TBC remains in lockdown with the rest of UK and we have been able to dedicate time to the website, our brand logo and our mixes (see our Soundcloud page – link below). Following our April playlist we have continued to listen to new and old music and noted down our favourites for your enjoyment. We have also been enjoying the deluge of live streams from DJs, club nights and events from which we have selected our favourites. There have been some truly exceptional performances, some to rival their live shows which means something very special in the changing world of entertainment and nightclubbing post lockdown. TBC were able to attend the famous Detroit festival Movement for the first time from our living room via the live stream only broadcast this year. It isn’t quite the real thing but we have officially attended the actual Movement festival for 2020 so we can chalk that one off. Roll on Burning Man 2020.
This month our listening has been diverse and we have enjoyed progressive, techno, electro, disco, house, indie, rock, garage and 90’s classics. We even delved into the early years of the BBC Essential Mix starting from 1993 and working to 1995, to date. We are sure you will all find something new and interesting to listen to from our playlist.
Our favourites have a star against their name and our favourite streams will include a link below so you can check it out for yourself.
If you would like to listen to any of our mixes via our Soundcloud page follow the link below.
Take care, stay safe and enjoy the music. Love to you all from TBC HQ.
Albums and Compilations
Henry Saiz – Digital Mirages
Joris Voorn – Future History *
Joris Voorn – From A Deep Place
Dino Lenny – Dis Kollect
Berghain Funfzehn by Luke Slater
Vitalic – Flashmob
Eskimo Recordings – The White Collection
Argy and Mama – Dominonation
Kiki – Kaiku
Chilled Classics – Pete Tong and Her-O
Global Underground – Collect
I Break Horses – Warning
Anna Calvi – Hunter
Fantazia House Anthems 2000
RIP presents The Real Sound of the Underground
MJ Cole – Sincere
Renaissance presents Nic Fanciulli vol.1 and 2 *
Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
Alfredo presents The Original Sound of Ibiza *
New masters volume one mixed by Bottin
Bottin – Horror Disco
Trash The Wax Volume 1
DJ Harvey Live at Rumors *
Radio Shows and Mixes
Essential mix 2020 Caribou
Essential mix 2020 Fisher
Essential mix 1994 Graeme Park
Essential mix 1995 Dave Clark
Essential mix 1995 Tall Paul
Lee Burridge at Robot Heart Burning Man 2019
Chus and Ceballos BPM Festival podcast volume 110 (2020)
Katermukke Podcast by Dapayk Solo
Nic Fanciulli at Dance or Die Opening June 2019
Live Streams
Beatport Connect (taken from episode 1 in March and episode 2 in April):
Welcome to our latest playlist written during lockdown at TBC HQ. We haven’t posted for some time and we wanted to rekindle our website posts to share our latest listening with you during the lockdown period. We hope that this post finds you safe and healthy and you are able to seek out some of the albums that we have been listening to for your enjoyment in May.
At TBC HQ we have had an increased amount of time to listen to music due to a period of furlough and an existing period of maternity leave. We have recently installed a new wifi system so we are able to transmit music around the house from our desktop PC and hard drive plus we have our extensive CD and vinyl collection to call on. Each room is currently being used as a different room in a club so we have a chill out area, warm up, after party, techno, house and electro music rooms as you can see from the playlist.
We have also been watching a lot of the live stream DJ sets and hope to add these to the playlist for next month.
The list below are our recommendations with particular favourites marked with a star.
Albums
Agoria – Drift
Bonobo – Black Sands
Dapayk Solo – Decade one
Com Truise – Persuasion System *
COMA – In Technicolor
Dave Clark – Devil’s Advocate *
Djrum – Portrait with Firewood
The Field – Infinite Movement
Four Tet – Sixteen Oceans
Function – Existenz
Grimes – Miss Anthropocene
HVOB – Rocco
Snuff Crew – Behind The Masks *
Spektre – Casting Shadows in no light
Tuff City Kids – Adolescent
Compilations and Mixes:
Berghain Vol.1 by Andre Galuzzi
Back To Mine by Nightmares on Wax
Fabric Presents Maribou State *
Ministry of Sound Session by Cajmere and Green Velvet *
Ministry of Sound presents Mashed by Ajax and Wok Djs
X Mix 2 pres Laurent Garnier – Destination Planet Dream
Watch the Ride by Andrew Weatherall
Vinyl Back Catalogue:
Scuba – Personality
Various Artists – Dark Beat Detector
Radiohead – OK Computer
Ellen Allien – Berlinette
Please respond with any feedback and other recommendations for us to include in the playlist for next month.
Welcome to the TBC annual review for 2018, it has been a quiet front in regards to TBC this year with only the 2017 annual review being posted on the website and one event in July (NY Muscle). In 2019 however, we continue to look for new ways to bring you more events and articles, this has already included our first podcast posted in January 2019 that included a mix and some words from Nick O Teen. Our last event in 2018 was exceptional, so many of our friends attended, made a great effort on the costume front, partied hard and gave us some great feedback to help TBC grow and develop in the future.
2018 was a very busy year for TBC, as ever and it included a number of big clubbing events. 303 in Liverpool in February at the awesome Invisible Wind Factory venue with Charlie May, Nick Warren, Guy J, Henry Saiz and Quivver (John Graham). The highlight being the basement room at the end with Quivver playing his moody progressive techno style and Nick Warren absolutely smashing it with a superb progressive set. Techno for Humanity in Antwerp (Belgium) in April for our wedding anniversary (how romantic!) with Danny Howells b2b Dave Seaman b2b Darren Emerson on their 3D tour, Hernan Cattaneo b2b with Nick Warren, Radioslave, Martin Buttrich, Gary Beck b2b Marcel Fengler and finally Amelie Lens b2b Pan-Pot. This event was top draw, DJ proceeds go to charity and you enjoy a massive rave by a lake in Antwerp with some of the best music and DJs across a multitude of genres. We finally got to attend Printworks in London on October 6th for Maceo Plex’s Mosaic night with Maceo himself, Len Faki, Ellen Allien and Silent Servant to name just a few. Printworks is an out of this world venue in, you guessed it, an old print works South of the river in London, it is simply ginormous and such an audio and visual spectacle. Room 237 at Club Loco in Bristol on October 13th for Bjarki and Randomer at a rave in a tunnel! As you can guess this was a totally insane event from a prestigious dark horse of a night called Room 237 that has been going for some time, check it out. Lady H also went raving in Vienna and had a ball at Grelle Forelle and Pratersauna. We attended Hybrid’s UK tour that came to Sheffield at Plug in November, this was a trip down memory lane back to the late 90’s and early noughties along with their new materials released in 2018 which is excellent and features on our playlist. Our last clubbing event of the year was a cheeky little outing to the Harley in Sheffield in December to see one of our all time favourite DJ’s and previous playlist winner Helena Hauff playing at Pretty, Pretty Good. We also managed to squeeze in 3 family weddings, one of which we DJ’d at, and a bonkers mini-festival that our friends threw in Welshpool in August called Brooskfest. I need a rest having just typed that out, we never do things by halves, all in or all out at TBC.
This year we are trying to better previous years articles on two fronts; posting the article as near to the start of 2019 as possible and changing up the format of the article to provide a fresh approach. We are posting the first part of the article in early March 2019 so we have definitely achieved on the former and the latter will see the results of the annual review revealed on our latest podcast later in March 2019 with some samples of the albums, compilations, podcasts or live mixes.
Playlist
This years list has 80 entries with 52 albums and compilations, 12 radio shows or podcasts and 16 classic albums or mixes. We have techno, house, progressive, disco, break beat, drum & bass, electro and even some dubstep. Our top picks are highlighted in bold and the shortlist will be presented on our podcast soon.
