On their 6th Mix CD, Watergate presents the Parisian band dOP, made up of Clement Zemtsov (beat programming), Damien Vandesande (keyboards and horns), and Jonathan Illel (lyrics and vocals). Breaking with their tradition of a classic DJ mix for the first time, the CD sounds more like a live jam to which the three Frenchmen invited numerous renowned guests. dOP had this to say about the mix: “This mix should show how we make music, both alone and with friends or people that inspire us. Watergate gave us the opportunity to create our first mix CD, so we wanted to make it something special. We invited artists that we’re friends with to come work on songs with us, and we then used those songs for the mix.”
As a result, 12 of the 13 tracks are by dOP and have not yet been released! Having previously collaborated with musical contemporaries that have included Nôze, Guillaume & The Coutu-Dumonts, and Dave Aju, it made sense for the group to continue the musical relationships that they have formed. The CD features Nôze on “Les Fils du Calvaire,” Mathias Kaden on “The Ceremony,” Wareika on “Play Play Play,” and Catz & Dogz on “Deaf Wagrant.”
The intro was recorded live (atmosphere included) in Watergate club with their side project, Enliven dOP Acoustic, an enhanced version of dOP featuring their friends from the German group, Enliven Deep Acoustic. One can’t help but feel the effort and serious passion for music in each and every second of the mix, and the Parisians’ wishes will definitely be fulfilled: “We hope you will feel the pleasure we felt making it!”
Formed in 2005 as the byproduct of a 20-year friendship between the trio, the past year has seen dOP release on Circus Company, Eklo, Supplemental Facts, and Mothership, as well as release remixes on Get Physical, Rebirth, Peppermint Jam, and Lezzizmore. 2010 will also mark the release of their first artist album. Don’t miss them on stage at the record release parties in June at Sonar and at Watergate in July – see for yourself that their music is dOP! With the mix featuring such a high amount of first-class unreleased material, it goes without saying that the Watergate label’s 2nd vinyl will follow the release of the CD. The 12” will feature an incredible musical crosssection from the mix, including four of the unreleased collaborations.

Minimaland Feedback: I was supposed to post this release a while ago, but this weekend dOP performed here in Museu de Serralves at Oporto and I’ve decided to wait to see them live so I could have a better idea of what they were all about. And I couldn’t be more happy, all the funky happiness they show in their tracks, going around minimal house, tech and deep was even more glanced in their live gig, the dancefloor was full of joy and energy, and their interactivity with us was very positive and motivating. The music of dOP is able to be one of the most original that has come around the scene lately, and you will notice it in this mixed cd. They constantly reinvent the structure of their tracks… from the originals to the ones that are performed life, you can only count with surprising and inspired new things. As for watergate, I think that all has been said previously, but it’s surely one of our favorite editions till now.

Tracklisting:
01. Enliven dOP Acoustic – The Dust (Recorded Live at Watergate)
02. dOP & Nôze – Les Fils du Calvaire
03. Aquarius Heaven & dOP – Before You Go
04. Daniele Papini & dOP – Carte Blanche
05. dOP & Seuil – New York
06. dOP – Stock Option (Tiefschwarz Remix)
07. Mathias Kaden & dOP – The Ceremony
08. Seuil & dOP – Glory Hole
09. Catz & Dogz & dOP – Deaf Wagrant (Selianka Edit)
10. Warieka & dOP – Play Play Play
11. Art of Tones ft. Jaw – Call The Shots (Motor City Drum
Ensemble Remix)
12. Khan – Candy Girl (dOP Remix)
13. dOP – Goodbye

Label: Watergate Records
Release Date: 07.06.2010

dOP: “dEEP, ORGANIC & from PARIS”

Just who are the “agents of time” in the title of Mathew Jonson’s new album? Is it a reference to futurism, or to the here and now? Is it us, are we them? Maybe it’s a nod to all the elements that factor into getting older—late nights, breakups, trans-Atlantic flights. Oxidants, fatty acids and dancefloor revelations. Maybe it’s something in the circuitry of Jonson’s vintage hardware, something built up in the veins of his machines over the years of static charge and oscillators and ADSR.

Whatever the case, it’s a suitably open-ended name for a record that presents a side of Mathew Jonson you’ve never heard before.

Not to say that the Berlin-based producer has ever been exactly one-dimensional. On his own, as a member of Cobblestone Jazz, and as a co-founder of the Wagon Repair label, Jonson has continually pushed and prodded electronic dance music’s familiar forms into more distinctive shapes, without ever losing focus on the dancefloor. But the visceral, psychoactive thrills of his biggest tracks—2004’s “Decompression,” “Return of the Zombie Bikers”—have sometimes eclipsed the deeper side of Jonson’s music. Agents of Time remedies that, building upon his signature sound by veering into slower, more expansive, more contemplative territory.

