It doesn't require specialist knowledge to recognize the affinity of the piano with electronic music. In fact, you should be a little ashamed if you've never fully acknowledged how much modern day electronic music owes to its archaic ancestor. Even in the digital age of today the influence of the keyboard and the synthesizer on dance music production shouldn't be underestimated, but then the organic, unsythesized qualities of the grand piano's notes remain precious components in so many tracks. It should come as no surprise then that Francesco Tristano, a thirty-year old from Barcelona, raised in Luxembourg, is lighting up the world of electronic music by compounding it with his own gifted ability as a pianist.

Tristano's career as a composer, presenter and conductor of classical music began at a series of prestigious schools of music over Europe where he was taught by leading classical composers. Despite his deep roots in classical music, his interest in contemporary music has always been a powerful influence on him, and only recently has this interest morphed into ground-breaking involvement. Last year Ibiza's gargantuan superclub, Space was where Tristano first joined forces with Carl Craig in a landmark performance that proved even in the 21st century, something so old, so historic is wonderfully compatible with today's machinery. Maybe that's not that surprising when you consider the piano's ancestral relationship with electronic music, but only now, thanks to Tristano are we really hearing what a genuine fusion of these two conceptually different musical worlds from completely different generations actually sounds like. From the evidence, such as the video featured above, I can say with some conviction the fusion is not only very successful, but possibly the most exciting fusion I've ever witnessed emerge.

Although his staggering three-piece ensembles have only recently gained attention, Tristano's contribution to electronic music goes much further. He has collaborated with artists such as Agoria and Apparat as well as Craig since 2005, and has released three solo albums, one of which, Not For Piano (2007), was produced by Murcof. His most recent album, Idiosynkrasia which was released last year, has recently gone under remixing duty by techno heavyweights Ark, Ben Klock and Tom Taylor together with Paul Woolford. Add to this a live debut at fabric on May 14th in Room Two and 2011 could well be the year that marks the initiation of Francesco Tristano into the demanding world of genuine underground music.

Francesco Tristano - Idiosynkrasia (Ark Remix)


Francesco Tristano - Idiosynkrasia (Ben Klock Remix)


Francesco Tristano - Idiosynkrasia (Tom Taylor & Paul Woolford Remix)


Upcoming events with Franceso Tristano:
fabric with Zip, Craig Richards, Agoria, Francesco Tristano (live), Jozif... May 14th 11pm-8am, London

Today is not only my 20th birthday, but more importantly the return of Sorry I'm Minimal. After some confusion, this is in fact the 8th Sorry I'm Minimal post, despite me saying the last one was the 6th. This delivery is a bit of a mish-mash of old and new, as some of the tracks I've only recently acquired despite being around for some time. But as you should well know, minimal techno is wonderfully timeless and notoriously difficult to track down. They all represent what I love about minimal techno, and the hedonistic purity of compressed basslines.

Today is also the day I've managed to stitch together my most solid plan for the summer so far. Originally we were taking a break from dance music, opting instead for sunny Spain and indie music at Benicassim. However, the lure of electronic has defeated us as a dramatic U-turn is most likely sending us back to Serbia, and back to the Petrovaradin Fortress for EXIT festival. The line-up doesn't quite match last year's just yet, but with Carl Craig, Marco Carola, Tiga, Paul Kalkbrenner, James Zabiela and deadmau5 among many others lined up so far, it still boasts arguably Europe's most impressive festival dance arena.

Also possible is a weekend in Berlin, something I personally have been considering for quite a while. After my great Timewarp plan tragically crumbled into failure for various reasons I couldn't control, I've made it my duty to experience Germany's hub of techno* before the year is out. This visit will inevitably involve Watergate, lots of beer and if we can beat the bouncers, Berghain. London has arguably overtaken Berlin as Europe's premier nightlife destination, but our capital still requires a little longer before it can match Berlin's inherent fanaticism for techno and particularly its minimal offshoots. This is precisely what draws me there and providing I have enough money after Serbia and Paris (where I fully intend to sample Ed Banger's virtual HQ, the Social Club and the famous rEx club), I will hopefully tick off this nagging desire of mine.

*My friends from Frankfurt (and Sven Väth) will argue their home is the official birthplace of techno, and they're probably right, but come on, Berlin's the place to be.

Gaiser - Oolooloo


Gaiser - Unstable Witness


Efdemin - There Will Be Singing (DJ Koze Remix)


Akufen - Skidoos


2000 & One - Wan Paku Moro (Onur Özer Remix)


Onur Özer - Eclipse (Loco Dice Remix)


Onur Özer - Orion


Mathias Kaden - Synkope (Daniel Stefanik Remix)


Onur Özer - Red Cabaret (2000 & One Remix)


L.I.E.S - Comeback Dust


...and finally, that elusive, and for some controversial remix of Ultra Nate's Free

Ultra Nate - Free (Ramon Tapia & Kabale Und Liebe Remix)


In other minimal news, Ricardo Villalobos has added himself to the long list of remixers for Energy 52's classic Ibiza anthem, Café Del Mar. His two remixes will be released next month, but until then here are the samples for his original remix and his dub.

Energy 52 - Café Del Mar (The Ricardo Villalobos Remixes) by Flying Circus Music

Quite contrary to Dom's beliefs I am not only indeed able to formulate a monthly chart, I am also able to provide it in the form of a handy little .zip file. You can download the whole chart here.

It does feature a few of the tracks I posted in the previous post, but I can't recommend the others highly enough.

March Chart
1. Whomadewho - Every Minute Alone (Tale Of Us Remix)
2. Clockwork - It's You Again (Lee Foss Meets Robert James in the Art Department Remix)
3. Will Saul & Tam Cooper - Room In Your Heart
4. Footprintz - Utopia (Ewan Pearson's the Tale of Bolo's Re-Trip)
5. Soul Clap - Lonely C
6. Solomun - Love Recycled 2
7. Daphni - YeYe
8. DJ T. - Burning
9. Chaim - Alive (Kiki Remix)
10. Modern Amusement - Lee Roux

A fair few good releases came out today, so expect more posts soon.

