Great Mistake by Nadja Lind & Paul Loraine – Lucidflow

Berlin’s Lucidflow approaches its thirtieth milestone with an EP from label co-owner Nadja Lind and Paul Loraine. Loraine’s swift return to the label after his collaboration with Saytek on their 25th release, while Lind’s contribution to the label as a solo artist and as one half of Klartraum with Helmut Ebritsch has seen her be part of close to half the imprint’s already prolific output in their two and a half year journey. As to be expected, it’s a quartet of finely-crafted techno records that further adds to Lucidflow’s impressive catalogue.

Great Mistake begins proceedings with a pulsating extra kick hit and gloopy sub-bass, with the percs infiltrating the understated melody, pads flowing over the high EQs. Once the rasping snare enters at half distance, it’s transformed into a punchy, room-filling techno number. Spaceline also employs forceful percs, with extra hits giving it a complex underpinning, making good use of a chorus note through its beginnings, a raft of sounds emanating from the breakdown in a dream-like sequence that continues once the kick returns. Lettin’ Go’s popping, squelching drum pattern lets the echoing, delayed arp synth flood over it, sinister vox adding menace, and even pitched-down, it’s an off-centre layering of sounds that mean the groove is never quite centre stage, creating a spooky atmosphere. Ceigas is the most stripped-back of the four, its metallic synth dominating until halfway, where rhodesy notes and fx interplay until warped synths appear in a wonky groove. Mean and lean.

www.lucidflow.de

Change It EP by J Daniel – Question Of Time

Many revered labels have fallen by the wayside, their moment in the limelight taken, never to be heard of again. However, there are comebacks, and not all of them for tired, commercial reasons. Portuguese imprint Question Of Time burnt bright in the mid 90s and early 00s, with local legend and owner J Daniel responsible for much of its output, as it ploughed a techno furrow that made it a favourite of luminaries such as Mr C, Carl Cox, Sven Vath and DJ Pippi. Its return in 2012 is a surprise, but a welcome one, with Daniel’s first  EP inhabiting a rather unself-concious four tracks on vinyl that lean toward the decade of its birth.

Change It’s original mix is an exercise in synth-led, driving house that was very much of that era, but it’s no simple cut-and-paste rehash, much more a contemporary houser that grabs the best parts and brings them into the new decade, with Daniel getting back to his acid-influenced roots. Rasping bassline blends with lush pads and vocal snippets in an ethereal journey that marks it out from the crowd. Remixes come from Aqob, his Dust Remix playing heavily on delayed synths, reverb-drenched pads and resonating b-line that evokes early Sander Kleinenberg’s best work. The Zorbinsky Remix edges towards techno, leading to the drop with an almost endless loop of lofty synth and growling bass interplay that builds inertia, while the Park Street Communications Mix closes out a solid vinyl package in deep trippy, acid-tinged euhphoria with almost tribal percs that lead to a glorious 303-spangled breakdown. Classic stuff.

www.questionoftime.co.uk

The 31st of March is like a call to arms for global techno fans. For the 17th year running, the clock will be ticking in time to fat bass drums and hissing hi-hats – a truly unique experience… a breathtaking combination of music, light and emotions. The spirit of Time Warp has changed very little since it’s beginning in the mid-nineties. A calendar focal point for all in the electronic music scene, and a pivotal platform for new sounds and trends.

Time Warp 2012 will host the very best in electronic music with DJ heavyweights such as Sven Väth, Richie Hawtin and Carl Cox, coupled with new discoveries such as the Visionquest crew who are based around Berliner Seth Troxler… Resident Advisors Best DJ Jamie Jones will also make his Time Warp debut. Nick Curly will not only perform tracks from his debut album “Between the Lines”, he will also be performing back2back with Mathias Kaden – an appearance that is hotly anticipated! Kevin Saunderson and John Digweed, two pioneers of the electronic dance music scene, will join a whole host of DJ talent, which also includes AKA AKA feat. Thalstroem, Davide Squillace, Pan-Pot, Guti, Hobo and many more during Time Warps marathon event.

Time Warp takes an innovative stance in the field of production and stage technology, with an emphasis on cutting edge technologies. Besides elaborate light shows, the focus is primarily on the use of 3D technology. The audience has previously been impressed by the stunning 3D mapping at Time Warp Holland. In Mannheim, the production team will offer a completely new experience in this department. The Time Warp team has already been successful while on the lookout for talented and innovative new visual artists, and is now working on the concept for the six floors.

