88 Music Blog

For 35 years one turntable model ruled the market among DJs. Its quartz movement of its direct drive components were near unmatched by any other turntable model or brand. Last Friday the era of its reign among almost all clubbing equipment ended as the company discontinued production of its beloved 1200 and 1210 models.

In a statement re-posted on dance board Global Hardstyle, the company behind the production of the Technics turntables Panasonic announced that they would cease the manufacture of Tehcnics turntables in February next year, citing an increasing decline in sales as the motivation behind the line’s demise.

The Australian arm of Panasonic issued a similar statement today, expressing their disappointment that the brand’s 35 years-and-running legacy was to be put to bed.

“It is a sad day today but due to low sales globally in analogue turntables a decision to stop production has been made on Technics Turntables,” Panasonic spokesman Ian North explained. “For Australia this means we will receive our last shipment in March.”

With the disappearance of Technics decks now imminent it’s becoming increasingly clear that the digital juggernaut is showing no signs of slowing down. We’ve already heard from trance icon Tiesto how he’s abandoned the ‘outdated’ medium in favour and gone for the ease and accessibility of digital tune libraries. Indeed, the new (and might we just say super-sexy) CDJ-2000s from Pioneer look to be making things easier than ever before with USB stick functionality, employed just last weekend by another digital convert Sasha.

Whilst we’re sure the classic Technics turntables will live on in the hearts of many club-reverent folk out there – not to mention in more than a few purist clubs – it’s still a crushing blow to lose the decks, and if nobody minds, we’ll be bringing beer o’clock around early this Friday afternoon.

sure, we all do. Artistically superior EDM trade rage WIRE provides an “unedited” interview with the man and if interested we suggest you check it out!

here

The end of the year lists and news summaries will come out soon and with them the achingly sad news that the Wighnomy Brothers will no longer grace the decks after December 31, 2009. Robag, ein halb (one half) of the duo from Jena, offers a retrospective mix that seems to want to throw every style, genre, and beat style into an mp3 style stream. The mix is not retrospective of his productions although the sounds of the wildly eclectic duo are all there: fat German men lamenting on life, thick heartfelt soul and even some Devendra Banhart.

klicken Sie hier

In 2009 few acts have garnered the amount of universal respect and passion like XDB. Reason being simply that as emotive as dub techno is, when combined with deep house danceability and techno like grace the result summons universal appeal among EDM’s most acclaimed figures. These XDB apostles happily included Mr. Francois K who decided this blend of dub tinged dance floor melody would be perfect for his like-minded Wave Music label.

Just as on paper, the ears do not deceive what a good decision Mr. K made. The EPs greatest strength lies in the deception of its title “Lost Tapes” in that the listener is taken to the halcyon days of 69′s filter treatments, raw dub Maurizio dub techno against which nearly all of the EP could be played without the bat of eye. So yes timeless or maybe lost in time so to speak.

EP opener “Gate” provides one of the best starting points into XDB’s work thus far. As founder of Metrolux Records and would be Detroiter, Kosta Athanassiadis built a name (albeit hard to pronounce) in dub techno circles alongside colleagues Patrice Scott, Arne Weinberg and Atheus. These individuals all share buy on sight status, however few within the circle cross over to the wider EDM consuming audience. Where XDB distinguishes himself is in energetic production and melody. However much Patrice Scott will take you aboard a meandering excursion, XDB’s melodies share a definite purpose and within the context of the DJ set will guide attentive dancers on those perfect journeys through a night of top music. Ahem. So “Gate” is one of those tracks with beginning, middle and end qualities. Beginning as a wash of filters, Detroit keys and synthetic strings come in and before you know it there are the rhythm propelled by the off beat high hat. Ending on heaving bass accented with the same filters it is an end to a track without a date yet nonetheless with a very specific purpose. Lovely stuff and again a perfect XDB introduction.

“Lost” is probably the track’s real winner and was most likely the track FK grabbed quickly and hid in the back of his record bag peering over his shoulder while doing so. Reason being that XDB uses all of the great FK devices released over countless Wave Music releases to marvelous effect here. Beginning like a lost level of Castlevania, the dark yet plastic synths are in high volume as are the echoes. The chooging and echo build slowly over three minutes fading in and leaving the low echoing five note melody to sink in. The bass build and high hat really carry the song through different avenues. The real head f*ck portion comes in the final 30 seconds as the beat drops, a faint high pitched echo enters and the bass line becomes overladen with distortion and reverb. A simple high hat remains and on the right dancefloor most screamers (this reviewer included) would now be at high pitched wale.