As of Monday, I will have officially turned 20 years old. The departure from teenage-hood suggests new responsibility, on top of impending exams and three important pieces of coursework. I have also calculated I will be attending fabric at least 7 times in the next 6 weeks.

I'm aware that in my context that is slightly absurd, especially as I only recently vowed to reduce the frequency I visit fabric. The bottom line is I'm piss-poor, and despite the discounts I receive as a member, a night at fabric is never cheap. Add to this a determination to protect my mind and body as well as a general desire to use the club sparingly these days and I'm probably appearing a little foolish and rather hypocritical. But what can I say? fabric's programming this year continues to amaze and seduce in a way impossible to ignore. It's difficult to believe the club was in administration just last year, with its future ominously in the balance. But such is the institutional force of the fabric brand that it has made billing the biggest names in electronic music weekly, look so effortless and routine.

April and May arguably offer the most exciting run of line-ups at the club for quite some time. As usual, Saturdays continue to explore the leading trends of house and techno, especially with the return of Sven Väth and his Cocoon night in May, while Kill Em All is also back for the third time of the year on a Friday, alongside a highly anticipated BNR take over in Room One. There are even a couple of Thursdays and Sundays that are appealing. In short, the fabric programme over the next 6 weeks or so is not to be ignored, and here's our pick of of what's going on.

Saturday April 16th:
fabric with Magda, Sebo K, Kate Simko (live), Taimur Agha, Terry Francis, Ryan Elliott, Barker & Baumecker (live), Maratrax 11-8am, £19 on the door/18 advance/£10 fabricfirst/students
These days it requires something a little bit special for fabric to tempt me if there's no Craig Richards, and the 16th is the perfect example. Room One will be headlined by mighty Magda, who requires no introduction, for what I hope will be an extended set of her famously murky m-nus minimal. After the mind-blowing WYS! appearance from labelmate Gaiser a fortnight ago, I've been itching for more Minus and other than Ritchieeeee, there's nobody better than the pint-sized Pole.

Thursday April 21st:
fabriclive presents Adventures in The Beetroot Field with Carte Blanche, Tensnake (live).... 9pm-6am £10/12/10
It's not often you'll see us previewing fabriclive on SOTW, and it's even rarer for us to preview a Thursday, but the Easter weekend edition of ATBF is both. The line-up is extensive to say the least, with 22 acts billed for the three rooms, but there are two in particular that caught my attention. Carte Blanche's (DJ Mehdi & Riton) debut last year at Kill Em All was magnificent, so if that's anything to go by then their set on this night will certainly something to consider if you don't have to be up early on Friday morning. Add to that a live set from Disco-House maverick Tensnake and the weekend could be kicking off early in style.

Saturday April 23rd:
fabric with Craig Richards, Steve Bug, Jamie Jones, Andrew Weatherall, Slam (live), Russ Yallop, Subb-Ann (live)... 11-8am, £15/16/10
Leaving Room One on the 23rd could be difficult. Steve Bug and Jamie Jones on their own would make a night unmissable in most venues, but together alongside Craig Richards in fabric is a seriously hot prospect. Predicting set times has troubled me; It's very possible that Richards may close the night from 6am, with Jones and Bug preceding him- who starts first out of those two is something I'm still unsure of. But if you're brave enough to vacate Room One at all then there remains plenty of choice in the other two rooms, especially as Lee Foss's Hot Natured label takes over Room Three. Subb-Ann and Russ Yallop, who has also released on Crosstown Rebels, will surely tempt me and Chris away at some point.

Thursday April 28th:
fabric with Paul Kalkbrenner (live), Simina and Dominick Eulberg 10pm-3am, £12.50 for all (advance tickets only)
Like me, if you attended John Digweed's annual Christmas rave at fabric last year you were probably very disappointed when you discovered Paul Kalkbrenner was one of the several weather related casualties of the night. Well, to make up for it he's back, but this time on a Thursday (another one) where he will deliver one of his legendary live sets of acquired, chilled-out techno. A word of warning: Despite the night being promoted by and held at fabric, there will be no tickets available on the door, which means even immortal fabricfirst members like myself will have to cough-up the full price of £12.50 before the night. Do not make the same mistake as I did for when Nicolas Jaar performed at London Electronic a few weeks ago and assume there will be at least some tickets on the door. As far as I know there won't, and tickets are running out fast.

Saturday April 30th:
fabric with Craig Richards, Onur Özer, Benoit & Sergio (live), Marcel Dettmann... 11-8am, £19/18/10
By this date, I will have certainly attended fabric at least three times in the space of two weeks so I was actually hoping for mediocre line-up before this night was announced. Alas, it is not mediocre in the slightest, with the return of Craig Richards joined by Visionquest's finest live act, Benoit & Sergio and Turkish minimal maestro Onur Özer, who also happens to be one of my favourite minimal DJ's. Room Two also features Berghain resident and RA's no. 10 DJ last year, Marcel Dettmann- something I will definitely be sampling regardless of what's happening in the main room. I forecast this to be the one to avoid missing over the next 6 weeks.

Sunday May 1st:
WYS! Bank Holiday Special at fabric with Miss Kittin, Stephan Bodzin, Marc Romboy, Sei A, Perc... 11pm-8am, £15/16/10
One of many bank holiday Sunday's premier parties, for this occasion WYS! opens up all three rooms and will be just like a Saturday, going all the way until at least 8am. The main room is headed by French temptress, Miss Kitten who will surely have the gents in awe of not just the beats, while Room Two hosts one of Marc Romboy and Stephan Bodzin's tag-team sessions, accompanied by Turbo's Sei A among others. If you're stuck choosing what bank holiday party to go to, WYS! is a safe bet.

