to a stripped back and acidic work out that will appease many weekend dance floors.

Both producers keep to their known formulas and Unbroken Dub draws on the blue print which made his 2011 Rawax series so impressive. The steadfast pace set by the Russian’s remix to “Growing Pains” offers a hand out to DJs wanting to make the transition from the lighter end of dub techno to the dancier end of deep house, as breezy melodies are pitted against firing motor city percussion in a gracious piece of free flowing mood music.

TEA Special: AnD - No Ufo's Mix

2012-01-19T00:05:00.004+11:00

UK techno is amidst an exciting resurgence not seen since the days of Surgeon, James Ruskin, Paul Mac and their affiliate labels dominating record stores and filling DJs bags. A gradual slowing down of production and output from some of the UK's most prolific artists and labels during the early to mid 00s saw a spike in the amount of music coming out of Berlin's underground and hitting the quasi-mainstream, a movement spearheaded by Ostgut Ton and Berghain's ability to turn its residents into stars overnight.

UK techno however bubbled away and other acts such as Regis, Luke Slater and Mark Broom maintained a less prolific yet generative stream of work. Fast forward to 2011 and the tip of this new iceberg is just starting to show. Few producers of late have received as much attention as UK artists Shifted, Blawan, The Black Dog and Perc, while the enigmatic AnD with 6 release under their belt in 2011 happily maintain their shadowy existence.

It's been well documented that Industrial groups such as Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire and Nurse With Wound were inspirations behind the abrasive soundscapes carved by Surgeon and Regis, whilst Perc celebrating 10 years in the game recently commissioned remixes from both Chris Carter and Richard. H. Kirk on his Perc Trax imprint, Sheffield duo the Black Dog also received a 2011 remix from the Cabaret Voltaire legend. The legacy that Industrial music left on UK techno is merely one of the reasons for this galvanising resurgence, bass music's crafty approximation of techno has seen Blawan's ramshackled arrangements championed by an array of localities, ranging from Parisian electro dons Orgasmic and Teki Latex to Berghain honcho Norman Nodge, where I personally saw What You Do With With What You Have knocked out early on a Sunday afternoon. Acts like Shifted and Instra:mental have applied their drum and bass sensibilities to suite a house and techno framework, but it's AnD's heavy and stripped back brand of analogue techno that has diverted least from the UK's original outpourings, a style they call Dave Clarke inspired techno.

The enigmatic and covert productions of AnD have seen releases on the equally enigmatic Horizontal Ground and Black Sun Records, as well as Bristolian imprint Idle Hands and TEA feature label Project Squared. The two also run their own Inner Surface Music venture with Tom Dicicco which has so far seen two releases, with a third not too far away.

AnD have opened up their hearts and mind for TEA, compiling their No Ufo's mix. The two draw upon acts and artists that have no doubt played major importance in influencing their music and lives, whether it be through the aforementioned or versions of Throbbing Gristle and Richard. H. Kirk, or modern day manifestations in Tropic Of Cancer and Demdike Stare. The two also champion those pushing the boundaries of modern day electronica by acknowledging Sandwell District, DJ Skirt, Giorgio Gigli, Lucy and Xhin as well as providing rarities from Brian Eno and David Byrne, John Cage (I was lucky enough to pick up Radio Music in Amsterdam last October), Neu and Belgian EBM outfit Front 242, who are said to have coined the term Electronic Body Music.

Download AnD - No Ufo's Mix

D.C - D.O.A.
They Live -7998
Raymond Scott - Buffering Memories
Throbbing Gristle - X-Ray
O - Einsimmainen Valo
Himadri - Trace
Sandwell District - 7" A (Feed Forward)
Chris and Cosey - The Gates Of Ancient Cities
Brian Eno - Mountain Of Needles
Laurel Halo - Head

Oni Ayhun - OAR002 A
Aneglo Badalemti - Laura Palmers Theme
No Ufo's - 00-00-2010
Christian Zanesi - Marseille 2
DJ Skirt - Racing The Sea
John Cage - Radio Music
Tropic Of Cancer - Distorted Horizon
Richard. H Kirk - World War Three
Covered I Sand - Escape 1
Oneohtrix Point Never - Stress Waves
No Ufo's - Bright and Blue
Moondog - Moondog Monolog
Pan Sonic - Arvio
Boards Of Canada - Energy Warning
Brian Eno & David Byrne - Come With Us
Elph vs Coil - Ended
D.A.F - Der Ra? Uber Und Der Prinz
Richard H Kirk - Frequency Band
Xhin - This Is What You Drew While You Were Half Asleep
Covered In Sand - These Things Show Me
Boards Of Canada - You Could Feel The Sky
Cassegrain - Olbio (Giorgio Gigli Pyschoacoustic remix)
The Black Dog - Rainbow Bridge
Front 242 - Kinetics
Kevin Gorman - Caracole (Lucy remix)
Oneohtrix Pointnever - Sleep Dealer
Demdike Stare - Caged In Stennheim
Rrose - Arms nad Legs (Variation 2)
Nue - Seeland

Fresh TEA - Northern Structures

2012-01-12T10:05:00.003+11:00

A joint ‘It’s cold’ is the reply from Copenhagen duo Northern Structures when asked about life in Denmark. From a stuffy and unconditioned Melbourne town house I’m greeted via Skype video link by ex drum and bass head turned expat Troels B-Knudsen and ex Culture Box bus boy Lasse Buhl.

Northern Structures so far only have two releases to their name, both on Adam X’s Sonic Groove. Unbeknown to the two that Adam X was in fact the legend he is within the graffiti scene, their unrelenting Self Similarity EP came off the back of a graffiti conversation with the New Yorkian. With an arsenal of unreleased loops and tracks, Northern Structures live show, an analogue expression session said to have had Kenneth Christiansen's Culture Box teeming with sweat, is one of the reasons why the two are beginning to be held in such high regard.

Lasse and Troels galvanised their friendship through Vermona's DRM MKII drum machine, responsible for the duos first three tracks. The two pay tribute to the work of Kenneth Christiansen for what can be seen as a blossoming Danish electronic music scene, with names like Pattern Repeat, Mikkel Metal, Northern Structures or Kasper Bjorke and Kenton Slash Demon on a houseir tip demanding as much attention and respect as one of the countries biggest musical exports Trentmøeller.

The two digress further with their take on Copenhagen's Culture Box, Christiania's impact on the city, Kenneth Christiansen as a mentor and a different slant on how to consume tea.

TEA Podcast #17 - Northern Structures by TEA Music
How and where was the mix recorded?

Lasse It’s different from our DJ sets because it’s a Ableton Studio mix and we have never tried that before.

Troels The idea was to mix some tracks that we like and make it a bit friendlier and at home listening. That was the idea anyway, it turned out a bit rougher than what we first planned (laughs). We would never do an Ableton live dj set, our sets always have a live format where we there is a possibility of us making a mistake, there is always an element of chance in our dj sets and they will always be manual.

To date you only have two releases, both on Adam X’s Sonic Groove. Your live sets must feature a lot of unreleased material?

Lasse I think we have around 20 unreleased tracks.

