Thursday 31 March 2011

Eggcellent electro, techfunk and dubstep rebirth

Belloooooo

Please excuse the terrible title puns!

I am a rather excited music bunny this week - obviously cos it's nearly easter and that means chocolate eggs (and I suppose the rebirth of Jesus if that floats your boat) but more importantly, there have been a load of awesome new music releases lately! The easter bunny has definitely brought generous portions of fat chocolatey bass for us all to gobble up. :D

Two labels in particular are definitely dishing out the dirt at the moment - in the best possible way of course! Here's my selection of favourites from Massive Music, a shiny new(ish) label set up by Schroff, a dancefloor-destroying dubstep and electrohouse artist.






Cameron aka Schroff

Latest favourite is his dubstep mix, packed full of choons that converted me to liking the genre! - tracks like his remix of EASTMANN - 'Spellcheck' prove that dubstep can be much more than just wobwobwobwob! (nothing wrong with wobs, I just like a bit of variation!) Intelligent, naughty and blended with wobbly electro, it's a perfect contrast with the next track, 'Burning up' (Torqux & Twist rmx). Deep, growling basslines are punctuated with groovy, twisty breakdowns reminiscent of a snakey Indian palace.

Massive Music-Schroff Dubstep Mix by Massive Music

so give this mix a listen even if dubstep isn't your usual thing - smart, filthy WOBZ ftw!

Talking of Eastmann (real name Nik Cedraeus), his new electrohouse/ techno project is definitely worth checking out. I tried to describe his style, then realised the description on his facebook page is unbeatable! -




'A fine, deep, full-flavoured blend of electro and techno. Sprinkled with a dose of crunch; sharpened by a spot of filth;sweetened with a touch of groove; blended with a twist of glitch. Refreshing yet deep. Slightly fruity but also nutty-packs a punch.Hints of leather and rich mahogany.Of mysterious European origin.'

heheh! nicely done Nik!
Here's one of his newest tracks, a teasing, punchy and slightly spooky techno sound:

Eastmann- Umbrellas and Olives- MASSIVE MUSIC MARCH 2011 by Massive Music

-Available on Beatport now!
The MaddoxX remix is wicked too - a deeper, more moody version.

Loads more awesome tracks to be found on Massive Music's soundcloud page! http://soundcloud.com/massivemusicuk/tracks?page=1


* * *
Here's a little bit of maths in between the music:

A monkey:


+ some logic:




=





The Monk3ylogic duo, Will Bolam and Mike Connell need little introduction as I'm sure most of you have already heard of them! I'm pretty sure they've already been mentioned on this blog. But I must give you all a heads up about a forthcoming release on Liquid Records very soon (ie in April!)

Here's preview of Bass Effex, the original groovy stomper:
Base Effex (Due April 2011) [Liquid Records] by Monk3ylogic

Loving the cheeky, wobbly and cheeky synthy sounds that characterise the monkey, and the clever clean breaksy sounds that add the logic!!

Psybreaks magician HEDFLUX has done a ridiculously good remix of it, which will be released on the same E.P (along with remixes from Eastmann and Mike Method. These rock as well!)

Monk3ylogic - Basseffex (Hedflux Remix) by Hedflux

Hedflux has chopped up the sounds a bit and added a scoop of extra whomp, a large helping of wobble, and a sprinkle of bouncy syncopation. Love it, cannot wait to play this on the huge speakers it deserves!

Anyway it's getting late and your eyes and ears are probably going funny by now (hopefully in a good way!)

so I will bid thee all a phatty fatty easter! (lots of chocolate and bass).
***
Oh and if you're looking for something to do tomorrow night, look no further than HALCYON at Proud2 - the superclub at the O2 centre (formerly Matter). ACE VENTURA and INFECTED MUSHROOM live; Tristan; Liquid Ross; Sofire etc etc :) and Billy Butlins and myself are warming up the prog room from 11pm!

