Hot Damn

THAT'S IT

2010-04-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

I've decided to close this blog as I can no longer offer it my full attention. All good things come to an end, and even though the Hot Damn journey was a short one, by jove it was enjoyable. And of course you can still find me over at Juno Plus, so all is not lost. I'll take this opportunity to thank you - yes, you - for making Hot Damn such a rewarding exercise, and to all the interviewees (Vicarious Bliss, Professor Genius, Blackjoy etc etc) that made this blog (occasionally) worth reading.

Much love, Hot Damn

KYLE HALL // Kaychunk

2010-04-11T14:35:00.000-07:00

Detroit meet dubstep: dubstep, meet Detroit. Kyle Hall knocks down barriers on this release, bringing his free-flowing, insouciant production style to the UK bass music scene. After dropping a remix of Darkstar’s “Aidy’s Girl Is A Computer” in 2009, Hyperdub boss Kode9 called on Hall’s precocious talents for a solo release on the imprint.

His brief production career has so far encompassed house, techno, jazz and now dubstep, although such parameters are fairly meaningless to a young producer for whom the internet, analogue equipment, high tech kit and software programming are all part of one wonderful, disjointed bundle for making and consuming music.

“Kaychunk” features soft melodic synths floating over the top of a schizophrenic drum pattern, while vocal snippets help give the track some structure. B-side “You Know What I Feel” is very much in the Floating Points school of dubstep, meandering gently along with no obvious destination – but of course the destination hardly matters, because the ride itself is so damn fun.

Make no mistake, Hall is a prodigious talent and with releases slated for labels as diverse and forward-thinking as Carl Craig’s Planet E, Sheffield’s iconic Warp and Instra:mental’s Non Plus, it’s already obvious that the serious players are taking notice.

SW1ADL MIX

2010-04-11T03:47:00.000-07:00

Here's a little mix I made whilst twiddling my thumbs at Kuala Lumpour airport, and hanging out in the beautiful sunshine in my home town Adelaide. Deepish but still danceable, hope you likes...

SW1ADL mix by Aaron Coultate

WHY WE LOVE SETH TROXLER

2010-03-31T07:50:00.001-07:00

This is bat country...

NEW TONY LIONNI

2010-03-18T18:32:00.000-07:00

Liverpool born, Manchester bred producer Tony Lionni burst into Hot Damn's consciousness in 2009 with two seriously solid jams, namely "Divine Being" and "Found A Place". It was the year in which hands-up, piano-driven house made a comeback, and this man made it better than most. Today's he's given us a sneak peek of what else we can expect, with a few fresh tracks and remixes uploaded to his Soundcloud page. "Soul Seduction", which you can listen to below, is a personal fave. He's also got a full length album coming out this year on Jimpster's Freerange imprint. Big!

GALAXIA by tony lionni

BACK IN OZ WITH A FREE DOWNLOAD // Canyons dub of Tame Impala

2010-03-15T22:45:00.000-07:00

Well I am back in the land of v-necks, water restrictions and Canyons. Good to be back folks., even if it is only for two weeks. Rather serendipitously, Modular Recordings have been circulating a free track which should soundtrack the next fortnight nicely - namely the aptly titled Canyons "poolside dub" of the even more aptly titled "41 Mojitos". Enjoy.

DOWNLOAD: Tame Impala - 41 Mojitos (Canyons Poolside Dub)

MOODYMANN // "My MPCs are my bitches"

2010-03-09T10:45:00.000-08:00

Classic video of Kenny Dion Jr aka Moodymann on the couch giving a Red Bull Music Academy lecture.

BONOBO // Eyesdown (Floating Points remix)

2010-03-09T10:20:00.001-08:00

The frankly awesome Ninja Tune imprint stumps up a remix package of Bonobo’s “Eyesdown”, taken from the British producer’s latest studio album due out at the end of the month. The single features a vocal collaboration with Andreya Triana, who has also worked with Flying Lotus and Mr Scruff. Bonobo (real name Simon Green) has returned the favour, taking up production duties on Triana’s debut album, due out at the end of the summer.

“Eyesdown” maintains a gentle yet insistent broken beat, but this merely forms a backdrop to Triana’s immense vocal talents, with Green wisely choosing to keep his production clean and uncluttered.

The Floating Points remix gently meanders and undulates as only a Floating Points remix can. Young Samuel Shepherd really can do no wrong at the moment, with his new two tracker on Egloabout to drop and a wonderfully epic remix of Four Tet getting the adulation it deserves.

However, pick of the bunch has to be the Appleblim and Komonazmuk rework, which chugs along with a warm afterhours deep house groove – quite the opposite to their upcoming 90s garage-themed rework of MyMy’s “Price Tag”, and wildy different from their more dubsteppy efforts in recent years. Warrior One chips in with a driving yet restrained drum and bass rework, very much in keeping with the tone of the original. A quality release from start to finish.

Buy that thang from: Juno Download

JEFF MILLS // We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.

2010-03-05T11:04:00.000-08:00

Jeff Mills has dabbled in a range of musical styles during an illustrious career – from the soundtrack interpretation of Fritz Lang’s masterpiece ‘Metropolis’ to his collaboration with the Montpellier Philharmonic Orchestra – but never shall we forget he made his name with driving, unapologetic techno.

This release, the second on his fledgling Something In The Sky imprint, fits somewhere in between. On the a-side we see a couple of tracks (titled “Track 1″ and “Track 2″ respectively) that hark back to the Wizard of old: pulsating, underground techno. On the flip, tracks 3 and 4 see Sir Jeff’s love for experimentation coming to the fore, with two slices of melodic, spooky electronica. Here sonic pulses and spacey sytnths come to the fore.

The visual aesthetic to his new imprint is symbolic of Mills the man and artist. After all, we are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. We all know where Mills is looking.

Buy From: Juno Records

TONIGHT!

2010-03-04T12:25:00.000-08:00

Some new deep jams to get a run tonight at this:..details on the flyer. Pop down if you are feeling a bit Russian Barish...

FREE DOWNLOAD // Jose James - Code (Produced by Flying Lotus)

2010-02-28T04:25:00.000-08:00

Jazz guru Jose James' new album is out now on Gilles Peterson's Brownswood imprint, and includes collaborations with Detroit legend Moodymann and Californian beat merchant Flying Lotus. The superb XL8R8R mag is giving away the Flying Lotus-produced "Code" as a free download - check it below.

Download - Jose James "Code"

SANDWELL DISTRICT AT SONAR // Head explosion possible

2010-02-28T03:48:00.000-08:00

Anyone who witnessed Richie Hawtin’s set at the 2009 Sónar will be joyous at the news that he’ll be back again, perhaps more excitingly, in his Plastikman guise. There’s more good news for techno fans, with Function and Regis aka Sandwell District set to do their best to blow up the speakers in the main room. Having seen a Function DJ set at Corsica studios recently, I will lay it out on the table now and say I'm looking forward to these guys more than any other act.

As always, there’s something for every lover of small 'e' electronica, from Aeroplane’s disco pop, to the stuttering experimentation of Flying Lotus and Hudson Mohwake, the dub heavy King Midas Sound and a sprinkling of big name acts like Dizzee Rascal, LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip.

The 2010 festival (June 17-19) will be take place simultaneously in Barcelona and A Coruña, the first time in its history that it has been held in two locations.

CONFETTI BOMB // MDMemily

2010-02-23T03:47:00.001-08:00

Hot Damn editorial meetings often descend into heated shouting matches about a perceived lack of techno coverage on these pages (on that note, anyone fancy a cuppa?).

Such concerns are utter nonsense of course - we love dipping out toes in the deep end of the techno pool. Time then, to devote some page space to London-based producer Confetti Bomb, who has just dropped a three track EP on his own Autoreply imprint. The fledgling label has already released material from some heavy house/techno artillery – Baby Ford, Jerome Sydenham and Ed Davenport etc etc.

I’m not sure if title track “MDMemily” is more suited to a peak time floor or an after hours hide-out – which probably means it will do just fine at both. It’s dark and spooky, with a nice metallic thud. Next up is “Fladdermus”, which some light internet sleuthing revealed is Swedish for ‘bat’. Coming in with a slightly more subdued beat than “MDMemily”, this fits snugly into the category marked ‘slow burner’. And just went you’ve been lulled into submission, in comes a cavernous, echoing drop.

“Panic in Room 2”, I am reliably informed, was written with the sound system of a certain London clubbing institution in mind. It’s deep, brooding, dark and clunky – in other words, exactly what one wants to hear at stupid o’clock in Farringdon.

DIRTY JESUS // Don't Fuck With My Shit remix package

2010-02-20T01:19:00.000-08:00

The first of Pete Herbert’s two remixes of this gloriously and unimprovably titled track features a lazy bass guitar bouncing off twangy keys. By the time the tumbling piano lines come in – and Herbert does make you sweat on it – hands are well and truly up in the air. Part Two, instead of making us wait on the piano, brings it in immediately. It playfully jostles for attention with that addictive guitar hook, and this time Herbert teases us with a bassline that takes nearly two full minutes to kick in. When it does, you have a track that is positively dripping with that sublime piano-driven house sound that is sure to get even the most ardent chin-strokers shaking ass.

The RV Cock remix starts with the kind of percussion so indebted to Harvey’s life in Hawaiian/LA paradise that it all but dons a loud shirt and offers you a cocktail. However this is soon overshadowed by something altogether more menacing, as dark, slow, spacey synths come to the fore. By the time the ethereal vocals and horns come in, Harvey has lulled you into a druggy stupour – and of course this is exactly where he wants you – before dragging you out of it with one final bass drop that is sure to tear the roof off after-parties from London to Honolulu. Not to be overshadowed, Harvey’s partner in crime Gerry Rooney chips in with his own sterling effort, with squelchy acid house bassline and busy drums. Perhaps the most impressive thing about this track is that, rather than bombarding the listener, Rooney creates a sonic landscape in which every sound matters. This is sleazy-as-you-like disco house – exactly what you’d hope for (and expect) from the inimitable Black Cock crew.

Buy From: Juno Records

JAM X 6

2010-02-19T04:26:00.000-08:00

RESIDENT ADVISOR CHART // February 2010

2010-02-13T06:25:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know, the imminent deportation of my DJ/life partner means I'll be going it alone in 2010. To celebrate, here's my first solo chart. Always a fan of fuelling hype to unobtainable levels, I've included the new Floating Points as number one. Honestly, it is that good, and if you didn't pick up the limited white label pressing (pictured fairly unhelpfully above), fear not as it is getting a full release in March on Eglo (with a b-side). In the meantime, you can listen to it in full on his Soundcloud page. February's guilty pleasure has to be Jahcoozi's 80 bpm dub-heavy cover of The Cure's "Close to Me".

Aaron Coultate - February 2010 Top 10:

1. Floating Points - People's Potential (Eglo)
2. Marcel Dettmann - Viscous (Ostgut Ton)
3. Chez Damier - Help Myself (Unreleased Carl Craig reshape) (Mojuba)
4. Dirty Jesus - Don't Fuck With My Shit (Gerard Black Happy Finish mix) (Juno Records)
5. Alex Smith - Skynet 2 B (FXHE Records)
6. D'Julz - Rotondo (Circus Company)
7. Steffi - Kill Me (Instrumental Dub Mix) (Ostgut Ton)
8. Ilya Santana - Lioness Dream (Eskimo Belgium)
9. Joy Orbison - The Shrew Would Have Cushioned The Blow (Actress' Neu Haus So Glo Mix) (Aus Music )
10. Jahcoozi - Close To Me (BPitch Control)

See the chart in shiny Resident Advisor format here. Look at it, isn't it shiny?