Troels Some of them are just tools but then they turned into actual tracks. The last live set we did was done in a serious rush. We agreed on the fly to do a live set and we had a month or two to get it ready. We finished off all the loops and tools we had and the rest was us jamming and improvising over the top.

I have also seen that you use the Vermona DRM MKII drum machine?

Troels The first track we did together was with the Vermona.

Lasse I thinks that’s how we actually first got together. I went from Logic to Ableton and wanted to take some lessons from Troels because he really knows his Ableton. After a few sessions at Troels house I said to him that I am getting a new drum machine and that we should hook up and try it out. When we did we ended up making our first track Self Similarity.

So Northern Structures are in debt to Vermona?

Lasse Yes it is because of the Vermona, so thanks Vermona (laughs). We knew each other a little bit before through mutual friends, but not that well. When I got the drum machine Troels wanted to try it and then we started making tracks from there.

Treols The first three tracks on Sonic Groove were the only tracks we had made at the time, we made Self Similarity and were really happy with it, from there we made two more.

How did the Sonic Groove connection come about?

Lasse I was in Berlin with a friend and we went to a party at Horst. My friend Maj knew Adam X and introduced us and we got talking. I used to be very into graffiti and Adam is a very well known artist in the New York scene. We started speaking music and I mentioned to him that I was working on some things and he said to send some of it through, so when we made Self Similarity I did.

When you first met Adam did you know much about his art?

Lasse We are both big Traversable Wormhole fans and I was at that party because I wanted to see him play. I was quite surprised because I knew Adam by his graffiti artist name but never knew it was actually him, he is a legend in the graffiti scene.

Sonic Groove looks to be an integral part of Northern Structures.

Lasse Sonic Groove is great for us and we love the label and its artists. Having said that we are open to other labels that we really respect but Sonic Groove is definitely home.

How does the dynamic work between the two of you in the studio?

Troels We do equal parts of everything. I do most of the mix downs because I have been producing for longer.

Lasse Troels is a very famous drum n bass guy (laughs).

Troels I have been doing music since I was 15 and I was part of drum n bass for a long time, for around 10 years. Slowly I began to think that it was time for something else, part of that came from opening up to techno.

What brought about the transition into techno?

Troels I’ll be straight up about it. I got really sick of the drum n bass scene.

Lasse Bla Bla (laughs) *motioning guns with hands*

Troels It got a bit juvenile, I’m not afraid to say that. A lot of sixteen and seventeen years olds started getting into it which killed it a bit. It became more about energy than about the actual music. It got a bit much and leading up to the end I didn’t even like drum n bass when I was making it. From there I found house and techno which seemed to be more of a mature scene and that made me really hungry for electronic music again.

Are you enjoying the broken beat style of house and techno that a lot of producers are making at the moment?

Lasse Anything goes, we are just music lovers. I’m really into breakbeat techno and most of my own productions are breaks, rough breaks, but of course I also really enjoy four four.

Troels I definitely liked four four for a while, it was really liberating to keep it simple. I had spent the previous 10 years focusing on complex drum patterns. But once again anything goes, no rules and that is the beauty of techno.

Lasse That is kind of our rule, that there is no rules. Why have rules when creating something beautiful, we’ll even use a guitars (laughs).

Troels When we first started Northern Structures we tried jamming everything out in one take, partly so we could walk straight out on stage and play, our aim was to always be able to to play live. We have moved away from that slightly and if there was ever a rule that was it. I think that helped us stand out from everyone else.

Lasse The first record we made had a lot of mistakes because it is mainly us jamming. Sometimes when I listen back to it I think what the hell were we doing. That record has a lot energy and we like that

The live show looks to be an integral part of Northern Structures. Is it something that evolves from week to week or is it something that is developed in stages?

Lasse This month has been pretty much the same idea and now that we have a lot of new tracks we need to put a whole new live set together, it's never the same when you improvise. We never know how it will go.

Troels It mainly changes when we have new tracks, we always have stuff lying around and it’s always a good way to test things out.

Your are based in Copenhagen. How big of an influence has the Culture Box been on you and the city?

Lasse For me the Culture Box means a lot, it is how I got into techno. I used to work there as a bus boy collecting bottles and I used to think it was a brothel. I would walk past and see the red light and always wonder what was going on. A friend of mine told me it was a night club and one night when I was walking home I thought I’d go check it out. I went in and it was full of people, people sweating, people in suites, all sorts. People were coming in as they were and that really attracted to me to the place. It was down the street from where I used to live, I could go down whenever I wanted and be myself, I wasn’t pressured into thinking about what other people were thinking. It has a really nice atmosphere and I was so hooked on the place that I asked if I could work there, they gave me a job collecting glasses which I worked for a few years.

Troels Kenneth [Christiansen] has brought up a lot of people through the Culture Box, he's definitely had a big impact on the scene here. For me it was instrumental because it was the first place that I knew that was dedicated to electronic music. We don’t have a a lot of that here and now there is a place for it.

Lasse I would say that Kenneth is a musical father figure. He taught me everything, I used to play a lot dub techno and a lot from his label Echocord. It’s been a journey with him, he is a crazy guy and he taught me a lot about music. He took me to Berlin when he played and showed me around. He was the one that got me into DJing. When I started I just wanted to play and he was like no you can’t play now, you are not ready, you need to wait, your not good enough. He would’t book me until I was ready and then one day he said now you are good enough.

How did that first gig happen?

Troels Kenneth was the one that spurred us on to do a live set.

Lasse There is a monthly Berghain night at the Culture Box, Marcel Fengler and Ryan Elliot were playing. He said he wanted us to play live. We had two months preparation for our first live set and we did it, it was a crazy night and one of my most amazing experiences of all time, sweat was trickling from the ceiling, the place was packed, it was beautiful.

Troels It was very fitting that we did our first live set at the Culture Box.

Lasse It was a big one for me because Marcel Fengler is my favourite Ostgut artist.

What was life like in Copehagen pre Culture Box?

Lasse There were a lot of private or special one off events.

Troels Techno has always been in Copenhagen and a lot of it has to do with Kenneth and the work he did before the Culture Box. Copenhagen is kind of a neighbour to Berlin and Hamburg, so we knew what was going on, people would go back and forth and come back with all kinds of stories, I think that had a big impact on the city. I have known about techno since the late 90’s and it was a kind of reverse thing, I got into it through techno inspired drum n bass. Then in the mid 2000’s I started digging further for acts and the whole no rules attitude to techno was very attractive.

Lasse Techno came into my life a little before Culture Box.I was listening to a lot of EBM and a lot of Industrial so I think techno was what the missing link. I was also listening to a lot of Jazz because I used to play the saxophone.

Lasse, you also have a very interesting or what some might say disturbing Tumblr.

Lasse I don’t know how to explain it. Troels and I have a very dark side which you can hear in our productions.

Troels Copenhagen is very civil city, Scandinavia is in general. For us it is very refreshing when things are honest and realistic. When life terrifies you it can be an experience that moves you more than others.

