Sunday, November 18, 2012

Jeremy Saunders: Lynched



It appears to me a very special energy combination when a special artist tries to make a tribute to a very special artist. It's important for me to see how the artist gets the tributed artist's essence and how that's reflected and offered to the rest of the mortals.

In this case, Jeremy Saunders, has made an amazing capture in my opinion. He's released a book with designs inspired by the full-length works of David Lynch, including two additional designs created especially for this pack: Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Dune, Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, Industrial Symphony #1, Twin Peaks, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, Lost Highway, The Straight Story, Mulholland Dr., and Inland Empire.

This edition is limited to only 100 copies worldwide and each is numbered and signed by the artist.

Great piece for collectionists.


Thursday, November 1, 2012

BMB are back: Where Pail Limbs Lie



We all were waiting for this news from the first moment we heard this two techno legends decided to close their common project back in 2006, initially, in a deffinitive way. It was at the end of summer, when even the most stubborn had started to admit we could not see another release signed by BMB, that they announced they were working in some new stuff. Great news!

BMB's new single is titled "Where Pail Limbs Lie" and has been released by Mute's sub-label, Liberation Technologies. This two track EP proofs this duo maintain their own essence when working together. I love to see BMB's sound is back for all the techno heads, and I feel this is like some important part of techno history.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

ADAM X: Navigational Shortcut


One of my favourite labels has released this month a two tracker EP produced by its owner, Adam X. Two weeks ago, the digital version saw hte light while the 12" is coming out next week. I think this is the label's fifth release this year.

A year where classic sounds are becoming futuristic and this is a good proof of it. Both, Sonic Groove and Adam X are an important part of techno history from the very early 90's until today, that's a matter of fact.

This two tracks are a very good representation of Sonic Groove's main style during the last years. Both are pure techno stuff, where the beats and rythmic elements are enough to put an enormous amount of pressure that could blow anyone's mind out in the dancefloor.


Friday, October 12, 2012

Stroboscopic Artefacts: Bundle SA001 to SA015



Almost two months with no entry... this is too much. But I'd need 30 hrs a day to keep posting weekly (as I would like to do) about dark artistic expressions...

Anyway, I think this is a good reason to stop by and leave leave a little message in my personal "time capsule". I think StroboscopicArtefacts deserves this and much more, so let me show my love to this great label.

Mr. Mortellaro is making it again: you can now buy the whole 15 references SA catalogue a very reasonable price. In my case, I already have all of them except the last one but, hey! if you still didn't let the most hard working techno bee sting you, go and do it... well, if you didn't let it happen yey, maybe you won't understand what I want to mean with that phrase...

Artists like XhinJonas KoppPercDadubTommy Four SevenJames Ruskin, (shall I continue???) are already part of this particular swarm... pure class darkness with an always well dosed dub flavour. A cult label in my honest opinion with several projects going on (SA, Monad, Stellate,, etc)... 

It's nice to see people focused on a project, believe in it, do their thing professionally without making too much noise... Full respect and Strobolove!!!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Momentvm Records





It's been too long since my last entry in the blog but summer activity and some other private circumstances didn't left time enough to spend in here... But good techno and dark stuff keeps coming out so I still want to reflect all those inspirational slices in my little dark board book.


It's been a long time too since I met Mr. Wouter de Witte the owner of Momentvm Records. Momentvm is a Dutch digital techno label serving fresh dancefloor stuff since February 2012. So it was a pleasure for me when he asked me to record a miniset for his monthly podcast. I included on the recording Wouter's extraordinary remix of Nomad Spectrum's "Colour of Granite". This is the rest of the tracklist of my set, feel free to listen to the full show because Wouter's sets are always pure fun:


