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

I didn't really know how else to title this post other than just call it 'Ricardo Villalobos'. Hardly the most elaborate of titles I'm aware, but then then I realised that for someone as illustrious, artistic and modest as Ricardo, there is something so appropriately pure about just using his name, nothing added, to title a post dedicated just to him. Just like his music, less is more.

Ever since his return to fabric was announced a few weeks ago, I have been mulling over the idea of putting together some kind of tribute to him, something we are yet to do for any DJ or producer so far on SOTW. But if there's one person who deserves special acknowledgment more than any it's Ricardo Villalobos. A DJ who delivers legendary sets of epic length and memorable content, a producer who seems able to manipulate the machines he uses in ways nobody else can, and a personality who makes us all smile with his warmth, generosity and charisma. This is why we love him, and with only a week to go before he lights up the lives of the many who will pack out fabric in the early hours and beyond, here is our pick of what we believe is the best of Ricardo Villalobos's own productions.

10. Ricardo Villalobos - What You Say (Is More Than I Can Say)


The first of three to come from Villalobos's seminal album, Alcachofa, and easily one of the LP's signature anthems. Just like all that appeared on Alcachofa, What You Say is ungulfed in all that warm, organic sound that became unique only to that album. Never again would the droning, tripped out vocals appear on any other Villalobos production, and that is perhaps why particularly this track, among all the rest on Alcachofa, have become so cherished and celebrated.

9. Ricardo Villalobos & Jorge Gonzalez - 4 Wheel Drive


Admittedly, this track is taken off Villalobos's fabric 36 mix, but its inclusion for me still feels like the heartbeat of the mix. At only five and half minutes in length it's remarkably short for such a outstanding Villalobos track, but in that short time is an array of glorious percussive elements glued together with typically nonsensical but welcomely trippy vocals from Los Updates' Jorge Gonzalez, creating something peculiar, but irresistibly rhythmic.

8. Ricardo Villalobos - Queen of Bass Mix


The final part of his deeply beautiful three-track 808 The Bassqueen EP, and one that left a lasting impression on me from the very first time my ears were treated to it. It's not the kind of Villalobos you would hear midway through a set, designed to keep people moving, but far more downtempo. You can imagine him using it to end one of his marathon sets at fabric when those left really are running on empty. Apparently he did.

7. Ricardo Villalobos - Lugom-ix


Villalobos's fourth full length album, Salvador, certainly presents the Chilean's most classically 'techno' work to date. The fragile, minimal structures he had become synonymous with were cast aside for muscular, aggressive basslines that we would never see again. The pick of these on Salvador can only by Lugom-ix, which rumbles in a way that these days you find hard to believe came from a musical mind as minimalist-conscious as Villalobos's.

6. Ricardo Villalobos - Minimoonstar


Shackleton's remix may have received more universal acclaim, but the original Minimoonstar for me is still unreachable in terms of creative genius with such restricted musical boundaries. The microscopic intricacy of every flake of percussion and every beat of a drum could rarely construe something so powerfully metric, but such is Villalobos's command of and attention to every single frequency, what is created is something as deliberately moving as it is delicate.

5. Ricardo Villalobos - Electonic Water


The second track to be taken from Villalobos's most recent full-length, Vasco and like Minimoonstar, Electonic Water it's more of the same microscopically meticulous soundscape, with sounds so organic, so abnormal you couldn't possibly mistake it coming from the mind of anyone else. What begins as a skeletal sequence of bass and delicate flecks of percussion gradually builds towards a frighteningly surprising climax of just one single synth, which opens the door to floods of utterly fascinating sonic gesturing.

4. Ricardo Villalobos - Enfants (Chants)


Just because Enfants is potentially no more than just a DJ 'tool' doesn't necessarily rule it out as one of Villalobos's greatest works. There's no bass and the entire 17 minutes is nothing but pianos, the gentle clatter of a kick drum and the endless, repeated infantile chant of "Baba Yaga La Sorcière", sampled from an old Christian Vander track, but its magic is undeniable. There is something so pure, so inspirational about the simplicity of Enfants, which is probably why it has become as iconic as the man who made it.

