Singles Reviewed: Samim - The Lick, King Unique - Hinode, Subb-an - Corridors EP and Itmar Sagi - Black Gold

Samim - The Lick
Samim divided opinion last year with his summer gypsy house hit heater with unexpected plays from claude von stroke right through to jo wiley. Some loved its quirky fun sampling which caused them to do hybrid folk/square/gypsy dances. Others hated the track also for the quirky accordion sample which made people do silly hybrid folk/square/gypsy dances. Either way it brought Samim to everyone’s attention. His follow up or more so the next track he’s releasing is also another quirky one. It takes on a wobbly breakbeat with some Justin Timberlake style lyrics. In fact this track could pass for some kind of Justin Timberlake/Missy Elliot collaboration. As it shifts from its starting breakbeat rhythm to a house friendly 4/4, elements of bollywood percussion and strings filter through. It’s a strange combination, but it seems to work. I can’t imagine the Berlin elite playing this, but I can see the likes of Mehdi et al dropping its quirky rhythms.

If quirky hip house vocals aint you’re thing, then Derrick Carter is here to save the day. He pumps the track up full of chi-town boompty, placing itself somewhere between the Chicago jacking and the fidget sound that Switch pounds out. Derrick cuts and chops the samples up and rearranges them in a haphazard order which creates a bum shaking groove. For those that don’t like the full on hip house vocals, there is a dub which dials down on the words. So everyone can be pleased. Well apart from the deep house and minimal fans. But the Carter mix is full of so much energy you can’t help but love it. 7.5/10

Buy The Lick from Beatport

King unique – Hinode

This is the first I’ve heard from King Unique since their days on the old Junior label. These days the
boys have been putting their tracks out on their own label Curfew with Hinode being the 8^th release.
Hinode is a mix of epic synth sweeps combined with your typical crunchy electro minimal sound. The only description that comes to mind about this track is a poor mans Holden remix of The Sky Was Pink. It is nearly identical in its elements, yet King Unique fail to execute correctly. The beat structure just seems run of the mill, whilst the sweeping synths build to a quite corny faithless trance high. Fergie has a fair attempt at salvaging the package with his techno roller which has plenty of groove and fidget to make any dancefloor move. However this track lacks identity with its typical fidgety minimal techno shuffle. It will rock the floors but will most likely be swept away in the wash of all the other “minimal” tracks out there. 5/10

Subb-an – corridors ep

You’d have thought Subb-an and his Corridors EP would be hailing from on the pulse Berlin, but in fact the young whippersnapper is hailing all the way from Birmingham of all places. How is this possible you might ask? Birmingham is full of trendy mullets, a penchant for the funkiest of funky house and was once the epicentre of all things hard house. Well for the best part you’d be right, but away from the vomit lined gutters of Broad Street lies a party known as Below. Its here where the young Subb-an has been cutting his teeth at Birmingham’s answer to Circo Loco at DC-10.

Corridors is made up of four tracks poking in at the house genre from all sides. Moscow Fighting is a winding moody house track laced with random stabs of a piercing piano. The track slowly progresses with the winding siren synths becoming more and more intense, coupled with the piercing piano through the breaks of the synth makes this track a haunting deep house monster.

Quadroon follows a similar formula to Moscow fighting but flips it round using bright warm synths which shift and phase in over the course of the track leading up to a singular crescendo at the back end. I can really imagine this track slotting nicely into the Below warm up regime during their infamous Birmingham day time BBQs.

The EP is finished off with Poloma another deep house affair which takes a moody approach with its dubby bassline. Unfortunately I find this track quite forgettable out of the lot, yet I can imagine the bassline could really pulsate through a crowd on a larger sound system. It is this bassline that the Ralph Swilinski mix has picked up on, beefing it up and making it angry. The growling bassline dances around a shifting pattern of percussion samples keeping the track simple but strangely infectious with its groove. A great slice of dub tech house if such a genre exists, making this track the standout on the EP. 7/10

Itmar Sagi – Black Gold

Itmar Sagi drops a ballsy Detroit-esque techno track which bubbles synths over a growling bassline. Funk D’Void used this track to kick of his Sci Fi Hi Fi 4 mix and quite rightly so. The track starts ballsy but slowly elevates through a wispy cloudy foreground created by the string synths.

Sammuel L Sessions transforms the track into a techno roller, looping the strings to hypnotise the listener. The loops work creating a dark Fabric room 2 sound which ticks over nicely, but doesn’t provide enough progression to keep it interesting. On the other hand Chymera’s mix is quirky and off beat. Drip feeding you samples of the strings over a dub style break beat before spitting you out the other end in a wash of breathy sweeps.

All three tracks are different with their own take on techno but all three sound fresh; definitely worth a purchase to bring a breath of fresh air to your sets. 8/10

CD Giveaway Winners!

So the entries are in and to emulate Snatch, "all bets are off". If you can remember back to a few weeks ago we had promised copies of Miss Kitten's trashy electronic album "Batbox", The Glimmer's experimental no money album "Are Gee Gee Fazzi" and Sascha Funke's fruitly named "Mango".

So the winners are:

Miss Kitten - Batbox
Elizabeth Smith
Si Quick

The Glimmers - Are Gee Gee Fazzi
Si Quick
Ben Gersham

Sascha Funke - Mango
John Hodgson
James Hansen

You'll be receiving a copy through the post congrats!!

As one door closes on a weekend another one opens…

Four day weeks are akin to a delicious chocolate truffle with a poisonous gooey centre. Last weekend was monstrous 4 evenings of nothing but opportunity to pickle the liver for which I grabbed like some crazed person after those silver tokens in the dome contraption on the crystal maze. Tuesday turned up, I felt horrible but finally got back to reality to find the weekend was on my doorstep once again, urgh, but in a rather superficial “do I have to” way. So to understand the mistake I’m going to make by being back at work next Monday in pain, lets recap how I got there the first time round.

Secret Sundaze @ The Coronet Theatre

Thursday saw the weekend kick off with Secret Sundaze. Usually a staple in the London Sunday clubbing calendar and the one who tends to destroy souls on the weekend decided to opt for the pre-emptive tactic and destroy people before they’d even begun. Thursday night saw them bring another Detroit legend to town in the form of Kevin Saunderson who headlined alongside minimal Berliner Tobi Neumann. Out back in room 2, Italo-Ibizan night Monza entertained us with one third of the Romainian RPR sound system Pedro. Whilst another two rooms of disco and soulful house could be found in the old theatre settings of the Coronet.

