“I’ve been buying music for as long as I can remember really, as soon as I got a weekly allowance I spent it on 7” singles and albums. When I was studying I went clubbing a lot and I just got drawn to the music, really. In the early 90s, I heard Chicago house and Detroit techno for the first time in a club; from then onwards that was kind of my thing, but I kept following bands as well, so for me not all music was electronic.  I never thought I would play a role in music myself.

When it came to house and techno I loved it. All the DJs that I saw playing were older, so I could appreciate the music as a follower but it wasn’t my generation. When I encountered drum & bass around 94/95, it made a huge impression on me, and I just felt at home in that style; I was like, ‘This is my generation, so maybe I can play some sort of part in this.’ So I started buying more and more music and that’s when it started to kick off.  I started DJing, and because no-one wants to book you when you’re just starting out, I started throwing my own events.

Straight after the official Fabric 50 mix CD I’m starting my second album. That’s going to be my main thing for next year and obviously there’s going to be smaller projects here and there and remixes and who knows what – I’ll just take it as it comes.

I’ve been doing some things for a movie director in Holland, wrote music for him. We’re doing a short movie in January and  who knows what comes after that – i’m excited about it, but let’s talk when there is actually something to talk about!”

Martyn 2009

Tracklist

1. Om Unit – “Lightgrids” (Fat City)
2. Martyn – “Bridge” (3024)
3. Gil Scott-Heron – “Where did the night go” (XL Recordings)
4. Levon Vincent – “These Games” (Novel Sound)
5. Wulf N Bear – “Raptures of the Deep” (2020 Vision)
6. DJ Killer – “Pound” (4 Sure Productions)
7. Pattern Repeat – “Ofetriade Ben Klock remix” (Echocord)
8. Renaissance Man – “Aloha” (Sound Pellegrino)
9. Jeva Du – “I Zebra” (Platzhirsch Schallplatten)
10. Dudu – “African Woman Instrumental” (Choc’s Pro Sound)
11. Mosca – “Nike (club edit)”  (Night Slugs)
12. Roska – “I Need Love” (Tempa)
13. Redshape – “Dirt One” (Delsin)
14. Art of Tones “Call the Shots Motor City Drum Ensemble mix” (2020 Vision)
15. Doc Daneeka – “Drums in the Deep” (Fabric)
16. Deadboy – “Ifuwantme” (Numbers)
17. Martyn – “Miniluv” (Ostgut Ton)
18. Gucci Vump – “Sha! Shtil! (L-Vis1990 mix) (Sound Pellegrino)
19. Martyn – “Seventy Four Redshape mix” (3024)
20. Martyn – “Brilliant Orange” (3024)
21. Martyn – “Brilliant Orange Illum Sphere’s no 14 mix” (3024)

fabriclondon.com

Next in line in our Fabric Sessions series comes from Buraka Som Sistema on the run up to their official Fabriclive 49 release.

Buraka Som Sistema have always liked throwing curveballs. From their first DJ residencies, where off-the-cuff sets were “pretty much rehearsed live…mixing for people at raves, that was our practice – kinda like shock therapy” to incorporating unusual material into their songs, recording shattering glass, or throwing an orange at the wall and using the sound as a snare…”

Their sound is the result of a thoroughly modern post colonial cultural exchange between Portugal and Angola, a former Portuguese colony. It started out as kids trying to make techno music in Africa on old analogue equipment. By the time it hit Lisbon, European dance music had been added to the mix and things were set to go off. After working on a few genre-smashing kuduro re-edits, Buraka kicked off the night from which they later took their name.

Now, after a year of touring their devastatingly good debut album Black Diamond, the guys are taking things back to the beginning. Fabriclive 49 recaptures the same explosive dynamism, and ebullient enthusiasm of the original Buraka Som Sistema parties in Lisbon on disc.