01.- Amon Tobin – Piece Of Paper (Extra Interpretation By Matthew Bourne & Sam Hobbs) [Ninja Tune] 
02.- Unam Zetineb - Transmissions [CRS] 
03.- Mike Dehnert – Umlaut2 [CBS] 
04.- Patrick Krieger - Beyond [GYNOID] 
05.- Ø [Phase] ‎– Binary Opposition (Ben Klock Process) [Token] 
06.- Nomad Spectrum - Colour of Granite (Wouter de Witte remix) [Momentvm Records] 
07.- Roman Lindau - Under Pressure [Fachwerk] 
08.- Perc – Kater [Stroboscopic Artefacts] 
09.- The Hundred In The Hands ‎– Red Night [WARP] 
10.- Trus'me ‎– In The Red [Fat City] 
11.- Brendon Moeller - Shuttle To Oblivion [Electric Deluxe] 
12.- Brendon Moeller - Adjust To The Fading Light (Ben Klock 'Just In Time' Remix)[Electric Deluxe] 
13.- 2562 - Narita [Tectonic] 
14.- Martyn ‎– Seventy Four (Redshape Mix) [3024] 
15.- Monoloc & Pfirter ‎– Session 3 [CLR] 
16.- The Subliminal Kid - That's A Lot Of Bait (Delta Funktionen's Dark Funk Mix) [Ann Aimee] 
17.- Donato Dozzy & DJ Say - Tutto Negativo [Mental Groove Records] 
18.- Deep's Edayar - Thiza [Ballistic]

Friday, June 22, 2012

Cicuta & Heaven to Hell: 10/10 x 10


 Two of the labels I've been following really close since I started to use digital sources to prepare my sets have just released their 10th reference. I'm talking about Cicuta Netlabel and Heaven to Hell Records.


I could be posting separate entries for each label, of course both deserve it. But the fact is although there are important diferences between these two labels, for me both have the same value and I have a special love for them. I like how the creators of Cicuta (Drugstore) and Heaven to Hell (Peter DL-E) managed to quickly put the name of their labels in all our minds with quality music.


How could someone proof that the only way of showing quality is releasing quality? I think this question is the answer itself and Cicuta and HTH are clear examples. And if you check their releases you'll see it. People like Voidloss, Bran Lanen, José Pouj, Quantic Spectroscopy have released with Cicuta so far (and totally free, thumbs up for Cicuta!). The tenth Cicuta is pure quality music, I love their criteria to select the tracks on every release they do and I think this time they've even gone a level higher. And names like Glenn Wilson, Gonzalo MD and Unam Zeniteb among others just confirm that HTH is not playing child games... Check the recently published double release, it's a huge one.


So nothing else to add, two labels to keep an eye on. Two labels to congratulate and that I thought I should mention together.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Beton Radio Show #147



 I almost forgot to post my last set for Beton Radio Show. It's been the second time I have the opportunity to be a part of that Podcast and for me that's an honour. Mita from Concrete Djz has been a techno hard worker since the late 90's and a proof of it is his weekly podcast on techno.fm among other things.

This time it's a double pleasure for me because I shared the show with Peter (DL-E), the man behind one of the most workative, professional and quickly and strongly grown recent digital labels: Heaven to Hell Records. We shared a lot of moments and some shows in the past when we were a part of poundingtechno.com. That's why I feel kinda proud of seeing the result of his project. I'm sure you already know HTH but if you don't, you should go straight to the web and check all the good stuff it's being released by this label.

Regarding my set, I feel quite good with the result. I don't use to like to listen to my own creations but when I reviewed it, I think this time at least I can say that the tracklist is very representative of my work on the decks. My most recent and my essential taste during all these years. I always kept in mind that this set was an introduction to Peter's set while recording it and i think it does the job.

I also must to say that everytime I have to record a set of one hour, I feel that it's hard to me to properly tell a story in sixty minutes... But it's okay this time because as I said, it's part and the introduction for Beton nr. 147:

D. Humo - BETON RADIO SHOW #147 - 10.05.2012 by D. Humo

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Modularz


Modularz is one of the few recently born north american labels serving quality and powerful techno. It was created in 2010 by Los Angeles artist Developer . You might know him by his great work in Semantica nr. 39 and his mix for Resident Advisor podcast in March.

In Europe, the distribution comes from Word & Sound in Hamburg, Germany.