Lasse The pictures on my Tumblr simply inspire me. I know it sounds so cheesy but I can see the beauty in the darkness. Sex and Violence. It’s not a big part of me but dark thoughts can be inspiring. For example I like the winter, no one in the winter asks me why I am sitting at home making music for seven hours. People are always ask me why I’m not going to the beach in summer and it’s simply because I don’t want to go to the beach.

Weather in the winter can be a great back drop for making music.

Lasse Especially in the north, that’s why we named ourselves Northern Structures. The north is really special in the winter because everything is so grey but still so beautiful.

Does this mean you enjoy horror films Lasse?

Lasse I can’t watch horror films because I get nightmares for around 3 weeks afterwards. People often ask me to go see scary movies and I’m like no way, too scary. I prefer a romantic comedy (laughs).

Troels It tends to be more interesting what is going on inside of peoples heads. I’m a big Science Fiction fan. Science Fiction tends to deal with how things interact with people instead of how people view things externally. Space is full of experiences that would be life changing for most people and that is the type of thing we tend to gravitate toward, rather than real life monsters and bad guys.

How much has Christiania given to the cities music?

Lasse I don’t really go there anymore, not for the past 3 years anyway.

Troels Some of the first drum n bass parties I went to were out there. It is a special place, it’s an old military base which was turned into a squat in the seventies, it's now a small town with a community. You could say it was a lawless place held together by a bunch of hippies and I think a lot of them are still around. A lot of poets, writers and artists came out of there and it’s famous for being a mini Amsterdam. The government tried cracking down on it a few years ago but they failed. People in Christiania don’t pay tax, not in the traditional sense anyway, they ended up renting the property from the government and it’s been a big grey area ever since. Christiania has a lot of backing in Copenhagen but the politicians are getting fed up with crime that happens there. We really hope it sticks around because it is going through a lot of changes.

Are either of you working on solo material?

Troels Yes we are talking to labels but none of our solo stuff is out yet. I have a solo project called ctrls, and my first ep is coming out this year, other than that we are hoping for some other releases.

What is next for Northern Structures?

Lasse We will have at least one more record on Sonic Groove.

Troels We are talking to a lot of people but nothing is definite yet. At the moment we are working on finishing tracks.

Lasse For us it is just about having fun. We don’t feel the need to keep up with releasing six or so records a year. We want to make sure we are enjoying making music.

Treols We are going to broaden our live set which means stepping it up, which means new gear.

Lasse We want some more analogue gear to make our set crazier.

Treols and Lasse We also want to thank a few people that have helped us a lot along the way. Rune Zetterstr¯m for excellent mastering, Regina Libian for help with the artwork on the last EP, Pernille Krog Mogensen for booking, all the djs that supported our records and a big big thanks to Maj Kristiansen for being sprawled out on the couch in the background with a huge hangover when the first track was made.

What are your favourite teas?

Lasse I used to smoke tea when I was twelve for the fun of it but it didnít work. Iím actually a big coffee drinker. I do like a chai tea but green tea is my favourite.

Troels I'm a green tea guy.

Take a look a Lasse Buhl's Tumblr here

TEA 2nd Birthday My Aeon Feb 11th

2012-01-08T21:40:00.004+11:00

TEA is now 2 years young and to celebrate 24 months of internet rambling and obsessive blogging comes a 3 hour set from TEA Commander in Chief James Manning.

TEA began as blog focused on sharing what we believe to be good music written in a professional manner. So far TEA has interviewed close to 40 acts including luminaries such as Surgeon, Marcel Dettmann, Norman Nodge, Adam X, Dan Curtin, Redshape, Terrence Fixmer, Xhin, Lucy and Perc as well as up and coming artist Tom Dicicco, AnD, Markus Suckut, Milton Bradley, James Kumo and Ed Davenport.

TEA also runs a successful podcast series which has so far seen podcasts from HMC, Rødhad, AnD, Zadig, Subjected, Tom Dicicco, Adam Rivet and Northern Structures.

TEA is responsible for Xhin and Lucy's inaugural Australian tours and has hosted other parties with Robert Hood, Marcel Dettmann, Jay Shepheard as well as booking local acts The Carter Bros, Tornado Wallace, Mic Newman and Francis Inferno Orchestra to play at various venues around Australia.

TEA's 2nd Birthday warm up duties are of course entrusted in TEA's warm up specialist Daniel Filipovic, who's formidable ability to woo an entering crowd with his dub laden precision is of absolute perfection. James Manning will have the floor from 12 where instead about writing about TEA's favourite releases he will be playing them, expect anything from beatless avant garde records to pummelling mid nineties Downwards releases to hands up house. TEA also introduces the worldly Nic Tuohey, who's encyclopaedic knowledge and taste making qualities come courtesy of stints living in London and Berlin and Los Angeles.

TEA would like to thank all who have supported us in the past and we look forward to a forward thinking and expressive night of detached music.

TEA's Ones To Watch For 2012

2012-01-05T22:04:00.002+11:00

Rather than predicting the year ahead, TEA has decided to name check some of the artist who sparked up some interest in 2011. Below is a select group of merrymakers who have the potential to light up 2012 whether it be with through their original productions, remixes, labels, live shows, DJ sets or organised parties.

Furesshu

The young Bristolian was responsible for one of this years most functional techno tracks Lucid, coming in at number 8 on TEA's top 100 for 2011. Furesshu along with Asusu were Project Squared's inaugural artists who seem to share a close friendship, the two release their Togetherness/Horizons EP on local imprint Immerse Records in May 2010. Furesshu capped off 2012 with his Downstate techno cut on Brendon Moeller's Steadfast which featured an Echologist (aka Brendon Moeller) Dub.

Northern Structures

So far to their name these two Danes have two releases to their name, Self Similarity and Service & Devotion both released on Adam X's Sonic Groove. The two regularly play live and in a recent chat with them in late 2011 they revealed to TEA that they have a stock pile of tracks banked up ready for potential releases.

Zadig

If Zadig keeps things up he looks to be the biggest thing since François Kervokian and Daft Punk combined. 2010 saw Kenny Larkin's remix of Zadig's Dark Nebular tilt a few heads in the the Parisian's direction, but it has been his most recent release on Technasia's Sino and the launch of his own CONSTRUCT-RE-FORM imprint that has fast tracked the Frenchman as a one to watch. Zadig's 'new classic' sound is a traditional yet engaging approach to producing techno and one which he says was inspired by such luminaries as Surgeon, Luke Slater and Robert Hood.

Adam Rivet

Adam Rivet supplied a podcast for TEA earlier this year just after the release of his first Naked Index EP Looking Out. Since then Rivet has released a second ram shackling package for Naked Index titled Running Thick, thick techno that's for sure. Rivet managed to sneak in remix for Kowton's Dirty Little Bomb on upcoming Danish imprint Teal as well as the recent Amid The Roar EP on Kontra-Musik which features a quality tasty Marcel Fengler Redefinition.

Carter Bros

For those that know them the Carter Brothers have been doing their thing for a long time before many of us new what that thing was. For those that don't they are known as the two wonder brothers from regional Australia that managed to snag a release on Rush Hour and Monty Luke's new imprint Black Catalogue. Infamous for being hopeless self promoters it only takes a little digging to find out that these two have released two albums prior to their Rush Hour release on their own DIY label Well Pitched Recordings. By 2012's end the Carter Bros will be a staple amongst house and techno lovers sets.

