Robert James
Robert James has made a big impact in a short time. First surfacing amidst a new wave of house talent on Lee Foss and Jamie Jones’ label du jour, Hot Creations, he has gone on to take his infectious dancefloor sound to all corners of the globe as well as labels like LA based Culprit, Jef K’s Silver Network and the legendary Strictly Rhythm.
It was hearing Andy Weatherall at Sankeys in 2005, however, which inspired Robert to leave the army and focus on music full time: Since then he’s laid out his own nu-school sonic template with releases like “Sleep Moods”, “Malibu” (alongside Burnski) and “Big Ass Biscuit” (as Pteradactil Disco with Jamie, Lee and Fb Julian) begin championed by international spinners and respected music press alike.
“My style is all about the groove” says Robert. “I play house and techno, but always with groove.” He’s not wrong, and channelling that groove – as well as other influences like various fabric CDs, Radio 1 Essential Mixes and the work of French funksters Daft Punk, Robert has gone on to remix Hot Creations duo Clockworks, play Sonar in Barcelona, DEMF in USA and Hideout in Croatia.
If last year was the year Robert James broke through, 2012 is the year he establishes himself as an essential talent: there are remixes and solo productions coming on Saved (plus a collaboration with Simon Baker on the same label) as well as a return to his favoured Hot Creations labels for another solo EP and plenty more in the pipeline. He Also this summer starts his summer residency at Dc10 for Jamie Jone’s Paradise night on thursdays. With dates at Circoloco, Trouw Amsterdam, Panorama Bar Berlin and US tours. 2012 is going to be a another good year for Robert James.
Paul Woolford
Through his work as Dj, Producer, Dancefloor experimentalist, Remixer, Collaborator and label owner, Paul Woolford has succeeded in bringing a rare level of artistry to the world of modern dance music and in doing so, made an enduring global impact. His name is synonymous with high-quality. Early 2010 will see Woolford push his creativity even further with a with Renaissance Platform double CD release cultivated from a large amount of the finest quality original material from right across the house & techno spectrum, some brand-new material solely produced for this release, exclusive re-edits, exclusive takes on Woolford remixes and all lovingly crafted, spliced & diced using modern technology to deliver a product that blurs the lines between mix compilation & artist album, retaining the excitement, advent and movement of the former, and holding the attention the way the best artist albums do.
As 2010 begins, the projects through Woolford’s Intimacy studio in 2009 alone include Depeche Mode (the single “Hole To Feed” released December 7th on Mute), Simian Mobile Disco featuring Jamie Lidell (“Off The Map” forthcoming 2010), Morgan Geist “The Shore” for Environ (for which Beatportal awarded a ‘Bomb Alert’ and DJ Mag included in their ‘Killers’), remixes on the Ewan Pearson-produced band Delphic for R&S, The Juan Maclean “Happy House” for New York’s DFA, DJ Hell feat P.Diddy “The DJ” for Gigolo in Berlin, and Chelonis R. Jones “The Cockpit” for Systematic, also in Germany. On top of these remixes, there has been a fierce release schedule for Woolford’s own singles on his Intimacy imprint which began in April with “Pandemonium”, followed in May with “Timebomb” and continued into Autumn with the “False Prophet EP”. These tracks sparked feverish dj reactions from the global elite of house & techno including the likes of In the cannon for early 2010 is a Renaissance Double CD Compilation consisting of many exclusive tracks, re-edits and remixes and brand new Bobby Peru material to include James Zabiela’s re-working of “Knives” as well as a series of singles for Intimacy and other cutting-edge European labels. Aside from these projects, Woolford has worked on production and remixes for the Mercury Music Prize-nominated act Maps for Mute Records, and is also working with the band Delphic in various capacities, having sequenced their Minimix for Annie Mac’s Radio 1 show. The quality of each of these projects speaks for itself.
Initially inspired by the constant throb of the radio throughout his childhood, the seeds of his future direction were sewn by the time a record-collecting addiction kicked in properly during his teenage years. This insatiable appetite for musical stimulation has driven Woolford to explore far beyond the cutting- edge house and techno that is his stock-in-trade, and led him down more experimental paths, embracing aspects of improvised jazz through his collaborative work with Paul Hession, and taking huge inspiration from the modern composition of Steve Reich. All this is distilled within the techno dynamic that Woolford has made second-nature.