This label releases vinyl and digital with artists and remixers like Silent Servant, Oliver Ho-Raudive, Audio Injection, Truncate, Fanon Flowers and Eduardo de la Calle. And the last two releases (Modularz 8.1 and 8.2), the releases that made me feel the obligation to post this entry, are just amazing... can't wait to put my hands on this:

Modularz 8.1_ Developer + Truncate + Jonas Kopp + Markus Suckut by Modularz

Modularz 8.2_ Developer + Shifted + Stanislav Tolkachev by Modularz



Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Tim Burton: L’exposition



We have something to celebrate at home. Tim Burton has always been a great source of inspiration for everybody in the family and we all felt a bit sad when they announced that the only place to see Tim Burton's exposition was NYC and the MOMA... but well, it looks like, finally, we're lucky enough and Burton's exposition is going to be hosted in some closer venues so... Paris, here we go!

The Tim Burton event at La Cinémathèque française is not only a wonderful opportunity to see all of his films (including very limited-distribution short films) but also, thanks to the major exhibition designed by the New York MoMA in 2009 and shown here this spring, an opportunity to discover Burton’s talents as a draftsman, painter, video director, photographer and inventor of colorful, amazing sculptures.


Eccentricities and visual reveries.

The exhibition shows original works that are conscious mixtures of pop, Goth and surrealism – a creative hybridization claimed by the artist, who enjoys mixing and subverting genres. Some are from his youth and are pure visual reveries imagined for projects that remained in the planning stage: "I was making a drawing when all of a sudden, I said to myself: What difference dœs it make if I know how to draw or not? What's important is that I like it. From that moment on, I didn't worry about trying to reproduce a human body or whether people cared for my drawings or not." In contrast, others are recent working prototypes whose artistic value is nonetheless incontestable. Their spatial arrangement makes visitors feel as if they are entering the laboratory of this modern Dr. Frankenstein, the creator of a cosmogony where the macabre and the comic join together rather than in opposition. It is a place where the filmmaker's intimate work (sketchbooks, amateur films) is shown next to legendary cinema productions, such as Edward Scissorhands or Sleepy Hollow, whose hidden side is revealed here for the first time.

Born in 1958, Tim Burton is one of those filmmakers who have always maintained a link to their childhood and who have known how to make this link the magic lever for creating a world with which the public immediately identifies. This eccentric cinematographic world subverts the principles of conceptual staging and heads in the direction of a work based on images, where emotion is the key factor. Burton says this himself when he talks about preparing his films, using a drawing rather than a storyboard (too arithmetic). "The more I make films, the less I use a storyboard. Now, I make little sketches." He believes in the spontaneous gesture, scribbled zealously on paper at the limits of the subconscious, and in making dissident films, without compromises, within an economic framework that is nonetheless the one of Hollywood blockbusters. Tim Burton is most certainly the last great Hollywood craftsman. It's not by accident that in 1994 he made a film on Ed Wood, the king of American low-budget movies, a sort of premonitory alter-ego. The two men share the fact that they have made freedom the cornerstone of their ethic. However, unlike Ed Wood, who was always broke, Burton represents the majestic and powerful side of the emancipated cinema that is fascinated by science fiction, melodrama and everything grotesque. In this biopic, Burton makes Ed Wood (interpreted by Johnny Depp, his alter-ego in eight feature films since 1990) a less desperate character than he actually was and, above all, a mirror of Burton's own personality, with a story that subtly draws out the bits and pieces of a profession of faith. Wood made Bride of the Monster in 1955. Burton would make Corpse Bride in 2005, going even further in the exploration of the Otherworld without second-degree kitsch. Burton has a sincere tenderness for freaks of all types and has addressed this subject since his childhood. As if to protect them, he wraps his "monsters" in a pœtic scenario and a particularly sophisticated plastic approach that revives stopmotion, an old animation method that confers unequaled virtuosity and simplicity to his films.


Movies as escape.

