Chris McGinn (Twitch) - A Non Era

Another new mix for the blog this time coming from Chris McGinn, one of the co-founders of Belfast underground techno night TWITCH.  

From speaking to Chris in the weeks leading up to completion of this new mix it was clear that the key for him was finding a balance which was representative of a typical set you’d expect to hear from Chris at his Stiff Kitten residency but also one which translated into being suitable for home listening.  Whilst listening to the mix it was obvious there was careful attention paid to the track selection. I think he bridged the gap between the club and casual listen well.  The mix begins tentatively with a couple of tech house tracks which are really just for setting the scene before moving into deeper, edgier territory with the stripped back ‘Be Who You Want’ by DJ Qu being a stand out personal favourite.  Up until the 30 minute mark it’s as deep as I’ve heard from Chris as far as recordings go.  Different than usual but welcome nonetheless.  The shift from house to techno during the last half sees Chris delving into more familiar surroundings.  The tempo rises and this is reflected in the sharper mixing style rather than the more drawn out, deliberate style adopted at the beginning.  Darker, spaced out techno sounds draw the mix to a close.  A fine hour of house and techno.

A track listing will be posted whenever Chris gives it to me!  Until then i encourage you to listen with unbiased ears.

1:03:41 // 256kbps // 116MB download http://www.thisisopen.co.uk/non-era.mp3

Stream 

Chris McGinn - A Non Era

Laverne Radix – Dick Control (LLFO)
Michael J Collins – Lotion Pants with Sass (W&L)
Apendics Shuffle – Disturbing Idle (Melchior Productions Ltd remix) (Lick my Deck)
DJ QU – Be Who you Want (Strength Music 005)
Even Tuell – Untitled B1 (Workshop 004)
DJ Joey Anderson – Thee Analysis (Strength Music 004)
Mike Dehnert – Two (Fachwerk)
Red Snapper – Moving Mountain (Scuba mix) (Lo Recordings)
David Alvarado – Polygons (Ovum)
Fever Ray – Seven (RABID)
Louis Guilliaume – Missbelieve (SD Records)
Mick Huckaby – Jazz Delirium (Cross Section)
Kink & Neville Watson – Full Flight (Rush Hour)
Edp & Steve Austin – Stone Cold (Modelisme)
Pendle Cove – Mode (Modern Love)

Fabric -- Reviewed

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So I got into the club around midnight (yep, nice and early) where, as expected, Craig Richards was warming things up in typical fasion.  There must’ve only been a handful of people on the dance floor and it was great to hear Craig dropping 110bpm dub - just like his old sets he used to play on Groovetech Radio years ago, He’d play King Tubby and the likes.  Not sure if that radio station even exists anymore but back then he would play a set every month or so and you could stream it (in between buffering) on Real Player.  Craig used to just play old obscure records which was an eye opener at the time as I only knew him from Tyrant fame back then.  So yeah, blast from the past and a nice introduction to the night.

At 1.30am on the button Moritz von Oswald Trio made their way on stage and sat down behind their gear.  Sasu Ripatti looking like the odd one out, Moritz Von Oswald and Max Loderbauer looking more like the typical head teacher from your school!  The first 10 minutes of their set was comprised of building the atmosphere, layering multiple soundscapes on top of one another with Ripatti (aka Luomo, Vladislav Delay) seated behind his drum kit, playing with different tools and instruments at his disposal.  The whole performance sounded totally improvised.  Ripatti on percussion was simply mindblowing while the other two worked the synths with Oswald also delivering his typical Basic Channel style bass lines.  As the performance progressed the rhythms got more and more complex and the obscure nature of the sounds scared plenty from the dancefloor!  In fact, it was the emptiest I’d seen Room One at that time of night before – Perfect, more room for the rest of us to dance.  Standing in the middle of the floor and experiencing the variety of sounds come at you from all angles was just superb.  The bass lines got longer and heavier as the set progressed and Ripatti, on percussion was in a world of his own.  You had to watch him in action to recognise the subtle sounds he was making which were making all the difference in creating such a dense atmosphere of sound.  I recognised lots of material from their recent Vertical Ascent 2 x 12” but rather than the full tracks performed live it seemed to be elements of each layered on top of one another.  Again this just added to the unpredictability and reinforced the fact that most of it was improvised.  The performance was totally intense and engaging throughout.  Three musicians that You can have nothing but ultimate respect for.