Visitors can look forward to a unique audiovisual experience with more than 40 acts, extraordinary lighting and stage concepts – packed into 19 hours non-stop – Time Warp in 2012 will again provide an intense party experience that is second to none.

Time Warp 2012 Limited Early Bird tickets sold out in record time, but don’t panic, normal tickets are still available via Time Warps website.

www.time-warp.de / http://www.facebook.com/timewarpofficial

Time Warp Mannheim 2012
Saturday 31/03/2012 Maimarkthalle, Mannheim, Germany

DJs: Sven Väth, Richie Hawtin, Carl Cox, Ricardo Villalobos, Loco Dice, Marco Carola, Dubfire, Adam Beyer, Chris Liebing, DJ Rush, Kevin Saunderson, John Digweed, Magda, Monika Kruse, Karotte, Jamie Jones, Visionquest (Ryan Crosson, Shaun Reeves, Seth Troxler), Steve Lawler, Marcel Dettmann, Ben Klock, Paco Osuna, Mathias Kaden & Nick Curly b2b, Davide Squillace, Pan-Pot, tINI, Robert Dietz, Dorian Paic, Felix Kröcher, Seebase, Federico Molinari, Steffen Baumann, Sasch BBC, Steffen Deux, Lautleise

Live: Laurent Garnier pres. L.B.S., Extrawelt, AKA AKA feat. Thalstroem, Paul Ritch, Guti, Hobo

For the first ever time in the UK, international DJ and production sensation Luciano is bringing his Vagabundos crew to party together in the UK. As well as the Cadenza boss himself, the likes of Reboot (live show), Maayan Nidam & Alex Picone will all play together at a multi-room space in the English capital with a massive custom built Vagabundos stage alongside a specially designed sound system and production to match. Going on the success of the shows in Ibiza, it will be a party like no other…

Since conceiving the concept, Luciano has taken his wild Vagabundos crew, their forward thinking underground sounds and all sorts of crazy extra production at the illustrious Pacha, Ibiza, to huge venues across the planet. This event will be the first time the collective will have partied together in the UK.

LUCIANO: As well as holding down a legendary DJ residency in Ibiza at Pacha and continuing to perform live, the Swiss Chilean Cadenza boss has recently expanded his Vagabundos brand to include a clothesline and mix series. So too does he continue to steer his Cadenza label through the underground releasing a fine selection of EPs and full lengths from some of the finest talents in techno.

REBOOT: The German producer has a long history of great productions on labels like Cadenza and Cocoon and is regarded as one of the finest DJs and live acts of the day. His sets incorporate the whole spectrum from deep minimal sounds to driving electronic-tech vibes and old school house. For the last few years the man has been playing at clubs such as Fabric, Panoramabar, Robert Johnson, Cocorico, Sankeys and many more, and tonight plays one of his famous live shows which intricately weave together threads of many different songs, drum loops, samples and so much more…

MAAYAN NIDAM: Her productions and DJ sets to a single sound, but certain qualities prevail: a looping, swinging, hips-and-ass-friendly sense of the groove; a bubbling sense of funk; a keen sense of timbre and tone colour, with a woolly low end and crystalline highs. Her sounds on labels like Wolf & Lamb, Perlon will get you dancing and stay tuned for her long awaited debut album released in spring on Cadenza.

ALEX PICONE: A long association with Cadenza that takes in a number of EPs and full lengths on the labels over the last few years, his sound is groovy and stripped touching on feather minimal and more propulsive tech house.

Gatherings with sights and sounds as special as these are few and far between, so make sure you don’t miss out on the first ever UK Vagabundos showcase. To win a trip for two people to Ibiza this season plus guest list for Vagabundos at Pacha, Ibiza, simply ‘LIKE’ the Rave Factory Events Fan Page on Facebook!

Vagabundos, London: First UK Show

Saturday 5th May
9pm-6am

Luciano (3hr set)
Reboot (Live Show)
Maayan Nidam
Alex Picone

Room Two Guests TBA.

Secret London Location TBA.

Tickets available:
www.residentadvisor.net
First release £15 / Second release £20 / Final release £25

LINKS:
www.ravefactoryevents.com
http://ravefactoryevents.clubtickets.com
http://www.cadenzamusic.net

Circle by Samaar – Fullbarr Vinyl

Bouyed by the last edition of their vinyl-only series, Fullbarr return for part four, and instantly trump Luke Solomon’s Ultrasound with a superb EP from Samaan, arguably the brightest star from their tight roster of production talent. The label may only be stepping into its third year, but Arthur Barr’s mighty work ethic has been admirably matched by his ear for distinctive four-four, and a wide-ranging releases from Matthias Vogt, Area, Jan Tenner and Gliesers have given the imprint a much-deserved ‘one-to-watch’ epithet coming into the new year.