A vibrant reminder of the idea behind the name of the group, Buraka Sound System. Their Fabriclive 49 CD encapsulates Buraka’s love for the lost art of the remix album, with a stackful of re-rubs of their own records, putting the emphasis on talent over big names. The same goes for this exclusive mix from the Buraka boys.

fabriclondon.com

Tracklist

1. Gala Drop – Ubongo – GD Records
2. A1 Bassline – 8oh8 – Southern Fried
3. Rye Rye featuring MIA – Bang (BSS Carnival mix) – CDR
4. Noob & Brodinski – Peanuts Club (Beautaucue remix) – CDR
5. DJ Gant Man – Juke That Girl – Fool’s Gold
6. DJ Jesus – Salacuda –  unknown
7. DJ Furioso – Activate/Missy Elliot – Pass That Dutch – Elektra
8. KU BO – Kaggua/DJ Du Marcel – Soweto das Raves – Man/CDR
9. Stone Roses – I Am The Resurrection – Silvertone
10. Simian Mobile Disco – Cruel Intentions (Joker remix) – CDR
11. Octa Push – Ai Nadia – Steakhouse
12. Major Lazer – Jump Up (Gengheis Clan vs Riva Starr remix) – Mad Decent
13. KU BO – And You (DJ Manaia remix) – Man
14. LGB – Don’t Stop The Music – (Bart B More Dub Mix) – CDR
15. Spencer and Hill – Cool (Afrojack remix) – Tiger
16. Major Lazer – Keep It Going Louder (Diplo mix) – Mad Decent
17. DJ Znobia – carga dos Calgos/Os Bongos – Kazakuta
18. Kery Hilson – Turning Me On – Mosely Music
19. Roulet – Kitamanda – CDR
20. Fever Ray – Now’s The Only Time I Know – (J WOW remix) – CDR
21. Lighter – Skanker – CDR
22. MC Flipside – In The Zone (Bart B More mix) – CDR
23. DJ Malvado – Puto Mekie vs Jovi Rockwell (Switch mash up) – CDR
24. DJ Du Marcel –  Tribal Sound – CDR
25. Hello Seahorse – Bestia (Toy Selectah remix) – CDR
26. Buraka Som Sistema – Restless (Julio Bashmore remix) – Fabric
27. DJ Gregory Salto – Con Alegria (Solo More Cowbell mix) – CDR
28. DJ Neo – Guacharaca del Llanero Solitario – CDR
29. Vybz Cartel – Yuh Love – Mixpak

This month’s Fabric excursion comes courtesy of Magda. Her Fabric 49 mix comes out out today and she’ll be gracing The Sub Club with her presence at Sensu on Friday 27 November. Being a key member of the worshipped Minus family, Magda is used to being propelled into the fast moving, cutting whirr of the hype machine, but she doesn’t really pay it any mind.

“I’m not really into this hype thing; I think it’s kind of silly. What really matters is to develop your own ideas and not make any compromises against yourself. Even if there’s big hype – or if it isn’t cool anymore – as long as I’m happy and stay interested and things inspire me, then it doesn’t matter.”

All overblown hype and needless gender stereotyping aside, she remains one of the most respected artists around the electronic spectrum, and she shrugs it all off with unpretentious charm.

“The official Fabric 49 mix is inspired by Italian horror film soundtracks from the 70’s. I included the band Goblin, who made some very interesting dark disco, with trippy and drawn out psychedelic elements. I wanted to create something dark and groovy with a soundtrack feel to it, where sounds emerge and disappear, creating a spooky atmosphere. I chose tracks which were somewhat experimental along with dance tracks I like. I was very happy to be able to use “Heavy Whispers” by Yello because they are one of the most interesting bands for me. They had the ability to combine very different sounds and make some of my favorite new wave/electro/disco tracks ever. I also used a lot of unreleased tracks from producers whom I’ve met online and received demos from. It’s nice to be able to support younger artists and their sound when I can.”

