Apologies for the lack of posts over the last week or so, it's been quite a busy period for me what with assignment deadlines and other social commitments. I've also been preparing for my first official event review which will take place at a secret warehouse location in East London this weekend. The party will feature a live performance from Tigerskin and DJ sets from Cocoon's Sven Tasnadi among various other house/techno jocks. Tickets are available on RA now, and the review will hopefully be published on there soon after.

Since my last post I've had the pleasure of experiencing two of my favourite DJ's for the first time, predictably at fabric. Last Saturday Matthias Tanzmann made his fabric debut, a treat I really didn't want to miss out on. The Circo Loco resident was every bit as excellent as I expected, delivering a rhythmic session of bouncy, tribal tech-house for a good three hours or so after Craig Richards' perfectly designed warm-up set. It was a simply magnificent night, made all the more special as I didn't think I was going to make it originally. It's nights like that where fabric really asserts itself as well and truly head and shoulders above the rest. Room 1 had such an upbeat, frolic ambiance which despite it's reputation and brilliance, is not always the case, but Tanzmann knew how to work the crowd in such a way. Yesterday was Sven Väth's highly anticipated touchdown at EC1 for one of his legendary Cocoon nights. The hype surrounding the night was unavoidable considering it was apparently Papa Sven's first ever time at fabric. But by no means was it just his magnificent 4 hour all-vinyl set that the night had to offer. His disciples on the night included Oner Özer, who followed Väth in Room 1 with a powerfully narcotic minimal groove, Illario Alicante and Dinky in Room 2 and Jozif and Craig Richards together in Room 3. To my dismay, Jozif's tragically early slot was in the past by the time we got in, and Craigy didn't quite do it for me the same way he always does when he's at the helm in the main room. Downstairs was at times uncomfortably crowded, especially during Väth's opening couple of hours. The bass-chamber which is Room 2 was surprisingly enjoyable, Illario Alicante was on top form, as was Dinky who closed proceedings with two elegant hours of deep tech-house. Overall Tanzmann edged it slightly though. Cocoon was obviously essential on my hit list but as so often is the case with extremely high-profile nights at fabric (e.g. any time Ricardo Villalobos makes an appearance), things were just a little too stuffy for the most part.

Now time for some music. Again, this is an entirely independent post so I wont pigeonhole anything too much, it's no more than just a collection of some of the outstanding records I've been listening to over the last couple of weeks. Chris will be back with Now We Rave shortly with a review of a recently attended event in Bristol, and I'm mentally compiling the next Sorry I'm Minimal delivery too.

Arne Weinberg - Paralyzed Tribes (Kurt Degiorgio Remix)


Ernesto Ferreyra - Cenote Trip


Slam - Azure (The Black Dog's Corn Beefy Mix)


Tony Rohr - Oddmekanix


Emeka - Bullerengue


Timid Boy - Entreat


Appleblim & Ramadanman - Void 23


Anonym - Go Deeper (Kenny Larkin Remix)


Decimal - Death Song


Egbert - Haasten


Tiga - Sex O'Clock (Mathias Aguayo Remix)


Daniel Steinberg - Move Your Body


Umek - Ljubljana


Rene Breitbarth - Move Me (Matthias Meyer & Patlac Remix)


Reset Robot - La Porte


And finally, for old times sake one of my all time favourite house anthems...

Kerri Chandler - Déja Vú

German producer and DJ, Butch is fast becoming not only one of the hottest names on the circuit right now, but also one of my personal favourites. Every one of his productions so far have been nothing short of excellent, all beautifully mastered and always brilliantly funky, and this is precisely what we get in every single track on his new album, Eyes Wide Open.

No Worries, the record that was charted by a staggering amount of top DJs and played in clubs by many more, although not included in Eyes Wide Open, was undeniably one of the hottest tunes of the summer and underpins perfectly what Butch is all about. If there's one thing Butch knows how to invest in his music it's rhythm. The guy has playful, ebbing, tribal rhythm flowing through the veins of all his productions. Tech house so often becomes the grey area of failed minimal and lets face it, is often pretty uninspiring. Only the major players consistently get it spot on. Blending house with techno to make music as groovy and alive as Butch does is no easy skill. What he's managed to create in Eyes... is a style of tech house which is house at heart, keeping the same four-to-the-floor structure, but with enough rave-worthy intensity so that it's not too deep and therefore assumes that classic techno ethic... it's pounding.

