Sunday, October 30, 2011

Steffi: that's a dj.


 In these days of digital invasion where even beatmatching is not important anymore because the machine will do it for you, Steffi appears to me as what an authentic dj should be. I've been listening to the few sets I could get during the last weeks and I must say she's becoming a source of inspiration for me. I'm not a big tech-house (if a style classification has to be done) lover but I think not so many people can put the deepness she transmits to her sets. Clubby, deep, natural and skilled are the words I personally would choose to refer to this dj. I recommend to check her profile on berghain's booking section while you start to listen to her amazing set @ boiler's room:

Embracing to music, art and counter-culture, Dutch born DJ and producer and label owner Steffi has become an important figure in the realms of contemporary club music.

With the experience that comes with promoting underground parties for over a decade, and running two successful labels - Klakson, and her new Dolly imprint - Steffi has also developed a natural and professional balance between DJing and producing.

As a resident of Berlin's Panorama Bar she forged a growing a relationship with the club's label, Ostgut Ton. Building up her production knowledge and collection of gear since her move to Berlin in 2007, she now has a fully fledged studio in which she has created a very respectable sound indeed.

Her warm, classic-inspired and analog-proud productions have featured as various singles on the label and her first full-length artist album, „Yours & Mine“ plants her firmly on the map as a deft hand at song writing and production. Tracks like the unmistakable „Yours“ featuring Virginia, or pumping warehouse moments like „Mine“ and „Nightspacer“ are undeniably impressive, as is the entire album; an emotional journey reflecting her love for real, uncompromised club music.

Steffi also collaborated with the dedicated Restoration Records as „Third Side“ alongside Lucretio and Marieu, offering up a raw and historic 4 tracker. Also branching out on US label Underground Quality, her smooth night-driving „Reasons“ EP again features Virginia's wonderful vocal encouragement. Steffi's productions explore the many channels of her love with house music, just as you will also hear when you see her controlling the sound system in the club.

Always presenting a rich, versatile selection with her skillful, creative mixing style, Steffi continues to distill her huge knowledge and love for this music into her DJ performances. With increased touring and world-wide appearances becoming more and more regular, while also maintaining her residencies in Berlin and at Berns Salonger in Stockholm, Steffi is a talented, passionate and aware member of today's music culture. A culture whose very strength relies on dedicated artists such as herself.
 Source: http://www.berghain.de

Saturday, October 15, 2011

September inspirational set: manipura

Manipura (Sanskrit: मणिपूर, Maṇipūra), called "city of jewels", is the third primary chakra according to Hindu tradition

This is something I recorded before my vacation but I didn't post it here until today. So here I go:

Inspired by an intense yoga class the day before and feeling the need of having a good time with some of the records I don't usually put on my sets, I recorded this some days ago.

Totally freestyle and not looking for perfection. Anyways, I think the result was acceptable. Some kind of ambiented downtempo sometimes dubslowstepping... just to try to make a definition, if possible. I also wanted to include a Sigur Rós track to close the set. It suddenly came while playing an immerse cut and then, I felt the set was finished:

01. Deepart - Nice Light
02. Deepart - Thought Processes
03. Deepart - Citybound
04. Alter Ego - Brom (Alter Ego Dub)
05. Newworldaquarium - The Force (Alternative Version)
06. Kode9 – Konfusion (Dub)
07. Shackleton – The Branch Is Weak (Geiom Remix)
08. Anstam - Untitled
09. Kontext - Hometown Swamp
10. Sigur Rós - Ára Bátur

check it here

Friday, October 14, 2011

September chart

It's been a while since my last post in here... I've been offline the last three weeks but I won' regret: I've been out for vacation!
Just before leaving, I prepared my September's must have list, although I must admit I didn't find the time (translate it to "the money") to make an order. Soon or later I'll put my hands on all these beauties so I think it's still fair to publish it.


Some of those releases were published during the summer but, as I said before, this summer has been really prolific and well, unfortunatelly I'm not rich of time (translate it to "of money" again...). Even one of them, was out on March: Dimi Angeli's and Jeroen Search's EP on the first Balans reference. We all know the deal with this duo, pure class techno served on every track and this release doesn't disappoint.

Also from Mr. Search but next to Markus Suckut this time, comes this Figure Special 6th release. All the three tracks are pretty deep and minimalistic. 4.3 is a great track in my opinion, it might sound really close to Sandwell District stuff but I see a better construction of the track itself. 2.0 is the track I'd choose from this EP and the one that made me decide to buy this release. I love the dub in it...

I've also selected the new Perc Traxx as I'm really feeling th B side on it. And well, I'm still surprised because Radial is back...

I think my favourite of this month is CLR 48 from Tommy Four Seven... oh my god what a nice release! Terence Fixmer's interpretation of Sevals is one of the best tracks of this year for me. I'm pretty sure I'll mix it up with some SA's several times... I can even mentally imagine some of those mixes without having it yet... Both original tracks from Tommy are great. Deepness and darkness are words that are used pretty easily these days (so do I) but please, listen to those tracks and later tell me wich are the words that come to your head... Again, amazing release. AMAZING, with capital letters... keep them coming Tommy!

Who's Tobias? I really didn't know until I saw his LP on O-Ton and well, that was my fault. He's got a very personal sound that I'm really enjoying... this is a quite eclectic release but I think there's a continuous mood on it that, I dare to say, reflects a very original style that mixes calmed down structures but still tense sounds that I think fix perfect... One of those LP that you could listen to track by track, not necessarily on a DJ set.

From Italy, it comes Zooloft, a label to follow. I'm really impressed with the good stuff coming out from lately from "the boot". It looks like there's a lot of inspiration there and this is a great proof of it.

Cio D'Or has  published on Prologue a record that I think is her master piece. Please, have a listen to it. Every track on this release has been carefully drafted to bring you down to hell and feel comfortable on the trip... A must have, believe me.

More clubby but following this feeling too, comes the 4th Darknet release. I would like to remark Logotech's B side. I'm becoming a big fan of this guy.

Aftertaste... I think it needs might not be a easy listening release but I have a special love for this label. I celebrate it's still active. Maybe too different compared to the other releases I've just comented but if you listen to my sets, you'll see I always use to mark a turning point in them and this is one of the releases I'd use for that. And well, the last two years my style has been changing a bit but this is the kind of stuff I used to play when I started to mix other people's tracks in order to tell un-fairy tales...

Check my September chart here.