- Magda

Tracklist

1. Ronnie Tyler – Nicer Things – Unreleased
2. The Seekers – Freckles – Unreleased
3. Andy Martin – Gecko – Unreleased
4. ADCL – Hear The Wall – Railyard
5. Madato – 3031 – Unreleased
6. Butane – Adaption – Crosstown rebels
7. Heartthrob – Loop 101 – Minus
8. Gaiser – mfnstmp – Minus
9. Leo Choi – Paradox – Unreleased
10. Christian Burkhardt – Eye Shadow – Unreleased
11. Bruno Pronsato – We Were – Philpot
12. Robotman – Do Da Doo – Definitive
13. Hobo – Dimension – Unreleased
14. Tim Xavier – Yellow Corvette – LTD400
15. Run Stop Restore – Suck My Christmas – Logistic
16. Clickbox – Bad Fish – Unreleased
17. Sin Salida – DJ Poty (Louis da K Remix) – Nopreset
18. madato – Night Rumours – Unreleased

fabriclondon.com

The latest exclusive Fabric session comes courtesy of London synth-pop disco dons, Filthy Dukes on the run up to the release of their official Fabriclive: 48.

Here’s what the Dukes, themselves had to say about the forthcoming Fabriclive mix.

“With the mix we tried to capture the energy of one of our DJ sets and reflect our night Kill Em All. When we book Kill Em All, we think about it like a DJ set, booking acts that reflect our taste in music and creating a night that builds. We start off with disco sounds, some live bands, move into house and techno and different sub-genres of both, getting a bit darker and heavier the later it gets. The mix reflects this and, like our DJ sets; it’s also quite unpredictable with tracks by artists like Mr Oizo next to Jack Penate. We have always been passionate about new music and new bands but also fun, so this is a proper party mix – a true reflection of both Filthy Dukes & Kill Em All. A lot of the artists on the mix have performed at Kill Em All: Emperor Machine, Phenomenal Handclap Band, WhoMadeWho, Discodeine, Braxe & Menace, Aeroplane, Popof, Brodinski, Joakim, Zombie Nation, Proxy. So it feels like a representation of the ultimate Kill Em All night in one mix.”

– Filthy Dukes

Tracklist

1. Woolfy vs Projections – Neeve (Tropical Heat Mix) – Permanent Vacation
2. Shit Robot – Simple Things (Work It Out) (Todd Terje edit) – DFA
3. Metal on Metal – Damn (Mercury remix) – Skint
4. Retrograde – Moda – CDR
5. Alan Braxe and Fred Falke – Most Wanted – Vulture
6. Sebastien Tellier – Kilometer (Aeroplane remix) – Record Makers
7. Popof – Serenity (Noob remix) – Form Music
8. Audio Soul Project – Reality Check (Vincenzo remix) – Dessous
9. Boy 8 Bit – Baltic Pine – This Is Music
10. Simian Mobile Disco – 10000 Horses Can’t Be Wrong – Wichita
11. Erol and Boys Noize – Waves – Boysnoize
12. Brodinski and Noob – Peanuts Club – Turbo
13. Joakim – Watermelon Bubblicious – Versatile
14. Zombie Nation – Worth it Part 1 – UKW
15. Filthy Dukes – Tupac Robot Club Rock (Wiley Sort It Out remix) – Polydor
16. Riton and Primary 1 – Who’s There? (Dub) – Phantasy Sound

The DJ and producer behind Quiet Village, Sea Devils and Rekids, Matt Edwards drops the latest exclusive Fabric mix on the run-up to the release of his Radio Slave: Fabric 48 mix.

“After an upbringing which included playing the piano from a very young age, I was lucky enough to be around when the whole electro scene broke, I think around 1982, so that really influenced me when I was growing up.  Growing up in south London is so multicultural; I was exposed at school along with my friends to electro and hip hop and that kind of thing.