NEW MCDE // Exciting? Yes

2010-02-13T06:04:00.000-08:00

Danilo Plessow aka Motor City Drum Ensemble has just posted a few new productions on his Soundcloud page. There's a new single due out on Drumpoets in April, namely "The Game" by the Jayson Brothers, which has no doubt had the benefit of some of MCDE's arrangement skills.

"The Game" has a nice thud to it, while Plessow's own remix of Z Records "Searchin'", out on Joey Negro's label soonish, is equally lovely. He's also whacked up his Loft Party remix to Toby Tobias' "Macasu". Sultry vocals, deep groove - it's warm, glowing, referential house.

Toby Tobias - Macasu (MCDE`s Loft Party Mix) by invrs

JAM x 5

2010-02-09T11:23:00.000-08:00

Lontano - Lovebass

LINDSTROM // Interview

2010-02-09T10:59:00.000-08:00

Juno Plus recently spoke to ultimate disco beard Lindstrom about why he is quitting DJing, his latest productions and how he almost covered Boney M.

Check out the full story here.

GIL SCOTT HERON // American poet

2010-02-08T02:28:00.001-08:00

A tortoured soul if ever there was onc, Gil Scott Heron returns with his first studio album in 15 years with the superlative I'm New Here LP. You can stream the entire thing below - the Hot Damn personal fave has to be "New York Is Killing Me". The album is dripping with well placed reverbs, all underlying Heron's spoken word (and sometimes proto rap) vocals. Heavy.

BLACKJOY INTERVIEW // Exclusive Edit

2010-01-20T15:18:00.000-08:00

I am very proud to present to you, dear reader, with an exclusive edit from the inimitable Blackjoy. I also collared the French disco bearad for an interview, which you can read below...

DOWNLOAD: Manu Dibango - Soul Explosion (Blackjoy edit)

BLACKJOY INTERVIEW:

Tell us where you are from, and how you got into music.

I'm from France, born in Normandy, raised in Burgundy and now living in Paris. I got into music naturally, my father was playing the piano and guitar every weekend as a hobby and I just loved watching and listening. Until 14, the music was strong in me but I never pushed myself with it until I decided to start playing the guitar. I stopped few years later, and got into records more than playing ... until I discovered the MPC.

Who were your main musical influences?

Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Quincy Jones, Marvin Gaye and John Coltrane. These 5 five acts are important to me but from there, I'm inspired everyday by so many people. The musicians I work with are a huge inspiration for me too.

Tell us about your 2 DJing experiences in London? They seem quite different...

Actually I haven't played in London for the last 10 years. I was supposed to DJ for Love Fever Party but the party got stopped by the Police at 11pm, due to some licence issues. The sound system was dope and they brought the Urei but... We're supposed to do another one soon.

Any plans to come back to London?

No plans but I'd love to. People don't really book me to play there but I'd be pleased to do it more. I love this city, and I go there very often to chill on the weekend. I have old friends there.

Where are your favourite places to play?

No favourite to be honest. It depends on the nights, on my mood too. I'm really focused on producing music right now, so sometimes when I go and DJ my head is still somewhere in my machines, or my pro tools arrangement.

What's the most embarrassing song on your ipod?

I consume everything, from Elton John to Abba, from Britney Spears to whatever. I'm not that type of very independent guy against the major music, I'm cool with everything. I just regret that major artists don't produce good records because of sheer laziness.

Do you prefer CDs or vinyl - and why?

As format? Vinyl. To DJ? Serato. Can't wait to buy the last version, the sound quality seems to be much better, Serato is cool, it got me into DJing again.

What does 2010 hold for Blackjoy?

A lot. I co-produced an album in '09 that will come out next year for an artist called Blundetto. I didn't do the music but mixed the record and did a lot of executive production. It's a mixture of Reggae, Soul and Post-Rock with guests appearances from Hindi Zahra, Tommy Guerrero, Chico Mann, The Budos Band, General Eletrkiks, Lateef etc. I'm working right now on a new Blackjoy album. I did a record last year which I'm not happy with, so I'm doing a lot a new stuff to finish it. Sandra Nkake and Aqeel are singing the songs, and there will be instrumentals too. The whole thing will be pretty much disco orientated.

I'm also starting a radio show for Red Bull Music Academy Radio in January based on Black Music from France. It's a very nice project for me 'cause I started as a radio DJ, but this show will more like a radio documentary with guests. I'm doing the first one with Boombass from Cassius, La Funk Mob etc. This guy is a hero for me, and is responsible for my interest in electronic music. The beats he used to do for Mc Solaar defined a new sound in hip hop. So yes, exciting times!

FREE DOWNLOAD // Carl Craig - Experimento

2010-01-10T07:30:00.000-08:00

It's cold .... so very cold ... No better time for some super warm, deep jams then. The relentlessly innovative Carl Craig has been hard at work, kicking off 2010 with remixes for DJ Hell and Hot Chip, and tastemaking mag XLR8R have offered up his latest solo effort "Experimento" as a complementary download.

Carl Craig - Experimento (mp3)

WE PLAY MUSIC // Exclusive Radeo Vidio mix

2010-01-10T03:23:00.000-08:00

We have just finished off an exclusive mix for our friends over at WEPLAYMUSIC. They host solid parties at the Russian Bar in Dalston - a must for anyone wanting to shake ass deep on a Thursday night. The mix we put together reflects what we've been feeling lately - the deeper end of house and techno.

Check it out right here: http://www.weplaymusic.co.uk/

JACQUES RENAULT // Interview with Juno Plus

2010-01-07T14:31:00.000-08:00

Jacques Renault has released on more disco and house labels than you care to mention –from New York’s DFA to French imprint I’m A Cliché; via Matt Edwards’s Rekids and Toshiya Kawasaki’s Mule Musiq. Apart from being a talented musician (he’s mastered everything from the violin to the trumpet and drums), he’s also in demand as a DJ, producer and remixer. Add to that his Runaway project and new label On The Prowl, and you have a real, erm, Jacques of all trades...

Read the full story here.

REVIEW // Voyeurhythm EP 2

2010-01-03T14:01:00.000-08:00

Artist: Megadon Betamax/Hollywood Nites/Benjamin Sun
Title: Voyeurhythm EP 2
Label: Voyeurhythm
Genre: House, Disco/Nu Disco
Format: 12″
Buy From: Juno Records

Little is known about this fledgling London-based house troupe, although the sheer quality of this EP suggests this won’t be the case for long. The second Voyeurhythm offering is loose and raw, evoking the spirit and sound of Chicago in a way that few can manage these days.

It opens with Megadon Betamax’s “He Can’t Love You”, a complete remake of the Chemise classic “She Cant Love You” on Emergency. This version flips the script on the original with a vocodored male vocal, but keeps true to the analogue 80’s boogie sound.

On the flip, Hollywood Nites chimes in with “Chi Intentions”, deep and raw proto-house which features sinister keys bouncing off a rumbling, Chicago-style bassline (as the name suggests).

Benjamin Sun rounds off the release with “Victoria Park”, a lovely slice of warm house in the mould of Motor City Drum Ensemble’s Raw Cuts series, and a worthy follow up to his effort on the first Voyuerhthym EP.

PROFESSOR GENIUS // Live @ the Treehouse, Brooklyn

2010-01-02T07:50:00.000-08:00

Those of you who follow these pages with a hawkish eye may remember Hot Damn's cheese chatting session with Jorge Velez - aka Noo Yawk producer Professor Genius - last year. Velez has been busy working on a host of new material and running his own label, Templo. This set was recorded at the Treehouse club in Brooklyn, and was the perfect tonic to wind down a rather hectic Chrissie and New Year's period.

Professor Genius - Live @ Treehouse, Brooklyn December 2009

FREE DOWNLOAD // Pink Stallone - The Six

2009-12-29T14:18:00.001-08:00

New Jersey act Pink Stallone make the kind of slow chuggers that give beardo disco twats like myself a hard on. Their latest effort, "The Six", is set for a 12" release on Italians Do It Better very soon. In the meantime, here's a free mp3 download from the boys themselves.

Pink Stallone - The Six (Radio Edit)

SOUL CLAP EDITS // "Hot Damn Likes This"

2009-12-23T13:59:00.001-08:00

Some lovely edits from Boston duo Soul Clap, who've turned their Ableton skills on some R & B classics from Bobby Brown, Aaliyah and Hi-Five. Nice and warm.

REVIEW // The Revenge feat. Danielle Moore - Just Be Good To Me

2009-12-23T13:40:00.001-08:00

Artist: The Revenge
Title: Just Be Good To Me
Label: Needwant
Genre: Disco/Nu-Disco
Format: 12″, Digital
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download

The Revenge – aka Scottish producer Graeme Clark – caps off a fine year with a complete disco overhaul of the SOS Band’s classic “Just Be Good To Me”.

Calling on the considerable vocal talents of Crazy P’s Danielle Moore, Clark maintains his trademark production style, keeping it slow and sexy throughout with a BPM count that barely sneaks into 3 digits.

Remixes come from The Revenge himself, with an epic dub mix that clocks in at just under 10 minutes. Ron Basejam aka James Baron, also a member of Crazy P, chips in with a funk-infused remix that ups the tempo a bit. Basejam already excelled this year with his role in another slow burning disco gem.

The digital-only Bodypop mix takes it back to the original tempo, laying on the bass nice and thick, while the 12″ offers up a very DJ-friendly “Accatool” which should keep disco jocks around the world happy this festive period.

PARTY PARTY // Wolf & Lamb

2009-12-19T07:51:00.000-08:00

Work xmas party tonight (a surefire way to undo several months of hard work). As for Sunday's festivites ... hmm ... do I or don't I?

HOLY GHOST! // Van She remix

2009-12-18T01:43:00.001-08:00

As Alex revealed in this interview a couple of months back, Noo Yawk disco duo Holy Ghost! have remixed well groomed Sydneysiders Van She. Some points of interest: the track, "Don't Fear The Reaper", was originally by Blue Oyster, and the HG remix features a live drum solo. It has also been whispered that James Murphy played the obligatory DFA cowbell on this one...

DOWNLOAD: Van She - Don't Fear The Reaper (Holy Ghost! remix) mp3

MOTOR CITY DRUM ENSEMBLE // Best of 2009

2009-12-17T14:40:00.000-08:00

Don’t be fooled by the name – Motor City Drum Ensemble consists of just one man: Danilo Plessow, who hails from Germany’s very own motor city, Stuttgart.

Combining a knack for clever sampling with a penchant for analogue equipment, MCDE has cultivated a style that is somehow incredibly loose and tight at the same time.

To many, this man is the producer of 2009 – his ubiquitous Raw Cuts series draws on the spirit of Detroit legends like Theo Parrish, Moodymann, while other productions stray into techno territory. Add to that a slew of superb remixes for the likes of Tom Trago and DJ Sprinkles, and you have one very special producer.

Here Danilo speaks to Juno Plus about the mainstays in his DJ box over the past 12 months.

TOP COMPILATIONS OF 2009

2009-12-16T19:26:00.000-08:00

There was much debate in 2009 about the supposed death of the mixtape, but then along came Dixon and put a smile on everyone's face. So much love went into Temporary Secretary - from the subtle lengthening and reimagining of tracks so they fit the flow of the mix, to the superb song selection - that it was impossible to ignore. He clearly still sees the mix as an art form in its own right, something to take care of and pride in.

On the compilation front, Frenchie Cosmo Vitelli came up trumps. His I'm A Cliche label celebrated 5 years with a 2xCD package, containing a retrospective look at some of the imprint's achievements (Runaway, Simian Mobile Disco), next to some new talent (Azari & III, Canyons). C'est Magnifique!