MRSK

Besides MKSR's reconstruction of Makam's - Home 2 Home (alongside remixes from Delano Smith and XDB) on Berlin imprint Sushitech Purple, the housier sub label of Sushitech, the Swede has a modest discography with his Black Keith/Close To Me EP released on Rush Hour being his only solo work. MRSK has featured on The Best Of Rush Hour compilations for the past two years highlighting the Scandinavian as a one to watch this year.

Conrad Van Orton

Another young Italian who's dark and brooding take on techno has him well on his way to joining ranks with the likes of Georgio Gigli, Donanto Dozzy and their younger protégés Obtane and Claudio PRC. Conrad Van Orton, real name Andrea Zanchetta runs C.R.S Recordings with sometimes production partner VSK. The somewhat necomer introduced his brand of broken and dirty techno to 2011 with releases on Key, ANG, Fluxus Digital and his own C.R.S Recordings.

Unbalance

Whenever I hear of an electronic music producer from Russia I secretly hope that their productions are made on ex KGB audio espionage devices, worked on in an abandoned power station in the freezing depths of Siberia. When you hear tracks like this years Mad Loop on Red Indeks or Rising on Sontag Morgen it's easy to be convinced that this is the case. The Ruski also launched a successful series on DBH Distributions Unbalance imprint with three dub laden Untitled EP's that were given the all clear by Alex Bau.

Tom Dicicco

Tom Dicicco (pronounced Dee-Chee-Co) looks to have struck a chord with those yearning for more emotive content within music geared for the dancefloor. Dicicco may be considered to be in the dawn of his musical career but his deep and meaningful productions have years on the cheap, deep and meaningless imitations plaguing many of our inboxes. This comes as no surprise as the Northampton tot was schooled by the teachings of his father preaching the word, rhythm and sound of King Tubby, Lee Scratch Perry and Yabby You, delivering the dub obsessive we see today.\

Henning Baer

Henning Baer has been been one of Berlin's silent assassins, slowly building his Grounded Theory empire under the cover of darkness. The soon to be label which also operates as artist agency taking care of artists such as Milton Bradley, Subjected & Moerbeck aka Vault Series and new acquisition Sawf, made its name via the now legendary Grounded Theory parties hosted at Arena Club. Henning Baer's production is as underground as it gets and this years collaboration with close friend Milton Bradley as K209 tore apart soundsystem around the world as did his angry follow up Fierce Hundred. Things only look to get bigger from here on in.

TEA Most Exciting Producers For 2011

2012-01-03T11:00:00.000+11:00

2011 was a year where many artists broke through, whether it be the up and comers such as Blawan, Cosmin TRG or AnD or veterans such as Mike Parker, Luke Slater or ASC who have simply kept on keeping on. Below is TEA's list of 10 acts and artists that impressed us most.

Blawan

Alongside Cosmin TRG, Blawan has been one of 2011's most talked about artists and one that Midland says inspired him to be less lazy when it comes to programming his drums. Blawan dominated 2011 with releases on Restoration and Vae Victis with help from the Analogue Cops as well as two releases on R & S with the gob smacking What You Do With What You have EP and his equally impressive Peaches EP on Clone's Basement Series.

Kowton

Kowton's don't pigeon hole me attitude to production pokes fun at the hapless journalist who for the sake of a review is forced to describe his music. Kowton's kooky productions have seen light on a 6 separate labels in 2011 including [NAKED LUNCH], Project Squared, Teal Recordings, Livity Sound, Other Heights and two EP's for Bristol imprint Idle Hands.

Dadub

RA forum member Mamam made the comment on Resident Advisor's review of Dadub's Monad VIII "How dance music will sound in 2043… Fantastic" pretty much sums it up. As it stands Dadub's music is so far ahead of its time even Detroit's first wave are scratching their heads putting themselves and Stroboscopic Artefacts at the cutting edge of electronic music.

AnD

Who can get enough of faceless techno and covert production operations? AnD are a Mancunian based duo who this year lit the techno world alight with a prolific slew of releases on equally enigmatic labels Horizontal Ground and Black Sun Records as well as Idle Hands, Project Squared and their own Inner Surface Music iprint run with Tom Dicicco. With an unstoppable amount of techno seen from the two last year it’s clear that a release-less 2010 was the bi-product of being left to their own devices in what can only be imagined as an abandoned air raid shelter beneath the streets of Manchester.

Mike Parker

2011 was a year where anything remotely related to Mike Parker was considered buy on sight. With Munich based label Prologue shedding light on some of techno's darkest names which include Dino Sabatini, Cio D'Or, Milton Bradley, Georgio Gigli and Claudio PRC, Mike Parker added his name to the roster with two stellar EP's linking the two with what seems to be a match made in heaven. Parker's own Geophone imprint saw GPH16 and GPH17 hit the shelves cementing Parkers as one of techno's most recognisable sounds.

Truncate

Another name to seemingly burst out of no where is Truncate aka David Flores aka Audio Injection. Unlike Audio Injection's big room approach to techno with releases on CLR, Droid, Sleaze and Electric Deluxe, Flores has made a move away from the main room with his now dubbier orientation. Flores set up his own Truncate platform and hios music also saw other releases on US imprints Enemy Records, Modularz and Drumcell's Droid whom Flores works closely with.

Eduardo De La Calle

Spaniard Eduardo De La Calle may well be one of the hardest working and most dedicated to the cause electronic music producers out there. This year he launched his Analog Solutions imprint which saw a whopping 16 releases in total, all of which untitled and quality. Over the years Eduardo De La Calle has slowly raised the standards of what should be considered 'deep house' with his pure and honest house/techno sound, throwing caution to wind for any for any producer claiming to be deep house.

ASC

ASC is another producer who has long flown under the radar and in doing so made the likes of Sandwell District look somewhat mainstream. After his revered Nothing Is Certain full length released on Non Plus last year, 2011 saw ASC reveal himself to the broader techno community via a joint EP with L.B Dub Corp on Mote Ecolver's Parallel Series 1 EP. In 2010 ASC set up his Auxiliary imprint which saw the digital offshoot Auxiliary Transmissions and the bold Auxiliary: Symbol launch in 2011. ASC recently opened Pushing Red's podcast series which is well worth a listen, the UK producer (based in San Diego) also runs his own blogspot which is recommended read for a healthy intake of underground and forward thinking nutrition.

Gerry Read

Those still unable to get their kick drums sounding as big as Kerri Chandler's or their hats as slicing as Falty DL have all secretly signed a pact to do whatever it takes to rid the world of Gerry Read. At 19 years old the Suffolk based maverick's ability to produce techno as dense as Dehnert and raw as Restoration sent sqeee's of excitement through TEA HQ this year. Since debuting last year on the Dark Arx imprint, Read has demonstrated a progression and focus in sound across releases on both 2nd Drop and Fourth Wave. Juno Plus recently revealed that a further twelve inch and an album are in the works for Fourth Wave.

