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?

In a nutshell, his fabric mix is completely reflective of Surgeon’s character. It flows with a persistent intensity that runs through various dark and bassy shades, using regular changes in rhythm to generate interesting textures and contrast. Take for instance his use of dubstep like rhythms from Al Tourettes & Appleblim, Starkey, and Subeena. They deploy huge drops in the flow, yet they subtly feedback into the intensity when the rhythm switches again. It’s a tried and tested method, but Surgeon pulls it off with a brutal elegance.

However it’s not just his first rate execution of known DJ methods that make this mix, he also uses a real full bodied sound.  Tracks like the Ben Sims mix of Black Star Ritual or the alien like AM-4 B1 by Ancient Methods are choc full of focused white noise like a drill to the brain. Whilst on the other hand you’ve got the more traditional relentless techno from the likes of Robert Hood, Orphx and Mark Broom & James Ruskin which provide plenty of drive. The tracks are brash yet together they layer elegantly together to create that on the edge pressure.

From a geeky perspective, when you start to deconstruct this mix you see the level of detail that Surgeon goes to. Often one, two sometimes even three or four tracks bleed into one another, crossing their track marker boundaries like steely Mexicans. Yet the layering is so subtle that it’s easy to lose track of what’s going on. But that doesn’t discount from their importance as these minute border crossings add so much to this mix as basslines, beats and melodies intermingle to create unique sounds to this mix. It’s layering with a purpose rather than for the sake of it.

When you put it all together, the relentless intensity, the technically complex layers, the wall of sound you get a pretty unique mix that other DJs would struggle to achieve. This dark foray through bass and beats definitely leaves a mark, mainly because it’s so intense that you feel like you’ve been chewed up and spat out the other side like a piece of chewing gum in a gurned up mouth.

Buy Surgeon – Fabric 53 from Amazon (CD|MP3), Play.com (CD) or HMV (CD)

Tracklisting:
01. Location recording from Kuramae Subway Station, Tokyo, Japan
02. Scuba – Glance
03. Surgeon – Bad Hands (Drums Only)
04. Marco Bernardi – Giro (Exium Remix)
05. Instra:mental – Forbidden
06. Forward Strategy Group – Applied Generics A
07. Reeko – Agile Movement
08. Surgeon – Bad Hands Part 2 (Drums Only)
09. Robert Hood – Superman
10. Planetary Assault Systems – X Speaks To X (Al Tourettes & Appleblim Remix)
11. Ritzi Lee – Black Star Ritual (Ben Sims Remix)
12. T-Polar – Crab People
13. Ital Tek – Spectrum Falls
14. Surgeon – Klonk Part 1 (Drums Only)
15. Subeena – Picture
16. Fran Hartnett – It Was Written In Vapour
17. Mark Broom & James Ruskin – Hostage
18. Stephen Brown – Stress Free
19. Ancient Methods – AM04B1
20. Surgeon – Compliance Momentum
21. Greena – Tenzado
22. Starkey – Spacecraft
23. Starkey feat. Anneka – Stars (Slugabed Did A Remix)
24. Cari Lekebusch – Spindizzy (Luke Slater’s L.B. Dub Corp Remix)
25. Surgeon – The Crawling Frog Is Torn and Smiles
26. Orphx – Threshold (Substance Remix)
27. Gatekeeper – Blip
28. Mark Broom & James Ruskin – No Time Soon
29. Russ Gabriel – El Juan
30. DJ Overdose – What

Robert Hood – Minimal Nation

When I said the moment might have passed I wasn’t talking about the one back in 1994 when this seminal classic was released. Instead I’m talking about Robert Hood and Planet M’s decision to re-release Minimal Nation to another generation of techno lovers and re-school the kids on where manipulating a minimal set of elements comes from.

Many of the tracks on this album still sound fresh today however it might be more the case of recent tracks trying to achieve Robert Hood’s classic 909/303 sound found throughout this album. But one that certainly flies the ‘still relevant today’ flag is Sleep Cycle. It’s deep reverberating beats and slowly evolving pattern changes sounds as if it’s walked straight out of a 48 hour Berghain/Dettmann session.