Hot Damn's top mixes & compilations 2009:

1. Dixon - Temporary Secretary (Innervisions)
2. Various - Moments of a Crisis (I'm a Cliche)
3. Theo Parrish - Suggested Use Parts 1 & 2 (Sound Signature)
4. Various - I'm Starting To Feel OK (Endless Flight)
5. Daniel Wang - The Balihu Years (Rush Hour)
6. Sebo K - Watergate 04 (Watergate)
7. Various - Cosmic Balaeric Beats Vol 2 (Eskimo)
8. Various - Total 10 (Kompakt)
9. Modeselektor - Body Language Vol 8 (Get Physical)
10. Hot Chip - Bugged In (Bugged Out)

This list went into the vote on the Resident Advisor poll, which you can check out here.

RADEO VIDIO // December Podcast

2009-12-16T16:12:00.000-08:00

Bethnal Green, London, December 2009

The second episode of the already legendary Radeo Vidio podcast series features James and Aaron babbling excitedly and incoherently about the music they enjoy most.

The first part of the show features tracks and remixes from music luminaries including Ben Klock, Joy Orbison, Four Tet, Bot'ox, Melon, In Flagranti and Tom Trago, amongst others. Radeo Vidio do their best to inform listeners about the background to this music and give some much needed context to a scene lost in a sea of internet hype and sub genres. Or something. There's also a superb 20 minute mix from Rubicon to round things off.

Radeo Vidio December Podcast by Radeo Vidio

CHOON #4

2009-12-16T07:17:00.000-08:00

Bocca Grande - Overdose

REVIEW: House of House // Rushing to Paradise (DJ Harvey remix)

2009-12-15T10:39:00.000-08:00

Artist: House of House
Title: Rushing to Paradise (Walkin’ These Streets)
Label: House of House
Genre: Deep House, Disco/Nu-Disco
Format: 12″
Buy From: Juno Records

“Rushing to Paradise (Walkin’ These Streets)” was released earlier this year to almost universal acclaim, with House of House – aka Saheer Umar and Still Going’s Olivier “Liv” Spencer – hitting the nail on the head at the first time of asking.

For the uninitiated, it was a deep house record full of decadence and feeling. The vocals, “down on my knees, I’m begging ya please” screamed vintage soulful house, but the sharp production gave the track a contemporary edge that ensured it remained relevant in today’s musical climate, and, clocking in at 13 minutes, it soon achieved anthem status.

A vinyl-only release, the 12”s sold out everywhere started fetching ludicrous sums on online auction sites, which has prompted a re-release, this time with a remix on the flip from DJ Harvey (who else?)

The inimitable Black Cock boss provides a suitably driving rework, chopping up the vocals and taking the original into even deeper territory, in the process reminding anyone who may have forgotten exactly why he is so revered.

Indeed Harvey’s effort may – whisper it quietly – even eclipse the original.

BOT'OX - BLUE STEEL (AZARI & III REMIX)

2009-12-13T13:59:00.000-08:00

Have a listen to Azari & III's remix of Bot'ox tune "Blue Steel". The Canadian duo have been kind enough to offer up the track as a free download.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://audiofamilies.bandcamp.com/track/free-botox-blue-steel-azari-iii-remix"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;FREE : Bot'Ox - Blue Steel (Azari &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; III remix) by audioFAMILIES&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

TOP LABELS OF 2009

2009-12-11T09:15:00.000-08:00

Following on from Hot Damn's inimitable top tracks of 2009 list, here's my pick of the labels. 2009 was really a year in which warm, fun and soulful music came to the fore, with labels like Wolf and Lamb stepping into the spoltlight with a slew of sleazy, 122 BPM slow burners. Number one, however, had to be I'm A Cliche. Label boss Cosmo Vitelli unearthed two amazing acts in 2009: namely Canadians Azari and III and Aussie duo Canyons, and for that, Mr Vitelli, we salute you.

Top labels of 2009:
1. I'm A Cliche
2. Italians Do It Better
3. Wolf and Lamb
4. Tiny Sticks
5. Under The Shade
6. Sound Signature
7. Endless Flight
8. DFA
9. Eskimo
10. Instruments of Rapture

CHOON #3

2009-12-09T11:09:00.000-08:00

Levon Vincent - Late Night Jam

JOHNNY JEWEL // Interview with Juno Plus

2009-12-09T07:37:00.000-08:00

I recently did my best giggling schoolgirl impression whilst interviewing Johnny Jewel, the creative mastermind behind the faultless Italians Do It Better imprint, and one of the producers I admire most.

He revealed details about the new After Dark compilation (due out early 2010), and discussed the pitfalls of hype, his production methods and why he is an artistic caveman.

Full article here.

FREE DOWNLOAD: New Pantha Du Prince single

2009-12-08T10:47:00.000-08:00

The highly touted Pantha Du Prince has an album due out very soon on Rough Trade Records (their first ever venture into techno). To celebrate, they are donating the German's new single "The Splendour" to the blog world - here it is. Melodic techno gets me every time.

TOP TRACKS OF 2009

2009-12-07T15:38:00.000-08:00

A great year of music is nearly over. From dubstep to disco; deep house to techno; it's been a stellar year for electronic music if you avert your eyes from the mainstream dross (although a super special shout out here to the Akon/Guetta collab, that was tops). Here are my favourite 30 tracks from 2009:

1. Motor City Drum Ensemble - Raw Cuts 5 (MCDE)
2. DJ Kaos - Love The Night Away (Tiedye Remix) (Italians Do It Better)
3. Canyons - Fire Eyes (DFA)
4. Hunee - Rare Silk (WT US)
5. Tom Trago - Passion (Motor City Drum Ensemble Remix) (Rush Hour)
6. Daniel Steinberg - Cry All Night (Heinrichs & Hirtenfelner Remix) (Subdub)
7. DJ Wool - The Star of East Berlin (Rampa Remix) (Plant Music)
8. Hugg & Pepp - Sweet Rosie (Disco Dub) (Turbo)
9. T & K - Mucho Swash (Italians Do It Better)
10. Clap Rules - Never Half Step (Tiny Sticks)
11. DJ T. - Rituality (Get Physical)
12. Motor City Drum Ensemble - Raw Cuts 6 (MCDE)
13. Je Davu & Melon - Music Got You Movin' (Exclusive Watergate Edit) (Watergate)
14. Jori Hulkkonen - Dancerous (Turbo)
15. In Flagranti - Brash & Vulgar (Codek)
16. LCD Soundsystem - 45:33 (Theo Parrish Remix) (DFA)
17. M. In - Work That Body (Off)
18. Hudson Mohawke - FUSE (Warp)
19. Marvin Belton - The Letter (Ferrispark Records)
20. Bot'ox - Blue Steel (I'm A Cliché)
21. Azari & III - Hungry For The Power (I'm A Cliché)
22. Desire - Don't Call (Italians Do It Better)
23. San Serac - Music Never Ends (Morgan Geist Remix) (Environ)
24. Chamboche - Feverish (The Revenge Remix) (Under The Shade)
25. Sidwho? - Millionaire (Future Classic)
26. The Units - High Pressure Days (Rory Phillips Remix) (Relish)
27. Ethyl & Huxley - Catch Up (Cécille Numbers)
28. Canyons - Dancing On Silk (DFA)
29. Chew Lips - Solo (Kitsune)
30. Runaway - Black Label Honey (On The Prowl)

Top albums and labels to follow shortly!

SIR JEFF MILLS

2009-12-06T11:00:00.000-08:00

Jeff Mills, one of electronic music's deepest thinkers, muses about the state of techno and his relentless desire to innovate.

Read the full interview on Soon Night here.

CHOON #2

2009-12-06T03:52:00.001-08:00

Melon aka Je Davu - Music Got You Movin'

SLEAZY WINTER MIX // Radeo Vidio

2009-12-02T16:01:00.001-08:00

Here's a little mix I knocked up to keep you dancin' this December. Sleazy, sub-122 BPM house music.

Sleazy House Mix - December 2009 by Radeo Vidio

Tracklisting:

1. CANYONS – Apples & Pears [Hole In The Sky]

2. MOTOR CITY DRUM ENSEMBLE – Raw Cuts #4 [MCDE]

3. NO REGULAR PLAY - Derecha [Soul Clap remix] [Wolf + Lamb]

4. TIMID BOY – C’est La Secret [Time Has Changed]

5. JE DAVU & MELON – Music Got You Movin’ [Exclusive Watergate Edit] [Watergate Records]

6. T & K- Mucho Swash [Italians Do It Better]

7. TOM TRAGO – Passion [Motor City Drum Ensemble Remix] [Rush Hour]

8. NEVILLE WATSON - Let Me Go [Permanent Vacation]

9. HUNEE – Tour De Force [WT US]

10. ETHYL & HUXLEY - With You [Cecille Numbers]

11. JAY SHEPHEARD - Last Days Exit [Jimpster Remix] [Compost]

12. ALEX AGORE - That Would Be Alright [4Lux]

13. LINKWOOD & HOUSE OF TRAPS - Barley Eagle [Firecracker]

14. RUNAWAY - Use Me [Wurst Edits]

15. DJ T. - To The Drum [Get Physical]

16. SEBO K - Spirits [Drum Version featuring Max Moya] [mobilee]

WE PLAY MUSIC // Russian Bar

2009-12-02T15:33:00.000-08:00

Back from a brief hiatus, We Play Music returns to its eastern bloc(k) locale the Russian Bar for another instalment of classic Italo, warm house and brooding techno.

Over the past two years We Play Music have distinguished themselves amongst the myriad of east London club nights as a must for all things disco, house and techno.

No strangers to good music and big names, they have played host to the likes of Terry Francis, Lee Curtiss (Wolf & Lamb) and Roland M Dill (Trapez) as well as featuring exclusive mixes from Turbo jock Matt Walsh, Compost’s Jay Shepheard and Max Cooper.

This month Radeo Vidio will play host to the revelry between sets from residents Simon Ledder & Italo obsessive Mattie Twentythree. Free entry all night!

REVIEW: Hunee // Tour De Force EP

2009-12-02T14:51:00.000-08:00

Artist: Hunee
Title: Tour De Force
Label: WT US
Genre: Deep House
Format: Digital
Buy From: Juno Download

Never has an EP title been so apt; Hunee’s Tour De Force is just that – having swept all before it, charted by just about every house/disco DJ with a finger on the pulse.

Hunee (aka Korean born, Berlin-based Hun Choi) is in many ways the symbol of the modern deep house renaissance; young, raw and patently not from Detroit or Chicago. But this music has soul. Choi clearly – defiantly -favours warm house sounds, in contrast to the stark minimal techno that dominated the past decade in his adopted city.

He’s not alone of course – there’s Motor City Drum Ensemble aka Danilo Plessow (Motor City being a dual reference to Detroit and his home town of Stuttgart, the automotive manufacturing hub of Germany), whose Raw Cuts series has been ubiquitous in 2009.

The title track on Tour De Force has an underlying drive that works harmoniously with high end key stabs, while the percussion on “Cut Down Trees” is reminiscent of the best Wolf & Lamb material. Meanwhile “Rare Silk”, surely the EPs highlight, utilises a warm bass and piano line along with cut-up vocals that makes it simultaneously deep and funky.

Hunee is a newcomer to the production game – this is only his third release, all of which have come this year – but his ability to combine luscious pads, clever samples and catchy piano lines means he will be one to watch in 2010.

GUEST MIX FOR MoS

2009-11-28T12:37:00.001-08:00

We did a 20 minute mix for Ministry of Sound's "Saturday Sessions" radio show this week. It's quite housey, and features the likes of Canyons, Motor City Drum Ensemble and Da Hardy Boyz.