Taking a tougher direction from his Detroit Memories EP late in 2011, the Belfast producer’s trio of tracks begins with Circle, ushered in with a growling, pulsing low pad that explodes into a percussive techno journey, complete with loopy, analogue bassline and classic synth notes piercing the mid-range, bathed in pads. Doors is punchier still, snares slapping over the almost sub-bass throb, while warped stabs percolate the middle of the track and pads flow through the breakdown to dream-like effect. Scottish techno stalwart Vince Watson weighs in with a classy remix of the title track, heading deeper with a loopy chord progression and layered melodies that show why he’s released on the likes of Planet E and F Comm. Closing out an outstanding EP is Commodore, a modern take on acid house, fusing Chicago with England in a warm, organic house trip.

http://fullbarrdigital.blogspot.com/

Mines of Minolta EP by Shenoda – Fear Of Flying

Laurie Shenoda’s production career enters its fifth year with his debut on Ben Micklewright’s Fear Of Flying. The producer’s close affiliation with Hypercolour – his Shots EP was a standout on the label in 2011 – is well known, but with releases on Fresh Meat, 1Trax and Hairy Claw have marked him out as an artist of subtle, finely-constructed house that’s set for a sterling 2012, while Fear Of Flying has on its hands another fine cut of quality four-four.

Mines Of Minolta opens with Night Eater, a customarily deep house number that crafts a base of bright percs and almost muffled low-end groove that interplays with subtle, washed-out chords, an exercise in uncluttered precision. Phone Call employs vocal snippets, painted with delay, meshed with repeating notes and horn stabs and warm chords, demonstrating a similar knack for straightforward foundations, and its joy in sonic details. Supercede completes the EP with a more forceful point, analogue hits and disembodied murmurs flutter under pads and rasping synths, flirting with bleakness but showing character to keep the listener guessing. Classy.

http://www.myspace.com/fearofflyingrecordlabel

Yawn by Kid Massive feat Sam Obernik and Jay Colin – Notting Hill Music

Dane Benjamin Pedersen – Kid Massive to the electronic music faithful – has been busy releasing house of the big room variety since the middle of the last decade, carving out chart-hugging releases along the way on labels from Justrax and Oxyd to Stealth and Phonetic. His latest floor filler lands on Transmission, and it’s a group effort that ropes in not only Sam Obernik (of ‘It Just Won’t Do’ fame) but also Dutch MC Jay Colin, fusing vocal house with street-smart words on an unrelenting five-track EP.

The original is built on punching percs and rasping basslines that usher in Obernik’s crystal-smooth vocal, cutting through the mid-range like a knife through butter, while Colin’s bubbly flow ticks the cars, champagne and bling boxes. What it may lack in subtlety it more than makes up for in sheer energy and verve, a definite dancefloor rocker. There’s a quartet of remixes along for the ride, with David Tort’s techy cut swapping in its own guitar licked-bassline and wobbly synths that climb each section before the drop, while Vandalism’s synth-driven effort warps and stretches the chords while Obernik’s vocals chop in like a cleaver. Silcox and Eyes’ rework goes for the Skrillex-style crazy dubstep vote, and the House mix is the most restrained of the bunch, revolving around a chord and bitcrushed drops. Hefty.

http://www.nottinghillmusic.com/

Adventures of Tazz LP Sampler by Tazz – Tsuba

Canada’s Tazz is one of the new school of producers that’s adopted a warm and organic sound very much in line with his forebears. With a DJ career that stretches back to the end of the 90s, he’s spun in some of Canada’s favourite spots, but it’s his productions that have been turning heads even more readily in the last few years, and with EPs behind him on Jus Ed’s Underground Quality label and a pair of efforts on Tsuba in 2011, he’s earned his stripes. 2012 will usher in his and Kevin Griffiths’ imprint’s first long-player and this four-track EP is a taster ahead of its release.

