Rising UK-based electronic music producer and DJ Krystal Klear took a break from a recent US tour to visit Dubspot NYC and talk to us about his early influences, music technology, retro-synths, Manchester’s Hoya:Hoya collective, and much more. The Hoya:Hoya resident is one of the most refreshing and exciting producers and DJ’s coming up. Heavily influenced by late ’80s and early ’90s electro funk and disco boogie and hip hop beats, he’s now crafting his own unique jams like “Tried For Your Love” and “Greensilver” which are absolutely undeniable on the dancefloor. In our interview, he also offered invaluable advice for other up and coming producers.

Krystal Klear – Tried For Your Love (ACKK12×1) by allcitydublin

Krystal Klear was also a participant at the 2011 Red Bull Music Academy event which took place this fall in the Spanish capital Madrid, where he had the opportunity to listen and learn from industry legends and heavyweights like Frankie Knuckles, Erykah Badu, and DOOM. And also collaborate with other rising artists using the latest music production and performance technology.

Pistol Chauffeur – without Talkbox by KrystalKlear

Dubspot is pleased to announce that our next live streaming workshop will be with Deep Medi Musik recording artist Tunnidge. He will be demonstrating his production techniques and talking about his creative process. Tunnidge’s workshop will take place on Wednesday, September 28, 6PM – 7:30PM. Please RSVP on our Facebook page if you would like to attend the event in person, otherwise return to this post to watch the live stream from the comfort of your home.

Characterized by his a laser-like focus on woozy, alien basslines, and devastating drops, Tunnidge is a producer as much as he is a sound designer. Emerging from South London’s dubstep scene in 2005, Tunnidge has stayed true to the deeper, more spacious elements of the dubstep made by folks like Mala (Deep Medi label head) and his Digital Mystikz project. After hanging around a quickly coalescing group of producers, Tunnidge not only put out some of Deep Medi’s first releases, but also did the artwork to go with them. Deep Medi releases are now often characterized by drawings of the release’s producer, all of them drawn by hand from Mr. Tunnidge himself.

Photo by Andrew Witts

Tunnidge is currently wrapping up a US Tour, with just a few more dates left. Don’t miss an opportunity to catch him live! Below, we’ve listed the remaining dates, which include stops in Detroit, NYC, and Chapel Hill, NC. Tonight, Tunnidge plays Detroit’s Datswotsup! party at Oslo nightclub. Tomorrow, he will touch down in NYC playing Reconstrvct at The Morgan – alongside Joe Nice, TrueNature, Bunzer0 & Mr. Jo, C Dubs. Also catch him at Chapel Hill, North Carolina at Signal Festival on September 29th at Players Nightclub.

23-Sep-2011 Detroit – Datswotsup! (Oslo)
24-Sep-2011 New York – Reconstrvct (The Morgan)
28-Sep-2011 – New York – Dubspot Live Streaming Music Production Workshop
29-Sep-2011 Chapel Hill – Signal Festival (Players Nightclub)

Released last month on the Get Darker imprint, Tunnidge’s latest 12” is “Control” b/w “Decay.” The latter sounds like standing outside of a space ship construction zone as metal gets tirelessly reworked, and the muffled sound of a metal-on-metal saw occasionally rises and falls.

Click here to view the embedded video.

An easy standout release from both the Tunnidge catalog and Deep Medi’s is 2008’s blistering “Geddeon,” which expertly positions a ruff ragga vocal with an ethereal female voice, creating an emotional palette ripe for a heavy drop that bubbles and bounces with a tight, thick bassline.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In other decidedly gothic and relentless productions like “7 Breaths,” a release for Distance’s Chestplate imprint, Tunnidge unleashes a stomach-turning amount of bass weight that will have anyone near a sub, out of breath.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Distal is an artist that’s never happy without diversity. His music can be as slow as hip hop and moombahton or as fast as dubstep techno and juke. It ranges from the chirpy blue skies of “Android Tourism” to the club hedonism of his “Cranberry Goose” remix. But it’s always got an edge of futurism to it and frequently features a unique sound palette paired with creative songwriting. The producer has always detoured around the most popular sounds of the day, carving out an individualistic niche in the fringes and shadows of varying styles. In his hometown of Atlanta, he preferred electronic music to the omnipresent rap world he grew up around, and now he steers towards juke and deeper bass music rather than the filthy dubstep that recently blew up there and across the world. But Distal’s output has steadily garnered interest and he’s secured some envious entitlements in the past year or so. He collaborated with DJ Rashad, one of the biggest names in juke and footwork; Embassy Recordings, his label, has secured a rare vinyl deal with ST Holdings distribution; and he will soon release a full length album on Tectonic Records. While in New York a few days back for a performance at the Turrbotax party, he stopped by Dubspot to talk with us about ‘thug-step’, Atlanta’s wariness about juke, his continued love of dubstep rollers, a new curiosity for moombahton, and feeding off the crowd as a DJ. - MS
[Distal - "Apple Bottom".]

Click here to view the embedded video.

How do rap and dubstep work together in Atlanta?

Rap is king. It’s everywhere: in the suburbs, in the country, in the city. We’ve got three or four different rap stations. So when people go out to clubs, the most comfortable thing for anybody is rap. And they just mix it in with dubstep. It’s at the right tempo. People have been exposed. It works so well. They’ve been playing straight up dubstep on Atlanta radio stations. It’s the more bro-oriented stuff. Hood music is naturally aggressive, and a lot of the aggressive brostep is pretty intense. So this ‘thug-step‘ thing happened. It’s more popular on the dubstep side, with the scene kids. But there’s still a lot going on with artists wanting to collaborate. Like the Guicci Man collabo. They’re talking about doing bass, dubstep, and house remixes of the whole album. Mad Decent is putting it together with Heroes x Villains, formerly known as Megan Fox.

