Lewis Ryder & Bigger Deer NYE Exclusive
Lewis speaks about cheesy trance memories and Bigger Deer NYE….
Some of you would have heard of Lewis Ryder from when he was running ‘Hindsight’ at London’s Inigo Bar or when he was hosting it with James Talk at The Cross and with Anil Chawla, Miniminds and Neil Quigley at The Egg back in 2007. Many will know him from his appearances at Jaded, AKA/The End and Club Class in Maidstone. But most of you should be familiar with Lewis Ryder from his Bigger Deer night at London’s Fabric or even his residency at the renowned Space on the magical island of Ibiza. None the less, I’m adamant you’ve been a shuffling foot to his techy beats.
Lewis, being what you might call a multi-skilled DJ/Producer has been hard at work getting himself established with a string of remixes for Filth & Splendour plus numerous releases on various labels. but Lewis has already moved to the next level, setting up and developing his own label: Bigger Deer, and with significant results.
With many releases by himself featuring remixes from the likes of Terry Francis, Filth & Splendour and Mitch Davis, plus releases by Tom Budden and Tom Reynolds. I think it’s clear to say that his hard work is paying off with DJ more than prepared to put their names to Bigger Deer. Not to mention great support from James Zabiela, Dylan Rhymes, Funk D’Void, John Digweed, Desyn Masielo, Alex Tepper, Eddie Richards, Nathan Coles, Nic Fanciulli, Hernan Cattaneo and Lauren Garnier.
But 2010 has been of some great achievements for Lewis and his label with an array of successful releases; ‘Pullahomer’ mixing industrial downtrodden beats with contrasting light overtones and its upbeat vibe perfect for getting any serious dance floor moving. ‘Crack Pope’ taking the name on face value brings an immediate smile. the jerky electronic stabs creep up on the fast beat laid down by the opening launch. Success has also come in the way of Terry Francis joining the Bigger Deer ranch as well as Lewis making his debut bow at Fabric.
2010 will surely be a difficult year to beat but Lewis is making sure that 2011 is going to smash previous years and to guarantee this he’s kicking off the New Year with the much-anticipated Bigger Deer NYE party at The Gramaphone, Shoreditch, where he will be setting the standard for what 2011 will hold. And you better be taking him seriously because his NYE at The Gramaphone will be swiftly followed by another outstanding Bigger Deer night at Fabric on 8th January, where he will be joined by one-third of Wiggle and Fabric resident Terry Francis, plus Saved Records’ Alex Tepper. Lewis is laying down the gauntlet.
Interview
What would you say was the key moment that got you on the road to DJing / Producing?
“Well I started playing about with basic music sequencing software around the age of 11 or 12 years old. Throughout my teenage years the idea of getting a pair of record decks became real appealing after discovering pirate radio and underground music. So I guess that picking up on computers from an early age played a big part in the process.
Key influences for you on your road to DJing / Producing?
A really cheesy Trance Nation CD that for some random reason my Dad was playing in his car. I remember a remix of the Braveheart theme tune on there… looking back it is awful! But this was probably the first dance music I’d ever listened to.
DJ EZ Pure Garage mixes were among the early favourites, then musically developing more towards Fatboy Slim and more housey stuff.
But a friend at a record shop pushed me towards the more twisted and techy side of things when I was just about to leave school. Up till then I was buying lots of Funky/Bar Groove House.
If I had to choose a festival that has had a big influence along the way, I’d say Bestival when I was 19 and hanging out with the likes of Ed from the Chemical Brother, Ashley Beedle and Justin Robertson. this really gave me a taste of the industry to say the least!
When you’re not DJing or Producing, what kind of music do you listen to in your spare time?
I listen to a lot of stuff I was bought up with, Sting, Tears For Fears, David Bowie, etc. Along with lots of current bands like Radiohead, Blur, Kings of Leon, Zero 7. one of my current favourites is Adele – ‘Rolling In The Deep’. Very soulful track!
Oh and The XX, they’ve done very well in the past year. I used to run a party at Inigo in Clapham Junction when I was at university (‘it Must Be A Monday’), we gave them one of their first gigs and I was their ‘beats man’ (playing/pausing a CD of beats for them). That was back in 2005…. 5 years on and they’ve won the Mercury Music Prize!
What has been the most enjoyable place / club / night you have played so far?
It would have to be a toss between my twice weekly residency in 2009 at Space Ibiza, especially the opening and… Fabric back in September for my label, Bigger Deer Recordings, debut party in room 3
The Space opening gig was immense; I was playing the main room inside before Chris Leibing and had to extend my set from 1. hours to 3.5 hours, as there were problems with Chris’ flight. After my set, Guy Gerber took over with a live show. The place was going off!
Imagine you live in a parallel universe where X-Factor is actually considered cool and not just popular entertainment. you just happen to be in the final (the fact that you are in the final implies that you have an amazing voice). What would you sing?
Jamie Woon – ‘Night Air’. Maybe my top pick of 2010.
Highlights for you in 2010?
Doing a little 3 week tour of Australia back in March / April, playing alongside Darren Emerson, Fergie and hanging with the Aussie crew.
Having terry Francis join the Deer ranch and getting an EP of my own out on Wiggle.
Debuting at Fabric. This was the first techno club I ever went to, so this was a very special moment!
What do you have planned for yourself and Bigger Deer Recordings in 2011?
Continuing with releases from some newly found artists and myself. With remixes from the likes of Jamie Stevens, Nathan Coles, Raffertie, Alecs Marta, Javier Orduna…
The next release is ‘Aussdisco’ by myself with a remix from London lad Saytek (who will be playing at the Bigger Deer NYE Party at The Gramaphone, London).
