andrea fioritos masterpiece la balada tzigana has finally taken shape and is ready for an immediate release for 2009. most definitely a release with haunting sense of musicality merging the mediterranean of the past and a timeless organic groove designed for dance floors worldwide. featuring the sultry spanish singer irina sierra bravo and accompanied by italian string composer leo gadaleta. the marriage between the two sounds is nothing but pure emotion, even drawing out the tears if i may. mike shannon delivers an ace of a remix stripping things down and emphasizing the groove. shannon truly puts the icing on the cake with this mix exploring the dynamics of the strings and the raw feeling of irinas vocals. truly a refreshing release of original dance floor inspired music.

michael forzzas is one of the most important techno djs from belgium. like figure head len faki, michael forzzas speciality is to play extended sets which develop an individual athmosphere. figure 015 is forzzas first international release, and forzza sent two unique tracks to berlin, the tenor & the monkey is destined to turn the dancefloor into a frenzy. it puts you in a state of fear and euphoria at the same time. while the tenor & the monkey puts the roof of every club on fire, high on this is more cautious. the powerful groove unfolds its energy in many contexts. the pulse of the track immediate, it feels like the music is talking to each dancer personally. the tenor & the monkey and high on this don t show any effort, yet the tracks rule over the dancefloor: they both manage to focus on the essence of club music, a rarely achieved task these days.

darkos productions have attracted the attention of djs from all over the world. his remix of the title track of nina mirandas (smoke city) album shrift in 2005 was one example, earning him critical acclaim when the remix reached the top 10 in the us download charts. more recently mr rakas has joined darko and his strange worlds collective. together they have embarked on a musical mission, blending deep minimal house and techno with eastern european romani gypsy jazz. simplicity is the operative word best to describe this release. the over sexed sax solo of sexaphone (a one take wonder performed by ben hadwen) takes house music to a new level, whilst danote on the other hand reflects on the hypnotic repetition of the hook, building a solid groove around a repeating synth line, appearing here in two versions, the stripped back extended mix and the more immediate club edit. another great release from the up, coming and one to watch label universal vibes.

superb reissue of ron trent s all-time deep techno classic altered states. made when he was still school-age, and released in 1990 on armandos seminal warehouse label, this record was an immediate underground club hit, turning ron into a local hero, kickstarting his hugely successful production and djing career and making him probably the only chicago house producer to rate one of the best techno singles of all time! this classic acid workout is stunning in its simplicity and has been described as one of the most perfect and moving tracks ever heard. the other tracks are also very beautiful in their own right despite having been overshadowed by the epic altered states - the afterlife was included on dj hells x-mix-5. all tracks digitally remastered for superb sound quality

the first of two eps by rotterdam talent louis guilliaume. on his own initiative he made two remixes of the syncom data technohit beyond the stars, which resulted in the smashing syncom lock and heat of the storm mixes and his immediate signing on their label. both mixes are guaranteed to rock any dancefloor, whether it’s crowded with techno, house or electroheads. guilliaume is one of those rare artists who doesn’t fit in one genre, which he proves with fucked up and old skool. two stunning tracks that hoover between different styles with ease, the endresult being nothing less than pure electronic funk straight from a very gifted soul. available as a limited pressing on coloured vinyl.

the chart buster martin solveig was glad when his roman friend and colleague lorenzo rumi called upon him to return to the roots of house music, starting from the early, glorious chicago scenario and its immediate and infectious groove. so far away came to life, as an impulse with only 2 days of hectic studio session and a few liters of coffee. the guys worked on a stricltly old school basis, then added a full vocal and new elements to bring the fine charme of todays house, turning so far away in a contemporary composition rich of surprises and thrilling breaks. the performance of australian soul singer rachel claudio gives a touch of attitude with passionates and unforgettable vocals. definitely another epic stone in the b2f wall!