Even the tracks that have aged still make a mark. The way Rhythm of Vision’s distinctly 90s Detroit melodies and patterns unfold in such a subtle manner, like a Rubik’s cube slowly shifting and twisting towards a solution; it just really highlights some of the roots of minimalism in electronic music.

Buy Robert Hood – Minimal Nation on CD, Amazon MP3 or DJ Download

Bloody Mary – Black Pearl
On the subject of minimalism, Bloody Mary’s recent album release on Jay Haze’s Contexterrior label has been pushing one area of the minimal spectrum. The first full album release for both Bloody Mary and Contexterrior is an exploration into the subtleties of melodic ambience, techno and broken beats. Bloody Mary holds a certain darkness throughout with her melancholic melodies, twisted samples and restrained beats. Opening track Black Pearl sets the style immediately, planting itself as a hybrid of dub step mechanisms and techno undertones which are eroded away with the injection of a organic soaring string section. The rest of album dabbles around with this unison of techno and broken beats colouring the mechanical nature of the percussion with organic samples and melodies.

If Ellen Allien and BPitch is your thing then this is sure to tickle your fancy. Contexterrior have even thrown in Jay Haze and Sasche Funke remixes of Black Pearl too.

Buy Bloody Mary – Black Pearl on CD or MP3

Butane – Endless Forms
Another purveyor of the modern minimal sound is Butane. His latest album Endless Forms can be compared to Robert Hood’s Minimal Nation in that both feed off the concept of evolving patterns with a select set of elements deemed necessary to the composition. Butane uses this concept with dark reverberated movements of sound. Transmit The Music In Me has a massive throbbing bassline with minor detailing touches. The same goes for Mutation a track which we reviewed a few months ago- we liked its reverberating bassline that phased in and out of the track doubling up as the fill for the breakdown. I must say many of the tracks on this album have some of the slightest progression I’ve come across for a while which doesn’t bode well for continuous play as an album. But as a DJ some of the loops on this are just so hypnotic and infectious that you can’t help but buy into it.

Buy Butane – Endless Forms on CD or MP3

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:

Surely it’s time to shake of the January blues? There is definitely a fair few options if you do.

Firstly, Cargo on Saturday plays host to Go!Zilla with Joey Negro’s legendary Sunburst Band. In support is Switzlerland’s Agnes doing a live performance and deck duties being done by Benji B and James Priestly of 1Xtra and Secretsundaze fame respectively. Expect fun, soulful house music.

Since Cargo closes so early you can extend the night and head over to Mulletover. The warehouse floor isn’t even cold from New Years Eve yet, but they’re straight back in there with their winter warmer. Anja Schneider the Berlinette of Mobilee fame and Nottingham legend with Matt “Leftroom” Tolfrey are brought in to blow away the January cob webs alongside Geddes. Over in the second room disco reviver Todd Terje heads things up with the Future Boogie folks. House, Tech-House, Techno and everything in between and if that doesn’t keep you entertained there is the cosmic rays of disco in room two. This has sold out, so get there early.

Finally, since we’re getting back into things proper… we might as well power through till the early hours. Fabric seems to think so. Original Detroit techno minimaliser Robert Hood is in town with Arne Weinberg and Convextion, not to mention the rock like Craig Richards. That still Room 2 goes all Français with Jennifer Cardini along with Ivan Smagghe and Tim Paris making their return.

What a Saturday of things to do! Get involved!

To warm you up a little, the kind folks at Fabric sent over a Tim Paris mix… )

Listen below or download from here.

[See post to listen to audio]

Tracklist:
Skinnerbox ‘Binaer-Sedenaer’
Jaxson ‘Miami Flys’
Chateau Flight ‘La Roquette’
Instant Boys ‘Nya Farger’
Koze ‘Abudinga’
Johnny White ‘Musique Noire’ (Jamie Jones edit)
Lexy ‘Get Down’
Marc Houle ‘Selection’
Remain ‘Dependance’

BLOC Weekend looks set to return after last year’s sell out success. Taking place on the 13^th – 15^th 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? Well they’ve brought in Aphex Twin as the main headliner for this year. He returns to performing with the premier of his new show, with new collaborator Hecker exclusively for BLOC. With no regard for the norm and various urban myths of him playing sandpaper or overloaded blenders this show is bound to throw a curveball for all those into the weird and wonderful. Also making a welcomed return to the scene is The Future Sound of London. Another coop for the BLOC organisers is the return of The Future Sound of London for their first show in ten years.

