it has not gone by unnoticed that, over the last five years, the rhein main area has become a decisive nucleus for innovative, powerful and modern house music. one who is not entirely innocent of this is mannheim-based dj, producer and label head nick curly, whose imprints 8 bit and cécille records are guarantees for standard-setting electronic dance music. since his cocoon debut pujante (2009) and especially since the party animals cocoon ibiza summer mix 2010, he is a frequent and welcome guest at cocoons. the three tracks of his sun city ep are an impressive proof for curlys maturation process: with a clear orientation towards the needs of the dancefloor, he exploits the sound potential of compressed house textures. the title track captivates the listener with a subsonically perfected bass line and a discoid hi-nrg modulation, forming a deluxe prime time anthem, whereas the dense and dub-referring deepness of green baize is enchanting just everybody, and, for the final, liberos rich percussive rhythms are strongly stressing the pelvic thrust. so, virtually nothing can go wrong with nicks world tour between ibiza, moscow, manchester and nyc!

limited to 500 copies!!!! hardly any other german music producer is so involved in the powerful development of elektro, techno house and noise pop over the last six years as almost 30-year-old alex ridha from berlin. with highly acclaimed releases on international deejay gigolos, turbo and last not least his own label boys noize records

already played by sven väth, seth troxler. joris voorn, tiefschwarz, reboot... the london resident ross evana already excelled as dj at pacha nyc, at ministry of sound london or in the we love space series in ibiza. his track >thrilla in manila< first takes its time to build up before it sets a tremendously powerful exclamation mark on the dancefloor with its tropical-hypnotic percussions. with its second track, the ninth edition of cocoons 10 inch -series leads us to the land of the midnight sun. the two stockholm-born cousins alex caytas and aleks patz have started their musical collaboration only in 2007 but can already look back on a hand full of very good produced releases for the stuttgart-based label parquet recordings and the italian label caremella, as well as on remixes for martin dawson/king roc and voltique. >blue sea< shows the duos affinity to the energetic deep house techno of the nineties: with its organ sound, blues vocals and a highly infectous bass line, this track could almost pass as a modern and uncluttered version of st. germain, being predestined for warm summer nights. this is how techno sounds in 2011.

25-year-old tim green from the south of england is well-known to the attentive observer of the electronic dance music scene: besides releases on get physical, trapez and four:twenty recordings, he also gained a lot of attention with his contributions to the third cocoon 10 inch vinyl (lone rider) and the cocoon compilation i (exercise). on his debut ep, green presents the whole stylistic bandwidth that modern floorfillers can have. for almost ten minutes, >lemon< oscillates between a full frontal percussion assault, fragmented deep house vocals and detroit-influenced harmonies, consequently setting the signs to >summer<. the first track on the flipside, >jimmy rave up<, is a dark and pushing runner that impressively proves greens wealth of variants once again. the trio is completed by >dodjo<, a track that forms a more than pleasing intersection between tropic calypso sounds and machine-like strictness - an unforgettable track that will echo long after the year 2011, promised!

originally born in the south of england into a musically gifted family, mark reeve received the major order to be a dj and to play electronic dance music when he moved to the rhein-main area in 1998. mark is now known today as a non stop dj and producer , as an artist he has now had his most important releases on cult label defected with with düsseldorf-based tapesh, solo on traumschallplatten (sep 2011), for monique musique or neurotraxx - marks tracks are always a mixture between dancefloor moovers including groovy rhythms and big baselines. in his cocoon debut, reeve presents himself in all his stylistic bandwidth: >daybreak< combines a highly-functional tribal bass pumping station with such mighty dub chords that make the sun shine even in in the most remote corner of the club, while >morning on mars< gives priority to the hypnotic effect of percussion. mark reeve is definitely a name to remember in 2011!

part 1 of 3 , massive upper class techno , sven väth support !!

part 2 of 3 , massive upper class techno , sven väth support !!

part 3 of 3 , massive upper class techno , sven väth support !!

maetriks cocoon debut >snorkel< on the 7th edition of the 10 inch series belongs without doubt to the most successful tracks of the past year and is an essential track in the clubs since then, thanks to its matchless mixture of powerful deep house and noise. eric estornel aka maetrik is, however, definitely not a newcomer. with a large number of releases on such prestigious labels from the likes of treibstoff from cologne, dumb unit and steve bugs audiomatique platform, the texan-born and now resident of valencia has proven to be one of the most reliable protagonists at the interface between straight dark house, dub and funky techno. estornels aim was to stick to this recipe when he made his his first cocoon solo maxi: >crush on me< and >push< are two absolute masterpieces and are representative for estornels unique style, using hallucinogenic vocals, hypnotic beats and a power that is deep and latently noisy at the same time to put the dancefloor over the edge of insanity. with his third album >life index<, released on the london-based label crosstown rebels, and with other releases on guy gerbers supplement facts platform and on get physical, this spring seems to be totally under estornels sign

