| May ’11 |
| 7 |
| 11:00 pm |
Archive pour April 2011
Darabi, Charada, Madrid
Tuesday 26 April 2011Clement Meyer, Bruxelles
Tuesday 26 April 2011[GTCM007] MAN OF STEEL
Monday 6 June 2011
We’re back for another slab of genre-defying, ass-kicking, booty-shaking, timeless underground beats. Get The Curse Music 07 features two cuts from the mysterious CRACKBOY and three remixes from rising star Gesaffelstein, Toronto’s James Teej and our own Olibusta. The question of CRACKBOY’s identity is burning everyone’s lips. Who’s hiding behind this oh-so poetic moniker? Theories abound, and rumor has it CRACKBOY was last seen smoking on his pipe in the filthiest dens of the Parisian underbelly. Efforts to trace him since then have proved fruitless and until the next sighting, the enigma remains.
In spite of all this mystery one fact is crystal clear: with early feedback from Ed Banger’s Busy P reaching the conclusion that Crackboy’s productions are solid gold, this is an EP with substantial crossover potential that will put the whole scene on the same wavelength.
01- MAN OF STEEL
Built around an eerie vocal loop, Man of Steel is an ass-shaker. After getting a taste of a bouncy 808 tom-tom groove, old school stabs, a tuneful bass line and lush pads make their appearance. When all the elements converge it’s clear that the influences for this number are in the past, but the result is as fresh and original as it gets. Crackboy shows his more playful side with this uplifting catchy bomb that will not only make a lasting impression on house and techno jocks but also on believers of the new wave of UK Bass beats à la Julio Bashmore and Addison Groove.
02- HILINNER
Crackboy sparks up the EP with Hiliner, a throbbing track laid out to a martial beat that conjures ghosts of virile EBM. A sparse but nasty sub groove is the perfect counterpoint to that throwback drum kit. A gnarly bass rumbles in the low-end while a lead more abrasive than sand paper grinds its way through the dancefloor. Combining the darkest atmosphere with a relentless groove perfectly alternating between restraint and excess to provoke maximum damage on both bodies and minds, it’s clear Crackboy is using GTC’s certified formula, and boy is he doing it right. This meat-and-potatoes cut will rip the dancefloor a new one before it knows it.
03- HILINER (GESAFFELSTEIN REMIX)
French techno wunderkind Gesaffelstein delivers a thousand ton remix of the heavily detuned rave variety. It is a hefty rework which stays true to the original by virtue of its hard-hitting simplicity. A beefy kick drum beats along at 115 BPM while a noisy snare, jittery rimshot and classy cowbells get things funky. Sinister vocal stabs set the mood to creepy and first-rate analog sound design adds a veneer of refinement to the whole ordeal. But don’t get me wrong, it’s all about fatness here: things will get out of control when that filthy hoover lead creeps in. So zombie, so heavy, so wicked: this is slowed-down techno on uppers for the living dead, a lethal combo without a doubt.
04- HILINNER (JAMES TEEJ WAREHOUSE CRUNK REMIX)
Canadian James Teej takes Hiliner into house territory, warehouse territory to be more precise. Built on a slowly evolving percussive groove and a rolling bass line this track is all about holding back until the dancefloor is begging for it. The original track’s gloom gives way to a balearic vibe that alternates between euphoria and melancholia thanks to that suave yet rugged melodic lead. The house kick, the open hi-hats and the warehouse groove are all there, but by appearing at different stages in the track the pressure rises slowly but surely and this is guaranteed to drive the dancefloor insane in anticipation. This epic rework will surely be an outstanding weapon in the DJ’s arsenal, the perfect jolt to raise energy levels of DJ sets.
05- MAN OF STEEL (OLIBUSTA REMIX)
GTC’s own Olibusta reworks Man of Steel by crafting a funky rubber-band bassline with a low-end groove and jumpy percussion that will induce some serious footwork. Add some filter sweeps, subtle white noise swashes as well as the original’s vocal samples processed cleverly…and you get a nonchalant remix that sets things in motion while holding its proverbial horses, perfect for warm-up or closing sets.
