Dixon
A Weekend Big Enough For Chilean Miners to Return to Dark Cramped Conditions!
Wednesday, October 13th, 2010 | Event Preview | No Comments
Hola hombre! Long time no speak! It’s been a while since our last posting… But this one is going to put that right, just in time for the weekend. And quite a weekend it is to be reopening the blog post account. So lets get down to it…
Basically if your head has been in the ground for the last month or so, or you happen to be a Chilean miner, then you’d be hard pressed to have bypassed the monstrous weekend happening at fabric. › Continue reading
Boxes of Love for the Weekend!
Friday, July 16th, 2010 | Event Preview | No Comments
A few bits and bobs going on this weekend with the big elephant in the room being the Lovebox weekender. Now extended to three days featuring the likes of Roxy Music, Grace Jones, Hot Chip, Hercules and Love Affair to name a few stellar names. Saturday looks like a hot tip with Roxy Music headlining the bill along with Mark Ronson. The terribly named Relentless Energy Stage hosts a solid line up consisting of Bookashade, Jesse Rose, Henrik Schwarz and personal favourite Dixon whilst Grandmaster Flash rounds off the Rizla arena on a old skool hip hop tip. A few tickets are left at Ticketmaster here. › Continue reading
The Rapido May Bank Holiday Run Down!
Friday, May 28th, 2010 | Event Preview | No Comments
It’s a bit late in the day for a weekend run down with it being Friday and all.. So I’m just gonna blast through what’s on this weekend.
Friday
Innervisions at CAMP (info)
Tonight is sure to be a road block at the City Arts and Music Project as Innervisions rolls into town with Dixon and Ame. That’s going to be huge. › Continue reading
Dixon – Temporary Secretary | Album Review
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 | Album Review | No Comments
I’m a big fan of Dixon, his ability as a DJ and producer is often unsurpassed and his taste in house music and beyond is often faultless. Dixon’s last outing on a compilation mix was with his Innervisions buddies Henrik Schwarz and Ame. The resulting CD was a masterpiece which knitted together an intricate composition of varied sounds that had a common minimal style to them. The complexity of sounds and the fluidity of the mix made it such an interesting and pleasurable listening experience, which dare I say made it a timeless CD. It’s that winning combination which Dixon has tried to emulate on his solo effort for Temporary Secretary.
The track selection on Temporary Secretary definitely reflects a similar approach that features on The Grandfather Paradox. He’s used tracks which revolve around a house come 4/4 base yet they all have their own diversely individual sounds. Dixon craftily blends each track with such flow and smoothness that the whole mix simply glides.
There’s no rushing this CD with things starting in carefully measured amounts. Fever Ray’s If I Had A Heart sets a deep warm tone with its multi layers of vocals and melodies. From there he melds into the spooky whistles of Roland Bocquet’s Exotique before slowly layering in the vibrating motif from Ame’s Tube Beats. It creates a fine build of tension before brilliantly releasing into a medley of Jazzanova’s Let Me Show Ya and Daniel Paul’s Something About You. Quite a mouthful to describe and that was just for three of the four opening tracks. › Continue reading
The Weekend Reprise – Contakt, Ministry Birthday, Aphex Twin, Secretsundaze & WYS!
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 | Event Preview | No Comments
I don’t know why but the last weekend in September always seems to be unnecessarily massive. Maybe because it’s the start of uni and the clubs want to start with a bang to get the kids hooked in? Guess it makes sense. Get em whilst they’re young and all that.
So what does the weekend have installed for all these younguns? Well the question should probably more what doesn’t the weekend have installed.