Saturday May 7th:
fabric with Tyrant (Craig Richards & Lee Burridge), Guy Gerber (live), Dave Clarke... 11-8am, £18/19/10
The headline act of which is half comprised of the resident DJ may not light as many fires, but anyone who has enjoyed a night at the mercy of Craig Richards and Lee Burridge will most likely tell you the same thing: they didn't stop dancing. Expect basslines you've never heard before on a soundsystem like you've never felt before- these two incredible DJ's are unstoppable when they're together. If Craig Richards's encyclopedic knowledge of music doesn't do it for you, then Lee Burridge's infectious energy will. The experimental Israeli producer Guy Gerber will also perform live in the main room, while Room Two welcomes the don of techno, Dave Clarke for what promises to be a blistering session of his signature sound.

Saturday May 14th:
fabric with Zip, Craig Richards, Agoria, Jozif, Francesco Tristano (live), Julietta... 11-8am £18/19/10
The fourth consecutively outstanding Saturday sees Perlon co-founder Zip command Room One for what I expect to be a very long, and utterly fascinating voyage of minimal. Perlon is possibly my favourite label, and despite several attempts I'm yet to see Zip. From what I gather, he is unanimously regarded as one of the scene's most intelligent, unpredictable and compelling figures, famous for his vast collection of the most obscure records and his idiosyncratic ability mixing the Perlon brand of minimal. For me, this is unmissable as like Villalobos, Zip represents everything that is brilliant about this beautiful, pared down sub-genre of techno. I'm expecting a late start for him in the main room, so it's just as well that Room Two is for once almost as interesting. Fabric 57's Agoria will showcase his taste for velvety French techno, while fabric regular Jozif will keep things housey. A live set from emerging Italian producer Francesco Tristano is certainly something to consider. His unique blend of classical and electronic music is certainly unprecedented, and could potentially be groundbreaking.

Friday May 20th:
Fabriclive presents Boys Noize Records & Kill Em All with Boys Noize, Housemeister, Shadow Dancer, Djedjotronic, Filthy Dukes and more TBC 10-6am £16/17/10
Ever since I first began my love affair with fabric, Boys Noize remains one of a only a few of my favourite DJ's I'm yet to experience there. It must have been a good few years since he was last booked but now finally the wait is over, as May 20th brings Alex Ridha himself to EC1, along with his record's finest members. Boys Noize is far from a new experience for me, but hearing those searing, sizzling, acid-laced basslines on fabric's soundsytem will be...

Saturday May 21st:
fabric presents Cocoon with Sven Väth, Christian Burkhardt (live), Dorian Paic, Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts (live), Sascha Dive, Craig Richards 11-8am £20/22/15
Last year, Papa Sven landed at fabric for the very first time ever, hand-plucking some of his legendary label's key players, such as Onur Özer and Ilario Alicante, to join his EC1 takeover. Despite dangerous overcrowding during the peak hours, it was a great success, with Väth taking to Room One like a duck to water, and Alicante and Dinky dominating Room Two's aggressive soundsystem. The line-up this year isn't quite as impressive (so far: there may well be more to come), but if Sven's in the house, it's gonna be a special night regardless.

In other fabric news...
While I patiently wait for both fabric 57: Agoria and fabriclive 57: Jackmaster to arrive at my door, a recent email sent out to fabricfirst members has confirmed some more fabric and fabriclive releases in the pipeline, two of which are highly exciting. To my delight, fabric 58: The Nothing Special will be the latest addition to the series mixed by Mr. Craig Richards, who I hope will use the mix to disclose some of those staple tracks he uses that have driven me to near insanity trying to track down. Meanwhile, September will bring fabriclive 59 mixed by Four Tet. To be honest, I couldn't have suggested a better candidate to mix a fabriclive. Kieran Hebden represents everything fabric is about, especially Friday's musical approach there and his mix will surely delight Saturday stalwarts as well as those more in tune with Friday nights.

To finish with, rumour has it that fabric are soon to launch their own brand of energy drink. The news was first broken by Resident Advisor, who quoted Cameron Leslie's thoughts about the surprising new venture, and Terry Francis who described how the DJ's as well as the punters need something to "Keep their heads together". However, confusion and skepticism arose because of the timing of this story's release: April 1st. It was featured on fabric's blog, and there has been no confirmation that is was a joke, so I suppose until we find out otherwise we should believe it. I hear some people aren't too happy with the idea, with accusations of fabric 'selling out', but personally I think it's quite an innovative and interesting concept. I haven't purchased a drink in fabric for about a year I think, but that could change if this is true...

I saw a lot of great things in March, naturally inferring I heard some great things too. Not all were in the context of a rave though, an example being the latest Craig Richards YouTube snippet featured above. As well as providing (almost) my entire April chart, this post also acts as a desperate cry for help in IDing this glorious little number that I'm aware only Richards probably knows. Nevertheless, if you have any idea what it might be then please either comment on this post, or email us. In return we will fight for our lives trying to find it, and show the fruits of our labours on here...

P.S. The concept of a 'monthly' chart seems to have eluded Chris, who's current chart I think dates from February. I've urged him to update it.