Aside from the ridiculous queue to get into the moderately empty building, Secret Sundaze had a good sizeable crowd in attendance. Both the big rooms were packed out with plenty of dress up fun that only Secret Sundaze can do. The music was good in places, but seemed all a bit same old same old at times, the same house and techno that weren’t really going anywhere which seemed to affect the crowd after a while. There were flashes of inspiration and I did have a “laugh” but all in all it just settled into a usual night with average music from both the main and back room with a subdued crowd. I hope Secret Sundaze go back to their formula of small interesting venues with a more select up for it crowd.

M-Nus 10^th Birthday @ Fabric

So the jewel in the weekend crown for most was the M-Nus 10^th Birthday. Presale tickets had sold months in advanced, something unheard of for a Fabric Saturday, so it was pretty obvious that only small oily fish in a tomato based sauce would be comfortable. Undeterred I still went. Come on its Richie Hawtin in room 1 and after missing him at the End and being disappointed for the first time at Lost in July, I needed a good dose of Hawtin magic to restore the faith.

On arrival the queue was pretty lengthy even by Fabric standards. It was visible from Farringdon station which isn’t even that close and round a corner! There were rumours flying round of people being camped out since 7pm! That’s dedication to the cause big time! Luckily I didn’t have to wait too long being on some sort of lengthy list thank god. On the inside it was the usual mix of folk all cramped in moving fluidly round the club. If you got caught in the wrong flow you ended up in the toilet hoping sea rescue were going to pull you out.

Anyways I digress, all this talk of queues and people when I should really be talking about the music, which is easily summed up in one word. BRILLIANT. All rooms were rocking. Great techno all round with a real up for it crowd. It was nice to see Magda playing some decent music again. Last few times she had been really dull. Maybe because she’s made for the warm up slot and peak time sets don’t really do her justice? I dunno. But I do know she was rocking room 1. Marco Carola continued his excellent form in room 2 to a packed out crowd. Again the crowd were electric, people cheering and going nuts. Haven’t seen such enthusiasm since…. Urm the last time Hawtin and the gang were down. Gaiser ripped into Room 1 with his Gaiser sound and an entertaining sound at that. I’m pretty sure he laid down some new stuff too.

So to the main event, Hawtin rolls on at 5am with a planned 5 hour set and my god it was a journey that required seat belts. I couldn’t tell you what he played; all I know is that I was extremely happy at hearing that sound, his sound. OK he did go a bit filter- tastic but every time he did it people would go nuts. So I don’t blame him for massaging his ego watching people go mental at a turn of a knob. I did stay right till the end, however someone left an open hole upstairs on the balcony which I fell down and was lost of the last 2 hours of the night. So here ends the M-Nus report.

Circo Loco @ The End

Bank holidays usually mean a little piece of Ibiza invades the End. Circo Loco tries to re-create the aeroplane flight path terrace magic by having the UK party in an old underground station supplementing the aeroplanes with inflatable ones. But that shouldn’t matter; it’s really about the music!

Like Thursday night it seemed pretty good all round. Good music, good crowd, yet it seemed to lack something, well something in comparison to the mighty M-Nus night which just had it all. It might have been me coming to the end of the line, but there didn’t seem to be the electric atmosphere witnessed the previous night. All the DJs on did a great job, Gavin Herlihy and Dollz at Play working the lounge to great affect and Jose De Divina made mince meat of the main room. Unfortunately I missed Rhadoo, part 2 of the Romanian sound system as I was tucked up in bed!

This Weekend
After all that one would generally want to shoot themselves. But after a few days at work and some second thoughts, it seems like we should wish Mulletover a very happy birthday at Se One this Saturday. And if that’s not enough for you good ol’ Villalobos is tearing Fabric room 1 a hole. Get involved!

PS. 5^th April – Time Warp, we’ll be bringing you a full report on this massive big room techno fest known to man!

Another Sub Level Sessions CD Giveaway Bonanza! Miss Kitten –Bat Box, Sascha Funke –Mango, The Glimmers - Are Gee Gee Fazzi

So the show might have ended for a bit on URF Radio, I know I’m also holding back the tears to. But fear not there are plans to comeback on the good ol’ tinterweb. But to show our appreciation and to keep your audio senses occupied we’re giving away some CDs. Not any old CDs though, an orgy of artist albums from stalwarts The Glimmers, Miss Kitten and Sascha Funke. We've got two copies of each album to give away to folks from the UK(sorry!) so read on and enter away!

Miss Kitten – BatBox

Miss Kitten drops her 2nd album Batbox after two years in the making. She returns with her fusion of mechanical electronic beats fused with trashy electroclash sounds and her trademark dulcet tones in a whole world of distortion. This album has a certain air of a punk about it with standout tracks such as Grace, Barefoot Tonight and the Jo Jo De Freq collaboration Kitten is High. Miss Kitten is able to take you through various shades of electronic moods using her vocals as another dimension to each track.

BUY Miss Kitten - Batbox

We’ve got two copies to giveaway. For your chance to win Miss Kitten’s Batbox, answer this simple question and send it along with your name and address to sublevelsessions@googlemail.com.

What Felix Da Housecat track did Miss Kitten feature on? Was it:
a) Silver Screen Shower Scene
b) TV Bath Scene
C) Accidental Walk in Whilst Someone is Having a Shower Scene


Sascha Funke – Mango

Sascha Funke follows up his debut album Bravo with this fruity number Mango. This album wraps the listener in a warm atmospheric ambient blanket with Sascha Funke’s layered, dare I say minimalistic styled electronic beats awash with breathy synths and pads. This album shifts and slowly moves through hypnotic layers, with stand out tracks such as Take a Chance With Me, We Are Facing The Sun and the excellent Double-Checked which features on Ellen Allien’s forthcoming Boogybytes Vol 4 out on BPitch Control. So it’s definitely all go down at the little Berlin record label with this and Boogybytes.

BUY Sascha Funke - Mango

We’ve got another two copies to give away of this CD, so for your chance to win, send in your answer to the following simple question along with your name and address to sublevelsessions@googlemail.com.

Which Berlin label is this CD being released on, is it:
a)BLow Control
b)BPitch Control
c)APitch Control

The Glimmers – Are Gee Gee Fazzi

The Glimmers, a duo from what must be some indie dance nu rave factory in Ghent Belgium. I say a factory, because nothing can explain why so much talent has come out of this sleepy Belgium town. Soulwax, The Glimmers, urm 2ManyDJs. Ok 2ManyDJs are Soulwax, but hey that’s still 2 massive acts for a small town. Anyways, I’m getting sidetracked. The Glimmers for their album decided to go all Radiohead on us. Well Radiohead and a little bit further. Rather than you deciding whether to buy the album or not, the Glimmers are giving it to you for free if you manage to catch one of their live shows. This just turns the whole CD thing on its head, but by golly I think I could work. You show you support by checking them live and the show their appreciation by giving you their latest album. And what a great album it is. The Glimmers entertain with their quirky retro punk funk sound with amazing bass guitar licks with a smattering of disco, soul and funk elements. This will get any glowstick wielding nu-rave kid wiggling about.