Butch's basslines are some of the most compelling, most groovy I've ever heard. Following the delicate string templates of For Her Smile (Epilogue), In God's Arms, is a lean, shuffling demonstration of house and techno in perfect harmony. Piano notes and percussive flavours decorate the floor-filling house beat. All of Butch's productions are all mildly progressive without becoming too aggressive. Joy (II) builds and builds at such an engaging, stimulating rate, but the gauzy vocal samples looped throughout the entire track keep it anchored to a field of house far more subtle and melodic, rather than frantic.

It's Butch's creative and often experimental influences that really lift Eyes Wide Open to level of supremacy. While he remains true to his own basic style throughout the entire album, keeping the same surging, pounding tech-house basslines and similar beat patterns, at not one point does the album ever become at all monotonous. Every track is dusted with something special, unusual and often slightly daring, a feature of Butch's producing abilities that truly defines him as one of Berlin's new breed of geniuses. His airy, psychedelic Kids is almost classic house, but the drums and percussion are this time stirred with infant-like vocal samples creating a delicious if not slightly aberrant groove, but that is not in any way a criticism. Soul Motion is the albums star though. This time Butch discards any sonic mischief and delivers something made for only the most powerful soundsystems. Again there are the twangs of guitar stings and various other shadowy samples, but this is by for the most aggressive of all, throbbing with heat, funk and swagger.

If Butch continues to keep producing such well thought and well conceived music then there is no limits to his potential. Granted, he's not a 'new comer' in any sense of the term, in fact he's been around for some time, but it now seems as if he's honed his creative skills into something more compact and just generally more pleasing than ever before. For this reason I will not be taking my eyes of his every movement from now on.

Butch - Soul Motion


Buy Eyes Wide Open by Butch on Beatport now here

Well, a classic of this week anyway. I just felt like a bit of retrospective appreciation was in order, so thought I would maybe start a regular that posts tracks pre-2008 maybe. At least that feels a long time ago in dance music terms.

The first is getting on a bit really. Released just two years after Dom and I entered this world, it hails from the time when House was still a hormonal teenager of a musical genre.

Soulful vocals and a throbbing bass. House.

The Fog - Been a Long Time

Over the last week or so, some very important developments in the electronic music world have
emerged. Naturally I feel a duty to report on them....

RESIDENT ADVISOR'S 2010 'TOP DJ'S' POLL NOW OPEN

Last year, Richie Hawtin (above) was crowned 2009's number 1 DJ as decided by users of Resident Advisor, the world leading online magazine for electronic music. Known for its general appreciation for the very best music and DJs, RA's poll is perceived by many (including SOTW) to be the most reputable of all. I've already casted my top 5, which this year I've settled on Erol Alkan in first place, followed by Ricardo Villalobos, Boys Noize, Craig Richards and Dixon. Chris is yet to finalise his choices but his is inevitably similar to mine, although he justifiably fancies John Digweed to claim a spot. Agree with us? Probably not, we've all got an opinion on who has blown our minds this year, so go and have your say and take part in the most trusted and highly anticipated poll of the year.

Vote for your top 5 DJ's in RA's 2010 poll here (You will need to be a member of RA)


WATERGATE 07 RELEASE PARTY TO BE HELD AT LONDON'S XOYO


It may not have been around for long, but London's XOYO club just off Old Street has already proved to be a heavyweight among the capital's elite venues. On Saturday December 11th, it will be where German superclub Watergate will hold their release party for Lee Jones' excellent recent mix for the club's record label. In what we anticipate to be a sell-out night, expect some of the finest house and techno around, imported directly from Berlin.

Get £5 early bird tickets over at RA now!