“Sense” will appeal to the 8AM crowd still leery from the night’s adventure. As this new brand of techno (for some reason actually labeled head f*ck) is becoming the vogue and seeing releases (such as here) on major labels it is time to explain the guiding elements. First take an overwhelming low and driving beat and add an intermittent high hat to drive the point home. Next take rhythm elements in any form (and we mean any) and disperse them throughout the track. The real trick though is to build and release just a little bit more than might acceptable four hours earlier. Oh and as much as we recite a formula here the typical head f*ck track violates any formulaic quality. In other words the tracks are longer and draw out these tweaking elements much more and expansive ways. In the hands of an already well seasoned veteran this formula plays perfectly into the hands of XDB. Here the medium is the rich dub techno pad which is featured in all its forms here as both rhythm and melody. Also brilliant here is the echo play which at times counteracts the rhythm just like the sun coming through the windows of the berghain counteracts whatever dark brooding beat is reverberating on its hallowed walls. It is XDB at the peak of his powers and a highlight on an album filled with them.

Finally, “The Secret Garden” permits Kosta Athanassiadis his artistic expression away from the dance floor. In keeping with the “Lost Tape” theme XDB chooses the lost transmat album feel for his piece. Synths rush and whir like “nude photo” to say the least however a sa part of the whole “The Secret Garden” still belongs on this unique and diverse EP by one of techno’s finally emerging artists.

While this reviewer shares the FK and Laurent Garnier like adoration of 90% of EDM production this EP as a whole will perform more admirably than many others of its class and genre. In the XDB canon it will mark a shift from vanity label rough and raw production to the tracks lovingly created by analog machines kept in world class studios. The move is well earned as XDB has been the hushed secret among so many techno circles since 2006 and probably before. It is high time to acknowledge his talent among wider fora (such as this blog).

Available for wide release in December we suggest you spend the extra 7 bux and purchase from this reviewer’s “dealers” over at downtown304. Other choice Wave Music gems like Tony Lionni’s “The Mantra” and Floppy Sounds exist in abundance there as well.

These mixes come courtesy of randomcircuits.com a blog most trainspotters know and have linked on their own blogs. After a six month “sabbatical” the blog is back in business with reviews of recent 12s, a podcast and center hodge podge column. Latest to said “wildcard” part of the page was a post of three mixes us unoriginal b*stards share with you now.

First up is a recent Theo Parrish mix which, if you know his mixing style, will not at all correspond to the release date of any of the tracks played. Also his palette spans every genre, any BPM and near any type of sound. These mixes are usually found and taken down pretty quick so don’t sleep.

here

Next up is Ame out of Berlin. For those who follow geeky looking house guys with impossibly good music collections (Prosumer I am looking at you) Ame are among the greatest selectahs alive. On this mix you will hear old favorites, eighties and nineties house gems and, as is their wont, the good voodoo. If you get it, great, if not, you might not have liked house very much in the first place.

here

Finally we are taken through the doors of fabric in London to visit resident Craig Richards. Sure the floors will not shake through your little white earbuds but with the right eyes you can visualize how good this set might be on the fabric’s world famous sound system. The real English accents help too.

here

The New Lot Competition
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November sees the launch of an exciting competition for new producers, with the chance to win a 3 single deal with a top label, inclusion on an exclusive compilation album and a host of prizes. The competition is to be judged by a panel of leading industry figures including Timo Maas, Orbital, D Ramirez, James Zabiela, Steve Mac, Meat Katie and Dylan Rhymes….

Leading UK dance imprint Lot49 has carved out an enviable reputation as a forward thinking electronic label, enjoying success within Techno, Electro, Tech-house & Breakbeat genres, now label bosses Meat Katie & Dylan Rhymes are creating an opportunity for budding new artists to gain a fast track place to success in the industry.

Over the past five years the label has released original material & remixes by the likes of Dubfire, Lutzenkirchen, AudioJack, Lee Coombs, Robbie Rivera, Marco Bailey, Vandal, Audiofly, Miles Dyson, D.Ramirez, Evil 9, Infusion, Bassbintwins & Elite Force to name just a few. 2009 sees the doors open for new artists to try and gain a place amongst some of dance music’s leaading players and to win a host of prizes at the same time via this exclusive competition to be judged by a panel of top DJ’s and producers.

To enter the competition is quite simple, just write an extraordinarily good and original piece of dance music and submit it to the label via their dedicated dropbox (full details below).

There will be 14 finalists chosen by our resident producers (see artist page on www.lot49.co.uk).