We’ve also got another label party at Fabric on Saturday 8th January, which will feature Terry Francis & Alex Tepper.
So quite a lot already planned to kick start the New Year.
Is there anything in particular you would really like to try musically?
Well I’m starting to work on a live set, incorporating hardware, synths and a computer. This is really the next thing for me…
And non musically?
Well at the moment most of my time is spent thinking about music, indulged fully in it. i run the label on my own and also do all the artwork for events, etc, myself. I think it’s a good way to work if possible, having full creative power, for me, it’s essential.
Favourite drink?
Ribena
Favourite dish / food?
Can’t go wrong with good old sausage & mash.
Sonic or Mario?
Mario
Robocop or Terminator?
Terminator.
Homer Simpson or Peter Griffin?
That’s a toughy. Used to be Homer, but now I’d say Peter…with Stan Smith popping his head in from American Dad 🙂
If you didn’t know who Lewis Ryder was or what he was about then by now you should have a pretty good idea. And if you’re still in doubt, makes ure you gett yourself down to The Gramaphone for the Bigger Deer NYE party for a feel of what he’s really about. And if you already know what Lewis Ryder is all about then you would have already bought your tickets for NYE.
We’d just like to say a big thank you to Lewis for his exclusive ‘G-Sounds’ mix, which we are loving and especially for taking the time to answer our questions.
Author: Webbie
G-Sounds 01: Lewis Ryder
Plastikman – Ask Yourself (Lewis Ryder Remix @ Burn Studios)
Terry Francis is Klunk & Zilly for his new label
Terry Francis has a new label in the works….
Producer and fabric resident Terry Francis has a new record label in the works, with the first 12-inch due out at the beginning of December.
The label is called Klunk & Zilly, named after two characters from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines. Asked why he chose this title, Francis says “because it’s silly and I think going out should be fun and silly.” In fact, quite a bit about the label stems from this not-so-serious way of looking at things. Case in point: Francis names Klunk, a gibberish-speaking television character, as his main partner in the project.
“I met Klunk about two years ago. He’s my imaginary friend from the pub next door. We started making some music together and it was like we’d known each other in a previous life. But like his cartoon character I couldn’t understand what the fuck he was saying, so I just didn’t bother and concentrated on the groove.”
Klunk & Zilly will be a vinyl-only operation. In terms of style, Francis says the label emphasizes “tough, deep, quirky, spaced-out fun,” with most tracks coming from the production outfit Klunk & Zilly (presumably Francis, maybe with a real-life collaborator).
Tracklist
A1 Klunk + Zilly feat. Dwiet Isaacs – Intent
A2 Klunk + Zilly – Purrspective
B1 Klunk + Zilly – Peggit
B2 Pushaman – The Arena
Klunk & Zilly will release Klunk & Zilly 001 on December 1st, 2010
Source: Residentadvisor.net
Movement Torino: Scandal
- Movement Shame
Halloween weekend was expected to be one of the greatest weekends this winter at the Movement Torino Music Festival 2010….
With a Saturday night performance by the masterful Sven Väth at Patio Club followed by a spectacular Sunday night featuring Chemical Brothers, 2 Many DJ’s, Derrick May, Ellen Allien, Ilario Alicante, Dixon and many others.
Unfortunately the event turned out to demonstrate a very ugly side of event organisation that left many party goers feeling massively disappointed and let down.
Starting with the Saturday night, we arrive at the venue around midnight only to be confronted by a complete road block 100m from the entrance of Patio Club. We all had prevendita (pre-sale tickets), which basically means that we had already paid a small fee in order to reserve our ticket so to speak where we then just pay the difference on arrival at the event. Two of our group had already passed so we obviously wanted to know why on earth there was this road block stopping us from passing. After speaking with security they said that the place is closed due to being over crowded. Which did seem very strange. Then after another 5min of waiting under the rain they finally allowed a number of us to pass, walk down to the entrance of the Club to queue again. Fortunately a little diplomacy from one of our group and the security allowed us to enter the club as we already had half our group in, but we were the only ones to pass leaving the rest of the crowd outside.
Once we entered the Club we realised that the place was absolutely packed full of young teenagers and stayed like this until at least around 2:00am. Turns out that this Club normally organises an underage night on Saturdays and instead of cancelling this regular night of teens for Movement, they kept it all the same meaning that that all those that had bought tickets to see Sven Väth had to wait outside until the Teens had decided to start going home, resulting in a one in one out system. This for one, is not acceptable! If people pay for a ticket for an event, they can accept the possibility of wait to enter, but not because the venue is already full.
The most disturbing part of all of this was the number of Teens we saw being carried out by their friends because they were green in the face, passing out, or completely unable to stay conscious! And the chanting of football songs whilst Sven was pumping out some amazing tunes was extremely annoying. Leading us to ask why on earth those people were there in the first place.
We forgot about the disappointing Saturday and simply looked forward to the Sunday night at the Pala Olimpico where we were sure to have a good night. Again like the night before, we arrived at the venue around midnight with our prevendita tickets. To start with, there was such a mess in trying to get tickets with the prevendita that we ended up in the wrong line for about 20mins without realising. Luckily we were able to make a quick switch without cause any problems. But once we got close to the sales window there was absolute pandemonium, with people push and shoving we were getting increasingly crush. Lucky for us we’re not small but for all the young Italian ladies in the queue it must have been a nightmare.