Back to Room Three then where Mike Huckaby was ripping it up.  Playing much faster than what I’ve usually heard from him in mixes etc. but still great.  He played a lot of old school sounding Detroit techno, synth laden house and dub techno which sounded really sweet on the Room Three soundsystem.  The Villalobos mix of Shackleton – Blood on your hands especailly sounded awsome.  A small room but a really nice atmosphere and clued in crowd.  Kenneth Christiansen, label owner of Echocord was also spinning the decks earlier and joined Mike again at the end.  I was fortunate enough to get speaking to both of the guys who were real gentleman with an obvious passion for what they do.  Kenneth was even nice enough to give me a promo copy of the forthcoming Quantec album on Echocord.  Result!  Unfortunately though I can’t remember any more tracks either of them played, I guess I was enjoying myself to much to remember! 

What I loved about last weekend was that it was the first time I had gone to Fabric on a not so busy night.  It was called ‘The Nothing Special’ afterall even though the line-up was indeed, in my eyes, a very special one.  Fortunately with the absence of the ‘A lister’ that brings the ridiculous numbers through the door there was room to move between all three rooms all night, get a drink at the bar and generally engage with a more friendly, easy going crowd. 

Before heading back to Room One where I would eventually settle from 6.30 – 8am to hear Craig Richards I hung about for a while to check Steve Rachmad out in Room Two.  I didn’t have any expectations and as usual this served me well.  Rachmad was excellent.  I was very impressed.  He was playing really tough peak time techno, His mixing was flawless and and the general programming of his set was great.  He reminded Me of how Richie Hawtin used to sound or Marco Carola before they started playing white noise Italian taka-taka-tekno.  I spent around 45 minutes in there.  Brendon Moeller live in Room One didn’t really get my attention even though he was sounding well.  The giant of a man standing behind his laptop on stage just didn’t have much of an appeal especially after witnessing the MVO trio earlier – A proper live performance by three piece 'band'.  The live laptop performance doesn’t interest me as a spectacle any longer.  It’s boring to watch and restricted in sound especially when the live play back more often than not just sounds like the original track in its entirety.  Of course there are exceptions to the rule but I only ever enjoy a live pa when there's some hardware involved.

So, back to Room One and Craig Richards, who as usual was on top form.  He takes pleasure in what He plays at that time in the morning knowing what frame of mind (no mind?) the crowd is in.  His quality of track selection never dissapoints.  Quirky and sinister all at the same time.  I never recognised anything he played specifically, just the way I like it.  A lot of it sounded like old vinyl.  Sneaky B sides that only the avid record collector can discover and utilise at the right times.  Funky, twisted grooves right through until 8am until the music stopped and it was time to grab my coat and head for the exit.  Once again a top night in Fabric.  MVO Trio blew my mind and Craig Richards as always kept me dancing and guessing what He’d play next.  My only dissapointment was missing both Fluxion and Fenin perform in Room Three but shit happens, You can never be in two places at once… as I discovered once again back at the after party realising I soon had to make my way to the airport to catch my flight "Aaggghhh… But that’s a story for another time.

DA 

Pure Perlon (100% Unofficial!) mixed by Darren Allen

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Yesterday I was waiting patiently for a package to be delivered to my door.  It never arrived... Anyone like Me who relies on the postman to deliver their new batch of 12"s will understand my frustration when on the second day in a row the postman is a no show.  So rather than take a hissy fit and wallow in self pity (like I normally do) I decided to make myself uselful and get round to recording that mix I'd been meaning to do for a super long(evity) time...

 This mix that lasts just under two hours was recorded using all Perlon vinyl from my collection.  Initially I just wanted to digitise a lot of it for my iPod considering you can't listen to them anywhere but on your turntables.  Also, I'm always banging onto my mates about how much i love the label and since they have no means to listen to the records then why not serve them up a bit of a treat?  Others that spin digital only should appreciate it as well since the one minute samples on the net can't possibly do these timeless pieces any justice.  For anyone looking for a nice introduction to the label then this would be a nice place to start.

 So, I got all my Perlon records together, selected Markus Nikolai - Mr. Big Star (from Superlongevity 3 – the purple and yellow one), pressed start on the turntable and hit record.  The track selection was unplanned, mixed once with no effects.  I wanted to capture the vibe of Perlon and what the label means to me (deeeep, timeless, stripped back, sexy and fun) by selecting  a broad range of tracks and artists spawning the years from its inception (1997) - 2008 -- I made an effort not to include all the obvious big hitters (on closer inspection I don't think there are any?), I also decided not to include any of the 2009 releases since they're still too fresh in my mind while at the same time I made an effort to include some of my personal favs.  All in all I think it turned out well.  Mission accomplished.  Hopefully You enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed creating

DA.

