Taking a break from techno/house, LWE’s editor in chief offers a few thoughts on the election. Unlike many democracies whose election seasons often resemble a month long sprint, America’s presidential campaigns have grown into epic marathons lasting up to two years. That may seem excessive on the face of things, but it’s proven a great […]
Author Archive: Steve Mizek
DJ Bone, Circus World EP
October 26, 2008 – 7:32 PM
[Subject Detroit] What sets apart DJ Bone and, indeed, his label Subject Detroit, from the pack is the rawness and energy coursing through their numerous releases. In “No Sleep (True To Da Roots),” Bone’s jaw-dropping EP for Sect Records, this was embodied in the hands-on method with which the tracks were arranged, each gridless rhythm […]
Hercules & Love Affair @ The Metro
October 19, 2008 – 7:22 PM
Photos by Ivan Gaytan Unlike our rock fan peers, dance music enthusiasts are often unaccustomed to experiencing our favorite artists as live acts. And while laptops, midi controllers and Ableton now allow producers to stitch together “live PAs” with double clicks and knob twists, the experience is still closer to a DJ selecting and mixing […]
Sound Stream, “Live” Goes On
October 12, 2008 – 5:56 PM
[Sound Stream] Whether as Soundhack, Sound Stream or half of Smith N Hack with Errorsmith, Frank Timm’s steady hand with an editor’s razor has been in great demand since the late 1990’s. But like a surgeon, Timm knows it’s not the number of cuts you make, but how well placed they are. His house/disco moniker, […]
LWE Podcast 08: Solomun
October 9, 2008 – 9:26 PM
The hard work and excellent tunes of Mladen Solomun and his cohorts have made Diynamic Music a do-it-yourself success. They’ve developed a potent niche of melodically colorful and highly textured tech-house — with an emphasis on all things plucked, including heartstrings — that resonates strongly with dancers and critics alike, one whose foundation rests on Solomun’s solo and collaborative releases. He’s also wowed with 12″s for Sonar Kollektiv, Four:Twenty, Dessous, Compost and liebe*detail. Although he DJs as Play, we hoped his signature Solomun style would shine through on this exclusive new mix. We were only left dancing, not disappointed, by his nearly 60 minute mix of sunny house and techno.
Melchior Productions Ltd, Who Can Find Me EP
October 5, 2008 – 7:29 PM
[Cadenza] Last year Thomas Melchior revealed a darker side of his musical personality in his powerful second album, No Disco Future. With texture, repetition and context as the dominant themes, slits of light and shades of tone color shone through even brighter when they appeared in the elegiac strains of “Water Soul,” the reduced regal […]
Little White Earbuds Interviews Âme
September 26, 2008 – 5:06 AM
I had a chance to talk with Âme while they were promoting the mix, discussing their stylistic shifts, recent single “D.P.O.M.B.”, and their advice for shopping around your demo.
SIS, Nesrib
September 21, 2008 – 7:30 PM
[Cécille Records] One of Nick Curly’s best A&R decisions since founding Cécille Records was providing a vinyl home to Burak Sar (who produces as SIS), an artist who operates in his own orbit. It’s just as well that there’s a dearth of information about Sar (excepting his documented passion for Che Guevara), as his music […]
LWE Podcast 07: DJ Bone
September 18, 2008 – 7:29 PM
When we finally figured out that Detroit’s DJ Bone was behind “No Sleep (True To Da Roots),” the first mysteriously launched release from Sect Records, it was only a matter of time before we rifled through his deep back catalog and saw a long history of quality tunes. Would his fast and furious producing style carry over to his DJ sets? The answer is loud and furiously clear in this exclusive mix which provides a sweat-inducing overview of Bone’s label, Subject Detroit. Try to keep up.
Talking Shop With Oslo
September 11, 2008 – 9:18 PM
Welcome to the ninth edition of our series of short interviews affectionately titled Talking Shop. The majority of media and fan attention gets showered on the artists who create the music we love to listen to/DJ with/dance to, and for good reasons. But without the hard work, keen ears and business savvy of label staff, […]
LWE Podcast 06: Adam Marshall
September 5, 2008 – 12:44 AM
Beyond producing quality house music for Thema, Cynosure, and Dumb-Unit (among others), Adam Marshall is also the head honcho for the up-and-coming New Kanada and KUJI labels. So when he sent LWE this exclusive new mix which seamlessly spans deep-house and techno with personalized edits, we knew it needed to be shared with the world.
A Degenerate Round Up
September 3, 2008 – 6:54 PM
Photo by Dave Surgan (ObsceneNYC) This past weekend Made Events served up Sunday School for Degenerates, a 26-hour clubbing marathon which left many with sore limbs, ringing ears and fewer brain cells, yet ultimately quite happy. While I can’t say I was in attendance the entire time (this Chicagoan rarely gets to club for five […]
LWE Interviews Thomas Melchior
August 28, 2008 – 6:52 PM
Ease is in. At every turn there’s a new opportunity to make work easier, more convenient, more portable, more inviting, whether through gadgets, software, formats or attitudes. In that regard, Thomas Melchior, a seasoned craftsman of electronic music, has always swam upstream. Diving deeper and more intimately involved with his music over the course of […]
La Peña, #1
August 25, 2008 – 5:22 PM
[La Peña] The recent boom in one-off 12″s which share artist and label names with little other info (sometimes a rubber stamp if you’re lucky; browse through a few pages of Hardwax‘s new releases for examples) is necessarily difficult to pin down. Is it nostalgic pining for the faceless days of yore, a way to […]
Nekes, Cristal
August 24, 2008 – 8:35 PM
[Oslo] Of the two labelheads behind Oslo, Frankfurt’s hottest new export, Federico Molinari has always been more visible than his partner, Nekes. Whereas Molinari has released a solo 12″, remixed a handful of tracks, and collaborated with Guillaume Coutu Dumont as The Per Eckbo Orchestra and with Vera for Love Letters From Olso’s inaugural release, […]
LWE 2Q Reports: Top 5 Overrated Singles
August 20, 2008 – 6:25 PM
For our fourth report, LWE’s editor in chief Steve Mizek picks his top five overrated singles from the first half of 2008. The number of dance music singles released each year is absolutely mind-boggling, likely well into six digits and rising each year as production software becomes more accessible. So how does a track stand […]
LWE Podcast 05: Tama Sumo
August 14, 2008 – 7:32 PM
Before she made her vinyl debut for Ostgut Ton earlier this year, Tama Sumo (Kerstin Egert to her friends) was already a celebrated DJ with Tresor and Panorama Bar residencies under her belt. So it’s with great excitement that LWE offers this exclusive mix from one of Berlin’s finest. LWE HQ hasn’t stopped shaking since this one arrived.
Henrik Schwarz, Âme & Dixon, D.P.O.M.B. EP
August 11, 2008 – 6:49 PM
[Innervisions] Any time Henrik Schwarz, Âme and Dixon all grace the same slab of vinyl, chances are it’s going to be a big deal. This precedent was set in 2006 with the quickly canonized “Where We At,” capturing the warily optimistic zeitgeist with a prescient Derrick Carter vocal sample which hung above stirring (and label-defining) […]
Talking Shop with Philpot
August 7, 2008 – 6:15 PM
Lawrence Philpot in action Welcome to the seventh edition of our series of short interviews affectionately titled Talking Shop. The majority of media and fan attention gets showered on the artists who create the music we love to listen to/DJ with/dance to, and for good reasons. But without the hard work, keen ears and business […]