BUSY P, CASSIUS & A-TRAK DO GLASGOW


On Friday December 10th, legendary Glasgow club The Arches will host what promises to be one of the most exciting nights I've seen for a while. Ed Banger's uber-cool boss and DJ extraordinaire, Busy P will headline along with vinyl mix-master A-Trak and French House legends, Cassius. Despite being based in London and faced with a train fayer of £65 just to get to Glasgow, it would probably be worth the cost and the journey, especially as early bird tickets are currently at the bargain price of £7. My advice is, no matter what your proximity to Scotland is, it's a night you won't want to miss.

Grab those £7 early birders now at RA

With fabric's full club listings for November and December recently announced, of all the nights I eagerly scrawled my diary, this wasn't one. Sandwiched between Luciano the week previously and Mathias Tanzmann next weekend, and also because I had only just seen Âme perform last month at the birthday weekend (Ok, Luciano was there too, but exceptions can be made), I thought I may be able to get away missing this one. As it turns out, I didn't make it to Luciano or Perlon (Zip, Baby Ford, Alex Smoke etc.) at fabric the week before, two nights I was very keen on attending, so this turned out to be my consolation. I should know better by now than to see any night at fabric as merely a consolation, whatever the alternative, but I left EC1 at about 8:30 with that great, satisfying feeling of having just enjoyed an entirely successful night.

Âme would headline for the closing set in the perfect slot of 5-8, after Craig Richards and Guillaume and The Coutu Dumonts live. Room 2 looked surprisingly tempting too, with Terry Francis joined by Heiko Laux and Steve Rachmad, who have previously collaborated to make some exceptional productions, such as one of my favourite trippy house numbers to date, The Boatshow. If their production skills were anything to go by, it would hopefully not be so intense in the second room as it so often is, the reason I typically avoid lengthy spells in there. We actually headed to the fascinating confines of Room Three first, where James Priestly, Delano Smith and Brawther collectively delivered a well assembled and well executed jam of upbeat tech house to a surprisingly well-filled space. One thing which is becoming increasingly obvious to me is how unique and refreshing that third room of fabric's is. It offers a welcome break from the sweaty, crowded and often overwhelming atmosphere of Room's One and Two while still maintaining the true fabric personality- formidable sound system, rugged brickwork (with the original arches to add extra character) and the same uncompromising sonics that we step through the front doors for in the first place.

Downstairs, house was definitely the word. Craig Richards had already started spinning at the early time of 2am. Although slightly more playful than usual, his set remained ever funky and exciting, blending fun house, stitched together with sprinkles of quirky, frolic sounds that were as bewildering as ever on that system. Immediately after followed a dazzling live performance from Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts. His fervent session of his own unique style of house genuinely rocked what had become an almost full room. Combining punchy basslines with simmering synths and manually produced bongo effects, it was a great hour to witness, and that's coming from someone not usually that fussed about live sets.

Despite the tempting line-up over in Room Two, the relentless pounding that seeped from the arches of it's entrance made our mind up that we were to once again stay put in the main room where Âme's DJ half commenced his 3 hour set at just after the expected time of 5am. Âme's live set at fabric's 11th birthday weekend, performed by the other half of the duo, was undoubtedly one of the highlights- their reputation as producers is obviously and deservedly highly revered, but personally I felt it wasn't the most danceable of sets. In the booth on the other hand, it was a phenomenally groovy session. Their trademark deep house style was in full, glorious flow from beginning to end. It was the perfect demonstration of how good house music can be, exploring some slightly more minimal flavours at times, tech house at others and even some squelchy acid, to the frenzied delight of those on the floor. The set peaked when Lee Jones' twisted house groove Yoyo was dropped, then soon after Art Department's huge disco-seasoned anthem Without You. From the trend of the set, it seem more likely than not Without You would be melded in at some point. The sexiness of the bassline is the kind of thing you could see Âme being slightly envious that they didn't come up with first, and the vocal element went unsurprisingly down a treat with those familiar to it. For me however, the real pleasure came in the surprise inclusion of Ferrer & Sydenham's legendary house hit Sandcastles, which caused an eruption of euphoria at around 7am. In what had been such a consistently melodic amalgamation of relatively new house sounds, such a classic was what fabric is made for, and what Âme appreciate more than most other house DJs.

