Tracking Changes - Radio Interview

I was invited to be a guest on Radio Centre Ville this Saturday morning with the lovely Natalie Perez who does a show called 'Tracking Changes'.

I met Natalie the night of the Red Bull 3Style where she explained to me she had a weekly radio show (like for real radio that you can turn a dial to listen to, fancy that) themed on having inviting guest musicians from various backgrounds to have a chat about music, what they do personally and to play some music they enjoy. It's a really cool concept. She had actually never interviewed a DJ before and I'v never had to talk on the radio before, so it was a new and fun experience for both of us.

You can check the audio link HERE.

Red Bull Thr3e Style Montreal

I was chosen to participate in the Red Bull 3 Style DJ Comp for Montreal last Saturday. Caught second place, not bad. Wicked night overall and relished the chance to flex some tracks outside of the realm of what people may usually get to hear me play.




Makin' it rain with the custom Mayday Money:


300 Printed, front and back. Awww yeaaa!




Red Bull video courtesy of Fred C from Fokus, who did the visuals that night and for the entire 3 style tour. You can check their work out at www.fokusprodictions.ca

A Few Reviews

I didn't want to post 4 reviews in one shot - too much text all at once - so I figured I would just link to the actual online pieces at DOA rather then filling an entire page with words.

On Vibration:
ATP - ENERY CURRENCY

On Critical:

ROCKWELL - NOIR EP

On Beta:
CAMO & KROOKED – EDGE OF MIND EP
XILENT - 'DISLOCATION'/'KILLING SPREE'

2009 Top Ten - Electro/Techno/Tech House Etc

I got asked for my top ten of the year from a Montreal website and realized that although I did a fairly in depth 2009 DnB retrospective, I hadn't done one for the the other styles of music I play. Maybe I'll throw a mix together if I have the time.

Regardless, here's my 2009 picks.

Dustin Zahn - Stranger to Stability (Len Faki Podium Mix)
Popof - Faces ‘Uch
Hugg & Pepp and Dahlback - Penguini (Original Mix)
Sebastien Leger - Le Moustique (Original Mix)
Piatto - Evil Live (Original Mix)
Sidney Sampson - Shut Up and Let It Go
Florian Meindl - Flashmob (Original Mix)
Tocadisco - Da Fuckin' Noize (Steve Angello Remix)
The Martin Brothers - Dum (Hookerz & Blow Remix)
Curses! - The Deep End (Holy Ghost! Day School Dub)

When It's All Said and Done - Best of 2009 Jungle/DnB Mix

My editor and friend at dogsonacid.com, Khal, asked me to do a 'Best Of' mix at the end of last year for his blog rockthedub.com. As the New Year started to approach I shyly asked if he was up for it again, to which he replied 'You know it Shawty' or something to that effect, in his fantastic trademark demeanor.

When I had to pick the tracks for this mix I started thinking and realized, when I went back in my head some 10+ years, that I don’t think I have been this excited about Jungle/Drum & Bass in a long time, quite possibly not since I first started listening to it. 2009 breathed new life into me as a DJ, a writer/reviewer, and most importantly as die-hard fan.

Fave tunes of the year:
Shimon, Moving Fusion & Ant Miles - Pimp Slap
Arclight ft. Jocasta – Over Me
Friction and K.Tee - Set It Off

...And an honorable mention goes to the Break remix of DJ Die’s ‘Clear Skyz’.

Albums/EPs:
Viper’s Acts of Mad Man
Logistics - Crash Bang Wallop
VibrationTherapy EP

Anyways, here’s what I was bangin’ walls too on the whole in 2009. Watch out for the 19 minute mark…


DJ Mayday - When It's All Said and Done
[01] Shimon, Moving Fusion & Ant Miles – Pimp Slap
[02] Moby – One Time We Lived [Matrix and Futurebound Dub Mix]
[03] KG – Runaway
[04] DC Breaks - Polar Bear
[05] Sigma – Hi Top [Ed Rush and Optical Remix]
[06]Friction and K.Tee – Set It Off
[07] Brookes Brothers – Crackdown [Shock One Remix]
[08] Basement Jaxx – Twerk
[09] Inside Info – Ticker
[10] Optiv - Sodium
[11] The Upbeats – Ghost Radio
[12] Technical Itch and Kemal – The Calling [Evol Intent vs Ewun Remix]
[13] D.Kay and Lee – Tuning [D.Kay Remix]
[14] Commix and Rufige Crew – Envious
[15] Fresh – Fantasia [Hard Mix]
[16] Arclight ft Jocasta – Over Me


!!!DOWNLOAD THAT SHIT!!!