But I don’t get that much love in Atlanta. I throw a lot of parties there, and I do it big in other places, but I don’t get much love there. I guess it’s because I don’t play thug-step all night. I do stuff with Atlanta Dubstep, and we’ll throw heavy dubstep shows, more future bass oriented and techno stuff. And then we’ll switch it up and do a massive line up with a big name like Borgore or something and just ram it out. Then build up some cash so we can bring out Silkie or Ramadanman. A nice balance. My partner Mayhem is into really hard stuff and really deep stuff. It used to be kinda non-profit, but we’ve expanded to where we’re also an audio/visual rental company. We’ve got an S-Corp going. Trying to make it legit.

How did the juke night go?

I did a ghetto house and juke night where we had DJ Assault as a resident, because he lives in Atlanta now. He’s from Detroit, but he moved down to Atlanta. It was kind of a no-platform night where we played whatever we wanted and it worked really well. That’s how I like to DJ: play whatever you want, just play good music. In the end, the club owner wanted to switch everything over to Top 40.

Assault is gonna be on Embassy. The next release will be a remix of Wheez-ie. Wheez-ie is in Boston but he’s from Houston. I really like this guy’s stuff. It’s juke and footwork. He studies at Berklee College of Music, so he’s got an intense musical background. His stuff is very musical, very soulful, but still very ghetto all at the same time. Assault is remixing a tune called “Barefoot Billy“. The vocals basically just go, “In the club, no shoes.” I’ve played it in Atlanta and had people taking their shoes off and putting them up in the air. And the club was nasty.

Since Atlanta hip hop is built on an 808 palette, it seems like juke would catch on there. Is that happening?

I’ve experimented and played a lot of like Ying Yang Twins and Ace Hood with juke. But I think the speed is still a little too much for them. Even though it’s really half time, 80 BPM, it’s still got these crazy toms on top or something. So people are still a little stand offish about it. But with the right crowd at the right time, people will just go off.

[Distal+Rashad - "Stuck Up Money" | Photo by Megan Jolly.]

Click here to view the embedded video.

Will you be working on any juke projects with people from Chicago?

I’ll be releasing with Ghettophiles. They’ll be putting out “Boca Raton” and “Got The Block Hot” which are 150 BPM and 134 BPM. So they’re not completely juke. We’re going to get Tameil to do a remix. He’s actually from Jersey and does Baltimore Club house. And we’ve got Hilti from France. Om Unit will be on it as well. I tried to get a lot of Chicago guys. But it’s really hard to work with some of them because they just go missing. My release has been in the works for a while because they’ve had so many problems with getting some of them just to sit down and make the tune. And it’s really hard because a lot of them are just on hardware usually. But me and Rashad collaborated on a track together. It’s called “Stuck Up Money” and will drop on Well Rounded.

What’s your set up?

I run Logic Pro 9 with a laptop, Mackie monitors, some MIDI controllers, and an external soundcard. Pretty simple set up. When I DJ I use CDJs with Serato. I used to do vinyl, but it’s too limiting because you can’t pitch things the way you want to. On CDJs, you can hit plus or minus 100, so you can start cranking stuff up a lot faster. Turntables give you plus or minus 8 and that’s it, so you can only get to a certain point before you have to start over.

What are you doing with moombahton right now?

Sinden came to town and stayed in Atlanta for a few days. We started talking about it so much, we just got in the studio and were like, “Hey, let’s do it.” I like it because it’s a slower tempo. It gives you so much range because it’s so open. I feel like it’s like when I first heard dubstep. I mean, I came from breakcore, drum n bass, and gabber. That mix was very full, and it was a fat mix. Dubstep offered so much room, it was so sparse. You could do so much more with the sounds, and that’s how I feel about moombahton now. I really enjoy the rhythms too. I feel like I do more reggaeton actually. I’ve made a moombahton tune I guess, but whenever I play it to people who are familiar with reggaeton, they’re like, “You could sell these as reggaeton beats to the emcees in Atlanta.” I’m trying to do more tropical stuff. More Latin influenced stuff. I’m taking a lot of reggaeton emcees vocals and chopping them up – then finding out what they mean later. I work at a lot of tempos too, and this seemed like a cool one. I jump around a lot and don’t limit myself.

You work in all these genres now. Is that because of an implosion with dubstep as a genre?

I really, really still love classic, dark, deep, Moldy style dubstep. I still really respect it. I’m just more picky with it because there’s not as much. But there’s a little resurgence going on. There’s Subreachers from Belgium, who we just signed some tunes with. There’s Commodo and Lurka from the UK. There’s a lot of good stuff coming out of Belgium now. Mala just moved there. To Antwerp.

How has your crowd changed?

I get booked for all kinds of events now. I get booked for house events, dubstep nights, juke nights. So people never really know what to expect, which is cool. I performed at DEMF, and it was clearly all house people. I found myself in the middle of this playing lots of dubstep. They were into it, but thought it was a bit weird. So I would phase out of that and go into something else for a while.

[Distal - "Android Tourism" | Photo by Megan Jolly.]

Click here to view the embedded video.

When you DJ, how important is crowd reaction?

I’m big on it. I usually request a microphone and talk to the crowd. There’s so many DJs that I really love to listen to, but they’re so boring to watch. You have to make the most of what it is, and it’s you sitting in front of a computer. You got to entertain a little. So I get on the mic. Like when I play “Apple Bottom“, I’ll say it’s for all the girls with apple bottoms. I jump around and get into it. I try to get excited. Because I mean, shit, I’m doing what I love.

Embassy has a vinyl release coming up?

Yea! Embassy’s first vinyl release will be Clicks and Whistles. It’s crazy because all these people are losing their vinyl deals. It’s so hard to get vinyl deals anywhere. We went to ST Holdings distribution and we wanted vinyl from the beginning, but they were like, “No, not yet.” Then they approached us wanting to do vinyl. They were like, “These tracks are so good.” They asked us to do it. That was exciting. It’ll be 300 pressings to start out, and they’ll repress if it needs more. I think that’s standard right now.

Upcoming releases of yours?