As a teenager I was always really into collecting music – this started when I was about 12 or 13,buying a lot of records and listening to lots of music. I was already into electro music when I was 11 or 12, but it wasn’t until I was 19 that I really fell in love with it, One night I went clubbing and that was it, I was completely hooked. I think it was Danny Rampling, one of my friends was already a good friend of his and we went to ‘Pure Sexy’ which was on a Wednesday, I was already into dance music but not the nightclub culture, I just got completely hooked.

I got involved in music production in the early nineties with friends in South London but  I found it really frustrating; they were the hands-on engineers and I was more in the directors seats, I stopped doing that and it wasn’t until 2000 that I got back into it.  I’ve got a background in design and the use of computers from a very young age so I took to it pretty quickly.

I love doing the Radio Slave stuff, it’s a real passion for me; the night clubbing culture and the perfecting of making music for clubs, but its good as a producer to be able to switch between different aliases, because you cant write the same tracks all the time, it’d drive you mad.  You learn a lot of things from working at different tempos, it’s a good learning process, and one thing can influence the other.

In terms of remix work, I take each job as it comes really, I wouldn’t like to repeat myself with the music I make.  Remix work is really fascinating as it gives you the chance to dissect how other people have made a track, from getting the parts and midi, and listening to each section., some of the major label stuff I’ve done is incredible as you get 80 or 90 parts for one band, all this multi-layering of vocals, but it depends, if I could I would like to experiment more and make some of the remixes more experimental.

In the near future I’ll be working on more singles, and there will be a new album project which we will be announcing around the same time that the fabric CD will get released. It’s going to be a concept album of around six tracks, and we’re having a film made to accompany the album, I’ve got some friends doing some artwork,its going to be a bit more art-based; my friend is making a sculpture, its going to be quite different for me which is a good thing.”

-Matt Edwards (Radio Slave)

Tracklist

1. Radio Slave – Koma Koma [Steve Lawler Remix] – Rekids
2. Radio Slave – The Morning Song – Cabin Fever
3. Radio Slave – DDB – Cabin Fever
4. Spencer Parker – The Beginning [Michel Cleis Remix] – Buzzin Fly
5. Loco Dice – X – Desolat
6. Dance Disorder – My Time [Radio Slave's Rekid Tribe Remix] – Eskimo
7. DJ Sneak – Bongosonic – Magnetic
8. Sebo K & Metro – Saxtrack [Reboot’s Twisted Fist Remix] – Cecille
9. Dop – Vsop – Eklo
10. Spencer Parker – My Heart [Daniel Sanchez Remix] – Rekids
11. Radio Slave – I Don’t Need a Cure for This – Rekids

The latest exclusive Fabric mix comes courtesy of everyone’s favourite bastard dancehall exponent and Sheffield’s finest, Toddla T.

“When I was about 9 or 10 my cousin played me some hip hop and that was me for the next six years. Biggie, Snoop, Mobb Deep, only really hard shit. Then as I got older I got deeper and got into stuff that’s a bit more underground, I got into British hip hop for a while. Roots Manuva was one of the first albums I bought on vinyl. I was big into mix tapes. And then once I got to about 16, I got into ragga and dancehall and reggae. And then got into house and techno and garage and grime and that brings us up to the current day.

I started real young – that’s where the whole Toddla thing comes from. I got tables when I was about 10-12, because of hip hop. I saw them get used a few times and I thought they were wicked. I didn’t actually get any that were usable until I was about 15. I would just fuck around on these right crap ones. But it meant I was buying records at the same time so when it came to me having proper ones I had a good set of tunes for mucking about with.

I used to work in a shop in Sheffield and one of the guys I worked with in the shop called Scott [Moncrieff] – he’s older than me, about 30 odd now – we shared an interest in music. So we started making music together in a proper studio and we were under the name Small Arms Fiya and that was the first few releases I had, we did some remixing and stuff. So that was the first serious thing. But then around the same time, I got asked to be a studio engineer at Kenwood Studios in Sheffield, which was quite serious. I think I was 18/19. I worked with DJ Cash Money, Roots Manuva. Alisha Dixon came through us. And it’s the place where Dizzee did Boy In the Corner, his first album.