Berghain 08 by Fiedel – Various Artists
Balance 029 by James Zabiela – Various Artists
Nick Warren, Henry Saiz and John ‘Quivver’ Graham live from 303V (Liverpool, Invisible Wind Factory) – Various Artists
Clarian – Television Days
Oliver Schories – Blitzbahn
Dj Kicks by Deetron – Various Artists
Dax J – Offeding Public Morality
Fabric 88 by Maceo Plex – Various Artists
John Hopkins – Singularity
Dj Koze – Knock Knock
Balance 030 mixed by Max Cooper – Various Artists
Naif by Efdemin – Various Artists
Eskimo Recordings presents The Purple Collection – Various Artists
Skee Mask – Compro
Gui Boratto – Pentagram
Blawan – Wet Will Always Dry
Schneeweiss 9 presented By Oliver Koletzki – Various Artists
Bedrock XX mixed and compiled by JohnDigweed – Various Artists
Hybrid– Light of the Fearless
Permanent Vacation Selected Label Works 6 – Various Artists
Chronika V – Various Artists
Djrum – Portrait with Firewood
Hidden Empire – Mind Palace
Chris Liebing – Burn Slow
Djedjotronic – R.U.R
Orbital – Monsters Exist
A-Sides Vol.7 – Various Artists
Max Cooper – One Hundred Billion Sparks
Stil Vor Talent pres. Tempelhofer Feld – Various Artists
ReKonstruct mixed by Quiver – Various Artists
Balance presents Uone – Various Artists
Dj Kicks by Mount Kimbie – Various Artists
Global Underground Nu:Breed by Denney – Various Artists
Live at Cocoon Ibiza by Kink
Marie Davidson – Working Class Woman
Michael Klein – Snapshot
Mariel Ito – 2000 to 2005
Redshape – A Sole Game
Adriatique – Nude
Prodigy – No Tourists
Watergate 025 mixed by Adana Twins – Various Artists
Miss Kittin – Cosmos
Elke Kleijn – Moments of Clarity
The World of Monnom Black – Various Artists
Dj Kicks by Robert Hood – Various Artists
Sound of the 19th Season mixed by Sven Vath – Various Artists
Thomas P Heckmann – Body Music
Gary Beck – Dal Riata
Tribology by Ben Sims – Various Artists
Anthony Rother – 3L3CTRO COMMANDO
Foundations Vol.1 – Various Artists
Panorama Bar 07 mixed by Nd Baumecker – Various Artists
Essential Mix
Palms Trax January 2018
Charlotte De Witte February 2018
Dax J April 2018
Blawan May 2018
Eagles and Butterflies July 2018
Le Fleur August 2018
Avalon Emerson August 2018
Haai September 2018
Mariel Ito October 2018
Agoria November 2018
Resident Advisor Podcast
Amelie Lens June 2018
Alienata April 2018
Classics
Hybrid Back Catalogue – Wide Angle, Morning Sci-Fi, I Choose Noise, Disappear Here 1999 – 2010
A1 People – Fresh Juice 2000
Layo & Bushwaka – Night Works 2002
Balance 005 – James Holden 2003
Warp20 present Chosen – Various Artists 2009
FabricLive 44 by Commix – Various Artists 2009
Chase and Status – Beginnings and More Than A Lot 2010
Commix – Recall to Mind 2010
Chase and Status – No More Idols 2011
Commix – Dusted 2012
Andy C presents Nightlife Vol.6 – Various Artists 2013
Tuff City Kids – Adolescent 2016
Kink – Playground 2017
We hope you can find some new favourite albums, mixes and artists from our playlist. Check out their online content and of course support them by purchasing their latest releases.
Finally TBC, our loyal and patient readers have made it to the third and final part of our 2017 annual review. We apologise in advance for both the tardiness of this article being finalised, May 2018 for a 2017 review breaks our previous record of April for the 2016 review, and the lengthy part two, albeit we got a little excited at the top ten selection for the year. Like each previous year the annual review is a beast as it requires a crate digging mentality to review all 2017 content from a variety of sources, the patience to listen through and select your favourites and then repeat listen to write your final review. It has been very enjoyable and allowed us to unearth some gems that may have gone under the radar in the year while also having a good tidy up and purge of unwanted digital releases or reorganise the tangible CD and vinyl collection.
It is safe to say that the top ten selections each have their areas of excellence otherwise they wouldn’t have made the shortlist however making the top three or even winning the top release for a calendar year takes something special. What makes an album special is subjective and therefore we are lucky at TBC that we have two heads to challenge each others selections and thoughts plus, as previously mentioned, the selection needs to stand the test of time so you need to think outside of the box when making the final decision. There is a good selection on offer this year with a diversity in the top ten that has excited us during the review process, heavy techno from Oscar Mulero and Planetary Assault Systems, Techno from Adam Beyer and Ellen Allien, Electro from Helena Hauff, alternative electronica from Bicep twice and progressive house and house from Henry Saiz, Nic Fanciulli and Sasha. We have had back catalogue collections, production LP’s, mix compilations, live shows (with DVD accompaniments), festival sets, podcasts and radio shows. There have been scene stalwarts who have produced a multitude of previous releases (EP’s, LP’s, mixes etc.), debut albums, debut live performances, maturity & development in sound, DJ production or mixing excellent and some straight up bonkers music.
After a great deal of deliberation the top three from TBC for 2017 is as follow, in no particular order, including a short reason why they made the top three.
Nic Fanciulli – My Heart
20 years of experience has been put to great use by honing and maturing his sound to finally release a debut album that really hits home with a great flow & structure and some excellent tracks.
RA #596 mixed by Oscar Mulero
The ability to deliver heavy techno in this style and across 60 minutes while still creating a flow and transition is commendable as many others require 3-6 hour sets in order to showcase this type of techno.
Essential Mix by Bicep
It was a close run thing between the Irish duo’s production album and their Essential Mix as both are excellent and emphasise the year that Bicep have had. The Essential Mix just pips it by harnessing the sound from the album across a multitude of genres and nailing each mix and transition to a tee.
And our 2017 winner is Bicep with their awe inspiring BBC Essential Mix that came just a little late to be part of the BBC 2017 Essential Mix of the year and it would have given Helena Hauff a run for her money. We have already said a lot about the mix but to cap things off it stands out as an exceptional 2 hour showcase of Bicep’s skills, diversity and how far they have come in a few short years since their Essential Mix debut in 2014. The mix will have you partying, can be played in the background and is good when out and about on your travels on your headphones or in the car. This mix will continue to be played well into 2018 and beyond at TBC. We have added a link to the mix and a video to one of their tracks for your pleasure.
CONGRATULATIONS TO BICEP FROM TBC
As we continue to write into the May Bank holiday for this 2017 article it has allowed us at TBC HQ to enjoy a number of releases into 2018 and we want to share these with you so that you can start the year off with some great new tunes having enjoyed the 2017 playlist. We hoped that 2018 would continue on the same vein as 2017 as techno was in its ascendence along with electro coupled with some great production albums and internet shows expected.
Here is a list of a few to watch out for as we have had some great 2018 music already:
Essential Mix by Palms Trax – similar to the Bicep vibe and an early contender for 2018 mix of the year.
Berghain Vol.8 mixed by Fiedel – Various Artists
Live at 303’s 5th Birthday in Liverpool – Henry Saiz and Nick Warren
Balance 029 mixed by James Zabiela – Various Artists
John Tejada – Dead Start Program
Carpenter Brut – Leather Teeth
Dax J – Offending Public Morality
Essential Mix by Dax J
Dj Kicks mixed by Deetron – Various Artists
Fabric 98 mixed by Maceo Plex – Various Artists
Butch – End of Decade
Jon Hopkins – Singularity
DJ Koze – Knock Knock
Eskimo Recordings presents The Purple Collection – Various Artists
Too Slow to Disco Brasil compiled by Ed Motta – Various Artists
Thanks for reading and we will be back in 2018 with more articles.
It is now time to select our favourites from 2017 and write a short review of each explaining our selection process. The process of selecting our favourites at TBC is always challenging due to personal preference, musical taste, the context of the listening experience (where and when you listened to the album or mix) and whether the selection will stand the test of time and repeat listens. When looking back at previous favourites and our picks from years past we can safely say that we still listen to these mixes today and have done so recently. They have each stood the test of time and we would still recommend getting involved in these now classics.
2016 – RA Podcast #525 – Dr Rubenstein
2015 – Fabric 84 – Mathew Jonson
2014 – Defected Pres. Nic Fanciulli In The House – Various Artists
We have reviewed our playlist over and over again to whittle down to our favourites and this year we have picked out a short list of 10 from which we will select the top 3 and the winner for 2017.
Planetary Assault Systems – The Lights Years (reworks)
Ellen Allien – Nost
Balance Pres. Natura Sonoris mixed by Henry Saiz
Bicep – Bicep
Sasha – Refracted Live
Nic Fanciulli – My Heart
Adam Beyer live at Awakenings Festival 25th June 2017
RA #596 mixed by Oscar Mulero
Essential Mix by Helena Hauff
Essential Mix by Bicep
Planetary Assault Systems – The Lights Years (reworks)
Luke Slater is a legend within the techno community for quite simply destroying dance floors with his heavy acid tinged, full on techno. Whether his production comes via his actual name or one of his many aliases you are sure to be on to a winner with any of his production albums, compilation, EP’s or LP’s. Under his Planetary Assault system moniker he quite simply produces bonkers rave-like techno that you would expect to hear in the basement at Tresor, strobes going off, smoke machines on full, bass bins shaking the floor like an earthquake and 135BPM beats blaring from the speakers. This is two decades of classics remixed and edited for 2017 by some of the scenes hardest and heaviest producers; Fengler, Function, Steve Bicknell, Slam and Planetary Assault System special P.A.S. Live edits. If you want to be pulverised by some of the best heavy techno then step right up, turn up your speakers and get involved. If you want to scare someone during a mix then throw one of these beasts in and to be honest there aren’t really any bad tracks on this mix so you would be unlucky to select one that wouldn’t do the job.
Temporary Suspension remixed by Slam, Surface Noise by P.A.S. are the two stand out tracks if you had to choose and there is also a treat at the end of the release, having managed to survive the 13 selected monsters, with an hour long megamix of the Planetary Assault System gems, a nice little bonus.