If you cant get yourself to a Glimmers gig anytime soon, fear not as we’re giving away two copies for two lucky readers. So long as you can answer the following easy question and send that in along with your name and address to sublevelsessions@googlemail.com.

Where are the Glimmers from? Is it:
a)Paris
b)London
c)Ghent

Chris Wan is RAW TALENT

well not quite. I'm runner up Raw Talent, which i think is an ok level of rawness to be at this present time. Yes they stuck my face in the magazine looking cat like and talked about how they would pay good money to hear this in a club.. (You listening all your promoters out there?) even Nic of Nic Fanciulli fame thought that it was a "perfectly mixed house set, can't fault it". So if you never caught it, you still can HERE:

Final Show Tracklisting: 15th March

Mark Mendes - 'Tripped Out' [Starter]
Lutchenkirchen - 'Paperboy' (D-Nox & Beckers rmx) [Great Stuff]
Kiko - 'Requiem For A Dream' [Confused]

** GUEST MIX - Makai - 'Lateral Movement' **

Sis - 'Marcha Osura'
Stimming & H.O.S.H - 'Radar'
Jerome Sydenham & Tiger Stripes - 'Elevation (pt. 2)'
Tim Deluxe - 'You Got Tha Touch' (Martin Buttrich Mix)
Noirdegout - 'Late Night Cities' (Oxia & Eric Borgo rmx)
Guido Schneider & Andre Galluzzi - 'Albertino'
Kenny Hawkes & David Parr - 'The Booby Trap'
Bart Skills & Anton Pieete - 'When Midnight Calls'
Luke Solomom - 'Space Invaders' (Andomat 3000 rmx)

***********

A Short But Sweet Collection Of Big Tunes From My Time At
The Sublevel Sessions

Piemont - 'Carbonat' [MBF]
Spektre - 'Jade' [GU]
Dusty Kid - 'Tsunami' [Systematz]
Jim Rivers - 'Restore' [Saw Recordings]
Lange and Dexter - 'Step Back' [Craft Music]
One + One - 'No Pressure' [One + One]



'Keep It Locked'


Lukeo

IT'S ALL OVER!!

That's right. Nightmare as it is, tonight sees the final regular broadcast of the sublevel sessions
on URF.

What a journey it's been for me over the past year and a half and how sad it'll be to say goodbye, but needs must as they say. Many a night out has sprung from the show and from what I can remember, muchos good times (see Richie Hawtin at Fabric c. this time last year).
Not to mention more awesome tunes and quality guest mixes than you could shake stick at.

Great fun all round, but good things must come to an end, and tonight from 8-9 (and as late after as I can possibly drag it), i'll be gracefully bowing out. After a year of mixing it up, throwing electro and even prog into the Sublevel Sesh mix, tonight I'm going back to the it's roots, ending it all with an hour or pure techno, tech house and minimal.

So tune in then, and we'll go out in style. And keep your ears peeled for the possibility of a show of pure Sessions classics, which if I have anything to say about it will be a definite goer.

Cheers folks

It's been good

Lukeo

(And don't forget, the site will carry on and on into the future, bringing you mixes, reviews and maybe even the odd podcast. It's been around for five years and Sublevel isn't about to die yet!)

Ellen Allien Boogybytes Vol.4 Review

The track records for the Boogybytes CD series and Ellen Allien are pretty sparkling so far. For the former Kiki, Sascha Funke and Modeselektor have all produced some excellent mixes whilst Ellen Allien has warped our ears with her mind bending Fabric 34 mix and part delivered the Orchestra of Bubbles album. So sticking the two together should technically produce some grade A listening. That said sticking Gerrard and Lampard together never seemed to work but fear not as Ellen Allien is German, a plucky Berlinette with her own label BPitch Control who also happens to put out the BoogyBytes CD. So being German she’ll probably side step any difficulties, Vorspung Durch Technique and all that, right?

For this CD Ellen takes her trademark weird and trippy route. The haunting eerie soundscapes, bug crawling noises and ambient backgrounds keep this CD interesting throughout. The CD opens with a poem from AGF who also produce’s Ellen’s forthcoming longplayer SOOL. The poem is set to the haunting and ambient sounds we’ve come to expect from Ellen. Followed by Vera’s In The Nook, its sonar style blips lay the bed for Villalobos’ Fizpatrick to take hold. From here the mix progresses through all kinds of tripped out noises enough to send the soberest of people into an acid induced schizophrenia state. Sozadam’s Eye Forlon track just epitomises the whole CD, growling heavy bassline, sparse paranoia inducing sounds and freaky pitched down voices that might once have been your conscience.

Lucio Aquilina Magic M makes an appearance on this CD. Whilst I do like the track I feel it doesn’t seem fit neatly within the whole ethos of the CD. Unlike the Buttrich mix of Music is Improper with its strange electronic sounding sirens and repetitive “music” vocal or the haunting chimes of Gaiser’s Withdrawal. It is the trippyness which makes this CD epic, the different elements and ambience just draws you the listener in on Ellen’s winding journey through dark and misty Prague-esque alleyways. There aren’t any big drops and massive hands in there air moments, its just effortless gliding from track to track making this CD sublime and ideal for that wind down afterparty moment when the walls are melting and conversation is at an abrupt end. Definitely on par with Fabric 34 and it will be interesting to see what her album Sool will bring us. 8/10

Buy Ellen Allien Boogybytes Vol.4

Release date: 31/03/2008

Tracklist:

01 Agf - Liniendicke

02 Vera - In The Nook

03 Ricardo Villalobos & Patrick Ense - Fizpatrick

04 Melon - Nitzi (In My Mind, So Fine)

05 Andres Zacco & Lucas Mari - Carbonela“ (Seph's Vidrionela Rmx)

06 Konpiùta - Christmas Fairytale“ (Moessap Edit)

07 Sozadams - Eyes Forlon

08 Richard Seeley - Juicy Vermin

09 Lucio Aquilina - My Cube

10 Melchior Productions - Don Juan

11 Friendly People - Music Is Improper“ (Martin Buttrich Rmx)

12 Sascha Funke - Double Checked

13 Gaiser - Withdrawal

14 Kassem Mosse - A1

15 Little Dragon - Twice

Robert Hood Fabric 39 Review

Robert Hood has little to do with Nottingham’s favourite thief Robin Hood, however in terms of legendary status they’re probably on par; well they are if you talk to techno aficionados. One of the founding members of Detroit’s Underground Resistance along with the alien like Jeff Mills and Mad Mike Banks, Robert Hood has been there from the beginning shaping techno into what it is today. Many credit his seminal 1993 release ‘Minimal Nation’ as a pivotal point in techno, laying the blueprint for many to follow and build on. So in short Robert Hood = Legend and unlike Robin Hood, we know he exists.