I got approached by the guy that I’m making my album with, Ross Orton; he’s this local Sheffield legend. I know Ross because he lived the guy I used to make records with, Scott. I got recommended because they knew I was quite swift on the computers. The only reason I got into the engineering side was because it was the only way; I didn’t know anyone who made music so the only way to do it was learn myself. When I got asked to do the engineering job, I didn’t particularly want to do it but I just thought, ‘I’ve got to do this.’ I spent a few years doing that. It was amazing, I met some wicked people. I learnt how to be in studio environments with everyone from local bands to pop stars so it was really good. You just learn people skills as well.

And then about 18 months ago I started going solo. Yeah, it’s been mental. I put out some 7”’s which was a rhythm track called ‘Do you Know,’ which I had four versions of. 1965 put them out. We put them out around Carnival last year, so that would be August 2007. At the same time as that, I put out a mixtape called ‘Ghettoblaster,’ which was a free download thing. I wanted to put the mixtape out because I wanted to represent what I was about – not just a couple of rhythm tracks. And then it just went berserk, it got out of hand really! Got offered loads of remixes, DJ gigs, did a few remixes and cracked on with some more releases. Second one was called ‘Sound Tape Killing,’ third one was called ‘Manabadman.’ And then I got signed to an album off the back of it which was just incredible.

I’m still quite surprised about how people have received my music to be honest. Before I started going out of town, I just didn’t think people could get their heads ‘round it but they do. So it’s really good. I’m not mad on being on the road for too long, I like my base. I just want to hand pick what’s really good, do it and then come back. Playing at the Miami Winter Music Conference was big this year, I didn’t expect my music to go down as well as it did, twas amazing. Also Europe has been a madness, some of the best gigs have been in the most random of places such as Trondheim?!

I like London, it’s exciting. But I’m grounded in Sheffield. I think if I moved to London or spent too much time there I would probably get caught up in the London thing, which is cool, but what I think makes me stand out from that from that is that I’ve got a different background, a different take on things. Rather than growing up in Shoreditch like every other fucker does. I could feel myself getting sucked into that because it’s quite good fun but in order to be separate I need to be based here. I do like coming down, I have a wicked time, there’s loads of wicked people, see wicked things. In London and Birmingham, I have a wicked time every time.

As for the future, I’ve been doing some production, I did 2 tracks for Bashy’s album, ‘Catch Me If You Can’, one of which was lead single – ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.’ I’ve done a track for Tinchy Stryder’s album, which he absolutely murked. Been in with Roisin Murphy working on her record. I’m going to Jamaica in a couple of months for a coupla days in the studio…READY. Also about to go in with Trojan Soundsystem. Started my monthly Radio 1 show, every 3rd Friday of the month from 2am-4am….Steel city sonix nation wiiide!!!”

-Toddla T

Tracklist

1. Roots Manuva – Do Nah B
2. Lee Scratch Perry – Pum Pum
3. odda Mi (in digital)
4. Blackman – Bastard
5. Terri Lyn – System
6. Ladyhawke – My Delirium – Toddla T and Ross Orton RMX
7. Bashy – Life
8. Redlight – Rock The House
9. Toddla T – Shake It – Martelo Megashake
10. Toddla T ft Roots Manuva & Siobhan Gallagher – Sunny Money
11. Jack Penate – Tonight’s Today – Leo Zero RMX
12. The Enemy – Sing When Your In Love – Toddla T RMX
13. Sunship vs Chunky – Dread Love
14. Antonio – Bad Funk – Dem 2 Breakbeat Dub
15. Toddla T ft B Zephaniah & J Godard – Rebel – Skream RMX
16. DJ Oddz – Blade Runner – Instrumental
17. Bat For Lashes – Daniel – Duke Dumont RMX
18. Little Dragon – Recommendation – Toddla T RMX
19. Maxsta – East London Is Back
20. Bournemouth – Tomb Crew South Coast Teenage Pregnancy Remix
21. Artwork – Artwork
22. Little Boots – Remedy – Red Light RMX
23. Gyal Dem Want It – Gyal Dem Want It
24. Fire Fox and 4 Tree – Warning
25. Turbulence – Notorious – Diplo Vocal Version ft Sandra Melody
26. Ackie – Call Me Rambo