It might come as a surprise to learn that this is Jonson’s debut solo album. He’s been a major figure on the scene almost since the moment he emerged on Itiswhatitis in 2001, with hotly tipped singles for Perlon and Minus quickly raising his profile. Since then, he’s turned out 20-odd singles and EPs, plus remixes for the Chemical Brothers, Moby, Swayzak and even Nelly Furtado. Add to that another nine singles and two albums with Cobblestone Jazz, plus two more EPs with Midnight Operator (Jonson’s duo with his brother Nathan Jonson, aka Hrdvsion) and the Modern Deep Left Quartet. He keeps busy.

Despite all that activity, Agents of Time finds Jonson sounding intensely focused, even as he displays more range than ever before. The very first track, “Love in the Future,” wipes the slate clean with five minutes of pensive, cycling synthesizer arpeggios set to a sparse drum machine pattern hovering around 100BPM—the kind of pace they used to call andante, or “walking” tempo. It’s ambient, but ambient with a decided pulse.

A more familiar side of Jonson returns to the fore with a stretch of cuts aimed squarely at the floor. “Girls Got Rhythm” outfits a loose, swinging groove with a bright, sidewinding arpeggio—something about its stacked harmonies and weird modal twists tingles the spine, practically sets your teeth on edge, but in a good way. It’s a classic Jonson move, jangling your nerves with an unusually full-spectrum assault. “Thieves in Digital Land” is darker and more driving, with a snakecharming melody recalling earlier, Eastern-tinged tracks like “Symphony for the Apocalypse” and “Return of the Zombie Bikers.” But there’s a real sense of melancholy here, too, as shimmering synthesizer pads bubble up underneath, balancing visceral funk with something harder to put your finger on, something that feels a lot like loss. And then “Sunday Disco Romance” shrugs off its worries and dives into almost eight minutes of pure funk, a giddy sprawl of handclaps, flashing disco hi-hats and a bass/vocoder line that winks in the direction of Michael Jackson.

“Marionette (The Beginning)” switches up the pace once again. The song will be familiar to many, having first appeared in 2005. But as the title indicates, this is actually an earlier version, one Jonson initially deemed not appropriate for a 12″ release. A funny thing happens here: without the cascading synthesizers of the now-familiar version, the tune opens up, revealing previously unheard depths in the bubbling arpeggio and diamond-sharp drum programming. It’s more hypnotic than ever.

From here, the horizon blows wide open, reminding you that Jonson’s musical interests don’t lie solely in the club—that this is an album that rewards deep listening at all volumes, in any context. It’s an album that adapts to different settings and molds itself to your mood. It is, in other words, an album.

“Night Vision” finds Jonson exploring sub-100BPM depths with a brooding, modal melody and glacially-paced 808s suggesting cryogenic electro, or a funeral march for an Ice Age B-Boy. “Pirates in the 9th” is almost as slow, and considerably darker, with a nodding groove and a dubbed-out, subsonic shudder. Just barely nudging past the 100BPM marker again, “New Model Robots” swings slowly, but with intent; between nimble drum programming inspired by classic boom-bap and plaintive synthesizer counterpoints, it connects the dots between RZA’s Ghost Dog score and Autechre’s early work in surprising ways.

The album goes out with a bang—and a whisper. First is the whisper, “When Love Feels Like Crying.” Previously released on vinyl as the B-side to “Walking on the Hands that Follow Me”, a release that minimaland has reviewed,  it’s been remastered specifically for digital formats, and the difference is striking: even if you know the track, you may be convinced that it’s a new version. Cycling for almost 10 minutes around a melody that never seems to resolve itself, it’s a profoundly mournful track, but it’s never maudlin. Something about its open-endedness, and the way it cloaks its frequencies, smuggling sounds under cover of filters and reverb, renders it unusually ambiguous. It’s mood music for a feeling you can’t name.

And then the bang: “Agents of Time” pulls all the threads of the record together. The unease, the release, the force, the funk, the use of every frequency, from gut-rumbling sub-bass to highs that tickle in your ear canal. It rolls it all up into an eight-minute journey to the outer limits—kosmische synthesizer music reconfigured to techno specifications, and yet freed from a 4/4 kick. It’s a powerful conclusion to a stunning stretch of computer-music songwriting, and an indication that Jonson has his sights set even farther in the distance, his ears trained on sounds humming faintly in the recesses of his analogue circuitry.

Tracklist:
01 Love in the Future
02 Girls Got Rhythm
03 Thieves in Digital Land
04 Sunday Disco Romance
05 Marionette (the beginning)
07 Night Vision
07 Pirates in the 9th
08 New Model Robots
09 When Love Feels Like Crying
10 Agents of Time

Label: Wagon Repair Ltd.
Catalog#: WRL001
Released: 07.06.2010

Emptiness isn’t a quality you normally associate with electronic dance music. From the crowd on the associate with electronic dance music. From the crowd on the dancefloor to the weight of the bass, it’s all about fullness, volume, density.