The video above of Ricardo Villalobos at fabric sometime in March this year may be short, unclear and prohibitively shuddery, but I feel it captures what Saturday nights are all about. Saturday is the night for House and Techno and that is when we come out to play. We want deep, dark and underground sonics and basslines so groovy, that we can, and will, dance to for many, many hours. I think that is a quality no other style of music can boast.

So to get your Saturday night started I've made up a little package just some glorious house and techno beats. Not a regular post or anything, I just feel excited for tonight myself! I also have included a little off-hand mix I fused together yesterday night before I hit an unfamiliar Friday night rave. Head over to Soundcloud via the link above the mix for the full track listing.

Techno/House Mix 12/11/10 by SweatOnTheWalls-Dom

Igor Brzovic - Friday Night Games (Adoo & Welldone Remix)


Mesuma - No Midi


Solomun - After Rain Comes Sun (Joris Voorn's Dusty Dub Stab)


John Tejada - Subversion


Lee Curtiss - I Can Hear You Arther

We're approaching 100 posts now, which I think is a fairly sterling effort since May for two guys who really should be concentrating on other things of perhaps greater priority than music.... Who am I kidding? Those 'greater priorities' i.e education, have only acted as distractions to us, preventing us posting at a faster rate than already. In review then, I think SOTW has been a success; we've managed to stay true to our original plan, which was simply just post music and our opinions on music we like, and hopefully that music and those opinions have been enjoyed by others. Some have told me they are, but either way our plan will stay the same.

I couldn't wait another three posts just for the sake of some kind of ceremonious occasion to post this, although it would have been gloriously appropriate. Our blog isn't named Sweat On The Walls just because we like the name, and its obvious connotations of underground rave familiarity, but also because we love John Tejada's legendary 2004 anthem. It will never become 'old' in the sense it feels old, and can't be used in modern day sets. It has a wonderfully evergreen aesthetic, possibly because Tejada has always been consistent with his unique style, something that explains why he is so highly respected as a producer. For someone as prolific, it's a remarkable feat to be have literally never sent out a bad record. It's these attributes that made Sweat On The Walls so timeless, and why only recently Donnacha Costello, Martin Lansky and XoX have decided to release their remixes on Poker Flat Recordings.

Sweat On The Walls is notoriously difficult to remix or reproduce, as me and Chris have found out. I wouldn't say it's the metaphorical 'blank canvas' for a remix, like many electronic productions are, but Martin Lansky's effort is probably the best on the three-track EP. He's barely fiddled with the bassline, but he's rearranged that legendary main synth pattern in a way that works perfectly with those anthemic vocals. In conclusion, he's allowed the original ideas to stay powerful, while injecting just a few engaging modifications. Donnacha Costello's remix is not quite as impressive. It's barely different from the original, just without the awesome progressiveness that we love it for. Nonetheless there is still a narcotic, hazy quality that makes it a worthy effort. Xox's 2004 adaption meanwhile, keeps all that progression and lays down a terrific squelchy acid line. Ladies and gentlemen it gives me great pleasure to post Sweat On The Walls once more...

John Tejada - Sweat On The Walls (Martin Landsky Remix)


John Tejada - Sweat On The Walls (Donacha Costello Remix)


John Tejada - Sweat On The Walls (Xox 2004 Remix)

For those of you who knew he was playing, I didn't get to see Luciano last weekend at fabric unfortunately. I won't go into why, but believe me if I could have made it I would have been there right to the bitter end, which I gather was around midday Sunday. No doubt I missed plenty, including more of his provocative 'party' touches that has stirred-up so much debate about his underground identity ever since his appearance at fabric's birthday weekend several weeks ago. Anyway never mind, this week I should be there to witness another one of the birthday disciples, Âme, who I believe are DJing this time, which is far more to my liking. I fully expect a delicious session of deep house and minimal grooves, very much in a similar vein as their excellent fabric 42 mix. Minimal is the word for those joining the German duo in Room 1, with Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts and Dan Ghenacia also lined-up for what should be a very interesting night.