Paul Woolford tours the world constantly as a guest dj of the finest clubs and festivals, and in keeping with this made his peak-time saturday night debut at Spain’s esteemed Benicassim in summer 2009 and also at Glastonbury. Both shows are more famed for their rock acts and it’s testament to Woolford’s wide-range and inclusive values that he is as much a viable option to these events as he is to a 500 capacity underground sweatbox such as D-Edge in Sao Paolo. Other events have included Warung in Santa Catarina, Womb in Tokyo, Goa in Madrid, Panaramabar in Berlin, Il Muretto in Venice where he held a 6-week summer residency, Chicago’s Smartbar, Paris’ The Mix, Manchester’s Sankeys & The Electric Chair, Buenos Aires and Sao Paolo’s Pacha, Riccione’s Cocorico, Dusseldorf’s Tribehouse, LA’s Avalon, Las Vegas’ Jet, Milan’s Amnesia, Zurich’s Q Club, a career-defining performance in 2007 at Serbia’s Exit Festival, Buenos Aires’ Creamfields event twice, Global Gathering, The Glade Festival, Glastonbury ) and has a frequently exhausting schedule that runs into overdrive in the summer when his main weekly residency at WeLoveSpace on Sundays in Ibiza starts. He was awarded ‘Best Newcomer’ in Ibiza’s DJ Awards in 2006 and nominated for one of DJ Magazine’s ‘Best Of British’ Awards in 2007. In addition to this, he now holds a monthly UK residency at Matter London at which he can approach things in a different manner more appropriate for this worldwide hub of dance music.
It is with this highly personal and chameleon-like ability that Woolford makes his mark, creating bespoke re-edits built purposefully for each environment, ensuring that you KNOW it is Woolford and Woolford-only in the booth when you hear them.
Many know Paul Woolford’s name through the 2005 slow-burning hit “Erotic Discourse”, released on 2020 Vision, the Leeds label with which he made his name initially. The success of this proved he has the ability to create a genre-defining sound and led to sales of over 15,000, capturing the imagination of DJs across the board from The Chemical Brothers, Richie Hawtin and DJ Hell to Francois Kevorkian, Laurent Garnier, Trevor Jackson and Erol Alkan. It was Erol Alkan that described the track as “a modern day psyche record” and the track became a classic, spawning a legion of copyists intent on imitating the studio technique at the heart of the track. Rather than replicate himself with a swiftly produced facsimile of the track as many and most djs and producers do, Woolford sharply turned left and his next 3 releases were EPs of detroit-inspired techno and deep house for UK stalwart NRK. The tracks ‘313’, ‘Sealed In Amber’ and ‘Demons’ proved to be amongst Woolford’s best work, and perfectly encapsulated that mood of integrity, rather than cashing on the previous success of ‘Erotic Discourse’. Since this time Woolford has given birth to his Intimacy label which is now his first home to explore the myriad of different facets from across the house and techno divide, occasionally dipping into heavy experimentalism as with the collaboration with world-class free-jazz drummer Paul Hession on ‘Vanguard’, and also releasing the work of other artists such as Jet Project and Mat Playford. Intimacy is set to step up a gear in 2010.
Magazine Covers have included DJ Mag August 2006 (with Nic Fanciulli), One Week To Live October 2006, IDJ in January 2008 with a photo shoot from Tate Modern’s Doris Salcedo installation “Shibboleth” (after a personal email from Woolford, Salcedo gave her express permission) and an exhaustive 5 page feature to mark the release of his “The Truth” album on 2020 Vision.
Irrespective of your position on the dancefloor or listening at home, Paul Woolford’s tropes and idiosyncrasies are unmistakable and he has become a force to be reckoned with in modern dance music.
Audiojack
Audiojack are the Leeds based DJs, producers and label owners making big waves in recent years with original productions and remixes for labels such as 20:20 Vision, Leftroom, Get Physical, BPitch Control, OFF, Exploited, Diynamic and their own rapidly expanding Gruuv imprint.
Whilst it was their robotic techno sound that filled the dance floors in their early years, it is their current deeper and housier style which has reaffirmed their ability to produce groovy underground music across the genres whilst maintaining their own strong signature sound.
Exemplified by releases such as their ‘Get Serious’ EP for Ralph Lawson’s ever on-point 20:20 Vision Recordings, the respected pair have been charted and supported by DJs as diverse as Pete Tong, Erol Alkan, Seth Troxler, Sven Vath, Steve Bug, Sasha, DJ Hell, Maceo Plex and Laurent Garnier.
Now an integral part of the electronic music scene, Audiojack are equally captivating DJs. Their tightly woven, deep digging sets have seen them booked to play everywhere from Space (Ibiza) to fabric (London), Watergate (Berlin) to Zouk (Singapore), D-Edge (Sao Paulo) to Circo Loco (Sydney).
