Dj Tennis
DJ Tennis born in the 70’s and raised between New Jersey, Sicily and Parma in a family who paid just a passing attention to music. No relatives played any musical instruments, nor were there any around the home – music was never given any special amount of love in the Romano household. But despite this, and perhaps as a direct result of this, Romano’s creative and artistic attitude has always centred around music: singing, creating and collecting weird and noisy musical instruments at every turn.
In 1988 before embarking on computer science studies he was already playing and singing in college bands and had an indie rock radio show on a local radio station in Palermo.
Recording with bands, organising events and DJing at the local tennis club where he used to play semi-professionally (his DJ moniker comes from his passion for the sport) became his way to support the costs of his studies, though when he graduated he never imagined he would turn that hobby into his fully-fledged career. Whilst starting out as a DJ he began focusing on promoting new underground music in his country, founding and developing some of the most important Italian underground musical events such as the Elita festival in Milan and the Dissonanze festival in Rome – at the same time creating forward-thinking new promotional concepts around the Italian clubbing scene.
In the early 90s Romano also started producing music for theatre, movie soundtracks and TV commercials, his production skills always taking inspiration from the psychedelic, dark and melancholic sounds of the 60’s, thru to early 2000’s IDM. The range of influences paint a picture of his musical worldview: The Beach Boys, The Who, Talk Talk, Ultravox, XTC, Fugazi, June of 44, Suicide, Radiohead, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada and Plastikman – into every musical project he poured elements, sounds & feelings from all of these artists and many more.
In 2010, after growing tired of the the more overtly generic output of the contemporary scene he decided to collect all of his musical works and, along with Thugfucker’s Greg Oreck, started a new techno and pop label called Life and Death. The name of the label has a specific meaning, inspired by the socratic method of the maieutic process to turn ‘dead’ elements into a new life, and referring to the hypnotic power of music used in the mesmeric processes for brain therapy. Life And Death was alive.
Romano bases himself in Berlin where he also shares the label experience and a studio with the innovative deep electronic duo Tale of Us, whilst he working hard to create a crew of young and inspired musicians like Clockwork and Esperanza, amongst others. On top of all of this he still maintains his main job is still being a Promoter and a Booking agent in 2012. He may go by the name Tennis but he continues to be a hugely talented all-rounder.
Jimpster
Jamie Odell aka Jimpster and Audiomontage has been producing, remixing and DJing for the last 19 years and co- running his Freerange Records (voted Best British Label 2007) label for the last 15 of those. His musical upbringing and early introduction to production (his first release was on UK label Jumpin’ & Pumpin’ in 1990) and DJing have helped him forge a sound that is at once warm and deep as well as being innovative and also club friendly.
His seminal Jimpster LP Messages From The Hub (1997), as well as his more dancefloor orientated Audiomontage 12”s really helped establish Jamie as an artist of some merit and he quickly became in regular demand as a remixer (over 75 at the last count!) and co- producer on a wide range of underground projects. His third Jimpster LP Amour was released 4 years ago on Freerange to excellent critical acclaim and appeared in numerous published Top 20 LP’s of the year charts. In recent years he has released his first original track for another label, choosing Ben Watt’s Buzzin’ Fly for Square Up which went on to become a big underground house track of the year.
His last 12” for Freerange was Sleeper, another deep house anthem which was nominated for numerous Best Dance Single Awards as well as sitting at the top of the Beatport charts for a month. Recent artists to get the Jimpster midas touch in the form of a remix include Josh Wink, Photon Inc, Osunlade, Bob Marley, Joris Voorn, Seal, Marc Romboy, Solomun…. The list goes on.
Over the past 5 or 6 years Jamie has built up a reputation as a highly regarded dj in the UK and around the world, having played over 100 gigs last year alone. With an emphasis on the deeper end of electronic house music, but not afraid to stray from the path, he retains an old school approach that has seen him booked for gigs as diverse as Fabric and Matter (London), Panarama Bar and Watergate (Berlin), Cielo (NYC), Warehouse 702 (Tokyo), Zoo Project (Ibiza), D-Edge (Sau Paulo), GOA @ Fabrik (Madrid).