Two of us had finally got our tickets and struggled to find our way out of the mess, another of the group was already in the venue and the fourth member was denied a ticket at the sales window. They had closed the sales windows and refused to sell any more tickets. With one member of the group without a ticket we proceeded to the main entrance to try speaking with an official – None to been seen anywhere! By this time they had even stop people WITH tickets from entering due to overcrowding. We could see the entrance from the gates and it looked worse than London’s Central Line in rush hour. We tried to get some answers from some official police officers that were on site, who insisted that that people were still able to enter the event, which was not true.
We saw many people trying to report this to the police who were on site and their response was always dismissive, sometimes even ignoring people. One Officer even closed the window of his vehicle as a member of the public was trying to speak to him.
The only response the police had for this mess was in the way of riot police on the premises of the venue and they certainly weren’t there help people!
The one person from our group who managed to get in left the event after 30min saying that it was impossible to move inside it was completed jam packed full of people.
What a shame!
We feel that this poor organisation has not just let down many music lovers, not just Movement as a name, but also the imagine of Italy. Many people criticise Italy for poor organisation and corruption, but this event has done nothing but fuel this imagine, especially with the disappointing response of the authorities!
What we find even more shameful is that the fans, music lovers, where allowed to be treated in such a way. This is something we should never accept!
But we must say that Sven Väth, once again lived up to expectations, especially when he dropped Snorkel by Maetrik. And we heard amazing reviews about Chemical Brothers. Just a shame we and many others didn’t get the chance to experience it.
Movement – Torino Music Festival
Movement are back with a their 5th edition in Torino, which by the sounds of things is sure to impress….
Movement, which will be held from 28th – 31st October, is destined to leave its mark in Torino, a city that is gradually developing in popularity for music. Torino played host to the Winter Olympics back in 2006, as well as the imaginative “Club to Club” project and of course the huge “Movement” music festival.
Last year saw Movement taking hold of the Pala Olimpico, ex Isozaki Stadium, where we saw the likes of Stacey Pullen, Derrick May, Luciano, , Ricardo Villalobos and Richie Hawtin. Great line-ups but the only draw back was the location, as high hits and kick drum booms echoed around the entrance to the Pala Olimpico, the atmosphere was slightly lost, especially because it was so huge.
Though this year looks like there has been an improvement in terms of locations, multi-locations, but the Pala Olimpico is still on the list.
This year we can be expecting a couple of workshops and showcases organised as well as several pre-parties to get people warmed up for the event: –
18 Sep – Raresh, Torino
02 Oct – Shaun Reeves, Firenze
08 Oct – Derrick Carter, Torino
09 Oct – Derrick Carter, Mantova
15 Oct – Kevin Saunderson, Roma
22 Oct – Trus’ Me, Torino
From the website nothing is really clear or confirmed apart from the pre-parties and we are only able to gather who is headlining the 4 day event and the locations involved. But as to when the DJs are playing and what venues, it’s not clear. Although checking one DJs diary we can see when he is playing.
So all that can be confirmed is the following: –
Venues
Politecico di Torino (workshops)
Fnac Store (Red Bull Music Academy Panel)
Museo Nazionale del Cinema (Showcase)
Blanco Club Lounge
Kogins Club
Patio Club
Pala Olimpico
DJs
The Chemical Brothers
Sven Väth
2 Many DJ’s
Ellen Allien
Derrick May
Dixon
Ernesto Ferreyra
Guillaume & The Coutu Dumont
Ilario Alicante
Karotte
Kyle Hall
Anthony “Shake” Shakir
MCDE
Keith Worthy
Patrice Scott
I-Robots
For all the latest news and updates, check out movement.it.
VIVa MUSiC Remix Competition
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Resident Advisor.com
Steve Lawler and his VIVa MUSiC label run remix competition.
The remix competition involves remixing Steve Lawler’s latest piece of work “Gimme Some More” featuring Roland Clark. All ethusiastic remixers can download all the audio stems from Soundcloud.
The mostly percussive track contains some great vocal stems on top of the percussion grooves, which are likely to be ideal for most remixers….
Normally with these competitions, label bosses take full advantage of participants by giving away a few goodies and reaping all the rewards for themselves. Knowing full well that most participants are never going to pass up an opportunity of being noticed in the music industry.
However, this competition is different. It holds great potential for anyone looking to break into the industry as it offers not only a bundle of music production hardware and software, but also full PR & Marketing campaign to help the winner launch their career, as well as 50% of publishing & equal share of artist sales royalties.
So what exactly is up for grabs…..
First Place Winner – 1 Grand Prize
The winning remix, as chosen by Steve Lawler, will be announced on November 15th and released commercially on VIVa MUSiC as part of the forthcoming Steve Lawler ft. Roland Clark – “Gimme Some More – Remixes” digital single package.
– The winner will receive 50% of publishing & equal share of artist sales royalties.
– VIVa MUSiC will execute a full PR & Marketing campaign to help the winner launch his career.
– 1x Ableton Live 8 music writing, production & performance software worth €350.
– 1x Novation ZeRO SL MkII midi controller worth €269.
– 1x Novation Launchpad controller for Ableton Live worth €199.
– 1x Focusrite Saffire 6 USB audio interface worth €189.
– 1x Soundcloud PREMIUM PRO Account worth €250.
Runner Up Winners x3 – Prizes
All three runner up remixes, as chosen by Steve Lawler, will be announced on November 15th and released commercially on VIVa MUSiC as part of the forthcoming Steve Lawler ft. Roland Clark – “Gimme Some More – Remixes” digital single package.