1. Chaim - Alive (Deniz Kurtel Remix)


2. Art Department - Much Too Much


3. Jozif - Brick Jane (Coming Soon)

4. Recloose feat. Dwele - Can't Take It (Luciano Remix)


5. Julio Bashmore - The Battle for Middle You


6. Jacek Sienkiewicz - On The Road Again


7. Joris Voorn - Incident (Miyagi)


8. Steffi feat. Virginia - Reasons


9. Steve Bug - Jack Is Back


10. Lee Burridge - Here's Johnny (Lazaro Casanova's Rainy Night Remix)

Justice - Civilization



Guess who's back? Yep, Justice have finally emerged from the shadows and are causing plenty of excitement with their forthcoming single, Civilization. Adidas had the right idea, using a video directed by Roman Gavras, soundtracked by Civilization in their latest advertising campaign. Of course, when word spread that the track featured in the ad was Justice, it was only a matter of time before we were all desperate to find out more. So far we can't answer many of the questions, as we're still asking several ourselves, but apart from confirming the imminent official release of Civilization on Ed Banger Records/Because Records (although you probably already all know this), we can make some fairly educated predictions regarding some of the other rumours. For starters, this probably does mean they have either completed, or are working on, a new album. Considering it's four years since ✝ and they haven't really been working on anything else (Club 75 doesn't count, neither does Gaspard's contribution on the Rubber soundtrack), it's highly unlikely that this completely new, 100% Justice production is a one-off. They will most likely join label mate SebastiAn in releasing a full-length later this year. That brings me to my next prediction of sorts: 'later this year' really is as ambiguous as it suggests. I would advise anyone who hears of any 'release date' to be very wary. Ed Banger releases are about as punctual as British Airways flights when it's snowing, so I certainly won't be penciling any dates in my diary this year, or ever again for that matter after the three-year Uffie saga, and other unmentionables. But on a more positive note, this does mark the beginning of what promises to be a very exciting year for Ed Banger Records, which is nothing other than fantastic news. First SebastiAn's long awaited LP was given the green light, and now the return of Justice. Only a new Mr. Oizo album could possibly top that... Who knows!?

I get the feeling that I will look back on March 2011 in years to come as possibly the most eventful Month in my music-orientated life. Rising above the ever-present but particularly mean constraints of money, study commitments and declining health, I have seen, and obviously heard some wonderful things over the last four weeks. Traditionally, March has always delivered, but never before has there been so much going on. The question is, did such an action-packed, star-studded period live up to the extremely high expectations it made for itself? Well, I'll start from the beginning...

Saturday, March 5th: Superfreq' 9th Anniversary with Steve Bug - Paramount, London
My absence these last couple of weeks has been for several reasons, most notably because while the weekends have been so packed full of fun and games, my week has been regrettably preoccupied with work and dare I say it, sleep. But I'll start from the beginning, which if I remember correctly would be on Saturday, March 5th, 31 floors above London's West End at Paramount, located on the top floor of the landmark Center Point building. As you've probably guessed, the photograph above is one I took as the night almost concluded at sometime after 8am (apologies for the poor quality, it was taken on my old iPhone). The view speaks for itself, but the reality of it is quite unbelievable, especially when it is still dark and everything from Big Ben to St. Paul's Cathedral is magically illuminated. Paramount was originally only a private members bar, strictly invite-only and notoriously exclusive. Although these days the club is occasionally handed over to outside promotions, which recently has been Superfreq', I still had my reservations about how much the venue would really be my thing.

At the risk of presenting myself as not only pretentious, but certainly narrow-minded, typically I despise West London's nightlife. Maybe it's the nauseating Freshers memories at Leicester Square, or reading in the Evening Standard about the Mayfair club whose door policy prohibited 'unattractive people', a standard I've now stereotyped to all of W1's spots, but whatever the more trivial reasons may be, there is scant little going on there for electronic music. Superfreq' begs to differ however, recently bringing established house and techno acts such as Tiefschwarz, Wiggle and Martin Buttrich to Paramount and for their 9th Anniversary bash, Pokerflat chief and Berlin's chief trend-setter, Steve Bug was chosen to headline. I hadn't seen Steve Bug before but he was high on both mine and Chris's 'to-do' list. It was his presence that compelled me to choose this night over one of the many other stand-out parties taking place in London, which included Carl Craig, Ewan Pearson and Seth Troxler in town at various locations. Without someone as reputable as Bug, I probably would have steered clear of Paramount regardless of how incredible the views from the top promised to be. I envisaged swanky interiors, criminally expensive drinks, a shitty soundsystem and bland young media types cluttering the place but to my delight, only one of those turned out to be the case. £8 for a vodka orange juice is criminal, but not only am I used to London's often extraordinary prices, the bar is always the most trivial component of a good night.

The venue definitely exceeded my expectations. Ok, it goes without saying that the interior was a little more luxurious than your average Shoreditch basement, with floor-to-ceiling windows replacing crumbling Victorian brickwork, but furnished with leather and leopardskin? Certainly not, to my relief. There was a couple of bars and the DJ booth, but other than that the entire space was the dancefloor. The crowd certainly weren't boring, pint-gripping media pro's, but aside from the typical bunch of scary middle-aged ravers that is unavoidable anywhere, the crowd was a good, fun-loving mix. The only big difference in the clientele from my usual spots was the obvious absence of a mass-French presence, which is something I've even begun to grow fond of recently. We wasted no time in fully embracing the dynamics of the bustling dancefloor when we arrived around 2am, where Superfreq's resident Mr.C had got things underway with a steady warm-up set of upbeat house. Bug took over soon after, beginning his three-hour set in a similar fashion with deep, warm house edging gradually into slightly more techno territory. The most notable reaction on the floor came following Art Department's staple Without You which predictably had us enthusiastically howling the chorus. What was so impressive about Bug was his seamless coherence shifting from style-to-style during his set. From house, to techno and then diverging into more minimal flavours it was completely solid, his mixing flawless and the feeling on the dancefloor remained consistently frolic all the way through. He closed his set at around 6am with his own unreleased and totally wonderful Jack Is Back, which required craning my neck to see his traktor screen in order to know what the hell it was.

As the dancefloor slowly began to thin and London's epic skyline slowly became fully visible as the sun rose, albeit behind a thick layer of cloud, another Superfreq' resident closed with a far more acquired two hours of minimal techno. By around half seven, the dancefloor was noticeably sparce, those left looking a little bedraggled to say the least. The problem is when the venue is 31 floors above the ground and is vastly made from glass, the standard physical and mental dilapidation that is mercifully hidden when in dingy Shoreditch basements, is now for all to see. Life is all about discovering new things, apparently, and this for sure was a totally new experience in very unfamiliar territory, and I would happily do it again, if not for the simply stunning views, then for Superfreq's excellent taste in music.