Christian Löffler
Being asked to describe his own music, Christian Loeffler states that he tries to combine melancholy with euphoria. “All my music is connected by a gloomy spirit, which is minted by a warm sincerity. I try to merge all kinds of different acoustic colors to obtain this feeling in my music.”
Loeffler started to play music by the age of 14. Living in a secluded region, lacking a musical surrounding, he had to teach himself the essentials of making electronic music. Before long he developed his own deep and moving sound, colored with a melancholic undertone- Music for the soul & for the body. He recalls a variety of music styles he listened to as a child and teenager that were highly influential to his own development as a musician.
Due to the fact that Loeffler is also working as a visual artist, he’s following the same approach when making music that he’s following when painting or taking photos. It is more about telling a story than making everything accessible right from the start.
In the course of the production of EP’s like “Heights”, “Raise” and “Aspen”, Loeffler developed some strategies to use acoustic material and singing in his music. Amongst others he samples different stringed instruments, percussion and atmospheres. He continues working with the recordings on the computer, combining, layering and alternating them.
The extraordinary capacities of this young producer have kept eyes and ears closely following the fresh talent as Loeffler’s deep moving melancholic sound, is absolutely irresistible.
Clive Henry
Clive is one of the UK’s longest standing flag-wavers for underground house music having been an original member of the West London house mafia, one half of the genre-defining tech house outfit Peace Division and resident at the world’s most musically influential nightclub DC10. Clive started his long musical journey way back in the mid-eighties when he was working after school to earn money to feed his vinyl addiction. He caught the DJing bug going to local hip hop jams in West London and listening to early electro/hip hop on pirate radio. It was all about to change however, when in 1988 he was introduced to London’s early acid house scene by Rocky and Diesel from Xpress 2. They took him to the seminal Spectrum and Shoom clubs which proved highly instrumental in shaping Clive’s musical future.
Not long after, Clive and Rocky started running their own successful nights in the emerging West London party scene called Bone and Gosh with guests like David Holmes, Andrew Weatherall and Ashley Beedle. It wasn’t long before Clive started playing at his own events, which in turn lead to bookings at other clubs, first in London and then across the UK. In 1998 he founded the iconic tech house label Low Pressings with fellow surburbanite Justin Drake who went on to become his production partner in Peave Division.
During this period Clive relocated to Ibiza every summer and in 2000 on after a night out at Space with fellow DJ Lottie they stumbled across the now legendary Circo Loco afterparty held at DC10 on Monday mornings. Back then DC10 was more like a social club for DJs, promoters and their friends and it wasn’t long before Clive was a regular feature at the club. He hasn’t looked back. During the last decade Clive has established himself as the British backbone of the club laying down his trademark brand of deep no-nonsense house music week in week out having being invited to join DC10 stellar roster of residents back in 2004.
Clive’s residency at DC10 brought him into contact with Crosstown Rebels frontman Damian Lazarus who quickly brought Clive into the Crosstown family.
With the re-opening of DC10 this summer after its year ban, 2010 promises to be an eventful one for Clive with his solo production path beginning to take shape and collaborations in the pipeline with good friends Jamie Jones and Dyed Soundorom. In addition, his new Rebel Rave mix compilation for Crosstown Rebels will be hitting the stores this August.
You can catch Clive regularly at Circo Loco in Ibiza, MuMu in Liverpool, Kubicle in London, Droog in LA and at Crosstown Rebels events worldwide.