– All winners will receive 50% of publishing & equal share of artist sales royalties.
– VIVa MUSiC will execute a full PR & Marketing campaign to help all runner up winners launch their career.
– 1x Novation Launchpad controller for Ableton Live worth €199.
– 1x Ableton Live Intro music writing, production & performance software worth €99.
– 1x Soundcloud PREMIUM LITE Account worth €29.
/// Competition Rules ////
1. Download the remix parts from Steve Lawler’s soundcloud page
GIMME SOME MORE /// REMIX COMPETITION /// AUDIO PARTS by Steve Lawler
2. Create a remix of the song by using the original sounds from the supplied audio parts.
3. Once you’re happy with your remix, simply upload it to the competition website
Click the “LOGIN TO UPLOAD” button here to submit your track right here.
4. Encourage your fans/friends to VOTE and spread the word about your remix so your entry can appear amongst the top rated tracks in the contest that will be considered by Steve Lawler.
5. Deadline for submissions 12th November 2010 23:59h It is advisable that you submit your remix as soon as possible so your fans can get enough time to vote for it and you can appear amongst the top rated remixes.
/// Judgement Criteria’s ///
The winner will be decided by using the following judgement criteria’s:
– Originality and creativity in your approach to music composition.
– Quality of production and technical skills.
– Popularity – determined by the number of votes gained in the contest.
From the top rated remixes Steve Lawler will pick his favourite tracks to win a number of fantastic prizes and gain exposure to millions of viewers online.
All The Best….
New Aphex Twin Album
Lovers of weird and wonderful electronica rejoice: Aphex Twin has a new album on the way.
No release date is confirmed, nor title, nor much else, but rumours suggest that Sheffield electronic legends Warp have signed the reclusive producer for another album, almost10 years on from his one, Drukqs.
No word as to whether South African rap jokers Die Antwoord will be featuring on the album (see the video below from L.E.D. Festival if you’re wondering what we’re talking about).
Aphex Twin plays at We Love Space in Ibiza on September 26th if you happen to be there.
Source: Data Transmission
Bedlam – Halloween Party
BEDLAM is a club night which is committed to bringing you the most cutting edge underground house and techno, some of the worlds best djs, and an electric atmosphere!
The nights residents include TIM GREEN, one of the hottest names to emerge from the scene in recent years, famed for his productions on world renowned labels such as Cocoon, Dirtybird, Renaissance and many more. Add to that DODEK who’s unique style has received huge amounts of praise, and who’s future in the dance music scene is sure to be big!
The night launch June 20th 2009 was one of the sickest nights seen in Maidstone for a long time. With MARTIN BUTTRICH (Cocoon/PlanetE/Desolat) performing an amazing headline live alongside the BEDLAM residents.
Guerilla Sounds attended Bedlams 1st Birthday back in May and we witnessed an amzing night being smashed by Lee Burridge, Tim Green and Matthias Tanzmann. And yes…. the 1st Birthday was held in The Tunnel. So this is definitely a night to be attending in October.
THE TUNNEL – a Napoleonic fortress on the outskirts of Chatham, which we transformed into a club for Bedlam’s 1st birthday, is without doubt one of the best club venues in the entire country. Anyone who attended that night back in May will testify as to how special this venue is, and just how special the atmosphere was that night!!!
2000 AND ONE is quite simply a legend in the underground house and techno scene. Over the past 20 years there has been very few producers/djs/label owners that have been as influential and successful as this Dutch pioneer! His music has been instrumental in the rise of house and techno over the past 5 years, championed by the likes of Ritchie Hawtin, Carl Cox, Sven Vath, Ricardo Villalobos, Pete Tong, Luciano, Matthias Tanzmann, to name a few. He also owns and runs the highly successful Remote Area Records, 100% Pure, Intacto & Bitten record labels. These labels have helped kickstart the careers of artists such as Joris Voorn, Shinedoe, Steve Rachmad, Lauhaus, Julien Chaptal, Madskills, Kabale Und Liebe and many more of the most acclaimed producers on the planet.
As a DJ 2000 AND ONE headlines every major club and festival on the planet, from Timewarp Festival, I Love Techno, Fabric, Womb, Space, Berghain, Sankeys, E-Edge, Awakenings Festival, 10 Days Off, the list goes on and on! We are extremely lucky to be welcoming 2000 AND ONE for a rare UK performance, and we know you lot are gona show him just how much the Kent crowd love to party!!!!
TIM GREEN is without doubt one of the hottest names in dance music. As a producer he has released some of the biggest and most played tracks and remixes of the past 3 years, working with labels like Cocoon, Dirtybird, Get Physical, and remixing the likes of Tiefschwarz, Booka Shade, Cassius, Claude Von Stroke and many more. As a dj Tim can be found touring the globe, playing the best parties every weekend at some of the worlds most famous clubs. As joint founder and resident at Bedlam, he consistently takes time out of his worldwide touring schedule to come back to Kent and play to the Bedlam faithful. Its no wonder though, as the BEDLAM crowd is without doubt one of the craziest crowds on the planet!!!!!
EMERSON TODD is a man making major waves in the house scene right now, having released with Cocoon, Get Physical, Upon You Records, as well as remixing huge artists like Layo & Bushwacka, Mendo, D. Ramirez, as well as collaborated with our man Tim Green for the huge track Exercise last year! Originally from New Zealand, now living in Berlin, he can be found playing in the worlds coolest clubs every weekend, his unique style of jacking wonky house music will absolutely rock the dancefloor, and we are very proud to bringing Emerson Todd over to the UK for his BEDLAM debut!