Pure Perlon (100% Unofficial!) mixed by Darren Allen

Markus Nikolai & Nina - Mr. big Star (Perlon 36)
Hombre Ojo - La Musica (Perlon 10)
Soul Capsule - Beauty And The Beat (Perlon 63)
Baby Ford - 3am Gargoyle Requiem (Perlon 40)
Dimbiman - Koppchen (Herbertd D-D-D-Dazzle Dub) (Perlon 06)
Pantytec - Candy Coated Conspiracy (Ultrakurt mix) (Perlon 30)
Sammy Dee - Purplehummer (Perlon 68)
Sense Club - Tomorrov Cocktail (Perlon 16)
Ricardo Villalobos - Panpot Spliff (Perlon 23)
Melchior Productions - Out There (Perlon 66)
Melchior Productions - The Phantom (Perlon 58)
Horror Inc. - A Dream within a dream (Perlon 36)
Dimbiman - Aloha (Perlon 02)
Matt John - April Splitt Off (Perlon 54)
Luciano - Fourges Sabres (Perlon 62)
Ricardo Villalobos - Theoreme D'Archimede (Perlon 43)
Dimbiman - "V" (Perlon 33)
Soulphiction - Computer Scared ?! (Perlon 21)
Manmade Science - Connect The Motorcities (Soulphiction mix) (Perlon 36)
Morane - Let Me Out (Nobody in The Cellar mix) (Perlon 44)

1:53:47 // 182MB // 224kbps

Download: http://soundcloud.com/darren_vinylrules/darren-allen-perlon-mix

Download: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8L95EWFU

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Matt Burns - Peaks & Troughs

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New mix, Peaks & Troughs from Belfast DJ Matt Burns to get your ears around. 

The mix kicks off with a wonderful track from Theo Parrish on Sound Signature and continues through an intense selection of heavy Berlin (meets Detroit?) style techno. There's a real sinister vibe to the track selection on this one with a nice high tempo from the off. I really enjoyed this, my favourite mix I've heard yet from Matt and it's clear there's a real intention and individuality behind this effort. Some lovely long, drawn out mixes too which is always nice to hear.  My favourite part of the mix is the last 3rd where it's taken down a notch yet loses none of its intensity-- Shit is grooved out to the max. 

DA

Matt Burns - Peaks & Troughs

1.Theo Parrish – Space Station [Sound Signature]
2.Wax – 20002-B [Wax]
3.Henrik Schwarz – Walk Music [Moodmusic]
4.Sven Weisemann – Trakz [a.r.t.less]
5.Thomas Brinkmann – Isch [Curle Recordings]
6.Unknown –B [Horizontal Ground]
7.Mike Dehnert – Umlaut2 (Levon Vincent NY Basement Mix)[Clone Basement Series]
8.Orphx – Threshold (Substance Remix)[Sonic Groove]
9.Moderat – Rusty Nails (Shackleton Remix)[Bpitch Control]
10.Ben Klock – Subzero (Function-Regis Remix)[OstGut-ton]
11.DBX – Electric Shoc [Logistic Records]
12.Silent Servant – Violencia (Kalon Remix)[Sandwell District]
13.Mike Dehnert – One [Fachwerk]
14.Tom Trago – Lost In The Streets Of NYC (Actress Remix)[Rushhour]
15.DJ Slip – Available Light [Thema]///Affkt, Danny Fido – Points (Villalobos Remix)[Baracca]

1:08:47 //  320kbps  //  157MB

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QEIXP1IW

Darren Allen - Nonduality

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New mix Nonduality recorded on 17/08/09

The mix starts off at a slow grooving 120bpm with the excellent Moritz von Oswald Trio and makes its own way from there.  I attempted to make the mix flow and intertwine between deep and dubby house working its way through more complex beat structures onto more straight up techno-- with a nod to the dancefloor at the end.

