Friday 29 July 2011

Do Not Resist...



Here's a new mix I highly recommend checking out, it's a recent recording of Milton Bradley's live set, and it features mostly unreleased tracks with a few parts that will be recognisable to fans. I think the set really shows off Milton's talents as a producer, and gives you an idea as to what he is all about. He is one of the most interesting and unique techno producers around, and he manages to maintain such a distinctive yet versatile style, without ever compromising his ideals. More people need to listen to this guy.

* Check out the interview too, inspirational words for anyone who struggles to balance the need for vinyl and wanting to produce music.

LWE - Interview & Mix

Nights out would be a lot better if more DJ's didn't resist the beat.

Friday 15 July 2011

zzzZ


So techno is boring. Or atleast that's what I'm hearing..

mnmlssgs probably present the best or most indepth argument, and although I agree with a lot of what they say, it doesn't mean that techno is boring or bland or uninteresting.
They are right about many things, but I just don't reach the same conclusion as them. So this is my personal opinion on why some artists/djs/writers are a bit fed up with things..

I only buy vinyl, I only listen to vinyl and I have no interest in any digital releases - I couldn't care less if my favourite artists are now on bandcamp, or if they are giving their music away for free, I just don't see the point in having mp3s/wavs on my computer.
If you're digital and that works for you then that's cool, but I think by not exposing myself to every single release, and every piece of information, it helps to keep things fresh.

I buy most of my records from record shops like Rubadub, Clone or Hardwax, they represent high quality labels, and are famous for the quality of music that they stock and distribute. It's not exactly a struggle to find interesting, new music, and more often than not I find myself removing up to 20 or so records from my crate due to financial limitations.
How can techno be boring, when there's more good music than most people can afford being released?

I'm not saying that being a digital DJ or artist is causing the problem, but the exposure to higher volumes of music, in a market that is oversaturated by similar sounding tracks, makes it harder to find the quality. The amount of new releases in somewhere like Hardwax just doesn't compare to Beatport, so looking for good music quickly becomes a chore and something that isn't enjoyable..
I can't imagine how many new releases there must be on Beatport in 1 month, how is it possible to listen to them and to find stuff that you like, without going back to tried and tested labels or artists? How do you find new artists?
Do you rely on charts/top 10s? Just the thought of looking for good new music on Beatport is enough to put me off techno.

Then there is also the dangers of promo, where people are receiving hundreds of tracks each week via email. There is absolutely no quality control over the releases you receive, and you have to spend you're time downloading them and perhaps reading the PR bullshit that comes with it - then skipping through them all until you find 1 or 2 that you actually like. Of course techno is going to be boring if that's what it involves, how can anyone go through that process on a regular basis and maintain enthusiasm for it.


My solution is to stop wasting time with all the digital promos, the ridiculous PR, and the absolutely worthless comments from DJs A,B & C saying how great the record is. Stop looking for music in the wrong places, get back to record shops, and pay £8/£10 for an EP.
How many mp3's do you own that you would pay £8 for? Or How many do you own that you would have never paid £8 for?
People need to learn to take criticism or simply avoid complaining about it publicly. Too many times you see arguments on RA about what rating a record got - who gives a fuck? Atleast it's getting reviewed.
The embarrassing fanboys on RA are another post entirely, but I think there's a lot of people who are *into* electronic music that could do with growing up a bit and learn to take things with a pinch of salt.

And lastly, support your scene, get involved, run a night, run a label and go to parties. Make things happen.

Techno/electronic music is to be enjoyed - by all means take it serious, and be hardcore/purist/whatever, but enjoy it.

Thursday 14 July 2011

Black Country




Moving on from Cloutier, July is all about 1 man, Regis. Tomorrow night he will be back in the subclub, after last years performance, but this time he will be playing as Regis. With Regis you can expect uncompromising, purest techno - which, since Monox has stopped, has been way overdue in the subclub.

It's such a shame that nights like tomorrow are not the norm for the subclub, and that the majority of the time we are offered watered down house, or irrelevant has beens. It's out of touch, and it gets by based on the appeal of the club, it's repuation and the lack of any worthwhile competition.. It doesn't lead the way with forward thinking bookings like it could or should.

It's the best club in Scotland, but it could do so much more. It is so far behind the behind the leading clubs like Fabric, Trouw, Berghain and even now to an extent with places like Corsica Studios, with their adventurous line ups and up to date booking policy. I only hope that artists like Regis, Lucy & Shifted become a bit more regular, and that the DJs and artists who are leading the way in Techno and House start to frequent Glasgow a bit more often. Techno & House have a wealth of talent that just isn't respresented in Glasgow, and there's no better place for them than the subclub.

If you don't have plans for tomorrow and if you are even slightly interested in techno, then you must go to the subclub. If someone like Regis can't get a good turnout, then I'm afraid we are doomed.


And if you're up for it, Regis is back in the UK on Sat 30th July @ Fabric. We are getting a 20hour round bus trip, with the mega bus.. Which will be pretty tough going, but you can't argue when it only costs £16.

Room 2 features Terry Francis, Sandwell District & Sigha. I honestly cannot wait for it.

"Club or Country? Black Country"

Monday 4 July 2011

What Went Wrong?



First off - sorry for the lack of info here and the delay in posting it, but we wanted to be sure that the information we had was correct.

Secondly, we sincerely apologise to anyone who was looking forward to seeing Eric, and had made plans to go and see him. We were completely gutted about what happened, but it was outwith our control.

As for the reason as to why Eric didn't play - it turns out that Eric got himself a visa for his tour, which he believed covered him for the duration of his time in Europe, but it actually only lasted 3 days. So when he arrived in Glasgow, he was detained by customs, and as the visa was not valid he was held in solitary confinement and deported the next morning.

There was nothing that we could do about it, and we didn't get a chance to contact Eric to find out exactly what happened until he was back in Berlin.


I want to say thanks to everyone who still came down, and by all accounts seemed to have a good night - we really appreciated it.

Also thanks to Animal Farm for having us down to Substanz, it was a pleasure to be playing there again, and was a great end to what had been a pretty stressful day & night.


As for what's next - we have Forward Strategy Group booked for 7th October & Sigha for 2nd December.. thankfully they're from the UK.