ÂME
After a long night of dancing, many night club patrons leave the venue with a certain track stuck in their heads. But for Âme, the DJ/production duo of Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann, the tunes lodged in their brains are the ones they didn’t hear, ones not yet written that would fit perfectly in their sets. Since 2003, Beyer and Wiedemann have penned songs that once existed just outside club- goers’ imagination, songs that boldly combined floor-filling elements with conceptual conceits while maintaining their visceral appeal. As part of Innervisions, the collective/label they run with Dixon, Âme (pronounced “AHM”) offer glimpses of the future of electronic music through their live project, genre-melding compilations, and an independently run shop that completes the connection between artist and admirer. In a genre obsessed with reliving the past, Ame are focused on what’s still to come.
The partnership was formed in their hometown of Karlsruhe where Wiedemann first crossed paths with Beyer in 2001 at the latter’s record shop, Plattentasche. Bonding over Chicago house, Detroit techno and much else besides, the duo joined forces in 2003 to produce seminal deep house platters for Sonar Kollektiv, many of which were collected on the duo’s selftitled debut album. Intent on not repeating themselves, Ame splintered their established sound and found a more nimble, compositional approach that yielded their scene-conquering single, “Rej.” Not content to rest on their laurels as the tune made the rounds on Defected Records and many others, the pair teamed up with Dixon and Henrik Schwarz in 2006 for another instant classic, “Where We At,” featuring Derrick Carter’s stirring vocals.
It would’ve been understandable if Beyer and Wiedemann had further pursued the sound which brought them such acclaim, but for Ame the appeal is in breaking down influences and songwriting habits in order to craft something new. Without attachments to particular methods and patterns, the duo was free to develop an overarching view of what dance music could be and pursue it through various moods, timbres and even genres. But if one stylistic point shines through it’s the group’s penchant for orchestral instrumentation and composition, albeit deconstructed and enmeshed in vintage synth tones and spectral vocal samples. From the waltzing prototechno of “Fiori,” a key movement in Ostgut Ton’s ballet score, Shut Up and Dance! Updated, to the gargantuan brass tearing through the wildpitch strings of “Enoi,” their work simultaneously evokes the conceptual ardor of John Cage or Tony Conrad and the dance floor thrust of DJ Pierre or Underground Resistance.
Âme ‘s ability to fuse together seemingly disparate influences is greatly informed by their talents as DJs. Not given to fulfilling trends, their sets draw upon the whole of dance music’s history and keep them in great demand around the world. Their regular nights at such establishments as Robert Johnson (Frankfurt), Fabric (London), Trouw (Amsterdam), Lux (Lisbon), and Air (Tokyo) are exceeded only by their marathon sets during Innervisions nights at their beloved Panorama Bar (Berlin). Those awaiting the opportunity to experience an A?me DJ or live set have been well cared for as well, as the pair have captured their curating skills on mix CDs for Sonar Kollektiv, NRK Sound Division and Fabric, as well as the landmark survey of historical minimalism, The Grandfather Paradox compilation done in collaboration with Dixon and Schwarz. Ame are set to follow this achievement with a periodspanning mix all their own, Primary Structures.
As core members of what they refer to as the Innervisions family, the duo are deeply involved in the group’s operations. The imprint is renowned for exacting quality control, releasing only five or six titles a year encased in lavish artwork, many of which are widely tipped. With input from Wiedemann, Beyer and Dixon drive the label’s A&R direction, selecting a few artists – who have included Laurent Garnier, Chateau Flight, Stefan Goldmann and Culoe De Song – to accompany the main cohort of Henrik Schwarz, Tokyo Black Star, and themselves. Fully prepared for the 21st century, Innervisions connects to its fanbase through a thoughtfully stocked web store which sells records, fashionable clothing and books like Tobias Rapp’s Lost And Sound (which they translated into English) and its release subscription service. Ame are also crucial components of A Critical Mass, a live project that finds the pair, alongside Dixon and Schwarz, reworking the creative DNA of each other’s songs in real- time. It’s just one more facet of Âme’s artistry, further evidence of the duo’s position at the forefront of electronic music.