Ricardo Villalobos - Easy Lee


Arguably Villalobos's most famous track, Easy Lee opened Alcahofa in a style nobody had quite heard before. As RA's Todd Burns so perfectly described the 'dessicated' voice that reverberates throughout, it is just tantalizingly out of reach. After listening to it over and over we feel like we know what is being said, despite in reality being no closer than the first time we ever heard it. It is this dimension of mystery that Villalobos can inject into his music that makes it so addictive, and there's possibly no better example of this than in Easy Lee.

2. Ricardo Villalobos - MDMA


If I was going to be pedantic and a little superior, I would have confused many and correctly titled this track as Bosch by Richard Wolfsdorf, an alias of Villalobos when he produced the track we know today as MDMA (Chris posted about this a little while ago). Whatever you want to call it though, it's one of the most recognizable tracks in the world of techno, and whenever it's played the reception it gets as it thumps and chugs soundsystems all over demonstrates exactly how good it is.

1. Ricardo Villalobos - Dexter


I remember the very first time I heard Dexter. Coming towards the end of Alcachofa, I was already fairly absorbed, but then I was hit with what I would regard as the greatest track I've ever heard, as far as electronic music is concerned. After probably listening to it about 100 times since, I still am not yet bored of hearing it. There are dark, seductive secrets about that bassline that I still seek to discover and it's rare to find a track sealed with so much intrigue and enigma, yet still able to make you move in such a free, limitless manner.

So I promised more music, and less of me waffling on about all my mischief, so I feel now is the time to just unload all the tunes I've been rinsing lately and put them all up for your enjoyment. I would like to think of it as a little gift package, and a thank you to those who have been reading, and hopefully will continue to read SOTW. We are approaching our year 1st birthday soon and so far our humble little blog has gone from strength to strength. Our mission has stayed the same since day 1: to provide our small, focused and intelligent audience with regular updates on the developments in the electronic music scene, from two people who are a little obsessed with it.

I'm sure you'll find something in this selection to fall in love with, some of these tracks go back a month or two but are still all doing the rounds in sets all over the place. Unfortunately, none of them are the track in the video above, which was taken at fabric's birthday weekend last year during Damian Lazarus's Sunday evening set. It took a while to have any idea what the first track was (the second track is Russ Yallop's I Can't Wait), and still nobody can be totally sure, but I'm 90% certain it's called Much Too Much, by Art Department and it will be included in their forthcoming album, due to be released in late April. Why do I think this? Well a couple of good reasons I believe: Firstly, as a DJ, Damian Lazarus certainly doesn't hold back using his label's finest output, which although could come across a little self-indulgent, you can hardly blame him considering the ridiculous success of Crosstown Rebels. It's worth noting he also dropped this when he appeared at Eastern Electrics NYE party. Secondly, listen to the lyrics: "Love you, love you, love you, love you much too much", and on Art Dept's album there is track called Much Too Much. Those clues are enough to convince me, but either way I can't wait much longer for this, another early contender for one of the year's best tracks, whatever it is.

Anyway, without further ado, here's the best of the last while.

Afrilounge - Lux Dementia (Not at all new I'm aware, but it's inclusion in Steve Bug's fabric mix, who I'm seeing tomorrow night, has rekindled my love for this classic)


Cut Copy - Take Me Over (Mylo Remix)


BeatauCue - Behold


Random Factor - Convergence


Benoit & Sergio - Walk & Talk


Geddes & Alex Jones - Tubular (Lauhaus Remix)


Ernesto Ferreyra - Letting Go (Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts Remix)


Jay Haze & Ricardo Villalobos - The Darkest Disco


Agoria feat. Carl Craig - Speechless


Freaks & 012 - Conscious of my Conscience (Dubstramental)


Maya Jane Coles - Play The Game


Frivolous - Back Into The Deep


Steffi feat. Virginia - Yours


Tame Impala - Why Won't You Make Up Your Mind? (Erol Alkan Rework)


dOP & Seuil - Prostitute (Visionquest Remix)

First of all, I must correct a mistake I made in the previous Sorry I'm Minimal post, which was some time ago. That post was titled Sorry I'm Minimal 6, but that was a typo, the post actually being only the 5th. That fairly trivial point aside, I can now dig into the real news in the world of minimal techno that has been raising eyebrows of late, and there's no shortage of interesting developments. I've decided to let the next installment of FABRIC WATCH compliment Sorry I'm Minimal 6, what's happening over in Farringdon recently being inextricably linked to the minimal scene.