For Fabric 39, Robert Hood doesn’t hang about, he rifles through 32 tracks with straight up “balls to the wall” techno from the get go. None of this slow building plod, Robert Hood starts as he means to go on… rude, obnoxious and in your face making it quite a refreshing change to the usual polite inoffensive bleeps we’ve become so accustomed to. The CD builds through a combination of Detroit sounding pads and hypnotic loops before it crescendos into Marco Lenzi’s Taboo firing the mix into a frenzy of funk fuelled disco and carnival influenced techno, enough to make even the most discerning techno crusty wiggle like they’re in Rio.

Robert Hood wanted this mix to take the listener on a trip, which I can empathise with, if this trip were on Tom Hank's Castaway raft and Wilson the ball floated away a long time ago. Hood carries you to the crest of every wave through his trademark stripped back loops such as Element 23, UK Gold’s Agent Wood and Pacou’s All It Takes before crashing down into relentless beats and symbol crashes through Scorp's New Energy and John Thomas' Pulp Funktion 2. The CD manoeuvres up and over many waves to shore up on a Hood classic, The Greatest Dancer showing us his version of disco funk.

This CD is relentless, its pumped up on speed and the hypnotic loops suck you right in. The variety in which Hood moves through genres of techno is nothing short of amazing. OK there are some shaky mixes, but it just adds to the rawness and rudeness of this mix. This is techno the Robert Hood way and it is excellent, unpretentious and raw. 9/10

Buy Robert Hood - Fabric 39


Release: fabricfirst Members: 03/03/08 UK/R.O.W. Retail: 17/03/08 USA: 04/14/08
Tracklisting
01. Monobox - Silicone Fingers – Logistic
02. Element 9
03. Robert Hood – Who Taught You Math – Peacefrog
04. Pacou – X-Factor – Cache
05. Robert Hood – Strobe Light – Music Man/N.E.W.S.
06. Marco Lenzi – Taboo – Molecular
07. Joris Voorn – Fever [Rephrased] – Keynote
08. Fab G – Bust The Vibes [Real Disco Mix] – Grand Prix
09. Dan March – Sand Dune – Meta
10. Element 3
11. Diego – Mind Detergent [Robert Hood Remix] – Kanzleramt
12. Jeff Mills – Skin Deep – Axis
13. Robert Hood – School – Music Man/N.E.W.S.
14. Element 23
15. John Thomas – Mr. Funk – Logistic
16. DJ Skull – Informant – Hypnotic Tones
17. Scorp – One Side – Music Man/N.E.W.S.
18. Pacou – All It Takes – Cache
19. Phase – Mass – N.E.W.S.
20. UK Gold – Agent Wood [Adam Beyer Remix] – New Records
21. Solid Decay – Legalize! - Lessismore
22. Element 7
23. Robert Hood – Side Effect – Music Man/N.E.W.S.
24. Mion- Drop The Filter – Music Man/N.E.W.S.
25. Scorp – New Energy – Music Man/N.E.W.S.
26. UK Gold – Agent Wood [Original Mix] – New Records
27. Robert Hood – Still Here [Los Hermanos Remix] – Music Man/N.E.W.S
28. John Thomas – Pulp Funktion 2 – Logistic
29. Robert Hood – The Greatest Dancer – M-Plant
30. Low Life – Exclamation - Mosaic
31. Robert Hood – And Then We Planned Our Escape – Music Man/N.E.W.S.
32. Element 12

nightmare

So if you tuned into the 11pm show last night, you would have been greated with a fat load of nothing.

Muchos appologies from the Sublevel Sessions. Circumstances out of my control and people
higher up the food chain of life made it impossible.

Stay in touch with the site, though, for news of a special extra show up and coming.
With sick new tunes from Mark Mendes, Lutzenkirchen and that mix from Makai...

Speak Soon


Lukeo

For One Night Only!!

This Friday night, for a one time only special, the Sublevel Sessions will be moving
from it's regular slot of 8pm, to the late late howls of 11.

Expect loads of techno finery and an awsome new mix from Stealth and Product's Makai.

So if your leaving it late to hit the tiles, or getting on it at home, whack on www.urfonline.com
from 11 - 12 and we'll sort you right out!!


Luke

Sonar is coming!

The start of March. A time where the winter blues have been nearly overcome, a time where the state of your personal finances no longer resembles a blanket of red numbers and negative figures and a time where people plan to plunge back into a sorry state of affairs by planning their summer excursions. Sonar seems like a good idea as always for us at The Sub Level Sessions. This year the 15th Festival falls on the 19th, 20th and 21st June with a line-up which ensembles everything from all corners of the electronic music world. Expect techno, hip hop, experimental, house and anything else you could imagine in two locations under the Mediterranean sun. Not to mention the ridiculous number of parties in and around Barcelona..... Last year we had great fun and i'm sure this year will repeat of that, so book that cheap flight and get yourselves over...

Artists confirmed so far, but more to be mentioned:
CONCERTS & DJS

ANTIPOP CONSORTIUM (US)
ASSTRIO (ES)
BASQUIAT STRINGS (CH)
BC vs JC featuring DARREN EMERSON (UK)
BEN WATT (UK)
BOYS NOIZE (DE)
CABO SAN ROQUE (ES)
CAMILLE (FR)
CHLOÉ (FR)
DIPLO (US)
DJ KEY (MA)
DJ MEHDI VS A-TRAK feat. KID SISTER (FR / US)
EROL ALKAN (UK)
FRANKIE KNUCKLES (US)
GOLDFRAPP (UK)
HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR (US)
JUSTICE (FR)
KALABRESE PRES. THE RUMPELORCHESTRA (CH)
KONONO Nº1 (CD)
LITTLE DRAGON (SE)
M.I.A. (UK)
MISS KITTIN (FR)
NEON NEON (UK)
NORTHERN STATE (US)
RÓISÍN MURPHY (UK)
SPANK ROCK (US)
TARA DE LONG (US)
TENDER FOREVER (FR / US)
THE DULOKS (UK)
THE PINKER TONES (ES)
X-102 discovers THE RINGS OF SATURN (US)
YAZOO (UK)
YELLE (FR)