Those chosen will then go on to the next stage – this means you are already a winner and you are guaranteed a release on Lot49 as part of the “New Lot” compilation and you will receive a selection of goodies from the label’s sponsors.

From here the chosen recordings will be voted on by a panel of world class DJ/Producers who will pick out ONE winner for the TOP PRIZE.

Orbital

http://www.myspace.com/orbitalofficial

James Zabiela

http://www.myspace.com/jameszabiela

Timo Maas

http://www.myspace.com/timomaas

D.Ramirez

http://www.myspace.com/dramirezmusic

Steve Mac

http://www.myspace.com/mrstevemac

No ‘skins? No problem. Lend us your ears this evening instead.

If you have not read any of mnml ssgs excellent coverage of the Labyrinth festival the name Donnacha Costello might as well be a another Serie A footballer. For those who know he is among the very few artists who wowed the very discerning Japanese techno crowd from the inside of a teepee via one of the world’s most sought after sound systems. His latest release is a pairing with Ireland’s Lerosa for a diverse set of afterhours tunes off the apnea label.

Donnacha and his contemporaries are currently among the forefront of what is unfortunately described as headf*ck techno. The unfortunate aspect is of course that this term is still the best way to describe the genre. Building on dubby, spacy and raw techno over many hours the headf*ck techno musicians are experts in warping senses of beats, measures and feeling such that the listener is forever changed.

Donnacha’s demo on the Geist Company is among the shorter piecespieces though each makes for perfect fall home listening. Others can be found in abundance on mnml ssgs website.

Autumn to the music fan in a major metropolitan area means the bands and groups you support are touring their latest album in a venue accessible to you by public transportation. Also, you will share your ears with 18 year olds beginning to ween away from their father’s record collection. In a seasonal sense it is every bit about discovery and beginnings as spring. EDM fans in DC this season will be treated to Dinky, Dilo, Trus’Me, Audion and others courtesy of 88. This list contemplates the best tracks/albums of the season for the season we enjoy so much.

DEMDIKE STARE-DEMDIKE STARE-MODERN LOVE. Who knew the kindly dub techno folk over at, gosh golly, the Modern Love were into the occult. Well, from the strength of this new project from MLZ and .5 of Pendle Coven, it is not just a passing fascination. In fact, the moniker of the group alone indicates a deep knowledge of witch hunting and not just the typical semantic charm among Modern Love artists. Here you have brooding, deep, frightening electronic music which sonically feels like the rustle of a headless horseman’s cape atop a horse at full gallop. If you enjoy rich heavily layered techno this album will be your own pagan holiday. Cheers.

DARKSTAR – AIDY’S GIRL IS A COMPUTER – HYPERDUB. Technoid dubstep in and of itself is a dark and perhaps best enjoyed when part of nature is dying. Darkstar for this track uses that melancholy vibe to make some type of somber computer estimation of the computer experience. More significant, is that Darkstar crafts an organized, focused song with interlocking pieces equivalent to analog instruments. The result begs to be put in an ipod for casual fall listening.

GAMES DUB – LEVON VINCENT – UNDERGROUND QUALITY. After a string of near unstoppably strong floor bangers, Levon took a step back on his third Novel Sound offering Medium is the Message. Building emotion laden tunes still best placed on the dance floor Levon may not have been pausing but more developing his sound for raw edged New York house. This one off Games Dub is further evidence of such a development, however Levon turns back to the dance floor. Raw pounding clang against fizzles and scratch accents create a near perfect fall tune.

ARISE – ANTHONY “SHAKE” SHAKIR – SYNCOPHONE. Most writers believe the only hindrance to Shake Shakirs rightful place amongst Techno godfathers is his ability to put out a consistent album. And by consistency, said writers refer both to pace as well as quality. While few will doubt his talent, Shake Shakir’s latest track reminds us all of his greatness and his enduring influence on the techno genre. Arise’s greatest strength is how consistently strong the beat remains in light sweeping changes throughout the song. What make the track a great fall tune is the distinct “Detroit” metallic melodramatic feel as the arrangements shifts tone from light to full.

DISORGANIZED CORRUPTION – LOWER EAST SIDE PIPES – SACRED RHYTHM. Steamy horns and a swelling Hammond B-3 Organ give the feel of a brisk fall breeze coming off the Hudson river. For as warm as this instrument combination may seem it’s Joe Clausell’s astute use of dub delay which add a cool breeze to this production. This piece, in light of the other ambient, eccentric works along side it, recalls the stone cold funk of Manhattan disco of the 1980s.