REVIEW || Vibration Therapy EP

We'll be honest, when we opened a 4 track EP from 4 producers we had never heard anything about before we didn't have the highest expectations. But that’s what great about a surprise: it’s something you didn’t even know you wanted until you got it. And a surprise is exactly what the Vibration Therapy is; an unexpected and unforeseen release that will make you take notice. What sticks out most about these 4 tunes is how incredibly simple yet effective they all are and serve as a nice reminder that a good track is really only as good as the necessary framework. Tunes don’t always needs layers upon layers to make good, solid impact. There’s always got to be a stand out track to an EP and for Vibration Therapy, that track is Arclight’s ‘Over Me’, hands down. The vocals from Jocasta are not only painfully poetic but beautifully sang in an extremely unique manner, it’s not the voice of a typical DnB, diva songstress, making the tune stand out all the more. Inside Man’s ‘Backspace’ is far more stripped down and bass heavy though maintains a deepness throughout thanks to constant pads that drop back in the second you think they may have faded away for good. ‘Be Mine’, courtesy of ATP, is straightforward liquid through and through, though with bit less of the standard jazz element and a lot more funk, therefore avoiding the redundancy that can occasionally come with the sub genre. A tight combination of male and female vocal snippets finish this one off nicely. Last, but certainly not least, So Flow brings it deep and melodic on ‘Thorn’ and the piano chord lead, alongside what is yet another emotional vocal clip, is enough to warm even our cold heart. Can you tell that we are impressed yet? Because in case you can’t already tell, we are impressed. Keep an eye out for these guys, because things are only going to get better from here.

Arclight's 'Over Me'



Read my online article here.

Mini Mix - Robot Rock

I was bored...




Needs more 'electronic vocal effects'.

Tracklist:

01. Open Your Mind - The Freakazoids
02. Transformer - The Jonzun Crew
03. Siberian Nights & Electric Kingdom - Twilight 22 VS Egyptian Lover
04. Planet Rock (Instrumental) - Afrika Bambaataa
05. Clear - Cybotron (Ultimix Looking Back)
06. Reckless - Ice-T
07. No Parking on the Dancefloor - Midnight Star
08. Miami is Nice - Robert Calvin
09. Tour De France - Kraftwerk
10. Hey, Hey, Guy (Re-Edit) - Ken Lazlo


DOWNLOAD THAT SHIT

REVIEW - Acts of Mad Men - Viper Recordings

If you’re looking for a solid compilation that is diverse and worth every penny you will invest into it then you need not look beyond the new Acts of Mad Men on Viper Recordings[b]. Made up of some serious weight thanks to slew of producers, we are happy to say there is a lack of filler tunes that one often gets when purchasing a full length LP, especially for a release that has as many tunes as this (there’s 17 total). What’s more, for the average fan who is just going to have a listen at home, you can tell there has been a bit of thought into the order the tracks appear in, an often overlooked but key factor for replay value of an a album from start to finish. We’re not lying when we say we could literally write a decent review of every track on this album and Viper chose one hell of a way to end 2009, that’s for sure. If we have to pick some favorites, in this reviewers opinion at least, it’s a toss-up between the [b]Shock One remix of Brookes Brothers ‘Crackdown’ and the appearance of Ed Rush and Optical with their take on Sigma’s ‘Hi Top’. Matrix and Futurebound deliver a track that is, frankly, standard Matrix and Futurebound ie: exactly what it should be. Deep and rolling, their version of Ian Carey’s ‘Get Shakey’ is going to be one that gets the ladies going in the dance, and in our experience when the ladies are happy, the rest of the room follows suit. DC Breaks’ ‘Polar Bear is hard and heavy, but not so rough that is loses its groove one bit, while Camo & Crooked come correct on not one, but two tracks on the CD. We could sit here and give a detailed run down of each of the tunes, but seriously, just go out and grab it, because you won’t regret that you did. We don’t feel shy saying that Acts of Mad Men is the Drum & Bass LP of the year.

Read my Full online Article Here

One of our faves: The Ian Carey Project - Get Shaky (Matrix & Futurebound's Nip & Tuck Remix)

.......I'm Looking for....Someone Like You

Transition