Rounding off the line up are 3 of the most talented djs in Kent. Firstly Bedlam resident ALEX KILBY will be getting the dancefloor moving as only he can with his awesome groovy house music, Alex is without doubt one of the most talented djs to come from Maidstone in a long time. Rounding things off are a dj duo that have impressed us so much at Bedlam that we had to them involved sooner or later. The extremely talented and hugely passionate ANGRY TWINS will be making their BEDLAM debut, and its going to rock!!!!
Tim Green’s Fabric Promo Mix
London-based Tim Green seems to just keep rising and rising from releasing tracks on Four:Twenty, Infant, Dirtybird, Cocoon to getting recognition from the likes of Sven Vath, Pete Tong, Ritchie Hawtin, Carl Cox, John Digweed, Josh Wink, Deadmu5, Tiefschwarz, Steve Lawler, MANDY, Dubfire, Laurent Garnier, Slam, Claude Von Stroke, Nic Fanciulli, Lee Burridge and many more. Tim Green can be found DJing all over the shop, destroying dancefloors over recent times at some of the worlds best clubs such as Fabric, The End, Retox in London, Stealth in Nottingham, The Custard Factory Birmingham, Circus in Liverpool, Watergate, Tresor & The Weekend Club in Berlin, Womb Tokyo, Vagabond LA, Mondo Madrid, Social Club Paris, The Hive in Zurich, The Loft Lausanne, Studio 80 in Amsterdam as well as a whole host of the best clubs in the world. But one place you are sure to find him is at the infamous Bedlam night run down in Maidstone, Kent (UK).
Bedlam, which has been running for over a year now has been enjoying great success with appearances from the likes of Lee Burridge, Matthias Tanzmann, Audiofly, Martin Buttrich, M.A.N.D.Y….. But most importantly with Tim Green at the helm as resident, he sets the bar of what is expected.
Here you can find your way to Tim Green’s Fabric Promo Mix……
If you can’t wait until 30th October to see him in action @ Bedlam, then listen to it…
If you never heard him mix, then listen to it……
And if you don’t know who the hell Tim Green is, just listen to it!
DJs and Producers take on the Music Industry
DJ Hell, Slam, Jesse Rose and Andy Wilson of the old Vinyl Addiction express their feelings, thoughts and reasoning of music along with a number of other music industry figures in the “We Love Ibiza 2010” documentary – Week 8 – The Distribution Episode. “Opinions on getting music out there, finding and sifting through tunes and the divisive subject of piracy.”
Tech & house party Modern Amusement launches in Leeds
October 30th sees Leeds get a new tech & house party at a new venue – Modern Amusement at VOX.
The space is a 3-room converted warehouse space next to Eiger Studios in New Craven Gate with a capacity of 1450, and promises subtle design and plenty of space. The launch night for Modern Amusement is pretty big – from European talents like Matthias Tanzmann, Nick Curly and Kink (live) doing the housey thing, Germany’s Efdemin going for deep tech and Detroit talents Kyle Hall and Rolando flying in. Throw in a load of local talent and you’ve got a very tasty line-up.
Tickets start at £10 – check out modern amusement for more details and a forthcoming podcast from Kink.
Source: Data Transmission
The Crystal Method Interview
Veoveo.com
The Crystal Method is an American electronic music duo that was created in Los Angeles, California by Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland in the early 1990s. The Crystal Method’s music has appeared in numerous TV shows, films, video games, and advertisements. Their best-selling album, Vegas, was certified platinum in 2007.
Biography
The Crystal Method is made up of two members, Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland. Both of them were born in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kirkland was born when his mother was only fifteen. He grew up listening to his mother’s music—disco—and his father’s music—rock. When he had grown a little older, he began listening to Heavy metal, as well as bands like Depeche Mode. Ken Jordan also grew up listening to classic rock and ’80s electronic as well.
Early days (1993–1995)
By the early ’90s, both Ken and Scott had moved to Los Angeles. Before The Crystal Method was formed, Ken and Scott started working on music while working at the grocery store and while Ken was a local DJ in Las Vegas as well as the college radio program director at UNLV. Ken taught Scott how to DJ, and when Ken moved to L.A. to work for a producer, Scott took over his job DJ’ing at the local club. Scott would follow Ken out to L.A. and they formed The Crystal Method in 1993. They later said that the name was also a drug reference (the street slang for Methamphetamine is Crystal Meth).Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland bought a house together, in Glendale, California, which had a small underground shelter beneath the front lawn. Originally intending to turn the shelter into a studio, it proved to be an unrealistic idea and the duo set up a studio in their house. They named their studio The Bomb Shelter.
After The Bomb Shelter was built, The Crystal Method began recording music. This early music made it onto tape not long after. A British DJ named Justin King eventually got a hold of this tape. King was interested in starting a record label that would showcase American electronic dance acts. King teamed up with Scottish transplant Stephen Melrose to form the record label City of Angels. The first official release from the City of Angels label was The Crystal Method’s “Now is the Time”. The Crystal Method were signed to Outpost Recordings in 1996.
Vegas (1996–1998)
After the band signed with Outpost, they began working on their debut album. The group’s second (and last) single on City of Angels was “Keep Hope Alive“. Their next release was on the Mortal Kombat: More Kombat soundtrack, “Come2gether”.
On September 8, 1997, The Crystal Method released their best-selling album, Vegas. Vegas peaked at number 92 on the Billboard 200. It was certified gold by the RIAA in 1998, then platinum in 2007.