Reboot turns that opposition on its head with his debut album, Shunyata. The title comes from Buddhism and translates loosely as “emptiness.” But not just in the negative sense: it speaks also to impermanence, a state of constant flux.
It’s a great description of Reboot’s music, where everything is in constant and kaleidoscopic motion. And it’s also a fitting metaphor for the life of the Frankfurt-based musician, aka Frank Heinrich.

In just three years, since his first EPs under the Reboot moniker appeared on Cadenza and Below, he’s become one of electronic music’s hottest properties, releasing not only a slew of singles for labels like Cocoon, Love Letters from Oslo, Ricardo Villalobos’ Sei Es Drum and underground cult fave Motivbank, but also a pair of high-profile mix CDs for Cocoon and Ce%u0301cille. His live sets and DJ sessions have taken him around the world and then some, several times, playing everywhere from mammoth festival stages to the thatched-roof booth at Ibiza’s Ushuai%u0308a. (One look at Reboot’s booking schedule, and you can forget about any concept of “emptiness.”)

“Shunyata describes my way of life pretty well,” affirms Heinrich, who just last year left his full-time day job to focus on music. Shunyata might be seen as a response to all that flux. Heinrich took his time with the record, working on musical ideas that extend beyond the limits of a given track. From the sound designs to the grooves to the way the tracks evolve, they all interconnect; intricate polyrhythms wind through the music like ivy, binding the album together.
It’s those rhythms you’re likely to notice first: dazzling arrays of congas, bells, cymbals, shakers, woodblocks; sounds that sound like tuned water-drops or aluminum barrels; steely drum machines slicing the air like knives. But behind the layers of percussion there are stranger, shadowier elements at work: chimes, pings, electronic gurgles, scraps of faraway voices, field recordings, and beneath it all, a spongy, squishy bed of bass, comforting and all-encompassing. As Heinrich says, “All the sounds have to be in a constant flux. The track starts at one point and leads to somewhere completely else.”

Heinrich’s modular synthesizer system plays a key role in fashioning the music’s unusual contours. It’s an open-ended collection of devices—oscillators, filters, sequencers and esoteric functions—wired together and able to be re-routed in infinite ways. Not only does it sound better than any plug-in, but it also offers a fundamentally different way of working—a more intuitive process where chance guides discovery and sounds evolve with rare fluidity. There are no presets. The only rules are the laws governing sound’s movement through air. And everything is in a constant state of flux.

Shunyata is very much an album: its long, undulating lines and morphological structures reward deep,repeated listening. They’re puzzles that can’t be solved by themselves, but only by gathering clues from across the recording. At the same time, though, this is visceral, immediate music, crafted by a musician that understands the needs of the dance floor as it really exists—not as some abstract form, but as a living thing, a shifting configuration of bodies and souls that never plays out the same way twice.

DJs are going to find themselves reaching for every track in the package at one point or another. There’s the headlong tumble of the Detroit-inspired “Hermano” for joyous peaktime moments, the liquid spiral of “Down Pantha” for the hours where time stands still. “Rambon,” with its easy skip and glimmering melody, is like springtime on wax. Tracks like “We Only Just,” “Me Show” and “Save Me” offer darker vibes, heads-down and hypnotic. “Dreilach” goes even deeper, with a rippling bass melody that gets deep inside your chest, your brain, your veins. The title track seems to spin at two velocities at once, balancing a driving, linear groove with half-speed voices to create a sense of suspended animation—the perfect encapsulation of the album’s central theme. And “Uruana” and “Sanchez Says” bracket the album with percussive forays into far-out terrain, with trace elements of global folk sounds. It’s tribal music, no doubt, influenced by, and made for, a worldwide family of listeners and fellow creators. And ritual—whether dance-floor communion or the solitary pursuit of electronic sound—goes to the very fiber of its being. What comes out of that ritual is Shunyata.

Tracklist:
01 Uruana

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02 Me Show

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03 We Only Just

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04 Dreilach

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05 Save Me

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06 Shunyata

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07 Hermano

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08 Down Pantha

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09 Rambon

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10 Sanchez Says

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Label: Cadenza
Release Date: 06.07.2010