Contakt with Richie Hawtin
For one more time this year London will be graced with the last Contakt show for the year. It’s been almost a year since they last step foot in London and almost a year and a half since they started doing the show. If you haven’t heard by now the Contakt concept brings the Minus clan together, allowing them to perform as one unit set to the backdrop of some impressive visuals. Basically it’s an elaborate back to back session with all the Minus producers in front of a massive LED display showing some incredible trippy visuals. › Continue reading
Some Reasons Why Not to Waste Your Time on Clapham Common this Bank Holiday
Thursday, August 6th, 2009 | Event Preview | 2 Comments
- Image by Paul at Vision7Media
All things exciting seem to point to Clapham Common on the bank holiday weekend. But in all honesty, it’s not really all that it’s cracked up to be. Here are some reasons why not to waste your time on the common and some canny alternatives.
Rubbish Soundsystems
Being stuck in the heart of Clapham means you’re in the middle of a massive residential area. Residential area equals people with dogs, children, twitching curtains and a massive thirst for pissing on any parade. Call me crazy but these people hate it when their windows are vibrating during afternoon tea. Unfortunately they also pay taxes and actually have a say in how the world is run. So despite the soundsystem probably having tens of thousands of watts bottled up at its disposal, you can probably expect that the local council has it capped to a dreary cesspit tap drip. So the only way you’re going to hear anything of worth is if you’ve camped out inside the bass bin like some free party crusty.
What you need is some grotty warehouse space where you can crank it up a few notches. It just so happens that Eastern Electrics will be holed up in some grotty warehouse space › Continue reading
EarPipe’s Last Minute, One Page Sonar 2009 Guide
Thursday, June 18th, 2009 | Event Preview | No Comments
Its just gone midnight on Wednesday night… so no time for an in depth Sonar preview. So here it is in a business like bullet point format:
Thursday
Catch Konono No1 blast out some congo riddems. Seen videos and the look fun!
If you’re invited hit the Mobilee rooftop pool party at Hotel Diagonal
The Mother of All Weekends is Upon Us!
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 | Event Preview | No Comments
When most people think of Easter they think the second coming of Christ, Easter eggs, fluffy bunnies and daffodils. For a select few it’s all about Easter weekend and how to run your mind into the ground for four days and nights. I’m in the latter camp.
This year the options seem to be bunched around key days. Thursday night has an all mighty clash. In one corner you’ve got your scenster nights. Secretsundaze do their annual thing at the coronet theatre which will see Ame, Dixon and Henrik Schwarz combine forces to create some ableton improve amalgamation live set where they be as one together. No its not some gay love in between the quartet, it’s actually their new project Critical Mass. The whole thing sounds pretty interesting, especially if its anything along the lines of their recent Granfather Paradox mix. After the live session, Dixon and Ame will be dropping a dj set or two along with the SS and Horse Meat Disco ressies.
However if Secretsundaze all sounds a bit too complex with the live sets and you just want to go and party your ass of to some party tunes, then maybe Disco Bloodbath is for you? They’re celebrating their 2nd birthday and to help them they’ve brought in their Scottish mentors Optimo who have been playing party tunes for countless years. Todd Terje will be headlining the main room for the Bloodbath along with the residents, whilst Optimo residents Twitch and Wilkes will be keeping a handle on things with Gucci Soundsystem.
If that all seems a bit to fashionista and you just want raw big room stuff, then you want to be heading towards Koko or matter. Old Coxy is doing a party at the former with Nic Fanciulli and Yousef, whilst Diggers is doing his Bedrock thang at the latter.