I just signed with Tectonic. I’ve got two singles this year, and then I’m doing a full length with them; a double LP with 14 tracks for February. I’m just looking to get out of America for a bit. Go see Europe. I’ve never been there before. And I get people asking me to come all the time, so I’m trying to get someone to set it up, because it’s kinda like money just sitting there. But this is exciting to me, because Underwater Dancehall was the album that pushed me over the edge with dubstep and made me really fall in love with it. So to be on Tectonic I feel like I’m living in a movie or something. The singles are finished and three-quarters of the album is done. The second single, which is really deep, will have a Jakes remix and Archie Pelago did a remix for it. They took the original and covered it with live instruments. I’ll have some juke, house and dubstep on the album. The lead track will be creepy and sluggish – really weird with gorillas screaming. It’s called “Gorilla”. I locked myself in a closet and just screamed and added the gorillas. It’s really dark and evil and weird. But I want the album to have a theme of tension. Basically, I had a lot of stuff done that me and Pinch really liked, and I decided to hold off on other signings and compile it all. All of those tracks have a tense, on-the-edge-of-your-seat style to them. Where nothing is really breaking loose. I want to run with that. And then have space as a secondary motif, like dark futuristic sounds. Sci fi.

[Photo by Megan Jolly.]

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For the kickoff, Godfather of Hip Hop culture, Afrika Bambaataa will DJ a vinyl set making for a rare performance in his home city. Chico Mann will perform his all new live solo show primarily using Ableton Live in conjunction with the  Akai APC 40 and MIDI keyboard; layering parts and simultaneously singing and chanting his notoriously contagious hooks and melodies. In this video, Chico Mann discusses his use of Ableton Live, the upcoming show at Le Poisson Rouge and how Afrika Bambattaa has influenced his own music over the years.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Afrika Bambaataa performs “Planet Rock”

Ableton Live Producer Certificate Program

All six levels / 48 sessions

NYC classes start the week of July 20th and Online classes on the week of August 7th!

The flagship of our music training, with every Ableton Live course offered at the school. After completing this program, you will leave with 4 completed tracks (EP), a remix entered in an active contest, a scored commercial to widen your scope, and the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Ableton Live.

For more start dates and information about payment plans, please call 212.242.2100 or 1.877.DUBSPOT (1.877.382.7768) or send us a message.

Long before New York City’s hippest crawled out to Long Island City, Queens to drink and dance to electronic music’s finest, Public School 1 (PS1) had been commandeered by the previous generation’s hip and forward-thinking. Even before MoMA got their hands on the venture, an organization called the Institute for Art and Urban Resources acquired PS1 as part of a burgeoning idea to transform abandoned buildings into artist studios and exhibition spaces.

Founded by Alanna Heiss in 1976, PS1 had been Long Island City’s first public school until 1960, but was shuttered due to low-attendance. This would no longer be the building’s issue come 1997, when MoMa ended a 3-year renovation with the Institute that brought a striking entryway, an outdoor gallery, and a two-story project space. By this time MoMa’s investment in the space had been solidified, and in 2000 the museum had entered a more formalized collaboration with PS1, wherein the two institutions would share resources, collections, and exhibitions.

Since then, the integration of a large-scale, large-endowment institution like MoMA, and the edgy, modestly-scaled PS1 has become reflected in the size and scope of MoMa PS1’s events. More than perhaps any other MoMa PS1 event, the Warm Up series has come to embody both the institution’s desire to be niche and progressive in its exhibitions, as well as attracting as much high-profile attention as possible. It may then comes as a surprise to many who see the Warm Up series as a recent addition to the realm of electronic-related music events, that the summer concert series began in 1997, around the time of the building’s renovation, a whopping 14 years of live music events to date.

MoMA PS1 Entry Kiosk | Designed by Andrew Berman | Photograph by John Hill

From about this time until now, the Warm Up series has grown astronomically, is one of the museum’s most anticipated events, and has featured everyone from heavyweight DJs like Richie Hawtin to OG hip-hop legend Afrika Bambaataa. As an institution committed to art’s future, it only seems to make sense that the Warm Up series has come to feature artists in realm of electronic music—a nebulous genre that has had American’s either fist-pumping in madness or scratching their heads in confusion, two states of crazed response that may in fact be one of electronic music’s greatest achievements. This Summer MoMa PS1 has taken significant queues from electronic music’s most critically acclaimed, booking electronic music innovators like UK producer Four Tet, New York’s Falty DL (listen to his PS1 Warm Up mix for The Fader below) or Detroit’s techno-enigma Omar-S. Pseudo-indie rockers Gang Gang Dance will perform a DJ set (a clear sign of the group’s unabashed love for today’s electronic landscape), and other indie rock peripheries like experimental noise band Black Dice, or rising Brooklyn star and recent Terrible Records signers Blood Orange.

MoMA PS1 Warm Up 2011 crowd | Photograph by Dan Giove

FADER/MoMA PS1 Warm Up Mix: FaltyDL by The FADER

In addition to the Warm Up series’ longstanding musical presence in New York’s summer event calendar, the event has coincided with PS1’s Young Architect’s Program (YAP), where contestants submit designs for PS1’s outdoor gallery for a chance to have their design constructed for the Warm Up series. This year’s winner is Brooklyn firm Interboro, who created a minimalist-style “rec room,” including ping-pong tables, small wading pools in boxes, and mirrors. Apparently all the activity-related materials were developed alongside institutions—schools, day care centers, senior centers, and arts programs—to eventually be donated after their use at the Warm Up series.

The PS1 MoMa website had this to say about the design, “Their work has both a modesty and a commitment quite at odds with the luxury and complex computer-generated form that has prevailed in the city in recent years.” The tension will continue on the ground and on stage until September 3rd, when PS1 Warm Up’s programming ends. Until then, the music industry’s most technologically savvy will take the stage pushing buttons, turning knobs, and pushing wheels of steel around like astronauts, or Leonardo De Vinci, and audience members will be artfully justified in their taste.