Radeo Vidio - Guest mix for Ministry of Sound

CHOON #1

2009-11-28T05:26:00.000-08:00

Tom Trago - Passion - Motor City Drum Ensemble Remix

RADEO VIDIO // November Top 10

2009-11-22T12:18:00.000-08:00

Our number one for November - Lee Foss. Come on ladies, you know you would...

Wow, time marches relentlessly on, doesn't it? Apologies for the extended absence; the Hot Damn crew is back on deck and prepped for a big winter. Let's kick things off with the Radeo Vidio top 10 for November, as featured on Resident Advisor.

1. Lee Foss - Grinding (Wolf & Lamb)
2. Da Hardy Boyz - I Want To Be There (Runaway Remix) (Turntable Lab US)
3. Oliver Ton - Hasta El Fin (Tony Lionni Remix) (Gigolo)
4. Fuckpony - Real Love Lasts Forever (BPitch)
5. Jabberjaw - A Goat On Fire In The Garden Of Eden (Spectral Sound)
6. Dorothys Fortress - Curb Dog 88 (Destroy All Planets)
7. Pixeltan - Yamerarena (DFA)
8. DJ T. - Gorilla Hug (Get Physical)
9. Ciara Moto - Silently (Carl John Elger remix) (Infine Music)
10. KZA - Open Up (Slow Version) (Endless Flight)

CLAUDE VONSTROKE // Interview with Juno Plus

2009-11-05T15:16:00.000-08:00

Claude VonStroke is a relentless innovator. Ever since songs like “The Whistler”, “Who’s Afraid of Detroit”, “Deep Throat” and “Chimps” were released, he’s carved a name as one of the most interesting producers in house and techno, combining quirky samples with irresistibly catchy beats. Bird Brain – his second studio album and worthy successor to 2006’s Beware of the Bird – combines house, techno and a myriad of other genres and influences – not least his San Francisco home – into a truly unique and original electronic album.

You can read my full interview with Claude over at Juno Plus.

JUNO PLUS

2009-10-29T13:54:00.001-07:00

Juno Records/Juno Download has launched a new online magazine, Juno Plus...It contains daily news updates, interviews, features, guest blogs, podcasts, remix comps and a whole lot more!

To launch the site they have done a wide-ranging interview with British music icon Andrew Weatherall, who took some time out to speak about polar explorers, Edwardian fashion and the similarities between rockabilly and techno. (click the pic to read the story).

And you can check the rest of the goings-on at Juno Plus right here: www.junoplus.co.uk

SATURDAYS AT BERGHAIN // "The rest of the world disappears. In Berghain you're off the map"

2009-10-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

Anyone lucky enough to have stepped foot in Berlin's most (in)famous temple of techno will be able to relate to some of the stories contained in Tobias Rapp's book "Berlin, Techno and the Easyjet set", which will be published in English later this year by Innervisions. The chapter on Berghain/Panorama Bar was featured in Resident Advisor recently:

"Berghain and Panormabar have a total of six bars spread over three floors. One is in the room on the right of Berghain, next to the large dance floor, a space you can imagine as the side aisle of a gothic cathedral. Just as architects of old created a clever interplay of windows and narrow columns to emphasise the direct link with the heavens, here the spotlights are positioned in such a way as to make the ceiling appear even higher than it actually is. Another bar is slightly hidden to the left of the dance floor, near the darkrooms. There's also a staircase here leading up to Panoramabar, which is a little smaller and brighter than Berghain. Upstairs is house and straight, downstairs hard and gay.

You go to Berghain late, sometimes very late. Many Berliners have started coming in the morning after sleeping to avoid the peak tourist hours of up to 8 AM. And you stay for a long time. Often you can't even remember exactly what you've done in the hours in between. Not just because you may have been under the influence of various mind detergents and disco biscuits along the way, but because Berghain opens up its own space-time continuum. With other clubs you go in, stay for a while, then go on somewhere else. Here, you stay. The rest of the world disappears. In Berghain you're off the map. This is something you have to enter into willingly. You can feel very lost as the only sober person among hundreds of intoxicated revellers. Especially since the club is so huge—over 3,000 people are probably ushered through the doors on a good night. On the other hand, every room displays such a firm sense of proportion that you almost feel—well, it would be going a little too far to say you feel at home. Like a fish in water, that's more like it. After all, you're here precisely because it isn't home.

Taking photographs in Berghain isn't allowed, not even on a mobile phone camera. Because many guests don't want to be photographed while they live out their sexual fantasies, says a doorman when asked. This may be so, but above all every photo would be a bridge to the outside world, a reminder that the outside exists at all. No club is so successful at sealing itself off from this outside world as Berghain. The sun may already be high in the sky outside—inside you always seem to be shrouded in an early-morning twilight."

Read the full chapter here.

AEROPLANE vs AU REVOIR SIMONE // Round Two

2009-10-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

Belgian disco dons Aeroplane and Brooklyn lovelies Au Revoir Simone are back in the remixing sack together, and although "Another Likely Story" is no "Paris" (in which Stef and Vito famously stripped back the Friendly Fires vocals to allow Au Revior's ethereal backing to take the fore), it's still four and a bit minutes of blissed-out disco goodness. If nothing else it takes some attention away from their ponderous Robbie Williams rework.

DOWNLOAD: Au Revoir Simone - Another Likely Story (Aeroplane remix) (mp3)

Pic: Felicity Ieraci

HOT TODDY // I Need Love (Morgan Geist remix) - Sexy As Fuck

2009-10-26T15:10:00.001-07:00

Eskimo teased us with "I Need Love's" inclusion in the recent Cosmic Balearic Beats Vol 2 release, and now Hot Toddy's slow burning disco gem gets a full digital release. Hot Toddy is Chris Todd, Nottingham-based guitarist and part of the production team behind Crazy P. Ron Basejam does his best Barry White impersonation on the vocals, while the typically brilliant dub mix by Morgan Geist sees a deep, rumbling baseline bounce off twangy key stabs.

MR NICHOLAS SIANO // Love Fever

2009-10-25T13:23:00.000-07:00

"Larry and I would blow up balloons, set up the food bar, prepare the punch, and give out acid, but we also spent a lot of time in the DJ booth, watching Nicky's every move. He pretty much taught us what he was doing" - Frankie Knuckles.

Disco cognoscenti Nicky Siano will be playing at the Love Fever party at Corsica Studios next month. Where to begin? I certainly don't know where to start - I can already tell I'm about to start nervously bumbling around my words like a poor man's Hugh Grant, so I'll let the Love Fever cats explain the night:

"We are chuffed to be joined by New York disco legend Nicky Siano playing all night long in room one, whilst in room two with a nod to the future of disco we welcome Mark Seven over from Sweden alongside our (fool)hardy Love Fever DJs.

So onto our main room guest, Nicky Siano. Having helped Nicky with his Galleria party at the Key club 5 years ago we can cheerfully report that he's still 'got it' and that night he rocked the (illuminated) dancefloor from 9pm till 5am closing and we're looking forward to a repeat performance at Love Fever. For a potted history, as a pioneer of the dance music scene in early 70s NYC he opened his own club at a precocious age of 17, The Gallery. Alongside The Loft and the Paradise Garage, the Gallery was one of New York's most famous underground disco clubs, with Nicky regularly delighting large crowds with his highly regarded DJing. He inspired and launched the careers of Larry Levan and Frankie Knuckles with Grace Jones and Loleatta Holloway both making their debut appearances at his legendary nightspot. New York Daily News named him 'The City's Best DJ' and New York Magazine called his club, The Gallery, 'one of the five most visually breathtaking nightspots of our time'.

Certainly an inspiration to us at Love Fever with the attention to detail he put into his Gallery club in terms of sound, decor and quite simply, drama. Not content with running his own club Nicky also guested at several others, including the infamous Studio 54, and was actually the DJ as Bianca Jagger rode naked across the dance floor on her white horse! Nicky, as well as introducing the concept of pitch control to mixing, was also the first DJ to truly realise the power of dropping out certain channels of music, eg. slamming the bass in and out of a track, to heighten the ecstasy on his dance floor.

For this event we're going to take over the Corsica Studios space just south of the river (gasp). It's a great space that's recently housed parties with Dixon, Henrik Schwarz and Prins Thomas amongst others as well as the near legendary Low Life parties, and a space ripe for a Love Fever style makeover. A fantastic 2 roomed venue (plus garden) with a slamming Funktion One system which will be subject to the full Love Fever makeover, think disco balls, balloons, projections, artworks and sound system fine tuning - for the geeks our first party featured a 1973 Bozak mixer and for our last we had a Urei 1620, white shure cartridges & a 5k F1 rig.

We hope you can join us on the dance floor..... Andy & Alex."

Tickets here.

RADEO VIDIO // On The Radio

2009-10-25T12:12:00.000-07:00

Radeo Vidio Podcast October 2009 by Radeo Vidio

In an attempt to inflict not only our musical tastes on people but also our opinions, we have done a radio podcast in which we chat cheese about our favourite new tracks, drop a couple of exclusives and giggle a bit. We’ll be doing this every few weeks and we'll try and be as informative as we can, so with any luck you’ll learn a thing or two and hear some great tunes along the way.

We have painted the first show with a broad brush: we’ve got A Mochi’s brooding Japanese techno nestled alongside a hugely promising disco cut from Sidwho? Kerri Chandler and Motor City Drum Ensemble chip in with some smooth house and there’s brand new material from Hudson Mohwake, Jori Hulkkonen, Joe Goddard and Claude VonStroke.

We then wind things up nicely with a 20 minute Ableton mix. In future podcasts we want the mix section to be an opportunity for other DJs to show their wares, so if you’d like to submit your mix please reach out to us out at radeovidio@hotmail.com

RADEO VIDIO'S "Sunderland v Liverpool" Top 10 for October

2009-10-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

Here's a list of the tunes that have been floating our boat this month. A particular shout to the Benjamin Sun track from the Voteurythm EP - the whole release is amazing.

1. Hudson Mohawke // FUSE (Warp Records)
2. Benjamin Sun // When You Looked (Voyeurhythm)
3. Marvin Belton // The Letter (Ferrispark)
4. Jori Hulkkonen // I Dance To Your Bass My Friend (Turbo Recordings)
5. Sidwho? // Millionaire (12" mix) (Bark Bang)
6. Claude VonStroke // California (Dirtybird)
7. Joe Goddard // Apple Bobbing (Greco Roman)
8. Paul Hardy & Moodymanc // Sizzler (Sei A remix) (Baker St)
9. Hot Toddy // I Need Love (Morgan Geist's love dub) (Eskimo Recordings)
10. N/A // Sex Attack (Cosmo Vitelli Re-kut) (I'm A Cliche)

HUDSON MOHAWKE

2009-10-12T03:35:00.001-07:00

Highly touted Scotsman Hudson Mohawke's debut album Butter drops next week on Warp. From the snippets I've heard it sounds amazing - a true master of cut and paste electronica, a dubstep version of Jackson & His Computer Band, if you will. He recently spoke to online London mag Dummy, who were kind enough to give out a free download of "Rising 5".

Hudson Mohawke - "Rising 5" mp3 (courtesy of Dummy)

PARTY PARTY // Radeo Vidio October 15 at Legion, Old St

2009-10-06T12:25:00.000-07:00

This Thursday night we'll be taking our peerless CD wallets to the Legion on Old St for the latest installment of the Laissez Faire Club. We'll be supporting UK electro-pop starlets My Tiger My Timing, who endured a typically ferocious Hot Damn grilling earlier in the year, plus New York acts The Ambassadors and The Vanguard. It's been a fine year in particular for the Tigers, who have released a couple of EPs and scored slots on two noteworthy compilations (namely Modular's Leave Them All Behind 3 and Kitsune's next Masion compo) - all on the back of my groundbreaking interview, obviously. It's only £5 on the door, so come come grind with us.