Five of the album’s ten tracks were released as singles: “Trip Like I Do”, “Busy Child“, “High Roller”, “Comin’ Back“, and “Keep Hope Alive”.
Tweekend (1999–2002)
In 1999, the band went into the studio to record their next studio album, Tweekend, which featured more guest artists than Vegas had. The album was released in July 2001, and peaked at number 32 on the Billboard 200, which is still the group’s highest album chart position.
Featured guests from the album include Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland, and others, like Doug Grean, DJ Swamp, Ryan “Ryu” Maginn, and Julie Gallios. Four singles were released from Tweekend: “Wild, Sweet and Cool”, “Murder”, “Blowout”, “Name of the Game“.
Community Service
Jordan and Kirkland used to have a radio show called “Community Service” which aired Friday nights on radio station Indie 103.1, in California. They played electronic music and hosted guests, like Death in Vegas and UNKLE.
A year after the release of Tweekend, The Crystal Method released a continuous mix album based on their radio show, titled Community Service. The album does not feature any new studio material from The Crystal Method, but is composed of remixes of bands like P.O.D., Rage Against the Machine, and Garbage, plus remixes of songs from Tweekend. Their remix of P.O.D.’s “Boom” from this album, also appeared in the video game Amplitude.
Community Service peaked at number 160 on the Billboard 200, number five on the Top Electronic Albums chart, and number 15 on the Top Independent Albums chart.
Legion of Boom (2003–2005)
After the release of Community Service, The Crystal Method went back into the studio to record their third album, Legion of Boom. During the recording, they used the house as their recording studio instead of The Bomb Shelter.
In December 2003, the single “Born Too Slow“, with vocals from John Garcia and guitar by Wes Borland was released. Legion of Boom was released on January 13, 2004, and peaked at number 36 on the Billboard 200. It sold over 25,000 copies in its first week.
The other single released from Legion of Boom, “Starting Over”, featured vocals from Rahzel from The Roots. No other singles were released but other songs, including “Weapons of Mass Distortion”, “Bound Too Long” and “Realizer”, appeared in various movies and TV shows. “I Know It’s You” appeared in the trailer for the film Resident Evil: Extinction, and includes vocals by the movie’s star, Milla Jovovich.
In 2005, the album was nominated for the Best Electronic/Dance Album Grammy, the first year that category existed. It lost to Kish Kash by Basement Jaxx.
It is also around this time that Jordan and Kirkland formed their own record label, called Tiny e Recordings.
Community Service II
On April 5, 2005, The Crystal Method released their sequel to Community Service, called Community Service II, another continuous mix of electronica songs and remixes of music by artists including The Doors, Unkle, New Order and Smashing Pumpkins. The album peaked at number 31 on the Top Independent Albums chart and number 8 on the Top Electronic albums chart.
A 5-track EP, Community Service II Exclusives, was also released through the iTunes Store. It included one new track, “Badass”, and full versions of four tracks from Community Service II. It was removed from the iTunes store not long after it was released.
Drive, London, and Vegas re-release (2006–2008)
The group composed and performed the score for the film London, which was released in February 2006. The soundtrack album included excerpts from the score, two Crystal Method vocal tracks—”Smoked” and “Glass Breaker”, which were also released as a single—and songs by artists like Evil Nine, The Out Crowd, and The Perishers.
Shortly after the release of the London soundtrack, The Crystal Method was approached by Nike to take part in a series of music releases specifically designed to be listened to while running. The group’s contribution, Drive: Nike + Original Run—the first in the series—was initially released digitally, in June 2006, with the physical release following a year later. Drive peaked at number 23 on the Top Electronic Albums chart. The album, a 45 minute continuous mix, starts off slow, increases in tempo, and slows at the end, following the arc of a typical distance run.
In 2007, ten years after its original release, the group’s debut album, Vegas was certified platinum by the RIAA. One month later, a special edition of the album was released, with a second disc including remixes and video.
In late 2008, the group remixed their song “Now Is the Time”. Where the original version featured samples of Jesse Jackson, this “Vote ’08 Remix” used samples of Barack Obama, marking the presidential election.
Divided by Night (2009–present)
Following the release of Legion of Boom, The Crystal Method began construction of a new, full-sized recording studio in Los Angeles—Crystalwerks. When it was finished, they began work on their next album, Divided by Night.
On April 14, 2009, The Crystal Method released the digital single “Drown in the Now”. A second single, “Black Rainbows”, was released via Beatport two weeks later.
The Divided by Night tour started in Boston on May 6, and the album was released the following week. It peaked at number 38 on the Billboard 200, number two on the Top Electronic Albums chart, and number four on the Top Independent Albums chart, The album features guest artists including Peter Hook (of New Order), Matisyahu, Justin Warfield, Emily Haines (of Metric), and Jason Lytle.
X Games 3D: The Movie, released in August 2009, included a number of Crystal Method songs and remixes, including “Drown in the Now” and “Now Is the Time”.
Source: Wikipedia
Leftfield Announce UK Tour
Following on from their successful run of UK festivals, reformed dance music legends Leftfield have now announced a nationwide UK tour for November and December.
Founding member Leftfield is joined by original vocalists Djum Djum, Earl 16 and Cheshire Cat on the tour, as well as keyboard player Kwes and two other performers at the live gigs. “The reception we received over the summer at the festivals was amazing” says Barnes. “Now we can’t wait to get out there again this autumn and bring the full Leftfield Live experience to the rest of the country. Let the bass roar.”
And it seems the ban on them playing at London’s Brixton Academy (after the sound system they brought in the last time they played there caused bits of plaster to fall off the huge venue’s ceiling) has been lifted – great news!