EarPipe Has an Even Hazier Look Back at the Music Through 2008
Saturday, January 3rd, 2009 | Music, News | 2 Comments
I normally struggle to think what tunes have been and gone in the last month, so trying to remember what I was listening to back in January is a mountainous mission in itself, which is probably why I’m going to write this avoiding any specifics and will talk around the subject pretending I know what I’m talking about like any good politician would do. But from what I can recollect “minimal” became housier (or maybe I became housier?), Dubstep collided with Techno and Disco has undergone a massive revival
So lets start with the shift towards the housier sounds. We noticed a lot of DJs ditching the repetitive and bland “minimal” sounds that were starting to stagnate and instead nudging more towards the house end of the spectrum. This meant a bit more funk and soul embedded into tracks, more vocals and jazzier samples. It may sound like we’re harking back to the funky house days circa 2000-02, but this was slightly different, it was more an amalgamation of what came out of the “minimal-tech” sounds which dominated ’05-’07 with older house music sensibilities as seen from the Chicago deep house days. A perfect example of this is probably My My, their remix of Djuma Soundsytem’s Les Dijnns ’s typifies where the sound was during 2007 whilst their latest release Everybody’s Talkin’ is a glimpse into the house sound doing the rounds at the moment. The same goes for Josh Wink’s Stay Out All Night and Matthew Styles We Said Nothing, both distinctly Chi-town influenced numbers which bebop’s to a fun and funked up skipping rhythm. In a similar vein who could forget Johnny D who’s had a fantastic year. His track Orbitallife was causing raucous everywhere through the summer not to mention all his other releases.
But then it wasn’t all fun funked up house, this year saw a lot of dub style house and techno music with heavy basslines at a relaxed pace. Tracks like Trus’me’s W.A.R Dub particularly stood out as did a lot of the output from Gedde’s new label MurMur which had artists like Bearweasel pumping out deep and hypnotic house. One of the best tracks of the year for me was the highly elusive Wax1001. There was no artist or label, just this white label containing the rawest house track ever. A simple track with clunky beats, classic hi hat patterns and a dark raw bassline made Wax1001 show how less is definitely more.
EarPIPE’s Frivolously Fantastic Yet Quite Practical London NYE Guide
Wednesday, December 17th, 2008 | Event Preview, Events, News | No Comments
Since we’re halfway through December with Christmas right on our doorsteps I guess we should really cover what’s going down on New Years Eve. If you think you can bear the vomit laden streets and tourist clubbers who make it out for their annual party then read on. If not EarPipe recommends a house party or hired venue for you and your friends to get seriously pissed and whatever else you might want to do….
So what is the party to go to for us? Top of our list is Eastern Electrics. You may remember them from August Bank Holiday weekend, maybe for the wrong reasons. Here at Earpipe we had an OK night but it’s true it could have been organised better. But Eastern Electrics has assured us they’re one the case. So we’re definitely going to give it another shot because who could say no to some South London urban space. You may cry that its going to be cold. But fear not as you’ll be donning some kitsch 80s throw back tracksuit because as part of this year’s line-up Eastern Electrics have brought in Tayo and his legendary tracksuit party!! What better excuse to look 80s hip hop cool or more likely in our case Chuckle Brothers retro.
Tracksuits aside you may want to know what’s going on music wise. Well they’ve got three rooms in this warehouse location. The main room will have the formidable Mulletover who have brought in one half of MANDY Phillip Jung, they’ve also got Crosstown Rebeller Damien Lazarus, who might we add played an absolute stormer at the T-Bar closing parties, and to support these heavyweights they’ve got London faithfuls Geddes from Mulletover and Simon Morell form DDD. Tayo and Frank Tope take over room two with their tracksuit party canvassing support from ex Radioslaver Serge Santiago and to round things off those up and coming Man Make Music kids will be delivering the full spectrum of bass heavy dance music. So pretty fantastic if you ask me.
Tickets are still going at £20 from ticketweb here
And you might still be able to get some £16 ones from View London here
Not bad for New Years Eve!
But if bopping around a cold warehouse in a tracksuit doesn’t take your fancy then here are the next best…
Secretsundaze
Secretsundaze looks particularly good. They’ve taken Village Underground a rough and ready design space in the heart of Shoreditch. The location sounds fantastic and they’ve got a fantastic line-up too. Favourites from the year Omar S and Johnny D will be playing alongside Giles Smith and James Priestley. Expect nothing less than brilliant house music!
Get your tickets from here.
Horse Meat Disco
If you want something a bit off the wall then Horse Meat Disco might be right up your street. They’ve got plenty of delightful disco to see you through the night at Cargo and to give it that Studio 54 edge they’ve brought in show girl Johnny Woo of Gay Bingo fame.