Not being news to anyone, since the album was released in February, now comes to minimaland, simply because we could not pass by one of the best releases of 2010.Pantha Du Prince committed himself to the fullest and has achieved a tremendous job. Nothing better than “The Lay in Shimmer” to get an album started in the funniest way possible, that is great for opening any party, set, or in this case a disc. Beautiful melodies conveying a welfare and then detailed rhythms and all booms placed in the precise time. “Abglanz” expresses some concern with the sharp perturbation of it’s strong deep percussions, and these later soothed by the calm of the bells. Continuing the disturbance demonstrated by Du Prince, we have this “the Splendour,” quite melancholic, but that should be heard, with all your ears and soul. Great for a winter morning. “Sitck to my side” is a track all of it well-formed, crafted the perfect way, where every sound comes at the right time, in the right minute. Initially opposes the bass with the beat, giving a little anxiety for the continuity of both. The brand of music is what keeps it in the ear, the soft quiet voice gathered by 5 melodic tones. It will rock the summer mornings. “The Nomad’s Retreat” is marked for its low stimulants along with the danceable rhythm, just for some. “Satellite Snyper” arrives with a single force, and repetition of melodic tones penetrating, falling to a quiet funny low percussion and some catchy tunes, is one of my favorites. Killer, Irreversible, Powerful, Restless is the “Behind the Stars already known by you all, it doesn’t need any type of presentation. Smooth and well presented, “Bohemian Forest” appears unwittingly to sneak into view, tearing apart more sensitive hearts, with incredible low’s and all the musical growth pattern worked very well. “Welt Am Draht” appears in a form of new soul, mixing various rhythms, the bearer of Gregorian chants, very well achieved. “Im Bann” suggests a small outburst of DuPrince, with a very dramatic melody, notifying some cold and isolated walk through a breezy autumn. To end “Es Schneiter,”, Dub style, and a set of bells in a constant uproar. Awesome.

Label: Rough Trade
Catalog#: RTRADCD544
Rls. Date: 8.2.2010

Samples

Cobblestone Jazz have just released their second full-length, The Modern Deep Left Quartet, through !K7/Wagon Repair. Today we are here to talk about it, it’s already one of the releases of the year.

Following on from their 2007 album debut, 23 Seconds, this latest offering marks the official arrival of long-time collaborator Colin de la Plante, AKA The Mole, who joins Mathew Jonson, Danuel Tate and Tyger Dhula as part of their studio line-up. The foursome laid down The Modern Deep Left Quartet over a frenzied three-week recording session this past summer, with Tate and Dhula journeying from their base in Victoria, Canada to join de la Plante and Jonson in Berlin.

The press surrounding the release offers a few interesting insights into the modus operandi of the quartet during said session, and also the machines which they chose to utilize. Roland’s TR-808, TR-909 and SH-101 are all listed as tools of their trade, along with Cwejman and Doepfer modular synths, and, unsurprisingly, a vocoder and Fender Rhodes as wielded by Tate. Meanwhile the deployment of their instruments is said to be very much of the “jam-session” variety, with the group arranging themselves in a semi-circular fashion and simply pressing “record.”

Of The Modern Deep Left Quartet’s eight tracks, only “Fiesta” has hitherto seen a release (Wagon Repair put it out last year), while the album opener “Chance Dub” and penultimate cut “Chance” will make up a forthcoming single release. On the evidence of the upcoming 12-inch, it seems de la Plante’s influence has been one of refinement as opposed to additional sugar, with the B-side “Chance” in particular taking a pared down and Rhodes-infused route to its destination.

.
01. Chance Dub

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02. Sun Child

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03. Mr Polite

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04. Cromagnon Man

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05. Fiesta

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06. Children

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07. Chance

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08. Midnight Sun

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K7#258CD
Release Date: 05.04.2010

Federico Molinari and Nekes founded the label Oslo Records in 2007. Always on the lookout for new talented producers the Oslo family grew larger and surprised their audience again and again with new interpretations of modern dance music. After 3 exciting years the label is publishing its first compilation, ‘Don’t Believe The Hype’, in March 2010 consisting of 4 vinyl, where all Oslo artists present their work. The Oslo compilation presents tracks from Christian Burkhardt, Damián Schwartz, DJ Wild, Federico Molinari, Guillaume and the Coutu Dumonts, Johnny D, Laverne Radix , Massimo Di Lena, Minimono, Nekes, Ray Okpara ,Sascha Dive &Vera that nothing leave to be desired. So you can run forward into the new season 2010!

Minimaland Feedback: Oslo is easily in the top5 labels  here in minimaland –  along with their sublabel “Love Letters From Oslo”. We’ve introduced you to a couple of their releases and we couldn’t miss this one, they’re releasing their first compilation, the roster is great and we couldn’t miss it! Let’s hope they manage to continue to be one of the most surprising labels around the scene, the task won’t be easy but so far they’ve done it! Congrats Oslo !!

a. Damian Schwartz – Ride You On
b1. Minimono – Brake Spring
b2. Christian Brukhardt – Fairy Floss
c. Massimo Di Lena – He Is The Walrus
d1. Dj Wild – Just Can Stand It
d2. Laverne Radix – Strong Legs
e. Johnny D. – Rashaida
f1. Sascha Dive – Suburban Knight
f2. Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts – Blam Blam
g1. Federico Molinari – Gold Teeth
g2. Nekes – Pump It
h1. Ray Okpara – Ngozi
h2: Vera – The Lovers And Demons

Release Date: March, 2010

To celebrate their third anniversary, Oslo will also be touring during the next months, here are their tour dates:

04.04. EFFECT CREW – Bad Neustadt, GER
04.04. SUPERMARKET – Zürich, CH
04.04. DAS ZIMMER – Mannheim, GER
10.04. FABRIC – London, UK
17.04. BOOTSHAUS – Cologne, GER
17.04. MONKEYS – Düsseldorf, GER
17.04. TENAX – Florenz, IT
24.04. BLKMARKET- New York, USA
30.04. ARMA 17 – Moscow, RUS
30.04. CLUB LINK – Bologna, IT
08.05. VIA FELSENAU – Bern, CH
14.05. CLUB Q- Zürich, CH
14.05. WEEKEND- Berlin, GER
21.05. BOGOTÁ – Kolumbien
22.05. MEDELLIN – Kolumbien
23.05. ROBERT JOHNSON – Offenbach, GER
28.05. CLUB BATOFAR – Paris, F
30.05. SPACE Opening – Ibiza, ES
09.06. KEHAKUMA BEACH – Ibiza, ES
12.06. SANKEYS – Manchester, UK
19.06. CLUB BOULEVARD – Barcelona [Sonar], ES
26.06. NORDSTERN – Basel, CH
02.07. CLOSING @ WATERGATE – Berlin, GER

After raising the bar to unprecedented heights in 2009 with Joris Voorn and Will Saul’s stunning additions to the series, EQ Recordings’ Balance series returns for the new decade with yet another standard-setting mix from one of the most sophisticated and inspiring names in techno: Agoria.

The man otherwise known as Sebastien Devaud wasn’t bitten by the dance music bug until he was out of his teens, but once he began hunting imported 12”s from the US and Germany in his native France, there was no turning back. His production career began in 1999, with his debut album Blossom and first compilation following in 2003 – and it was clear even in those early days that a serious new talent was emerging. Blending the throb and groove of deeper, stripped-back techno with a keen sense of musicality, emotion and atmosphere, his is a sound that transcends beyond mere dancefloor disposability.

Agoria explains his intention for this intricate compilation: “The concept of both CDs is all about balance. Literally. In my mind a balance is not a middle position; it’s a perfect equilibrium. I’m trying to be as close as possible to this idea. I have tried to find this fine line where the balance is just right.” To accomplish this perfectly-weighted contrast, he’s cherry-picked from a myriad of genres and subgenres in his “beat open-minded” fashion, combining a wealth of material from newcomers across the spectrum (including no less than 12 exclusives) with more established producers, classics and unknown gems from his broad musical past, and put it all together in an unconventional, challenging manner. “In the end, more than a DJ compilation, this is a manifesto of my passion for music and for mixing” he explains.

Disc 1 casts Agoria not simply as a functional dancefloor engineer, but as a musical craftsman, an arranger, a conductor. It’s the sound DJing evolved – the art of composition, contrast and texture, toying with your emotion and patience and pushing and pulling your attention in different directions. We begin all beatless and atmospheric, moving through the Viennese downtempo beauty of Tosca and the haunting acoustic pop of Emiliana Torrini and onwards into Agoria’s own blend of operatics and deep electronica on Altre Voci. Glimpse’s Train In Austria Pt.2 catches us off guard with its intense emotion, before the helmsman ushers us unexpectedly towards organic instrumentation and disco grooves, all warm and familiar after the heady electronics that went before. A delicate, blessed-out climax lays the mix down to rest.

Disc 2 sees Agoria go for the 4/4 jugular, with more of the trademark sound that he is recognised for. But it’s not quite as simple as that. Even more so than on the first mix, he combines and sequences tracks in every different way, splicing several together, reintroducing the same track twice or four times, comparing and contrasting different flavours. “I thought that to find the right balance, I needed to use all the ways of mixing. Editing tracks but also letting entire tracks play. Playing 3 or 4 times the same tracks, or spinning some for just a few seconds. Loopy or not. Exclusive, classic or covers, bizarre or easy listening, happy or trippy. 4 tracks together or just one. Loosing the listener for a minute to re-catch him the minute after. Spinning a classical music work of Jonny Greenwood at the peak time. Going up and then down. Starting and finishing with the same tracks.” Familiar names like Marc Antona, Chris Carrier and Mark Broom supply a steady throb of techno and tech house rhythms – melody percolating the mix at the right moments – leading up to a dreamy, euphoric climax, laden with the joyous pianos of Serge Santiago’s re-rub of Shit Robot and Martyn’s heavenly reworking of Efdemin. Two sumptuous vocal tracks round off this incredible oeuvre, the perfect finale to bring the mix back down to earth after some epic peaks.

This superb compilation is as deep and rewarding as a well-woven novel, the dénouement of the story unfolding as the mix evolves through Agoria’s musical DNA. Yet another essential addition to the compilation series that is fast becoming the new benchmark for ambitious DJs and demanding listeners alike.