Tickets go on sale 9am Friday 3rd September at www.leftfieldtour.co.uk
Tour dates:
Leeds – O2 Academy
Thursday 18th November
Doors: 7pm – 11pm / £24+BF (Standing) or £20+BF (Seated) / Age 16+
Manchester – Apollo
Friday 19th November
Doors: 7pm – 11pm / £24+BF (Standing) or £20+BF (Seated) Age: 16+
Glasgow – Barrowlands
Saturday 20th November
Doors: 7pm – 11pm / £24+BF / Age: 16+
Liverpool – Liverpool University
Thursday 25th November
Doors: 7pm – 11pm / £24+BF / Age: 14+
Bournemouth – O2 Academy
Friday 26th November
Doors: 7pm – 11pm / £24+BF / Age: 16+
Plymouth – Plymouth Pavilions
Saturday 27th November
Doors: 7pm – 11pm / £24+BF / Age: 16+
Bristol – O2 Academy
Thursday 2nd December
Doors: 7pm – 11pm / £24+BF / Age: 16+
London – O2 Academy Brixton
Friday 3rd December
Doors: 9pm – 2am / £29+BF / Age: 18+
Source: Data Transmission
Booka Shade – Teenage Spaceman
Minimalfreaks.com
Booka Shade’s latest release “Teenage Spaceman”, which is now available, has finally found a matching video from their Video Making Competition. The video, directed by Matthew Harris, was the winning entry in Booka Shade’s “Teenage Spaceman” video making competition, which you can check out below.
Steve Lawler’s rare afterhours “H Sessions”
Steve Lawler released a rare afterhours session recorded at his villa in Ibiza 2008. The mix which he has called “H Sessions” consists of delving into a deep meaniful journey.
“It seems everyone has really liked my journey’s into the deep and meaningful, which i have to say i’m really happy about 🙂
I do this all the time, end up going somewhere after a long night, and play for hours to a few friends.. here is a mix i did a couple of years back at my Villa in Ibiza on a Tuesday morning.. I called it H Sessions 😉
There is another to follow which i did last year whilst in the states, i only ever record an hour so i can fit it onto a cd for my friends.. but there are more to come so don’t worry about that 😉
This episode was recorded in the sun, which you may hear when listening to the mix.. Enjoy!
Steve
xxx”
Check out Episode 1 here
Wiggle in Ibiza Part 2
Junodownload.com
Nathan Coles and Terry Francis are set to smash up the Aura in Ibiza one more time. Wiggle in Ibiza Part 2 will be kicking off at 10pm on 12th September and running through till the early hours. They have still yet to confirm any special guests, but when you’ve got Nathan Coles & Terry Francis putting on a bit of a Wiggle who else is needed…. Eddie Richards would be a nice addition though.
our next Wiggle back on the magical white island and returning once again to the very
special Aura on sunday the 12th of september.
much cheaper than the rest of the season, the temperature is perfect and it’s the closing
party season to top it all off!
After Aura’s transformation, turning there once car park into an out door eating and cocktail
oasis… the then already popular Aura has gone off the richter scale and has become even
more of a must visit on the island and we too have also fallen in love with it’s charms and
strongly recommend getting involved with it’s mouth watering menue
So come and join Terry Francis, Nathan Coles and soon to be announced special guest
In Ibiza this september for some fun in the sun.”
‘Wu-Tang Revealed’ Documentary – A Trailer
Wu-Tang on Last.fm
We wondered what the hell GZA was doing standing around on stage with a camcorder when we saw Wu-Tang Clan play the Hammersmith Apollo a few years back. Turns out he was putting together footage for Wu-Tang: Revealed – a behind-the-scenes documentary filmed over the course of several years.
A trailer has just been released, which you can watch below, featuring access-all-areas footage of internal Wu-Tang beefing (seemingly largely centred around the disagreements members of the group had with producer and lynchpin RZA over the direction of their disappointing last album 8 Diagrams and various royalty battles with him also), live concert footage and interviews with the group’s members and close associates.
Looks pretty interesting and also quite amusing. Lot of blunts being smoked there. Official release TBA.
Source: Data Transmission
Balance 017: Timo Maas
Seasoned DJ and producer Timo Maas has mixed the next edition of the Balance mix series, due for release in October.
As with previous editions by Agoria and Joris Voorn, Balance 017 will comprise two discs—a format that made the project especially appealing to Maas. “To spread myself out over two CDs without essentially having to ‘rock’ a crowd from the beginning is a very good thing,” he says. “I was able to also include deeper, downbeat, ‘earlier set’ material, that I personally like to listen to, but am not essentially playing out on a normal club night.” Almost 40 tracks are included in total, including selections by Nicolas Jaar, Solvent and Carl Craig. A raft of previously unreleased tunes feature as well, including Maas’s own remix of “Ashtray Heart,” Placebo’s single from 2009.
Maas has done his fair share of mixes over the course of his nearly two-decade career, but Balance 017 will be his first in seven years, following 2003’s Music for the Maases 2. It will be accompanied by an EP featuring four exclusive tunes from the album, including three by Maas himself and “Arcadia” by Mutant Clan, his collaboration with Italian producer Santos.
