Ben Sims
Fabric 53: Surgeon | Album Review
Saturday, August 28th, 2010 | Album Review | No Comments
Things have been a bit quiet on the fabric front these last couple of months with the club and record label briefly going into administration. But funding was secured and everything is now right with the world again. So what better way to bounce back by dropping fabric 53 mixed by UK techno veteran Surgeon. I don’t use the term veteran lightly. Surgeon has been there from the beginnings of UK techno, bringing Birmingham out of the doldrums in the early 90s with the city’s first techno night as well as creating some of the most forward thinking music out there. His sound has always been left of centre, but always intense, with no thoughts about keeping a finger on the pulse. He simply does what he does regardless of the tide of popularism. So with such integrity how does his Fabric mix flow? › Continue reading
The Bank Holiday Grumble
Friday, August 27th, 2010 | Event Preview | No Comments
You’d think having an extra day off would be a god send but in all honesty it’s a bit of a ball ache. This weekend, Landan Taan will swell to a beachball sized glut of party tourists keen to get their third dose of fun for the year (the other two times being Easter weekend and new years eve). You can expect the clubs, streets and parks to be packed with an assault of people forcibly trying to have fun this weekend. If you’re not too much of an idiot to spend £50+ on a bunch of half assed trance and yesteryear prog DJs playing to a crowd of baying halfwits non the wiser they’ve been fleeced, then I guess these could be a few so called suggestions for the weekend… › Continue reading
Losing an Hour in a Weekend Chocca Full of Parties
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 | Event Preview | No Comments
Its pretty straight forward for party selection this week with a distinguished set of nights and days to fill every minute of the weekend despite the clocks going forward.
Warm at Plastic People (Buy Tickets)
As the club’s existence swings in the balance, Warm are continuing to make the most of what little time could be left for Plastic People. Berlin’s Sebo K will be joining Marcus Worgull for another Friday shindig of sublime house music. Get yourselves down to show Hackney council how important this club really is. And if they don’t take notice, vomit in the street to slowly take them down with street cleaning bills. › Continue reading
Surgeon and Aux88 Balance Promo Mixes
Thursday, May 28th, 2009 | Event Preview, News | No Comments
So here are the final two mixes from this Friday’s Balance night at Cable in London Bridge.
The first is one of Birmingham’s finest. Surgeon has been tearing up dancefloors across the UK and further for the best part of two decades and is one of the figureheads of the British techno scene. Generally sitting towards the tougher end of the sound he’s often been compared to Detroit’s Jeff Mills. This mix taken from Shanghai last week will no doubt show what the man can do. Download here or listen below:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
The other mix comes from Detroit based dancers turned techno producers Aux88. They make their first appearance in the UK for quite sometime, so their show this Friday is sure to be a special one. Check out their classics mix with the legendary Model 500 to get a taste. Download the mix here or listen below:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Buy your tickets from Ticketweb, we heard on the grapevine they’re going quickly so get em quick!
29th May – Balance at Cable, London Bridge
http://www.balance-club.co.uk/
SURGEON [LIVE]
AUX 88 [LIVE]
BEN SIMS
LUKE SLATER
GUY CALLED GERALD [LIVE]
JIM MASTERS
BILLY NASTY
ELECTRO ELVIS & LULA
ALEX DOWNEY
One Week To Go One Balance Mix To Go: Billy Nasty Dub Step Mix!
Thursday, May 21st, 2009 | Event Preview | No Comments
Forgot to post this up the other day. But here it is, better late than never.
The latest in the line of promo mixes for the forthcoming techno night Balance comes from Billy Nasty. He delivers a gut wrenching dub-step mix to show you his his slower side. Billy is on the Balance bill along with Aux88, Surgeon, Ben Sims, Luke Slater and A Guy Called Gerald, all of whom I’m sure will test Cable’s soundsystem to the limit.
So listen to the mix here:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Or download it from here
Then buy your tickets for the 29th May right here
29th May – Balance at Cable, London Bridge
http://www.balance-club.co.uk/
SURGEON [LIVE]
AUX 88 [LIVE]
BEN SIMS
LUKE SLATER
GUY CALLED GERALD [LIVE]
JIM MASTERS
BILLY NASTY
ELECTRO ELVIS & LULA
ALEX DOWNEY
Elastik Trickery/John Rowe – Rig Ma Roll Ep | Single Review
Thursday, May 14th, 2009 | Single Review | No Comments
Its precarious times for the folk of Newcastle as they watch Alan Shearer guide the football team over a tight rope of relegation or survival. If the team does get relegated to the Championship at least the lads can go out on the town and listen to some pretty full on techno if this release by Testin Out records is anything to go by.