Starting with the more specifically Minimal news, Italian Marco Carola has released his first album in 9 years, titled Play It Loud. After a handful of EP's released on labels such as Desolat and M-nus, and following his Groove Catcher EP that preceded the album's release and featured 2 remixes from Martin Buttrich, Carola finally provided us with the most extensive repertoire of his work to date. 15 tracks long and including a complete mixed version of the album, there was certainly plenty to scrutinize, but after how much I enjoyed Groove Catcher, I was definitely optimistic. After giving it a good listen, including the mix, I certainly enjoyed Play It Loud, but I couldn't help feeling very similarly to how I felt after listening to Magda's debut album last year. Play It Loud did everything I expected it to do- provide track after track of loopy, lean beats with bags of funk and muscular basslines. All of this I like, and Carola has built his reputation as a top DJ delivering sets with these characteristics in abundance, but as we so often say, what we want from an album is significantly different from what we want on the dancefloor. Any track from Play It Loud will get bodies moving vigorously in a club, no doubt. The incessant drums, hypnotic percussion and well-placed breakdowns, particularly in Light House are the kind of elements in techno that make people dance a lot, but in Play It Loud, that's all I got from start to finish and I wasn't in a club. Making a dance-orientated album in electronic music has always been a difficult task to pull off. If you're the kind of person who wants just a collection of tracks with great rhythm and tasty material to use in your own sets then Carola's album ticks all the boxes. But I want a bit more from a full length, some kind of narrative or depth that goes beyond the simple realms of a bassline and Play It Loud doesn't really have it. But Carola didn't go about trying to create a melodic masterpiece, the clue is in the title, and as a collection of music designed for the club, I would happily groove to anything on Play It Loud.

Marco Carola - Light House


Play It Loud by Marco Carola is available now on Minus on Beatport

If you can remember, the last Sorry I'm Minimal post centered on Ricardo Villalobos's new two track Peculiar/Zuge 3 EP, which had been released on the Chilean's own Sei Es Drum label. At the time we didn't have it, and it was difficult enough just to be able to hear it somewhere, but we did promise to share it when we got our hands on it and as of yesterday, we have it. Both tracks have cropped up in various DJ charts over the last month or two and it's no surprise why. As you would expect from any Villalobos production, the entire work is stripped down to it's barest bones and layered with flushes of crisp, quivering sonics that only he could craft and weave into something so rhythmic. Peculiar is a 20 minute minimal melody, with contributions from Brito, Weidenthaler and Messelis and is beautiful almost beyond description. Remarkably, the lyrics in Peculiar are as important as the punchy, skeletal beat beneath it is. I'm not sure if this is an accapella of someone far more famous than I'm giving them credit for, but lines like "I know that flowers grow from rain, but how can love grow from pain" are not often found in minimal techno, even in music as colourful and cultured as Villalobos's. Quite possibly a very early contender for the best track of 2011, expect to hear Peculiar played a lot, and Zuge 3 with 3 Phase on the B-side will not be ignored, a less emotive groove but more classically Villalobos with all those pared down, demented dynamics that hit all the right places.

Ricardo Villalobos, Brito, Weidenthaler, Messelis - Peculiar


Ricardo Villalobos & 3 Phase - 3 Zuge


FABRIC WATCH...