SHOWCASES

BBC Radio 1 presents:
MARY ANNE HOBBS (UK) DJ set
SHACKLETON (UK) live
FLYING LOTUS (US) DJ set
MALA (UK) DJ set
Programmed by Mary Anne Hobbs

DIRTY
PILOOSKI (FR) DJ set
DISCODEINE (FR) live
DIRTY SOUND SYSTEM (FR) DJ set

ED BANGER RECORDS
BUSY P. (FR) DJ set
KRAZY BALDHEAD (FR) live
SEBASTIAN (FR) DJ set

FREERANGE
JIMPSTER (UK) DJ set
MILTON JACKSON (UK) live

NINJA TUNE & COUNTER RECORDS
THE HEAVY (UK) live
DAEDELUS (US) live
THE LONG LOST (US) live

OSAKA INVASION
DJ SCOTCH EGG (JP) live
OVE NAXX (JP) live
BOGULTA (JP) live
MARUOSA (JP) live

Tracklisting 22nd February

Steve Mac, Mark Brown - 'Bells Of Brighton' [Cr2]
Inner City feat. Kevin Saunderson - 'Big Fun' (Simian Mobile Disco Rmx) [KMS]
Sultan, Ned Shepard, Maher Daniel - 'Itajai Vibes' (Wise Rmx) [Sick Watona]
Fergie - 'Anon' [Excentic Muzik]

** GUEST MIX - DJ Craze **

Beanie Sigel - 'You Ain't Ready For Me' [Rocafella]
Swiss Beats - 'Money In The Bank' [Full Surface]
Khaled - 'Holla At Me' (Instrumental) [Terror Squad/Kosh]
Freeway - 'Lights Get Low' [Rocafella]
Lil Wayne - ' M.I.A' [Terror Squad/Kosh]
Breakwater - 'Release The Beast' [Phantom Sound & Vision]
Gaz - 'Sing Sing' [Sasoul Records]
Pitbull - 'Go Girl' [TVT Records]
Connie - 'Funky Little Beat' [Sunnyview Recs]
Freez - 'I.O.U' [Streetwise]
Freez - 'I.O.U' (Dyce Freestyles's Deat Remix) [Streetwise]
Shannon - 'Give Me Tonight' [Emergency Recs]
Siedah Garret - 'Do You Want It Right Now' [Island]
Armand Van Helden - 'I Want Your Soul' (Croockers rmx) [Southern Fried]
Sexual Eruption - 'Sounds Better With You' [Geffen/Virgin]
One More Rainforest...
Treasure Fingers - 'Come True Tonight' [n/a]
M.I.A - 'Come Around' (ELI rmx) [Interscope]
The Get Funky Crew - 'Shake Them Titties' [Vision Recs]
Blaqstarr - 'Shake To The Ground' (Claude Von Stroke rmx) [Mad Decent]
Shala - 'The Great Chicago Winter' (Zebo Rmx) [n/a]
Basement Jaxx - 'Nifty' [Atlantic]

Funk D'Void Sci Fi Hi Fi, I'll Lick Your Spine, Slam Staccato Rave, Silicone Soul and Vector Lovers all Reviewed!

Soma’s been really busy this month providing my ears with plenty of new stuff, so much so I’ve been struggling to listen to it all and think up some words. But I’ve found a bit of time to crawl out of the gutter I had been occupying this Saturday to wax lyrical about Soma’s forthcoming.

Let’s start with the new Hi Fi Sci Fi compilation. Number four in the series is mixed by Scott turned Catalonian Funk D’Void. The bar has been set high, extremely high with his predecessors Ewan Pearson, Luciano and Alex Smoke all churning out sublime mixes. So what could be done do to keep pace or even set the bar higher? Funk D’Void has answered by bringing us a mix using breathy bright melodies and moods to create the energy and progression. This CD stands away from the K fuelled moody and dark but instead we are brought a distinct “happy” and melodic flavour which flies, glides and dives throughout.

On first listen I wasn’t too impressed, my exact thoughts were, “why is he playing this airy fairy shit?” Granted my first listen was during an after party binge where the K fuelled moody and dark fits in quite nicely. So ever the fair gentleman that I am, i gave the CD another go and I can say this CD really comes into its element in the right scenario. This CD is built for the wind down, the chilled out and the laid back. The intricate melodies and sweeps just suit these settings making the listener feel like a clichéd bird flying through the clouds at afternoon sunset. Serious, it really does. Deepness from H Foundation as well as Francois Dubois and Jimpster remixes add great atmosphere, whilst Apparat’s mix of Drip and Artec’s Comunickate applies intensity and edge.

If you listen to this at the right time it can be a great mix, I do wonder if Soma is releasing this bad boy too early as it is perfect for those lazy summer afternoon outside, inside or travelling about. This mix is solid and is definitely up there with the other Sci Fi Hi Fi CDs, but is it better or even the best? Not quite I’m afraid, Ewan Pearson’s and Alex Smoke’s efforts still pip it for me. However this is still a great effort and a breath of fresh air from Funk D’Void. 7/10

Lets Go Outside - I'll Lick Your Spine Mixes
Next up are the new remixes from Lets Go Outside and their track I’ll Lick Your Spine. The original was a brilliant. It was a strange and eerie work out with a very breaky feel to it, one thing that I was sure of was that it was made to make you freakout which subsequently meant it featured a lot in my record box for most of last year. For the new year the remixes come from Massi DL and Ivan Smagghe with Tim Paris as well as the original mix from Repeat Repeat. Massi DL reshapes the track into a more familiar techno form using the breathy vocals and synth stabs from the original. It is very typical sounding, but it is done well and there is no doubt it will definitely work the floor nicely.

Smagghe and Paris dish up a bass driven hip shaker of a remix. Their bassline adds an element of groove whilst still retaining some of the original acid stabs and vocals. There is a nice slow burn feel about this mix as it slowly intensifies with the use of a haunting synth. Great work from the pair. 8/10


Slam - Staccato Rave
The other release I’ve listened to recently from Soma has been from the label’s head honchos Slam. This is the single release for Staccato Rave which featured on their album Human Response last year. With the original comes mixes from Adam Beyer and Silicone Soul. Adam Beyer does what he does best and applies his style of techno, adding some intricate 909 percussion with a big rolling techno bassline whilst keeping the original computerized synth noises. Balls to the wall techno as I once heard from somewhere!