Sunday, March 6th: Kubicle 'with Lee Foss', London/WYS! with Monika Kruse - fabric, London
Sunday afternoon/night began back in more familiar surroundings beneath Old Street, for one of Kubicle's tireless Sunday gatherings. The night promised Lee Foss among others, but for reasons I'm still unsure of he didn't turn up, although I'm skeptical he ever was in the first place. Despite this disappointment it turned out to be a genuinely great night. Sundays in London, as much as I love them, do often become more of an endurance test than anything- a desperate and draining resistance to let go of the weekend, but this was an example of when it became a night in its own right. The music was perfectly designed with lots of percussive tech house and ebbing minimal, but the greatest surprise was an appearance from Seth Troxler, who I spotted purposelessly wandering around . Naturally I had to approach him and as I've read so many times before, he is a truly nice guy. He stopped by with the Visionquest crew (Reeves, Curtiss and Crosson) following their visit to fabric the night before and you would be forgiven not even noticing him really. There was no fanfare around him, no groupies clutching to his side and no posing for photos. He was literally just there for a bit of a party, happily chatting to those who spoke to him. The decision to finish off at fabric was one almost already made for us it seemed, and as usual the WYS! faithful, this time joined by German house princess Monika Kruse, delivered the final dose of 4/4's before we put the weekend, and ourselves, to bed.

Friday, March 11th: Just Jack presents Claude VonStroke & Seth Troxler - Blue Mountain, Bristol
The following Friday I kissed goodbye to London and made my way west to Bristol in the first part of what promised to be a weekend of epic proportions. Just Jack has history of providing Bristol with the very best in House and Techno, with some of the scene's very best artists landing in the West Country at clubs such as Dojo and the great Motion. Just Jack is largely responsible for putting Bristol firmly on the map for underground music in the UK and once again they flexed their muscles with a line-up to rival any, this time at the recently refurbished, but still wonderfully frayed Blue Mountain. To look at it, you wouldn't think it is a venue for the grandest occasions, but with Claude Vonstroke and Seth Troxler billed you could hardly describe it as anything else. The large main room on bottom floor was where it was all happening and to our surprise Claude's set started at 11pm, which is perhaps a tad earlier than we wanted to get there.

Considering Vonstroke has thus far eluded me, he was possibly a greater attraction than Seth. An infectious personality on the decks with an effortless ability to please a crowd, his entire two hours bubbled with excitement and pizazz, without ever becoming too demanding, his set after all was essentially just a warm-up. Close to the end of his slot he dropped what is rumoured to be his own remix of Girl Unit's Wut and a sizzling remix of his iconic Who's Afraid Of Detroit? and , which I hear he included in his London set the previous night. I'm yet to discover exactly who it's remixed by, but it certainly caused a minor riot on the dancefloor, but then so would anything that resembles the original. Claude made way for JJ residents Tom Rio and Dan Wild who played the perfect interim set of deep, rolling tech house that seamlessly introduced Seth Troxler who took over at around 3pm. As the dancefloor began to overcrowd and the occasional petty scrap developed, even between myself and a flat-capped Bristolian at one point, Seth started of gently with his typical style of Visionquest/Crosstown deep house, before he gradually upped the tempo with some more intense techno, a momentous remix of Beanfield's Tides was particularly engaging. Far less animated than when we saw him on NYE in London, where he danced confidently while swigging from a bottle of Jack Daniels for the length of his set, Seth nevertheless was on top form in terms of track selection, with a perfectly designed three hours that kept Blue Mountain packed right to the end. Now for a few hours sleep back at Chris's before I headed back to London for Part 2...

Saturday, March 12th: Ricardo Villalobos - fabric, London



The extent to which Ricardo Villalobos performs at his peerless best these days seems to depend on how many nights previously the Chilean has partied, rather than slept. Tales of him being pretty woeful at events such as Cocoon Amnesia's closing night in Ibiza last year among others have made nights at his mercy these days rather unpredictable. It's no secret that his DJing schedule is quite unlike anyone else on this planet, hopping from one country to the next almost daily to deliver sets that rarely last less than 4 hours, so maybe we can forgive him when he's not at his sharpest. But as I've so often said before, there is a romance about Ricardo Villalobos and fabric, a romance that would suggest not only might he take it a little easy before he's due one of his twice-yearly visits to London, but also make a conscious effort to raise his game for the club that shaped his transition into the one of the greatest DJ's of all time.

Apparently not. Although he actually made it to the club this time, unlike last October when 'severe illness' prevented him from ruling fabric's 11th birthday extravaganza, dear Ricardo looked almost like he didn't know where he was at times. Prior to his introduction at 6:30, fabric was mysteriously calm for such a monumental occasion. We arrived at about 4am and not to our surprise the non-members queue was farcically long, stretching back round the corner of Charterhouse Street and possibly as far back as Farringdon Station. What did come as a surprise was the queue for members, which although was the tiniest fraction of the main queue was still an unwelcome surprise, especially when you're a little pissed and over-excited. My petulant yelps of complaint as we waited were met with an understandably prickly reply of reassurance from one of the staff near the front, who made me feel even more of a brat when we literally queued for no longer than five minutes ultimately before we waltzed in easier than ever. Other than my little tantrum, there was no pushing, shoving or any kind of disorder you would expect from such an event. As we descended down those endless stairs, I anticipated nothing but a sea of heads, with the club even more densely packed than when Marco Carola visited a couple of weeks previously and getting to Room One to be as difficult as running in deep water. I could therefore hardly believe the amount of space, actual space, I had to dance. When Villalobos visited last March, Room One was dangerously overcrowded during peak hours. This was made bearable only by having such an incredible DJ supplying the music, and in any other circumstance I would not have endured all the very undesirable consequences of a capacity dancefloor. This time, whether it was thanks to a more selective door policy in the interests of the enjoyment of those in the club or some other merciful reason, it just felt like a normal Saturday night at fabric. I could breathe, my face wasn't constantly pressed against someone's shoulder or sweaty back, and I wasn't met with acid glares every time my elbow so much as brushed against someone's ear when my arms were raised. Accompanied by Chris, who admirably had paid £60 for the train down, and several of my usual disciples, I was treated to a remarkably comfortable 8 hours or so in Room One. The air was clean and stayed fresh, the lighting was superbly managed and bar a few sorry cases, the crowd was as cool as you'll find at fabric on a Saturday these days. Everything was perfectly conditioned for a wonderful morning.