Drum and bass pioneer and Good Looking Records label boss, LTJ Bukem is at the helm for the latest Fabric mix.

“As a kid, over the course of a couple of years I got heavily into jazz, discovering Chick Corea, Bill Evans, Lonnie Liston Smith, all those guys that I now idolise and have collected ever since, I was hooked.  Nigel changed my whole perception of music and developed my love for it at the same time; the first tune that he played me was ‘Lenore’ by Chick Corea and that has stuck with me right to this day.

I started a soundsystem called Sunshine back in the early 80s and me and a group of guys would do house parties, buy the music and do the usual soundsystem thing. A few years later I met a guy called Paul Waller in Blackmarket, and he said “Do you know anyone that plays the piano?” I told him I did and he said, “Well, listen man, we’re doing this remix and I work for Nellee Hooper (of Soul II Soul). Come down to the studio, we need some keyboards.”  So I went down there, and from just exploring the idea of wanting to be a DJ. The first track I ever made was ‘Logical Progression’ in 1990. It was a transitional period musically, but ‘Logical Progression’ was at a time when drum & bass wasn’t really there – so it was effectively, the beginning of drum & bass. In the early 1990s Good Looking Records got set up too.

Progression Sessions must be one of the longest running residency concepts in the scene. It started in 94/95 and it’s still going in 2009. We did Ministry for a few years, we did The End for a few years, we did Shepherds Bush Empire and various other clubs.  When I finished at The End, I was looking for a new home, fabric asked and I was like, “Yeah, let’s do it.” And I absolutely adore fabric, I look at it as my home, I love the club itself – because it’s just basically brick walls and a great sound system, and that’s what I’m all about. So Bukem In Session was born.

With the mix I really wanted to highlight what I’m doing as a DJ now. I’ve got nothing against how people create a mix, I could’ve sat there and done what a lot of people do: a computer mix, which is great fun as you can do what you can’t do live. But for me personally, I don’t see there being any point in me presenting fabric with a mix to release if it doesn’t represent what people are then going to go and hear me play on a Friday night. The mix is just me on two turntables doing what I do. Secondly, I wanted to represent people on the mix that I am working with on Good Looking right now, who I have a strong belief in what they are doing. So you’ve got people on there like Greg Packer from Australia, Tidal a new guy from Birmingham and a few tracks from Furney. Basically,it’s just about good music. That’s been my ethos since day one.”

- LTJ Bukem

Tracklist

1. Redeyes – Battle Sweet Eyes – Spearhead
2. Mutt – Ode To The Ghetto – Good Looking
3. Calibre – Alien – Unknown
4. A Sides – Tokiado – East Side Records
5. Paul T – Beautiful Girl – Fizzy Beats
6. Zero T – Make It Home – CIA
7. A Sides – One Love – East Side
8. J Layze – Memoryz – Looking Good Records
9. Calibre – Out The Box – Signature
10. Mutt – Era Draft – Unknown
11. Furney – Pipez – Good Looking
12. Ink And Perpetuum – Say Never – Colours Audio
13. Redeyes – The Science Of Sleep – Unknown
14. Furney – You Were There – Lovebeams Forthcoming Good Looking
15. Furney – Good Looking
16. Utah Jazz – Cloud 9 – V Recordings

Sometimes life moves in mysterious ways. Take, for instance, Barclay Crenshaw, aka super-producer and dirtybird/mothership boss Claude VonStroke. How could he, as a rap-obsessed 16 year old dreaming of an engineering job at Metroplex (Juan Atkins’ studio) in Detroit, expect that someday he’d end up headlining gigs alongside Atkins?