Audiojack apply a firm focus on quality over quantity with their productions and this same idealism is channelled through their label Gruuv, which has to date seen original music from the likes of Tiger Stripes, NTFO, Uner, Chris James and more with remixes from Catz n Dogz, Jimmy Edgar, Mendo, H.O.S.H. and Gorge to name but a few.
As we look to the future, appetite whetting highlights include vocal collaborations with Stee Downes and Nancy Wang (LCD Soundsystem), the long awaited release of their hugely supported Plastic Dreams remake, new original EPs on 2020Vision and Gruuv and their much anticipated live show, sure to be as individual and forward thinking as everything else this twosome set their mind to.
Ralf
Antonio Ferrari, aka DJ Ralf, classe ’57 è un’ icona del night clubbing dal 1987.
Il suo percorso formativo si basa su due momenti decisivi. Proviene dallo spaccato della musica rock e nei primi anni 80 occupò la consolle di locali alternativi nella città di Perugia quali “Lacugnana”,Story Teller e“Norman e il Presidente”.
Una tipologia di Club innovativi all’interno dei quali Dj Ralf poté esprimere i propri gusti agendo in piena libertà nel mixare generi musicali diversi tra loro e uscendo dai rigidi stilemi dell’epoca.
Questo fu il primo step rilevante nella sua formazione artistico-musicale, vissuto nel capoluogo umbro che in quel momento storico era in pieno fermento rappresentando un punto di riferimento culturale e musicale nel panorama nazionale grazie anche all’intensa vita universitaria e notturna.
Nel 1987 Antonio Ferrari decise di intraprendere un viaggio nella “Grande Mela” metropoli di riferimento nel mondo per la moda, la musica e l’arte.
La New York di quel periodo investì il globo con una nuova tendenza: l’House Music. Questo è stato il secondo momento decisivo della vita musicale del funambolo Dj Ralf, che inebriato da questa tendenza musicale ne fece il suo vessillo adattandola al proprio stile. Fu in quel periodo che,con due soci,diede vita ad Ultra Violet,che fu uno dei primy parties italiani totalmente incentrati sulla house music
Molti i locali nei quali ha lavorato in Italia e nel mondo.
Per ricordarne alcuni: Cocoricò dove tuttora è resident, Adrenaline, Alterego, Area City, Divinae Follie, Echoes , Ethos Mama, Fluid, Goa, Guendalina, Hollywood (serata Pervert), Maffia, Matis, Mazoom, Metropolis, Magazzini Generali, The Bank, Muretto, Pervert, Pleigine, Red Zone, Tenax , Kama Kama, Villa delle Rose, Pacha, Amnesia, Privilege e Space di Ibiza, Cavo Paradiso di Mykonos, Crobar di Miami in occasione della Winter Music Conference, Ministry of Sound di Londra, Roxy di Amsterdam, Space di Ibiza, Vertigo di Londra, Drop Honk Kong, Drop Shangai, Bar Room di Miami, Club Liquid…e molti altri.
Ha scritto per moltissimi anni una rubrica tutta sua chiamata “Touch and Go” per la rivista Discoid dove nel recensire i dischi, esprimeva le sue opinioni e raccontava le sue avventure personali e non…
Per Ralf la musica eleva lo spirito e libera la tensione nervosa diventando una esigenza ineluttabile del nostro quotidiano.
Possiamo trovare articoli che parlano di lui su: Dj Mag; Rolling Stone, Il Mucchio Selvaggio, Playboy, Time Out,GQ,Vanity Fair,Vogue per citarne alcuni.
Nel 2006 da vita alla sua etichetta discografica LATERRA RECORDINGS.
La prima release I’VE DONE IT scritta, composta e prodotta dallo stesso Ralf insieme all’amico oltre che stimato dj e produttore Alex Neri.
Le altre release sono KRADDA di Ricky Montanari & Lele Pasini ; TUNGUSKA / TOYS di Federico Locchi & Frankie Watch ; LU RAGNO_IMPOVERITO di Dario Lotti & Guido Nemola “electropizzica” Remix ( opera di Cesare dell’ Anna ) con incluso il remix dei Pastaboys; ETRURIA di Luca Agnelli; DJ SOSSA PJ di Sossa e Marco Scocchi; COLOMBA / MARCA LA RUTA di Sossa, Scocchi e Adicto Sound ; LAZY & SLOW / FUTURA IS BACK di Carlo Carità.