its now more than 20 years that arnaud le texier started his dj career in the west of france and in the paris club scene. since he moved to london five years ago, le texier has been able to put his stamp on the european techno scene, being label head of safari electronique and regular dj at fabric. his debut ep for cocoon recordings is borne by le texiers deep understanding of melancholy melodies, especially >elusanes< with its piano keystrokes coming directly from the basement and the ample detroit strings proves with hymn-like intensity that deep sensuality and unquestioning dancefloor ecstasy can be two sides of the same medal. besides a beat-less version of >elusanes<, the hypnotic >nightleads< with its bass guitar theme does already whet your appetite for the next sunrise in the balearic dunes

comes in clear vinyl. with over 30 releases behind and over a decade of running his own label, jacek sienkiewicz persistently followed his very own path, creating music that very soon began to be impossible to define. friendly, but not fraternizing with everyone and his family, modest, but stubborn only in a positive way, jacek is an individual with clear, personal vision and an unorthodox approach to music - light years away from the hectic, utilitarian ethos of club-derived electronic beats. >on the road ep< is the preliminary 12inch for the homonymus album which is another collaboration with cocoon. the cycle is now completed with one of the most experimental albums to appear on sven väths label to date. this record is not easy and is definitely demanding attention - but its also rewarding like no other. new sounds, voices and brilliantly clever arrangement patterns are revealed with each new listen. its not detroit nor santiago, not sheffield nor berlin, its not even the sound of jaceks home town of warsaw - this is the real music of the spheres.

the eighth edition of cocoon recordings 10inch series leads us to berlin, where martin müller and daniel stroeter are working under the alias youandme as djs, label managers and producers for labels such as rotary cocktail, 2020vision and compost for more than 15 years now. >raw” is the ultimate soundtrack for the very special acoustic comprehension both musicians have in setting an absolute imperative on the dancefloor by constantly rising noise levels, but without ever neglecting the funk. living in berlin for only a short time, 23-year-old ilario alicante from tuscany / italy has made his appearance by releasing records for cécille, break new soil or sci+tec over the last three years, especially >vacaciones en chile< was an essential part of the club summer 2008. >balance< purifies modern house music down to its essences, using a 2-minute break with a central organ theme to keep your synapses tightly clenched before a massive bass kick unlocks the tension. just a perfect acoustic devotement to the balance of the raw.

together with matthias tanzmann and the >freude am tanzen< crew, daniel stefanik belongs to the most reliable initiators of electronic dance music in east germany. the fact that the readers of groove magazine have voted daniel one of the best newcomers in 2010 n&#771,,,,,, despite his more than 75 releases on mobile&#768,,,,,,e, statik entertainment, moon harbour or dessous n&#771,,,,,, may be due to his fantastic remix of the ubertrack >no worries<, that has been played, together with butch s original version, on literally every deck between ibiza, frankfurt and london in the past months.

super groovy house infected tech groover...

with their first co-production, dj / producer paul woolford and the irish-born producer team paul hamill and dee lievense aka psycatron deliver the prove that uk techno has not lost any of its energy or visionary power in the year 2010. after releases for carl craigs planet e label and r & s (psycatron) resp. 2020 vision or renaissance (paul woolford), the two tracks on the >thunder ep< are consequently moving to the next level. >thunder< impresses with extremely dynamic drumming and always changing percussion patterns. a rhythm body that is constantly in motion and will be enlightening every single dance floor with its hypnotic power dub. >cloud 9<, however, is stepping back at first and stresses an explicit chord techno structure despite its solid pumping elements before integrating some noise rave signals following the epic break after some 5 minutes, as it was totally naturally and thus letting the whole floor blast off. with such joy of telling and the eagerness to experiment in a musical way, you are really looking forward to the winter club season 2010/2011!

an essential part of the german techno scene for more than fifteen years now, johannes heil is now in better shape than ever. with his eighth studio album >loving<, heil draws both a modern and traditional balance of his life from and for the music, and thus sets one of the undisputed musical highlights this year.

since the overwhelming success of his first cocoon maxi >vreugdevuur<, egbert van der gugten has proved that he received the advance praise of being one of the most promising talents of the dutch electronic music scene with good cause.

futurist techno that needs some time to listen to, but can also surprise you with sound sensations never heard before, even after playing the track a 100 times.