“Around 2001, I moved in with a high school buddy of mine to Oakland, and we started going to crazy raves. I was working on my third career then, editing commercials for a post-production TV house. They had all this great equipment at the edit house, so I had this idea. [Up to that point] I had created all this original music but nothing ever happened with it, because I didn’t really know what to do after the music was done. I never really learned when I was a kid because no one was there to mentor me. So I thought to myself, ‘When I was 16 and getting into music, what would’ve been the ultimate instructional video that I could’ve watched?’ I came up with the idea for this DVD, to interview the most famous DJs in the world: asking them how they became famous, how they make music technically, how they run their label, all of that. I ended up interviewing 50 people, from Paul Van Dyk to Derrick May to Orbital, everyone. After two years, I didn’t have enough money to license the music, and I needed to have a piece of music playing under each interview. So Justin Martin, Nigel Richards (from 611 Records), this trance guy from Sweden and I made all of the music for the whole DVD by imitating the sound and style of each interviewee. That’s how I learned to make house music.”

– Claude VonStroke

Cleveland-born, Detroit-raised, San Francisco-based Barclay Crenshaw has been fuelled by happy accidents and a contagious, happy-go-lucky attitude in general. He’s living proof that everything happens for a reason, even if everything might seemingly happen at the wrong time. Ask him about his novelty rap tapes as a teenager, or his time in Hollywood that ended with his song being pulled from a blockbuster movie, or his short-lived drum & bass career that ended in a disheartening electrical disaster. There were many reasons for Barclay to think that his musical fate was doomed, but it took a “surprise” production (and the meeting of a likeminded spirit, Justin Martin) to convince him otherwise.

“Justin Martin and Sammy D made the first track released on dirtybird. So just as a surprise, I did a remix of it. The response was great so then I made another surprise track, which was basically my first original house track ever, ‘Deep Throat.’ I’d been dying for my entire life to not have a real job, and to do something interesting that I enjoyed. My wife’s a little more sensible, and I’m a little dreamier, so she said: ‘I’m going to give you one year and I’m going to pay for everything – and if in that year, you can make this certain amount of money doing music, then you can do it forever. And if you don’t make it, then you have to get a job for the rest of your life.’ This was extremely motivating and that first year, everything went totally crazy, and I doubled the money, which surprised me even more than my wife, I think. I put out ‘Deep Throat,’ and followed it with ‘The Whistler’ and ‘Who’s Afraid of Detroit’ on the same record. And then somehow, it all came together and took off…that record was bananas.”

– Claude VonStroke

The three records ended up being the sound of 2006, the most recognisable and demanded tracks throughout scenes far and wide – ‘The Whistler’ even made its way onto worldwide TV screens via a T-Mobile advert. His debut album, ‘Beware of The Bird,’ pushed both Claude VonStroke and dirtybird to become house-household names, tuning the world’s ear to the vibrant new movement that was bouncing out of San Fran. These days, as he remains one of the most sought-after remixers across every genre imaginable (from Bmore club to drum & bass to hipster rock to mainstream pop), works busily through a globe-trotting DJ schedule, and manages two wonderfully quirky, impressively consistent record labels that forever raise the bar, Barclay Crenshaw undoubtedly holds his own in the electronic music hall of fame.