the chart buster martin solveig was glad when his roman friend and colleague lorenzo rumi called upon him to return to the roots of house music, starting from the early, glorious chicago scenario and its immediate and infectious groove. so far away came to life, as an impulse with only 2 days of hectic studio session and a few liters of coffee. the guys worked on a stricltly old school basis, then added a full vocal and new elements to bring the fine charme of todays house, turning so far away in a contemporary composition rich of surprises and thrilling breaks. the performance of australian soul singer rachel claudio gives a touch of attitude with passionates and unforgettable vocals. definitely another epic stone in the b2f wall!

with organic keys combined and more tech-influenced detroit elements, this four-tracker is moody but danceable, featuring slick production and tight drum programming. the ep has already found immediate support from such diverse names as olivier desmet, kerri chandler, fish go deep, lawnchair generals, luke mckeehan & more

gavin herlihy has long been one of dance musics most respected journalists and djs, and with two acclaimed releases on mood music last year and more recently a brace of top-drawer remixes for unkle and alexkid, hes fast becoming one of its hottest producers. freshly relocated to berlin, his debut 12inch for kindisch, >opium haze<, confirms his status as a skilled and innovative player on the house and techno scene. >opium haze< is as heady and intoxicating as its title implies, an effortlessly psychedelic piece of music thats nonetheless firmly rooted on the dancefloor. it begins with a clicky, funked-up conga tattoo cloaked in disorienting effects which partly obscure the jazzy melody rising up from the mixs depths. out of that sticky, dubby fug emerges an insistent, upward-tripping piano line and synthesized string stabs - together forming the kind of rave-ready hook that will cause immediate damage in the club. herlihy is superbly heavy on the edit, using an eastern woodwind sample, disembodied voices and various percussive elements to deliver build after build, drop after explosive drop. >opium haze< is a hugely satisfying piece of music, and a club anthem-in-waiting. >professional exit< is a more stripped-down but no less accomplished affair, driven by a warm, rippling bassline and phased electronics. before the percussion intesifies and interlocks, offsetting a sparse one-note synth line which hangs in the air, thickening it with understated drama. at once seductive and unsettling, experimental and club-oriented, >professional exit< is indeed a professional end to a highly professional 12inch

played by troy pierce, kiki, matt tolfrey… stefan tretau has quickly made himself a name as a producer of techno/house with releases on fortek, sounderground and karma rouge. now stefan delivers his debut on heimatmelodie, with 3 original tracks and a stunning remix by mobilees marcin czubala. flederlaus is a real journey into sound: capturing immediate dancefloor attention with its bassline, then taking off with an intense frequency-shifting synthline that delivers another one of those dbx references many heimatmelodie releases have to offer. bettfluchthemmung is slighty deeper though, focusing more on the bassline and percussion patterns. the vinyl is completed by reiner modern, the most techiest track of the pack

the long a-side is reserved for bülent gürler and his project bee-low. >the hidden noise< is a neo-detroit-screw of the plus 8-hawtin school in a very popular plank of the minimal-rave. a track like evolution. antonelli digs, as >random aficionado<, a handful of melodies deep under a rave that is hardly recognizable as such one. he removed the snare completely in favor of a more effective feeling of the song. that s the way deep-house should sound and the way you always imagined it. no frowst, no references, just clear warm water. martin hirsch, alias deer, lived in devon (uk) for a long time and was an immediate neighbor of lee norris, also known as norken or metamatics. recently, the two of them have revived the connaisseur label neo ouija and that will surely do good for the cultural environment. and they have decided to start a long-ranging cooperation in terms of producing records. an outcome is >beyond the breeze<, a piece of house music whose title couldn t be more precise... sasse, giles smith, jeff milligan, laurent garnier

brothers oliver and ruben henares (pulsewith/treibstoff/trapez), in collaboration with cristian panduraru, do not distract with ornament and leave the dance floor about to explode. shared recovers the filter that sweeps and pushes with nerve, pointing to the leitmotiv of the vocals. warehouse ambience for an immediate track.. cara rana completes the maxi with elegance !!!