Have a listen to some samples on the link below.
Ellen Allien – Nost
Many of our TBC followers wouldn’t be surprised to see an Ellen Allien album make the end of year playlist however considering the fact that we are super fans of the Bpitch label legend this album is not what you would expect having listened to previous production albums. The last few albums Lism , Dust and Sool were all experimental electronica ranging from house, techno, pop, chillout and dub. The albums before this with Apparat (Orchestra of Bubbles) and the solo albums Thrills, Berlinette and Stadtkind were all more electro influenced with Thrills being the stand out album with classics such as Brain is Lost – still a TBC favourite. Ellen’s eighth production album since 2001 has taken us on a journey and finally we have an album more similar to her single releases and live sets. It’s techno time!
The opening track sums up my previous words perfectly with Mind Journey which takes you on a bass heavy journey accompanied by an evil lyric “this is not a mind journey…”, with an epic bass line. The theme generally is a more stripped back, basic techno structure that sucks you in and you cannot help but be captivated by the albums transition from storming track to another storming track accompanied by a little dance and grin of satisfaction. 2018 already has a number of remixes from this album lined up and we are very excited at TBC to dance to and play these tracks out in a club.
Mind Journey, Innocence, Call Me, Mma and Physical are stand out tracks but each carries it own weight.
Enjoy the samples from the Bpitch Soundcloud page below.
Balance Pres. Natura Sonoris mixed by Henry Saiz
Since his big hit Balance series volume 19 in 2011 and one particular release in 2008 titles Hello, Infinite on his Artificial Paradises EP (Renaissance) Henry Saiz has been on the TBC radar and we have kept out eye out for new albums, events and singles. His Reality Addendum production album in 2014 followed by its numerous remix collections has been featured in our progressive DJ sets for some time and are still in fact being played today. In 2016 we met the 303 event organisers from Liverpool in Croatia and they are good buddies with Henry Saiz so we have been spoiled with a few epic nights at their club listening to his epic progressive, balearic, percussion infused disco and, in some instances, unique style music (that features heavily on his Natura Sonoris label).
The Balance Series has been enjoyed by TBC since 2003 with the legendary James Holden 005 edition and we have lost count of the instalments that we own in our mega CD collection, its worth checking the series out if you haven’t done so (but if this is the case where have you been?). Henry Saiz has brought his label to town on this special Balance presents edition of their mix series and it is like a match made in heaven. A legendary CD series asking a DJ who already has a critically acclaimed instalment in the series plus a label that we cannot talk highly enough for its originality, bizarre-ness and its high quality of artist selection and music production. The 2 disc mix is perfectly balanced (pardon the bad joke) with its dreamy, percussion lead, balearic/summery feel music that takes you into a progressive soundscape that you could quite easily meditate to, pre-party to or get your groove on, just alter the bass response on your speakers and the master volume. All we can say is that this mix is epic, a true classic style compilation CD that shows off good music, production skills, track selection and some great labels and artists.
Sonder by Joep Mencke, Goliath by Tentacle and Ventura by Hal Incandenza all feature on disc one with superb edits and mixes either by other producers or spliced with other tracks by Saiz himself.
Disc two is almost solely Henry Saiz production or remixes so the whole disc is excellent but our favourites are the soundtrack-esque Prophetess, the epic vocal lead, trancey Light, Woodhouse by NVSBL and Death Drive blended with The Pendulum.
Since their Feel My Bicep podcast Bicep have come a long way, their 2012 Throne of Blood compilation mix, their 2014 BBC Essential Mix and a great number of superb production tracks such as Stripper and Just show their development in style, production quality and growth into all round electronic scene powerhouses. You can see them play disco on a boat in Croatia, a rave set in a warehouse, techno and house at a festival or bide their time until 2017 to produce and release a truly epic debut production album Bicep which they play at their Live shows. Their choice of label for the album . . . Ninja Tunes, was one which left a few people puzzled but when you hear their production sound and style this album harks back to an era of urban electronic production that Ninja Tunes are famous for and that in retrospect makes perfect sense to show off Bicep’s production skills and excellent to put out an album that can be enjoyed by such a diverse audience, old to young, urban scene to electronic scene.
The album itself needs a good few listens, one with headphones, another loud and in a party situation and the final one in a studio environment with a good balance of bass and treble. Once you have racked up a few listens through the album your appreciation to the 12 track album builds and builds, we even thought back to Orbital, Hybrid and Underworld production levels in the early naughties and nineties. This is a must have album from 2017 and one that will be around for many years to come.
If one of your first clubbing memories back when you were 18 was the Airdrawndagger album launch party at Heaven in London, you have listened to the original Renaissance Mix Collection from 1994 or seen this person DJ back to back with John Digweed for 4+ hours on two occasions you will get very excited when Sasha brings out a new song, mix, CD or is booked at a night or a festival. However somewhat amazingly we weren’t aware of the Sasha Refracted tour even though it is a continuation of the epic Scene Delete album on Late Night Tales released un 2016 and reviewed on the TBC website. What is happening to us, our finger is off the pulse! Well we need to make up for missing one of the most ridiculous live events ever where Sasha has reconstructed his tracks from Scene Delete and selected classics (yes Xpander is in there!) to be played with a full orchestra, Charlie May on keyboard and a whole host of synthesisers, drum machines and other classic and electronic instruments. We purchased the full, all singing all dancing, Blu Ray and double disc set in its fancy textured boxset in order to revel in Sasha’s masterclass. This was Sasha’s first ever fully live performance and wow doesn’t do it justice.
It would be cheating to mention the Blu Ray video in this article as it isn’t fair against the other entries but it really is amazing, the high definition cameras and sound is simple unbelievable.
The album is made up of two discs, the first is Scene Delete reconstructed for the show with live vocals and of course live instruments and some crowd noises that, unlike other live albums don’t detract from the music itself. We won’t spend too long on this disc as we have already reviewed the album but this version is stunning, the orchestral strings and percussion add a new layer to the tracks and the live vocals are spot on.
Baracus with its bass breakdown around the 2 minute mark, Detour with it’s haunting vocals, Time After Times percussion and keyboard magic and Rooms featuring John Graham (A.K.A Quivver) on vocals stand out.
The second disc is classics from the Sasha era including one from Airdrawndagger all those years ago. Hearing the classics in this new way has that feel of nostalgia that many have tapped into with this new classical/orchestral take on classics but at the same time revitalise classics in their purest form.
Battleships, Belfunk, Burma (by Lostep is the original artist) and Xpander are stand out.
It is hard to sum the overall album up due to the nostalgic value this holds at TBC plus being swayed by the magic Blu Ray video but Sasha has really hit the mark and excelled himself, once again, with Refracted Live. Please enjoy the link below and go and get this album.
Nic Fanciulli – My Heart
Nic Fanciulli is one of Maidstone’s finest exports and being a Maidstonian myself it is great that he continues to build his brand and excel within a competitive electronic DJ environment. He hosts the Social event all over the world having started it in the humble Mote Park in Maidstone, is very good mates with Joris Voorn who often plays at small events in Maidstone bars and clubs and continues to loyally support Maidstone FC in the Conference Premier. Back in 2014 we selected Nic’s Defected in the House series as our favourite release and since he hasn’t released any full length mixes or major EP’s or singles, however in 2017 Nic finally graced us with his debut production album My Heart and you have to say patience is a virtue and this was worth waiting for.
In a career that has spanned around 20 years, since TBC first saw Nic playing funky house in River Bar for the Club Class warm up at Ikon, Nic has evidently honed and developed his sound and matured as a producer as My Heart oozes class and detail in the production work of each track. This is also a full length LP of 16 tracks that includes great interludes and flows nicely from deep house with superb vocals to dirtier, harder dance floor tech house tracks which is something that TBC greatly appreciated in an LP.
Imitations is a superb summers day time deep house track with a great male vocal, 100mph is a groovy deep house track with haunting keys and vocal, Twisted and The First Step are quality house tracks with catchy keys and groovy baselines that would be welcome at a house party, at a festival or in the club. Wrong picks things up a bit with a tech-house feel, The Perfect Crime is a nice progressive house uplifting track and Resistance harks back to acid house with an acid groove. Saying (featuring a great vocal cameo from Damon Albarn) and My Love brings things back down with deep house and an uplifting summery feel and you can have a break having got to the I’m Tired interlude. After Time and Sunshine 101 move back to the uplifting progressive house vibe and again show a great balance in production skill to vary and change across the LP. Little L has a tough tech house groove and satisfying bass line while The Light is an epic vocal lead dreamy that would sit well in a Moderat set, just great electronica. When you reach Under Stars you are in the outro and the album fades out but you feel that you need to listen again and appreciate a true gem of an album, we have done this a few times at after parties and when reviewing the album in this article.
Highly recommended and great debut album, have a listen to the album by following the link below.