Tale Of Us
Tale Of Us are Berlin-based DJ and production partnership Karm and Matteo who are currently re-writing the rulebook for deeply moving, emotional electronic music. Together they share a sonic vision that pulls together elements of house and techno with influences from pop, nu-disco and even rock music. While all of their productions are instantly recognizable as Tale Of Us, these range from straight-up dance floor jams to low-slung ambient tracks and more abstract compositions. While both originally hail from North America, Karm was born in Toronto and Matteo in New York, they moved to Italy as children, which is where they met and formed the close working bond that they now share.
PAST EVENTS
Argy
Electronic music producers are unique individuals with the skills, tools and ideas necessary to imagine, write and produce transcendent music. Some are more than just musicians through; they represent a way of life that embraces innovation, technology, and communion through sound. They share it, travel it and some simply live it. Argy, aka Argyris Theofilis, born of Rhodes, Greece, is one of these rare artists – perhaps even the epitome of this way of life. Utterly dedicated to his work, Argy’s passion bleeds through in everything he does, from interviews and conversations to creating deeply musical, yet strikingly state-of-the-art house music. Just 25 years old, the Berlin-based artist is already among the elite of the underground club scene. He seized the spotlight with the massive 2005 hit ‘Love Dose’, duly remixed and championed by Luciano, and hasn’t stopped since.
In the past five years Argy has worked with an impressive array of labels ranging from Sven Vath’s Cocoon and Dennis Ferrer’s Objektivity to classic house imprint Ibadan and even Defected. Always seeking to break down barriers, Argy’s studio collaborations and club events with New York DJs The Martinez Brothers have brought together audiences and sounds from formerly unconnected worlds, drawing inspiration from their mutual appreciation and friendship. This same spirit of collaboration is evident on Argy’s first full-length project ‘Focus on: Argy’, released on Poker Flat in 2008, where he works with fellow music luminaries such as Jerome Sydenham and DJ Gregory, creating a fusion of influences rarely witnessed in techno music. Two subsequent DJ mix compilations: ‘Cavo Paradiso 09: The Master Sessions’ and ‘D.Edge Sao Paolo’ on his own imprint, These Days, confirm that Argy’s output to date is only the tip of the iceberg. He has a rare talent for taking audiences on musical journeys they might never have imagined.
Argy developed his love affair with night-time culture as an teenager, thanks to memorable club experiences headed by the U.S. house scene‘s finest. Fascinated by the boldness and the power that the DJ could communicate, Argy dreamed of performing, using the concentration of the DJ to feed and fuel the response of the crowd. Fittingly, he has developed a unique style of mixing in key which allows him to combine everything and from classic techno to deep disco, weaving a sonic tapestry that defies easy categorization of genre or era.
This eclecticism carries over to his label These Days, which is an outlet for Argy’s relentless pursuit of artistic perfection. The imprint rose in 2009 and has since released music from Argy, DJ Duke, The Martinez Brothers, Stephen Brown, Radio Slave, Beat Pharmacy, Jerome Sydenham and more. In addition to production duties Argy does everything from A&R to artwork, determined to make the label an “up-to-date yet timeless” ideas platform.
”I could never be a music purist,” Argy says, “I find beauty in so many things.” Among his fascinations are architecture, current affairs, visual art (growing up in Greece, he planned to be a painter before he discovered clubbing) and music as varied as bossa nova, jazz, Krautrock, and African trance.
Emanating clarity and focus – on both a personal and musical level – rare for one of his years, Argy represents a new breed of far-sighted talent driving modern electronic dance music. He considers the future with confidence. “I was taught that there is nothing that you cannot do, and that if you love it you will do it well”, he says. And, as fans across the globe will testify, Argy does music very well indeed.
Bloody Mary
Bloody Mary – Dj, producer, label owner Dame-Music and aka The Jaydes (live act) Always on the lookout for new sounds and fresh music, the sets of this French-born, Berlin-based Dj provide a fine example of what is happening at the moment.