Burton is a filmmaker whose precocious love of films nourished the development of his own characters. The little extraterrestrials in Mars Attacks! (The exhibition shows the film's entire development, from the first drawings to the original mock-ups in resin that were made for filming) are not unrelated to Planet 9 (1959) by Ed Wood. Young Burton discovered this film when he lived in Burbank, a residential suburb of Los Angeles, bathed in sunlight and totally boring: "a world without a history, without culture, without passion." It is also the outpost of the Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. For Tim, movies were never very far away and were, from his childhood on, his main means of escape ("I've always loved monster films. They never scared me. They all had something I enjoyed tremendously.") With his overflowing imagination, this introverted adolescent succeeded in breaking free of the oppression he felt in this Puritanical environment by drawing and making short films that are shown here in exclusivity (Prehistoric Cavemen, Houdini, Tim's Dreams). In the most accessible types of spectacles, such as carnival attractions and ritual celebrations, Burton found the subjects that he explored in his first works. "For me, Halloween was always the most wonderful night of the year. There were no longer any rules to follow and I could be whatever I wanted." Although he was not a particularly good student, his talent brought him a number of prizes in municipal contests (in 1975, he created 1975 an anti-litter poster that is one of the exhibition gems). When he was eighteen, he entered the prestigious California Institute of the Arts, founded by Walt Disney to train his future artists.

After two years at the Institute, Tim Burton presented his end-of-studies project in 1979, which earned him a place in the Disney Studios animation department. He stayed there for four years as an animator and artistdesigner on The Black Cauldron. Since his proposals were not used in the final version of this animated film, the future filmmaker concentrated his attention on more personal projects (Luau, a short film in the form of a hilarious Hawaiian parade) and met people who would accompany him throughout his career. "The artistic director Rick Heinrichs1 is so closely associated to my world that we make up a film couple comparable to Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. He was able to materialize in 3D all the strange drawings I made." A certain number of Burton's characteristic stylistic traits emerged during this period, as well as his use of bodily transformations. With the help of two friends from the studio, Vincent and Frankenweenie (1982) were made, although the studio did not encourage their distribution because they were thought to be too morbid. Effectively enough, his preparatory drawings were made with a dark and melancholy line that conveys this feeling.

Vincent Price, who was Burton's idol to such an extent that the artist made his portrait at the age of twenty (also shown in the exhibition), accepted to be the narrator of Vincent. Later, in 1990, Price would interpret the father-figure inventor of young Edward Scissorhands in two flash-back scenes (which was his farewell to the movies). The question of parent-child relationships is at the heart of Burton's kingdom. To film this youth that fascinates him, Burton chooses choreographies where both the grace and awkwardness of his characters is expressed. Thus, we see Kim (Winona Ryder) dancing in the snow, in symbiosis with the art of Edward, who carves ice sculptures (the teenager's sexual energy makes the camera turn in circles on its axis); Lydia (Winona Ryder once again), weaving as she levitates in a little plaid dress in Beetlejuice; a melodious whirlwind drawing Victor, the young virgin of Corpse Bride, away to a jam session at the moment he encounters the Corpse Bride in the after-life; and the colorful dance of the Oompa Loompas propelling poor Charlie's childhood (and the chocolate factory) toward the discovery of the real world.


A question of filiation

For Burton's adult herœs, the question of their filiation is nonetheless unresolved. It is at the heart of a knot of suffering, as materialized in the traumatic memories of Wonka, repudiated by his father (brilliant choice of Christopher Lee as the vampire-father), the Sweeney Todd barber's attachment, in spite of himself, to his daughter Johanna (driving even his bloody vengeance), or the tall tales of Ed Bloom in Big Fish, which were for years an obstacle to his son's love. These impossible or tortured relationships are shown in the mask motif that haunts a great many of Burton's drawings (his Clowns and Boys series in the nineties), as well as his two adaptations of Batman. The rigid, painted face, while hiding facial deformities, provokes dread because it disavows the passing of time. Batman is an orphan, who is driven to find his parents' assassin, just like his enemy, the Penguin, who was abandoned at birth. These two ageless beings without a genealogy engage in a battle refereed by Catwoman, sheathed in latex and the embodiment of absolute, feral and seductive femininity, like a Hitchcock heroine. In the film, Burton pays tribute to Hitchcock, his tutelary spirit, but in a more grotesque way (the shot where Batman almost falls into the void recalls the shot of James Stewart at the beginning of Vertigo). "I love these characters, their duels, the fact that they are haunted by darkness and a desire for light." Burton likes the intermediate zone. Twilight. Somewhere between the indie move and the blockbuster.