This mix was recorded on 2 x Technic 1210's and Allen & Heath Xone 62 mixer using all vinyl records.  No effects.  Best listened to on a nice home set up (loud!), on the earphones whilst taking a nice walk or in the car if you're lazy ;-) 

Darren Allen - Nonduality

Moritz von Oswald Trio - 3 (Honest Hons Records)
Morphosis - Touch The Stars (Ruin)
Sascha Rydell - Unhasty (Fachwerk)
Claro intelectro - Warehouse Sessions vol 4 (Modern Love)
Martyn - For Lost Relatives (Aus)
Taho - Energy Fields (Shed rmx) (Delsin)
Roger 23 - Room with a View (Baud)
Baby Ford - Tin of Worms (Autoreply)
Giorgio Gigli - Synthetic Nature (Aconito Records)
Bovill - Slinky (Meanwhile)
Dozzy, Nuel, Touane - Tin Drums (Persona)
Nick Hoppner - Violet (Ost Gut Ton)
Prosumer - Vise (Ost Gut Ton)
Theo Parrish - Space Station (Sound Signature)

168 MB // 320kbps // 1:13:40

Stream or Download (right click save as) http://www.thisisopen.co.uk/darrenallen-nonduality.mp3

 

 

 

BABY FORD @ Kaleida

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On Friday I'm lucky enough to get the chance to play alongside and hear, for the first time live, one of my heroes Baby Ford.  Baby Ford (aka Peter Ford) has been one of my favourite producers for as many years as I've been playing deep and minimal house and techno.  I own so many of his records and listen to them regularly.  It'll be a pleasure to meet the man and hand over the headphones when he comes on.

Review to follow and if I'm especially lucky the recorded sets from the night.  Below are details:

friday 14th august
the warehouse
boucher road, belfast
10.30pm – 5.30am
£8 before 12/£10 after

=============

SET TIMES

10.30 – 12 – Cookiie / Melz
12 – 1 – DJ Acroplane Recordings
1 – 2 – Darren Allen
2 – 4 – Baby Ford
4 – Close – Lucky 7

***********************************************************

WOW great night.  Baby Ford was rocking and a real gentleman.  Thanks to Kaleida for an excellent night all round.

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BAZZ BARR ~ August_09_Mix

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I've been following Belfast DJ and Producer Bazz Barr for years now and one thing's for sure, he always delivers the goods.  Forever the perfectionist when it comes to mixes - his deep and clinical take on minimal house and techno always hits the spot.  Bazz has been quietly producing music for as many years as I've known him and I'm lucky enough to have been given a sneak preview of his current work which I can safely say is sounding excellent and surely not far off being signed and released.  Watch this space...

This is what Bazz himself has to say about the mix:

"This mix was recorded yesturday afternoon (5/08/09). It's a mixture of all that is currently floating my musical boat, mainly deep/dubby house & techno.  I used ableton live and recorded through 3 channels on my mixer into logic pro (which is my usual setup and allows me to use the faders and eq's on the djm rather than being stuck at the laptop).  The mix starts with deep house & builds slowly into some techno in the second half, mostly recent releases but a couple of oldies in there too. Hopefully it's an enjoyable listen.
Cheers to Darren for firing it up on the blog."  (No probs dude!)

 Download here:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3LXQTNYF

Tracklist to follow.

Darren

August 2009 Chart

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Ok this is my current top 10 vinyl releases.  Some are old and some are new... Others I'm not sure when they were released.  I found that breaking away from having to have 'new' records was a positive thing as far as my purchases go.  In the past I always tried to make sure I was 'keeping up to date' with what was coming out.  Now I just buy regardless of year of release, artist or even label.  Usually I'm after a certain kind of sound at any given time so whatever sounds good to me or if I feel it, then it goes into the crate.  Here goes...

1.  Moritz von Oswald Trio - Vertical Ascent (Honest Jons Records) 2x12"

Excellent double pack here with four tracks immacuately produced by Vladislav Delay, Max Loderbauer and Moritz von Oswald

2.  Bovill - Transfesa EP (Meanwhile)

Ahhh was delighted to come across this new Meanwhile 12" and exstatic to see that it was four tracks from Bovill.  Deep techno master with Detroit influences.  The production in these tracks are flawless.  To me it sounds like typical Craig Richards @ 5am gear.  LOVE.

3.  Daniel Stefanik - Growth/Starless (Statik Entertainment)

Picked this one up recently, it's a few years old.  Deep as you like dub techno that builds and builds.  Unspectacular to the untrained ear.

4.  Sascha Rydell - Unhasty (Fachwerk)

Nice deep, dubby house with a lovely vocal that lifts it nicely in places.  Roman Lindau on the flip is nice as well but I prefer the Rydell track.

