[Circus Company] Step number three of Dave Aju’s recent manifesto for dance music is to “personalize all sounds… whenever possible.” With his upcoming album and lead-off single, “Crazy Place,” he’s taken that maxim at its most literal -– making music entirely from sounds made by his mouth. Like his former San Francisco neighbors, Matmos, Aju […]
little white earbuds
Veinte Tres, Serpiente Cosmica
August 31, 2008 – 9:11 PM
[REKIDS] In his recent slew of releases, Matt Edwards (aka Radio Slave) has focused rather exclusively on lengthy peak time killers. Over the years, he’s had so many pseudonyms and side projects that, as the bio on his website claims, “If Matt comes up with another two projects he’ll have enough alter egos for every […]
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 […]
A Guy Called Gerald, In Ya Head
August 26, 2008 – 9:08 PM
[Perlon] Gerald Simpson has a rightful place at the head of the electronic music table, a pioneer of acid house, techno, drum and bass, and many spots in-between (including a stint in 808 State). Now making the move to Perlon has apparently inspired our man Gerald to unleash his best single in years. With a […]
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 […]
Where to be in NYC this Labor Day weekend
August 25, 2008 – 8:25 AM
As some of you may be aware, this Labor Day weekend New Yorkers get doused with house and techno goodness (even more than usual) at Made Events’ Sunday School for Degenerates. Taking place Sunday Aug. 31st through Monday, September 1st., the mini-fest spans three back-to-back events with Steve Bug, Cassy and Brendon Moeller (among others).
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 10 Singles Lists
August 22, 2008 – 11:19 PM
For our final report, LWE’s writing staff offers their top 10 favorite singles from the year so far. To our ears it’s been quite a strong year for singles, even if relatively few true anthems have emerged (not counting the ubiquitous “Orbitalife,” which is more a device than an anthem). One track that has dominated […]
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 2Q Reports: Top 5 Live PAs
August 19, 2008 – 7:15 PM
“Minimalism” by Noriko Ambe For our third report, LWE correspondent Will Lynch compiles his top five live PAs from the first half of 2008. One of dance music’s most unique features is the elasticity of the artist’s relationship with their own material. Plenty of producers never “play live” and use DJing as their exclusive means […]
LWE 2Q Reports: Top 5 Irritating Trends in Techno
August 18, 2008 – 7:42 PM
Photo by Shen Wei For our second report, LWE correspondent Todd Hutlock passionately offers his top five irritating trends marring the state of techno (and its criticism) in 2008. Musically speaking, I find a lot to love about today’s electronic dance music scene; there is a lot more good than bad going on, and I […]
LWE 2Q Reports: Top 5 Underrated Singles
August 17, 2008 – 9:15 PM
“Liberty Bell” by Jeff Koons For our first report, LWE correspondent Nate DeYoung collates his top five underrated singles from the first half of 2008. With a market flooded with singles week after week, it’s only natural that a few get lost along the way. After seeing more than a couple singles released with none […]
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.
Christian Burkhardt, Doubledub EP
August 13, 2008 – 5:25 PM
[Raum…Musik] As a relatively fresh face in the German house and techno scene, Christian Burkhardt’s specialty seems to be the quirky, bad-ass strut. His tracks combine funky beats with misshapen vocals and trippy aural flourishes to create something as sinister as it is playful. And while “Doubledub EP” boasts pretty much the exact same style […]
Alex Picone, Furby Floppy EP
August 12, 2008 – 10:52 PM
[Cadenza Records] Italian producer Alessandro Picone is a newcomer to the Cadenza camp, but from the sounds of his debut EP (and his appearance on label boss Luciano’s recent Fabric mix CD) he should fit in just fine. “Floppy” kicks off with Cadenza’s trademark layered percussion and a croaking bass line (see the cover art […]
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) […]
Anton Zap, Anton Zap EP
August 10, 2008 – 9:27 PM
[Underground Quality] Hot on the heels of his sophomore release, Russian house producer Anton Zap glows with potential. He made a splash last January with a split called “Real House Music…” on which he upstaged label boss Jus-Ed with a breezy, hummable track called “Captain Rush.” His self-titled solo EP, also released on Underground Quality, […]
Check out Dave Aju this Saturday
August 8, 2008 – 4:17 PM
Attention Chicagoans: This is the closest you’ll get to partying like Berliners for a while, so come check out Circus Company’s San Francisco melon-twister, Dave Aju, behind the decks performing live along with a boatload of local DJs. Full line up and info number after the jump.
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 […]
Simon Baker, Plastik Remix
August 6, 2008 – 8:50 PM
[Playhouse] Simon Baker and Todd Terje aren’t the most easily anticipated combination. Baker’s big room tech-house anthem, “Plastik,” walked a fine line last year: it combined accessibility with a certain square-shouldered aggression that made it better than it should have been. Unsurprisingly, Terje ups the funk quotient on his remix, but in remaking “Plastik” he’s […]