Probably the next highlight for EarPipe is the announcement of DJ Q-Bert joining the line-up. Probably the best turntablist to ever walk the planet, QBert had to retire from competition just to give everyone else a chance. However he still performs and is still pushing the boundaries of turntablism. In the same hip hop vein Afrika Bambaataa, one of the original originators of hip hop culture is also on the bill.

That’s only the tip of the ice berg. There is a plethora of underground genres being catered for. In the techno corner you have the likes of Carl Craig, Green Velvet, Robert Hood and Frequency 7 featuring Ben Sims and Surgeon. All things dub are covered by the likes of Skream, Benga, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Digital Mystiks and Kode 9. The list of artists just keeps going on and on. So rather than bore you to death you can find the current full line up at the end of this post.

So its look to be a corker of a weekend once again for BLOC. If you’re up for a weekend of forward thinking music in a dry location and a 40mph water slide within the UK, then look no further. Get your tickets and accommodation from www.blocweekend.com.

FULL LINEUP TO DATE / MANY MORE ACTS STILL TBA:

Aphex Twin + Hecker

The Future Sound of London

Jamie Lidell / Carl Craig / Afrika Bambaataa

Green Velvet / DJ Qbert / Skream / Benga / Metro Area / Altern-8 / 4Hero

Busy P/ Egyptian Lover / Daniel Bell / Heartbreak / I-F

Dublime feat. Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry / Scientist / Digital Mystikz – Coki / Tipper /

Kode 9 / Rusko – Debut Live show / Ed Rush and Optical / Mad Professor / Zion

Train / Plastician / Pole

Overkill feat. Modeselektor and Pfadfinderei / Beardyman / Clark / Richard

Devine / Tim Exile / Otto Von Shirach

Subloaded curated by DJ Pinch, feat. DJ Pinch / 2562 / Jamie Vex’d /

Appleblim / Peverelist / Joker b2b Blazey / MC SGT Pokes

Split and Tilted Disco feat. Robert Hood / Frequency 7 feat Ben Sims and

Surgeon / Redshape / James Ruskin / Colin Dale / Steve Strawberry / Alex

Downey

Numbers feat. Martyn / Rustie / Hudson Mohawke / Jackmaster

Dynamix II / Dj Godfather and MC Omega / Dylan & Robyn Chaos b2b / Ulrich

Schnauss / Ed Chamberlain / Global Goon / Rob Hall / Transparent Sound /

Ceephax Acid Crew / Cosmic Force BassClef / Ital Tek / Lief Ryan / Alexander

Robotnick / Bizzy B / 2 Bad Mice

Greco-Roman feat. Rob Da Bank / Drums of Death / Totally Enormous Extinct

Dinosaurs / Greco-Roman Soundsystem: Raf Daddy, The Great Mentsh & Full

Nelson

Cocadisco feat. Russell Haswell / DJ Benetti / Louis Enchante and friends /

Andy Blake / Rodaidh and Piers

Caravan Recordings feat. October / Emptyset

Wifey feat. D’explicit – LIVE PA / China feat. Black the Ripper / DJ Undecided /

Wifey DJs

Cliché feat. French Kriss / Michel Dupont / French Connection Trio + Special

Guests

Pathic / ADJ / Junq / P45 / Ebola / Lusinda / AGT Rave Cru / Amental / McMash

Clan

Residents from: WANG – Electro Elvis and Lula / Braindrop / Dub Pressure /

Drums of the South / Square Roots / Sequence / Plex / Dissident

BLOC Residents: Billy Nasty / Radioactive Man / Ed DMX / Jerome Hill / Luke’s

Anger / James Tec / Rebel Intelligence / Joe Hart / Oliver Way / George ‘The

Skull’ Hull