Adam Beyer live at Awakenings Festival 25th June 2017
Awakenings is on the top festivals in Europe, they host a few parties every year either at the indoor Gashouder or the outdoor Sparrenwoude (we would highly recommend checking out some of the videos on Youtube as both are spectacular). The line ups are somewhat over the top with almost all of the top techno artists across all of the sub-genres of techno featuring and 2018 was a festival that TBC almost attended due to a friends stag do event in Holland however we were unable to make it. Luckily almost all of the mixes are recorded by BE-AT.tv which means you can easily access the best mixes and in this case we have a stormer for you from none other than the Drumcode head honcho Adam Beyer.
Adam Beyer has spent a great deal of time building and developing the Drumcode label and its artist roster so the last few years have not seen as much of a buzz around his tracks, mixes, albums or festival/event sets however this Awakenings set was the buzz on the internet and on social media from those who went telling their mates who couldn’t attend how much they were missing out! When we heard about his set from our friend who attended we went straight to Soundcloud (see link below) and got involved in typical TBC style in the early hours of a Saturday morning, Techno Breakfast time.
This mix has it all, which is essential for a festival set (having heard many over the years both live and via streaming or download), Drumcode artists, new material, a Depeche Mode remix from Thomas Schumacher and Victor Ruiz, the classic Vitalic Le Rock 01, the 80’s classic Pump Up The Jam and stormers from Boxia with Point of No Return and Spektre with Forged in the Heart of a Laserbeam. Add to the great track list (link below) the crowd noises from the festival, some ice cannons and other pyrotechnics you can hear in the mix plus the great transition from techno stomping to dance your ass off party tracks to classics you can sing along to like a little kid this mix epitomises the festival live set. As it is hard to put the whole mix into words we would highly recommend listening yourself on the link below.
TBC have been fans of Oscar Mulero for a few years now albeit he has been djing and producing since the 80’s in his native Spain and across the world. When you listen to his production work it becomes quickly evident why we like him so much as he makes loud, heavy bass, banging techno, enough said! He runs the label Polegroup that has hosted artists such as Exium, Jonas Kopp, Reeko, Christian Wunsch, Lewis Fautzi and Perc which is quite a roster from the harder end of the techno spectrum. I was lucky enough to attend a night in Barcelona in 2017 where one of his label DJs played and it was banging, some of the artists he has signed to his label or invited to his nights are just superb techno dj’s and producers. Could you withstand the audio onslaught?!
In 2017 we were fortunate that RA enlisted Oscar to provide an episode of their podcast and this is simply stunning techno. Heavy and moody at the start progressing to the more full on, bass heavy, storming techno within around the 10-15 minute mark. Turn on your sub-woofer for some great bass frequency production work and a DJ utilising the EQ levels of the tracks to maintain a relentless bass line. Sciahri presents Insanity at around the 15 minute mark that does exactly what it says on the tin, this is pure insane techno. Oscar Mulero himself follows this track (and provides a few others later on too), along with a monster from Steve Bicknell called Harmonious Balance and later a remix from Planetary Assault Systems of a Lucy track, there are too many great techno tracks to name without writing down the actual track list. We must warn you that this is the heavier end of techno and could scare some people away but it is simply a great techno artist compiling and blending heavy, fast and dubby techno at its best. Enjoy the link below but beware, this isn’t for the faint hearted.
Essential Mix by Helena Hauff
2017 was the year that Helena Hauff rose to fame and held an almost stratospheric status in electronic music. She hosted a BBC Radio One residency show, debuted on the BBC Essential Mix show, played club nights and festivals across the World all while playing the electro end of the techno spectrum and in most instances just straight up electro, which has never really been mainstream in electronic music. This is quite a feat when you consider that she is also not a prolific producer having only released one production album in 2015 and a handful of singles and EP’s. Therefore she has risen to her current status off the back of her pure desire to promote her favourite genres, her superb mixing style and an almost geeky level of music crate digging for both new and old electro.
TBC were very excited about this Essential Mix having rated her Mixmag In Session mix in 2016 very highly and we were not let down when we finally got to Helena’s debut essential mix (we very much hope there will be more). Our excitement even lead to an after party at our flat where the full 2 hour mix was played at high volume with our sub-woofer turned up to max, this was pure exhilaration! The mix oozes class and feels like a sci-fi film soundtrack or computer game with the flow and mixing style that accentuates the bleeps, squelches, vocal samples and kicks that are prominent throughout. When the mix hits Transparent Sound at around 16 minutes with No Calls From New York, which is an evil sounding, break beat-esque rave track, the mix really cranks up and you almost feel like Helena is showing off her tune selection while not scaring people off with the more eccentric, eclectic end of the electro genre. TBC had to find this track, a cheeky steal from this mix, and have played many times since (something we had to do with a few tracks in this mix). As the mix nears 25 minutes W1bo presents Utopia Planitia things really start to pick up with a great bpm pace change and an uplifting electro track that is simply brilliant. The mix goes on to feature The Exaltics, Drexciya (twice), The Hacker, Aux 88, The Horrorist, Alien FM, The Advent and DJ Stingray which is literally the glitterati of the electro world for the last 15 years in dance music and the mix continues to grow, develop, ebb and flow throughout not feeling like a simple tune-fest but a perfectly crafted blend of superb electro and techno. The second hour is definitely more techno and at the harder end of the music spectrum with a particular favourite from Paul Blackford called Fallout played over an Adam Beyer Untitled track which is almost a tribal style electro monster track.
We literally can’t say enough about this mix, it even won Essential Mix of the Year! Have a listen with the link below and enjoy.
Essential Mix by Bicep
This is the second feature in our 2017 playlist from Bicep and it comes in the guise of one of our favourite radio shows the BBC Essential Mix. This was also Bicep’s second essential mix for Pete Tong with the first coming way back in 2014 and boy have Bicep come a long way since then in regards to sound, career progression and the overall quality that is evident across the 2 hour mix.
The mix starts at the lower end of the electronic spectrum with chilled, blissed out yet uplifting tracks that sit between chillout, nu-disco and deep house. At around the 25 minute mark Bicep step it up a gear with tracks from Giraffi Dog, Hammer, Tons of Tones, Lake People and Norwell that flow perfectly and bring an old school feel with a great groove, squelches, breaks, kick drums and some superb keys, each of these tracks are ones you will want for your own collection. This shift in the mix brings us more in line with the sound that Bicep are harnessing and developing today, similar to the feel on their self titles album (reviewed earlier). As the mix nears the hour mark the old school feel remains but the bass becomes a bit heavier and the break beats continue with the epic Touch Absence from Lanark Artefax and flows into the hour mark where a more electro sounds emerges from the break beats from Abyssal Zone by Djedotronic, who are stalwarts in the electro scene, via an epic trance like track from Claude Speed called Ambien Rave. The electro sounds dominate for the next few tracks, raise the energy levels up and make you want to dance about and shake your ass like you’re at a rave, its contagious. Into the last half hour the mix takes on a more bassline, garage sound which is a nice touch as TBC are fans of this scene from many years ago and its works well with the rave, breaks and electro from earlier. Dan Cough’s B Jam into Urban Myths Makin Me Feel is a great mix that you would expect from a garage DJ, the diversity of Bicep is truly on show here. A classic from CJ Bolland is included around the 1 hour 40 mark called The Tower of Naphtali which is an R&S classic and again we hark back to the rave era and one of its most famous labels. The mix draws to a close but not before an Apex Twin number and two final tracks to ease you to the end with God Within Raincry being a great vocal chanting trance like breakbeat track and Modaji with Belle Epoque a blissed out closing track , what a mix!
The biggest failing of this mix was that it was released in December 2017 and missed the Essential Mix of the year poll where Helena Hauff took the crown (see above), as this mix would have definitely given Helena a run for her money. However do not be deterred by us using the word failing in this mini review as this mix is superb and one of our favourite essential mixes ever. The progression of Bicep is clear to see in this mix and we cannot rate it highly enough. Enjoy with the link below.
Welcome back to our annual review of all the music that has been played at TBC HQ over the past year. We must say that 2017 has gone quickly, it has almost flown by, but this has not been without the standard level of trawling through new music, albums, compilations and podcasts plus our archive of music (that has been amassed over the years and the odd classic album we find while out and about) in order to report back to our TBC followers. The reason for ever increasing speed of the years is normally linked to age however at TBC we seem to take it upon ourselves each year to challenge and see how many things we can shoe horn into a 12 month period and we have excelled yet again 2017. We have managed to finally buy our new house (after 2 failed attempts) where we are now able to party in our sound insulated attic. We attended half a dozen weddings including one in the Game of Thrones land of Dubrovnik, partied at the Night Kitchen (TBC was first held in the basement at this venue) one last time before it closed its doors, attended a Stag Do in Barcelona and one in Sheffield. We surprised friends on a Berlin hen do, enjoyed multiple parties at the end of the year at Collect and The Holt (cheers Gaz and Jess) where I finally got to DJ out properly (the only occurrence in 2017). You may ask where have the TBC parties been in 2017 but after a very busy 2016 we took a break to focus on other things with the intention to come back and have a ‘re-birth’ in 2018 so watch this space. We did of course have multiple shindigs to enjoy the music finds of the year; at our old flat to send off the Mezz in true TBC style and to christen our new house, sorry to our old and new neighbours!