the pandullo vs und mix was first released in 2005(b-side on electrica/irma) as a limited edition and received immediate support by djs such as ivan smagghe. on this record you will find a noooiizy rework by fucking boys noize and a fantastic remix by kid alex (listen to it carefully!!!) also you can scretch,fuck & destroy the accappla tool…love will follow !!

kill memory crashs crash v8stands as a monolithic statement of the duos industrial electronic sound, a storming beat and sharp bass refrain underscore claustrophobic vocals lamenting modern social anxiety and the perils of technological dependence. its immediate effects are undeniable, it is paranoid, politicized, and po*nographic

the mash up of soft rock guitar chops and buzzing electro bass brings immediate dancefloor satisfaction while the unmistakable voice calling for heads of the mtv generation ensures you wont forget this tune in a hurry. tom neville remix / album version / riton rerub/ headman dub

having grown up with and on the internet, martin steer (1986) has transformed its pull into a concept album that is just as immediate and intangible as the digital world. bad stream is guitars and machines vanishing in the spaces between radiohead and nine inch nails only to reemerge amidst ambient, noise, and drone. bad stream, then, is his modus operandi a hybrid soundtrack to the feelings of resignation, isolation, and cynicism within neoliberal cyberspace and to that strangely numbing comfort of bodies transmuting into zeros and ones in real time

with many influences, the musicians of la mano create a peculiar sound, a rock-salsa-ra•-reggae-rap cocktail which they baptize patchanka. manu chao, who writes lyrics, gives to the patchanka a more personal definition: a popular dance with apache lyrics and chorizo spirit. the band starts touring across france in october 1987 and rapidly establishes a solid reputation. a few months later, when the second record putas fever is released, the success is obvious. tracks sung in french, spanish or arabic, pas assez de toi, king kong five or sidi hbibi are immediate hits. after a long live-cruise in 1992 along the south american coasts, la mano negra gets back to france and separates in 1994. its hard to tell the impact of la mano negra across french and spanish speaking countries, with as many particular experiences that people lived during their tours.

grand pianoramax is a supergroup consisting of three strong personalities, each possessing outstanding mastery of their craft: the acute lyricism of leo tardins keyboards, the immediate intimacy of black crackers wild poetry and the powerful, razor-sharp and pugnacious drums of dom burkhalter. the virtues of this rare alloy illuminate each of their concerts, which have taken place all around the globe.

walking through the skyÉfive years ago christian naujoks, peter m. kersten and richard von der schulenburg started a series of spontaneous recording sessions without any intention or idea. the only thing what held the group together were the immediate results hitting the three musicians straight inside their hearts. jazz as a metaphor of instrumental conversation, improvisation in the most dillettant way, science as a matter of exploring the opposite sound of what instruments were built to, these might be parts of a concept where there was none.

lets start with the italian ilario alicante and his dj-mix to get the immediate scoop of what makes this guy so special: we cannot describe it other than saying this mix rules! strong but relaxed at the same time with a good variation and xxl deepness in the selection makes this mix a great house-excursion. this is the sound of hot summer nights and happy people dancing til the morning. you can imagine this very special summer party vibe while listening to ilarios mix which incorporates the right elements such as emotional piano-breaks, cool vocal-samples, kicking house-beats and hypnotic basslines.

its a brighter, more immediate sound than before warmer, too, with the singers voices positively glowing inside intricately woven electronic nests. but theres no lack of nuance. every track is a delicate balance of intimate delivery and cosmic sonics, underscored by a faint sense of melancholy.

this is a 4 cd collection of different artists that played at the 2nd c.sides festival for independent electronic music and critical media art in jerusalem, a location that raises immediate questions, concerns and complexities. get an impression of innovative music and art with wider perspectives and contexts regarding cluture and society.