Bloody Mary grew up in the region of Aix en Provence. Her favorite musical genre was new wave until she went to her first rave party and discovered the world of electronic dance music. Bloody Mary held a monthly residency at Studio88 (Aix en Pce).
Her subsequent move to Berlin in 2005 took her career to an international level. Having already focused on her Djing abilities, she set up her studio in 2006 to make tracks that will go along the lines of her favorite label! This led to her debut release, “Apparence” on Sender Records. Bloody Mary released her debut full-length “Black Pearl” in 2009, also the first artist album to appear on the label Contexterrior in its seven-year history.
The album revealed a wider picture of her personality to the public, filled with emotion, and it was her best experience so far as a producer! She and the label also released three vinyl EPs corresponding to the album, including remixes by Jay Haze, Sasche Funke, Shonky. After building up a successful DJ and production career, what’s a girl to do next? For Bloody Mary, the next logical step is to launch her own record label in 2010.
Dame-Music is a hub for tracks from talent she has befriended over the years in the worldwide techno/house scene. The major success of ” Spinning Around ” on her ”Arabesque Ep” (Dame-Music 004) out in november 2010 feat Eyke , played on the biggest German radios, has been a kick for Mary .
Leading to her first steps at the the notorious ”Panoramabar” (Berlin) her entry to the ”Wilde Agency” roster. In the end of 2012, she started a new project “ The Jaydes”. The Jaydes are based in Berlin and are compromised of two friends and studio partners – Bloody Mary & Attan. Their first remix of Anaxander’s EP “7 Ways“ on Dame-Music was a good introduction to their album, and now “Step On Light“ (Dame-Music 022) is a hint on what is forthcoming. The album “The Jaydes”, due in February 2014 will include nine tracks and some serious featuring artists. Their Live Act uses analog studio machines as their production.
Hector Couto
Hector Couto has created his very own trademark production sound, the perfect amalgam between honest Chicago House and impetuous old-school techno: sublime tech-house at the whim of the listener.
Hector’s style slots seamlessly into a space between driving groove, effusive funk full of feeling and moments of pure emotion that flow not only from his creativity and extensive rhetorical sound, but also from his technique and the varied resources used in the production studio.
This has led him to be nominated for the Vicious Music Awards for Best Artist of the Year in 2013, and get 54th position on the Resident Advisor Top 100 all-time charted artists.
For Hector, this has also been an important year in the study, more than 20 productions, remixes and EPs on labels like Hot Creations, Get Physical, B Pitch Control, Noir Music, and OFF Recordings, to name a few.
As creative mind always in motion, this 2014 Hector has conceived a new label, ROUSH, dedicated to expose his most personal and passionate musical side.
ROUSH will feature artists like Hector Moralez, Julien Sandre, Raffa FL, Jamie Trench, among many others.
Giusy Consoli
Giusy Consoli is an eclectic character imposed itself in the clubbing scene of trends between the late nineties and the beginning of the next decade ” after years of endless nights dancing in the street disk as an attraction out of order ,” and after a run in Modena beauty salon.
In 1994 she approached the clubbing environment as an animator and image of the discos Villa delle Rose, local Misano Adriatico, cocorico , echoes close to Riccione in the first half of the ’90s. Back in 1994 Giusy Consoli is considered “one of the most famous characters that drives the hot night clubs in Riccione , Bologna and Reggio Emilia in Italy the whole , the same time that had proved successful actress starring in the film playing the character of Valeria Father and son in Pozzessere Pasquale (1994).
In 1995, inventor , along with his friend Julian Bavutti , of what will become one of the most well-known and discussed teadance Italy: Les Folies de Pigalle in Reggio Emilia.
A few years later embarks with unique susceptibility even musical journey , becoming in fact one of the resident DJ of the event and starting to play as a guest in other clubs of primary importance and estreo barcelona ibiza miami dubai etc. .. ” , and now in June 2010 created his important evening and is the only creator that is called G PARTY FOLIES
Since 2002 he produces music for the label Sound Division , Diva Records , folies record.