Part One
The 2017 playlist is extensive with a total of 121 releases, split as follows; 2017 has 99 with 83 albums/compilations/radio shows/live sets plus 16 Resident Advisor podcasts and BBC Essential mix shows. The Classic and Eclectic portion is made up of 22 releases and we venture back to 2001 to cover all of our selections this year. We had to trim the playlist considerably as our music back catalogue has been delved into during a recent reshuffle of music during our house move resulting in many, many lost hours. The range of musical genres takes us from electronic to pop to hip-hop and rock with the former spanning drum & bass, house, electro, rave, techno, progressive and disco. In brief we can say that while 2017 was not one of the best for producing truly standout releases there have been a few gems that have been great to seek out. We hope that you can find some new artists, record labels or releases when reading the article and can enjoy the releases as much as we have.
2017 Playlist
Eskimo Recordings pres. The Red Collection
Resistance Vol.1 mixed by AndHim
Permanent Vacation Vol.4 – Various Artists
Selectors 001: selected by Motor City Drum Ensemble
InFine 10: Tomorrow Sounds Better With You – Various Artists
Stereo Productions pres. Best of 2016 – Various Artists
Where did 2016 go?! Time flies when you’re having fun and you couldn’t say that we didn’t have fun at TBC in 2016. We hosted three parties, the first in March (‘Follow the Yellow Brick Road’), the second in October for a special Halloween event (‘Disco Bloodbath’) and the third was a magical new years party at TBC HQ. All of which were so much fun! Disco Bloodbath was particularly memorable as we were able to book Spektre as our headline act and got over 120 people through the door! We partied in Croatia at Electric Elephant festival in the sunshine, by the beach, under massive disco balls, on boats and in, wait for it, actual nightclubs, what a festival in the beautiful town of Tisno. We also attended Jodrell Bank for Bluedot Festival in July for one of the comeback stories of the year with electronic music legend Jean Michel Jarre. Other stand out nights were Henry Saiz all night long in September at 303 in Liverpool, Bjarki in May at Collect in Sheffield and we started the year with a bang at Damian Lazarus’s Day Zero festival in the jungle in Tulum, Mexico.
Due to our hectic calendar, preparing our events (including our back to back mixes at both events), listening to lots of new music on all formats (in particular vinyl, which we have enjoyed the resurgence of), doing our day jobs, attending about half a dozen weddings and having some much needed R&R we have barely had any time to post on the website and feel it has been a little neglected. It is however our annual review time and we are excited to bring you the latest instalment. We hope you enjoy.
In 2016 we have had a little of everything from disco to techno, albums to compilations to podcasts, old school artists returning for their latest instalment including Radiohead, Chemical Brothers and Underworld, MP3 to Limited Edition Vinyl to CDs, old school classics that we have dug out of the vaults and some brilliant individual releases via EP or single. Here’s what we thought:
The 2016 Playlist – 50
HVOB – Trialog
The Field – The Follower
The Range – RA Podcast #521
Sadat Bahar – RA Podcast #507
Underworld – Barbara, Barbara, We Face Shining Future
Chemical Brothers – Born In Echoes
Get Physical Pres. Body Language Vol.17 by WhoMadeWho
Cosmic Machine – Various Artists
Unknown Landscapes – Vol.3 mixed by Exium
Junior Boys – Big Black Coat
Dj Supermarket Pres. The Ladies of Too Slow to Disco
Stephan Bodzin – Powers of Ten Remixes
Moderat – 111
John Digweed – Live in Montreal (6CD pack)
John Digweed – Live in Montreal Finale (3CD Pack)
Pig & Dan – Modular Baptism
Fabric 87 – Alan Fitzpatrick
Fabric 88 – Ryan Elliot
Eskimo pres. Yellow Collection – Various Artists
Wolfram – Wolfram
Jean Michel Jarre – Electronica Vol.2 The Heart of Noise
RA Podcast #525 – Dr Rubenstein
Floorpan – Victorious
A Sides Vol.5 – Various Artists
Global Underground Pres. Nubreed Vol.9 – Habischman
Cocoon Ibiza mixed by Carl Craig and Sonja Moonear
Trus’Me – Planet 4
Marcel Dettmann Pres. Dj Kicks
Marco Bailey – Materia Ibiza XL 2 – Various Artists
Global Underground – Twenty
London Underground – Various Artists
Pure Intec mixed by Carl Cox and Jon Rundell
Sven Vaeth pres. Sound of the Season 17 – Various Artists
Stil Vor Talent Kotbusser Tor – Various Artists
Tuff City Kids – Adolescent
Tiger and Woods – On the Green Again
Michael Mayer – &
Majestic Casual Vol.3 – Various Artists
Marsheaux – Ath.Lon
Space Ibiza pres. 2016 – Various Artists
Balance Pres. Alex Niggemann – Various Artists
Mixmag In Session – Helena Hauff
BBC Essential Mix – Rodhad February 2016
BBC Essential Mix – Pig and Dan April 2016
BBC Essential Mix – Stephan Bodzin June 2016
BBC Essential Mix – Solomun July 2016
BBC Essential Mix – The Avalanches August 2016
BBC – Essential Mix – Mano Le Tough October 2016
BBC Essential Mix – Bedouin October 2016
BBC Essential Mix – Ellen Allien December 2016
Older Classics/Alternative – 18
Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool
DJ Hyper Various – Bedrock and Wired/Re-wired
FAZEmag mix CD’s – The full collection
Julia Holter – Have You In My Wilderness
Holly Herndon – Platform
Solar Bears – Advancement
Sasha – Scene Delete
Trus’Me – Working Nights (2007)
Permanent Vacation pres. Safari – Various Artists
Henry Saiz – Reality Addendum
Fatima Yamaha – Imaginary Lines (2015)
Fatima Yamaha- Fatima Yamaha EP (2012)
Dekmantel Podcast Vol. 66 Delta Funktionnen
Balance 009 Paolo Mojo – Various Artists
Balance 008 Design Masiello – Various Artists
BBC Essential Mix – Valentino Kanzyani (2007)
BBC Essential Mix – Oliver Lieb (2001)
Anthony Rother – This is Electro (2005)
There are a total of 68 albums, mixes or podcast/radio shows in the 2016 shortlist and making a shortlist has been a bit of an ordeal due to variety and the sheer volume of music. In total there is around 200 days of music in the list and thats looking on the pessimistic side as its hard to give a true figure! In order to keep things as brief as possible the shortlist has been taken from the 2016 releases only, we would recommend all of the classic and golden oldies from the latter end of the list.
The shortlist is as follows and it comes down to a top 7:
John Digweed – Live in Montreal Finale (3CD Pack)
Part two of a 9 CD mega boxset (6CD boxset followed by the 3CD finale boxset) from one of dance music’s legends John Digweed is an epic way to end his extravaganza of music and get an idea of how good this set must have been at Stereo in Montreal, Canada, in October 2015. Diggers has released a number of location specific collections since 2012’s Cordoba which now totals 8.5 (the .5 being the finale at Montreal) but have varied in quality and the ability to harness the sound of that time, city and DJ set. Montreal however, serves up a feast of music and the finale is simply brilliant with dark, evil, electro/house/techno that adorn this edition, plus some classics thrown in for good measure on the final CD. This great combination makes you feel like you could have been there and really gets the party going. It is hard to pick out favourites so check out the link below and the tracklist:
The first of three female entries in our 2016 best of and this mix from Dr. Rubenstein is a great introduction to a new TBC favourite. A blend of cultures (Russian, Israeli and German) have resulted in a simply stunning debut mix and RA have definitely found a true gem in Marina Rubenstein. Tracks from Delta Funktionen, Dorian Grey, Skee Mask and Vril courtesy of labels such as Ilian Tape epitomise this mix with a dub techno/electro vibe that varies from beautiful landscapes to full on techno. It will leave you reeling if you happen to be near a bass bin/sub-woofer, watch out! Nyctophilia by Dorian Grey and Torus CXXVIII by Vril are favourites of this mix but again it is hard to single out tracks when the mix works so well. Please have a listen yourself.