CD1 – ALLER RETOUR
1. Gregg Kowalsky – Ashes From Evermore
2. Alva Noto – Xerrox Monophaser 2 DJ Koze – Lords of Panama
3. Mark Pritchard – ?
4. Manvoy de Saint Sadrill – Soeheniona
5. Tosca – Joe Si Ha
6. Emiliana Torrini – Gun *contains a sample of Mark Pritchard – ?
7. Agoria – Parasite 2
8. Arandel – In D#5
9. Justin – Columpnam
10. 19.454.18.5.25.5.18 – When I Think Of
11. Pom Pom – 10
12. Agoria – Altre Voci
13. Glimpse – Train in Austria part 2
14. The Field – Over the Ice (Live mix)
15. Olibusta – La Pazz
16. Cubenx – Mis Dias Y Tus Noches
17. Felix Laband – Whisitling in Tongues (Todd Terje remix)
18. jozif – Back 2 My Roots (jozif’s 5o’clock Fabric Shadow edit)
19. Bibio – Jealous of Roses
20. LCD Soundystem – 45:33 (Trus’me remix)
21. Boozoo Bajou feat. Rumer – Same Sun (Prins Thomas Diskomiks) Oxia – Less Time
22. Hatikvah – Synchronicty (Block Barley & Engin Ozturk Holmby Hills Remix)
23. Rio en Medio – The Last Child’s Tear
24. Tipper – Just as the Sun Went Down
25. Gregg Kowalsky – Ashes from Evermore Alva Noto – Xerrox Monophaser 2

CD2 – RISING SINE
1. Sylvain Chauveau – Hurlements En Faveur De Serge T.
2. Aphrodite’s Child- Loud Loud Loud *contains a sample of LCD Soundsystem – 45:33 (Trus’me remix)
*contains a sample of Hauntologists – A1 *contains a sample of Avril – French Kiss
3. Taron Trekka – Shirol Suedmilch – We Were 4. The Same – Szarpiesz Minerwa *contains a sample of Dorothée & Ben Munyaneza – Mwali we!
5. Ogris Debris – G-Thong (You and Me remix)
6. Francesco Tristano – Knee for thought *contains a sample of Sylvain Chauveau – Hurlements En Faveur De Serge T.
7. Different Gear – One Thing More (Dub mix) Dorothée & Ben Munyaneza – Mwali We!
8. Michael Forzza – Abstractor 2.0 Rio en Medio – The Last Child’s Tear
9. Chris Carrier and Jef K – Morning
10. DVS1 – Running
11. Drama Society & Vladislav Delay – Almodrama 12. Agoria – Libellules *contains a sample of Sylvain Chauveau – Hurlements En Faveur De Serge T. Gadi Mizrahi – I Know Marc Antona – Kipkop 13. Avril – French Kiss
14. Gadi Mizrahi- I Know
15. Jonny Greenwood – Tehellet Agoria – Parasite
16. Avril – French Kiss
17. Mark Broom – Twenty Nine (Broom 09 mix)
18. Einmusik – Atlantis
19. Perc & Passarella Death Squad – Temperature’s Rising
20. Aufgang – Sonar (Spitzer remix)
21. Shit Robot – Simple Things (Work it Out) (Serge Santiago remix)
22. Efdemin – Acid bells (Martyn remix)
23. 3 Chairs – No Drum Machine part 2
24. Kid A – Lonely
25. Sylvain Chauveau – Hurlements En Faveur De Serge T.

Label: EQ Recordings
Rls Date: 15.03.2010

Mobilee is back—or perhaps we should say back to Back to Back—with the fourth installment of its compilation and DJ-mix series. mobilee’s Back to Back compilation series has evolved significantly since its inception, with the second disc of each compilation presenting a unique take on mobilee’s music. Back to Back Volume Four, compiled and performed by And.id and B.A.N.D., continues this evolution with a two-disc extravaganza that is unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. While Disc 1 compiles highlights from mobilee’s discography over the past year, Disc 2 consists of jazz interpretations of classic mobilee tracks, all of which have been painstakingly recorded, arranged, and re-edited by And.id.

These refreshing takes on some of mobilee’s best tracks over the years were recorded during live studio sessions with jazz musicians, whose use of real instruments in performing mobilee tracks—not to mention And.id mixing and arranging—breathes new life into these time-tested anthems. Alongside this compilation release, And.id has also produced an exclusive live mix featuring his recent and also unreleased productions and edits. This exclusive mix is a perfect presentation of his live show which he is performing in clubs all around the world and it is only available to purchasers of the release via a free digital download code that comes with the CD.

The tracks selected for the first disc do well in showcasing mobilee’s current musical diversity, with hardhitting techno from Pan-Pot (“Confronted”), forward-thinking house from GummiHz (“Sleepless Nights”) and experimental downtempo from Exercise One (“No News Today”) being among the tracks that make the cut. Recent signees Dan Curtin and Hector rub up against new tracks from old-timers, amongst whom Anja Schneider, Marcin Czubala, and Sebo K are also included. An exclusive track courtesy of And.id also makes it debut on this disc.