Dan Ghenacia - Discolour


Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts - Groovy Solitude


Seph - Void (Pronsato's Guitar Mix)


D. Diggler - Graviton (Robag Wruhme Remikks)


Marco Passarani & Sacco - Flora (Livio & Roby Ce Face Remix)


Pole - Pfert

There are plenty of things in life that you can have too much of, but House music just isn't one of them. So it is for this reason I am blogging a bountiful collection of songs for your ears to pleasure themselves upon.

Firstly, I couldn't resist putting up the quite brilliant Audiojack remix of H.O.S.H.'s Cash The Chord. Craig Richards absolutely loved this tune when he dropped it at Fabric, and tremendously funky bassline is an inclination as to why he was dancing so frantically. It is actually impossible not to dance to this song.

H.O.S.H - Cash The Chord (Audiojack Remix)


Next is the latest from Veitengruber. Same lyrics as those in 'Seven Nation Army', however the soulful female vocals are fairly spooky at times and fit in perfectly with the staccato chord stabs and bassline that continue throughout.

Veitengruber - Behind a Cigarette


Featured in Tensnake's Chart of last month, this Lee Foss song has one of my favourite basslines of the last few months. It's just incredible. Polish it with a female vocal sample, arpeggiating synths and top quality production and it's a winner.

Lee Foss - Happen For a Reason


This Redo by Je Davu and St Propre is brilliant, with support from the main Latino Techno man Ricardo Villalobos.
Not the best quality mp3, but it's due for a full release soon.

Je Davu feat. St Propre - Disco2Disco (Latin Space Dub)


Loco Dice really has a knack for making some top productions. Loving this tune at the moment. Perfect House.

Mousse T - Toscana (Loco Dice)


This on has bee nsupported by Hawtin, Carola, Jacuzzi Boys and too many more to name. Need I say more?

Comme Lapin - Vaai


Hot Chip aren't huge on the house scene, and there aren't that many stand out remixes of them, however I believe this song to be an exception. The break fits perfectly with Hot Chip's original vocals.

Hot Chip - Touch Too Much (Kollektiv Turmstrasse Remix)


Finally a collab between Dusty Kid and Grooviera. And groove is does. A top 50 of beatport last month and a funky beat make this a highly recommended listen. Also I enjoy the name, so that's worth something.

Dusty Kid & Grooviera - Where the DJ Hell is Todd Terry?

University. 8 Hours of lectures a week and very fast internet connection in my room. What better way is there to delay doing any reading and generally procrastinate than just go looking for music? I have more listening time than ever before and now the convenience of beautiful lightning fast downloading speeds. The result is that since I've been here, which now approaches approximately two months, I have acquired, well, a helluva lot of music and more than I could ever attempt to share (unless you're in my halls that is where you can access my entire library). But I am going to share some of the stand-out records I've encountered. They are quite eclectic, but most vaguely fit into the tech house category I suppose. Unfortunately none are the track featured in the video above- a tortuously elusive little groove from Luciano's set at fabric's birthday weekend. I'm still looking for it, so help a brother out if you have any idea what it is.

A delicious tribal-flavoured remix of Ron Costa's Saltimb, taken from his recently released EP. Deliriously groovy bassline and some bizarre little flute breaks make this a real treat.

Ron Costa - Saltimb (Luca Albano Remix)


Now we've known about Cocoon's Egbert for some time, but productions like Vreugdevuur have led us to perceive him as merely a tech house wizard. Open has made me totally revise this assumption. It's a MASSIVE techno bomb for MASSIVE rooms. The first drop almost blew me off my chair. I dream of hearing this on a big soundsystem and maybe when Sven Väth cruises down to fabric in a few weeks he will make that dream come true?