Opener Giovanni’s Keys starts with cascading analogue b-lines murmuring under the handclaps and hats, with multi-tracked elements joining them, subtle keys and rasping synth adding to the falling, looping melody that swerves through adroit key changes, never stopping to take in the scenery. Worked It riffs on staccato percs and acid low-end while plucked string keys lend urgency, as the melodies and layers intertwine like a web, until the listener is trapped. Many Reasons! has humble beginnings, slowly emerging from its shell with bursts of chords and bass notes into a cacophony of sounds that drop out into a long note, letting the cycle start again. Finally, Captain Groove And The Oscillators works with a rasping bassline, building into delayed chord progressions and 909 drum fills, a paen to house music’s prototype days. If this is what’s in store for the album then bring it on!

www.tsubarecords.com

Party Non Stop by Pirupa – Desolat

Martin Buttrich and Locodice’s Desolat imprint is now approaching its fifth year, and while Dusseldorf may not have the allure of Berlin or Frankfurt for some electronic music fans, the label’s put out some fantastic singles over the years, roping in everyone from Jay Haze and Livio & Roby to Luciano and Guti, alongside its founders’ work. For their 19th EP they enlist Italian producer Pirupa, whose energetic house music’s graced the likes of Cecile, Saved, Suruba and Rebirth in recent times, and Party Non Stop, a sort of hip-house influenced dancefloor record for the new decade.

Taking a percussive core that shuffles and slaps with a nod to Dirty Cash, spooky sirens inhabit it until the first of a menagerie of vocal samples appears. Alternating between robotic, electro, distrorted and pitched-down, their rawness matches with the stripped-down melodics, with the bassline and popping hits providing sparse backing, feeling like an updated early 90s rap-house fusion. The Instrumental, stripped of the words, works like a standard raved-up retro house cut, the sirens and rapsing percs providing a power all of their own. DJ QU’s remix is mean and moody, taking just enough of the samples, and pairing them with sonic swathes and an analogue bassline.

http://www.desolat.com/

If I Were Music by I’m Fine & Antonio Olivieri – Steyoyoke

New Berlin imprint Steyoyoke makes its debut with an EP from a pair of city-dwelling production outfits, letting their music do the talking rather than drowning the listener in a barrage of hyperbole. Berlin music engineers I’m Fine (Marco Perschon and Alexander Grafenauer) and Italian local Antonio Olivieri form a triumvirate whose influences come together across a three-track EP that gives the fledgling label an interesting start.

The title track centres around its eponymous vocal, pitched-down to sit in synch with the warm basslines and airy chords that provide the melodic backing. It’s an almost jazzy affair, leaning into deeper waters with eastern influences from a wandering note in the breakdown, part of the blend of old and new. Your Ghost is a livelier mid-point, birdsong floating in the background and a mystical vocal that hangs beautifully in the air over the phased chords and floating melodies, a compelling contrast to the opener. Do Not Care is different again, with off-kilter guitar and pounding kick leading to analogue bass notes, before handclaps and cheers usher in each drop, a mixture of electronic and almost pop, with the multi-tracked male vocal nodding to David Byrne. Ambitious and intriguing.

http://www.steyoyoke.com/
 

The Minneapolis Touch EP by Shonky – Apollonia

Out of the ashes of the legendary Paris label Freak n Chic comes a new label – Apollonia – formed by three of its main protagonists. Dan Ghenacia, Shonky and Dyed Soundorom have all been more than busy enough since Dan’s previous home called it a day in 2010, but none of them have slowed down in the studio, so the logical progression came in forming Apollonia to put out their new work, and it kicks off with Shonky’s three-hander, another cut of characteristic galactic house.

Columbia – perhaps echoing directly the farewell to the space shuttle itself – heads into the troposphere, its popping percs and sure-footed chord structure enveloped in spacey pads and reverb-laden vocals, with a sprinkling of starry, glass-like chords to add the sparkle. The Minneapolis Touch heads deeper, its bright chords offsetting the solid low-end groove and wistful pads, as elements ebb and flow in the mix, subtly changing its character. Closing out the label’s solid debut is Kotero Mi Amor, sounding like an early-90s synth houser, its bubbling bassline and warped vocal pads giving way to a soulful vocal sample, fusing modern and classic in one touch.

www.lola-ed.com/labels/apollonia 

  A music journalist, it’s taken as said that writing in the first person is a fracture of protocol, a flaunting of the rules. Definitely frowned upon. But then sometimes circumstance dictates that playing straight isn’t the appropriate action. To the average cinemagoer, indeed to the average electronic music fan, a ninety-minute film of a concert where the artists are mostly encased in stacks of equipment while visuals flash across gargantuan screens behind them, wouldn’t raise anything more than standard levels of interest. By definition, films of gigs are hard to get spot on, and even when they hit the sweet spot, most of them involve regulation bands with drummers, guitars, singers – think The Last Waltz, Gimme Shelter, Stop Making Sense – so the task is hard. Viewing the Chemical Brothers’ full-length concert feature Don’t Think at the BFI lthis week though, was a cinema experience I have never before witnessed and most likely will never again (even if I go and see it again next week, which I might). And it’s clear that its success, its power and its sheer visceral majesty relies on breaking many of the rules, however subtly, that any standard electronic music film would perceive it needed to adheer to. But then the story behind the film itself and how it was made is already a large pointer to why it would be a different prospect.

