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

Dan Ghenacia - Discolour


Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts - Groovy Solitude


Seph - Void (Pronsato's Guitar Mix)


D. Diggler - Graviton (Robag Wruhme Remikks)


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


Pole - Pfert

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

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

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


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

Veitengruber - Behind a Cigarette


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

Lee Foss - Happen For a Reason


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

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


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

Mousse T - Toscana (Loco Dice)


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

Comme Lapin - Vaai


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

Hot Chip - Touch Too Much (Kollektiv Turmstrasse Remix)


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

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

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

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

Ron Costa - Saltimb (Luca Albano Remix)


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

Egbert - Open (Original Mix)


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

Maetrik & Kule Runner - Snorkel


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

Gavin Herilhy - Stand For Something


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

Loco Dice - Got Leaks In The Roof


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

Jacek Sienkiewicz - Who Told You That?


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

Pulshar - California State of Mind


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

Matthias Meyer - The Rear Window


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

Steve Lawler - Gimme Some More


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

Marcello Napoletano - Raw As Fuck


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

Dani Sbert - Baphomet


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

Jacuzzi Boys - Bocadillos (Matthias Mesteno Remix)


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

Marc Romboy & Blake Baxter - Muzik (Kink Remix)

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

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

Justice - In Extreme Mix


Thanks to El3ctronight.net for this.

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

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

The XX - VCR (Four Tet Remix)


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

The XX - Crystalised (Edu Imbernon Remix)

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

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

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

Gessafelstein - Variations


Released on Turbo on 9/11/2010.

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

Goose - Words (Boris Dlugosch Remix)


Definitely check out his older remix of Bring It On.


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

Japanese Popstars - Let Go


Pick up the full EP on Beatport now.

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

Dada Life - Unleash the Fucking Dada


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

Felix Luker - Mechanical


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

R18

It's that time again!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Magda - Entertainment


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

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

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

Even if you haven't heard Art Department's Without You, you will have surely seen it mentioned somewhere over the last few weeks. Released on Damian Lazarus' Crosstown Rebels label, it's pretty much the biggest thing around at the moment, charted by more DJ's than I've ever seen before. Deep, dark and sexy, it's by far one of the most unusual basslines I've heard for a while.

Art Department - Without You (Extended '12 Mix)


You can pick up the EP, which includes Vampire Nightclub at Beatport here