Egbert - Open (Original Mix)


Spaniard producer Maetrik (who's performing live at fabric tonight) has teamed up with Kule Runner to make this snappy, shadowy minimal tripper. I really like the progression in this, it's patient, sexy and really quite heavy.

Maetrik & Kule Runner - Snorkel


Gavin Herilhy is no stranger, and again he demonstrates why he's so respected right now with this more brilliant techno vibes. Expect to hear this out a lot.

Gavin Herilhy - Stand For Something


Techno master Loco Dice doesn't disappoint with his freshly unleashed Got Leaks In The Roof. As always with Dice, there's the usual thumping minimal bassline and gentle synth patterns delicately layered, making this naturally a simply massive tune.

Loco Dice - Got Leaks In The Roof


My general teeming subconscious ear for tunes Craig Richards may have dropped in his sets does occasionally give me some real delight. I remember Jacek Seinkiewicz's Who Told You That? It was just so ridiculously head-y I couldn't exactly forget it. I fully confess that I get off on this breed of minimal.

Jacek Sienkiewicz - Who Told You That?


Slightly more downtempo, Pulshar's California State of Mind is an elegant composition of gentler house beats and emotive vocals, but the real pleasure comes from the surprising Balearic-style synth stabs that pierce the melodic structure of the tune.

Pulshar - California State of Mind


Matthias Meyer's Miss Apre Gate EP is a glorious little three-track collection of simply groovy tech house. The Rear Window is the pick of the bunch though, a divine amalgamation of sounds and sonics that compliment the bassline delightfully.

Matthias Meyer - The Rear Window


Steve Lawler's Gimme Some More will undoubtedly be rumbling some dancefloors underground- a relentless, pounding house banger with some catchy vocals thrown in. Guess what they say?

Steve Lawler - Gimme Some More


Raw As Fuck. Any electronic track titled this has got to deliver and fortunately Marcello Napoletano has delivered. It sounds minimal, but the 'raw' synth pattern gives it some added bite which is very satisfying.

Marcello Napoletano - Raw As Fuck


Dani Sbert will certainly keep the groove flowing seamlessly with this rapid techno hit.

Dani Sbert - Baphomet


The return of Jacuzzi Boys! And don't we just love their groovy latin tech house. Matthias Mesteno's remix of Bocadillos is just amazing. The shadowy vocal hook is gloriously hazy and, the bassline is heavy, progressive and typically compelling- little trumpet samples keep that fun side we expect of the boys.

Jacuzzi Boys - Bocadillos (Matthias Mesteno Remix)


Lastly, one of the heaviest, most addictive and simply brilliant dancefloor bombs I've ever heard. I had heard it knocking round in Craig Richards' sets for a while and heard it twice at fabric's birthday. It's the Kink remix of Marc Romboy and Blake Baxter's Muzik, which I have mentioned recently. This rather large installment of tracks is, as I said a collection of the best tunes I've acquired over the last couple of months, and this I would have to say is my favourite of them all. If you're DJing, I suggest you use this at some point, depending on the crowd of course, it's guaranteed a hefty reception.

Marc Romboy & Blake Baxter - Muzik (Kink Remix)

Whilst I was very tempted to title this post 'Justice Return', I feared that such a title might lead to disappoint on the realisation that no new material had been produced by the duo, only a special Halloween mix for a French radio station.

I hope I have avoided any such disappointment as this mix is simply Justice on top form.
Starting with some of the typical French House we have come to expect (and in a similar vein to their controversial Xmas Mix a couple of years ago), it develops into something slightly heavier with the likes of the Boys Noize and Soulwax remixes of Phantom Pt II.

Justice - In Extreme Mix


Thanks to El3ctronight.net for this.

I am severely hoping I need not explain how good either The XX or Kieran Hebdan (AKA Four Tet) are. So when Four Tet's remix of their hit VCR was released last month I was quick to jump on the approval bandwagon.

The track is classic Four Tet. It builds gently without too much fuss until the brilliantly simple drop at around the 3 minute mark, from where the track continues to progress with a grooving synth line.

The XX - VCR (Four Tet Remix)


And as a bonus, here's a really flowing house remix of the classic Crystalised.