Directed by Adam Smith, whose journey as a collaborator and friend of Tom Rowland and Ed Simons started almost twenty years ago when he was “travelling round in an ice cream van” with them making visuals for their early gigs, it’s far more than a simple sensory overload, though that’s the first impression that anyone watching the film will undoubtedly have. Shot mostly chronologically during a performance at last year’s Japan’s Fuji Rocks festival, one of the pairing’s favourite destinations, it subverts the standard model of ‘point-and-shoot the artists and listen to the music’ that many decent, but ultimately limited previous works have taken. Even in terms of the Chemical Brothers’ vaunted combination of sound and visuals, an hour and a half of static shots would’ve stretched the attention when the viewer is sat at home instead of in the thick of it.

Instead, into the mix comes fans faces, close ups of Simons and Rowland’s button-pushing and euphoric high-fiving antics (something that they, until the film was made, were unaware the crowd never saw, being mere silhouettes in front of the visual spectacle), trips out to bars & food stands, into the mud, trees, and even in one fan’s case, almost a film within a film as they follow Japanese girl Maryo as she dances, stares open-mouthed and even wanders during the Chemicals’ set, giving the viewer a fans-eye-view of proceedings instead of a cameraman’s fixed perspective. Maybe on the face of it, nothing too out of the ordinary, but its the clever way in which the experience is sewn together, its jumpy edits, flashing, sometimes unfocused visuals, its centering on the enraptured (and mostly oblivious) faces in the crowd, the off-kilter camera angles, that bring it as close as any film you’ll ever see to being stood in the middle of the sweaty, seething mass on that night. Five minutes in you have to pinch yourself to remember you’re sat in the comfort of a cinema seat rather than jumping around like a lunatic in the middle of thousands of people.

Making that bold statement, I should be able to back it up. As it happens, I’ve seen the Chemical Brothers six times myself. From the first experience in a blocked-out tent at Gatecrasher’s summer sound system via Sonar in Barcelona, Trafalgar Square, Camden’s Roundhouse, they’re a band that have never left anything in the dressing room when it comes to hitting the audience with a tidal wave of music and visuals. And rarely, in terms of electronic music let alone any genre, they’ve remained hugely popular and inventive, even twenty years since their first incarnation as the Dust Brothers. There are few acts around that are still as relevant and loved two decades on.

Taking the best from acid house, and crossing through big beat, techno and ambient, while picking up a host of collaborators from Beth Orton, Bernard Sumner, Noel Gallagher, Wayne Coyne and Richard Ashcroft to Kele Okereke and Q-Tip, they seem to be able to find the right blend of their own magic formula to be able to fill arenas when many of their early contemporaries are retired. But it’s live that their music arguably goes to another plane altogether. Over the years, as their shows have grasped technology with increasingly mind-bending results, they’ve realised better than anyone else the intrinsic link between their sound and vision, and for people like me, that have been lucky enough to see them on more than one occasion, each song’s visual narrative becomes as much part of the experience as the familiar melodies. Adam Smith has been central to this design, and so by directing the film he closes the loop; Don’t Think finally distills the disparate parts into something that captures their live experience in its glorious whole.

Watching it is an unsettling experience in some ways. But far from negative, being introduced to the sensation of hairs standing up on the back of the neck as the first kick drum of Another World drops, finding myself first cheering, then clapping, and then laughing out loud as the wave of sound reverberates across the BFI’s cinema screen. So much here is familiar, which is part of the joy – as for any electronic music fan in their thirties it’s almost impossible not to know at least a handful of their anthems, and for me, their albums are second nature – with not just nerve-endings tingling as each track hits, but the visuals pricking up memories. The clown, growling “you’re all my children now”, and its startling effect on the crowd, their faces ranging from joy to terror, is just one of the many examples of how the film steps out of the ordinary, and gives the viewer the feeling of immersion in the whole spectacle. One moment you’re nodding as the camera shakes in the middle of the pit, the next you’re watching Rowlands grin as he hits a key marked ‘HBHG’, your brain making the connection milliseconds after Hey Boy Hey Girl’s rasping note chimes in, and the next you’re following members of the crowd out to the bar, before you’re back in the throng, with close-ups of faces crossing the spectrum from amazement to ecstasy through to delirium. With the crisp editing never letting you settle, it’s impossible to get into a comfort zone, and as the scenes chop and change, your attention continues to be grasped.