PAST EVENTS
Paul Ritch
Paul Ritch’s productions and performances, characterised by his powerful and harmonic techno with a touch of pure emotive soul, represent his true signature sound – the one that has projected him to global recognition.
In 2007, Paul Ritch took the techno scene by storm both on stage and as a producer. Ever since, Paul has been defined by his passionate musical rhetoric, projected in releases for labels like Drumcode, Sci+Tech, Saved, Cocoon Recordings, Soma Records and Bpitch Control, among many others, and remixes to classic tracks such as Ondu, Positive Education,Tropical Melons, Remainings III, Magic K, The Test and I’m Burning Inside. References that have led him to be included among Resident Advisor’s all-time Top 100 charted artists.
In 2008, Paul brought to life his own imprint, Quartz Rec, conceived as a platform of artistic expression for showcasing cutting-edge techno sounds and a broad vision of electronic music. With its first release, “Split EP Part 1” (Paul Ritch, 2008), the label held a top 2 position on Beatport´s Techno chart. And following hot on the heels of its fifth birthday, Quartz Rec has already published original tracks and remixes from Okain, Paco Osuna, Nic Fanciulli, Thomas Muller, Barem, Carlo Lio, Dubfire, 2000 and One and Anton Pieete.
While his label Quartz Rec is well on the way to earning a very important place on the techno scene, Paul has recently created a new project called “All Jacks”, a vinyl-only label with a special vibe for jacking beats.
Ritch’s musical delirium and his creativity on stage are two of his unique trademarks and these have been witnessed in his live performances on four continents including clubs such as Amnesia, Space and Pacha in Ibiza, Fabric and Egg Club in London, Womb and Circus in Tokyo, Berghain and Watergate in Berlin, Goa in Rome and Madrid, Rex Club in Paris, among many others.
He has also performed at festivals including Time Warp (Holland and Germany), Monegros (Spain), Awakenings, Voltt Open Air and ADE (Holland), SW4 (UK), Neo Pop Festival (Portugal), Amore Festival (Italy), BPM (Mexico) and WMC (Miami).
2013 was a year in which Paul continued to excel and reinvent himself with his very own musical mindset, and without a doubt, 2014 will be transcendental for Ritch as he looks to keep growing and achieve even greater goals.
Luca Agnelli
Luca Agnelli, from Tuscany (Italy), dj, producer and remixer in constant evolution, is always looking for new targets and more challenges, experimenting uncommon paths and inventing innovative languages.
Eclectic, creative, curious and involving, Luca has a unique style which transmits passion and adrenaline, dreams and emotions.
He doesn’t classify his sound within precise boundaries, but it’s quite easy to perceive strong house roots with contemporary techno and deep inflections.
He has played in many important clubs around Europe like Cocoricò (Riccione), Magazzini Generali (Milano), Cocoon (Frankfurt), Guendalina (Lecce), Boothaus (Koln), Cavo Paradiso (Mykonos), Rashomon (Roma), Amnesia (Ibiza), Angels of Love (Napoli), Penelope (Madrid), Marabù (Taormina), Egg (London), Cromie (Taranto), Gazgolder (Moscow), Mad (Losanne) and many others.
Luca is the founder of Etruria Beat records managed with Marco Faraone, the label has released a lot of international producer like tBrett Johnson, Jay Haze, tINI, Martinez, Locked Groove, Federico Molinari, Dana Ruh, dj Wild, Gel Abril, Tennis, Oliver Deutchman, Re.You, Pirupa, Yaya, Arnaud Le Texier Dan Drastic, and more.
He has released music for some important labels like Desolat, Safari, Truesoul, Get Physical, Be as One, Four Twenty, Catwash, MBF, Dirty Bird, Rebirth, Moan, Laterra beyond of course for his Etruria beat.
PAST EVENTS