It's what we've all been waiting for, fabric have finally announced Ricardo Villalobos's first appearance of 2011. In what promises to be a typically epic, seemingly endless and always memorable occasion, the master of minimal will deliver his exclusive-to-fabric set on Saturday March 12th and not finishing any earlier than 11am on Sunday, but if his appearances last year are anything to go by then all bets are off when the last record will be played...

fabric with Ricardo Villalobos, Craig Richards, Shackleton (live), Applebim, Simon Baker, Ralph Lawson, Glimpse, Chaptal, Nina Kraviz, Terry Francis - Saturday 12 March, 11pm-11am, £19/£18, fabric, London

I've always found it remarkable how the appearance of just a single DJ can create such unequaled excitement and sense of genuine celebration, but wherever Ricardo Villalobos plays, this is the standard reception just his name on a flyer causes. This is especially true in London, where his legendary sets only ever take place at fabric, the first club in the UK to book him, and considering the almost necessary nature of his sets to be without any time restrictions, fabric's unique 24 hour license makes it the only club he would consider playing at in the capital. Of course, there are many other reasons why Villalobos probably wouldn't choose to play anywhere else, such as the unrivaled soundsystem he uses in a way no one else seems able to, but I've said it before and I'll say it again, Ricardo Villalobos and fabric are a marriage made in heaven. The guy loves playing there, and let's be honest he is kind of special so to have the official party hours increased for what is technically just another Saturday night on Charterhouse Street isn't all that surprising.

What will be interesting though is to see how plays after his tragic absence at fabric's birthday weekend last year, when Luciano heroically stepped in. I witnessed his two appearances last year and he took very different approaches in each. In March we had the pleasure of mostly old techno and house classics, such as Ron Hardy's Sensation and Laurent Garnier's Acid Eiffel, with some colourful divergences into tech house. In August, when he notoriously started his set at 9:30, the mood was darker, far more trippy and much more like the signature minimal sound we associate with Villalobos's own work. What will be the narrative of his set this time? I won't dare guess, because literally anything is possible with Ricardo Villalobos is at the helm in Room One. Whatever happens, March 12th is one to put in the diary and will undoubtedly be the highlight of the year for me so far. I feel I should warn those who haven't witnessed fabric with Ricardo headlining before that if you're coming just to catch him, do not come early. Although he was was an hour late, his set time last August was 8:30, which came as a shock even for me after we cruised in at 1am. Back in March, I recall the time being around half five when he came on, so in short, expect a late, late night at his mercy. To make things even more mouth watering, I'm fairly sure not only will Craig Richards precede Ricardo's set in Room One with one of his own perfectly engineered episodes of abstract beats, but also close the night back-to-back with the Chilean, which I can assure you is nothing short of spectacular, especially as the shutters open to allow beams of the Sunday morning light flood into the smokey gloom of the still packed and amazingly frenetic Room One. If you're in a reasonable proximity to London on this date and have a vague interest in dance music, it would be a very wise decision to make the effort and experience arguably electronic music's most important and celebrated personalities entertain for an unlimited length of time at the world's best nightclub. He is a twice yearly resident, but that is never frequent enough after you've witnessed his hypnotic grooves for the first time.

It would be easy to forget there will be so much as another soul in the house while Villalobos is billed, but there is certainly plenty on offer for those in for more than just Ricardo. Prior to his command of Room One, current fabric favourite Shackleton will perform one of his acclaimed live sets, while another techno space-stepper, Appleblim will be the first to take to the booth in what promises to be a bassy first part to the night. Over in Room Two, fabric 33's Ralph Lawson will take care of house duties on that aggressive system along with Simon Baker, while Room Three will surely offer some welcome relief to those wanting to escape the densely packed downstairs, with Nina Kraviz and Terry Francis offering plenty to enjoy.