Facebook love here.

RADEO VIDIO // Twenty20 Mix

2009-10-01T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hot Damn doesn't have too many positive things to say about limited overs cricket (and would in fact rather see a game last for 6 or 7 days or a month instead of 20 overs of TV-friendly guff), but we have decided to apply to Twenty20 concept to our latest mixtape. Allow me to present 20 tracks in 20 minutes, as mixed by Radeo.

20twenty by Radeo Vidio

Twenty 20 - (Mixed by Radeo) (mp3)

Tracklist:
1.Gonzalez - Lucky // Lomidhigh Organic
2.Akin & Nomis - Yakima (Ben Anders remix) // Les Gold Series
3.Ben Anders - Indian Spice // weplayminimal
4.Goldfish, Der Dulz, & Karolin Mueller - Freak In The Presence Of Beauty (Dejonka remix) // Suchtreflex
5.Phunklarique & Dejonka - Reflections In Plexiglass (Piemont's In Every Direction remix) Wahrhaft
6.Daniel Dreir - Manjar // Subdub Records
7.Boris Rush - Miami Push // Sneakerz MUZIK
8.Carlos Sanchez, & DJ Ray - Mr. Robin // Baudenzauber
9.Tomas Barfod & Fred ski - Mr. Fleurquin // Get Physical Music
10.Daniel Steinberg - Keep On Movin // Supdub Records
11.M.in & Bastian Schuster - Get On A Freak // Off
12.Catz 'n Dogz - Lolek & Bolek feat. Pol_On // Get Physical
13.Motor City Drum Ensemble - Raw Cuts #5 // Faces Records
14.A. Mochi - Black Out // Figure
15.Heinrichs & Hirtenfellner - Silvertune // Supdub Records
16.Tomas Andersson - Big Hair // Pawn Shop Records
17.Veto - Blackout (Kenton Slash Demon remix) Fairtilizer
18.District One - Dubcrystal // 100% Pure
19.Orgasmic & Teki Latex - The Sixpack Anthem (Harvard Bass Remix) // Institubes
20.Hugg & Pepp - Sweet Rosie (Sei A Remix) // Turbo Recordings

RECORD REVIEW // APOLLO - Past, Present, Future

2009-10-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

Belgium is a funny little place. Look at it, over there between Holland, France and Germany. All waffles, chocolate and Tintin I hear you giggle? Well no, obviously not. For such a diminutive country it really does have a fascinating history of dance music (amongst other things). There was the Belgian New Beat sound of the 80s, a combination of acid and underground house that pioneered a slow yet danceable groove still mimicked by artists today. The late ‘90s saw the rise of hardstyle, which, alongside its equally hardcore Dutch cousin gabba, is a good shout for the worst genre of music ever invented. These days you have the full spectrum of dance music emanating from Belgium, from Soulwax and Goose’s guitar-driven electronica to Aeroplane’s blissful disco. Add it all together and you have a proper little musical melting pot.

Belgium is also home to a couple of very important labels, not least R&S Records. Started by Renaat Vandepapeliere in 1984, R&S was a pioneer in the techno, jungle and ambient scenes of that decade. Shit, any European label that has Model 500/Juan Atkins in its discography is worth its salt. Apollo was formed soon after as a sub-label of R&S to specialise in the ambient works, and was one of the first to release material by Aphex Twin, with Digeridoo, Xylem Tube and the seminal Selected Ambient Works 85-92. It was championing chill-out music long before chill-out became a dirty word, abused, bloated and beaten to within an inch of its life by the mainstream music world.

Read the rest of my review over at Sup Magazine...

ACID SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA // Roland 303s and dinner suits

2009-09-27T05:27:00.000-07:00

I always knew, actually, hoped, that the current glut of superb Scandinavian techno producers would lose the plot and do something fucking wicked. Jori Hulkkonen has done just that, with his hair-brained yet brilliant Acid Symphony Orchestra. It's just like a normal orchestra, but each member is armed with a Roland TB 303, which is of course the instrument that gave birth to acid house. They opened for Kraftwerk at a recent gig in Helsinki, and have another gig coming up in Istanbul...

Meanwhile here's a fantastic podcast by Jesper Dahlback (who plays "1st violin" in the Acid Symphony) containing some of his old, experimental acid from the early 90s.

Jesper Dahlbäcks 90's Acid 93-96 Mix

RADEO VIDIO // First We Take Manhattan... (Mixed by Vidio)

2009-09-23T14:17:00.001-07:00

The latest mix from Radeo Vidio is a something of a genre orgy, with disco, house and techno all throwing the proverbial keys into the bowl. Hope you enjoy it. The reason behind the opening track is simple: most of the music I have been listening to has a spiritual home in either New York or Berlin. So it's all a rich tapestry. Or something. Hope you enjoy it.

Download here: http://soundcloud.com/radeo-vidio/first … d-by-vidio

Tracklist:
1. LEONARD COHEN // First We Take Manhattan - (CBS)
2. TOBY TOBIAS // In Your Eyes (Tensnake Remix) - (Rekids)
3. HUGG & PEPP // Sweet Rosie (Disco Dub) - (Turbo Recordings)
4. NITE JEWEL // Want You Back (Vocal Mix) - (Italians Do It Better)
5. SOLILA // Atlantis (Downtown Party Network remix) – (Add2Basket Records)
7. CANYONS // Fire Eyes - (DFA)
8. FREDSKI, TOMAS BARFORD // Mr Fleurquin – (Get Physical)
9. STEFANO TESTA // Manetta’s Fine Food (Jacques Renault Remix) – (Rebirth)
10. M. IN // Bap Da Pap – (Weplayminimal)
11. MATHIAS KADEN // Musica - (Moon Harbour)
12. VISTI & MEYLAND // Yes Maam (Trentmoeller Remix) – (disco:wax)
13. KESHO // Meru (M. in Remix) – (Weplayminimal)
14. DANIEL STEINBERG // In My Home – (Budenzauber)
15. TIMO JAHNS // Wubb Die Klick Die (Harry Axt Remix) – (Budenzauber)
16. WILLIAMS // Ships In Hamburg (Matt Walsh and Alex Jones Remix) – (Turbo Recordings)
17. JEAN-MICHEL JARRE // Fifth Rendez-Vous (Part 1) (Disques Dreyfus)

RADEO VIDIO // Top 10 for September // Playing at (a pub next to) Fabric!

2009-09-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

Translation: Radeo vs Vidio

Like a well played game of chess, Radeo Vidio is strategically inching ever closer to a superclub appearance, but in the meantime we're more than happy spinning our CDRs at the Smiths pub in Farringdon, courtesy of Pure Groove. We've got a pretty action-packed month coming up, here's some dates for your diary.

Gig dates for October:

October 3: @ Smiths, Farringdon & @ the Redchurch, Shoreditch
October 10: @ 333, Old St, Shoreditch
October 15: @ Legion, Old St w/ My Tiger My Timing, The Vanguard (NYC) and The Ambassadors (NYC)
October 17: @ Franken Bar, Angel
October 31: @ Bar Music Hall, Shoreditch

Meanwhile here's our shiny new Resident Advisor chart for September:

1. SERVO // Leach Power - (Codek Records)
2. MOTOR CITY DRUM ENSEMBLE // Raw Cuts 5 & 6 - (MCDE)
3. CATS N DOGZ FEAT. POL ON // Lolex & Bloex - (Get Physical)
4. ANDREW WEATHERALL // Fail We May, Dub We Must - (Rotters Golf Club)
5. MARCELLO GIORDANI // Respect Yourself (DJ Naughty Remix) - (Endless Flight)
6. PAUL RITCH & ANTON PIEETE // Matador - (100% Pure)
7. KIRK DEGIORGO // Mass - (ART)
8. BJORN WILKE // What If (Sebbo Remix) - (Kaato Music)
9. PRUDO & THE DOLPHINS // Luce (South Side Remix) - (Opussum Recordings)
10. SEI A // Chinese Whispers - (International Deejay Gigolo Recordings)

MATT WALSH // Summer Mix

2009-09-14T09:57:00.000-07:00

Matt Walsh is a gentleman of the game, flying the British techno flag nice and high. If were up to me - and of course it isn't and never will be - he'd have a monthly residency at Berghain by now. Here's his summer mix, complete with a rain intro and outro. Arf.

Matt Walsh Summer Mix // Download here

Tracklist

1. Clouded Vision – Neon Rain (Astronomer Remix)/Matt’s Rain Intro
2. Pan Pot – Confronted
3. Joseph Capriati – Iron Pump
4. Roland M. Dill - Black Coffee
5. Williams – Ships In Hamburg (Matt Walsh & Alex Jones Remix)
6. Kenquo - J's Cookie (Robbie Taylor Remix)
7. Zero 7 – Medicine Man (Noob Remix)
8. De Bos - On The Run (Ralvero Get Down Remix)
9. Noob & Brodinski – Cajou Club
10. Skunk Annansie – Weak (Popof Remix)
11. Julian Jewell – Party 2009
12. Umek - Pravim Haos
13. Sebastian Leger – Snapshot
14. District One (Aka Bart Skils And Anton Pieete) - Dubcrystal (Julien Chaptal & Lauhaus Remix)
15. Change – Peace for Freaks
16. Jakob Hilden – Glamoflage
17. Tim Green – Bee Laying
18. Peaches – Lose You (Matt Walsh & Alex Jones Remix)
19. Stephen Beaupre - Achaemenid
20. Fever Ray – Seven (Seth Troxler Remix)
21. Clouded Vision – Neon Rain (Astronomer Remix)/Matt’s Rain Outro

SAVILE // New Mixtape

2009-09-14T06:16:00.000-07:00

The more discerning Hot Damn readers will remember we posted a couple of excellent edits of Hugg & Pepp by Amercan producer Savile back in July. The even more discerning among you will have immensely enjoyed both those edits (of "Penguini" and "I Can't Breath"). Well he's followed that up with a rather superb mixtape. Opening with Matthew Dear & Seth Troxlers epic new track "Hurt", it's a 42 miniutes and 10 seconds of techno at its deep, bubbly, bleepy, clunky best.

1. matthew dear & seth troxler - hurt
2. soultourist - wild cats
3. audion - on my way to the center
4. patrick specke - naggin' me
5. sebo k, metro - saxtrack (reboot twisted fist remix)
6. brothers vibe - raw vibes
7. acid pauli - urwald
8. kiki - good voodoo (chaim remix)
9. style of eye - air race
10. ian pooley & zoo brazil - reader (tonka remix)
11. lambda - hold on  tight (lutzenkirchen remix)
12. tim green - kitch in
13. rhythm code - scorpion
14. fm radio gods - i am feat. k star (lutzenkirchen remix)

D ownload here

NITE JEWEL // Want You Back EP // Italians Do It Better

2009-09-14T05:58:00.001-07:00

Artists and labels who produce a relative paucity of material often leave you constantly craving more, like a tantalizing entrée at an expensive restaurant. Mike Simonetti and Johnny Jewel of Italians Do It Better have this down to a fine art: The imprint has released a steady trickle of material since 2008's After Dark compilation, but only enough to stay on the radar. Fans of Italians never leave feeling overindulged.

Read my full review at Resident Advisor.

RADEO VIDIO // August Top 10

2009-08-18T06:08:00.000-07:00

We be rollin' you be hatin'...Here's our Resident Advisor chart for August.