Marc Ashken – Leftroom [gtc142]
Tuesday 14 June 2011Marc Ashken fait partie de ces producteurs qui ont vraiment compté pour moi, capable de produire des dancefloors killers comme le récent “She’s all over me” (tout particulièrement le ‘Reseed‘ par Marc lui même, que sir Meyer et moi même avons usé jusqu’à la moelle ces derniers mois) aussi bien que des bizarreries minimalo-bancales que l’on peut entendre sur “Have you seen my dancing shoes ?“, son album sorti en 2008 sur Leftroom.
Look de post-ado fan d’Indochine, Marc est un peu inconstant, il disparaît pendant des mois, se perd puis revient avec une bombe.
Je l’ai découvert avec “With a C“, maxi sorti sur le même Leftroom (sa maison mère, tenue par son acolyte de toujours, Matt Tolfrey) en 2006. J’avais acheté le maxi à Londres dans un magasin de disques de Camden, en sous-sol. Je pense que c’est un des 12′ que j’ai le plus joué. Deux morceaux me rendaient et me rendent toujours dingues, “Gransha” et “OIO“. Ils me servent toujours de mètre étalon aujourd’hui, tant leur groove est ovniesque. C’est un des premiers producteurs qui m’a fait comprendre qu’on pouvait rendre sexy des morceaux sombres.
Danton et moi l’avions fait jouer au T Bar pour une Baise-Main d’anthologie où son set avait surpris tout le monde, une house de vampire sexy et habitée.
Ce dj set balaie bien les influences et l’univers de ce producteur qui est aussi un très bon dj. Entre house soulful et minimale obscure, il réussit un grand écart périlleux : être gothique et black à la fois.
Download [gtc142] Marc Ashken – getthecurse podcast – 2011.06.14
Clement Meyer, Rex Club, Paris
Tuesday 26 April 2011Sian – Octopus Recordings [Interview]
Thursday 16 June 2011Sian will release a new concept album, “Before Silence” in a few days, on which he “deconstructed and recombined” new tracks; it features his own tracks, plus remixes from Terence Fixmer, Carlo Lio, Gui Boratto, Basic Soul Unit, Joel Mull…
We asked him some questions.
Why did you wait so long to release this second album (your 1st one was released in 2002)? How does it feel?
Well, it was a long time in the making and quite a demented experience I must say, it involved taking all my new tracks apart and re assembling them like a big jigsaw, with the remixers personal takes. A huge project, with so many intricate things to worry about, that I nearly smashed my studio a couple of times! So that’s one reason it was so long coming, another is that I felt I did’nt want to just do a standard DJ album, lining up tracks one after another, which I feel is kinda lazy and not very interesting considering the technology we have at our disposal. I feel techno/electronic music all the way back to disco days, always leads the way with new steps, like the remix, the mix CD etc… especially so in these new digital days when our scene is breaking new ground with a lot of innovations in recording, broadcasting and marketing of new music.
I wanted to mess with the format a bit, you know? And try something that felt relevant to the clubs,so now it flows and builds like a live set or DJ mix but is made with all new parts and fx, it switches up and changes what an album could be. It made me re-think a lot of the ways we can release techno long players.
It feels weird now, that I have finished it and have heard it so much, it’s time for other people to listen to it I guess, and I have to let go. It does sound alien to me almost I must admit! And was a technically testing project to do when I look back, but I have a new perspective on formats now and really want to mess with them some more! I’m also very proud that the project is on my own label, especially with all the great remixes on there. I’m focused on my own label only now, so that was a real moment for me, seeing everyones mixes come in at such high quality and knowing they were destined to come out on my imprint.