With that rather supreme matter aside, there's plenty more fabric news to bring, especially regarding their line-ups, as the club continues to book the world's finest talent as we delve deeper in 2011. This weekend, Berlin's Tobi Neumann, who played an integral part in making fabric's 11th birthday weekend so special, will line-up in Room One alongside another one of the birthday's alumni, Levon Vincent, and Patrice Baumel live. Room Two will be taken over by Clone Records, with the most notable guests including Alden Tyrell and Gerd, both performing live. Although I may not make it until quite late thanks to a certain Alex Ridha's touchdown at XOYO, the weekend after welcomes Marco Carola for his album launch (see above) in what promises to be a very busy evening, especially as Robert Hood will DJ under his Floorplan guise in Room Two. Kill Em All returns nice and quick on Friday March 4th with a new Jackbeats fabriclive residency in Room One, where the fidget duo will join one of our old favourites Brodinski, and Trouble & Bass head Drop The Lime. Room Two is the Filthy Dukes', with Aeroplane, Shit Robot live and Punks Jump Up. Hot Chip's Joe Goddard will DJ in Room Three. The next day see's Visionquest land at fabric, a night announced some time ago and will surely have London's underground community frothing at the mouth, especially as Seth Troxler and Ben Klock will join Lee Curtiss, Shaun Reeves and Ryan Crosson. Unfortunately I won't be making it, with Steve Bug 34 floors up at Centre Point's Paramount club having a little more persuasive muscle. But rest assured, fabric on that sort of night will be nothing short of spectacular. On March 19th, Ivan Smagghe conveniently returns after I missed him in early January. All the more exciting is that he's accompanied by Michael Mayer, the individual responsible for one of the greatest mixes of all time, Kompakt's Immer 3. With Steffi in Room One also, there's little chance keeping me away that night. Omar-S and Anja Schneider headline the following week, but interestingly I could well be cruising down to EC1 on a Wednesday on March 3oth, where 19 year old enigma Nicholas Jaar will perform live...

All full line-ups with details can be found on fabric's website

Finally, I can happily inform you that the individual responsible for mixing fabric 57 will be French producer and DJ Agoria, who recently released his excellent album Impermanence, featuring that unforgettable Speechless collaboration with Carl Craig. I was also fortunate enough to catch him early in January when he played at fabric and thoroughly enjoyed every minute. I expect high standards then, with plenty of delicate house soul to come from the latest installment.

I've been quite slack with this 'Classics" feature, which is why this one is truly a techno antique.




I am assuming that Ricardo Villalobos is a name that is fairly familiar. If it isn't, I suggest taking a look at this. How about the name Richard Wolsdorf? Maybe not? Well we'll come to that. If you are fairly well informed about Villalobos' many works, then I am also quite sure you will be aware of the single MDMA, a track from the mid 90's that is still garnering appreciation all these years on.

In reality it turns out that, contrary to popular belief, the release 'MDMA - Ricardo Villalobos' is complete fiction, and instead was released under an alias of his: Richard Wolfsdorf. Not only that, but the track that everyone believes to be MDMA is actually the B-Side of the release, with the track that the techno population knowing and loving actually christened as Bosch. And now you know.

Richard Wolfsdorf - Bosch


Richard Wolfsdorf - MDMA

I think I've inadvertently created a new regular feature- FABRIC WATCH. I think it's important that we keep an eye out on what's happening at EC1, not that we didn't beforehand....

Anyway, it's the moment we've been waiting for, fabric's birthday weekend line-up has been announced. Although the celebration for fabric's 11th year will unlikely be as monumental as their 10th, a date which yielded the very first ON & ON....& ON, it will certainly give it a run for it's money. The party commences on the Friday, with Fabriclive's dubstep and d 'n' b sessions, but the main attraction for us is as always the Saturday which will not cease for 30 hours, taking the 'night' into the afterhours of Monday morning.

The line-up does not disappoint. Despite the nay-sayers, we are blessed with Ricardo Villalobos commanding most likely all the rooms at various times throughout the event, highly exciting live sets from Âme and dOP, and sets from among others, Damian Lazarus, Ryan Crosson, Floating Points, Levon Vincent and Trus'Me. Lee Burridge will most likely team up with Craig Richards for some legendary TYRANT sessions too.

All in all it's going to be quite an event. Pretty much everyone is going at some point it seems, me and Chris will of course be right on the front-line for the best moments but in the meantime, here's a little taster of one of EDM's classics which I fully expect to hear...

Âme - Rej


Grab your tickets for the rave of the year at fabric's website. Tickets can be purchased for different times over the event, with wristbands provided for re-entry. A full weekend ticket is available for the bargain price of £22, even less if you're a fabricfirst member. See you there!