Testin Out’s fourth release comes from some of Newcastle’s stalwarts Elastik Trickery and John Rowe. Apparently both acts have been bowling about the North East with the techno sound for sometime. Although I’m a bit naive with the Newcastle techno scene, I just thought they drank brown ale and got semi naked at football matches.
That said Elastik Trickery’s O Beberrao De Tanners is far from semi nakedness on the terraces. It is in fact a pumped up funk fuelled monster. The scatty loops and jittery samples over funk ladened techno beats give this track plenty of energy which wouldn’t see it go a miss in sets from Sims right through to Wiggle. The other track from Elastik Trickery called Ego goes down the noisy electro route. Raw synths whip and whoop over pumped up beats. Some may like it, but it was too rough for EarPipe’s delicate ears.
John Rowe however tones things down a bit. Pigdog has an old school prog vibe to its sound. The driving bassline and subtle percussion send me back to a John Digweed moment circa 2002. And that’s no bad thing. However John Rowe could have slipped in a few more noticeable breaks in there. John’s second track Closed however veers from the linear path of Pigdog. Ballsy beats and basslines have a heavy impact which makes the slight breaks in sound ever more prominent. The fans of the heavy Pryda sound would like this.
Tracklist:
1. Elastik Trickery – O Beberrao De Tanners
2. Elastik Trickery – Ego
3. John Rowe – Pigdog
4. John Rowe – Closed
Ben Sims Balance Promo Mix
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 | Event Preview, News | No Comments
Only a few weeks to go until Balance kicks off the first time at new club Cable in London Bridge. As part of the build up to this colossal balls to the wall techno night the folks at Balance have been releasing sets from the DJs on the lineup every week. This week sees the turn of devilishly quick British techno DJ Ben Sims. Not much more needs to be said really.
AUX 88 (Detroit) live – UK exclusive
Surgeon – London debut for new live /av show
Luke Slater (Planetary Assault Systems DJ set)
Ben Sims (Split/Theory)
A Guy Called Gerald – live
Jim Masters (Base/Hi-tek-Soul)
Billy Nasty (electro set)
Electro Elvis & Lula (Wang)
Alex Downey (Split)
Stream it or download it from here
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Luke Slater – Balance Promo Mix
Monday, April 20th, 2009 | Event Preview, News | No Comments
In just over a months time three heavyweight underground techno forces will collide at Cable, a new club in the London Bridge area. Nights Split, Base and Wang come together to present Balance, a night which brings together the best in techno, electro, house and electronica. And they certainly mean business just check out the bill:
AUX 88 (Detroit) live – UK exclusive
Surgeon – London debut for new live /av show
Luke Slater (Planetary Assault Systems DJ set)
Ben Sims (Split/Theory)
A Guy Called Gerald – live
Jim Masters (Base/Hi-tek-Soul)
Billy Nasty (electro set)
Electro Elvis & Lula (Wang)
Alex Downey (Split)
Leading up to the event, they’re making a new mix available every week. The first comes from UK techno stalwart Luke Slater. Hope you enjoy.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Or you can download the mix from here.
BLOC Book The 13th-15th March It’s BLOC Weekend Baby!
Saturday, January 17th, 2009 | Event Preview, Events, News | No Comments
BLOC Weekend looks set to return after last year’s sell out success. Taking place on the 13th – 15th March weekend, this year sees the early spring weekend move location to the Butlins “mega-resort” in Minehead near Bristol. It boasts the largest water park in the South West with a water slide that can spit you out at up to 40mph. Definitely what you need after a night of jaw breaking techno and Aphex Twin’s microphone in a blender trick! But it’s not really about the luxury settings of the holiday resort its more what’s on. And judging by this year’s current line-up it could be held down the local sewage works without deterring anyone.
So who’s on the bill? › Continue reading
Search
Links
Share!
Recent Posts
Categories
Tags
Archive
- April 2011
- October 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006