REMAINING SCHEDULE FOR WARM UP 2011

July 16

agnès b. presents:

Audio Love by Juan + Johnny
Joakim / Tigersushi / Paris, France
Koudlam / Pan European Recordings / Paris, France
Mirror Mirror / RVNG Intl. / New York, NY

July 23

Gang Gang Dance (DJ set) / 4AD / New York, NY
Lunice / Lucky Me / Montreal, Canada
Syd tha Kyd / OFWGKTA / Los Angeles, CA
Miracles Club / Ecstacy Records / Portland, OR
Laurel Halo / Hippos in Tanks / New York, NY

July 30

Prince Language / The No Comprendo / NegroClash & Stretch Armstrong / Plant Music / New York, NY
Das Racist (DJ set) / Greedhead / Brooklyn, NY
Vockah Redu / C2K Entertainment/ New Orleans, LA
Holy Other / Tri Angle Records / Manchester, UK
XXXY / Ten Thousand Yen / Manchester, UK

August 6

Omar-S / FXHE Records / Detroit, MI
Simian Mobile Disco (DJ set) / Delicacies / Wichita / London, UK
Steve Moore / Zombi / L.I.E.S./ Kompakt / New York, NY
Beppe Loda / Typhoon / Cosmic, Italy
Forma / Spectrum Spools / Brooklyn, NY

August 13

Black Dice / Paw Tracks / New York, NY
His Name is Alive (DJ set) / Midnight Cowboy / Detroit, MI
oOoOO / Tri Angle Records / San Francisco, CA
Clams Casino / Tri Angle Records / Nutley, NJ
Ayshay (DJ set) / Tri Angle Records / Brooklyn, NY
Water Borders / Tri Angle Records / San Francisco, CA

August 20

Juan Maclean / DFA / New York, NY
Blood Orange / Terrible / Domino Records / New York, NY
Solange / Houston, TX
Pictureplane / Lovepump United / Denver, CO
Grimes / Arbutus Records / Montreal, Canada
Ford & Lopatin (DJ set) / Mexican Summer / New York, NY

August 27

Tanlines / True Panther Sounds / New York, NY
Nguzunguzu / Los Angeles, CA
Teengirl Fantasy / True Panther Sounds / Oberlin, OH
Sun Araw / Sun Ark Records / Los Angeles, CA
Physical Therapy / Brooklyn, NY

September 3

The 2 Bears / Southern Fried / London, UK
Horsemeat Disco / Strut / London, UK
Midnight Magic / Midnight Sun / New York, NY
Justin Miller / DFA / New York, NY
BICEP / Throne of Blood / London, UK

Stefan Nickum is a writer and DJ currently living in New York City. Stefan has DJed under the aliases The Crooked Clef, and more recently as Tenderman. His mixes have been written about in The New Yorker online, The Atlantic online, and Seattle’s weekly publication The Stranger. His music writing can be found in XLR8R, Alternative Press, Dazed & Confused, and Pop Matters.

Back in April, DMC world champ, globetrotting party-smasher, and Dubspot instructor DJ Shiftee delivered a wicked, mind-blowing set at Public Assembly in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in a lineup that included next generation bass music producer Peason Sound/Ramadanman and UK dance music stalwart Zed Bias/Maddslinky, as part of their North American tour presented by Surefire and Dubspot. It was the NYC stop  In true Shiftee breeze through an early, jaw-droppingly eclectic set of boundary pushing electronic dance music, from intoxicating bass-heavy sounds of dubstep pioneers Digital Mystikz and Horsepower Productions to bugged-out advanced grime bangers from Rude Kid and Terror Danjah and advanced melodic beat madness from LA’s Nguzunguzu (here remixed by Brenmar) and London’s Zomby to the synthy freshness of +Verb and Zeppy Zep! Shiftee also dropped some exclusive dubs he’s been cooking up with friend and collaborator Rx of Dusk Collective!

TRACKLIST
1. Komonazmuk – Bad Apple
2. Synkro – Everybody Knows
3. Mr. Slash – 1999
4. Rude Kid – Winter Remix
5. Nguzunguzu – Mirage (Brenmar Remix)
6. SBTRKT & Sampha – Evening Glow
7. XXXY – You Always Start It
8. Turboweekend – Something Or Nothing (2000F & JKamata Remix)
9. 12th Planet & Plastician – Westside Dub
10. Marcus Price & Carli – Bubbelgum (Sam Tiba Remix)
11. Terror Danjah ft. Swindle – Kiss Chase
12. Kito & Reija Lee – This City
13. Jay-Z – Hard Knock Life
14. +Verb – Cough
15. Kastle – Time Traveler
16. Horsepower Productions – Classic Deluxe
17. Rx – Fox Grindin’
18. Mr. Slash – Do Some Work (Instrumental)
19. Teddy – Last Phone Call
20. Wonder – Full Metal Jacket
21. DCult – Requiem
22. Nicki Minaj – Did It On’em
23. L-Wiz – Straightjacket
24. Ill-Esha & AntiSerum – Zephyr
25. Rx & Shiftee – Space Ace
26. Take – Neon Beams (The Clonious Remix)
27. Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes – Look At Me Now
28. Malilone – Bis Gleich
29. Zomby – Digital Fauna
30. Mr. Mitch – Pimp Shoes
31. Jon E Cash – Spanish Fly
32. Numan – The Zoo
33. DJ Jonty – Grindin (Kastle’s Edit of an Edit)
34. Tom Encore – Spellbound (Zeppy Zep Remix)
35. Goth Trad – Far East Assassin
36. Digital Mystikz – Pop Pop Epic

DJ Shiftee is a 2x DMC World Champion and Dubspot Instructor currently heating up dancefloors around the globe with fresh beats and sounds! Shiftee along with DJ Endo are the designers of Dubspot’s groundbreaking new DJ program, Digital DJing with Traktor Pro 2, a three level course that reflect the present landscape DJing with Native Instruments next generation DJ technology, harnessing traditional as well as cutting edge DJ concepts and techniques. Read more about Digital DJing with Traktor Pro 2. Follow Shiftee on Twitter & find him on Facebook.

Digital DJing Program w/ Traktor Pro 2

Online classes start the week of July 3rd and NYC on the week of September 12th!