Silicone Soul adds two remixes. Their darkroom dub has a classic tribal workout on the percussion with the computer synth sounds being used to slowly layer up the intensity of the track. This mix is probably my favourite out of the lot. The Hypno House mix is a friendlier mix for I guess the “electro” house floors out there. I can see this remix slotting in easily but still standing out from the run of the mill. 7.5/10

Silicone Soul - Darkroom Dub Remixes
Whilst on the subject of Silicone Soul, they released new remixes of their darkroom dubs. The standout track on this release is definitely the Fearmakers Darkroom Dub. Rolling basslines with pounding beats make it a heads down bleeped out mover, moving away from Silicone Soul’s typical brighter production style. The Hikihiki Shake is also worth a punt. 7/10

Vector Lovers - Raumklang
And finally. Vector Lovers and his Raumklang release. Stand out tracks on this release is Derailleur’s Submission mix of Dusk Panorama and Little Plastic Figures. Derailleur’s mix is a great acid work out with classic acid squelches riding throughout and spacey pads give it its uniqueness. Little Plastic Figures pushes a round evil bass from the get go alongside pumping kick drums and intermittent echoes of haunting synths. Making it a nice dark little number. 6/10

Tracklisting 15th February

Inner City feat. Kevin Saunderson - 'Big Fun' (Simian Mobile Disco Rmx) [KMS]
Steve Mac, Mark Brown - 'Bells Of Brighton' [Cr2]
Alex Gopher - 'Aurora' (Riot In Belgium, Knightlife Rmx) [Go4Music]
Patch Park - 'Made in Mayhem' [Shinichi]
Sultan, Ned Shepard, Maher Daniel - 'Itajai Vibes' (Wise Rmx) [Sick Watona]
Thomas Schwartz - 'Jupiter Calling' [The Clubbers]
Michael & Levan - 'January Morning' (Mango Rmx) [Morphosis]
Velkro, Ido Ophir - 'Warehouse' [Sprout]
Fergie - 'Anon' [Excentic Muzik]
Rui Da Silva - 'Escaping My Mind (Matt Tolfrey & Inxec Mix) [Kismet]



****** Make A Date In Your Diary ******
*************22nd March*************

MINUS TEN @ FABRIC

Richie Hawtin
Adam Beyer
Marco Carola
Magda

Tracklisting 8th February

Sasha - 'Who Killed Sparky' [emFire]
Solaris Heights - 'No Trace' (Popof Mix) [Renaissance]
Super Flu - 'Brink' [Herzblut Records]
Sebo K - 'Far Out' [Mobilee Records]
Marshall Jefferson, Noosa Heads - 'Mushrooms' (Justin Marin Mix) [Alright]

** GUEST MIX - M.A.M.D.Y **

Sascha Funke - 'Lotre' (Mehr Fleisch Mix) [Bpitch Control]
Tim Paris - 'Window Diskow' [Marketing]
Imps aka Minilogue - 'Unkle Limps' (Turkish Version) [Mule Electronic]
Voodeux - 'The Spell' [Mothership]
Miguel Toro - 'Cure' (Oil of Mars vs. Samim Mix) [Unknown]
Todd Bodine - 'Secret Edge' [Mothership]
Livio & Robby vs. Arc - 'XY' (Terrace Mix) [Unreleased]
Gel Abril - 'Papa Dee' [Ovum]

M.A.N.D.Y Tonight!!

Oh yes, it's finally in my hands; the long, long anticipated guest mix from Get Physical's legendary co-founders, M.A.N.D.Y . And i'ts not one to miss.

With all the deep, techy and funk filled trickery that we've come to expect from the Swiss/German twosome and with more than a smattering of minimalist delights, I'd say it's been well worth the wait.

Find out for yourselves tonight on www.urfonline.com from 8pm. With new tracks from Sebo K, Super Flu, Solaris Heights and once again the awesome (if a touch quirky) 'Mushrooms' from Marshall Jefferson, it promises to be a show to remember.

Chat to you then,

Luke

Tracklisting 1st February

KIM - 'Fistogram' [Modular]
Patch Park - 'Made in Mayhem' [Shinichi]
Consistent - 'Proper Balance' [TFE Recordings]
Marshall Jefferson, Noosa Heads - 'Mushrooms' (Justin Martin Mix) [Alright]
Velkro, Ido Ophir - 'Warehouse' [Sprout]

** GUEST MIX - Makai **

Dole and Kom - 'Where's Love' [Death By Disco]
Format B - 'Octopussy' [Trenton Records]
GummiHz -'Desire' [Clone]
Tg - 'Jam In My Pan' [Fling]
Johnwaynes - 'Retouch' (Llorca Rmx) [Brique Rogue]
Luca Bacchetti - 'Like A Sadhu' [Wagon Repair]
Brwn Shoes - 'Tigers Don't Sleep' [Foundation]
Wollon Harada - 'Metropoliton Fulltime' (Tigerskin Rmx) [BluFin]



Don't Forget!!

Kilks at Audio on Friday with Ada

See You There!!

DJ Craze: FabricLive 38 Review

DJ Craze, possibly one of the greatest turntablists ever to grace the DMC decks and the only one to win the world title three times in a row. With such an impressive introduction sentence attached to your name, comes great expectations. Here on the Sub Level Sessions we don’t venture into hip hop land too much, but this is a special occasion. As a DJ growing up I would idolise DJ Craze as he wiped the floor at the DMC with his inhumane turntablist moves. It was him (well him and the Eygptian Lover who said “What is a DJ, if he can’t scratch”) that inspired me to poorly pretend to scratch for hours in my bedroom and then unleash it on the public much to my embarrassment. But public health hazards aside, Craze is probably best known in clubs for his drum n bass. I’ve always enjoyed his drum n bass sets on the numerous occasions I’ve seen them, however usually what I enjoy most is the little routine he’ll do at the start and end, which is why I’m glad this CD isn’t a straight up DnB mix like his nexxsounds CD. Instead it’s a mix of hip hop, house, old skool electro, Balitmore/Miami bass and a load more genres mentioned in the press release that I’ve never even heard of. But most important of all there is a nice smattering of turntablism.

In true hip hop style the CD opens in a blaze of beats and scratching with the essential customised MC intro before settling down with the sparse moody pulsating beats of Cool Kids, nicely setting the scene for rude bwoy head nods and hand movements. Merely 12 minutes in and Craze is stepping up the tempo into some Tuff Crew old skool breaks sprinkled with sharp scratches, lifting the mix out from the moodiness, transporting the listener back in time through the 90s and into the 80s with Jan Hammer’s Miami Vice theme. Only Craze can transport one from spitting lyrics round a burning oil drum on 8 mile in rainy Detroit to sunshine, bright coloured suit jackets and mullets in Miami via a Brooklyn bloc party in just 3 records. From here the CD takes on this retro, electro Miami sound that DJ Craze has been trying to achieve. Think Spinbad, Sinden and Medhi with less emphasis on the mash up and more on that 80s Miami sound. Be it the retro synth sounds or the 80s drum hits on tracks like the Beat Club’s Security.