The most European of American filmmakers ?

The exhibition provides an opportunity to see Burton's work from past to present and to reveal elements stemming from his latest films, Dark Shadows and Frankenweenie, which will be released in 2012. The latter film is a stop-motion remake that tells the same story as the 1982 version, although the action takes place in an imaginary European country named New Holland. Following Mars Attacks!, a science-fiction satire of an America that is ready to explode (populated by shady promoters, New Age adepts and fascist military men), and starting with Sleepy Holllow, which is set in a community of Dutch immigrants recently arrived in the New World, Burton refocused his work on a new geography. He decided to come closer physically and aesthetically to Europe. London very much in the time of Jack the Ripper provides the background for Sweeney Todd; there are English references to Roald Dahl (Charlie) and Lewis Carroll (Alice). What dœs this shift of a center of gravity mean? Burton's own identity has been subject to metamorphoses like those undergone by the characters of his Divine Comedy: the polymorphic herœs of Trick or Treat (1980), immortalized with colored pencils. Is Burton the most European of American filmmakers? Is he the most modern of a long line of illusionist directors who invented enchantment and fear along with cinematography? "Films knock at the door of our dreams and our subconscious. Although this reality varies depending on the generation, films have a therapeutic impact – just like fairy tales used to have."

Matthieu Orléan


All quotes by Tim Burton come from Tim Burton, Interviews with Mark Salisbury, Sonatine Editions, 2009.
This text is based on an excerpt from Burton on Burton, by Mark Salisbury, Faber and Faber, London, 1995

More info: http://www.cinematheque.fr/


Exposition Tim Burton à la Cinémathèque... por lacinematheque

Monday, April 16, 2012

Portishead 2012


I'm very pleased to say I've just bought my ticket for one of the most important (for me) events I'm going to attend during my life. I've been listening to this group for more than fifteen years, since they published their first album, Dummy. I think no introduction is needed, so I wont be writing a long entry for this, who doesn't know Portishead and their greatness?

Portishead return to Barcelona this summer. The format of the concert, designed by the British group also includes a number of groups chosen by the band and will continue until the morning at Razzmatazz. They will be making two shows in Barcelona so two of the five concerts of their 2012 European tour are going to take place in this city.

Beth Gibbons, Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley are working on what will be their new album, the fourth in study, of which very little is known so far.

More to come...

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Senoid Recordings


Everybody knows Kike Pravda but maybe only some of their followers can feel what I feel when talking about him and his work during all these years. When I say "some" I don't pretend to refer to a little quantity of fans (although it is, compared to the total number of followers he's got), neither to mean I'm one of the chosen few (although I was lucky enough to spend some of my late teen years dancing to his early sets on the club that gave him his "surname").

I can't deny it's a fact that my techno evolution has been always guided by some special artists and he's been one of them. Everyone infected by the techno virus during the mid-late 90's in the North of Spain knows what I'm talking about. Sunday mornings were great during some years and we took the chance to learn about those deep, dark and even acid atmospheres that gave sense to the struggle through the week. Yes, I feel proud of see that he keeps fighting as a veteran but still strong techno soldier. I love to see both Psychoskunk Recordings heads keep working and giving amazing results (don't forget Víctor Martínez and his recent album... a masterpiece). And now, Kike has announced he's about to release a new imprint, Senoid Recordings. Was that release on M_REC digital some kind of warning? Lots of questions come to my mind but what I'm sure is this is going to be about quality serious music, real techno!