Track list and Link to listen the mix below:
Andrea Parker – Angular Art – Touchin’ Bass
Lonny – Theme From Murdercapital – Murder Capital
Hardfloor & E.R.P. – You Know The Score (E.R.P. Version)
Skee Mask – Shred 08 – Ilian Tape
Far Out Radio Systems – LV-426 – Tanzbar Records
BLD – CCY (Rave) – BLD Tape Recordings
Civilian – Comcept – Out Electronic Recordings
Ness – Pantropy – Rising Label
Delta Funktionen – Phantom – Radio Matrix
Dorian Gray – Nyctophilia – Android Muziq
Unknown Artist – 303003 – Planet Rhythm Records
Ruhig – Eddying – Midgar
Vril – Torus CXXVIII – Forum
Lost Trax – Life Out Of Balance – Frustrated Funk
Umwelt – Gravitational Lens – Killekill
Blind Observatory – Way – Gravitational
Andrea – Rainbow – Ilian Tape
Pulse One – In-Mortal – Fullpanda Records
Marcel Dettmann Pres. Dj Kicks
There were 4 DJ Kicks albums released in 2016 via !K7 records and Marcel Dettmann definitely stands out above the rest. DJ Kicks can be varied in quality due to its format being an inconsistent approach to the ‘mix CD’ and it is normally left to the artist to deliver their own creation ranging from leftfield to what they would listen to at home to what inspired them to what rarities/classics they have in their record box. Dettmann is known for his booming techno from the techno cathedral that is Berghain but this mix comes from a different angle with tracks which are meant to be more reflective of his label and musical influences. It is great to hear some of the rarer finds from such good artists and producers and Dettmann has a few in his box. Mystic Bill’s U Won’t See Me has been played so many times in 2016 including a few airings over our loooonnngg New Years Eve party, it is house music gold.
See a link below to the DJ Kicks website for some steaming and the track list:
01. Cybersonik – Technarchy (Marcel Dettmann Third Mix)
02. Orlando Voorn – At Last
03. Levon Vincent / Marcel Dettmann – Can You See
04. Infiniti – Skyway (Marcel Dettmann Remix)
05. Mystic Bill – U Won’t C Me
06. Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia – War Chant (Marcel Dettmann Edit)
07. Das Kombinat – Waschmaschine
08. Clarence G – Cause I Said It Right
09. Sandbenders – Defekt
10. Vex – Vex-1
11. Dan Curtin – Paradise Lost
12. N.A.D – Everything Seems Different
13. Violence FM – Perspectives
14. Sterac – Intersphere
15. Nukubus – People Move On (Marcel Dettmann Edit)
16. Push/Pull feat. Lady E and Niqué D – Africa
17. The Residents – Kaw-Liga (Nightmare Mix)
18. Wincent Kunth / Marcel Dettmann – Possible Step
19. Marcel Dettmann – Let’s Do It (Rolando Remix)
London Underground – Various Artists
TBC was surprised by this release from Toolroom in 2016 as it features 45 tracks and 2 mixes of superb house and techno from the likes of Moudaber, Pan-Pot, Raumakustick, Noir, Filterheadz, Kruse, Matador, Mckay, Krocher, Schumacher and Animal Trainer, who are all favourites at TBC. We have enjoyed the mix CD’s on numerous pre-party warm ups and after parties due to the energy each mix has and the caliber of the songs on each. We can imagine that a few people may read this and think “toolroom….really, come on TBC?!” but this compilation mix is superb and would be a worthy purchase by anyone for a party or a DJ Mix.
Have a listen to the release below:
Mixmag In Session – Helena Hauff
The second of our trio of female entries is from Helena Hauff who has risen from almost non-existence to many electronic music fans in 2013 when she featured on RA podcast #373 (July 2013) to being seconded by BBC Radio One to present their Residency show on monthly rotation in 2017, quite a rise to fame! Helena’s sound is right up TBC’s street as it centres around electro but covers techno, industrial and EBM (which DJ Hell first brought to TBC’s attention way back in 2002). Her unique take on this genre by approaching it in an eclectic and almost geeky style is something which reminds me of my techno and electro musical searches to find new and obscure tracks. In 2016 Helena seemed to take on a more energetic feel to her sets which brings us nicely to the Mixmag In Session mix which is an exhilarating journey through electro and techno. Please have a listen below and I challenge you not to be enthralled and excited by next years Residency on BBC Radio 1. I simply can’t believe experimental electro will be on terrestrial radio every month!
BBC Essential Mix – Solomun July 2016
Solomun heads up Diynamic Records and has been a favourite of TBC for a years in both his DJ guise and via releases on his label. The last few years have seen him rise in popularity with events across the globe including hosting his +1 parties in Ibiza at Pacha in 2015 and 2016. The Pacha night is where his latest essential mix is recorded live and its a stormer, even in the words of Pete Tong via the essential mix introduction. The track list is hard to find as its a live set so I can only recommend a listen via the link below. The mix provided a great soundtrack to many parties that TBC hosted and attended over the summer and into the Autumn and Winter. The mix is filled with excellent production work from a multitude of artists and labels across the tech-house genre. Pale Blue by Acid Waves is the second track and it’s epic, uplifting prog (almost trance like) with haunting vocals that epitomises this mix. I could list a lot more about the mix and detail the tracks but all I can say is listen to this mix, its the perfect 2 hour party soundtrack.
Finally in 2016 Ellen Allien made her BBC Essential Mix debut which is somewhat bizarre for an artist that has featured so prominently in dance music since the early 2000’s. TBC have been a big fan since around this time and we have been pestering BBC via Twitter over recent years to get Ellen signed up for the Essential Mix and we hope our incessant contact had a small hand to play in this selection. This mix doesn’t disappoint and features a superb looping intro which makes you want to check if the mix is actually skipping and the electronica soundscapes that Ellen Allien and Bpitch have been synonymous with over the years (almost two decades now). The mix blends electro, techno and house with some more obscure electronica with ease and overall shows off a skill of selection and mixing that has been crafted over the years and honed to this excellent level. Check it out below and we hope Ellen will be back soon, we can’t wait another 15 years!
The Verdict
After some heated debate at TBC HQ over the start of 2017 between Nic-o-teen and Lady H, (we generally find it easier to decide on our TBC live DJ mix playlist than decide an annual favourite) we were left with three; Dr. Rubenstein, Helena Hauff’s Mixmag session and Solomun’s BBC Essential Mix. Each has its merits, has been enjoyed many, many, many times and we have raved about the mix and artist to our friends, in some instances probably a little too much and we must sound like a promotor or DJ fan club. Rubenstein came from nowhere and delivered a new sound that TBC has since sought out in order to continue our fascination with the dub-techno electronica genre, plus many of the featured producers have been followed for their production work. Helena Hauff has created a niche within dance music via electro that hasn’t been since DJ Hell around a decade ago with his Gigolo label, bringing music that many would not normally listen to to the fore, which is the sign of a superb DJ and music pioneer. Solomun provided our favourite essential mix of the year from a wealth of mixes including Ellen Alliens which we also featured in the shortlist.
When selecting a favourite for the year it is important to take all factors into consideration and think whether the mix will still standout in years to come. A true classic and best of year should not only represent the year it was released but be able to stand the test of time which we can say our previous selections DJ Kicks John Talabot in 2013, Nic Fanciulli Defected presents in 2014 and Mathew Jonson’s Fabric mix in 2015. Each of the previous winners would and have been played again and again in future years and still sit near the front of our music collection.
Therefore after much deliberation and a re-listen to the short-shortlist we are proud to select Dr. Rubenstein’s RA podcast as our 2016 favourite. The impact this mix had on our music choices later in 2016 was profound with a more electro-techno-dub sound resonating in our mix sessions at TBC HQ and the preaching we have done to many of our friends about Dr. Rubenstein (a random night was even attended in London by Lady H to sample the live performance of Dr.Rubenstein and she didn’t disappoint).
Congratulation Dr. Rubenstein (Resident Advisor’s Podcast series) our TBC 2016 playlist winner and commiserations to the other short list entries and all the albums, artists and mixes which graced our speakers in 2016.
Welcome back to the TBC album promo feature, fresh in 2017 with an album which we have been enjoying since December when it first landed in our inbox. Following on from a successful 2016 roster with Moodymann, Dam-Funk, Jackmaster, Marcel Dettmann and Daniel Avery Dj Kicks is back in 2017 with a superb addition being to the series by the legend Matthew Dear (AKA Audion). Matthew has been around for some time now and his sound is a mixture of many genres; pop, techno, house, dub, eclectic electronica sounds and electro which is ideal for a series such as DJ Kicks. The series is always an opportunity to delve into a famous DJs repertoire, see a different musical angle or experience a leftfield musical journey and Matthew Dear doesn’t disappoint, albeit you will have to be open to his eclectic style and selection.
The mix starts with a superb intro from Nils Frahm Ode which eases you into the mix with a blissed out chilled masterpiece. Wrong with Us follows, an exclusive DJ Kicks track by Matthew himself, which is typically a Dear track with his own quirky lyrics, a nice baseline and a summery house groove that breaks with some nice squelchy keys towards the end of the track. The mix progresses with some heavy baselines, eclectic house and growling techno that epitomises the Matthew Dear sound and are highly enjoyable with a good set of headphones and the accompaniment of a Subpac for some bass feedback. It is great to see some new artists and tracks that we are not familiar with (those which will have come from a diverse record collection of Matthew’s) but yet flow together in a very satisfying manner. Lust for Sale (MGF Remix) by Gwilym Gold x Doc Daneeka is a great pop vocal over a dub house track which stands out as the mix approaches the quarter mark. ITJ10B1 by Italojohnson follows on a few tracks later with a superb bass heavy electro track featuring an almost unidentifiable yet superb vocal that sets the track off perfectly.