Get your tickets from here.
Fabric
Now we move on to the big boys. Firstly Fabric has one big New Years Eve melting pot of styles. Its going to be a head on collision of Fabric vs Fabric Live. In room one they’ve got our Innervisions favourites Ame and Dixon along with Nottingham whipper snapper Matt Tolfrey. Of course the New Year wouldn’t be the same if the residents Craig Richards and Terry Francis weren’t present. Then over in room two they’ve got Yoda, Craze and the perverts. If you like hip hop and DnB there’s no point looking anywhere else.
Get your tickets from here
The End
The second big boy is The End. They do their final New Years Eve and who better to bring the club in to the New Year for the final time than the French master Laurent Garnier. All night the French wizard will do what he does best and that’s quality journeys through dance music. He’ll get a little support from Layo too and in the back room the most excellent Jimpster and Milton Jackson will have you buried deep in the ground with their deep deep stylings. Sure to be a fantastic party however you might be left a bit tearful not because it’s closing down but because of the ticket price.
Get your eye watering £40 tickets from here
Mills, Dixon, Ame, Jones and Pearson…. Could this be the greatest Warehouse Line-Up Yet?
Friday, October 24th, 2008 | Event Preview, Events, News | No Comments
As the title suggests, there might be an alright night going on at Manchester’s Warehouse Project next weekend. They got a few of those alright house DJs. Dixon, Ame, Jamie Jones and Ewan Pearson to name a few. A perfectly good lineup in itself…. Actually that is a damn fine lineup. However for the folks in Manchester that just doesn’t cut the proverbial mustard. They had to go and add Jeff Mills, one of the greatest techno DJs ever to grace three turntables. What a line up for Halloween. What would make this night even better? Not much really. The only thing that could would be a pair of free tickets from us!
So for your chance to win a pair of tickets to the Exhibitionist night at the Warehouse Project on 1st Nov 2008. Just answer the simple question below:
Which Detroit collective was Jeff Mills once a part of?
A. French Resistance
B. Underground Resistance
C. Constipation Resistance
Send your answers with your name and address to sublevelsessions@googlemail.com
Competition closes 29th October 2008.
The Warehouse Project Sets Up in Store Street for the Final Time
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 | Event Preview, News | No Comments
Just a quick note to let you know those folks in Manchester are at it again. The third season of the Warehouse Project sees them take over the Store Street car park for the final time. For twelve chilly winter weeks you can see the finest lineups ever to hit Manchester in a stunning urban and underground setting. Co Founder Sam Kandel says,
“The programme for this years series is, we think, the best yet. It has been gradually pieced together since last October. This year there will be a second more intimate room of music, which has allowed us to go even deeper with the line-ups, putting on some really underground breaking talent in addition to the huge main room action you are used to. The preparation for the annual series has become a genuine labour of love for all involved – now everything is set its time to get moving… Welcome back to The Warehouse.”
So which nights are EarPipe looking forward to? Well the first one on our radar has to be the Minus Presents night on the 17th October. You would have thought we’d be sick of Richie and his label mates. But no we keep going back for more. Friday will see the Minus gang roll into Manchester ahead of their main Contakt event in London. Support comes from Troy Pierce, Gaiser and Barem. This will no doubt be a road block event, so get your tickets early!
The next big one has to be the Exhibitionist night on 1st November. The alien from Detroit returns to pummel the north with his space aged techno. Joining Jeff Mills will be three of the hottest heads in house music, Ewan Pearson, Ame and Dixon. Definitely not one to be missed.
Sven Vath does his usual stop off with his Cocoon night on 14th November. He’s joined by Extrawelt and Tobi Neumann, both hot property right now, especially after Tobi’s recent Secretsundaze CD release. They’ve also got all three of those Romanians doing the business right now. Raresh, Rhadoo and Pedro will be playing for six hours as the RPR sound system in the intimate backroom.