Good luck and congratulations for this one, Kike.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Djorvin Clain: Pattern Of Thought


This time I'm bringing here another kind of sounds. Another kind because the processes used to create this album have been really different from what we're used to and we can easily feel this difference while listening to the result. Musical landscapes taking the listener to somekind of round travel from the purest forests to the center of the universe. The album includes some ambient pieces combined with some more dub almost techno tracks. All together form a  perfectly written (on sounds) story that no audiophile should miss.

I'm talking about last Silent Season album release, by Djorvin Clain:

Pattern Of Thought speaks a believers language. It was created and processed with care. We experience time and our conscious emotions in a most individual space of mind. Our thoughts are formed by what we feel. Our own personal diary, the mind and heart guides us through.

All tracks and sounds where recorded in Belgium with the use of hardware instruments and several recording techniques, from field recordings to reel to reel tape. The sounds of the album are kept authentically as possible, away from what was happening in the music world around me, it is a deepest personal reflection.

Pattern Of Thought is best listened without headphones, on a comfortable level in the right environment for sound. Written & produced by Djorvin Clain.

Source: silentseason.com

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Photography: 1960’s New York Skateboarders by Bill Eppridge

Skateboarding has always been an important part of my life. Although I don't practice that much lately (my body doesn't allow me to do it), I have some friends that still kick it hard, as Eduardo Ortiz "Vision" or Daniel Yabar. I'd like this post to be some kind of tribute for them and all those not so young skateboarders that still feel the need to ride almost everyday.

I've found some pictures from the 60's related to skateboarding. I think we all think in the typical Californian ambience when talking about early skateboarding, so watching all these pics made in NYC on the 60's has been really interesting for me:
From the lens of Photographer Bill Eppridge and brought to our attention by Retronaut, 1960s NYC goes skating. You get the feeling that someone just pulled up with a truck full of boards, handed them out and looked on as everyone went a little nuts. We can’t pretend we weren’t pulled in by the amazing garms some of these guys are sporting but these images are just about big fun. Respect to all the perfectly turned out ladies who don’t even bat an eyelid as out of control kids hurtle towards their ankles. Images via Life.

Source: http://www.selectism.com

Sunday, February 19, 2012

February techno promo set

Anahata (Sanskrit: अनाहत, Anāhata) is the fourth primary chakra according to the Hindu Yogic and Tantric (Shakta) traditions.
In Sanskrit the word anahata - means unhurt, un-struck and unbeaten. Anahata Nad refers to the Vedic concept of unstruck sound, the sound of the celestial realm.

Lots of music have passed trough my ears during this month. Some of the tracks are available for free and some of them are not, but what it's obvious is that techno has lived a great evolution during the last two years and I think no one has been able to scape from the influence of this new era, no matter the format... and I'm not an exception. I feel really comfortable playing with those so called Berlin sounds and I like to mix them with some non regular 4x4 techno tracks when I think it's needed.

I've recently discovered the music of the BCR Boys and I found on it that kind of effective darkness that in my opinion is perfect to punish any dancefloor. I came across some BCR free tracks on soundcloud so I've used it alongside some other free tracks that Mattias Fridell and Plus Eins generously offer to their regular fans.

I also find really interesting Isomer Transition's and Peel Seamus' (one of Marsel Delsin's alias) music but never used any of their tracks on a set, so I felt this was the right time to use two of them to mark what I think are the two turning points of this set.

There are also tracks from Mike Dehnert (pure fun for a dj), Pigon and Mr. Van Hoesen among others... It may sound even a bit trendy using so much of their music on the same set but hey, this is all about having fun and telling a musical story and, as I said before, I feel really comfortable using this kind of sounds for that purpose.

I hope you also have fun listening to the result. Any comment is more than welcome:

   humo - techno promo - febrer 2012 by humo

Sunday, February 5, 2012

January chart


First chart of 2012 (a bit late). January uses to be more quiet when talking about releases and this has not been a big exception.

The first record I've added to my list this month is a quite deep two track EP that I'm really enjoying. I'm talking about the 8th reference on Dekmantel. 