I should probably mention Shackleton, who along with Craig Richards was the only other act I witnessed all night. He preceded Ricardo in Room One at 5:30 with a full hour of his bassy, claustrophobic tech-step. It was certainly atmospheric, and with the soundsystem perfectly EQ'd in preparation for the king of audiophiles, his dark rhythms resonated even deeper than when I caught him in Room Two last year. I cannot fault Shackleton's talent and innovation as a producer, but my issue with with him is I question to what extent is his music actually dance music? Either way, his intense hour live was over before we knew it, and as he entered into the last quarter, to an abundance of hugs and kisses in the booth, Ricardo Villalobos had already arrived, on time and looking a little worse for wear. When he put needle to record for the first time of the night, I remained stunned by how much space I still had on the dancefloor. I was right by the booth, under Ricardo's nose- prized territory when the big guys are in, yet I still had personal space, a luxury not often afforded in Room One fabric.

Several weeks after the event, I get the feeling this particular visit from Villalobos will go down in fabric folklore. If you were there then you couldn't have failed to notice Ricardo's rather strange behaviour throughout the night. Ok, swigging from a bottle of Grey Goose and dripping with sweat is standard practice for our favourite Chilean, but even for him this seemed a little bizarre. From reading an old interview with him, I knew Villalobos isn't too keen on having his picture taken while he's playing. He sees this as merely an opportunity for exploitation, where people love to share images of him with his eyes closed, a little damp on the brow, usually accompanied by either the implicit or explicit message of how 'fucked' he looks, which Ricardo sees as insulting, especially when exposed on the evil rumor-mill which is the internet. Now I can sympathize with this to an extent, but there was no need to have some frightening, red-faced latino henchman, whoever he was, behind him grabbing people's cameras from their hands. I think Ricardo forgets that people aren't necessarily taking photos of him to exploit him, but because they adore him. Aside from these rather strange methods of paparazzi protection, there was his constant mixing errors. Ricardo has never been a flawless mixer of records, which is inevitable considering he mixes almost exclusively on vinyl, but his usual minor mistakes are easily disguised by his presence and the gravity of the actual record he's playing. This time there were genuine blunders. Several of them. I recall at one point, a few minutes in to Soul Capsule's beautiful Law of Grace, something going awfully wrong, which some have speculated was the needle 'jumping', and on another occasion the music just cutting out altogether, plunging Room One into momentary silence. The image of Ricardo as he peered at his equipment in almost accusatory fashion is one that will make me smile for a long time to come. When your chemical consumption is as excessive as Ricardo's was, don't expect perfect reaction time when cueing, and expect to occasionally nudge the odd button you never should have...

But then there was that lost hour. I'm not entirely sure exactly when it happened, but after about three or four hours in, which is about half of his usual time in the booth if you include his traditional B2B session with Craig Richards, Ricardo went quite simply AWOL. He had just disappeared. Craig Richards had taken over, but even if this was to mark the beginning of the B2B session, it was undoubtedly premature as we expected at least another hour of Ricardo on his own. But despite our own fairly dilapidated conditions, few of us failed to notice Ricardo's declining fitness on the decks and we had all begun coming the tragic conclusion that he had either passed out, or just couldn't do any more and had gone. For about an hour Richards was the solitary figure behind the decks, keeping things moving as perfectly as he always does, but by this time I'm sure many disappointed people had already vacated the premises, assuming that was the last they had seen of Ricardo Villalobos in London for another 6 months. They were wrong, as the green-shirted Ricardo suddenly reappeared around 11am to the delight of the still bustling Room One. He joined forces with Richards for the B2B session, but in reality, Craig did the vast majority of the work in what was at best a disjointed few hours of zany minimal techno. Ricardo chipped in occasionally, but his time was mostly spent waltzing around the booth to the beats.

All the talk after was about what happened to him in that hour, and where on earth did he go. Among several theories from people, I read one slightly absurd suggestion on the RA thread that he was led down in the booth for the whole time, but this wasn't the case as Craig Richards confirmed to me when I was fortunate to have a brief chat with him at a pub in King's Cross the following week. Ricardo did need a rest, but he retired to the fabric offices upstairs rather than the floor of the DJ booth. So, after describing all of this rather extraordinary behaviour of his, was he actually any good this time? Or was this one of those days when it was just one party too many for Ricardo to really be at his best? Remarkably, he was still sort of incredible. Only Villalobos could be as impaired as he was and yet still deliver a truly memorable set, despite it's notable incoherence. His style of DJing is like no other, and at fabric he is free to etch his sonic fantasies onto a dancefloor that is eating out of his hand. I'm a seasoned fabric-goer now, and just when I thought I knew that soundsystem, and had witnessed its true power, clarity and sophistication, Ricardo Villalobos unlocks yet even more of its secrets that nobody else can. I recall sometime in the middle of his set when he was touring classic Villalobosian minimal grooves, just being in awe of the sound. There's hearing music, and there's feeling it. This is something very few soundsystems can technically achieve, and even fewer DJ's can orchestrate.