The mix reaches the halfway point as you realise time has passed quite quickly yet the resounding bass and mix track selection doesn’t drop but continues to ebb and flow into the second half. There are a few tracks which drop the pace a little and reverberate around a tribal sound tinged with spacey disco sounds and effects, such as Alex & Digby’s Angolan Rumble which is played over the bizarre Harmonitalk by Gary Sloan & Clone creating a great combined track. This is followed by the equally bizarre yet entertaining and uplifting Rendell Pips by Randomer which continues the aforementioned mid-mix style.
At around track 18 the bass picks back up again and the techno sounds return with tracks from Markus Enochson and Simian Mobile Disco, both which are excellent inclusions on this DJ Kicks edition. Pearson Sound’s XLB and Soulphiction’s Sky So High maintain the heavy, and I mean heavy, bass which growls away and thunders through each track leading to an interesting trio of Audion productions. Live Breakdown, Starfucker and Brines are a great insight into Matthew’s darker techno and more experimental side delivered via his Audion alias. Starfucker and Brines really stand out with great rolling techno baselines and an array of effects and samples which set the tracks off and really push your speakers/headphones to their limit. The mix ends with Kumu which helps bring you back down after the relentless techno which preceded it and helps bookend the mix with great intro and outro tracks.
Overall this edition of DJ Kicks can definitely be classed with the more heavy, club style mixes in the series, it isn’t for the faint hearted and less experimental listeners and is a great advert for Matthew Dear and his quite unique style. I am not sure if it sits among the best in the series which boasts some truly epic mixes and collections but it is definitely up there in the DJ Kicks series. Please check out the stream link and tracklist below for yourself and enjoy. The album itself is due for release on Friday 27th January.
Good day TBC followers, we have been fortunate to secure another amazing promo album for review before release. We have in fact been listening to this one for a few weeks now and it comes from one of our favourite labels Eskimo Recordings, the second big album release we have been able to feature of theirs. This time its the Yellow collection, the 5th in the series, which is due for release on the 20th May.
As with previous iterations of Eskimo’s now legendary (in our opinion anyways) collection releases the Yellow edition features the labels stalwarts Horixon, The Soft Machine, Du Tonc and NTEIBINT but also a new raft of artists and producers which we are excited about. Luxxury (Baron Von Luxxury literally made one of our holidays to Berlin with his blissed our disco edits), Man Power, Vinny Villbas and others. The collection is a great advert for Eskimo who continue to sign tracks and artists that epitomise their label sound.
The first track from Blackie and Oohoos eases you in with a dreamy, chilled out track but this isn’t the direction of the album just a nice introduction to the new compilation.
Breathe from Luxxury oozes Eskimo with the vocals “on and on” which are distorted and sound excellent accompanied with the piano, guitars and drums. This track is an excellent addition to the Eskimo roster, highly recommended listening, especially with summer fast arriving.
NTEIBINT has now had a number of releases on Eskimo and By Your Side is typical to his sound, poppy, uplifting and again maintaining the dreamy summer sound that this compilation seems to be focusing on. The vocals are excellent from Rush Midnight and they accompany the production work from one of favourite current Eskimo artists.
Horixon continue with their high level of disco/house production with this little gem featuring Else Born who provides a sublime female vocal to this uplifting yet moody track. The tune for this track is perfectly suited to the vocal accompaniment. We were very impressed with this latest track as it works very well within the Eskimo sound.
Zombies in Miami are new to TBC but they pick things up a notch with their El Wild track which is a little faster past with a squelchy sample that builds with the track to a nice breakdown. There aren’t any vocals on this one but you don’t need them, this is an excellent selection for this release as it brings something new with a space like sci-fi sound which makes the track.
Man Power has been a recent big hitter with his amazing debut album which was self titled on Correspondant. Frisky is not as big a hitter as some of his other tracks but this sits well on the compilation with a nice pace and percussion layer. This track feels like it was produced with the wild west as an influence as it features guitars and an almost shonky tune, it builds and builds to a nice crescendo but doesn’t overdo it.
This Soft Machine again provide a superb release for Eskimo with the catchy It’s Operational which picks things up again with a nice loop and effects samples and a great vocal which bubble along nicely and progress for just under 7 minutes with a great breakdown around 4 minutes. This is one of our favourites.
Vinny Villbas has previously featured an amazing remix of Alexander Skancke’s Found My Place and his track The Itch is again a very catchy little number with a great squelchy sample and nice uplifting piano keys and dreamy sounds. This is the first production work we have heard from this producer and he is a great addition to the Eskimo team.
Mechanical Sparrow was featured in a previous promo review of individual releases and this track from Atella may be a little cheesy but it is Eskimo through and through. The pace slows dramatically from the previous tracks but this works well in the flow of the compilation. The male vocals are dreamy again and this track is definitely most suited to a summer day time chilled party. Not quite sure what the Mechanical Sparrow refers to though, very random.
Go March are next, another new artist to TBC, with Rise which a slow burner with piano, drums and guitar riffs that provide an alternative disco track that builds with a nice piano section. The uplifting but moody feel returns from earlier in the compilation. A more eclectic number but a great track yet again.
MiddleSkyBoom follow up with Slow With The Run which is again a slower number with a distorted and fragmented vocal and minimal sounding track structure. This is one of the lesser tracks on the compilation but is well suited on the collection. A more bizarre, eclectic track.
Du Tonc’s We Can Hold On (Satin Jackets Dub) is another track that has been previously featured on our promo reviews and is a signature track on the collection. The slow pace continues in a blissed out electronica, synth infused manner which is coupled with great male vocals that set the track off perfectly.
James Curd closes the album with You Could Be Floating which finishes things up nicely when compared with the first track from Blackie and the Oohoohs. The two tracks envelop the album up in a nice, soft, dreamy disco blanket while delivering high quality disco for our aural enjoyment.
The latest instalment of the Eskimo Collection series has been brought to us by the colour Yellow and it doesn’t disappoint throughout, it continues on in true Eskimo fashion bringing fresh, uplifting and exhilarating disco to your home, car, party, DJ mix, wherever you want to enjoy these disco bites. We would highly recommend this release and already have ours on order.
Panorama Pacifico by Satin Jackets (Eskimo Recordings)
On Vacation by CFCF (International Feel)
Starring… XXVIII by Louie Vega (Vega Records)
Future Disco Vol. 9 – A Disco Love Affair by Various Artists (Needwant)
Singles/EP’s
Magma by Agents of Time (Ellum)
Mechanical Sparrow by Stella feat. O Martin (Eskimo Recordings)
Diary of a Madwoman by Lauren Lane (Edible Music)
Vibrate by Audiojack feat Kevin Knapp (Hot Creations)
Drowning in Irises by Dance Spirit (Rebellion)
We Can Talk by Satin Jackets feat. Emma Brammer (Eskimo Recordings)
Love Apparel by Lorenzo Dada (Culprit)
Bird That Fly/Moments by Kidnap Kid (Birds That Fly)
Happy New Year to all of our TBC followers and readers, we welcome you back with out first official article for 2016 (our best of 2015 was posted in 2016 but was based on last years releases) based on new releases listened to since the start of January 2016 via our promotional label access. We have been fortunate to have access to a number of superb releases across the LP/Compilation and Single/EP format from the labels Late Night Tales, Eskimo Recordings, International Feel, Need Want, Ellum, Hot Creations, Rebellion and Culprit plus some newer labels to TBC: Vega Records, Edible Music and Birds That Fly. We have included the playlist above of the new releases for review and each will receive a short review before selecting out favourite from each format. This light style of review will enable us to cover more releases in 2016 and help promote some of these new releases either before they are released or as they are released. We hope you can support the artists and labels and get involved where you can, we will of course add any links for sneak previews where we can.
Albums/Compilations
Scene Delete by Sasha (Late Night Tales) – TBC FAVOURITE ***
Released on April Fools Day 2016 from the ever impressive Late Night Tales who have been on a roll over the last few years with amazing releases from Royksopp, Jon Hopkins, Nils Frahm and Automatic Soul (Tom Findlay of Groove Armada), this LP from Sasha was compiled over a two year period from tracks produced by Sasha while on the road touring that did not quite fit into his standard house and techno style. Sasha offered Late Night Tales a great opportunity to put out a soundtrack-esque electronica master piece. The similarities to ‘This Binary Universe’ by BT is a good thing with lullaby style tracks, classical melodies and atmospheric beats and percussion. Sit down, turn up the bass or get your headphones on and bliss out, this is perfect for the super chilled after party or a quiet Sunday.