On nights like this, fabric falls somewhere out of the semantic scope of 'nightclub'. A nightclub, for most, is a strict, flashy environment, with surly, angry and intrusive security, prohibitive dress codes, a music policy designed to 'keep the girls happy' and a basic opening/closing time schedule. Not at EC1. Forever pushing the boundaries of the underground community, Saturday night fabric is simply a vast, subterranean temple for only religious followers of all things techno. If you are one of those people, you could be forgiven for not really wanting to venture anywhere else on a Saturday. Once inside when the night is beginning to peak, usually about 6am, it becomes clear why this place is a legendary institution. With a dress code that permits all but business suits, there is the most fascinating cross-section of cultural identities inside. The security are so passive that almost anything goes. People openly are lighting up cigarettes and more on the dancefloor with no opposition. The only thing the security is there for it seems is to eradicate trouble, which is in everyone's best interests and for which I've seen none every time I've been . With the music as the main attraction, of course, such is the reputation of the club now that big name guests are weekly. Carl Craig, Jeff Mills, Tiefschwarz and Seth Troxler are just a few of many that regularly appear in the cockpit-like booth of Room One and with their 24hr license, nights frequently conclude no earlier than 9am. I am yet to stay the entire duration of any night, a feat Chris is eager to reach.

But then one day, someone from the fabric team came up with the idea of a night that really doesn't seem to end. Because 8 or 9am is far too early, for their 10th birthday last year they celebrated with a 30 hour rave, commencing at the standard 11pm on Saturday, but not concluding until at least 5am on Monday. The concept was nothing short of a success, and a ground-breaking event for club programming. What it proved was there people that liked this sort of thing, and enough of them to create a residency of which would become known as On & On & On... After their birthday bash, two more On & On & On events have taken place with some quite incredible line-ups. This time fabric took a breather and reduced the duration of the event by half creating fabric On. If you ask me though, it started out as a standard fabric Saturday but after they secured Ricardo Villalobos to headline Room One for the second time this year, they just knew they had to do something special for his notoriously epic sets.

Unless you're there to see a live act or anyone other than the main headliner, the later you get to fabric the better. We headed there about 3am which was still too early to avoid the high-heeled girls and 'out-on-the-town' London lads who cluttered the bars if not the dancefloors. We also discovered to our slight disappointment that we would be waiting about 5 hours until Ricardo would be gracing the decks of Room One. Not to worry though, in the meantime we had a bit of Dinky, a live performance from Canadian project, the Modern Deep Left Quartet live, Terry Francis spinning in Room Two, Swayzak and Baby Ford b2b up in Room Three and of course, the legendary Craig Richards warming up for Ricardo all the way until at least 8:30, according to the set-times pinned round all over the club. That on its own would be some line-up, but knowing that Ricardo Villalobos would eventually rule the night is some prospect.

We caught the tail end of Dinky's set, a classically deep house set that kept Room One happy. Not exactly the scary sounds you would hear later on but perfect at a time when the place is still merely simmering. The Deep Modern Left Quartet followed Dinky on the other side on the room, on stage. Their live set-up looked incredible. Four Canadian producers, including Matthew Jonson, around a hard-wired array of machinery. All members frantically tweaking, twisting and pressing to produce some delightful sonics. But with so much to see, we vacated Room One for a Terry Francis session in the narrow cave of a second room. As usual, his sleek blend of Techno and House fueled a breathtaking surge of movement on all corners of the room. Fabric's Room 2 has always fascinated me. For someone who hadn't been to the club before, it would be easy to mistake it for the legendary Room One. During the club's busiest hours, usually from 3-6am, Room Two is arguably more frenetic and thrilling. Coming from the foyer area as you enter from the stairwell, it's visible but only through a tiny arched entrance tunnel. From there it looks formidable, nothing but chasm of darkness, smoke and lasers and floor-shaking bass. Francis is perfect at this time, using everyone's raw energy with every trick his spinning experience gives him.