Craze balances this CD perfectly with the right amount of old skool, 80s synth sounds, freestyles, booty basses and heavy beats for the most. However the impeccable running is tarnished just once, but tarnished deep like an angry driver and a set of keys with their car blocked in. Only Craze and God knows why he included Armand Van Helden’s chart fodder "I Want Your Soul". The mix in struggles to stay a float as it sounds just plain awkward after Earth Wind and Fire’s Brazilian Rhyme and disjointed going into Debbie Deb. I can see why Craze might have thought this track would fit, its modern take on a 80s sound encapsulated in a house rhythm could have worked well with the tracks preceding and following. But it just doesn’t, firstly it sounds out of place and secondly it tries to be retro rather than being retro. Maybe ten years down the line Armand’s track could snuggle in if it ever reached that classic retro status, but something tells me it just won’t. Craze would have been better off dropping a true disco classic or even better bypassing straight through to Debbie Deb When I Hear Music.

Every time the CD comes to pass I Want Your Soul, I get this horrible cringe feeling only ever felt when David Brent is trying to dig himself out of some racist or disabled passing comment, causing me to fast forward past. And it’s this which makes it such a shame because the greatest CDs are those which you can listen to unadulterated. There were some great scratches and subtle turntablism moments peppered across the mix which added so much, although I felt a small scratch routine at the end would have satisfied the die hard turntablist fans yearning for a 60 minute long DMC routine. That said this CD is definitely worth a buy; the old skool breaks and booty bass will definitely put a smile on your face. And for the DJs out there when you listen on your ipod with your eyes closed you can almost imagine what it would be like to be a three times DMC World champion as you pretend to air scratch your hands to DJ Craze.

7.5/10




For a sample listen to a recent DJ Craze Old Skool Miami Bass mix:
http://www.divshare.com/download/2178974-81e

DJ Craze FabricLive38 Launch Party: Fri 8th Feb with DJ Craze, Scratch Perverts, Adam F and Kelver

Release: members: 02/01/08 uk/r.o.w. retail: 11/02/08 usa: 03/11/08
Tracklist:
01. Craze – Intro Ft. Armanni Reign - Craze
02. N.O.R.E. – Set It Off Ft. Swizz Beatz and J. Ru$$ - Babygrande
03. Cool Kids – I Rock – Chocolate Industries
04. Cool Kids – Black Mags – Chocolate Industries
05 Bangers and Cash – Loose – Downtown
06. Tuff Crew – My Part Of Town - Warlock
07. Jan Hammer – Miami Vice Theme - Universal
08. Miami Jam Crew – Pretty Girls – Midtown
DJ Blaqstarr – Shake It To The Ground Ft. Rye Rye (Acapella) – Mad Decent
09. Lushus – Ho Fo Sho - Craze
10. The Beat Club – Security - Warners
11. Chromeo – Bonafied Lovin’ (Eli Escobar Remix Ft. Pase Rock) – Back Yard
12. Treasure Fingers – Cross The Dancefloor – Treasure Fingers
13. DJ Blaqstarr – Supastarr – Mad Decent
14. Coldcut – True Skool Ft. Roots Manuva (Switch Remix) – Ninja Tune
15. Earth, Wind and Fire – Brazilian Rhyme - Sony
16. Armand Van Helden – I Want Your Soul – Ministry Of Sound
17. Debbie Deb – When I Hear Music – Pandisc
18. Magic Mike – Magic Mike Cutz The Record – Cheetah
19. Quadrant Six – Body Mechanic - Atlantic
20. DJ Laz – Red Alert – Pandisc
21. Fresh Celeste and M4 Sers – Give It All To Me – JR Records
22. Bangers And Cash – Shake That - Downtown
23. The Pase Rock – Lindsay Lohan’s Revenge (Klever Remix) – Fully Fitted
24. Kazey & Bulldog – Big Truck – Dress-2-Sweat
25. The Chemical Brothers – Get Yourself High (Switches Rely On Rub) – EMI
26. Kid Sister – Pro Nails Remix feat. Kanye West – Fools Gold
27. DJ Assault – Pushin’ (Deekline, Wizard & Freq Nasty Mix) - Rat

Tracklisting 25th January

KIM - 'Fistogram' [Modular]
Thomas Schwartz - 'Jupiter Calling' [The Clubbers]
Will Saul - 'Speak & Spell' (Putsch 79 remix) [Simple]
Sasha - 'Who Killed Sparky?' [emFire]
Mark Mendes - 'Beneath You' [Starter Recordings]

** GUEST MIX - Chris Wan **

'MyNeighbourWontLetMePlayMyMusicLoud'

(see below for a full tracklist and a chance
to download the mix!!)

Where were we??

Anyone who tried to tune into what promised to be a brilliant show on Friday night will have been greated with silence. Big sorrys from me at the Sublevel Sessions. Tunes were lined up, a great mix was on the cards, but I ended up decidedly out of action.
Moral of the story; don't confuse an out of the ordinary, post spangled hangover, crossed with the morning after affects of the traditional January gym rush with a Heart Attack and you too might stay out of hospital.

Normal service will indeed resume this Friday (25th) at 8pm ....... that's a promise!

Expect a healthy dose of huge new tunes and a nice chunk of the new minimalistic mix from our very own Chris Wan.

thanks

Luke

Chris Wan's MyNeighbourWontLetMePlayMyMusicLoud Mix

New year and a new mix from me... well overdue. Its been over a year since I last did a mix, the last one I did came runner up in IDJ's Raw Talent way back in their December issue in 2006. Anyways, expect techno, house and everything in between. All feedback welcomed too! Leave your comments at the bottom or e-mail to sublevelsessions@googlemail.com.