  Looking around as the film progressed, it seemed to be affecting the whole room in the same way. Half way through the cheers had given way to a small group that had caved in to their instincts and started dancing at the front of the cinema, a pattern that’d continue until a standing ovation at the end. If I wasn’t still on the receiving end of a stinking cold, I’d have probably joined them, but whether you were sat down or throwing shapes it was a communal experience of the like I’d never found in the confines of the silver screen. A cursory search online the next day showed that it wasn’t confined to London, with people as far afield as Melbourne, Japan and the USA posting tales of dancing in the aisles. Many times – after Horse Power’s galloping visuals had disappeared, or when the film’s title track’s red letters flare up, or Hey Boy Hey Girl’s red and green dancer flies across the screen – it takes a second for the senses to return and to realise you’re not in a rain-soaked field in Japan, such is the effect of watching in wide angle majesty. One could only imagine what Tom and Ed, sat at the front with Smith, would’ve made of it. Judging by their smiles afterwards, they enjoyed it as much as the rest of us.

So, if you have the chance, go and see Don’t Think at the cinema. Even a widescreen tv won’t do it full justice – though part of me can’t wait to the DVD release to see what extras are included – when the music needs to be respectfully loud, and the visuals lightning-bright. As a spectacle it’s astonishing, and for an electronic music fan it’s essential. Chemical Brothers fans will be in even greater thrall, as the craft of Adam Smith makes it as much a love letter to his friends’ music as a cinematic experience for their fans. The only downside of the evening is one that everyone must have when the leave: I wish I’d been there. This is the next best thing, and only millimetres away from the real thing.

For all the info about the film, head to www.dontthinkmovie.com and head to www.thechemicalbrothers.com for your fix of Tom and Ed.

Across one weekend in April, the full-on Circo Loco experience is coming to Birmingham. Known across the globe as the hedonistic and no holds barred after hour session held at DC; 10 each Monday, anyone who has been to Circoloco out in Ibiza will know what to expect – smiley faces, knowledgeable crowds and of course the most connoisseur beats. And it’s pretty much been that way since the night first started way back in 1999. As such, three typically off the wall events have been programmed in club spaces old and new across the city, with line-ups jammed packed with on-point talents from the worlds of house and techno.

The first will be April 7th from Midday until 1am and will see the launch of the brand new and hugely impressive Arena. As well as mind melting lights and pyrotechnics, the space will be decked out with heavy sound systems and all the extra promotion you’d expect of the world famous Circoloco brand. The space itself is a collection of Victorian railway arches under the over-reaching curve of The Rainbow’s embrace and will hold up to 5, 000 ravers: in time, it will no doubt become one of the city’s most essential rave spaces. DJs will be ‘Loco favorites Jamie Jones, Kerri Chandler, Matthias Tanzmann, Dyed Soundorom, Dan Ghenacia, Cassy, The Martinez Brothers and Below main man Adam Shelton.

Once that event finishes, it will be to a warehouse at just past midnight where the sensational Hot Natured (aka Jamie Jones and Lee Foss)will take you through to 7am with a back to back set. Label mates Luca C and Ali Love as well as Clockwork and Richy Ahmed will also play, so expect plenty of creamy house sounds right through the night. To finish off this Spring-time party extravaganza, Below will take the reins in The Courtyard (recently taken back to being a proper courtyard again, complete with natural light and exposed brick work and trees) for a day time special.

This time the party runs from midday until 3am and will be headlined by one of the biggest teams in the game – namely Visionquest, which comprises Shaun Reeves, Lee Curtiss and Ryan Crosson. Of course, local night Below features too, with resident and founder Adam Shelton also playing, as will his One Records co-chief, Subb-an. Circo Loco is amongst the most sought after party brands in the world and has multiple residencies around the world at the foremost temples of dance music as well as at leading festivals and conferences on all continents. This, then, is surely one of the most exciting clubbing prospects to have hit Birmingham in years…

Saturday 7th April 2012 The Arena, The Rainbow Complex, Birmingham
12pm-1am.