next slamming cocoon 10 inch , this time with >simon wish vs cruz & lati< and >maetrik feat. kule runner<. a side with dirty groovy techhouse, flipside (maetrik) with more techno flavour... booth are perfect for full of prime time pleasure

to share and to increase the love, to let the soul speak through the music, is a feeling which can hardly be described with words. with ôloving , i want to embrace the whole world, because this journey to the origins of electronic dance music in between modern detroit, high tech soul and house is coming from the very bottom of my heart.ö (johannes heil, 2010)

the sixth 10-inch record from cocoon recordings features brendan gregoriy aka chymera and martin dawson with glimpse on the flipside. -pump- is a melodic neotrance / detroit infected summeranthem as we like it... flipside is a hypnotic / groovin techhouse floormonster

you dont really have to introduce johannes heil, do you? for more than 15 years, he is an inherent part of the german techno scene and with classics from the likes of >paranoid dancer< (kanzleramt, 1998) or >calling< (1999), he belongs to the long-term memory of techno.

ultraphat remixes by reboot & michel cleis!!! reboot starts with a drivin percussive floormonster !! the flipside by michel cleis, whose hypnotic >la mezcla< ruled the last season in ibiza, is more complex in the depth of its sound: with sensual quotes from a hammond organ and a lot of sound effects on the vocal track, cleis celebrates a form of soul-soaked techno jazz, whose perfection and versatileness rather could have been expected from a producer from the likes of carl craig.

sound of th 10th season worldtour shirt... 2 imprints (100% cotton)

sound of th 10th season worldtour shirt... 2 imprints (100% cotton)

sound of th 10th season worldtour shirt... 2 imprints (100% cotton)

sound of th 10th season worldtour shirt... 2 imprints (100% cotton)

over the last two years, ahmet sisman has become one of the most interesting newcomers within the german techno scene. his music is located at the junction between turkish roots and western post-modernism, but still always succeeds in orchestrating the dark energy of the night, too.

scream is a trip through vocal-like echo chambers that is losing itself within the depth of reverb, its oriental aesthetics being similarly credible as the tidy bass beat is. nobody else has catapulted baby fords ifach sound into the year 2010 as consequently as sis did.

with a well-earned remix refill, cocoon recordings is taking a bow before the belfast-born dj and producer phil kieran, whose >shh< album from last year, like rarely another album release, was able to proof how fresh, futuristic and complex modern techno can sound.

after part 3 of cocoons 10inch series, which was focussing on the british techno scene, we now return to germany with the fourth ep. the frankfurt-born markus fix grew up at the decks of helium bar, is now at home behind the decks of cocoonclub frankfurt and has been providing us with his innovative reinterpretation of house on labels such as cecille and oslo for the last three years.

what a beautiful noise! with his second ep for cocoon recordings, antoine husson aka dj djedi continues where he had stopped with his >the devils star<-ep in 2009. the experience of the paris-born producer, who has worked for renowned labels such as f comm, communique, elp medien and paul nazcas label scandium!

the 35-year-old hessian dj and producer frank lorber is intrinsically tied to the history of cocoon recordings. however, speaking of a comeback of lorber would be both consequent and not thinking far ahead, as tres is an artist collective being rather entrenched in the frankfurt tech house scene.

for more than six years now, the dj and producer julian jeweil belongs to the up-n-coming electronic music scene in marseille, cultural centre of the french riviera. with his air conditionné ep on electric rescues skryptom label in 2006, he provided the scene with a true consensus hit, and further collaborations with and remixes for oxia, scan x, danton eeprom or sébastien léger have cemented his reputation as one of the most promising young talents in electronic dance music. his current ep for cocoon stands for uncompromising and demanding techno in its purest form: from the initially more sizzling sound layer in color emerges after two minutes in the first break a hysterically screaming >saw of sinus<, where you almost seem to hear the screams of the people echoing on the dancefloor. >amore< builds up more streamline-like in the style of steve bug, but: dont panic - you will also hear some really demanding breaks in this one. all the hands go up!

here is the first release from ryan davis on stereo seven plus, coming on strong with two superb quality techno tracks like cocoon and primary instincts. on the flipside andrea roma and alter breed deliver their versions of cocoon, the former exploring harder territories, the latter turning it into a refined house groove

part three of the cocoon 10inch series is all about the modern british techno scene, and the first hypnotic exclamation mark is set by yousef from liverpool. after collaborations with carl cox and x-press 2, >come home< - which can also be found on sven väths current ibiza review >the sound of the tenth season< - seems to become one of the most important tracks of the winter season 2009/2010: with a steadily rising crescendo, yousef is weaving around a >strings-meet-piano< motive with massive reverb that gives the tribal beats a deeper meaning and thus will be enchanting the clubs. the flip side belongs to london-based dj and producer tim green. he is releasing on labels such as four twenty, sci+tec and trapez for more than three years now and his co-production with emerson todd, >exercise<, even made it to cocoon compilation i. >lone time< lives on metal-like percussions that are loaded with adrenaline and once more prove the fact that modern techno cant go without tribal elements