Nell’estate del 2007 ha presentato, dal 10 luglio all’11 settembre, al Privilege di Ibiza il suo party , “Alma”, di cui ha curato personalmente l’ identita’ musicale e in cui si è esibito insieme a djs del calibro internazionale quali Steve Bug, Timo Maas, Mathew Johnson, Ellen Allien e molti altri.
Dopo un periodo di sosta Laterra Recordings continua la sua ascesa con altre interessanti release :
Obesaic di Sossa; Lelle e Mentiras di Federico Locchi e gli Uglh, un vero successo; Le Pale , In Barca di Alfredo Hp; Simpatheia Ep di Pizeta; Come on and get it di Memoryman aka Uovo e Sairlè e Dodudo di Luca Albano e Zimon.
Nel Giugno 2010 e 2011 durante uno dei festival di musica elettronica più importanti del mondo il Sonar di Barcellona organizza presso l’ Hotel Omm di Barcellona, insieme al altre labels italiane di rilevante importanza, lo showcase Who Is In Who Is Out.
Ralf nel frattempo oltre ad essere impegnato a 360° con le serate in giro per l’Italia e l’Europa decide di organizzare due domeniche al mese la sua festa,Bellaciao nella sua città Perugia…..……
Da ormai tre inverni un successo in fatto di musica e divertimento
Bellaciao è oramai diventato un appuntamento fisso, che attira gente non solo dall’Umbria ma dall’Italia intera. Bellaciao manda il lunedi Perugino in uno stato di oblio. La serata esce dai soliti schemi delle serate tradizionali: non esistono pr, non ci sono vocalist e i djs sono tutti rigorosamente italiani, emergenti e non, selezionati personalmente dallo stesso Ralf.
PAST EVENTS
Thomas Muller
I grew up in the 9th district of Paris in Pigalle. There I got in touch early with the dazzling nightlife scene around my neighborhood. But let us start in the beginning…
In the 1996s I listened to a lot of Hip Hop. Especially the New York stuff like Wu-Tang Clan, A Tribe Called Quest and stuff like that as well as OutKast. In 1997 when I was just fifteen the Prodigy album „Fat of the Land“ with their hit „Smack My Bitch Up“ was released. I listened to it three years later…like to almost everything. There are many albums I discovered which came out just a little bit too early for me.
„Consumed“ Plastikman changed my mind. Since then I listened to every single piece of electronic music. Pole 1,2,3, Alexander Kowalski, Squarepusher, Josh Wink, Jeff Mills, Laurent Garnier and many more. There is a big mess of artist names on my Myspace site that influenced me. Still, I have kept the “Sense of Silence Concept” from Plastikman for many years in my deck.
I think my deepest influences come from the period of 1999 to 2004. Like Mr. Oizo’s “Analog Worms Attack” in 1999.
In the summer of 2001 I experience my first club scene shock. I started using programs like Propellerhead and Ableton 2 and the Korg er1 drum machine. This was the second big change in my mind. In 2002 I decided to go to Ibiza with some friends and I discovered the happy punch techno of Carl Cox and the worldwide hugest smoke machine. During the same time I started to listen to Drum’n Bass music. Mainly to Roni Size. I like Dum’n Bass because it mixes my taste of HipHop together with Techno. I still listen to it from time to time.
Finally in 2003 I decided to seriously produce music. I started off with two close friends of mine: Okain and Paul Ritch. In 2005/2006 I became a sound engineer and on the 30th June of 2006 we were at the legendary “dimuschi” party in Paris. Live with my friends Okain and Paul Ritch.
In May 2007 I moved to Berlin. Ich bin ein Berliner. From there on it was only a short time till the 18th of February 2008 when I became an official BPitch Control artist with signing my exclusive contract and releasing my first EP „Ride On“. Now I am on the road!!!
Andrea Arcangeli
As innovative as the technologies he uses, in love wit h experiment ing and having never enough of it , Arcangeli is a dj, a producer, an artist. The dj booth is his hyper technological laboratory where he, as some sort of cyber-alchemist manipulates sounds, mixing originality, rhythm and improvisation and transferring to the dance floor the million possibilities that the latest arrangement softwares offer: new and stunning melodies that are enriched by vibrant and hypnotic effects. Inspired by the liberating seduction of the house from the 80’s, Arcangeli starts his career as a dj together with Sandro Russo founding M.A.S. Collective.
DJ Rame
Experimenter and lover of afro-American tradition, dj Rame represents the perfect synthesis between technological approach and sentimental aspect, a dualism that permitted him to leave a deep impression in the magic world of international dance.
