wAFF
Over the last two years wAFF has become one of the most engaging artists on the international circuit joining the ever popular and influential Hot Creations / Paradise family, several highly commended releases and a residency with Jamie Jones’s ‘already under his belt. As the future offers up a whole world of opportunity, he’s putting his all into creating music of the highest quality, built to unite and excite in equal amounts. He started out in North Yorkshire with no connection to the global night world apart from an unquenchable passion for music. But he listened. He worked. And now he’s right in the frame.
wAFF has a single, ‘Vibrationz’, forthcoming on Adam Beyer’s Drumcode label. His Paradise DC-10 residency is the hottest tip for Ibiza 2015. He’s responsible for red hot tunes such as ‘Freaks’ for Sven Väth’s Cocoon imprint, and the supremely funky ‘Break A Sweat’, co-written with Spanish don Cuartero for the Leipzig label Moon Harbour (the Patrick Topping mix is also excellent). His music has been getting the nod from Sven Väth, Adam Beyer, Loco Dice, Joseph Capriati, Marco Carola and dozens more. He’s even been asked to collaborate with Masters At Work. Not bad going. And that’s not all. Other wAFF collaborations in the works include Eats Everything, Patrick Topping, Cuartero and Argy, as well as remixes for Groove Armada (‘Final Shakedown’), Fur Coat (‘There’s No Time’), Hot Since 82 (‘Plane and Trains’), and Mike Gill featuring Robert Owens (‘In The Midst’).
wAFF grew up in Hull and got into dance music via the happy hardcore of the ‘Bonkers’ compilations. He then moved sideways into indie, during the minimal boom of 2003-04 he found a style of dance music that truly drew him in, the stripped down pulse of producers such as Troy Pierce, Audion and Minilogue. After this he threw himself into it. His Koala parties achieved success in Hull and Leeds, becoming genuine roots down rave sensations, done for love. He also spent three seasons is Ibiza, dancing all night, sucking up the music, figuring out what worked, distilling it all into his own music.
A former dancer and actor, self-expression has always come naturally to wAFF. Music became another extension of his creative output around 10 years ago when he began to flirt with production. He quickly became obsessed with making music but remained staunch in his belief that he would only release music if he thought it was going to make a big impact. So for several years he toiled away, inspired by visits to Ibiza, the early years of DC10; DJs like Marco Carola, Tania Volcano, Loco Dice and Luciano all feeding into his pool of inspiration. Along the way friends tried to encourage him to release the music he was making immediately, but he sat tight, adamant that he would wait until he’d struck gold. He now has an affinity with his studio that sees him making music for many of his waking hours.
A chance meeting with Richy Ahmed in Ibiza set the wheels in motion and, when the track was ready, he sent it to the Hot Creations A&R. It was snapped up immediately and the track left a trail of devastation in its wake, championed by the bossman Jamie Jones of course, and played by everyone from Sven Vath to Cajmere.
As you might be able to tell from the labels that he’s releasing with wAFF is operating within the house and techno sphere, keeping it tough yet emotive, captivating the dancefloor and creating a deep, absorbing narrative with each track. Current inspirations include Ben Klock, Marcel Fengler, Fred P, Marcel Dettman & Oliver Deutchmann, masters in the art of combining rugged beats with deep, heartfelt melodies.
wAFF is a gifted young man, exuding energy from deep within. He applies this gift to his music, promoting positive vibes and connectivity through his music. He’s proven time and again that he transmit powerful frequencies that captivate and transfix audiences around the globe.
This has turned out to be a fine thing for dancefloors across the world. For those who want the human throb of house tethered to the punchy, driving power of techno, wAFF is now the name.
wAFF’s aim is simple; to make a difference to the world through the transmission of energy through music, judging by his progress so far, he’s bound to achieve that righteous goal… and the positive beats keep rolling.
PAST EVENTS
Luca Ballerini
Italian Underground Dj & Producer, Vinyl Collector and Analogue Machines Blacksmith. In Vinyl Veritas.