You can buy tickets here http://accessallareas.org/
or email me.
Event link: http://www.psymusic.co.uk/forum/threads/apr-8-2011-halcyon-proud2-infected-mushroom-live-dj-tristan-ace-ventura-london-se10-0dx.63247/

mAYBEE see ya there on the dancefloor?!
Katty x

Wednesday 23 March 2011

Wonderland Burning Night Paris: Melting the Moulin Rouge with pure hot awesomesauce


So this weekend Polo-la-ra invited me, Peachi and the rest of the Musical Mana / Ra Family over to Paris for a French Burners party at La Machine de Moulin Rouge. I was asked to DJ alongside OshJ, Burning Max and other Nowhere/burner/French DJs, while the girls were lined up to hoop onstage. Then, at the last minute, we needed a stand in for Seanan who got blocked by passport control... booo.... but step in MaryMissMary!
Although we never doubted them, it turns out that Polo and the other French Burners know how to throw THE BEST PARTY EVER! The art was incredible, from vacuum packed humans to lush VJing and all the DJs and stage performers totally rocked it, Mary in particular blowing quite a few socks off. It was literally awesome.

If you didn't make it, no worries; just get dressed up like a nutter, invite loads of cool people over and blast out these mixes at full volume while grinning like La Vache qui Rit!





DJ Cocceline



In Polo's words:
"(Mary) melted ALL the available brains on the dancefloor. People were extatic. (Her Burning Night) set is in my top 3 sets of all times. And I have been listening to electronic music for over 20 years. She deserves every single bit of applause she got on stage... pure magical aural delight. It was a precious moment for everyone present. Pure hot awesomesauce!"

For a full list of DJs, VJs, artists and performers, check out the French Burners website here!

Big love to all who organised, performed, helped out and had fun x

In Mary's words:
The bestest weekend ever!!!! Paris was amazing!! Awesome journey with awesome people to meet more awesome people and play at the most awesome party ever to the most awesome crowd ever!! My cheeks hurt from smiling! Burner nights rock! Paris rocks! Team awesome rocks!! he he ♥ (MaryMissFairy)
Go team!

Thursday 17 March 2011

Stomps whomps and blomps

Hi all...
Sorry it's taken so long since my first post! I iz a busy bee... I do not recommend final year of university to anyone. Entirely unpleasant experience - that I'm paying for!! :/

However, I do have some tasty things for you that I WOULD like to recommend. After my last breaks- focussed scribble, I'm back into psychedelic territory this week :) Maybe that's because everyone I'm studying at uni seems to be mad! (Having a knock-on effect). Also, I've been remembering all the old psy acts I love and wondering what new sounds I can get my psy-hungry teeth into. hahahah. Dark psy isn't my thing really, so I'm not enjoying a lot of main-room music at parties these days...:( I have tried! But the cheeky full-on chunky texture still seems to be what gets me stomping - I just need a fun element I think!

Anyway, I really must mention NEUROPLASM to you all. Brighton based duo Felix and Chris are the new(ish) pioneers in night-time rinse-athons in my opinion! They've been producing for a few years now, but have recently got the recognition they deserve on a chunkadelic new release, 'B-right-on' by Blue Hour sounds.featuring Mood Deluxe, Antispin, Sonic Species and many more top British psy artists, this is an unmissable new album that features PROPA banging intelligent psytrance! (not so much of it these days, in my humble opinion.)

Bewildebeast by Neuroplasm is possibly their best creation so far: dark(ish), immersive and slightly twisted, it also injects some naughty, cheeky fun that I think characterises their unique sound:

Bewilderbeast by Neuroplasm

I started my set with this recently at the Badger's Ball in Plymouth, and it went down a storm!

One their older ones that I love is OCTOPLASM - triplets in psytrance always get me going and it's an incredibly bouncy set-opener!

Octoplasm by Neuroplasm

here they are being very silly:



Excellent :D

They have also been collaborating with talented friend Dan aka SINERIDER, (also check out Dan's wicked full-on project with his friend Hugo, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Antispin/127634420583361)

These guys produced a fun and upbeat top drawer choon for a morning set perhaps .....

Neuroplasm vs Sinerider - Cross Pollination by Neuroplasm

Reminiscent of little bits from Zen Mechanics, Flip Flop or Fearsome Engine, you'll love it if you like your basscakes to be rich, chocolatey and FATTY with a slight topping of fluffy icing!

YUMMM cake!

Watch this space, cos I expect big things from this magniloquent duo. I look forward to watching them on the Origin stage at Glade! (not this year I don't think, but SOON!)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Antispin/127634420583361?sk=info#!/pages/Neuroplasm/328312637231

*****

To slow it down a bit I'd like to share my man's lovely new prog/tech mix with you. It's a fairly new genre that he's been getting me into - very different from my usual filth, but something I'd wiggle to in the sun at a festival to with a massive grin! Bouncy, fun and clean as a whistle, his track selection is spot on - especially the Gamma Goblins remix by Riktam and Bansi! :D (side project of psy legends GMS)

Ipyup by Billy Butlins

His dj name is BILLY BUTLINS, a silly name for a silly person. Mixing skillz as squeaky clean as the tracks! Enjoy.