“Everything is really tailored; the tracks aren’t really the tracks, it is all cut up, chopped and twisted. It’s challenging to do a project that has to say everything in such a small time frame because I play a lot of genres.  So I worked hard on getting all the different sounds that I really dig into one mix.  It wasn’t made as a dancefloor mix, but if you listen to it and you don’t tap your feet, or move in some way, then it’s just a complete failure.  I wanted to create a greasy, dirty vibe but also get melancholy and funky – a little hard here, a little soft there.  I picked the best music I could find and put it together in a creative way that fully represents my sound and personality.”

- Claude VonStroke

Tracklist

1. Ekkohaus Ft. R. Wurz – Cry Baby – Morris Audio
   Ekkohaus Ft. Mensa – The Healer – Morris Audio
2. Claude VonStroke & Bootsy Collins – Yabadabadooza- dirtybird
3. Rob Van Valen – Trampen – Frankie
4. Holger Zilske – Mes Yeux – Playhouse
5. Detroit Grand Puhbas Big Onion (Joakim Remix) – Pokerflat
   Roman Salanger – Galaxius – Lucent
6. DJ Deeon – Shake It – Databass
   Isomer Transitions – Downtime in the Hangar – Moongadget
7. Stimming – After Eight – Dynamic
8. Peter Lauer – Free Entry for Girls (Robag Whrume’s Drikkibass Remix) – Punkt
9. Voodeux – Just A Spoonful – mothership
10. Italoboyz – Bla Bla Bla – mothership
11. Varislove feat DOP. – Inside Ways (Boris Werner. Remix) – Supplemental Facts
12. Kiki – Immortal (Instrumental Dub) – BPitch Control
13. Xpansul & Daweed – Pilsnerd – True Type
    Marc Houle – Dirty Dirty – M_nus
14. Dinamoe – Maceo – Alpaca
    Clara Moto – Silently Ft. Mimu – Infine
15. James Braun – Symphonia – Tartelet
16. Donk Boys – One Tooth Missing – Frankie
17. Robag Whrume – Guppipepitsche – Freude Am Tanzen
18. ICS – Espagnol – dirtybird
19. Markus Schatz – Running – Highgrade
    Catz ‘n Dogz – SF – mothership
20. Marc Miroir – Kraft – Paso Music
21. Stimming – One Weekend – Dynamic
22. Claude VonStroke – Aundy – dirtybird

Hessle Audio takeover Fabric Room 3 this weekend so to warm up your ear drums we’ve got a mix from one of the labels main men Ben UFO.

If your in the area make sure you head down to Fabric this Friday. The lineup is insane! 3 rooms of serious bass line indulgence.

hessleaudio.com
fabriclondon.com

Friday 15th May : Fabric Live

Room One:
Skream
Rusko (Live)
The Gaslamp Killer
Jackmaster
Patchwork Pirates

Room Two:
SOUL:UTION
Marcus Intalex
Calibre
Fabio
Doc Scott
Commix
Alix Perez
Mosus b2b Zero T
MCs: DRS, Justyce, Rage & 2Shy

Room Three:
HESSLE AUDIO
TRG
Ramadanman
Pangaea
Ben UFO
Untold
MC ASBO

In the post-social-networking era, an artist like Omar-S is not just a rarity, he’s a treasure.

The Detroit-based mastermind stands tall as a daring reminder of how things used to be, how things should be: authentic, exceptional music released on a carefully harvested grassroots label, with no attachment to hype or any incestuous ‘Top Friends’ circles.

Distributed solely off his own back, and diligently monitoring every step (even hand-writing notes on his white labels), Omar-S’ FXHE imprint has become an underground cult of sorts, and his off-kilter productions bang as testament to his vibrant uniqueness. Bringing back the Detroit ethos but shaking up the formula in unimaginable ways, his music and label stand for everything the proud city represented in the past, as well as giving it a bright light for the future.

This 30 minute promo mix by the man may wierd you out a little at first as he drops Hudson Mohawk / Flying Lotus inspired beats but just wait till that familiar detroit goodness starts coming through. You’ll love it.

omarsdetroit.us
fabriclondon.com