• Digital DJing w/ Traktor Level 1: Introduction to DJing
• Digital DJing w/ Traktor Level 2: Phrase Mixing
• Digital DJing w/ Traktor Level 3: Beyond The Beatmatch

Starting with a historical overview, students will learn the fundamental concepts of the DJ via Traktor’s intuitive interface. They will then begin to delve into the vast array of new possibilities offered by this groundbreaking software, recording their work along the way. Students will leave with finished DJ mixes, a thorough introduction to DJing with Traktor, and a skill set and knowledge base perfect for further development.

NYC

• Dubspot’s complete Digital DJing course load
• 21 hours of hands-on instruction
• Additional instructor-supervised lab hours

ONLINE

• Dubspot’s complete Digital DJing course load
• 30-40 hours of high quality videos
• 3 hours of instructor-led chat sessions per week
• Direct video & audio feedback from instructors

Click here to view the embedded video.

Unsound Festival New York kicked off this week (beginning Wednesday, April 6th and running till Sunday, April 10th) with an array of workshops discussions, performances and concerts. The festival began with a special event in the Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center which featured music from Ben Frost and a host of other composers. For those who missed the beginning of this renowned festival, don’t fret – a series of incredibly awesome events are lined for the weekenders. First on Friday, The Bunker and The Index present BASS MUTATIONS, bringing together experimental electronic musicians, sound designers and bass music innovators with diverse backgrounds; ranging from already well established and highly influential artists such as Kode9, Appleblim, Badawi and Dorian Concept to rising producers and performers like Lone, Spatial, Sepalcure, and Chancha Via Circuito – all of whom you can read more about below.

10:00 PM Dave Q ( Back Room )
11:00 PM Chancha Vía Circuito ( Front Room )
12:00 AM Badawi ( LIVE – Back Room )
12:00 AM eleven tigers ( LIVE – Front Room )
01:00 AM Lone ( LIVE – Back Room )
01:00 AM Sepalcure ( LIVE – Front Room )
02:00 AM Kode9 ( Back Room )
02:00 AM Dorian Concept ( LIVE – Front Room )
03:00 AM KiNK ( LIVE – Front Room )
03:30 AM Appleblim ( Back Room )
04:00 AM Zeppy Zep ( Front Room )
04:00 AM The Phantom ( Front Room )
05:00 AM Spatial ( LIVE/DJ – Back Room )
Tickets: $25 advance, $30 at door

DJ, Producer, Writer, label owner, teacher and visual artist are all hats worn by London-based Kode9 (aka Steve Goodman), one of the most respected figures in today’s bass music scene. His sophomore album, Black Sun, again with his with partner, poet / MC Spaceape, will be released April 2011, and is already receiving major buzz. Kode9 owns and runs the popular Hyperdub imprint which is home to artists such as Burial, Ikonika, Terror Danjah, King Midas Sound, DVA, and many more.
Kode9 – Time Patrol Dub by Tsiabaannah

Bristol-based DJ / Producer Appleblim first came to prominence alongside Shackleton with his work for the Skull Disco label. In 2008, he launched his own Apple Pips label, releasing material from Martyn, Peverlist, Jus Wan, T++, Brackles, Instra:mental, Greena, Joe and more. Recently he has been making waves with his collaborative project with producer Ramadanman that sees the duo bringing in a Detroit and Berlin Techno influence into their own special brand of bass music.
Al Tourettes & Appleblim – Lipsmacker EP (AUS1028) by Al Tourettes

Brooklyn-based Producer Badawi has been on the bass scene in New York for well over a decade. Often cited as one of illbients original sources in the mid 90’s, Mesinai has gone far beyond the confines of that narrow scene is today is one of most unsung yet well respected producers of bass music in the states. Not to be pigeonholed, he has also been a fixture on the downtown improv scene playing with artists like John Zorn, Elliott Sharp and others, and is also a visual artist. His live set at Unsound Krakow in October was cited by many as a festival highlight, so expect the same tonight.

Check out an interview with Badawi and a brand new mix over at PlayGroundMag

Sofia, Bulgaria based KiNK is an innovative, uncompromising producer and captivating live performer. He made his first appearance on vinyl in 2005, but it was his series of releases with UK based producer Neville Watson for Rush Hour that finally opened up the wider world to his sound. Everyone from Hercules & Love Affair to Steve Bug played their 2008 collaboration “Inside Out.” They have since released a number of additional EPs and continue to do so. KiNK is also heavily in demand as a remixer and has released numerous solo productions on a number of labels including Josh Wink’s Ovum. KiNK has been doing live shows on rare occasions since 2007, and tonight is his New York debut. He is looking forward to releasing his first album on Kolour recordings this year.
KiNK – The Roots Of Techno by kink

Manchester based Lone (aka Matt Cutler) has been releasing music since 2007, with his first proper album, Lemurian, releasing in 2008 on Nottingham’s Dealmaker; 2009 garnered more attention for the young producer with his second album on Werk, Ecstacy & Friends. However, it was last year that things started to really pop for Lone. After starting his own Magic Wire Recordings imprint, he released the club smash single “Pineapple Crush,” then followed it in December with the album Emerald Fantasy Tracks, one of the most exciting releases of 2010. Both releases saw Lone exploring a distinctly British kind of rave inspired Techno sound. Tonight he will perform live for the first time in New York.

London-based producer Spatial first came on the scene in 2008 with a 10″ for his own Infrasonics imprint that instantly became Boomkat’s single of the week. Since then he has released three more singles for his own label and appeared at festivals such as Club Transmediale, Freerotation and Unsound Krakow. His music displays a meticulous attention to detail and a strong tendency towards experimentation. Tonight’s performance will blur the lines between a DJ and live set.