The XX - Crystalised (Edu Imbernon Remix)

After an unusually long absence from blogging there is now a vague feeling of guilt clouding over above my head, of which I intend to remedy by publishing lots of music in quick succession.

So, the first installment shall be a this Now We Rave post, followed by a copious amount of techno. However that will come in due course.

Firstly, we the title track from Turbo's latest release: Gessafelstein - Variations. Nothing short of unadulterated Turbo Techno from start to finish, it's had plenty of support from several big names and it's fairly obvious why.

Gessafelstein - Variations


Released on Turbo on 9/11/2010.

 Next up is Boris D's most recent remix, and his second remix for Electro-Rock band Goose. It's got 'Erol Alkan' written all over it.

Goose - Words (Boris Dlugosch Remix)


Definitely check out his older remix of Bring It On.


Japanese Popstars return to form with their collaboration with the legendary Green Velvet. A a number of good remixes on the EP but the original keeps to the JapStars original sound and eclipses the rest by far.

Japanese Popstars - Let Go


Pick up the full EP on Beatport now.

Dada Life unleash another full on Electro House stomper, as much as the title suggests.

Dada Life - Unleash the Fucking Dada


A relatively new artist, Ukrainian Felix Luker, has recently come to my attention. In short, he produces dirt. That is all.

Felix Luker - Mechanical


And I'll leave you with a recent teaser from Turbo. And tease it does. The Proxy returns.

R18

It's that time again!

Details of November and December's line-ups at our favourite club have been released and of course, there are some predictably appealing mornings on the radar. Full details including pricing, times and all the other important info you may want can be found at fabric's website, but we've picked out what we believe is the best to come over the next couple of months. Names in bold print are Room One's spinners on the night.

Saturday, November 6th (this weekend...)
fabric: Luciano, Ernesto Ferreyra, Craig Richards, Wiggle (Terry Francis & Nathan Coles), Eddie Richards, Maetrik (LIVE), Inland Knights...
Just weeks after his controversial but highly entertaining 4 hour appearance at fabric's 11th birthday weekend, Cadenza boss and notorious party king of the underground Luciano returns for more wild hedonism in Room One, joined by fellow electrolatino spinner Ernesto Ferreyra. Room Two sees Terry Francis join forces with Nathan Coles as Wiggle and fabric 16 man Eddie Richards for what is sure to be some delightful tech house sessions. Spaniard Maetrik is also lined-up for a highly anticipated live set- something we certainly are looking forward to.

Saturday, Novermber 20th
fabric: Matthias Tanzmann, 20:20 Soundsystem (LIVE), Craig Richards, Louis Guilhelm, Jeremy P. Caulfield, Seph (LIVE), Cesare vs Disorder, Pure Science, Terry Francis...
Circo Loco and general tech house maverick Matthias Tanzmann is ready to stir up some serious sonic mischief in the main room after 20:20 Soundsystem's exciting live performance and an interesting offering from Louis Guilhelm. Room Three is also of interest, with a night dedicated to Swag Records, the Croyden Record Shop where Terry Francis cut his chops before fabric.

Saturday, November 27th
fabric: COCOON - Sven Väth, Oner Özer, Matt Tolfrey, Dinky, Ilario Alicante, Marcus Fix, Craig Richards, Jozif
With no matter to house the legendary Cocoon night, Sven Väth's crew have had to vacate to EC1 in what promises to be a simply incredible night. Papa Sven is joined with Turkish wizard Oner Özer and Matt Tolfrey in what promises to be a relentless session of pounding techno. House jockess, Dinky will keep the groove rolling over in Room Two with Ilario Alicante's latin techno vibes. Room Three is a separate attraction altogether, with Craig Richards and exciting new kid on the block, Jozif taking over to demonstrate how good their newly found Fist of Finger label is. Expect to hear their awfully elusive release Beats in Space which was reported on here some weeks ago and has been destroying soundsystems ever since.