How would you describe “Before Silence”? Tell us a bit about your creative process on this album
I’d say it ranges from slow motion moments to all out hectic 5am meltdowns in equal parts. It’s really a reflection of my own DJ sets, which can go from dubbed out breaks to peak time techno stuff, chopped up and combined into a little journey. Sonically it has a real different identity also, as i really spent so much time on the “sound design” of the whole thing. Im kinda excited by how its quite a new idea, its a fresh approach and i feel it sounds brave too. The parts and segments are heavily processed and its a quite saturated and thick sound. I worked quite laboriously in the studio, firstly creating the tracks and compiling then editing the ones i finally selected for the project, then taking all the tracks apart again and judging what parts i needed to use.
I ended up with over 1000 loops and hits, which were then re combined into others and all the Fx added. I was constantly going back over the session and moving things, re jigging and mixing down again. So finally i felt it was ready and did the master mixdown. The little things, like matching levels, doing the crossfades and positioning parts on the grid was painstaking! I actually got Tendinitis, pains in my hands and arms from this project.. so sad right? Minor studio injury, so now i’m using only a hardware sequencer and have thrown the mouse/keyboard out forever.
If you had to pick up 3 tracks in your own discography, which ones would you choose, and why?
I’d like to choose things from my label, as its my focus and where I feel I can let loose! So Purple bang as number one, its the record that symbolizes where we are going now as a label and where my own production is at now, it’s a bit strange and colorful but also quite main room and bouncey. Carlo Lio did such a good job of the remix, every time I play it people ask me what it is! The release has a druggy, sluggish sound and those bass frequencies get the dancefloor quaking every time. The extremely freaky vocals in Carlo’s mix make it a standout one too, as the first single from the album, it really felt like a starting on the best foot.
Secondly id say Clement Meyer’s mix of Calculus “Sub Aquatic Apes”, because its so unusual and daring, quite a long, tripped out and experimental mix, that feels so hypnotic and loopy,it has a real edge to it. Almost a slight industrial tinge to techno, Clement’s stuff has stood out as different to the typical deep or harsh techno around now..and very much the real dark sound of Paris! The break and sound effects in his mix are off kilter and creepy,with non stop drum changes and a healthy dose of weird!
Thirdly, i’d have to choose John Tejada’s remix of The Hellfire Club “Pagan Imagery”,this project is myself and the inimitable scotsman Funk Dvoid.The release is way out there and throbs with some very outlandish bass tones,so John took it and warped it into a real catchy riff.So modern but classic sounding,He has long been one of our techno gods,and we grew up looking up to him as a composer and DJ,so this was a real pleasure to have him do a mix on our work.
What do you enjoy most in the “techno scene” (more about things and facts, than artists), and on the contrary, what annoys you?
The very simple fact that i get to do this as my career and lifestyle is never far from my mind. I mean,the way people from other countries bring me all around the world,because of the music I make, is pretty special. I get to visit places i dreamed of, its quite amazing way of life, when you see hard work translating into recognition, while also contributing something good, if even for a moment of realization on the dancefloor, or an escape from peoples life cycles.
Techno for me is a movement and essential factor for changes in technology and youth culture. Maybe I’m naive but I think people who get switched on by techno or club culture, end up being better contributors to society. Not much annoys me, maybe some closed mindedness within the scene or too much emphasis on genres etc. But in general I am positive about how it’s developing. It seems techno and the advances in music are stunning right now! It is undoubtedly a great time for enabling new underground music to reach bigger audiences.
What do you like to do, apart from music?
It’s weird one to answer because i think if you live as an artist, this is your life. Of course I have interests like Zoology and Kayaking and Modern Art, which I try to get lost in whenever possible, but I personally don’t see them as apart. These things really influence me and I draw a lot of inspiration from them, especially the sciences. A lot of my tracks are influenced by subjects like the animal kingdom, cosmology, politics, religion, etc… and that’s how I build my own little musical world, from this sphere of knowledge and experiences.
What are you up to next?