Brooklyn-based producer duo Sepalcure, aka Travis Stewart (Machinedrum) and Praveen Sharma (Praveen & Benoît), made their debut live performance on the Bass Mutations bill last year at Unsound Festival New York, and what a year they’ve had since! Their music has been featured in the movie Black Swan and they’ve also released two well-received EPs for Hotflush, took part in a Hotflush label tour of Europe, and appeared at Decibel in Seattle. Tonight the duo will be playing live.
No Think by sepalcure

Vienna-based producer Dorian Concept is part of the post “Beat Dimensions” generation of beat makers that includes artists such as Nosaj Thing, Mike Slott, and Hudson Mohawke. He has made a reputation via his live show and has released a string of releases on labels including Affine Records and Kindred Sprits, who released his debut album When Planets Explode in 2009. Ninja Tune will release his EP Her Tears Taste Like Pears in late March.

New York-based DJ Dave Q founded the seminal New York club night Dub War in 2005 and has continued to lead the charge for bass music in New York City ever since. Dub War was the first event to bring artists like Kode 9, Digital Mystikz, Loefah, Skream, Actress, Darkstar, Shackleton, and Ramadanman to North America. He recently started a new monthly event in Brooklyn called Twisup and runs the label The Index with Badawi. The label has released music from Badawi, Shackleton, Spatial, Headhunter, and Vladislav Delay.
Clap My Throat Bootleg by Dave Q

Buenos Aires-based producer Chancha Vía Circuito (aka Pedro Canale) will be a relatively new name to most. DJ /Rupture wrote about him in The Fader saying “You wouldn’t guess that the guy selling CDs in the back of Buenos Aires’s Zizek club is one of the scene’s most respected producers. Other Zizek producers craft new school cumbia beats for dance floor whomp; Chancha takes the mystical / tropical route, emulating both Martin Denny and hip-hop’s pursuit of the perfect loop.” He released his debut album Rodante in 2008 on ZZK records.
Chancha Via Circuito – Rio Arriba 2010 by zzkrecords

London-based Lithuanian producer Eleven Tigers started out self-distributing his tracks via the Internet. After being “discovered” by then BBC Radio DJ Mary Anne Hobbs, he started performing live. His first LP Clouds Are Mountains was released in June 2010, a detailed and boundary-blurring work that draws on both bass music and shoegaze post-rock. The Quietus called it one of the albums of the year, writing on that it “answers, in full, the question as to what happens after Burial.”

Warsaw-based producer / DJ The Phantom and Krakow-based producer / DJ Zeppy Zep are two or the most talented up and coming bass music producers from Poland. The Phantom draws his inspiration from the standard’s like UK funky and grime, but he also finds stimulus from African house and early club classics. His debut track “Cambodia” was relased on the Top Billin’ compilation PL Funky; his latest release, The Phantom EP, dropped on Senseless Records late in 2010. 21 year old Zeppy Zep first made his mark on the bass scene with his track “Quality,” and most recently his contribution to the PL Funky compilation, “Sierra.” In 2010, his unreleased tracks “Menace” and “Rebis” received massive attention from FACT and Sinden. This young producer definitely is one to watch in the coming years, as he’s clearly showing a drive to fight for the top of bass musics production rank and file.

GIRL (BRENMAR REMIX) (Senseless Records) by The Phantom

We’ve partnered with Livid Instruments, Ableton, Native Instruments and Propellerhead, this year to bring you Dubspot Austin Sessions workshops and giveaways at this year’s SXSW festival! On Thursday, Martch 17th, we’ll kick off a 6-hour workshop and demonstration sessions from 1pm to 7pm at Deseo Centro Lounge. Join us to get a taste of what we’re all about and learn something new for your studio workflow. [Facebook event page]

We are excited to present the Dubspot Austin BBQ Benefit featuring live performances and DJ sets from Martín Perna, Matt Shadetek, Thavius Beck, Shiftee, Barry Cole , DJ ObaH, Ancient Astronauts, Rob Luis and Belleruche and a special performance from The Cipher hip hop artists.

Dubspot Austin BBQ Benefit! (Facebook RSVP)
ESL, Giantstep, Wax Poetics, Tru Thoughts
Sunday, March 20th, 3pm – 8pm
Franklin Barbecue, 900 E. 11th St.

Dubspot & Friends SXSW Showcase (Facebook RSVP)
Presented by Giant Step & ESL Music
Friday, March 18 2011
Kenichi, Austin TX

Featuring live performances and DJ sets by DJ Nickodemus, Rob Luis, Belleruche, Ancient Anstronauts, DRM/ERIK, Cilantro Boombox, and DJ ObaH.

Friends of Friends Day Party (Facebook RSVP)
Presented by FoF and Dubspot
Thursday, March 17th, 2pm – 8am
Barcelona, 209 East 6th St.

Featuring by Daedelus, Baths, Mexicans with Guns, Salva, Shlohmo, Matt Shadetek, Low Limit, Kotchy, Asura, Anenon and DJ Sodapop!

Night Fever! VOL XI: The SXSW Edition (Facebook RSVP)
Presented by StrangeTribe Productions & Soul of the Boot Entertainment
Tuesday, March 15th, 7pm – 2am
Copa Bar & Grill, 217 Congress Ave. Austin, TX

Featuring live performances and DJ sets by Nickodemus, J Boogie, Nappy Riddem, Ocote Soul Sounds, DJ ObaH, Ancient Astronauts, Chico Mann, Afrofreque, Afrolicious, Live PA w/ El John on Percussion, Empresarios, and DJ Sun.

SXStrangeBoot (Facebook RSVP)
Presented by ESL Music, Dubspot, Tru Thoughts, and Fort Knox
Thursday, March 17th, 6pm – 2am
Roial, 120 West 5th St.

Featuring by live performances and DJ sets by Empresarios, Belleruche, Frank Mitchell Jr., Funk Ark, Ocote Soul Sounds, Nappy Riddem, Nickodemus, Ancient Astronauts, Robert Luis, DJ ObaH, Barry Cole, and Senor Oz!

More information on our Austin Invasion to come soon! Stay tuned to our blog, facebook and twitter channels for up-to-date information.

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WHAM BAM is a unique experience “with a particular emphasis on emergent forms and techniques, encouraging interaction between emerging and professional practitioners.” In other words: world-class talent with performances and discussion around the future movement of technology and music production today.