1. M. IN // Bap Da Pap - (Weplayminimal)

2. HUGG & PEPP // Sweet Rosie (Disco dub) - (Turbo Recordings)

3. DANIEL STEINBERG // Bailando - (Front Room Recordings)
4. TOBY TOBIAS // In Your Eyes (Tensnake Remix) - (Rekids)
5. HANS BOUFFMYHRE // Anger Management - (Stolen Moments)
6. A. MOCHI // Black Out - (Figure)
7. DEJONKA & PHUNKLARIQUE // Reflections In Plexiglass (Piemont's In Every Directions remix) - (Wahrhaft)
8. JACQUES RENAULT // Poltergeist - (On The Prowl)
9. ABE DUQUE FEAT. VIRGINIA // Following My Heart (Original + DJ Hell + Tigerskin remixes) - (Process Recordings)
10. NITE JEWEL // Want You Back - (Italians Do It Better)

STOPMAKINGME // Interview with Hot Damn

2009-08-11T03:08:00.000-07:00

Stopmakingme - aka Dan Avery - is part of the new school of London DJs. Studiously avoiding the club bangers, he instead chooses to trawl through the archives to play an eclectic selection of everything from electroclash to techno and 80s pop. Already regular at Fabric and increasingly in demand to play parties across the UK, the future is bright for the young man from Bournemouth. He took some time out from a busy summer schedule to chat to Hot Damn...

How long have you been DJing and how did you get into it?

It’s coming up to the five year mark, the time has flown. There was a really great night in Bournemouth called Project Mayhem, run by this guy Matt who also worked in an ace little independent record shop in the town centre. Every week he would put up his DJ charts in the shop and it was a genuinely exciting period for me. It followed that ‘Trash’ ethic of an indie club playing all different kinds of music from all eras yet it still making sense. Watching Richard Fearless drop My Bloody Valentine in the club was a pretty life defining moment. One day, I went into the shop and Matt had written a sign asking for a Project Mayhem warm up DJ. The thought of DJing had never even crossed my mind before but the desire to start, at that very moment, was unbelievably strong. Bournemouth is a tough nut to crack but I’m incredibly proud of what we managed to do with the night – indie kids going crazy to Kylie Minogue records (in a non ironic way) was a beautiful sight. A couple of years later, the Lock Tavern opened a pub in Bournemouth and asked us to get involved. I eventually ended up booking the whole venue as a job and moved up to work for the company as soon as I finished university. At the same point I first met the Filthy Dukes and we got on straight away. I always really looked up to both the Kill Em All and Adventures In The Beetroot Field nights so was pretty blown away when I found myself heavily involved in both.

Have you got any plans to produce your own material?
Yes! It's happening right now - I'm working with a couple of producers. All I can say is that I’m really keen to make club music that feels as exciting and as FUN as a lot of the stuff that emerged at the beginning of the decade. That's not to say I want to make novelty records, just electronic music that makes girls dance too. There definitely won’t be any atmospheric minimal or thoughtful deep house - that's not what I want to achieve.

Craziest thing you’ve seen at one of your gigs?
The entire room turning into a giant samba circle upstairs at the Lock Tavern was a funny sight. It’s a really cool place to play in general as everyone always turns up thinking they want a quiet night out but ends up really going for it.

Who’s this Singleton character you've worked with?
Mr. Simon Singleton – a very talented friend of mine. He once put work out under the Baseball Furies guise. He’s just started producing stuff under his own name and has some really amazing stuff up his sleeve so definitely a name to watch. Great DJ too.

Fave venue to DJ at?
Well, I feel extremely fortunate to be able to play at Fabric numerous times a year. I never in a million years dreamed I would be a resident DJ at the best club in the world. I’ve also got to mention Bugged Out as their parties are always something else. I still get incredibly nervous before I play at either of those but I have the time of my life once I start playing.

Are you working on any remixes at the moment?

I'm concentrating on original stuff right now but there will be more remixes soon. There is some exciting stuff being lined up.

Describe your musical taste in three words...

When Doves Cry

Top 6 tunes of the moment?

- Mugwump - Die Nacht Ist Kuhl
- Kyle Geiger - Ode To The Elders (Perc Remix)
- Amanda Blank - Something Bigger, Something Better
- Parra Soundsystem - Shirtin'
- Dorothy's Fortress - Tube Thumper
- Riton & Primary 1 - Who's There? (In Flagranti Remix)

You can download an edited version of his excellent mix for SUP Magazine here:

Stopmakingme - Summer mix (mp3)

WHAT THINGS BECOME // A Techno Mix By Radeo Vidio

2009-08-11T02:56:00.000-07:00

Big room techno, clunky tech house and all things deep - Hot Damn is proud to bring you the latest mix from Radeo Vidio. A relentless hour and a half of cavernous drops and rumbling bass lines, it's unlike anything else released under the RV moniker in the past. Enjoy.

WHAT THINGS BECOME - MIXED BY RADEO (mp3)

1. REPLACEMENT DJ & ANEY F // Sniper (Andrea Giuliani & Luca Rossetti remix) // Eklero
2. MOWREE // Special Wine // Antibemusic
3. CRY ALL NIGHT // Daniel Steinberg (Heinrichs & Hertenfellner remix) // Supdub
4. HUGG & PEPP // Mormor // Turbo
5. RESET ROBOT // Do The Slot // SCI+TEC Digital Audio
6. KERRI CHANDLER // Pong (Ben Klocks Bones & Strings rework) // Deeply Rooted House
7. RESET ROBOT // Continue // 8 Sided Dice
8. MADKID // Bang Bang // PM Music
9. PULSE // Ben Klock // Klockworks
10. M.IN // Work That Body // Off
11. MODERAT // Seamonkey // Bptich Control
12. DANIELE PAPINI // No Haste // Break New Soil
13. DANIEL DREIER // Manjar // Supdub
14. SINISA LUKIC // Tribe // Kaseta Music
15. NTFO // Filter // SK Supreme
16. JOVA // Cartoons // Relogical
17. SQL // Distorted Reality // SK Supreme
18. ANEY F & BROKEN LAPTOP // Printer (Sinisa Lukic remix) // PAPSTEC
19. REPLACEMENT DJ // Cirkoos // FHD Records
20. MASOMENOS, KROEN & LEMOS // Greeks // Welcome To Masomenos
21. HEINRICHS & HERTENFELLER // Silvertune // Supdub
22. LOMEZ & IVAYLO // Flies (Nuno Dos Santos 'Electric Flyswatter' Dub) // Elevation

CASSIUS // Youth, Speed, Trouble, Cigarettes

2009-08-11T02:49:00.000-07:00

First came the electroclash revival. Tiga, Peaches, Miss Kittin and Fischerspooner all released new albums within a space of a few months this year, and suddenly everyone was dancing like it was 2001. Now, hot on the heels of the announcement that Daft Punk are scoring the soundtrack to the Tron sequel, fellow French duo Cassius—AKA Hubert "Boom Bass" Blanc-Francard and Philippe "Zdar" Cerboneschi—have released their first material in two years. Yes, folks, French Touch is alive and well.

Read the rest of the review here...

THAT'S A BIG 'IF' // Radeo Vidio weekend: Dalston, Shoreditch

2009-08-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

This Friday we'll be DJing at the Edinburgh Cellars in Dalston with the Shameless Disco crew. It's small, dark and dingy, so expect to hear some of the clunky German techno that's been assaulting my Beatport account lately. If I'm feeling good after our gig I'll pop over to catch Matt Walsh at the Dalston Superstore, although that's a very big 'if' - like one of those giant novelty attractions you see in the middle of nowhere in outback Australia - i.e. Big Pineapple or the Giant Rocking Horse. (“Daddy, what’s that over there?” “That’s the Big ‘If’, son”). Yes, well, anyway, we'll be back flying the Shameless Disco banner at hipster-central (Catch in Shoreditch) on Sunday night.

FIELD DAY 2009 // Rain, Music and Chinese Food

2009-08-03T02:30:00.000-07:00

Field Day 2009 defintely happened, although as with most festivals large chunks seemed to pass me by or remain unaccounted for. It all started innocently enough, with Aeroplane's early set so full of disco bliss that the speakers all but came up and hugged you and told you everything would be all right. They opened with some Belgian New Beat (Sound of C by The Confetti's) followed by Da Funk (by obscure French act Daft Punk). I was quietly chuffed that the crowd, bless them, saved their biggest cheers for when the Belgian duo played their own remixes (Friendly Fires, Seb Tellier).

After interviewing Aeroplane for Sup Magazine, I caught the fantastic Little Boots and the start of Erol Alkan, using Fake Blood's set as a chance to poke about backstage in search of beer or food. I then trudged through the pissing rain to catch Santigold, who was amazing, but by now I was cold, wet and, yes, just a little bit grumpy. Some thumping techno from Audion was just the ticket, although it was a bit incessant for my gentle tastes. (Still, major props for playing The Bells by Jeff Mills). Some semi-frozen Chinese food later and the rain had eased: I was similing again. Then it was Scottish prog-rock time. I don't love Mogwai, but I do love telling people I know my shit when it comes to Scottish prog-rock, so I stayed and dilligently watched them build a wall of noise. The list of acts I wanted to see but missed doesn't bear thinking about, but Field Day is the perfect blueprint for a boutique festival: good music, good people, good atmosphere.

PICS: Felicty Ieraci

HUGG & PEPP // Penguini & I Can't Breathe (Savile Edits)

2009-07-31T06:20:00.000-07:00

It's a Friday afternoon in London, the sun is momentarily shining and the forecast for tomorrow's Field Day festival has been slashed from 'Heavy Rain' to 'Light Rain'. Yes, Hot Damn is in a good mood. And I've always been one to share the love, so here are two brilliant edits of Hugg & Pepp's "Penguini" and "I Can't Breathe", given the cunchy techno treatment by Michigan producer Savile. These edits have already been bigged up by Thomas "Tiga's Brother" Von Party...

Hugg & Pepp - Penguini & I Can't Breathe (Savile Edits) - mp3

I'M A CLICHE // Moments Of A Crisis

2009-07-28T07:26:00.000-07:00

Cosmo Vitelli's I'm A Cliche label has released a compilation album celebrating five years in existence. It's a two CD dealio - one with a collection of past gems and the other with brand new material from the label's current stable. You can read my review here.

Meanwhile here's a great interview Todd Burns did with legendary disco journalist Vince Aletti for Resident Advisor. Read it child, read it!

MATT WALSH // Interview for 'SUP Magazine

2009-07-23T03:19:00.000-07:00

I recently caught up with Turbo's Matt Walsh to chat cheese about amongst other things, Proxy’s haircut, DJing in caves and teaching Tiga how to kick a football. You can read the full interview at SUP Magazine.

Pic: Felicity Ieraci

SHAMELESS DISCO // Matt Waites (Nightmoves) // Bar Music Hall, Shoreditch // FRIDAY JULY 24

2009-07-22T07:50:00.001-07:00

I accidentally typed in Beatpot instead of Beatport this week and was slightly dissapointed that I wasn't directed to some quality porn. Nevertheless my mind was soon focused back on music and, it must be said, I indulged myself with some quality tunes - most of which will get an airing Friday night at the Bar Music Hall. Matt Waites of Nightmoves fame will be heading the bill , along with the usual ratbags - Radeo Vidio, Charlie Boy and James Hayward. We will be throwing out a bit of everything from cosmic disco to deep techno. Free entry all night too.

RADEO VIDIO // July Top 10

2009-07-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

Diggin' deep this month.

1. TOMAS ANDERSSON // Big Hair // Pawn Shop Records
2. UNCLE O // Jupiter Menace // I'm A Cliche

3. MASTIKSOUL // Bofe De Elit // Subliminal

4. SHIT ROBOT // Simple Things (Work It Out) (Todd Terje Remix) // DFA

5. CANYONS // Blue Snake // I'm A Cliche

6. MOWREE // Special Water (Dub Mix) // Doot

7. ANEY F // Sniper (Andrea Giulliani & Luca Rossetti Remix) // Eklero

8. UNKNOWN // Cosmic Rave // Eskimo

9. BENI // Maximus // Kitsune

10. RICKY FOBIS // Alba (M.In & Bastian Schuster Remix) // Polar Noise

Now you can keep up to date with our monthly charts at Resident Advisor.

