April 19, 2010
Congratulations to Highgrade!
10 years of Highgrade, a brief history: 79 vinyl releases, 31 digital releases, and 9 artist albums. The Highgrade family consists of 14 permanent artists
and 80 guest musicians. The label in numbers alone is quite impressive, but you really need to hear 10 years of Highgrade to appreciate it. That is
why we will be releasing a double CD anniversary compilation of the artist’s latest gems. We will be celebrating the release and our anniversary in the
Berghain and Panorama Bar in our usual Highgrade manner on the 15th of may 2010. Nearly all of our artists will be spinning the decks to celebrate
this special occasion and to kick off our lengthy anniversary tour.
It was the beginning of the new millennium when Tom Clark, the Berlin DJ, decided to start his own label. He began by signing Sebo K, James Flavour
and Guido Schneider, the major players of the Berlin club scene. The second batch of talented recruits to the Highgrade family were Todd Bodine, Jens
Bond, Dub Taylor, Phage, Daniel Dreier and Sven Brede.
Highgrade has made it a point of ignoring the genre boundaries, instead deciding to concentrate solely on musical highlights and individuality. It has always
been important to Highgrade to support new artists like Format: B or Heinrichs&Hirtenfellner. Whether deep house or crackling minimal loops, the
label determines the sound of the city and has always had followers from all over the world. Tom has found himself the right partners in Todd Bodine
and Mariana Luzardo, and together they`re leading the label to “higher” levels.
As a warm up to the anniversary year, Highgrade organized two amazing parties with the labels Freak´n´Chic and Wagon Repair in the Berghain and
Panorama Bar. For the 10 year anniversary, old and new Highgrade artists are joining up to celebrate the best sound, the unforgettable parties and
good times ...
April 19, 2010
Cocoon's Chris Tietjen in the Mix
The Cocoon Recordings Mix Compilation Series is celebrating its fifth anniversary: after Chris Tietjen, being still a youngster in 2006, had compiled the label’s best tracks of 2006 on the CD “EINS” and thus offered a review on twenty-two 12″ maxis, we are now facing “FÜNF", on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of Cocoon Recordings. Every year, Chris compiles his personal Cocoon highlights in a musical cross-section and each time he produces a very unique mix of the best Cocoon dancefloor bombs of the past 12 months. First came “EINS", then “ZWEI” followed, and meanwhile we have reached “FÜNF. Chris, who is now resident of his own night “Loaded” at Sven Väth’s homebase cocoonclub Frankfurt, has now put together the best tracks of 2009 and assembles artists from the likes of Egbert, Tiefschwarz, Electric Rescue, Alex Flatner & Lopazz, Tim Green, Nick Curly, Stefan Goldmann, Julian Jeweil, Extrawelt, Len Faki or Yousef in this mix.
April 19, 2010
Dan Curtin's Album is exclusive "Lifeblood" !
fifth artist album in Mobilee's ever-growing catalogue. It also happens to be his ninth album, and his first full- length in three years, which we think is ample cause for celebration.
Beginning in the early '90s, Curtin established an inimitable brand of machine soul on releases for Strictly Rhythm, Peacefrog, Sublime and many others, and he hasn't slowed down since—including three recent singles for Mobilee and her sister label Leena, not to mention Curtin's own acclaimed Metamorphic label, which continues to chart the deepest recesses of electronic dance music.
A bona fide legend of Midwestern American techno, Curtin has never shied away from the album format, using the medium again and again as a vehicle for exploring ideas that don't fit conveniently on the space of a 12". Lifeblood is no different. Refreshingly varied and remarkably cohesive, it's a welcome reminder of techno's expressive potential.
Despite its roots in classic sounds, this is no throwback. It's grounded in the here and now: drenched in funk, strengthened with silicon/analog alloys, and positively aglow with emotion. It spans 16 tracks: ten of them made with the dance floor in mind, plus short ambient sketches and two unexpected slow-burners to remind us of techno's kinship with golden-era hip-hop. It's an album that's fine with being broken down and carted off in DJ bags, or spliced into a mixtape for your special someone—but it also rewards sustained, concentrated listening as a whole.
Lifeblood, whose title speaks to the very essence of being, is all about circulation. The pulse is within you.
April 16, 2010
Ark's new Album on Perlon: ARKpocalypse Now!