The NAMM Show (a massive music-industry trade show) is also happening this weekend – in Anaheim with attendance reportedly topping 100,000 people. As an spin-off that has taken on a life of it’s own, this year’s WHAM BAM (the fourth annual) offers a more intimate approach to where music devices, creation, workflow and performance are heading for the future. The event brings together  innovative artists, musicians, media makers, scientists, academics, critics and enthusiasts covering a wide variety of (sound-related) mediums at LA’s Elephant Theatre.

The event kicks off this Friday at 6pm, and spans three rooms with workshops such as Apps for Next Generation Music Interaction (with Gareth Williams from Liine), Innovative Performance Techniques (w/ Ableton experts Laura Escude, Thavius Beck, Steve Nalepa, Moldover) and live visuals and physical installations by CPU, CELL, KERO, and VJ Culture. Visit WHAM BAM for full details. Check below (after the flier) for artist info and media, and also RSVP on the facebook event page for updates and info.

Elephant Theater
6322 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90038

ROOM 1: ELECTRO : EXPERIMENTAL : TECHNO hosted by Friendly Integration and Droid Behavior

Jimmy Edgar (Warp, K7 // Detroit, Berlin) Street-smart and wise-beyond-his-years, Jimmy Edgar wanders the desolated streets of junky occupied steaming sewers, an urban ghost town under deconstruction. Reeling through a jungle of industrious landscapes, abandoned buildings, isolated alley ways and homeless people. In the midst of which lies intense feelings of jadedness and despair that makes the city all the more musical in its thriving evolving decay, and being the inspiration to a unique style which critics rant as being: Songs with “a richly textured character –softly softly blending a hazy arrangement of static with an engrossing nighttime beat. Scratches galore and moody electronic pulses… via some glorious Detroit Neon,” Boomkat 2002. Poster child of sound couture Jimmy Edgar, who dropped studies in fashion and design to concentrate on making music, has a background of art production and style which reads much like an urban landscape dissertation. Snatching all kinds of influences from his Detroit dwelling: the city’s decay, urban fashion, and the city’s eclectic music scene, Edgar manufactures unique and provocative ultra modern sound environments.

Jimmy Edgar – Hot Raw Sex by rre

Jimmy Edgar – Hot Raw Sex (Machinedrum remix) by !K7 Records

Richard Devine (Warp, Schematic // ATL)
Richard Devine is one of the most talented (if not prolific) of the producers organized around the Miami neo-electro haven of Schematic Records. Based in Atlanta, Devine’s productions have the rigid breakbeat swing of prime electro recordings, but also a high degree of DSP (digital signal processing) magic in keeping with Schematic’s acknowledged heroes, Autechre. After EPs for a sublabel of Woody McBride’s Drop Bass Network and the Devine EP on Schematic, the producer began getting a reputation in advanced electronics circles with remixes (of material by Aphex Twin, Chris Deluca, Slicker, and Schematic’s own Phoenecia) as well as compilation appearances (Ischemic Folks and Lily of the Valley, both on Schematic). Turned on to Devine’s work by praise from Autechre and his remix of Aphex Twin’s “Come to Daddy,” Britain’s Warp Records hired him in 2000 to record a full-length. The results, Lipswitch, were jointly released one year later by Schematic and War.

Ryuichi Sakamoto – Seven Samurai (Richard Devine Remix) by RichardDevine

Pulse/Excerpt/Short Experiment by RichardDevine

Drumcell (Droid Behavior, CLR // LA) is the founder of Droid Recordings and co-founder of Droid Behavior along with the Vidal and Vangelis Vargas. Since the mid Nineties Drumcell has been a firm believer in the power of techno and over the past decade become one of Southern California’s greatest champions.As a graduate of the Musician’s Institute, a veteran performer at parties, and longtime recording engineer Drumcell harnesses a strong musical background with a gifted sense of technological intuition. The delicate balance keeps him pushing the limits of his gear continually as a way to develop his artistic express. Forming the Droid Behavior collective with Acid Circus earlier this decade was another other major step in this ongoing development. In turn, the collective has helped expose other local artists as well as established DJs to the growing legion of techno fans in the Los Angeles basin. In the past five years, he’s played alongside nearly every major DJ in the genre via the trio’s signature Interface parties. This year he also did a mini-tour of the US which culminated in him playing the main stage at the prestigious Movement festival in Detroit. Recently, Drumcell has also had a string of additional successes including remixes of techno legend Chris Leibing on Leibing’s own CLR label as well as the seventh anniversary of the now legendary Interface parties These gatherings have brought the best of the old school warehouse vibe together with intense new school multimedia presentations that defy explanation. He is currently developing a audio/visual performance to be unveiled by the end of this year in hopes of elevating his performances at these events to the next level. Drumcell will definitely be one artist worth watching in 2010.

Drumcell 6 AM Studio Mix by drumcell

ROOM 2: AMBIENT, IDM, AUDIO VISUAL hosted by Electronic Creatives and Dubspot

Laura Escudé (Electronic Creatives, Dubspot // LA) is a critically-acclaimed violinist, composer, sound designer, music technologist and educator. She specializes in the software program Ableton Live and became one of the world’s first Ableton Certified Trainers in 2008. In 2009 she worked on Cirque du Soleil’s “Viva Elvis” as an Ableton Live programmer, toured Europe with acclaimed world music band Niyaz, was a tour consultant for Kanye West and recorded violin on EastWest’s Silk sound library. She has worked with diverse directors, artists and composers such as J.J. Abrams, Jason Reitman, LMFAO, Mark Isham and Carmen Rizzo. In 2010 Laura released her first full length album Pororoca, a beautiful marriage of cinematic strings and edgy electronics, along with an animated video designed by Scott Pagano (Trifonic, BT, Michael Jackson). A Renaissance artist for the New Age, Laura’s mastery of cutting edge musical technologies and experimental techniques, complemented with her classical training and experience performing in symphony orchestras, sets her apart in a class of her own. Her solo project encompasses a myriad of genres, utilizing live electronics, synthesis, found sounds, samples and violin affected by hardware and software.