After starting off in the most famous Italian clubs, Rame also exploded abroad, starting to invade the dance floors in England, Germany, Switzerland, and Spain with his own mixes until the triumphal Asian tour with the partnership of the famous British magazine “Dj Magazine”.
Since the beginning of the 90’s, the partnership with Dino Angioletti and Uovo in the Pasta Boys crew, has become an absolute status of cult, thanks to important productions such as Soul Heaven, Tribute, The Inspiration, Let the Sunshine and Welcome To My House, and various remixes and important collaborations with superstars such as Osunlade, Wunmi and Masters At Work.
Included in the 100 best deejay’s in the world, Rame is actually protagonist in all the best clubs of the peninsula – Mazoom, Maffia, Fluid, Cocoricò, Muretto, Red Zone, Kama Kama, Echoes, Folies De Pigalle, and realises completely his universal sound in the monthly session at Kinki Club in Bologna.
Now considered the creative lab for the development of numerous international experiences. In his latest personal releases, we underline the new mix for Manocalda named The Glow, a further step towards the future of club culture.
Carola Pisaturo
As a product of both Rome and Naples, Carola Pisaturo inherited the incredible liveliness that the two of these amazing cities are known for. Both spontaneous and sensual, her passion for music is true devotion — a uniquely Italian mix that lies halfway between spirituality and sensuality.
But there is not only music in Carola’s life. Like all those who have grown up surrounded by beauty, Carola also has a solemn passion for art and culture. Which has led to things like her collaboration with Nike (developing both music and visuals for their 2009 Spring-Summer collection) Smart, her participation in the prestigious Red Bull Academy, the collaboration with PS1 – MOMA of New York and her tutoring role towards young artists (whose works are used as covers for her label releases).
In addition, Carola founded and manages Claque Musique (together with its digital version Claque Extra), that publishes both young producers and big names (such as the chameleonic wunderkind Jay Haze), not to mention some of Carola’s own productions and the collaboration with Massimo Di Lena under the moniker of Vegas Gas. The distinctive sound of the label mirrors that of Carola’s own sets — a fluid mix of house, funk and techno with a genuinely Mediterranean vibe and attitude.
PAST EVENTS
Gavin Herlihy
Gavin Herlihy’s music has been a constant feature on underground house and techno’s most iconic labels since 2006. After starting this year with a bang with releases on esteemed labels Culprit, Crosstown Rebels, Get Physical and Leftroom his discography is backed up by previous outings on scene leaders like Cocoon and Buzzin Fly. As comfortable writing sublime deep house as he is at crafting no-nonsense future techno, few artists have achieved such a broad base of label support as this enigmatic Irishman.
Now based in the UK’s capital of house music, Leeds, Herlihy (pronounced Herl-i-hee) is an established feature on the global DJ circuit. He earned his place thanks to a two year stint learning his trade as an up-and-coming producer in Berlin at the end of the 2000s where he notched up gigs at the Panorama Bar, Watergate and Bar 25. In the last year his tracks have been championed by a diverse array of DJs from Seth Troxler and Ricardo Villalobos to Jamie Jones and Pete Tong. A split EP with Detroit legend Delano Smith last Summer was supported by the house and techno elite. Deep and dark bomb ‘With Me’ added fire to his ever evolving relationship with hot UK label, Leftroom while in February 2012 his Witching Hour single on Crosstown Rebel scored a Top Ten chart placing in Beatport’s Deep House Top Ten. It was closely followed by another bomb EP lead track ‘Get Loose’ which became a worldwide house anthem championed by many including Pete Tong on his Radio 1 show and iTunes in their featured tracks section.
It’s a long way from his debut single ‘Machine Ate My Homework’ in 2006, hailed by DJ Hell and Laurent Garnier as one of the tracks of the year. However, his roots in dance music lie much deeper than that. Herlihy’s teenage years were spent lost in the experimental rock of bands like Sonic Youth, Rage Against The Machine and Fugazi before uncovering electronic music during an eye opening festival pilgrimage to England at the tender age of 14. During this pivotal trip he remembers in particular hearing early drum ’n’ bass on a north London pirate radio station. “It sounded like the future being beamed down the radio waves,” he says. “And I’ve been chasing it ever since.”
The coming months will find Herlihy building on the success of his releases in 2012. With forthcoming music squared away for some of the scene’s most talked about labels, plans for his own vinyl only label in the making and his move last year to London super-agency Air London adding extra fire to his bookings, his star is set to shine even brighter than ever.