cocoon ibiza longsleeve with 2 imprints (100% cotton), and a special neck

cocoon ibiza longsleeve with 2 imprints (100% cotton), and a special neck

seit mehr als 12 jahren gehören die aus stuttgart stammenden gebrüder alexander und sebastian schwarz zu den international angesehensten protagonisten eines innovativen house-verständnisses einfach dazu. mit ihrer vorliebe für deepen und dennoch fordernden house zwischen tradition und moderne können die beiden auf eine schier endlose liste an koproduktionen und remixes zurückblicken, bei denen zusammenarbeiten mit den masters at work, underworld, missy elliott, madonna und depeche mode nur die prominente spitze des eisbergs darstellen. nach dem beitrag zu den >cocoon morphs tokyo<-eps aus dem vergangenen jahr (liquid cherries) setzen tiefschwarz diesmal auf perkussive reduktion mit schneidenden handclaps und starken vocal-samples (fall in). eine wahre perle liefern die beiden aber vor allem mit keep on ab, das zunächst mit delay-vocals und überraschenden noise-effekten dem bass die regie überlässt, um dann aber doch mit orgel und xylophon-parts sehr organische und jazzige elemente in den vordergrund zu rücken. so setzen tiefschwarz mit deeper und klaustrophobischer darkness einen ersten maßstab für modernen house-sound im jahr 2010

egbert van der gugten gehört derzeit zu den vielversprechendsten holländischen talenten im feld der elektronischen tanzmusik. jeroen verheji alias secret cinema, der auf egbert via myspace.com aufmerksam geworden war, lud ihn im vergangenen jahr kurz entschlossen zu seiner party-reihe und in sein studio ein und ebnete damit egberts weg in die holländische techno-szene. nach dem maxi-debüt auf lo-fi stereo war es dann vor allem seine vlammen-ep auf michel de heys ec records aus dem februar 2009, die auf den tanzflächen wie eine bombe einschlug und fest zu sven väths platteninventar in dieser season gehörte. mit >vreugdevuur< setzt egbert da noch eins oben drauf mit einem maßstab setzenden ausrufezeichen in sachen harmonischem und doch konsequent forderndem techhouse zwischen dub, progressive house und detroit. der subsonische bass rund um das zentrale orgelmotiv wird euch in diesem spätherbst zwischen tanzen und träumen ein treuer wegbegleiter sein, versprochen! einen anderen klanglichen ansatz verfolgt indes die flipside >groots uitpakken< mit seinem ungemein energiegeladenen soundgewitter, ein nächtlicher trip durch zeitlupen-vokalfetzen, dem stringbreaks eine unwiderstehliche hypnotische sogwirkung verpassen

for more than 15 years now, steve bug is known for influential track somewhere in between house, techno and minimalism. with his very good sense for the energy of self-limitation, bug has set standards when it comes to the funk of modern sound geometry, especially with his imprint poker flat recordings. milestones such as >loverboy<, >monsterbaze< or >wet n dry< are now essential elements of the history of electronic dance music. only a few weeks after the release of his fourth album collaboratory, bug even tops that one with this 12 inch on cocoon: while look whos stalking obviously refers to steves close relation to the raw energy of u.s. house in between chicago trax and detroit, using driving hand claps, percussions and nasty vocals, the flipside zero balance could pass as a vision of how far you can reduce techhouse to the essence of a bass line. also here, short vocal loops - besides the fast-moving elements - complete a sensibility that makes bugs tracks such high quality music for a very long time now.

phil kieran has been in the upper echelons of the electronic music game for more than a decade, but is only now releasing his debut album under his own name. known for rocking clubs and releasing a string of killer twelves, belfast-based phil has hooked up with german powerhouse cocoon in recent times. sven väths label is now about to release shh, a groundbreaking piece of work that will undoubtedly gain phil plaudits across the board. shh seems to not only reference every sound phil has ever loved in music, but is formulated in a completely fresh and futuristic way. listen carefully and you can detect elements of dub reggae, old hardcore like lfo, hip-hop, early 90s electronica such as autechre/black dog and other warp staples, as well as the futuristic techno that phil excels in. for the album phil went back to old sound lab recordings dating back to the 1950s and 60s. utilising some of these sounds in the initial construction, he built up tracks using a combination of old samples sourced from original and weird places and some live new instrumentation as well. there are live drums, some electric / acoustic/ bass guitar and live keyboard playing as well as some choice guest vocalists.

the dutchman jeroen verheij aka secret cinema is now looking back on almost twenty years of experience within the field of electronic music. his first production sonar system, which has originally been released on the legendary belgian label hithouse under the alias meng syndicate in 1990 and was re-released two years later on music man, is rightly belonging to the absolute classics of rave techno and has antedated the rotterdam-detroit sound axis with providing a staccato somewhere in between a piercing snare and an acid siren.

ultraphat remixes by adam beyer(mad eye, drumcode) together with jesper dahlbäck & on the flipside a. mochi!

fresh dub infected pumpin minimal techhouse bombs !! superb !!