The second disc is a ride entirely of its own as And.Id takes classic mobilee tracks and filters them through the lens of jazz with the help of his B.A.N.D., comprised of both recent Berklee College of Music as well as seasoned studio musicians. But don’t be fooled: these aren’t just jazz covers. And.id has gone one step further, editing and arranging the recorded instrumentals into an incredibly unique final product. Sebo K’s anthem “Horizons,” Pan-Pot’s lush, piano-led track “Faces,” and “Rancho Relaxo,” Anja Schneider’s collaboration with Sebo K, are just some of the tracks taken to new heights on this inventive new take on electronic dance music. But just in case that doesn’t fully satiate your appetite, we’ve also included the original versions of each of these tracks just for kicks.

Anyone’s who’s been paying attention to And.id knows he’s got the jazz in him: he was raised on jazz records and concerts and often integrates a trumpet into his live sets. What no one could have imagined, however, is how well this interest and passion for swung beats and brass instruments could
combine with his renowned skills behind the boards. Four to the floor beats get traded in for live instrumentation and creativity meets this classics on the newest volume of the Back to Back compilation, with the end product finally confirming everyone’s suspicions that house and techno are far from dead

Minimaland Feedback: We’ve always liked And.Id’s work as a producer and this 2xCD confirms all his talent. His selection of some of the best mobilee tracks over the last year is very exquisity and refined and the 2nd cd with all the jazzy performances of the label classics bring the cherry on top of the cake. Top quality release.

Tracklist:
CD1 – mobilee compiled by And.Id
1. And.Id – She Was There – EXCLUSIVE TRACK
2. GummiHz – Sleepless Nights
3. Hector – Got Fringe
4. Marcin Czubala – Day 1
5. Anja Schneider & Lee Van Dowski – Deseo
6. Dan Curtin – Sandwalk
7. Sebo K – Spirits
8. And.id – Ephoria
9. Pan-Pot – Confronted
10. Exercise One – No News Today feat. Argenis Brito

CD2 – mobilee recomposed by And.Id & B.A.N.D. And.Id & b.a.n.d. versions
1. Sebo K – Horizons (And.Id & B.A.N.D. Version)
2. Dan Curtin – Other (And.Id & B.A.N.D. Version)
3. GummiHz – Love Call (And.Id & B.A.N.D. Version)
4. Anja Schneider & Sebo K – Rancho Relaxo (And.Id & B.A.N.D. Version)
5. And.Id – First Talk (And.Id & B.A.N.D. Version)
6. Pan-Pot feat. Vincenzo – Faces (And.Id & B.A.N.D. Version)
the original versions
7. Sebo K – Horizons (Original)
8. Dan Curtin – Other (Original)
9. GummiHz – Love Call (Original)
10. Anja Schneider & Sebo K – Rancho Relaxo (Original)
11. And.Id – First Talk (Original)
12. Pan-Pot feat. Vincenzo – Faces (Original)

MobileeCD#009
Release Date: 12.02.2010

“Boogybytes – it’s about score, about clubs and pubs, about personality and the things that define us…” This vocal introduces the next instalment of the Boogybytes mix CD series. Volume 5 is the first CD not to feature a star from the label but to give a surprise appearance to the extremely charismatic and not-so-secret insider tip Seth Troxler. His top-drawer DJ, remixing and production skills, as well as his highly praised releases on labels including the Ghostly International sub-label Spectral Sound, have helped him attract considerable interest and great bookings in his home city of Detroit and his current surroundings in Berlin. BPC aficionados may be familiar with Seth through his collaboration with Ryan Crosson and Lee Curtiss. The trio delivered an extremely successful remix for Kiki under the name “Visionquest” which has been licensed for numerous other releases. After the success of their night at the Berlin club Watergate, the paths of Ellen Allien und Seth Troxler crossed once again. Seth was spontaneously given the honour of making a Boogybytes CD. After agreeing euphorically and without hesitation, Seth took the time to carefully reflect on his new environment in Berlin: “I wanted to do something which would set itself apart from all the trends, and yet paint a picture of this city and portray it the way I experience it.”