Saturday, December 4th
fabric: Claude VonStroke, Justin Martin, Catz N Dogz, M.A.N.D.Y, Heidi, Emerson Todd, Art Department, Terry Francis
Claude VonStroke's Dirtybird label takes over in Room One with the boss delivering what will be a hugely hyped set along with some of his label's finest acquisitions. M.A.N.D.Y live will no doubt fill up Room Two and rumble that notoriously aggressive system along with Get Physical chums Heidi and Emerson Todd. Once again, Room Three is another hidden treat where Art Department, the geniuses behind the recent underground hit Without You, will orchestrate the third room groove with Terry Francis.

Saturday, December 11th
fabric: Radio Slave, Guy Gerber (LIVE), Craig Richards, Frequency 7, Shackleton (LIVE), Brett Jonson, Terry Francis
You look at line-ups like this, just another Saturday night, nothing particularly special and you can't help but think only fabric could do this. Radio Slave's intelligent minimal-house and a live performance from tech house main player Guy Gerber in Room One, as well as Frequency 7- Ben Sims and Surgeons electro/techno project and Shackleton live, for what will most likely be his launch party for his impending fabric 55 mix. This could be quite a night, one that I will certainly be doing my best to attend.

For full line-ups and the rest of November's and Decembers listings for Friday's too (if you insist), then head on over to fabric's website, if it's not on your bookmarks bar already....

The main topic of discussion for this Sorry I'm Minimal delivery has to be the release of Magda's new album, From The Fallen Page. M-nus's first lady of minimal, Magda has been in constant worldwide demand as a DJ for some time now. Her unique, looping style of hypnotic, murky techno has always gone down well on the dancefloor and her fabric 49 mix was a perfect demonstration of what her sets are all about. But can she cut it as a prolific producer?

My answer, after listening to From The Fallen Page would be yes, I think so... Her album gave me about 2 hours (including her 60 minute long mix she includes with the album)
of thoroughly enjoyable listening, a package of sonic patterns I fully expected from Magda. As always, there was a lick of horror on every record- some of the synths wouldn't have sounded out of place in the original Haunting, although Magda herself has made no secret of her love for old Italian horror films. How she has managed to incorporate those influences into the musical sphere of techno is beyond me, but there's no denying the album feels creepy.

But can her own productions keep the dancefloor happy in the same way her DJ sets do? I'm not convinced they can, despite the undeniable punch of her beats. Sure, track likes like Entertainment quiver with rhythmic dynamism, and sewn into one of her lengthy underground sessions it probably would keep bodies moving, but as part of her album you can't help question the direction of the whole thing. Lost In Time and Music Box shout out with some fine synth manipulation, but I just don't see the point of them. They are a bit boring.

Nonetheless, it's an important album to have if you're at interested in the more minimal side of techno. Some of her loops, twists and kicks are irresistible, and her fondness for seriously heavy bass is also quite attractive.

Magda - Entertainment


Pick up Magda's full album From The Fallen Page at Beatport here

I recall seeing Drop The Lime, early this year in Bristol at one of the channel 4's free Skins' parties. He was there at the same time as Kavinsky, who inevitably was the only real reason we were there. Despite a magnificent performance from Kav, I don't remember being too impressed with DTL who was on some time earlier. Maybe it was the truly abysmal crowd that had flocked to The Old Firestation that night- a melange of high-heeled girls and boring looking indie-kids who had come in the hope of seeing a cameo from Nicholas Hoult. Either way, I don't think we hung around for long during his set. Since then it's fair to say I haven't really paid much attention to the Trouble & Bass boss, but then all of a sudden fabric started paying attention, and in true band-wagon style I started doing the same. He was chosen to mix FabricLive 53, and after a series of irritating fabricfirst delays, I finally got to hear it just yesterday. It's actually awesome, a thrilling mash-up of electro, fidget, house and almost everything else inbetween, with contributions from AC Slater, Zombies for Money and Autoerotique among others. If you're like I was, and perhaps aren't so swayed by DTL's abrasive style, I would recommend giving him a second chance here.

Buy FabricLive 53: Drop The Lime at fabric's website now for £10