Sunday, March 13th: Half Baked with Dyed Soundorom @ Fairchild, London
After leaving fabric nearing 1pm, we decided to ignore the reality that it was in fact midday Sunday, and instead stay under the illusion (or delusion) that it was still Saturday 'night', which meant onto another party. To call Half Baked's bi-monthly Sunday fun on Fairchild Street an 'afterparty' does infer an entirely new approach to art of afterpartying. Starting at 2pm and continuing on to midnight, for the vast majority who gather inside the dodgy looking bricked tunnel just off Great Eastern Street, that's exactly what it is. From whatever Saturday had brought them, this is what directly follows, and it was no different for us after we took brief refuge in someone's flat for a little R&R (but no sleep), before we ventured back into a climate of rumbling 4/4 beats and drained souls. Dyed Soundorom headlined, taking over from HB resident Claus Voigtmann at around 8:30pm, by which time I had been awake almost two whole days and was beginning to feel a little jaded. Despite my physical limitations, the time I spent at HB was thoroughly enjoyable. As always the music was a perfect blend of throbbing deep house and tech house, this time with the welcome surprise of Daft Punk's classic Da Funk, which got the place rocking in delight at around half nine, which was when I called it a day and headed back home. What a weekend.


Friday, March 18th: Shoplifter with Craig Richards & Jozif @ Star of Kings, London and Sunday, March 20th: WYS! with Gaiser @ fabric, London The following weekend began far more gently than the last when I made my way to Bristol hungover and knowing Seth Troxler and Claude Vonstroke awaited me at The Blue Mountain. In fact, it began so slowly that I'm willing to overlook the totally unmemorable Saturday at The Red Gallery, where Krush welcomed Moon Harbour's Martinez and Crosstown's James What, among others for what turned out to be a distinctly average night in Shoreditch. Friday, meanwhile was far more interesting. The Star of Kings, a pub in Kings Cross has recently become quite an exciting little venue for new underground electronic music. Having launched their free Thursday night showcase 'Slippery', which has so far welcomed guests such as Jozif and Geddes, Friday night introduced 'Shoplifer'. Again, it was free and featured Jozif but what really was impressive was having Craig Richards spinning throughout the night, first upstairs in the more traditional pub area, and later downstairs in more nightclubby surroundings. It was fairly surreal seeing Richards DJ in a pub, after years of only experiencing him in the crowded, subterranean environment of fabric, and once in the even more rugged surroundings of Motion. Naturally, his record selection was adapted for the vastly different context he found himself in, opting for mostly old disco and Chicago-House style numbers, and he successfully kept things nice and groovy. The mood of the evening was very laid-back, and it remained appropriately empty for the duration I was there. While we naturally got up and moved a little after a few pints, the real highlight for us was having the opportunity to chat a little with Craig earlier on in the night. The conversation didn't evoke many spectacular revelations, but as I previously mentioned, he did clear up the Villalobos mystery from the previous weekend. Nonetheless, it was a genuine pleasure to have the opportunity to meet one of my music heroes and let him know how much I appreciate his work, and not in the form of aimless screaming from the floor of fabric Room One during his sets.

While Friday was fairly relaxed and Saturday was disappointing, Sundays in London are never relaxed and rarely disappoint, and this particular Sunday was no different. This time I had slept, but very little and any possibility of a lie-in was rule out when a phone call woke me up around midday summoning me to Old Street immediately. It's never exactly pleasant drinking straight Gin first thing when you get out of bed, but its necessity was undoubted as I certainly needed something to wake me up. As I reached Old Street and re-collaborated with the troops, the consensus was that we would start on Commercial Street at the legendary Public Life: a converted Victorian public toilet. Despite being originally refused entry by the same mean looking female bouncer who seems to be the first face we see whatever venue we go in the East End, we eventually found a way past her and made our way down unto the tiny space that was once where people used to go to shit. It definitely still had that old water closet feeling about it, but perhaps what was most disturbing was how bright it was inside. Once again we had to put on a brave face as we danced shoulder to shoulder with people we could see hadn't stopped moving for at least an entire day.

From Commercial Street to Commercial Road next, and to the familiar surroundings of the Ice Factory Warehourse for Lo*kee. Considering it was only 4pm, it came as no surprise that the underground chamber was practically empty when we arrived, but we were patient and remained optimistic that London's loyal Sunday following would eventually arrive to lift the place. Gradually they did, and before we knew it Lo*kee had become actually quite good, good enough to keep us there until around 8pm when we decided it was time to move on. Next stop was Kingsland Road where Damaged returned to Basing House, with residents Matteo Manzini and my good friend Georgio Onioni supplying the bulk of the music. Georgio's set was well underway when we arrived, his sleek fusion of deep, brooding techno was a welcome sound for us as we wasted no time in cluttering up the dancefloor immediately. What makes Damaged such an enjoyable night is the passion of those behind the operation, and the friendliness of everyone who comes. Admittedly, the majority of those in Basing House that night were from the same network of East London's house/techno regulars, but it is that family-run approach to the night that makes it welcoming for everyone. It also provides us with some relief on a Sunday from the more undesirable characters that we usually have to put up with...



As Sunday drew to a close and I looked back at the string of parties we had found ourselves in over the last 24 hours, it seemed only necessary to end what had been a fairly tepid weekend in fabric. The perfect antidote. After Damaged, and even briefly before, there were calls for an early night as we scampered across East London from venue to venue looking for something that little bit special. But as soon as I mentioned that M-nus's Gaiser was at fabric for WYS!, the reaction suggested we were never going anywhere else. I am aware of Richie Hawtin's label, and I'm very familiar with, and very fond of, many artists signed to M-nus. But in all honesty I wasn't ao familiar with Gaiser, so I was particularly intrigued by the serious hype that had accrued prior to his appearance at WYS! On my way to fabric, I text Chris asking what I could expect. Predictably, he replied "He's on Minus, so you probably won't hear a single chord all night". He was right, as Gaiser delivered 90 minutes of classic Minus minimal- nothing but the leanest, loopiest, chunkiest basslines you could imagine. I confess to being totally blown away by the force of this man, and I can't help question how on earth he escaped my attention in the first place? WYS!'s birthday celebrations with Marc Houle was great, but there was something special about how Gaiser selected and mixed the Minus brand of techno. The bass was of course, constantly bellowing from beneath while acidic riffs and other venomous sounds filtered from above as the soundsystem allowed every frequency to dominate the room. I now understand both the force of Gaiser, and the force of Minus better than I ever have before, leaving me ripe with anticipation ahead of Magda's return to fabric next week.