The track selection which came out of this process conveys this picture superbly. Its palpable deepness occasionally harbours a touch of melancholy, yet never becomes overwhelming, for at its peaks – which certainly include Seth’s Fever Ray mix – the tension is released in the most explosive and unbridled manner. Seth already considers certain tracks as classics. For him, Nicolas Jaar’s “Time For Us” and the epic “Birds And Souls” are works with a great future. Seth’s particular way of combining the most varied of musical elements is shown both in his fitting track selection and in his remarkable mixing technique. Not only are the individual remixes artfully arranged and intertwined, but single elements are also occasionally reemployed as material in a sound montage. Seth merges tracks into one another almost imperceptibly whilst constantly creating new angles in the way they overlap and retreat from one another. Other songs, on the other hand, follow one another abruptly and yet completely seamlessly. Sound elements are dispersed over the tracks, acting as recurring signals. In the case of the dancefloor stormer “Stricher” by Roman Flügel (one half of the duo Alter Ego), a complete section of the song is remoulded as a transition between tracks. The 4/4 kick drum does not remain fundamentally in the foreground; in the funk-jazz-tinged pieces by Bakara and Dinky its presence is withdrawn, although the compulsion to dance is never lost. Seth Troxler pays homage both to his Detroit roots and to the minimal house style of his new home, and as a result he moves his hallmark sound beyond the limits of 12” releases for the first time.

Minimaland Feedback: After Kiki, Sascha Funke, Modeselektor and Ellen Allien, Seth Troxler mixes this fantastic series of Boogybytes and we have to say he did it incredibly well! A clean mix, with a nice selection of tracks – going through deep, minimal and house – and  a perfect ending with a track that is already producing massive effects here in the minimaland: “Time For Us”.

Tracklist:
01 Seth Troxler – Intro
Ryan Crosson – Amb 1
02 The Royal We – Party Guilt (Dinky’s Arp-A-Pella)
03 Luciano – Fran Left Home
Mike Shannon – Sweet A Pella
04 Craig Smith & The Revenge – The Soul Part II
05 Baeka – Right At It
06 Dinky feat. Update – Westoid
07 N/A feat. Rosina – Fables and Fairytales (Deniz Kurtel Remix)
08 Spektrum – Freakbox (Richie Hawtin’s Uncontrolled Edit)
09 Alexi Delano – Molar One
10 Jabberjaw – The Connie Shake
11 Heartthrob – Signs (Thrill Cosby aka Seth Troxler Remix)
12 Birds And Souls – Birds And Souls
13 Roman Flügel – Stricher
14 Fever Ray – Seven (Seth Troxler Remix)
15 Kiki – Cinema Obscura
16 Nicolas Jaar – Time For Us

Release Date: 22.02.2010
BPC#210CD

“Are there DJs having more fun being a DJ than Seth Troxler? If so, we’d like to meet them. The Berlin resident defines the hedonistic nature of the city, reveling in the afterparty lifestyle and launching legions of “Did you hear what Seth did/said/played?” stories. Oh. Right, played. Yeah, that’s been amazing too. It seems like the word is out about the American jock: Troxler’s DJing style more often than not reflects his personality. Ebullient, fun, sexy. And a tiny bit out of control. Which, when you think about it, makes for some of the most memorable sets of all.”

Situated by the river Spree, known for it’s first-rate lineups of international talent and of course it’s famous wall to wall LED dance floor installation, the Watergate Club in Berlin has quickly become one of the world’s leading dance music clubs. Only 5 years after it’s official opening the club now goes a step further and releases a characteristic Mix CD series delivering only the finest DJ Mixes by some of club’s most exiting residents and guests. With the focus being put not only on the music but also on the packaging and design, this series will quickly become a truly sought-after collectors item and will surely stand out in flood of mediocre music and mixes that often dilute the market.
After successfully exploring the world of Deep House with their last mix by Sebo K it’s now time for Ellen Allien to represent for Watergate. Ellen has been a resident for the Club for a few years now and her BPitch Label nights with the whole label roster as well as her solo appearances at Watergate have always been special nights for us and the crowd. So it is no wonder that after all this Ellen Allien now steps in to mix Watergate 05 showcasing her very own and unique mix of electronic dance music for the followers and fans of the Watergate Mix CD series.

Minimaland Feedback: Essential Listening, huge tracklist!

TRACKLISTING
01 – Dj Yellow – Lost – Plaza In Crowd
02 – John Tejada – The End of It All – Palette
03 – Limp – Music Lover – Contexterrior
04 – Luciano – Celestial - Cadenza
05 – Niconé & Sascha Breamer – Nur Ma Kurz (Philip Bader rmx) – Bar 25
06 – Audiophungz – Pretending – Damn
07 – Aerea Negrot – All I Wanna Do – Bpitch
08 – Dark Unknown – The Dark (Black mix) – RPD records
09 – Juno 6 – Action 2 – Freude Am Tanzen
10 – Matias Aguayo – Bo Jack (Vocal) – Cómeme
11 – Alexi Delano – Molar One – Clink
12 – Royksopp – This must be It (Apparat rmx) – Emi Music
13 – Ellen Allien – Pop The Clock (Uffi rmx) – Ed Banger
14 – AGF / Delay – Connection (Hearthrob rmx) - Bpitch
15 – Margaret Dygas – Hidden Form View (Hidden nsi.Mix) – Power Shovel Audio
16 – Brigitte Fontain & Khan – Fine Mouche (Original Tango Piano Version) - I’m Single

WATERGATE#05
Release Date: 01.02.2010