Shifted

There is no denying it that the man about techno town in 2011 was indeed Shifted. In a down spoken transition to techno from drum n bass, Shifted wasted no time in introducing himself. This year saw the launch of his own Avain imprint as well as releasing two extremely impressive EP's on Luke Slater's Mote Evolver. EP's were also knocked up for labels Pacific Blue, Syndrome Z and Our Circula Sound. The Englishman also produced Project Squared's biggest selling release for 2011 with his remix to Furesshu's Lucid as well as other remixes for The Black Dog, Sigha, Max_M, Cio D'Or and DAX J & Chris Stanford from EarToGround.

TEA 2011 Albums in Review

2011-12-26T23:49:00.027+11:00

2011 may well be looked back on as the year where the techno LP broke free from the shackles of mediocrity that continue to hold back many a genre from fulfilling their full potential. Nowadays a well received techno album needs to be more than a handful of dancefloor friendly productions bookend by and intro an outro and middled by a token ‘experimental track’. Narratives and concepts are more prominent then ever before with political, humanitarian and historical undertones making themselves as known as the productions themselves. Perc’s Wicker & Steel intentionally or not soundtracked this years London riots, whilst Legowelt’s The Teac Life made from malfunctioning, cheap and retro analogue equipment was released free digitally, only to see a successful vinyl release due to its hugely positive response, baffling scores of net-labels in the process.

UK electronica influences run deep within the productions of Lucy and Xhin, specifically when the two distance themselves from an EP format. Both are rewriting techno’s current rule book and in doing so have further blurred the lines between techno and everything else. After Lucy’s deep and meaningful Wordplay For Working Bees which draws parallels with the architecture of Le Corbusier and the groundbreaking electroacoustic experimentations of Karlheinz Stockhausen, Xhin released his own personal reflection Sword, the Singaporean’s third full length and Stroboscopic Artefacts second, seeing both artists share in nods of appreciation toward modern day luminaries Aphex Twin and Surgeon.

Luke Slater’s emphatic Planetary Assault Systems project saw Ostgut Ton release one of this years most played albums The Messenger, which unlike some of the aforementioned albums could essentially be a club and dance floor orientated classic. Had it not been for Slater’s ability to reinvent himself, his latest admission could have easily passed over us like Robert Hood’s Omega Man released last year, but it didn’t. Slater’s The Messenger saw a new (and younger) allegiance of fans join the hordes of Slater faithfuls who still stand strong (even after his leftfield 2002 pop dance album Alright On Top). Fellow established notable Anthony Child aka Surgeon is yet another UK act to this year push his music to the limit and as his latest offering Breaking The Frame suggests through tracks like Radiance, Child is ready to put even the hardest of trained ears to the test, a technique seen with his remix to Xhin’s Foreshadowed also.

Dub techno is often criticised for its lack of evolution since the first blue prints were drawn up by the likes of Mark Ernestus, Moritz von Oswald and Monolake. A genre firmly set in its practiced orientation, the past 10 years has seen the likes of Rod Modell, Quantec and Mikkel Metal keep Kenneth Christiansen’s Echocord on top of the dub techno pops. Mokira aka Andreas Tilliander’s sub aquatic and verging on beatless dub techno dream Time Axis Manipulation pushed dub techno even deeper (if that’s possible) via the Swede’s uber dub masterpiece. Bredon Moeller made similar in roads with his Subterranean LP released under his Ecologist moniker via his own Steadfast, but it struggled to maintain the emotive and narrative flow of Mokira’s Time Axis Manipulation.

Rastor Noton boss Alva Noto this year unveiled his Univrs LP, an upside down sequel to his 2008 Unitxt. Univrs featured one of this years most fascinating collaborations with French poet Anne James Chaton, who also released a 2011 long player on Rastor Noton called Événements 09. The Emptyset made up of James Ginzburg (aka Ginz) and Paul Purgas released their Demiurge LP on Bristol label Subtext, following up from their 2009 Caravan Recordings self titled. The two were introduced to a wider techno audience in January via their Altogether Lost collaboration with Underground Resistance vocalist Cornelius Harris, released on CLR which featured Ben Klock’s tantalising Glowing Clap Mix.

Mancunian imprint Modern Love produced a hat trick of outstanding pieces with Andy Stott’s Passed Me By / We Stay Together double package and Demdike Stare’s Tryptych, a release on par with the unrivalled talents of Tropic Of Cancer and their The End Of All Things released on legendary UK imprint Downwards. Wrapping up a year which seemingly belongs to UK producers is Dave Huismans’ aka 2562 Fever released on When In Doubt. Like Stott, 2562 combines his take on dub techno, broken beat and crackling ambience with smudged vocal scares and post industrial noise. If we begin our techno timeline with the precedent set by labels like Planet E, Warp and Axis, techno is now 20 years old. Young enthusiasts and hardened veterans now eagerly await a slew of celebratory rereleases and gift wrapped anniversary packs that will no doubt descend upon 2012, and as electronic music slowly recovers from a hangover of a poorly engineered DIY productions and blase label management, 2011 is making the first steps in setting a new precedent for the next 20 years.

TEA TOP TRACKS FOR 2011

2011-12-25T18:05:00.003+11:00

Locked in my suburban Melbourne home with only my records, laptop, turntables, monitors, an endless supply of tea I managed to compile TEA's top 100 tracks that made their way into my record bag, inbox or download account. When I did surface I was looking more like pale and famished internet gamer rather than a pale and famished internet blogger.

After the days of soul searching I was mystified by the amount of tracks that I'd missed last year and no doubt history is about to repeat itself.

Attached are the corresponding links to the tracks available to be viewed on youtube.

Happy Hunting!

100.Marcello Napoletano – Noise Is The Cure [Bosconi]

99.Databoy78 - Thursday [Running Back]
98.Conrad Van Orton - Shattered [Key]
97.Cosmin TRG - Izolat [50 Weapons]
96.The End Of All Existence - Only Darkness Remains [The End Of All Existence]
95.Eduardo De La Calle - Flamenco Sketches (Present The Good Bye Song) [Analog Solutions]
94.Myles Sergé - The Crazy Neighbor [RE(FORM)]
93.Dadub - Metropolis [Stroboscopic Artefacts]
92.Eduardo De La Calle - Untitled A1 [Analog Solutions 003]
91.GHL - Slow Good [Electric Minds]

90.Martyn & Mike Slott - All Nights [All City Records]

89.Julio Bashmore - Battle For Middle You [PMR Records]

88.Shifted - Control [Mote Evolver]
87.AnD - A Brother From Another Mother (Tom Dicicco Late Night Dub) [Project Squared]
86.Steven Porter - Deed [10 Label]
85.MD2 - MD2.3.2 [MD2]
84.Delta Funktionen - Minds Into Meltdown [Ann Aimee]
83.Unbalance - Untitled A1 [Unbalance#2]
82.Roman Lindau - Crasse [Fachwerk]
81.Planetary Assault Systems - Black Tea [Ostgut Ton]

80.Bleak - Fall [Sudden Drop]

79.Shifted - Untitled B2 [Avian]