Tracklist
CD 1
01. Timo Maas – Morning Beauty
02. Timo Maas – A Day After George
03. Nicolas Jaar – Time For Us (Original Mix)
04. Dana Bergquist & Peder G – Acapulco (Sasse Remix)
05. Solvent – Loss For Words (Vector Lovers Remix)
06. Random House Project – The One For Ever (Toby Tobias Dub Mix)
07. Phattivan – Man From Ternopil
08. Deetron – Sing
09. Mathias Kaden – Kawaba (DJ Koze’s Kosi-San Remix) / DJ Koze – Blume Der Nacht
10. Henrik Schwarz & Kuniyuki – Once Again (Kuniyuki Version)
11. Giorgio Roma – Across The East Side / Timo Maas – Spacemooger Experience
12. Alex Flitsch meets Mutant Clan – Imanah (Patrick Chardronnet Deep Mix)
13. Mathias Schaffhauser – The 1st Thing
14. Danny Tenaglia – Elements (The Dtour)
15. Sante & Adam Port – Solano
16. The Crystal Ark – The City Never Sleeps (Instrumental)
17. Florian Hollerith – Fluxus
18. Carl Craig – At Les
19. William Orbit, Elgar – Nimrod (Timo Maas & Santos Remix)
CD2
01. Timo Maas – Latenza
02. Marc Romboy & Stephan Bodzin – Luna (Mutant Clan Laser Gun Remix)
03. Kenny Larkin – Glob (Kenny Larkin Mix)
04. Alex Niggemann – Take Control (Matthias Tanzmann Remix)
05. Alex Dolby & Santos – To Be Large
06. The Mole – Nervous Disid
07. Mutant Clan – Totally Wet (Sante & Adam Port Remix)
08. We Fell To Earth – Lights Out (Timo Maas Remix)
09. Timo Maas – Kick 1 Kick 3
10. Mutant Clan – Arcadia
11. Sante & Adam Port – Faire Des Siennes (Mutant Clan Caraibic Remix)
12. Santos – Matinee
13. Rockets & Ponies – Chinese Massage (Alex Dolby’s Porno Dolby Remix)
14. Timo Maas – Clouds
15. Lost Veteranos – It’s Wronger
16. Emmanuel Top – Somewhere
17. Hardfloor – Acperience 1
18. Placebo – Ashtray Heart (Timo Maas Unreleased Remix)
Balance Music will release Timo Maas’s Balance 017 on October 8th, 2010.
Source: Resident Advisor
Alex Flitsch meets Mutant Clan
Click to hear the track
It’s a far cry from the often epic tunage that typified Connaisseur’s earliest days, sounding almost like it’d be better served on the imprint’s Outils Du Connaisseur sub label. That’s perhaps why Patrick Chardonnet, the man responsible for the label’s biggest early tune “Eve by Day,” is brought on board for a deeper remix. He brings dub chords, birds chirping and a few strings to the table, transforming what was once mid-set fodder into peak-time territory via those strings that reach ever upward. It’s not his finest work, but when basically all you have to work with is a remarkable bassline, improvisation is required. It certainly beats the digital-only remix from Himan, which passes by in seven minutes like (very slow) water off a duck’s back.
Source: Resident Advisor
Words: Sam Louis
Andy C working on “Nightlife 5”
Andy C on Residentadvisor.net
Andy C’s much-loved Nightlife compilation will return for a fifth volume on October 11th, 8 years after the first instalment landed.
Although the tracklist hasn’t been finalised and it hasn’t actually been mixed yet (“Andy’s still working on it!” Scott from Ram tells us), it’s expected to showcase recent ram signings Wilkinson and Delta Heavy, plus album tasters from Xample & Lomax and Culture Shock – with an accompanying single on September 6th from X & L, Link To The Past / Rapidas. There will also be a weightier sampler EP culling tracks from the compilation on its release date.
Meanwhile Ram are currently working on a project with Drum & Bass Arena TV to create a show that mixes music and interviews which is being produced by ex-Top Of The Pops man Chris Cowley. There’s also a more in-depth documentary about the label in production too.
Source: Data Transmission
Ricardo Villalobos remixes for DFA
Villalobos on Lastfm
In a month of curious label-artist hook-ups (Squarepusher on Ed Banger, Brian Eno on Warp etc), here’s another – techno visionary Ricardo Villalobos remixing a track for James Murphy’s DFA Records.
It’s surprising for sure but sort of makes sense when you think about it – both like a bit of a tripped-out, psychedelic groove and both are pioneering names. He’s remixed Ndf (Bruno Pronsato and Sergio Giorgini)’s Since We Last Met, turning it into a lengthy, sprawling throbber with plenty of his wigged-out sounds therein. It’s out on August 30th on 12” and digital.
Source: Data Transmission
Check out a sample of “Since We Last Met”
Riva Starr gives free track to fans
Riva Starr on Juno.co.uk
Riva Starr seems to be having a great year with his name popping up all over the place and thanks all his supported that have rocked his world.
As he puts it in his own words: “Just sitting here at Ibiza Airport after playing a slamming set at the Radio 1 weekender with Annie Mac, (which was UN-believable btw); I really wanted to take the time out to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me over the last year. You guys have rocked my world!!”
“To say it’s been an insane year would be a serious understatement – I’ve DJ’ed at some of the most AMAZING clubs and festivals around the world – from Cocoon to Glastonbury, Space to Love Box and Pacha to Fuji Rock. Got loads more coming up too – this weekend alone I’m playing The Big Chill, Dance Valley then Croatia… Madness! Then non-stop till the end of August… No nuff words to say how much I love my job!”
“What more can I say… This year has been such an amazing ride, and we’re only half way through… it wouldn’t have been possible without your support… “
As a big thank you to everyone who has supported him, Riva Starr has made available the unreleased stomper “FanfarOne” here.
Source: Data Transmission
Guerilla Sounds 