LOVE FEVER // Sat July 25 // Secret Shoreditch Location

2009-07-21T06:28:00.000-07:00

The Love Fever crew are purveyors of the finest disco music, attracting precious few scenesters and building a vibe that harks back to a bygone era. This weekend comes their most ambitious event yet - a party in a secret loft in Shoredtich. We're talking rollergirls, talcum powder dancefloors, punch bowls and a killer soundsystem - in other words a party not to be missed.

Chicago DJ Rahann will be the main attraction, supported by the Love Fever tag team that is Alex Bradley and Andy Bird. Buy tickets on the drop.

Love Fever Loft Party @ a Secret Shoreditch loft
Saturday 25th July - 9pm till 5am

EDIT: This has now SOLD OUT kids!

PHENOMENAL HAND CLAP BAND // WE HAVE BAND // CRYSTAL FIGHTERS // Live at The Tabernacle, Notting Hill

2009-07-16T02:54:00.000-07:00

Hot Damn was among the attendees at the reopening of the fabled Tabernacle venue in Notting Hill recently. Crystal Fighters played their slightly mad Basque-inspired music, complete with hit single I Love London, which contains a baffling nod to Watford Junction, while We Have Band showed why they are among the most highly-regarded indie groups in the capital. The act that stole the show, however, was an 8-piece hippy collective from across the Atlantic. Despite only touring with just a fraction of the 20-something strong list of contributors they call on in their debut album, the Phenomenal Hand Clap Band powered through most of their catalouge with aplomb, including hit single 15 to 20. I waxed lyrical about these guys in 'Sup magazine a while back. Pats on the back all round, then.

DELPHIC, HOUSSE DE RACKET // Live at Madame Jo Jo’s // July 14

2009-07-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

Modular's latest sweethearts Delphic headlined the White Heat gig at Madame Jo Jo's last night, and their fluorescent light stage show was great for about 30 seconds until the power blew and shrouded the whole venue in darkness. A second aborted attempt later, the show resumed sans fluorescent lights and the Manc band played to what was left of the Soho crowd. I honestly don't know how many more electro-pop crossovers I can handle, and Delphic's particularly wimpy take on the genre leaves them hanging in some kind of purgatory between U2 and The Whip. Still, it's too early to be writing them off just yet, and to be fair I was in a bit of a shitty mood (more on that later). French duo Housse De Racket opened the show with their frenzied, Francophile, guitar-laden rock. The boys were in a celebratory mood - it was Bastille Day after all - and they put on a suitably energetic show. Defintely worth a second look.

Meanwhile I soon discovered that the bouncer's preferred method for clearing the stairwell was to shine a torch in the faces of everyone in the general vacinity from across the room - obviously a much smarter tactic than simply asking people to move on. Annoyingly, the torch came in handy during the power cut, thus justifying the bouncer’s existence for a second or two. But I still want to take this opportunity to tell anyone who cares to listen that The Bouncers At Madame Jo Jo’s Are Utter Fuckwits. Well, honestly.

(Oh, and thanks to Matilda for the pic!)

PROFESSOR GENIUS // Interview

2009-07-10T02:00:00.000-07:00

One thing Jorge Velez has in common with everyone's favourite ratbag importer-exporter, wholesaler and used-car salesman Arthur Daley - apart from a very passing resemblance of Daley in his prime - is they both have many fingers in many pies. Jorge - aka Professor Genius aka PG&S aka Bim Marx - has been making music for a decade, and has dabbled in a range of genres and styles. Signed to Italians Do It Better - or The Label That Can Do No Wrong, as I now fanboyishly call it - Jorge is a fascinating character, a deep lover of all things music. He took some time out to talk turkey with Hot Damn.

You’ve been making disco music for a long time – what do you make of the disco resurgence on both sides of the Atlantic?
I've been making music - not just disco influenced - for over 10 years now and it's been cool to see the resurgence of so many styles - italo, boogie, electronic 80s r&b, minimal wave, etc - in the music people have been releasing. Though I'm too busy to keep up with every new record that's out I do like most of what I've heard played out by my DJ friends or in mixes. Most of it seems to come from the heart, from a real joy of making and playing music and not from a desire to be trendy or sell records.

What kind of music were you into growing up?
I've always listened to everything - rock, hip hop, r&b, and anything and everything with a synthesizer or a vivid production style. Prince is my biggest influence, probably. He showed me that one person had the potential to make incredible, unique music all by themselves. I went to clubs - wasn't much of a raver, though. More of a club head - and saw lots of my favorite bands when they played in the NY area. Music has always been important.

You work under a few different aliases – is Professor Genius the priority now?
The Professor is always a priority! Although there are lots of things bubbling right now: with the Bim Marx edits project that I do with my friend Duane Harriott and with PG&S with another friend, Speculator. But at this moment I'm writing a lot of PG material for an album and a few 45s, hopefully, if I feel there's enough interest out there to release it!

Do you prefer to DJ with vinyl, CDs or laptops? Why?
I DJ with Ableton because it gives me the opportunity to switch to playing synths live over my own tracks in the middle of a DJ set, for example. It's cool to have that option.

If you could go back to any club in any era and play a set, where would it be and why?
One of the real underground clubs in New York City in the early to mid 70s. Or a swank club in Paris circa 1968. Just because they would be like scenes from another world to my 21st century eyes and ears. Or just sitting in a corner at someone's villa in ancient Rome, listening to the musicians play. No one really knows what ancient Egyptian or Roman or Greek music sounded like so I’d be down to check that out!

List your top 5 music-related venues in/around New York and explain why they are important to you.
1. The Bubble Lab (my studio)
2. Other Music
3. APT
4. Von
5. Santo's

The first because that's where I live and make my joints. The second because they've supplied me with great music, friendships and support. Three and four because you never walk in there without hearing some great band or DJ and that's still a rarity in this city. And five because it's my favorite bar in NYC (even though I'm not much of a drinker nowadays!) - always friends there and the best bartenders in the city.

What’s on your iPod playlist at the moment?
I've got like 4 playlists going at once. Last night I listened to Siouxsie and The Banshees, a dodgy Italo Boogie compilation with a few amazing tracks, Dam-Funk's "Burgundy City" and my favorite No-Wave band Mars.

What does the next six months hold for Professor Genius? New releases, touring?
There are plans for a limited Professor Genius album on CD - like my first PG release - and maybe some 7" releases before the end of '09. I’m also doing a PG remix for Cosmic Metal Mother on PANACUSTICA (Rome) - 12" due around September. As for PG&S, there’s a 12" on Echo Volt (Athens) with 3 PG&S tracks and one solo track each from me and Speculator. Um, as for Bim Marx, our second 12" on Still Love (US) is due soon as well as the first of many crazy Bim Marx remixes for other artists are in the works. I love being busy, man!

More on Professor Genius:
Buy his music here // Facebook friends?

More Hot Damn interviews from 2009:

Allez Allez // My Tiger My Timing // Plugs // Shadow Dancer // Vicarious Bliss // Tronik Youth

CLAP RULES // Old Sequencer EP // Potentially The Worst Segue Ever?

2009-07-08T05:24:00.001-07:00

Do you think Andrew Strauss likes banging electro? Probably not. Is Ricky Ponting a Detroit techno head? Hope so, but doubt it. Does Richie Benaud go fucking mental for the latest Turbo releases? No chance. These are the kind of thoughts that pass through my mind as I take in the first morning of the Ashes series, for which I have waited oh-so long. And, to celebrate the return of the world's best sporting contest, I'm going to give a quick shout out to one of my favourite new acts, Clap Rules. The new, fairly mysterious project of Italians-I've-never-heard-of-before Fabrizio Mammarella, Andrea Gabriele & Massimiliano Leggieri - bring a live element to their production that is refreshing and unpredictable.

Their debut EP - Old Sequencer - is out now on Tiny Sticks, and the title track is already a favourite in the record bags of on-the-money London DJs Stopmakingme and Rory Phillips. Personal favourite "Never Half Step" is slightly less accessible for the dance-floor, but a killer nonetheless.

THEO PARRISH // Plastic People 4-7-09

2009-07-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

A small, sweaty, unlit dancefloor and one of the best sound systems in London should be more than enough to motivate any DJ to bring his game, and so it proved with Don Theo Parrish last Saturday at Plastic People. Old Theo's played a few parties at this venue but this was my first one and it lived up to all expectations.

Seamlessly mixing 2-Step, stomping disco, chicago house and soul, he played a relentless 5(ish) hour set to a crowd that seemed to go from sparse to rammed in a matter of minutes. And, as a mate said, "even when he fucked up it sounded awesome". Too true.

LAISSEZ FAIRE CLUB // Version 2.0

2009-07-03T07:36:00.000-07:00

James and I will be filling the pregnant pause between bands with some tunes at this week's relaunch of the Laissez Faire Club. Among the local talent on show will be Tom Neville's new project ColouringIN, Dansette Junior and Radiant Dragon. Email me for some potential door love x

BOTTIN // Italians Do It Better

2009-06-30T07:41:00.001-07:00

As the loyal Hot Damn readers already know - yes, both of you - Italians Do It Better has to be one of my fave record labels of the moment. So I've decided to share a great little mix I stumbled across on the IDIB blog, by Bottin.

Not one for pithy, well-worded summaries (i.e. it's too hot), I'll simply post what the man himself said about the mix:

" I've been playing fast disco lately so I had to compensate with this rather adventurous mid-tempo mix of laid back songs from 100 to 110 bpm with basically no genre rules: set your time machine to a random range between 1978 and 1990 and you'll get stuff going from disco-funk to proto-balearic, from italo-boogie to very old school rap."

LIVE FAST, DANCE SLOW - Download here

(a 100-110bpm vynil mix by Bottin)

RADEO VIDIO // June Top 10

2009-06-26T06:54:00.000-07:00

1. THE UNITS // High Pressured Days (Rory Phillips Remix)

2. MODERAT // Seamonkey

3. BOYS NOIZE // Jeffer

4. BLACK METEORIC STAR // Dominatron
5. 40 THIEVES // Don't Turn It Off

6. HUGG & PEPP // Penguini

7. FELIX DA HOUSECAT // Kickdrum

8. HEY TODAY // If I Was Wonderman (Bobmo remix)

9. DAMN ARMS // Destination (Passions remix)

10. HOLY GHOST! // I Will Come Back

(Thanks for the pic Nicho)

PARTY AT THE FRONT // Business At The Back

2009-06-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

Here's a new mix by Radeo Vidio. It's comprised of two distinctively different sides - one mixed by Radeo and the other by Vidio - and together it amounts to one thing: PARTY AT THE FRONT, BUSINESS AT THE BACK. Get on the download yo!