Well, the singles have started coming now, with some very diverse remixes, so im excited about them, and playing a lot of the new stuff out. Im touring around Europe mostly for the summer, and then USA, Canada and South America from Sept. So will be nice to take the tracks out to new clubs and experiment with them on people! We are lining up some more eps on the label, with people like Losoul and Patrick Siech popping up as remixers. Then I’m starting an Octopus monthly radio show here on our national radio station, linked to our label nights and podcast guests, at the festival spots like Sonar and Exit. We will host some quite large lineup off parties with promoter partners, so that’s a big priority for us this year. I have some remixes finished for Timo Maas, Marco Bailey etc, so they should drop soon. Im really looking forward to this next while actually, definitely the most exciting year for myself and the label yet.
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www.sianmusic.net
www.facebook.com/SianOfficial
www.octopusrecordings.com
DC Salas – Doctor Vinyl Records / Toys For Boys [gtc143]
Tuesday 21 June 2011This week’s Get The Curse podcast is mixed by up-and-comer DC Salas, a Belgian jock with Peruvian roots. At age 22, he’s already a household name in Brussels’ underground scene as a certified DJ and promoter. But it is through his production skills, surprisingly mature for an artist with only a handful of releases under his belt that Diego got his breakthrough. His debut release on Doctor Vinyl in 2010 entitled ‘Peru’ was the spark that lit the fire. That epic minimal house cut with a dash of Border Community melancholy gathered an overwhelming amount of support from a wide spectrum of producers, from Maya Jane Coles who used it in her own breakthrough RA podcast, Michael Mayer, Ivan Smagghe, Luciano, Ewan Pearson, Dave DK, DJ Sneak, Ben Klock and many others. The future is looking bright for DC Salas with some great releases in 2011, such as the recently released Positive Shades EP which has gathered support from the usual suspects a few surprise DJs such as the mighty Anthony ‘Shake’ Shakir.
Without further ado, here’s Get The Curse podcast number 143. An hour and a half of easy-going minimal house, the perfect set to kick summer off.
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Le podcast Get The Curse de cette semaine est signé DC Salas, jeune producteur Bruxellois d’origine péruvienne. Agé de 22 ans, c’est déjà un régulier de la scène de la capitale Belge en tant que DJ certifié et promoteur. En tant que producteur, malgré une poignée de sorties à son actif, ses tracks font déjà preuve d’une maturité exemplaire. L’étincelle c’est sa première release, le maxi intitulé ‘Peru’ sur la structure locale Doctor Vinyl. House minimale tranquillement épique avec une touche de mélancolie qui fait penser au meilleur de Border Community, cette release à bénéficié du support d’une floppée de producteurs et DJs assez variée, en allant du podcast RA de Maya Jane Coles, Michael Mayer, Ivan Smagghe, Luciano, Ewan Pearson, Dave DJ, DJ Sneak, Ben Klock et bien d’autres. Avec des releases de qualité en 2011 comme le Positive Shades EP dont les feedback révèlent un plébiscite par les réguliers et quelques surprises également, comme le support de l’intestable Anthony ‘Shake’ Shakir, une chose est sûre, DC Salas est un artiste à surveiller de près.
Voici le podcast Get The Curse 143. Une heure et demie de house minimale paisible, le set idéal pour démarrer l’été en toute sérénité.
Download [gtc143] DC Salas Get The Curse podcast 06-20-2011
Crackboy – Get The Curse / Tigersushi [gtc144]
Monday 27 June 2011S’il y a bien un disque qui porte en lui tout ce que GTC a toujours été, c’est cette sortie de Crackboy à la croisée des genres et au riddim crasseux. Ajoutez à ça le meilleur edit de 2011 et vous comprendrez pourquoi Crackboy, le mystérieux side project, est un artiste de l’ombre, trop rare, mais qui fait tout simplement avancer la musique dans le bon sens. Et quand Lelo, (notre échelle de richter à nous pour tout ce qui est musique excitante), adoube un maxi, c’est qu’il n’y a plus aucune question à se poser.
Un podcast s’avérait donc nécessaire pour voir si Crackboy était également un chaud DJ, l’examen est réussi. Prochaine étape, le Rex Club, le 15 juillet pour la prochaine soirée Get The Curse.
Download [gtc144] Crackboy Get The Curse podcast 06-27-2011