78.XDB - Bakfom [Harbour City Sorrow]
77.Unbroken Dub - Untitled B2 [Rawax]
76.Sailor Mood - RM12.4 [Retrometro Records]
75.Resoe - Redlightsareflashin [Echocord Colour]
74.Jeroen Search & Markus Suckut - JSMS 2.0 [Figure SPC K]
73.Roman Lindau - Sub Suggestion [Fachwerk]
72.Conforce - Desolate Ground [Delsin]
71.Third Side meets ND_Baumecker – Burning [Restoration Records]

70.Xhin - Foreshadowed (Dadub Remix) [Stroboscopic Artefacts]

69.Skudge - Void [Echocord Colour]

68.Endian - Two Chords Deep [Electric Minds]
67.Wbeeza - Coast Spotting [Third Ear Recordings]
66.Reno Wurzbacher - Julischkaa [Fachwerk]
65.Burial – Street Halo [Hyperdub]
64.Axel Boman – Europa [Studio Barnhus]
63.Marcel Dettmann - Translation One [Ostgut Ton]
62.Mike Dehnert - Sonderbar [Clone Basement Series]
61.Roman Lindau - Avide [Fachwerk]

60.K209 - Going Forward [K209]

59.Emmanuel Top - Addiction [Planete Rouge]

58.Cio D'Or - Magnetkries (Shifted C.I.S remix) [Prologue]
57.Jobody - Aspect 3 [Apologue]
56.AnD - Resistance [Black Sun Records]
55.The Black Dog - Heavy Industry [Dust Science]
54.Tom Dicicco - Night Erosion [Stockholm LTD]
53.John Swing - the Live Experience [Relative]
52.Mokira - Time Track [Kontra-Musik]
51.Planetary Assault Systems - Kray Squid [Ostgut Ton]

50.Rivet - Running (edit) [Naked Index]

49.Unbalanced - Mad Loop [Red Indeks]

48.Dadub - Biophesis [Stroboscopic Artefacts]
47.Jeff Derringer - Exit Sound [Perc Trax]
46.Donato Dozzy & Neel - Voices From The Lake Drop 2 [Prologue]
45.Mike Parker - Subterranean Liquid [Prologue]
44.L.B Dub Corp - Lurchers Dub [Mote Evolver]
43.Conforce - Vacuum [Delsin]
42.Northern Structures - 9 - 5 [Sonic Groove]
41.Max_M - Kidnapper Bell (Shifted remix) [M-Rec Ltd]

40.Disco Nihilist - Greasy Grind [Running Back]

39.Kowton - Keep Walking [NAKEDLUNCH]
38.Truncate - Truncate.21 (DJ Hyperactive Mix) [Truncate]
37.Northern Structures - Rotations [Sonic Groove]
36.Shifted - Drifting Over [Mote Evolver]
35.Mike Dehnert - Rgs2 [Echocord Colour]
34.Marcel Dettmann - Planning [Ostgut Ton]
33.Planetary Assault Systems - Wriss [Ostgut Ton]
32.Vril- V5 [Giegling]

31.Norman Nodge - Homology [MDR]

30.Zadig - Reflection [Sino]

29.Roman Lindau - Lyrica [Fachwerk]

28.Xhin - This Is What You Drew While You Were Half Asleep [Stroboscopic Artefacts]
27.Carter Bros - I Didn't Need You [Black Catalogue]
26.Shifted - Polaron [Mote Evolver]
25.AnD - Horizontal Ground Vision [Black Sun Records]
24.Blawan – What You Do With What You Have [R & S]
23.Benjamin Brunn – No Kicks [Third Ear Recordings]
22.Gerry Read - Roomland (Youandewan Remix) [2nd Drop]

21.Blawan - Vibe Decorium [R & S]

20.John Beltran - Nephila's Oneiric (Sven's Glorify Tribute To John Beltran) [Delsin]

19.Tommy Four Seven - Track 5 (Robert Hood Remix) [CLR]

18.Floorplan - Baby Baby [M-Plant]
17.Milton Bradley - Diffusion [K209]
16.Mike Parker - FWD (Donato Dozzy remix) [Prologue]
15.Efdemin & Kassian Troyer - Blount [Curle]
14.Aardvark - (Just Washed) That Pig (Extended) [Rush Hour]
13.Aux 88 - Soul Of Black (Arthur Oskan Beat Remix) [Puzzlebox Records]
12.Sascha Rydell - SR2 [Fachwerk]

11.Dense & Pika - Bad Back [Dense & Pika]

10.SVN - Track 2 [Sued]

SVN's Track 2 borders on what could be classified as acoustic house. It's meaty baseline rumbles and woofs around a syncopated drum pattern caressed by the deepest of blue and moody looped piano chords. Little is known about SUED other than the label established itself this year with two joint releases from the equally unknown SW. & SVN.

9.Dadub - Hadean [Stroboscopic Artefacts]

RA forum member Mamam made the comment on my review of Dadub's Monad VIII "How dance music will sound in 2043… Fantastic". That pretty much sums it up. As it stands Dadub's music is so far ahead of its time Detroit's first wave are scratching their heads. Dadub's production and mastering prowess is something to be reckoned with and Hadean is the best example of this.

8.Furesshu - Lucid [Project Squared]

Bristolian Furesshu has successfully produced one of the most functional techno tracks of the year, which comes with one of the most functional remixes of the year thanks to 2011's white hot Shifted. For any lover of a dub techno chord, or in this case stabs (which I'm sure counts for a lot of us), this is a must have and absolute gem from trailblazing London imprint Project Squared. The fact that the tracks waveform is shaped like a bomb also might have something to do with it.

7.Anthony Shakir - Travellers (MRSK Remix) [Rush Hour]

Silky smooth 'n' streamlined techno. MRSK's remix of Anthony Shake Shakir's - Travellers is one of the years most polished production, played, charted and supported by a full spectrum of house and techno artists. Besides MKSR's reconstruction of Makam's - Home 2 Home (alongside remixes from Delano Smith and XDB) on Berlin imprint Sushitech Purple, the housier sub label of Sushitech, the Swede has a modest discography with his Black Keith/Close To Me EP released on Rush Hour being his only solo work. MRSK has featured on The Best Of Rush Hour compilations for the past two years highlighting the Scandinavian as a one to watch in 2012.

6.AnD - Non Compliant [Inner Surface Music]

Alongside Shifted, AnD have been the most prolific newcomers to the world of techno in 2011. After knuckling down in 2010 the Manucian and Greek duo this year released on Horizontal Ground, Black Sun Records, Project Squared, Idle Hands, Jonas Kopp's Krill Music as well as their own Inner Surface Music imprint they run with partner Tom Dicicco. Non Compliant from the same EP is pure, stripped back and no nonsense techno, with an injected silence to stun any club.

5.Surgeon - Radiance [Dynamic Tension Records]

Never have I heard people say someone has played too hard at Berghain, until Surgeon's most recent visit, not a mean feat. Besides the odd remix, Surgeon's releases of late have moved at a glacial rate and like that glaciers when they hit we know about it. Radiance from Surgeon's - Breaking The Frame LP is a wall of noise backed by Anthony Child's thunder kicks and violent undertones that only an industrial obsessive (associated with Regis) could only be capable of.