SIDE A - PARTY AT THE FRONT - MIXED BY RADEO

http://www.mediafire.com/?bowejuburxa

1.MAN PARRISH// In the Beginning
2.THE FAINT// Mirror error (Strip Steve remix)
3.EBONY BONES// The Musik (Lacrate remix)
4.DESIGNER DRUGS// Back Up In This (Nadastrom remix)
5.MR.OIZO// Postif (Hoodrat's Acid Done Ate My Animals Edit)
6.CLASSIXX & VILLIANS// Im On It feat o8o
7.LA ROUX// In For The Kill (Clash the Disko Kids & Ming “Lo-Fi 1am” remix)
8.ALEXANDER ROBOTNICK// Obsession For The Disco Freaks (Rory Phillips remix)
9.WOOLFY & PROJECTIONS// Neeve (Permenant Vacation Tropical Heat mix)
10.WHOMADEWHO// The Plot (Discodeine remix)
11.YUKSEK// Dat’s Right
12.HOLY GHOST// Hold On
13.THE PRESETS// Talk Like That (CFCF remix)
14.FM ATTACK// Disco Attack
15.DIGITALISM// Apollo-Gize (Breakbot Hypnotoad mix)

SIDE B – BUSINESS AT THE BACK – MIXED BY VIDIO

http://www.mediafire.com/?cv7lznday2u

1. IN FLAGRANTI // Brash & Vulgar
2. KNIGHTLIFE // Discotirso
3. GOLDEN BUG // Radio
4. PASSION PIT // The Reeling (Burns Remix)
5. JESSE ROSE // Pop Yer Porn
6. MAN LIKE ME // London Town
7. BOTTIN // Disco For The Devil
8. CLAP RULES // Never Half Step
9. CYBOTRON // Clear
10. TELEPATHE // So Fine
11. ELLIE GOULDING // Starry Eyed (Jakwob Remix)

the phenomenal hand clap band

2009-06-11T02:08:00.002-07:00

Listening to the Phenomenal Hand Clap Band’s debut album is a surreal experience, like stepping into some kind of musical time machine. Press play and suddenly you’re at a San Francisco acid party in 1967. A haze of smoke fills the air, there’s an orgy going on, like, right next to you, and hippies are sprawled across the room in varying states of consciousness.

You can read the rest of my review over at 'Sup magazine.

party party

2009-06-09T04:01:00.000-07:00

Koko in Camden will play host to New Jersey label Italians Do It Better, which is putting on a rather tasty party this Thursday night. The fledgling label has released tracks by the likes of Bottin, Glass Candy, Tie Dye and Rubies since it was founded in 2006. And, at the risk of sounding overbearingly twee, the Tie Dye remix to Rubie's ''I Feel Electric'' has to be one of the most moving, sweet, delicately-crafted songs of the past few years.

The event will be headline by the Norwegian Lindstrom, who for a number of months held the honour of having the only CD in the ''nu disco'' section at Rough Trade - which solely consisted of about 40 copies of his latest album rammed into one shelf. Alongside him will be Glass Candy, Desire and Twisted Wires. Label overlord Mike Simonetti will also be spinning some tunes so it should be a rather special event.

let's go let's go!

2009-06-08T07:50:00.000-07:00

Allez Allez have been building a reputation as fine DJs, remixers, producers, bloggers and party hosts, playing an eclectic seletion of krautrock, techno, house and disco to discerning partygoers around London town. Sam - one half of the duo - took some time out to chat to Hot Damn about his inspirations, whether France is better than England and playing Call of Duty on Xbox.....

How was allez allez born?
In 2006, myself and Steve met through his sister, and discovered that we had a shared love of deep music of all varieties - krautrock, techno, house...

And where did you start DJing?

We started out a little night in Shoreditch with just the two of us as residents, and playing stuff like Can, Arthur Russell, Isolee, Carl Craig, Madlib, Four Tet etc. Pretty much at the time when the whole Ed Banger scene was at its peak, we try to offer something a bit different, perhaps with a bit more depth.

You are English but 'allez allez' is French. So, the UK or France - which do you prefer?
I really love France - the food in general is still of a much higher standard, bread, cheese, wine.. all the good stuff basically! Some of the French cuisine can be a bit too rich and creamy for my tastes though. Although, I think it's pretty widely known that overall for youth culture, music, underground culture - at least modern stuff - London tends to be quite a bit more active

You seem to have a few fingers in a few pies - what with hosting parties, producing and blogging… what do you do to chill?
Play Call Of Duty on X-box live! Actually, that just tends to make me more stressed... music is our life, so it tends to be involved in chill time as well.

If you could go back to any year to any place and DJ, when/where would you go?
I'm afraid I'm gonna be boring, and say that I'm quite happy DJing in the present - for me the huge diversity of music that's on offer today is a big part of what our sets are about - but, if I'm allowed to take music back in time that hasn’t actually been released yet without causing some universe threatening paradox, it'd be pretty awesome to go back and play one of the early Detroit techno parties, or rock up to the Gallery with a Serato box and plugin!

What does the future hold for allez allez?
Plenty of gigs a round the place, plus we're working on more original music. We’re doing remixes for Hiem and Cornershop, and have just finished a mega mix for the new Gossip album. And we're also finalising our new label - more details to follow on that!

You can download two recent Allez Allez mixtapes right here.

Allez Allex mixtape 1 - Beats in Space

Allez Allez mixtape 2 - Modular

Meanwhile here are some other Hot Damn interviews from this year:

Plugs
My Tiger My Timing
Vicarious Bliss
Shadow Dancer
Tronik Youth

chew lips

2009-06-03T04:30:00.001-07:00

London electro-pop outfit Chew Lips first came to Hot Damn's attention with an infectious little gem of a song called Solo, which was released a couple of months back along with remixes by David E Sugar and Tepr. The original scored a slot on the brand spanking new Kitsune 7 compilation, and is one of the more arresting tracks on the album. Imagine the catchy hooks of Hot Chip combined with the vocals of Karen O, and you get an idea of the potential these guys have. There are plenty of bands like this going around at the moment, but Chew Lips have an authenticity and charm most others lack.

Follow up single Salt Air will be released later this month, and to celebrate they are playing their first London headline show at the Lexington on June 23. Tickets are only a fiver and you can buy them here.

And whilst we are chatting cheese on all things Kitsune, you can read my review of the latest compilation at Resident Advisor.

oh i do like to be beside the seaside

2009-06-03T00:13:00.001-07:00

Club night Blah Blah Blah has lured the likes of A-Trak, Bobmo and Shinichi Osawa down to the seaside, and is "fast becoming one of the most talked about nights in Brighton", if Brighton Life is to be believed, and I see no reason why it shouldn't. The Blah Blah Blah boys also write their own blog right over here.

They've invited Brooklyn's favourite disco edit kings In Flagranti to pop down and spin some tunes on July 25. As a little taste of what to expect, they've put together a mix, made almost entirely of their own edits of obscure disco tracks. A bad IF edit I am yet to hear, so get on the download.

In Flagranti - Blah Blah Blah Mix

micachu and the shapes, live at the bishopsgate institute 29-5-09

2009-05-30T09:40:00.000-07:00

I fucking hate London pigeons. Whilst sitting on my lunch break there's always least 50 people in the park yet they always seem intent on picking on me and my disintegrating sandwich/roll/pasty. I always flinch when they fly up in front of me, they are gross, dirty and serve no purpose. I often daydream about walking into Trafalgar Squar with a shotgun and picking them off one by one, then making an elaborate headpiece made entirely of pigeon feathers and spending my days hunting them down mercilessly until there are no pigeons left. Were I to turn these bizarre, frankly weird daydreams into reality, I would want the bizarre, frankly weird music of Micachu and The Shapes soundtracking my every move.

The diminutive East Londoner, backed by her band The Shapes, played a wonderful, intimate gig last Friday at the Bishopsgate Institute. The 40-minute acoustic set involved all sorts of instruments - ranging from flutes to transistor radios - as they worked their way through their album Jewellery (which I gushingly reviewed earlier this year).

Micachu, aka Mica Levi, seemed uncomfortable in the spotlight, mumbling ''it's really quiet in here,'' before launching into an simple yet intense solo rendtion of Turn Me Well. Other highlights included a racous acoustic version of Lips and catchy closer Golden Phone. I'll be incredibly surprised if someone knocks this girl off the already easy-to-predict Hot Damn "Best of 2009" charts come the end of the year.

And as for you pigeons, just keep pushing me...

i love the knightlife

2009-05-28T15:17:00.000-07:00

Melbournian Knightlife graduated from the Australian electronic music class of 2006-07 alongside the likes of Whitenoise, Bag Raiders and Riot in Belguim. Not a fan back in those days, I'll freely admit. He really just sounded like another French-electro wannabee, although I did like Ambopop, y'know, just a bit.

And then he goes and gets all disco on us. Just jumping on the latest bandwagon, I hear you say. Tutt tutt, don't be so cynical! Knightlife II, the follow up to, believe it or not, Knightlife I, is out on Beatport and contains two great original tunes (Discotirso and Crusader), as well as a remix to All Systems by Nile Delta, formerly one half of the now defunct Riot in Belguim.

I'm converted, simple as that. I love the Knightlife.

You can listen to the tunes on You Tube. Try before you buy, innit.

Knightlife - Discotirso

Knightlife - Crusader

radeo vidio top ten for may

2009-05-28T05:35:00.001-07:00

What a month. Time flies huh? The brilliant Holy Ghost! remix to Phoenix tops this month's chart, check it!

1. Phoenix - Listomania (Holy Ghost ! Love Paris Remix)

2. Chairlift - Evident Utensil (Juan Maclean Remix)

3. Knightlife - Discotirso

4. Passion Pit - The Reeling (Burns Remix)

5. Shunda K - Free Alpha

6. Jesse Rose - Pop Yer Porn

7. Chew Lips - Salt Air

8. Royksopp - The Girl and The Robot (Joakim Remix)

9. The Phenomenal Hand Clap Band - 15 to 20

10. Classixx - I'll Get You (Feat. Jeppe)

all of the boys and the girls here in paris

2009-05-19T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hot Damn spent the long weekend making mischief and falling in love in that city of light and love, Paris. Hometown hero DJ Mehdi and Canadian duo Thunderheist put on a huge show on at the Social Club on Friday night. Mehdi - from what I remember - played all the usual bangers to whip the Parisian crowd into a frenzy, while Thunderheist put on an energetic live show, highly recommended.

autoKratz secret show

2009-05-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

Poor old Electro. The genre as we know it has dropped out of fashion this year, overtaken by the burgeoning (nu) disco and, Gold help us, fidget/wonk scenes. When Hot Damn is asked who's still flying the electro flag, the name autoKratz is usually one of the first that tumbles from my lips.

Their debut album, Down and Out in Paris and London, was very enjoyable although not groundbreakiing in any particular way - big props for the Orwell reference though. Their second album Animal is due out in June on Kitsune, and to celebrate the 'Kratz are playing a reasonably secret show next week in London town (if you are around Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen on June 2 check it out). You can also score a free download of their cover of Primal Scream's Swastika Eyes here. You just have to sign up to the mailing list - only takes a sec, promise.

telepathe @ 93 feet east 11-5-09

2009-05-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn duo Telepathe enchanted the east London crowd last night with their catchy, undeniably cool brand of synth pop.

Stepping onto stage to little fanfare, Busy Gangnes and Melissa Livaudai played their set in almost complete darkness - an appropriate setting for their heavy rhythms and siren vocals.

From opening track In Your Line, with its tribal, almost hypnotic beat, all eyes were transfixed on the female duo. Up next was Chrome’s On It, in which Gangnes and Livaudais trade vocals to create a wall of noise, backed by spaced-out synths. They saved the best until last – the penultimate song was Devil’s Trident – a powerful piece of music that begins with haunting, spoken-word vocals and ends with a melodic flourish. The final song was personal fave So Fine, which got everyone a bit dancey.

Overall, these guys seem to have found the perfect balance of programmed beats and live drums and keyboards. And, after wowing the crowd for the best part of an hour, their departure was as low key as their arrival; a shy wave, muttered thankyous and no encore.

“I’ve got a new girl crush,” joked one woman to her friends as the house lights came on. Erm, me too.

PS - You can read my full review over at the Music Mole website.

PPS - Hot Damn eulogised Telepathe's debut album Dance Mother earlier this year.