My second choice, has been Chimera EP on one of the most difficult to type (for me, of course) but most active labels during the last 3-4 years: Nachtstrom Schallplatten. Yes, I know, that's not such a long name. I have memorized lots and lots of labels and references. But when I try to write the name of this one, I always put a letter in a wrong place or something like that... Pure darkness on an EP that I'll play a lot. Specially Perc's remix, a quite industrial track that makes want to dance agressively. Both tracks by Ralph Mirto are also great if you want to deliver some punishment to the dancefloor.

Figure is one of my favourite record labels and A. Mochi has always been a really interesting artist for me. If you check this EP you will know what I'm talking about. I think "Black Reign" and "Phantom" could be a great definition of what could be considered Figure's message when looking into its pure dark techno oriented side, and "Stray" contains the restrained dose of dub that this label uses to supply.

Let's go a bit more serious and continue punishing the dancers down there with Perc Trax' nr. 51. When it comes to this, this label doesn't use to have any punches, and I love it. I mean, is like when you're buying a Token release. You know that you're getting a very useful tool when looking to get some response.

And as if I were preparing a set right now, I think it would be really effective to continue with any of the tracks included on Gynoid's 8th reference. Original by Sev Dah, remixes by Mr. Suckut, Donor / Truss and Grovskopa (it looks like this is going his last released track for a while...).  I think that could be enough to start a bit of self-punishment if you miss your copy of this... I think this could be my favourite on this chart, and I'm sure it'll be a faithful sidekick. Ultrarecommended!!!

A bit of good and hot dub from Eduardo de la Calle in his own label Ánalog Solutions. This is not the firts time I talk about EDLC and AS, but the fact is he's been doing a great job during several years now and I think he's not getting as much attention as he deserves. I love the classic feeling he keeps in most of his tracks. I sometimes miss the mixture of dub and acid I used to listen in the late 90's stuff and Eduardo keeps working on that feeling and he does it at a high level.

The man of the moment, Marcel Dettman has released on Music Man an EP that has really surprised me. The oringinal track is just perfect in my honest opinion. I've never seen this kind of sounds on Dettman's portfolio before and I'm loving it... Deep, hard, away from the typical 4x4 fat bass techno beat he uses to deliver and a perfect deeper, in possible, and more hot remix. A must, even just for listening.

Let me add a bit of Electro-House to my collection. When talking about originality and effective music, I think Modeselektor is name to mention. Please, let me know if you don't agree. But I'm sure you won't. I think this is their 3rd year running their own label: Monkeytown and this is the 20th release. Ain't that amazing? Well, we all know what's the deal when talking about this duo. Freek techno, electro and house. That let me be a amateur soothsayer will be followed but some remixes EPs that will gild the lily. Let's see, maybe I'm wrong.

Token, nr. 20, Phase, sold out. I won't say anything else.

And last but not least, limited edition on M_Rec by Mr. Ben Gibson. For me, he's one of the techno lords in the line of people like Inigo Kennedy, Jeff Mills, Surgeon, James Ruskin... well, you know what I mean, right? This release, sold out too, is a clear example of what I'm talking about. The sounds on it are on a level above most of all the stuff coming out lately. That's my opinion of course. Three tracks by Gibson and a really well worked remix by Samuli Kemppi... ah! I was late for this one. I hope I can put my hands on it!!!

Check my January chart here

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Obey Your Master: A Tribute to Metallica at Exhibit A Gallery (Los Angeles, USA)


Interesting and well deserved exhibition is planned from Jan 23rd to March 23rd. Art pieces by Shepard Fairey, Nicola Verlato (oil on canvas), Brian M. Viveros (oil/mixed media on maple board), Gail Potocki (oil on linen), Patrick Fogarty (sculpture), will show the personal and unique feeling and inspiration Metallica has ment to them along all this years. The artists themselves will show the explanation of these influences and memories next to their artworks or simply explain what Metallica's music means for them.

The opening will be invite only but the show will be open the rest of its existence. 

 " Limited edition Shepard Fairey prints of his piece will be available, as well as a limited number of "Obey Your Master" Alva Exhibit A Gallery skateboard decks, with the proceeds going to the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.  