5.  Claro Intellectro - Warehouse Sessions vol.4 (Modern Love)

As per usual Claro produces the goods here.  Two very low bpm tracks with a heavy kick and lovely piano melody that warms the heart.

6.  Roger 23 - Room with a view pt.1 (Baud)

Baud is a new label to me and I have to say I never previously owned any Roger 23 tracks even though I've saw his name about over the years.  Will definitely be keeping my eye (ear) out for pt.2 of this deep, dub techno release.  b2 is a nice ambient track which is always nice.

7.  Martyn - For lost relatives (Aus Music)

Best Martyn track I've heard in ages.  Garage style beat with a piano/horn stab that make this a real killer for the dancefloor.  Original stuff.  Pearson Sounds also contribute to this release with a sharp as you like percussive dub step number.  Ace stuff.

8.  Taron-Trekka - Radio Fligg (Brut!)

Excellent release (should really be higher up on my list) Taron Trekka is a new name to me and hopefully not a one hit wonder.  Three great tracks in this release.  off kilter disco-ish sounding grooves with cut up vocal samples.  A real floor burner this one.

9.  James Kumo - Kumo music volume 2 (Ann Aimee)

Alphawave is a deep hypnotizing techno track that lures you in with a false sense of security before a smattering break down of hi end percussion.  Dreams on the flip is an acidy techno track for peak time floors.  Again the breakdown is a memorable one.

10. Taho/Quince - Energy fields (Shed rmx) (Desin)

Shed on form once again with his remix of Taho - Energy Fields.  Simple, minimal groove.  To be honest not much happens here except it draws you in from start to finish.  Simplicity is genius - The proof is in the pudding with this lovely transparent blue 12" 

So there you go.  10 records that are floating my boat at the minute, I'm sure many will be included in my next mix which I hope to have completed in the next few weeks.  Before then i'll be posting a mix from Belfast Producer/DJ - Bazz Barr which will almost certainly be worth a listen (or two).  If you've read this far feel free to add your chart in the comments section.  Over and out, for now.

June radio mix for download

My latest mix was for download was recorded for Belfast radio station feile fm 103.2 ( http://www.myspace.com/essentialsaturday ) and went out last weekend. 

The mix is available for download here http://www.sendspace.com/file/mdvv47

The mix was recorded on 2x 1210's and features a selection of deep house and techno records that have moved me over the past weeks and months.  The track listing wasn't planned and it was a case of hitting record and seeing what came out.  I had a fair idea about what I wanted to play and what direction it would go and it turned out to be a nice mix of deep, warm grooves that flowed well.  A few older tracks were thrown in for good measure including the closing track by A Guy called Gerald which is from the late 80's but sounds as fresh now and even more relevant than a typical release you'd hear over at Beatport - You know,the 'nu school' Detroit stuff that sounds like it was made overnight on a Spectrum by a 17yr old.

Full tracklisting to follow but for now it's worth a listen without knowing what's around the corner.

Thanks to the guys at feile for offering me the chance to spin for them.

June radio mix for feile fm 103.2: http://www.sendspace.com/file/mdvv47

Sunday sun rise set

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I’ve been meaning to do a mix like this for a while now and it just happened to materialise last night. It’s a selection of B sides and odds and ends along with some sounds that have inspired me over the years.

I’m not really sure how you’d describe how the mix sounds. This is a mix for the late night partiers over the summer months. This is a soundtrack for when the sun comes up. Grab yourself a nice cold beer (or soft drink) and make sure you don’t f*ck up the roach.

Sun Rise mix http://www.megaupload.com/?d=849V3YQY

Newworldaquarium - Track 3 (Delsin)
Sensorama - Ballad of hope and glory (Ladomat 2000)
Kage - Rituals (Fiji Recordings)
Wareika - Kings Child (Ricardo Villalobos mix) (Motivbank)
Half Hawaii - Out of you (Perlon)
Subway - Testing (nuphonic)
Affaires a Faire - La Chatte Rouge (BMG)
Algorithm - Indifferent composure (Background)
Sensorama - It's the thing (Ladomat 2000)
Slap - Eden Now (macro)
Luke Hess - Reflections (Echocord)
Los Admiradores - Birth of the blues (some random Oz label (1970)
James T Cotton - A long way down (Spectral sound)
Ricardo Villalobos - Easy Lee (Cassy Lee mix)
The Clash - The Guns of Brixton (CBS Recordings)

320kbps 01:02:37

Enjoy