Right Click on the link below and select Save Target As to save on to your computer...
MyNeighbourWontLetMePlayMyMusicLoud Mix : 80min - 177Mb

Tracklist:
1. Josh wink - Licking Plastic [XL Recordings]
2. Elektrochemie – Faking [Get Physical]
3. Radioslave - Bell Clap Dance (Sebo K Mix) [Rekids]
4. Marc Romboy & Stephan Bodzin - Mab [Herzblut Recordings]
5. Italoboyz – Zinga [Get Physical]
6. Kevin Saunderson - Bassline (Loco Dice Mix) [KMS Records]
7. Martinez – Tuna Belly [Re:Connected]
8. Lucio Aquilina - Magic M [Cocoon Recordings]
9. Gavin Herlihy - Opium Haze [Kindisch]
10. River Ocean - Love and Happiness (MAW dub beats) [Strictly Rhythm]
11. Martinez - Tool 1.1 [Re:Connected]
12. Ben Klock Marcel Dentmann – Places Like This [Ostgut Ton]
13. Mathias Tanzmann - Rugby (Kaden Penalty Kick Mix) [Moon Harbour]
14. Raz Ohara and The Odd Orchestra – Kisses (Instrumental) [Get Physical]
15. Domink Eulberg – Grunschenkel (2000 and One Mix) [Traum]
16. Carl Craig – Throw [E-Planet Recordings]
17. Plastikman – Panic Attack (Guido Schneider's Second Attack Mix) [M-Nus]
18. Luciano – Tonerres [Cadenza] /
Marc Houle - Techno Vocals (Acapella) [M-Nus]

Tracklisting: 11th January

Marco Carola - 'RE Solution' [Minus : 2m]
Funky Green Dogs feat. Murk - 'Reach For Me' [Cr2 Records]
Audiojack - 'Panic Attack' [2020 Vison Records]

** GUEST MIX - Caspa & Rusko **

Asbo - 'ASBO 1' [White Label]
Caspa - 'Rubber Chicken' [Tempa]
Caspa - 'Noise Disorganizer' [Pitch Black]
The Others - 'Champagne Cocktails' [Dub Police]
Rusko - 'Tonkas' [2nd Drop]
Rusko - 'Jahova' [Sub Soldiers]
Benga & Coki - 'Knight' [Tempa]
Wonder - 'What' (Caspa Remix) [Wonderland]
Cotti & Clue Kid - 'Falsh Back' [30]
N-Type - 'Way of thr Dub' (Caspa Remix) [Dub Police]
Skream & Clue Kid - 'Sand Snake' [Disfigured Dubz]
The Bug feat. Killa P & Flowdan - 'Skeng' [Hyper Dub]
The Others - 'Invasion' [Dubplate]

********

James Zabiela - 'Perseverance' [Renaissance]

WE'RE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes Yes Yes, where does the time go?? Fresh off the back of a crimbo / new years break that would go down in memory as one of the most hectic and debauched yet, if only we could remember it, the sublevel sessions is back on the air!!! Indeed, for what may be it's last outing, the next ten weeks are gonna see more great new tunes, hot interviews and even hotter mixes than you can shake a glow stick at (if that's your thing).

In the pipeline, awesome music from; Sasha, Chris Liebing and Mark Mendes to name but a few. A very special mix and interview (all the way from OZ) from the legendary, and Get Physical head honchos, M.A.N.D.Y. And it all kicks off tomorrow night at 8 with a big slice of dirty, rotten dubstep from big boys on scene, Caspa and Rusko.

So set your alarms, leave work early, ignore the phone, log on to www.urfonline.com and let the good times roll!!

xx Luke S.

Diggers and Xmas Debauchery

Just when you've got over the last weekend the next one is already around the corner to hammer a few more nails into your coffin. We're coming ever closer to that final nail of new years eve but before that happens there is still one more weekend to go.

But first off, last weekend. The Manchester Warehouse Project rocked my socks last Friday night. I'm sad that I only got to see the venue once this year as I think it was a big improvement on the old Boddingtons factory. The Piccadily station location was more intimate and held a better sound. OK when it was busy it was slightly annoying, but these days busy tends to equate to a better atmosphere and you're either on it with the rest or miserable at the sides. My only advice is to just go with the flow, obviously you can consume a variety of substances to ease you into the mood, say like 6 cans of Red Stripe on a long train journey. That worked a treat for me, plus the beer jacket kept me warm... Its cold up north, which I found out once again. On arrival to the venue, Mr Zabiela didnt really seem to be feeling the cold, his blend of tech house and electronic noises with a dash of efx wizardry (note only a dash) kept the man bouncing and the rammed to the rafters warehouse. The man like Sasha followed and i must say i was impressed. There's so much talk of how the man has lost it and his ableton thing is boring, but the other Friday i really enjoyed his set. However, i am a relatively young clubber, so missed the Sasha late 90's golden era. Which on the flip side might be a good thing as I had no pre-conceptions of what he should be like, I just took the set for what it was. The man like, moved effortlessly through epic prog rollers through to dark dirty electronic grooves and even threw in a smattering of techno near the end. It kept me moving until the end and many other people. The only downside to the whole night was having to get home. It took me 4 hours through a combination of taxis, trains and tube. One thing i dont understand is, who in their right minds would want to go to Milton Keynes, Coventry and Watford? There is no need for my train to stop at these places! Well that's what I was thinking after 2 hours into my journey at 11am in the morning feeling extremely on the edge of oblivion.

Saturday brought the delight of Fabric and a little Chilean. Unfortunately, the little Chilean had some family problems so couldn't make it. Hope everything is alright... But I was really disappointed that Luciano couldn't make an appearance. I was really looking forward to hearing his current standard set of Subliminal back catalog records, Freaks come out and that rose rouge remix. I know his sets haven't changed much since May, but I'm still yet to hear it on a sound system like Fabric's. I caught a bit at Wild in the Country, but the flooded tent, torrential rain, lack of crowd, early set time and quiet sound system didn't really do it the greatest of justice. I guess I'll just have to hold on a few more months :o( . Not to worry as Amé and Adam Beyer were still playing, which doesn't make it a complete lost cause. Far from it actually. Amé played some lavish deep sounds in room 3 whilst Adam Beyer and the real "Swedish Mafia" played some stern techno that would send Angello and co back under their electro gash rock. Some good music all around, however the spirit seemed a bit lacking and flat at times. However like I stated before you're either going with the flow or miserable at the sides and after my miserable train journey back during the morning I might have fallen into the latter category.

Now that's all behind me, its time to talk about this weekend. And once again I'm going to talk about what seems like my Siamese twin separated at birth. That's right, I'm heading to Fabric..... again.... But all for good reason, as its part two of London's prog grandmaster's series. Well that's what I'm calling it. John Digweed rolls into town so soon after Sasha just departed. The Dougal from Magic Roundabout look-a-like (see picture above, i think its only a hair thing really..) will be commanding Room1 this weekend, expect some relentless epic prog, tech house. Martinez are in support and should entertain with their brand of intertwined epic dark melodies which plod along in a nice groove. Just what the doctor ordered, before a week of heavy eating, Christmas songs and mince pies.

Happy Christmas!

p.s Canvas for NYE seems like a safe bet this year. Carl Craig, Dixon (current living legend in my eyes), Andrew Weatherhall, Boys Noize and Jo Jo De Freq. What more could you ask for? Did i forget to mention they're knocking the thing down soon after!? Click Here for more info..