Finally if Novembers at home don’t mean anything to you the 21st November sees Resident Advisor host John Digweed and Luciano. The cheeky Chilean has also called in support from his label buddies Thomas Melchior, Alejandro Vivanco and Reboot.
So there the nights we think might be a bit alright. Obviously there are the other twenty odd nights which also look fantastic, there just isn’t enough room on these pages.
Don’t forget to check back for competitions to win free tickets to some of the nights we’ve picked out… .Viva Manchester, Viva Warehouse Project!
Bjork has cancelled but there is so much more to see according to EarPipe’s Wild in the Country guide!
Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 | Event Preview | No Comments
So Bjork is officially off the bill due to stage and production issues or that illness which forced her to cancel her other date in Sheffield. Nobody knows and we’ll probably never get to know. Either way she’s cancelled and caused a right who-ha. But as they say in performance circles, “the show must go on”. The line-up still remains as is. The Battles, who were initially swaying on their appearance, will now definitely be appearing and Soulwax who are curators of their own tent will also be present. So unless you’re a diehard Bjork fan, here is EarPIPE’s pick of the bunch to catch this Saturday, leaving only the weather to worry about. Dig out your best sun dance.
Richie Hawtin
OK so our top pick isn’t really the off centre alternative choice. But you just can’t deny how good the Canadian turned Berlin scenester is. Think of this more as the solid without fail choice. More often than not Richie will deliver, trust us we have seen him countless times and never get bored. Expect driving techno beats which build up to infinity, some technical ingenuity and his trademark hair flick and clap dance.
Bookashade
With a new album out this year, the boys have been on the road showcasing a new live. Already receiving rave reviews from all corners of the world, this show is sure to excite the electronic dance heads as well as those who prefer their bands live live rather than laptop live.
Carl Craig
This man has the golden touch. Anything that he produces or remixes turns out seminal. A stalwart on the scene from the early Detroit days Carl Craig has been there, done it and decided to hang around a bit longer to show the kids what its really all about. EarPipe caught him at the start of the year and blew us away with his Detroit blend of techno combined with such musicality that only one word comes to mind. EPIC.
Dixon
Another person we caught at the start of the year was Dixon. The Innervisions resident has been at the forefront of the deep electronic house sound that has seen a recent flourish. His deep house stylings are warm, sensual and seductive, be sure to catch.
DJ Yoda
Here at earPipe we love a bit of novelty comedy to lighten the mood. DJ Yoda is the undisputed heavyweight of lightening the mood. Serious does not even come into the equation. Simply marvel and smile as he ridiculously scratches and cuts up anything and everything into an old skool b-boy rhythm. Entertaining of the highest order.
Killa Kella
Whilst we’re on the subject of entertaining hip hop we can’t forget about beatboxer Killa Kella. The former beat box champion transcends all genres from Britney to drum n bass all through the manipulation of his voice. Truly an amazing sight.
The Field
Stockholm’s Axel Willner as The Field creates some of the most epic and mesmerising soundscapes you will ever hear. Signed to Kompakt he sound is often categorised as minimal techno but it is so much more than that. Intertwining harmonies, drawn out loops and sheer epic soundscapes create a complex and intense musical environment. We caught the man at Sonar and effortlessly floated away in the sunshine on a river of mojitos.
Audion
This Saturday Matthew Dear has left his leather trousers and big hands at home for he will be in his Audion guise. What this means is he’ll be thrashing out his blend of epic twisted techno from mouth to mouth and beyond.
Danny Tenaglia
Last but not least the Brooklyn 20 hour legend that is Danny Tenaglia. Renowned for his relentless 20 hour DJ sets, this man knows how to party. The purveyor of dark twisted tribal beats, Danny will take you on a long and deep journey, then at the end he’ll kick you out in the middle of no where. Expect tribal beats with a dash of diva vocals. But do beware of the stilton clangers that he has been known to drop every so often.
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