Fabric's Room Three could often be likened to a proverbial 'chill room'. It's tiny for a start and is never that densely packed even on particularly busy nights. I expect this is partly because many newcomers to the club either simply don't know there is a third room or if they do, don't know how to get to it. Even I scratched my temple at one point in slight confusion of how to get there despite having been there several times before. There is undoubtedly a much less intense atmosphere compared to the two rooms downstairs. We entered during Swayzak and Baby Ford's B2B set which yielded some deliciously groovy deep tech and minimal sounds.

After we resurfaced to the outside world for an essential break in the smoking garden, we moved back to Room One where Craig Richards was busy spinning in his first of two sets of the night, first on his own before Ricardo, and after with Ricardo. Richards' sets are when the extraordinary brilliance of fabric really becomes clear. When you really do begin to forget there is normal, mundane, civilized and quiet life elsewhere. Always different, his sets are musical nutrients for everyone outside the legendary booth in the club. Nightmarish is one interestingly accurate adjective that emerged from his set this particular time. A teeming, relentless tour of dark, trippy, fragile beats, breaks and acid pitches that on Room One's intimidating soundsytem does send you into a frenzy of near insanity as well as movement. At one point, the entire room was pierced with the unrelenting sample of someone screaming, while waves of thumping techy beats rolled in and out.

We stuck around during Richards' set a little longer than we probably would have before perhaps switching rooms, purely because of the promise of seeing Ricardo Villalobos open a set at fabric. Fashionably late? Maybe he was but at almost 9:30 in the morning having been there since 3, our patience was tried. We gave up waiting for him and instead took a breather outside. Little did we know the night before he was in Ukraine closing a festival, so his lateness could be forgiven. Soon after we returned where at last to our excitement we could see the old master at the helm in Room One through a storm of smoke, lights and camera flashes, and also hear him. Immediately we entered into climate of extreme minimal, classic Villalobos. Reminiscent of the kind of work he produced on his album Thé au Harem d'Arichmède. He then moved onto more tribal techno sounds, still maintaining the microhouse structure but with the typical latin flavours and bizarre vocals that are a staple of Villalobos' sets. A self-confessed audiophile, Villalobos tested the Room One soundsystem to it's maximum, manipulating it with all his wisdom, unearthing frequencies never delivered before.

Probably the most endearing, most enjoyable thing about Ricardo Villalobos at fabric is experiencing arguably the most naturally gifted electronic musician play so freely because he feels at home. It's easy to forget that if it wasn't for fabric, Ricardo may not be the musician he is today. That room one booth couldn't be more comfortable now for a man who has been spinning there before anyone had heard of him. It's this relationship with the club that makes nights he returns so special, so memorable. I just can't wait for next time, where I will strive to stay beyond 11am.

Ok, so another Saturday night has just been announced at fabric and as per usual, I'm plagued by the usual eruption of excitement and will to attend. On July 3rd, innovative producer Shackleton will grace the live stage of our favourite club performing his dark blend of dubstep and minimalism.

Shackelton is mysterious. With scant original material of his that I have been able get hold of, I've been left with a collection of some of his quite remarkably brilliant remixes. This particular remix, of Ricardo Villalobos' Minimoonstar is chilling and artistic, with an almost empty, hollow presence. His return to EC1 is one to put in the diary.

Minimoonstar (Shackleton Remix) - Ricardo Villalobos

And another post to get things going...

I'm hopefully going to be doing this weekly thing of posting a couple of my favourite minimal techno tracks each monday, some new, some old, some genius, some only mildly witty.

First up, a nice track by Kaiser Souzai...
Kaiser Souzai - Altocumulus Floccus (Piemont Remix)


I've had it on repeat quite a lot lately, just loving the melody in the middle, great for summer.


Another amazing classic by the genius that is Ricardo Villalobos
Ricardo Villalobos - MDMA



Some ridiculously deep techno from Ricardo's mate Loco Dice...
Loco Dice - Raindrops on my Window


(Unfortunately it's a .wav so the file is too large to preview, but trust me, it's deep...)



A more recent, bit heavier track by Filthy Rich
Filthy Rich - Gemini (Original Mix)



And finally, an even more recent track from Radio Slave's new EP, released yesterday. Ambient minimal goodness.
Radio Slave - I Don't Need a Cure For This