Laura Escudé Live at The Do Lab Presents Bluetech & Emancipator by lauraescude

Thavius Beck (Mush Records, Dubspot // LA) is an electronic musician/producer/programmer who has worked with various artists ranging from Nine Inch Nails to Saul Williams. He is currently signed to LA-based label Mush Records, where he has released several albums. His previous works are known for their distinctive sound which melds equal parts rock, hip-hop, soul, industrial, and electronic music, showcasing his diverse musical influences in everything he makes. With a heavy focus on beat making, editing, and multi-track recording, he has used Ableton Live for the majority of his work (live and in the studio) for the past four years, giving him extensive practical knowledge of the software. In addition to making his own music, he has held electronic music workshops in several colleges, given one-on-one tutorials to various artists on Ableton Live, and has been hosting a monthly Ableton Live workshop at The Downtown Independent in Los Angeles since 2009.
Sunday Eve Special (31.12.10): Thavius Beck & Rejoicer by colair

Professor Nalepa vs It’s Not Over Quebec (1320 Records, Dubspot // LA)
LA-based producer, professor and mad scientist collector Steve Nalepa is an electronic musician revered in avant-garde circles for his studio alchemy and genre bending: he’s produced tracks with such legends as Bill Laswell and Pharoah Sanders, performed with the LA Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and shared the stage with some of the most revered electronic musicians and video artists in the world. Nalepa’s music technology classes at Chapman University Conservatory of Music have become a breeding ground for new talent, and he has teamed up with his former students It’s Not Over Quebec for some heavy, live electronic excursions.

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ROOM 3: DISCUSSIONS AND PANELS

Moldover (LoveTech // SF) If technology and music are your life, brace yourself- Moldover is about to reformat your soul. Hailed by 700,000 YouTube viewers as “The Godfather of Controllerism”, Moldover is a new breed of music icon. Combining the charisma of a rock star, the mad genius of a basement inventor, and the radical inclusiveness of the DIY internet generation, Moldover is “literally throwing away the rule book and reinventing the wheel” (Remix Magazine). Witness his balls-to-the-wall live show at a club, experience his multiplayer music installations at a festival, or pick up and play the “light theramin” packaging of his debut album and understand why the next paradigm for music is a one-man-brand called Moldover.

Gareth Williams (Liine : Trapez // Berlin) is a musician, music technology expert and one of the founders of Liine. Whether producing or performing music under his Raw Hedroom pseudonym, building performance systems for Richie Hawtin’s Plastikman Live show or creating next generation music devices for the iPad at Liine, Gareth always has one eye on the future. Liine, a group of passionate music technologists including Richie Hawtin and John Acquaviva, is at the forefront of exploring the music creation possibilities offered by the new generation of touch devices such as the iPad. Gareth’s talk will include insight into the future of the Griid Ableton Live controller (including Cliip and future modules), the next incarnation of the innovative Kapture device, as well as Liine’s vision of interactive music with Remiix.

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VISUALS:

CPU – LA Over the last few years visual programmer and VJ Bryant Place a.k.a. CyberPatrolUnit has worked with luminaries such as the Black Eyed Peas, M.I.A., Kanye West and renowned film composer, Hans Zimmer. In addition to his high profile VJ work as part of Vello Virkhaus’ V Squared Labs team, performing for many major musical acts of the day, CPU works with the underground SoCal techno crew Droid Behavior, for whom he has developed highly specialized audio-visualization systems. In addition, CPU is also an artist relations manager, support and product specialist at JazzMutant (creators of the famed touchscreen controller Lemur.) Recently CPU toured with Richie Hawtin’s PlastikmanLive show in Europe where he ran the visual system. He is also part of the DRUMCELL + CPU PROJECT in which he creates generative audio-reactive visuals with Derivative’s TouchDesigner software, to create an immersive live show.

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VJ Culture – LA One of the United States top VJs. (Source: UK’s DJ Mag)
VJ Culture brings to the screens over 12 years of experience. Always ahead of the curve in design and content. VJ Culture’s current style blends simple shapes and primary colors with complex algorithms that generate organic forms.

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Event Description from Giant Step:

Nokia Theatre Times Square is now Best Buy Theater.

Giant Step is pleased to welcome the return of long-time friends and legendary DJs and producers – Peter Kruder and Richard DorfmeisterThe 16th F**king Years Anniversary, MC Earl Zinger (AKA vocalist Earl Zinger AKA Rob Gallagher, former leader of hipsters Galliano) and dub vocalist Ras MC T- Weed will be joining the stage, along with the LED projections of acclaimed visual artist, Fritz Fitzke, and special guest Nickodemus.
– as they return to New York after almost a decade long hiatus to perform their only New York stop on a national tour with a spectacular show. To celebrate
For the only New York stop on their national tour to support Sixteen F**king Years of the legendary Viennese label G-Stone Recordings, founded by Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister, the pioneers of global electronic music will perform at Best Buy Theater, in Times Square. In addition, Kruder and Dorfmeister are releasing an impressive compilation including new music by Tosca, Peace Orchestra, Christian Prommer’s Drumlesson, Rodney Hunter, Makossa&Megablast and many others as well as a free bonus disc of classics and hidden treasures from the G-Stone vaults. The live performance will showcase their own music and that of G-Stone Recordings with keyboards, samplers, computers, vocalists, visual art and more to recreate the songs live – a danceable event with downtempo and uptempo treats from the godfathers of the genre.

12.10.2010 Nokia Theatre, New York
13.10.2010 Montreal Jazz, Montreal
15.10.2010 Club Nokia, Los Angeles
16.10.2010 Treasure Island Festival, San Fransisco
22.10.2010 Roundhouse, London
11.11.2010 Astra, Berlin
12.11.2010 Kesselhaus, München
13.11.2010 E-Werk, Köln

G-Stone Recordings: EVERYBODY GET CAKED!

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Kruder & Dorfmeister – Heitere Festival CH (2010) by G-Stone Recordings