4.Zadig - Re-Form [Contruct_Re_Form]

A relative newcomer Zadig aka Slyvain Peltier’s 909 workouts look soon to become folklore if the ramshackling Re-Form is anything to go by. Its stormy introduction soon swirls into heavy duty dub techno hit with many a techno cliché included. 2010 saw Kenny Larkin’s remix of Zadig's Dark Nebular tilt a few heads in the the Parisian's direction, but it has been his most recent release on Technasia's Sino and the launch of his own CONSTRUCT-RE-FORM imprint that has fast tracked the Frenchman as a one to watch. Zadig's 'new classic' sound is a traditional yet engaging approach to producing techno and one that he says is inspired by such luminaries as Surgeon, Luke Slater and Robert Hood.

3.Anne-James Chaton - Evenement27 [10 Label]

And the award for the scariest cover art goes to - new Japanese imprint 10Label. The Japanese do scary well and not surprisingly the music is as sinister as the artwork. The record itself gives away no hints as to what is the A or B sides, but it's not long before hearing some typically rapturous Ancient Method loops that I was able to figure it out. Partnering Ancient methods on the A side is ex Vault Series stalwart Sawlin, a producer once associated with the Berlin basement sounds Subjected and Moerbeck. The flip is a little more avant garde than side A, opened by Steven Porter's - Deed, a production not to dissimilar from Milton Bradley's - The End Of All Existence but it's Raster-Noton's Anne James Chaton glitchy exorcism that shocked us most at TEA.

2.Eduardo De La Calle – Untitled [Analog Solutions – EDITS 001]

Spaniard Eduardo De La Calle may well be one of the hardest working and most dedicated to the cause electronic music producers there is. This year he launched his Analog Solutions imprint which saw a whopping 16 releases in total, all of which untitled and quality. The B side to EDITS 001 is the ultimate deep house production that would laugh in the face of many that have been tagged as deep house by either Juno or Beatport. With a male vocal to make your spine tingle Eduardo De La Calle has set the bar for future 'deep house' producers.

1.Planetary Assault Systems - Rip The Cut [Ostgut Ton]

I commend all of those who have compiled a favourites list this year who managed to not include Planetary Assault Systems - The Messenger's 12 tracks in their top 12. Bell Blocker (a DJ's favourite), Wriss, Kray Squid and Black Tea were all good enough to fill this spot. I gave top spot to Rip The Cut not because of its sheer brutality, crawl into the speaker cone qualities and Luke Slater's never mind the bullocks attitude to producing Rip The Cut, but the response I've seen when hearing it played and the stories I've heard from others hearing it played or playing it themselves.

Label Special: Project Squared

2011-12-14T13:54:00.021+11:00

Project Squared boss Paul Cooper hands me a cup of his favourite Clipper tea inside of his cosy Stepney Green apartment on a brisk London night. A record from the now defunct New York hip hop trio Company Flow plays softly in the background and I’m informed by Cooper that ‘This is some late 90’s hip hop that started a leftfield type of movement. This was the first type of music that I released, it was done in a kind of Mo Wax style’. As I take in my first sip of tea Cooper takes me back to where it all began, a time where what income he had was more than likely to be spent on boiled sweets rather than hard wax. ‘I’m originally from Brighton and grew up alongside big beat and Fatboy Slim, I remember taping Pete Tong and Danny Rampling play trance on the radio.’ Recounts Cooper, before taking me into his early teens ‘I’ve been into electronic music for as long as I’ve been into hip hop, the first album I bought was Orbital’s In Sides when I was about twelve, I then got into hip hop around the same time.’

Paul Cooper released his Amongst Strangers and What Else Is There LP’s on Project Squared’s parent label Project Mooncircle, a Berlin based hip hop imprint responsible for pressing up tracks for the likes of MF Doom and Onra. Paul Cooper’s melancholic DJ Shadow meets Katalyst style of sample production eventually made way for his inquisition into music more so geared for the dancefloor, not long after came Project Squared. ‘My interest in hip hop really wained and I don’t think it has done anything interesting in a long time’ says Paul. “I enjoyed some of the Flying Lotus and Hudson Mohawke stuff but for me it hasn’t really changed or developed at all, either that or it’s gone too far off for me to feel.’ So as hip hop took up ranks alongside Cooper’s back catalogue of Fatboy Slim and Pete Tong, a thirst for electronic dance music grew.

Trawling the internet and dubstep forums Cooper discovered young Bristolian talent Asusu and Furesshu, who to the disbelief of Cooper were yet to be snapped up by any independents. ‘I got the idea to set up the label Project Squared as their [Asusu and Furesshu] music was so good it needed to be on vinyl, luckily Gordon from Project Mooncircle was up for me me starting a sub label.’ Given the all clear from Project Mooncircle boss Gordon Geiseking and with some initial funding from online music and street wear store HHV, 2009 saw Project Squared launched with Asusu’s garage tinged and two stepped influenced Small Hours/Taurean EP, which was soon followed up in early 2010 by Furusshu’s Untitled/1993/Horizons 12” also on the dubstep tip popular at the time.

Project Squared's Initial Artists - From Left: Furesshu, Asusu, Skratch

Late 2009, early 2010 saw the dubstep bubble per say close to popping. ‘My taste at the time was still fifty percent dubstep, fifty percent techno.’ States Cooper, a common thread among hip hop entrants to the world of electronic dance music. ‘Through dubstep I found that I got into what you might call the Berghain, Ostgut wave of techno that had been making it’s way in since about 2007. There was a ten inch on Kontra which had a Marcel Dettman remix of Scuba, that was the first time I ever heard Marcel Dettmann. I had been listening to techno on the side but I’d never heard anything like that before.’ Cooper attributes his transition into techno because of acts like Martyn and Kode 9 crossing over into the house and techno fray, a move also knowingly made by Commix, Instra:mental and a host others. This transition is however no mass exodus from the broken beat and two step styles of the aforementioned, as some of techno’s biggest stalwarts such as Surgeon, Lucy, Regis and Perc are famously making a name for themselves in techno for being everything broken and non-functional, genre bending in the process.

‘Around the time of Project Squared’s first release it was very two steppy and garage, but since then it’s shifted more towards techno, which is pretty much where it is now.’ Cooper is quick to admit that he can easily get bored of a given genre and puts this down to his compulsiveness in collecting records, which he say leads him to ‘defining a genre and hammering it so much that I loose interest’. When asked what he was enjoying of late his first plaudits were geared toward AnD’s new Idle Hands EP, adding that the duo’s Horizontal Ground 09 is one of his favourite releases of the year thus far. Shortly after their Horizontal Ground release AnD found themselves reaching out to Project Squared to the delight of Cooper. ‘AnD emailed me as 1n4 and I recognised it immediately, I was really excited with the tunes they sent me. They had been releasing some very heavy and stripped back techno, so it was great to have some tunes from them that were a bit different.’ Whilst placing the needle on his favourite track of the Algorithmic Love EP, Paul Cooper the true tastemaker is revealed ‘From the first email I received to the EP hitting the shelves it took six months, maybe more. That can be tough as time changes the context of how you view an artist, whether it be through how many releases they have done or what sort of releases they have done. I think that through reading you can’t help having your opinion changed of musicians and their music.’ As Algorithmic Love’s kick drum rattles our tea cups on the coffee table, Cooper continues “This is great music but for me when I didn’t know anything about them and they hadn’t released many other records, this could be seen as even more potent.’ Algorithmic Love’s dubby chords then transcend upon the room and our conversation. ‘This is my favourite part of the track, I like music where you have to wait for a reward, a lot of Aphex Twin’s music is like that. It can be difficult and tough to get through some initial parts of his music with fucking whip cracks and elephant noises going off, but then he’ll bring in a really nice melody’.