MATTHIAS TANZMANN
JAMIE JONES
KERRI CHANDLER
DYED SOUNDOROM
DAN GHENACIA
CASSY
MARTINEZ BROTHERS
ADAM SHELTON

(Circoloco After-Party) Face presents…
Hot Natured Warehouse Party The Rainbow Warehouse, Digbeth
// Saturday 7th April // Midnight – 7am // 1000 people

Jamie Jones & Lee Foss b2b
Luca C & Ali Love
Clockwork
Richy Ahmed

Tickets: only available with Circoloco main event tickets: http://www.theticketsellers.co.uk/therainbowvenues

(Sunday Carry On) Below Daytime Rave
Visionquest Showcase The Rainbow Courtyard, Digbeth
// Sunday 8th April // Midday – 3am // 400 people

Visionquest
Shaun Reeves
Lee Curtiss
Ryan Crosson
Adam Shelton
Subb-an

Tickets: £10 / £12 / £15 http://www.theticketsellers.co.uk/therainbowvenues –

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/belowdaytime

Let It Go by Huxley – Hypercolour

The most refreshing element of receiving a new promo from Hypercolour’s bursting roster is you never quite know what you’ll be getting. Rather than following a tried and tested furrow, their wisdom lies in a wide palette of sounds, reigning everything from disco and deep house to dub and techno, courtesy of a creative three-pronged attack of Ste Roberts, Jamie Russell and Alex Jones. While 2011 featured outstanding EPs from Maya Jane Coles, Tom Demac, Jones himself, Shenoda and Dan Berkson, the new year mines their talent pool further with Huxely, one of the UK’s most exciting producers of the last few years.

This time going solo after much praised work with part-time collaborator Ethyl, Let It Go is proof that on his own, Michael Dodman is just as much of a force. Signed by Jamie Russell after he’d dropped it in the early throes of a less-than-punctual festival set, it’s a bona-fide big-room cut of modern house, its slippery vocal a perfect counterpoint to the muscular bassline. But there’s subtlety at work too, its shuffling percs, pads and unflinchingly uplifting strings treading the correct side of anthemic without ever straying into overstatement. There’s also a superb remix from Bristol’s Eats Everything, who’s garagey, bass-heavy rework builds bubbling peaks and troughs, still letting the vocal work its magic. Essential.

www.hypercolour.co.uk

Witching Hour/Inner Place by Gavin Herlihy / Laura Jones – Crosstown Rebels

Leaving ill-conceived puns about couples and February 14th cast firmly aside, Gavin Herlihy and Laura Jones’ appearance on Damian Lazarus’ world-conquering Crosstown Rebels imprint is simple vindication of two talents that have put in the hours over the last few years to emerge as one of the UK’s finest two talents in house music. Between them in the last year alone they’ve had tracks on Visionquest, Culprit, Leftroom and Apparel, and 2012 is set to be even more fruitful, with this double A-side starting it off in style.

Herlihy’s Witching Hour starts sedately with warm keys and bassline stabs, adding sonic elements carefully along its path to slowly morph into a moodier and leaner beast. Fx-laden vocal samples and brash, bright chords lead to a taut middle section where the energy is pared back rather than plotting a more obvious crescendo, giving the track focus and inertia. Jones’ Inner Place possesses a tighter groove, its shuffling drum pattern and low-end hits creating a rich undercurrent over which the vocals and piano melody can flow. It’s an exercise in simplicity of method, adding no padding, and concentrating on its striking centre. A digital-only beatless version of the track adds a differnt slant on the original, and completes an excellent EP.

www.crosstownrebels.com

Polaroid were one of Leeds’ worst-kept secrets when they called a day after 6 years of memorable parties at underground hangout Wire. Having played hosts to everyone from Erol Alkan, Joakim, Optimo, Todd Terje and Brodinski, they took a break, but after two years Joe Morris, Nick Smith and the Broken Hookers are set for a triumphant return on 4th February with Leo Zero and Butter Side Up, manning new venue Musicquarium. We caught up with the team to find out what they’ve been doing in their time ‘off’, and what we can expect this weekend.

So how are you and where are you? I’m suffering from a touch of man-flu and just getting over a gruelling house move but other than that I’m tip top, thank you for asking

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Polaroid returns from its hiatus on Feb 4th in Leeds. In boxing they say never 
make a comeback, so why the second coming? Unfinished business? Well in the words of LL Cool J, don’t call it a comeback! We’ve always been here in spirit; it’s just the next chapter. After doing monthly parties solid for 6 years running we felt we’d earned a break. And now we have two of our long-term collaborators in Darren and Iain involved full time it takes the pressure off Nick and I, and also gives us a fresh set of ideas. We’re actually sort of organised now instead of shambling from one party to the next!