Panorama Pacifico by Satin Jackets (Eskimo Recordings)
Since TBC discovered Eskimo Recordings and all of the disco joy that this label brings we have been fans of Satin Jackets who are stalwarts of Eskimo as their releases are consistently represented on the seminal Eskimo Recordings collections (Blue, Pink, Orange and Green to date). We have long anticipated a production album from Satin Jackets which is due to drop on the 8th April and the album delivers their signature sound but in some ways fails to exhibit anything further from Satin Jackets which we had hoped for having heard the best songs on the album already via other releases. The stand out tracks are Feel Good, Cala Banana, You Make Me Feel good and Shine On You of which the latter is simply superb and one of our favourite Eskimo Recording tracks of all time. A production album where 4 of the 12 tracks are excellent is a good debut for Satin Jackets but we hope that they can excel further on their next release.
CFCF a.k.a Michael Silver is a new artist to TBC but on researching his back catalogue he is a very busy bunny, recording under multiple aliases, producing scores for film soundtracks and producing for his own LP’s (under the CFCF moniker he already has 6 albums to his name since 2009!). International Feel is a rather eclectic balearic label that sometimes focuses too much on bizarre electronica with an array of rare percussion and tribal instrument accompaniments. This latest release however, really hits the spot. A perfect blend of chillout, percussion, jazz influences, guitar and key combinations, blissed out sounds and quiet but effective bass lines. The opening two tracks Sate Padang and Arto are the standout tracks on the LP and you will be inspired and forced into a meditative state when you immerse yourself in this CFCF experience.
TBC was not sure what to expect from Louie Vega on his first ever solo album seeing as he is an artist that has been performing since before we were born. A 35 plus year career saw Louie dominate a scene of house music between the Nineties and Naughties when Morillo, Sanchez, Negro, Knuckles and Rivera ruled the house scene. Since that time he has pursued other projects including his NYC radio show (ROOTS with Kevin Hedge a.ka. Blaze) and continued to focus on a number of musical genres including hip-hop, soul, salsa and jazz. This double disc LP is full of collaborations inc. Byron Stingly, Funkadelic, Jocelyn Brown and Soul Clap – the list extends to 25 collaborators over 28 tracks. The overall mood throughout the 28 tracks is soulful, party, disco, piano led, vocal house and is as you would expect from Louie Vega. There are some cheesier vocal house tracks that may not be everyone’s cup of tea but there are also some real gems; ‘Aint’ That Funkin’ Kinda Hard On You?’ is epic, ‘Just The Way I Like It’ is a bass heavy, funk journey, ‘Lets Do It’ is a disco party track and ‘You’ve Got is Bad Girl’ is a jazzy-funk fuelled scat vocal track.
Future Disco Vol. 9 – A Disco Love Affair by Various Artists (Needwant)
Can you believe that we are on vol.9 of the Future Disco series?! TBC have been fans since the original incarnation of the Future Disco series on Needwant recordings in 2009 which introduced us to some classic nu-disco and deep house from Juan Maclean, Shit Robot, Tensnake, Mario Basanov (a.k.a Ten Walls), Friendly Fires and Who Made Who. Need want also expanded the series to include the Poolside Sounds series which continued to provide the perfect deep house and nu-disco to accompany your summer parties either at home or abroad when on holiday or ‘festivaling’. The latest in the series continues to provide great tracks from Fatima Yamaha, I-Robots, New Order and COEO which feature throughout the 73 minute deep house and disco journey. Unfortunately the flow does seem a little strange between the tracks so while this is a great party CD which stays true to the Needwant style the overall compilation does not exude the quality and flow which you may be expecting when considering the past releases in the series.
Singles/EP’s
Magma by Agents of Time (Ellum) – TBC FAVOURITE ***
https://soundcloud.com/agents-of-time/sets/ell034-agents-of-time-magma The great production trio Agents of Time continue in a rich vent of form with ‘Magma’ which is a two track release on Ellum (Maceo Plex’s label). Magma is a roaring and rasping progressive tech-house track that builds and flows while maintaining an excellent bass line which pulses throughout the track. The B Side is ‘Obsidian’ which is the perfect accompaniment to ‘Magma’ and makes it obvious why Maceo Plex signed this trio up for the new release on his label. ‘Obsidian’ is not as expressive as ‘Magma’ but the breakdown is superb, a subtle yet bass line lead build up explodes around the four and a half minute mark into a stormy, electronic breakdown. Highly Recommended.
Mechanical Sparrow by Atella feat. O Martin (Eskimo Recordings)
Atella provide this release on Eskimo and ‘Mechnical Sparrow’ is straight up Eskimo material with a low BPM, dreamy track and a great vocal from O Martin. The Club Mix offers an improved BPM and more house based structure which strikes similarities to other Scandinavian production artists of recent times. Man Power strip backs the original for a dubby, electronica remix which offers a surprisingly alternative yet interesting version of the track. The club remix is definitely the most favourable and a great release for Eskimo overall.
‘Diary of a Madwoman’ by Lauren Lane (Edible Music)
Eats Everything’s new label Edible has a very interesting release from Lauren Lane in ‘Diary of a Madwoman’. The title track is a great catchy house number with a nice breakdown, sinister style keys and vocals which haunt the track while giving it an edge. Overall the track has a great tempo and bass line. ‘Fomo’ is track two and while continuing in the same vein as the title track doesn’t really hit the same level. The last track ‘The Right Kind of Weird’ is more in keeping with the overall feel that Lauren Lane seems to be aiming to deliver. This is another catchy house track with a great bassline, freaky vocal samples and a great collection of samples, drums and noises. A solid third release for Edible Music.
‘Vibrate’ by Audiojack feat Kevin Knapp (Hot Creations)
Audiojack have been around for a decade now and have always maintained a solid production and DJ pedigree which makes them dark horses of the club scene as they have never hit the heights of A-list DJ’s. Their latest release on Hot Creations is their first for the label and in their own words “was made purely with the dance floor in mind” which is evident from both the title track ‘Vibrate’ and the B-side ‘Random Matter’ which both have heavy bass lines and a great kick. The former is more club friendly with a rolling bass and kick drum, repetitive vocal and great synth keys which feature at intervals to capture your attention. The latter is also a great club track this time without a vocal and great squelchy key section which builds to a breakdown. Of the remixes the Barem version is a quirkier tribal house take on the original which is a nice alternative.
‘Drowning in Irises’ by Dance Spirit (Rebellion)
Dance Spirit were founded by Damian Lazarus so it makes sense that their latest release is on Crosstown Rebels sister label Rebellion. The title track is a progressive house track which would sound perfect at Burning Man or a BPM Jungle party. Dreamy, psychedelic sounds with chanting vocals that emphasise the progressive nature of the track. Of the B-Sides ‘Unfold’ is the stand out track with a great bass line and shonky piano keys that reverberate throughout the track which is again infused with chanting, haunting vocals – a great B side. The title track and ‘Unfold’ would be great inclusions in an epic progressive sunrise set.
‘We Can Talk’ by Satin Jackets feat. Emma Brammer (Eskimo Recordings)
The latest release from the Satin Jackets album ‘Panorama Pacifico’ (see above) is not one of the standout album tracks but the remixes from Larse and Moullinex do spice things up a bit, the former is a deep house remix with an almost trance like progression and the latter is a quirky disco remix with a broken up structure that really suits this track. The latter remix is the standout track on this release, well done Moullinex.
‘Love Apparel’ by Lorenzo Dada (Culprit) – TBC FAVOURITE ***
Culprit continue to deliver a solid release roster and the latest offering is from Lorenzo Dada which is one of the standout releases in this selection. The title track is a superbly produced, vocal lead, beautiful, house track with great piano keys, dream like development and nice bass line. Axel Boman and Bambook offer remixes both of which are excellent alternative takes on the original. ‘Ministry of Night’ and ‘Powder’ are the B-sides, the latter being the most interesting with a great deep house and progressive feel that wouldn’t be out of place in a Ten WallsorMaceo Plex set and would sound superb at a festival in the sunshine. A great release from a super prospective talent Lorenzo Dada.
‘Birds That Fly/Moments’ by Kidnap Kid (Birds That Fly) – TBC FAVOURITE ***
Both sides of this release are excellent deep house tracks from a new label Birds That Fly and from an artist that is being promoted and talked about a lot at the moment called Kidnap Kid. The first track is a quirky track which is lead with distorted keys that creates a sound that has been very big in Berlin over the years, one you would expect to hear down by the Spree in the summer sunshine. ‘Moments’ is track two with an amazing vocal from Leo Stannard, this a dreamy, summery, piano lead track with an epic uplifting vocal. This track oozes quality in production and will kick the new label off in a great way. Good luck Birds That Fly and Kidnap Kid, we look forward to more of the same.
Thanks for reading, we hope you have enjoyed both reading and listening to the latest releases. Please support the artists and get involved. Congrats to those releases selected as TBC favourites; Sasha (Late Night Tales), Agents of Time (Ellum), Lorenzo Dada (Culprit) and Kidnap Kid (Birds That Fly).
