With Riva Starr’s much awaited debut album If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade set to hit the shelves next month, the Italian producer has announced he’ll also be starting his own label in 2010.
Edinburgh’s mysterious Firecracker imprint has built up quite a following since its inception in 2004, taking deep house music as the central sound but delving into influences as diverse as jazz, reggae, hip-hop and Detroit techno.
Producer Jim Pavloff showcases his (and more to the point, Liam Howlett’s) sampling prowess by recreating Prodigy’s “Smack My Bitch Up” in Ableton.
Artist: Sahin Meyer
Title: World Cup South Africa 2010
Label: Best Works
Genre: Minimal/Tech House
Format: 12″, Digital
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download
One of the things that brought husband and wife production duo Sahin Meyer (aka Linda and Shy Jacobs) together was a shared love for the deeper end of house and techno.
It comes as little surprise, then, that their debut EP World Cup South Africa 2010 is a heartfelt exploration of these genres, so deep as to be almost subterranean.
Opening track “The World Cup Of The Future” maintains a subtle yet insistent beat, with clunky percussion trading blows with a warm bassline, while “I Can’t Go Broke” features looped rhythms set to an atmospheric backdrop.
Remixes of “World Cup Of The Future” come from Berlin-native Eva Be, best known for her previous work on Best Seven/Sonar Kollektiv, and Jacek Sienkewicz, who gives the track a deep techno re-rub.
Review: Aaron Coultate
   |
Iconic UK house label Strictly Rhythm will release a 2x CD compilation in February to mark 20 years since its first release.
BCee’s back with the second installment of his all new D & B show.
His latest mix, which has flown straight into the iTunes top 10, is a no-nonsense take on the genre.
In the second instalment of our two-part feature on New Jersey label Italians Do It Better (check out our interview with Johnny Jewel here), we speak to the label’s founder, Mike Simonetti. Under Mike’s stewardship, the imprint has cultivated a reputation for releasing superb disco (and the odd house) cuts.
Walls – the curious side project of Sam Willis from Allez Allez and Alessio of Banjo Or Freakout – have signed to German label Kompakt.
2.0, the debut album from young South London trio the xx has been named “album of the year” by the Guardian, beating off the likes of Fever Ray and Wild Beasts.
Following in the footsteps of Motor City Drum Ensemble, Diplo, Sinden, Luke Slater and The Revenge, it’s now the turn of Lost My Dog label boss Pete Dafeet to talk us through his top tunes of 2009.
There were many highlights from fabric’s epic 10th birthday celebration back in October, although Ivan Smagghe’s three-hour set was up there with the best.
Since starting Freerange Records in 1996 with friend Tom Roberts, Jimspter (aka Jamie Odell) has quietly gone about his business, developing a reputation as one of the UK’s best deep house producers. With an intimidating remix discography (even the man himself is not sure how many he’s done), and some fine original productions, it’s little wonder he’s been in hot demand in 2009’s deep house-friendly climate. Juno Plus visited his studio in the backstreets of Hackney in east London to chat about all things music.
A handclap or a snoring dog may be enough…
Zombie Nation is embarking on a unique online experiment, calling on budding producers to send in samples which could be used in his latest track.
Juno Plus casts an expert eye over the Novation Launchpad, the new MIDI controller intended for use with Ableton Live.
Artist: Simian Mobile Disco
Title: Cruel Intentions
Label: Wichita
Genre: Disco/Nu Disco, Dubstep/Grime
Format: 12″, Digital
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download (available from January 3)
Just one of several prominent features on Simian Mobile Disco’s early 2009 full-length, Temporary Pleasure, was Gossip’s lead-singer Beth Ditto on “Cruel Intentions.”
There her roaring vocals play the foreground, reborn a diva in her genre debut. Now released as a single, the robust and soulful original gets proper reintroduction from several noteworthy producers.
Heartbreak both slows-down and reduces for each of his two remixes. Greg Wilson adds his own percussive flair, and Maurice Fulton sticks to complementary disco overtones.
But for the icing on the cake, Bristol prodigy Joker reinvents, adding his own dirty dubstep signature to the recipe, spicing up the single quite uniquely.
Review: Nick Andrews
|
The first two names for Sónar 2010 have been announced, with LCD Soundsystem and Air set to play live at Spain’s leading electronic music festival.
Guest Blog: Hobo (Minus) – “Rulez of the Road” – Pt 4
In his penultimate Juno Plus guest blog, Hobo finds himself down and out in Budapest, but, as always, comes out of the experience a little bit stronger and wiser.
The CDJ-2000 is the latest model in Pioneer’s famed range of CD decks, and was until recently shrouded in rumour and secrecy. Well the secret is out – and the CDJ-2000s boast a whole range of upgrades geared towards changing the face of DJing as we know it. Juno’s Ben Daly gives a comprehensive review of one of the hottest items on the planet.