How long has the return been in the offing? Actually not that long. We looked at doing something at the end of last summer but couldn’t find a suitable venue, but once we had agreed a venue just before Xmas everything came together really quickly and we got the word out straight away. The response since we announced it has been great; I was worried we might have been away too long for people to still care.

  Are you going to be piling straight back in with an 8th birthday party in April? It wouldn’t be factually inaccurate….. You’ll have to wait and see! We’ll see how we feel after the next event and if we all feel like we want to carry on it would be rude not to have some sort of celebration. 8 years is a long time running a club night, there’s not many that last that long.

 You’ve got Leo Zero headlining. The producer’s new album will drop just before the party. Can we expect a few exclusives on the night? Yes I’m sure we will. I’ve had the album for a few weeks and I can tell you it’s a straight up modern day acid house record, just how we like it. Leo’s also quite prolific with edits and remixes and he’s promised to bring a load of new material to road test.

 Aptly, you also have Butter Side Up, your successors at Wire, down on the 4th. How did that come about? Have you known the guys from around Leeds as 
they’ve been running nights for a couple of years in town.
Yeah we’ve known the lads briefly and we’ve been admiring and respecting their line ups for a while. They’re kindred spirits on the same wavelength as us musically 
so it just felt natural to ask them to come and play.

 You’re at a new venue, Musicquarium. Give us the lowdown…. It’s a relatively new live gig and club space with on-site studios in Kirkstall which is just out of the city centre. It’s run by serious music lovers and so they’ve laboured over building their own sound system which sounds fantastic. It’s only a small space so you get a real intimate atmosphere.

You’ve had some incredible guests over the years – Greg Wilson, The Glimmers, 
Joakim, Optimo, Todd Terje and Wierdo Police – which guests can you tell us about in 2012? Again you’ll have to wait and see! But what I can tell you is that we’ll be sticking to our time honoured formula of booking quality rather than flavour of the month acts.

How has Leeds changed since Polaroid last sailed? The music scene never stands still in the city. It’s still a ridiculous party town and always will be. I think people are more open musically than a couple of years ago but maybe that’s down to the underground dance scene as a whole, rather than just Leeds. I don’t know. I do still think there are too many nights putting on similar parties but punters will argue that the more on offer the better, but I’m not so sure.

What’s been the most memorable party in Polaroid’s long history? It will always be the Erol Alkan night, to get such a heavyweight to play at our little party is something we’ll never forget. But we’ve had a few memorable nights; Brodinski’s debut, the 4th birthday with Joakim, or every time time Optimo played. Any night you have sweat dripping off the walls and have to lock the doors at 12.30am is going to be a good night.

What’s been the oddest (printable) thing you’ve seen down at Polaroid? Oh man where to start!? We did used to get some odd characters coming down at the beginning. Proper Nathan Barley types. We’ve had our share of comedic moments though; Tim Sheridan instigating a half-naked dancefloor, the Polaroid vs Anti-Pop Consortium hand bags at dawn stand-off, dropping the nights takings outside Wire and watching it blow away down Call Lane, kidnapping Optimo (this happened a lot!), Nick being thrown out of his own night; single-handedly boosting Red Stripe’s share price.. I could go on all day.

Joe, you’ve been busy on the production front over the last few years. What can we expect from you in 2012? I have a few original productions slated for release in the first part of the year after spending the last year or so doing remixes for people, so I’m looking forward to that. My exclusive track for the ‘We Love..’ mix last summer is finally coming out on an EP for Matt Playford’s Social Problem label in February, I have a track for Midnight Social in May and a remix for Proper Heat out on Nang and some more stuff on a nu-disco tip for the Tirk guys who I’ve been working with recently. 

1. What else have you all been up to in the last two years?
Just concentrating on producing really, Nick’s made some outstanding tracks which I hope will get picked up this year but he also found the time to get married as well.

What music is in your box? What are your favourite artists at the moment? Todd Terje’s huge ‘Inspector Norse’ is currently on repeat, been checking out a lot of Bicep’s stuff, also Neville Watson is a huge fave, loving Tornado Wallace and we are big fans of the Rush Hour, Need/Want, Future Boogie & Tusk Wask labels. Lots of great stuff out at the moment.

If you could get one guest down to Polaroid, who would it be?
Andrew Weatherall, the guvnor.

For more info on Polaroid’s party on the 4th February at Musicquarium with Leo Zero and Butter Side Up head to www.polaroidclub.co.uk, and tickets are onsale here: http://www.residentadvisor.net/event.aspx?322248.