Last but not least, here's a mix from silly ol me... and Billy Butlins again. It's a selection of our favourite progressive psy - starts sunny and tribal, builds up to some full-on, deep and squwomchy sounds! It's for a competition to play at the new O2 club alongside sum big names, so we'd reallyyy love u guys even more if you could clicky on 'save to favourites!' (little heart thing on the mix on the soundcloud page).

Katty Grooves v Billy Butlins ATARI Project spring mix by Katty Grooves

Sorree for the shameless plug... but u get a free tasty mix to download in return!

Till next time... I best write some words on existentialism now! :(

Love, Katty x

Thursday 10 March 2011

Guttstar lovestep: Double Healix EP


Just a quick one to share this free EP from Vermont bass monkey Guttstar. Melodic, crisp and floaty lovestep with lots of G-funk stylings, it's a step up on the clean production from his previous bandcamp releases. One to kick back and bliss out to - if you liked Mihkal's Snuglife mix we posted a while back, you'll love this!

Click here for free downloaad on Bandcamp

  The Birds (Free EP - Double Healix - tinyurl.com/644t5v9) by Guttstar 

  Turn On (Free EP - Double Healix - tinyurl.com/644t5v9) by Guttstar

  To Have and Have Not (Free EP - Double Healix - tinyurl.com/644t5v9) by Guttstar

  Panda Dance (Free EP - Double Healix - tinyurl.com/644t5v9) by Guttstar

  Decompress (Free EP - Double Healix - tinyurl.com/644t5v9) by Guttstar

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Tuesday 8 March 2011

(Re)Exploration

I've recently been re-listening to some of the stuff that got me into all the kind of music I listen to now, like this one from Aaron Pope:

Route 20 by AaronPope

Upbeat and dancey to start with, it gets nice and glitchy through the middle, and gets heavier towards the end, maintaining a pumping beat all the way through... Good juggling music for me!

And now a cheeky advert: I'm selling my decks and Serato Scratch SL1. I'm not emigrating, or giving up DJing, no... I've just realised I don't have the time in my life to become an awesome vinyl DJ - too many other things to learn!

So... I was visiting Mr Knoxious recently, and he introduced me to the wonders of the VCI300. One good-looking eBay deal later, and boom:



So now I really am going to make a mix soon, because I guess it might be easier to record with this!

Now for something completely different. I've not really listened to much drum'n'bass recently, but this brutal mashup appeared on the radar straight out of nowhere and hit me really hard. Free download too!

Gyptian ft. 50 Cent - Hold Yuh Again (Turntable Dubbers mashup) by Turntable Dubbers

Enjoy!

Upstart

Sunday 6 March 2011

Blunt Instrument: Sack Full of Twice Baked goodies

If you follow any glitch hop producers on Soundcloud, you're bound to recognise this little guy from the many supportive comments and shouts from the Blunt Instrument guys. For the last few years this Brisbane duo have been releasing their own full flavour wobbly glitch-hop and mid-tempo breaks for free on Bandcamp - check out the remixes on Noise Farming Vol 1 and the Total Hip Replacement EP. Bit Wobble is a particular favourite track of mine - click on THR above for a free download.
Bit Wobble by bluntinstrument

Originals - Glitch Hop by bluntinstrument

In the last few months the boys have released some even better tracks. First up was Battle Toad, one of my favourite tracks from An-ten-nae's third installment of his scene defining Acid Crunk collections.

Battle Toad (clip) on Acid Crunk Vol 3 - Out now on Beatport! by bluntinstrument

Then last month they've released their first paid for EP, Twice Baked on Simplify Records. Hands Full and Slightly More are both wicked tracks, but it's Sack Full that really gets my taste buds tingling. Built around a dance hall drum riddim, it's got a thick elastic baseline and a building bouncy beat, with just enough high end ping to get your brain tweaking. 'Bounce c'mon....bust to this'. Damn right I will.

Check out the Twice Baked sampes here... then buy it at Additech here!

To promo Twice Baked the guys are giving away this free taster. It's classic Blunt Instrument, taking a Jonathan Davis KoRn vocal to give the glitch hop a proper tribal sound. Enjoy!
Blunt Instrument - tURTLE sLAP (Right click save as)