PAST EVENTS
Julian Perez
Julian Perez developed a love for electronic music since the early 90’s heavily influenced by the music coming out of Detroit, Chicago and UK. These sounds gave him a new direction where he has spent the last 2 decades educating his ear and refining his approach to djing.
After releasing on a handful of the current and relevant labels since 2010 before long it became clear that the next logical step was to launch his very own label ‘Fathers & Sons Productions’, a strictly vinyl-only label. This provided Julian a platform to push his sound worldwide and within a short of period time, the label gained international exposure with the likes of the most respected artist on the scene. Showing full support in the clubs by playing his productions on his own label and in others such as Cocoon Recordings.
To date every release has sold out in the first week of sales testiment to Julian’s fine taste in House & Techno production as well as having a good ear for spoting new and interesting artists.
With the label expanding in 2013, Julian is now in demand in his own right, with notable gigs and label showcase events in festivals such as ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event), Sonar (Barcelona), Kazantip (Ukraine), BPM (Mexico) and Miami WMC (Winter Music Conference). Dates in Russia, Japan, USA, UK and the rest of Europe as well as essential clubs like Rex in Paris and Robert Johnson in Germany showing not only him as a label boss, but as an independent artist.
The best way to get to know and enjoy Julian is to listen to him in his own world behind the decks.
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.
Dubfire
“I try to apply a punk ethic to my own music…it has to be groundbreaking, futuristic, unique, and organic.”
Grammy Award-winning recording artist Dubfire is renowned for his innovative DJ sets, revolutionary music, and much-lauded SCI+TEC label. Widely recognized as one of electronic music’s most versatile artists, Dubfire initially brought a pioneering sound to the masses during his days as one-half of the distinguished DJ & production duo Deep Dish, which led to a catalog of timeless dance classics and numerous international awards to their credit.
Dubfire has always been a risk taker, and his decision to go solo in 2006 at the height
of Deep Dish’s success was a precarious one. But staying true to his convictions,
he created a visionary new style of “techno” that defied genres, crossing over into the hearts, minds and performances of the world’s leading tastemakers. The cadence of his early solo productions came in the form of a relentless string of releases, including “RibCage, “Roadkill, and “Emissions,” collaborations with Underworld and Oliver Huntemann, and the now-classic remix of Radio Slave’s ”Grindhouse” to name just a few. He has shown no signs of slowing the pace, with a host of originals, remixes and collaborations that have subsequently been released to great fanfare.
After more than 23 years behind the decks and in the studio, with deep roots in the genesis of electronic music, Dubfire continues to evolve in new ways that have helped shape the industry.
PAST EVENTS
Ilario Alicante
Born in late 1988 under the beautiful Livorno’s sun (italy), the “enfant prodige” Ilario Alicante starts to raise is passion for music at the earliest years of his life,when his mother educated him to listen music for his own pleasure.
Time goes by and Ilario takes his first steps into italian nightlife and dj world,first with some average media,experimenting D.I.Y. mixes within the four walls of his own “epic” room and then digging a personal sound style until he gained the resident-title at “Pachamama Club” (in Pisa).
From this springboard he started hangin around the best italian,german and spanish clubs,finally landing into Cocoon’s family,falling in love at first “sight” with house music and her thousand shades,waving from latino-ispanic from a minimal-electro sound.
At this point he devoted his production style only to these rhytms,also if his dj-sets are stuck to the quest of something special everytime.
Hardly inspired from artists such as Hawtin,Marco Carola,Villalobos and Luciano. The great bunch of Ilario’s production are really estimated inside the international dj-system claque.
“Vacaciones en Chile” directly throws Ilario into the house music business,defining his supernatural talent with “Living Near Africa” (Cecille).
Playing also in 2008 at Rotterdam’s Time Warp as the youngest act of ever,now he’s unexhaustedly performing just in the best world clubs,under the flag of Sven Vath’s Cocoon family and Deep Moves Rec.,his own record label.
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.