Saturday, March 26th: Exstatic Sounds with D'Julz, London and Tuesday, March 29th: The Boiler Room with Four Tet @ Corsica Studios, London
The following weekend Exstatic Sounds continued their hot streak of parties by acquiring veteran French DJ and rEx club stalwart D'Julz to headline their latest warehouse party. I was honoured when promoter and resident DJ, Martin Langed asked me to write an interview for him, which I duly did. As well as the predictable, I included some fairly probing questions which I hope to find out how he responded soon. The actual party was excellent, despite it taking place in where other than the Ice Factory Warehouse yet again. Unlike previous occasions, I had never seen it bubbling with so much energy from the moment I entered. The main space was immediately appealing, bustling with the familiar party-hungry Europeans that make these kind of parties so unique. D'Julz took control around half three, playing entirely off CD's and exploring the deepest, dustiest corners of tech house. There were some interesting remixes thrown in, and some even more interesting accapellas used, such as Green Velvet's evocative lyrics from Flash, layered over distinctively French moods of techno and house. Anyone DJing around the world for almost 20 years should be celebrated and appreciated, and although he's never been a name that has raised my pulse, his performance at Exstatic Sounds was flawless. It's not often acknowledged as much as it should, but experience like D'Julz's is a priceless attribute in making a party truly successful.

The very final chapter worthy of mention in this extraordinary month has to be Four Tet's eclectic two hours at Corsica Studios, recorded live for online streaming site The Boiler Room. It had been over a year since I had last seen Kieran Hebden, and since then his production outlay has received universal acclaim. His album There Is Love In You was nothing short of phenomenal, and several of his remixes, such as his brilliant take on the XX's VCR has made him firmly one of the UK's precious talents. In London, he's made quite a name for himself as a DJ too, and he kept a packed Corsica Studios crowd very happy on a Tuesday night with his intelligent amalgamation of UK bass, electronica and two-step orientated hybrids. Unfortunately, he was the only morsel of enjoyment for me. Following his very clever two hours were a sequence of pretty awful characters who entertained everyone else with offensive bashment, UK funky and wobbly dubstep, the kind of dubstep that people liked 3 years ago. Nonetheless, Four Tet for free on a Tuesday night is always a treat, and after the riches I had been fortunate to experience in the weeks previous, I had no intention to sulk.

For all those who haven't been spending their time recently living under a rock, the big news of fresh releases coming from the French label Ed Banger will be all too familiar. New Justice, new Sebastian, and rumours of a new Mr Oizo album have set the blogs alight recently. So instead of sharing what you may already have, here is a great remix of Sebastian's Embody by his great friend and fellow french nutter Kavinsky.

Sebastian - Embody (Kavinsky Remix) (320kbps)

As it seems that the current trend in house music is to produce slower and slower deep house tracks, much like the minimal explosion of a few years back, I felt it was time to post a few housier numbers that have been doing the rounds lately, to great effect.

To begin, a remix by the current superstars of this house movement, the highly talented Kenny Glasgow and Johnny White; AKA Art Department. Alongside Hot Creations label owner Lee Foss and rising star Robert James, they turn the original's dark sultry grooves into a bouncy number that draws elements from each of the remixers in turn. Whilst there is a lot to be said for the original, I feel the more slightly more uplifting nature of this remix fits better with this time of the year.


Clockwork - It's You Again (Lee Foss Meets Robert James in the Art Department Remix)


In keeping with the light-hearted tone, this next song features some pretty weird vocals and an enticing bassline that come together to produce a piece that cries to be played out of your window for all to hear. Do so, and do it loud.

Soul Clap - Lonely C
Pick up the whole DJ-Kicks EP by Wolf + Lamb on Juno now.

Just when we were sure that the era for La Roux remixes was over, out comes this beast on Johnny White and Nitin's Label No 19 Music. No 19 has been picking up some serious pace recently with some quite outstanding releases, and this is no different. Sampling the vocals of I'm Not Your Toy, it blends the cringing pop of the original with deep, dark and sexy bass loops, an upbeat drum pattern and eerie bleeps over the top. 

Modern Amusement - Lee Roux
Grab the whole sexy EP on Juno now.

Taking things into a slightly heavier realm is this recent remix by Italian duo Tale of Us. After their hugely successful rework of Thugfucker's Disco Gnome, they're back with another smashing remix of the Pop/Rock band WhoMadeWho. Scheduled for the third release on the Visionquest label, this pair will undoubtedly be making some great tunes in the future.

WhoMadeWho - Every Minute Alone (Tale of Us Remix)


Whilst our fists are still in the air, here's another stellar remix by KiNK and his friend Neville Watson. Their tune Metropole has been doing the rounds lately, to great effect, so I thought I'd post something along a similar vein.

Terre Thaemlitz - Masturjakor (KiNK and Nevile Watson Remix)


Now whilst the word 'bomb' is often overused, cheesy, and generally unnecessary, I feel that in this particular instance it is the only word in my vocabulary that can be used to describe this song. Hailing from this time last year I have only recently stumbled across it, and as with most things it's better late than never. Just listen to it and see what I mean.

Matt Star - Knarz


As a bonus here is a cheeky little song that I challenge anyone not to groove to. I've tried. It just isn't possible.

Olene Kadar - Little Miss Dynamite


I will leave you with the news that Lee Curtiss will be releasing his long awaited tune Candy via Culprit Records on vinyl this coming Monday.
  CP013: Lee Curtiss feat. Matt Tolfrey - Candy by culpritlosangeles

Also that the Hot Creations offshoot label Hot Waves will be releasing it's debut sampler 12" on Monday ahead of the release of it's first full compilation later in the month. Showcasing upcoming artists like Leeds based Josh T and friends of the label such as Maceo Plex and Richie Ahmed, the quarterly released compilations will feature some delectable new tunes.

  Green Surprises (128 Kbps Snippet) by Josh T