For more information, visit Exhibitagallery.com. "

Source: Juxtapoz.com

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

January 2012 techno set



Well, maybe it's been too short since I recorded my last set. I think it was less than a couple of weeks ago but there's a good explanation for this: I finally bought Traktor Scratch from Native Instruments. I'm not thinking in playing techno with Traktor, I bought it mainly for those moments when I want to play some other styles while keeping (more or less) the same feeling and technique as playing vinyl records.

So, in order to check how this toy works, having a good reference to compare with, I decided to download some techno tracks that I enjoyed lately and put them together with some other stuff I already have and this is the result. Most of the tracks are from Cicuta Netlabel. Much respect for them, I like their way of thinking and I love the fact they share their quality stuff for free! Might this set be some kind of tribute for them... I advise you keep an eye on them during this year. Next week they're releasing their 5th reference and it's been made by Voidloss, huge EP! I've put a track from that release on my set, although I think I didn't squeeze all the juice it deserves...

I'm pretty happy with the global result. You'll find information about all the producers on soundcloud and you can download all the Cicuta releases from their website. Again: respect to all that people who, for any reason, can't release their great stuff on vinyl and decide to make their creations available for anybody who can appreciate them:

01.- David_Meiser - Assault Forces [promo]
02.- Kike Pravda - Quantum [cicuta]
03.- Reeko - Never again [md]
04.- Vegim - Librium [cicuta]
05.- Drugstore - Udayan [cicuta]
06.- Drugstore - Shadai (David Reina dark mix ) [cicuta]
07.- Orphx - Critical mass [circuitbreaking]
08.- Hyo - Skyquake (Drugstore remix) [cicuta]
09.- Radial - A Coke and a Smile [PRRUK]
10.- Orphx-Simulacrum [circuitbreaking]
11.- Zair - Overfeeding [cicuta]
12.- Radial - Allright Allright [PRRUK]
13.- Hiroaki Iizuka - Glow (Grovskopa Remix) [soleil]
14.- Voidloss - Rtual at château des amerois (forthcoming)[cicuta]
15.- The Black Dog - Future Delay Thinking (Live) [promo]

   humo - free is good too - january 2012 set by humo

Sunday, January 1, 2012

December 2011 techno set.


I think posting a new set it's a good way to start this new year. A couple of days ago, I recorded a 60' long set that intended to be my short tribute to all those producers and record labels that had the opportunity to release some vinyls during 2011. In my honest opinion, this has been a good year for techno music. Lot's of good stuff and new names for me. New styles have gained attention and some all-time big names have adapted their style to the present, I think that's important too.

In my set, there are some Delsin/Ann Aimee tracks and some Stroboscopic Artefacts releases. I think these two labels have been my favourites this year. I have also enjoyed a lot some CLRs. I think they represent a lot the kind of sounds I'm loving lately. 

Special mention for Emika too. I really feel her music and everybody who listens to her after my recommendation inmediately falls in love... A good target for 2012 could be see her on a live show... that would be great.

I've also discovered a new label that I hope can release more records during. I'm talking about Earth to Ground records, they have serious stuff!

I'd also like to thank all the people that have read my blog. We're not talking about  thousands of people but I must say I had much more visitors than what I expected. Please, take this set as way of saying thanks too:

01.- Brendon Moeller - Mobility
02.- Tommy Four Seven - CH4 (Speedy J Remix)
03.- Nihad Tule & Bauri - Nudge
04.- Marcelus - 24/7
05.- Dax J & Chris Stanford - Programm (Truss Remix)
06.- Sigha - Finding Myself
07.- Xhin - Incidental (Audio Injection & Drumcell Remix In Trackmode)
08.- Emika - Pretend (Brandt Brauer Frick Rework)
09.- Peter Van Hoesen - Last One At 1080
10.- Jeroen Search & Markus Suckut - Jsms 2.0
11.- Lucy & Ercolino - Gmork
12.- Lucy - Tof (Tommy Four Seven Remix)
13.- Kyle Geiger - Ode To The Elders (Perc Remix)
14.- Butane - World Peace

   humo - 11 summary on 12's - december 2011 set by humo