Although not associated with Project Squared (just yet anyway), Sandwell District was an act and label that Cooper also mentioned he was enjoying ‘I really love the textures, long strings and electro pad sounds they [Sandwell District] use, they tug at your heart strings and their tracks feel like there is more to them than just being clubs tunes, I like that in techno. It’s quite rare to find artists that do that and they are the types of artists that I look for on Project Squared’. Promising producer and Manchester based artist Tom Diccico is one name on the label’s roster that Cooper highlights in having the ability to harnesses such emotive content. A dub reggae obsessive, Diccico’s youth was soundtracked by the dub influences of his father, it’s no surprise that Diccico’s music has the character it does as its foundations lay on the teachings of King Tubby, Lee Scratch Perry and Yabby You.

Cooper’s search for new and undiscovered artists on Project Squared is a contributing factor to the labels modest success, earning its merits on its music, not big name remixes and rapid fire emails. The Estonian L-OW is another one of these artists, who also producers under an alias you’d expect to see graffitied on a suburban train station - 1DERL& (Wonderland). L-OW’s Pinpoint/Diver EP was the third release for the label and was Project Squared’s first thrust toward techno with two classic dub cuts. Asusu then saw a return to the label with PSQ004 with his No Kya EP featuring a remix from yet again another little known act, this time French dubstep producer F. Of the labels releases so far Project Squared’s most celebrated has been Furuesshu’s Lucid/All I Want EP, featuring a stellar Shifted remix that will no doubt feature in many of the up coming 2011’s best of lists. ‘Furesshu’s Lucid/All I Want EP has been the most popular release for the label, it’s not as subtle and bit more immediate than some of the other releases.’

PSQ007 is the labels latest release and is a four track EP from 2011 starlet Kowton and his stable mate Tom Diccico. The EP features a track each from both, with the two remixing each others work. ‘Kowton’s tunes are quite indescribable and he is a very unique musician and is impossible to pigeon hole’. Paul’s excitement surrounding the release is obvious as rye grin spreads across his face ‘I don’t know where this is going to be played out or what time it is going to be played out’ cheekily admitting to the prospect of confusing DJ’s ‘I’ve tried mixing out of Kowton's remix to Tom Dicicco and it is very hard, very strange tune with a weird groove, easy to get confused. Probably not the best decision for a dance label to put out tunes that are going to fuck DJ’s over (laughs), but I just love them’. When asked about the Project Squared sound, it’s no surprise words like subtle, dub influenced and emotive were thrown about, but Cooper like many techno obsessives says ‘I like it to be a little gravely, I don’t like my music to be that clean.’ I was then lucky enough receive a sneak preview of the stripped back and yet to be released PSQ008, from an artist who for the time being will be known as ‘The Anonymous Italian’. ‘It’s very important for a small label to research unknown artists’ says Cooper when questioned on where he finds them ‘What’s the point of starting a label if your only going to poach other well known artists just to get a hit’

As the label grows so does its presence, internationally and locally. London is a city well known for its vast underground electronic music subculture, as well as the plethora of parties on offer every weekend, but it’s techno that’s taken a back seat to the urban sounds of the cities south or the house and disco orientation of the inner east. Only with the support of clubs like Corsica Studios and Cable now hoisting London’s techno flag, the genre is again starting to rear its head. Project Squared now up to it’s seventh release houses a roster of considerable talent but when asked about the possibility of a Project Squared label night in London Cooper is quick to dispel anything too outlandish ‘If it was to happen it would most likely be hosting room two somewhere.’ Meanwhile in the techno savvy Berlin, through his HHV connections and label friend Skratch, a 2012 Project Squared label night may well be all the more possible and fruitful. Coopers fluctuating taste can be seen through Project Squared’s releases which constantly teeter on the edge of techno and the garaged influenced, but it’s the continuity in which Cooper has done so that keeps both sides of the fence signatories to the Project Squared Sound.

Download Project Squared Label Mix (Mixed By Paul Cooper)

1. Asusu - Taurean (Furesshu's Le Soleil Noir Mix) [Unreleased]

2. L-OW - Diver (Furesshu's Die Welle Edit) [Project Squared - PSQ003]

3. Anonymous Artist - Idle Threat [Forthcoming Project Squared]

4. Tom Dicicco - V2 - [Forthcoming Project Squared]

5. Furesshu - Lucid (Shifted Remix) [Project Squared - PSQ005]

6. Furesshu - Untitled - [Unreleased]

7. Furesshu - Untitled - [Project Squared PSQ002]

8. AnD - Brother From Another Mother (Tom Dicicco Late Night Dub) [Project Squared - PSQ006]

9. Asusu - Sister [Livity Sound 002]

10.Tom Dicicco - Untitled [Project Squared - PSQ007]

11.Tom Dicicco - Untitled (Kowton Remix) [Project Squared PSQ007]

Juno Plus Best Of 2011 Staff Lists

2011-12-13T08:37:00.009+11:00

To round Juno Plus' Best Of 2011 coverage the London publication called on their team of writers and asked them to come up with a personal list of their choosing. I was lucky enough to contribute two interviews for the JP crew talking with James Ruskin and Lucy earlier this year, qualifying me for a top ten submission.

I decided to have some fun with the otherwise serious and austere by compiling my top ten 'Untitled' tracks for 2011. Some other great lists to feature are Scott Wilson's top ten West Country Bangers, Oli Keens’ top ten samples from ten top songs, Tony Poland's ten reasons to get excited about next year and Aaron Coultate's top ten 10"s for 2011.

Read the full entry here

PWD Present Marcel Fengler at Kindred Studios

2011-12-07T16:17:00.003+11:00

Marcel Fengler - Studio Mix 11_2011 by Disconnected Presents

Melbourne's The Public Works Department readies itself for Berghain's two toned technno stalwart Marcel Fengler to hit the new Kindred Studios, Yarraville location this friday.

An event for the enigmatic techno head, doors open at 7:00pm where the nights host PWD will be the first to send signal through Kindred's new Nexo soundsystem. On Fengler warm up duties is TEA frontman James Manning, fresh from a trip to Europe where over 100 records made their back with him.

To help promote his Australian tour Fengler has compiled an eclectic studio mix for Sydney's Disconnected, choc full of esoteric and minimal-esque techno sure to please the connoisseur and enthusiast alike.

Closing out what will be one of Marcel Fengler's earliest night in a long time will be The Public Works Department's 2IC Sam Bentley.

Melbourne Tickets Available Here

Sydney Tickets Available Here