Ark has got an eclectic and “organic” sound, something in between. From his origins as guitarist in a number of 80’s funk bands, most notably Trankilou, where he hooked up with the legend that is Pepe Bradock and onto the great Matthew Herbert & LoSoul with their first collaboration, ‘Belle Lurette’ in ‘99. The ‘Alleluyark’ EP series from 2003 reaffirmed as his status as chief protagonist of experimental, groove led house and techno. His 2005 long player on Perlon, ‘Caliente’ won him critical acclaim, which is furthered by his more recent works together with Shalom (as Shalark), Krikor (as Krikark), Cabanne (as Copacabannark), Mikael Weill (as Les Cerveaux Lents) and Dolibox. His cannon of remixes is as long as the channel tunnel, reworking the likes of Stephen Beaupre, Mr. Oizo, Archive, Mossa, Salif Keita, Slabb, Fym, Robag Wruhme … ARK’s new LP (cd+vinyl) features singers (Xanax, Lippie) and is here now…
April 9, 2010
Kuniyuki Takahashi is Walking in the Naked City
Deep house master Kuniyuki is back!! After the successful of the remix album which theo parrish,henrik Schwarz,cobblestone jazz and more joined,kuniyuki returned with his new album. This time kuniyuki invited the legendary japanese jazz pianist “fumio itabashi” which is well know as a pianist of sadao watanabe or terumasa hino.his most popular song “watarase” is a jap jazz classic and all time fav of gilles peterson.The album kick off with uplifting jazz song “once again” which fumio itabashi played the piano and henrik schwarz sung! next is also beautiful jazz song.then kuniyuki move to his typical modern world music taste with “naaga","forest of night".After the break with some introspective song,kuniyuki show his emotional deep house sound with “storm” which josee hurlock sung and uplifting afro house “set me free". Album go to the beautiful ending with jazz waltz “river” and melancholic vocal song “deliverance". this third album is a compilation of until now and will be a masterpiece for the lover of beautiful dance music.
April 9, 2010
Exclusive: New Prins Thomas Album
Resident Advisor: “Despite a handful of wooly space disco singles on his Full Pupp imprint, in terms of his own output Prins Thomas is still known—if unfairly—as the Robin to Hans-Peter Lindstrøm's Batman in Nordic disco's super-duo, Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas. The two crafted two of the ever-widening genre's foundational albums in their self-titled debut and its last year's follow-up, II. But, even more than through his popular sets, Thomas' creative sensibility is still best appreciated through his remixes. There are, well, about fifty of them. Each—from keepers like his dizzy strut take on Studio's "Life's a Beach" to his almost twenty minute reshaping of Hatchback's "White Diamond"—seems to bloat 'til the original's left only the barest of traces on Thomas' airier offering. His talent is for offering breathing room without losing touch of a track's core melody or its most essential parts, often suffusing the original the languor and the slow siesta swell. They're patient epics, beginning with chin-stroking and end in full mad rushes. On last year's second album with Lindstrøm though, Thomas' sense of expansion and the shimmery instantaneity of Lindstrøm's songcraft dissolved within the duo's slowly evolving jams. As though the two had difficulty either encouraging or dissuading each others' best/worst instincts, it was hard for even the most attentive kosmische, Krautrock or cosmic fans to find any point of entry or engagement in the duo's brainy studio play. Now, the two have split for a while to pursue other projects. Lindstrøm unveiled one of the year's best with the '80s pop-disco pastiche, Real Life is No Cool. Prins Thomas, on the other hand, finally hits us with his first album under his own name, the starkly titled/artworked (and, yes, long overdue) Prins Thomas. Following in the tradition of II, the album's essentially an extended fuzzbrain jam. But without sacrificing his need for spontaneity from a creative standpoint, on Prins Thomas there are just enough melodic passages to bring the noodlier bits into cohesion as a single work. If II seemed to unspool into a void, here you get a better sense of the shapes and patterns Thomas is forming. Sliding through the Michael Rother-esque "Ørkenvandring," the stunning Spaghetti Western guitar breakthrough of "Uggebugg" (see 3:45, one of the sit-up-and-take-notice moments I referred to earlier), or the rambling, Krauty synths of "Slangemusikk," Thomas incorporates over 40 years of psychedelic beatmusic into these seven lengthy cuts. More directly allusive, "Wendy Not Walter"—a nod to transgender synthesizer pioneer Wendy Carlos on which Lindstrøm offers up some warbly clavinet—sounds closer to the billowy kosmische HPL mastered on 2008's Where You Go I Go Too. But all of the record's meandering wouldn't come into focus without the two tracks which bring it to a close—the crisp star-gazer funk of "Nattønsket" and the morning-glory glide of closer "Attiatte." Fittingly, both assimilate Thomas' talent for the slow ascent, so evident in his remixes, with the hirsute, foggy headed jams displayed on the best of his own productions. A best of both worlds of sorts: delightful and still kind of delirious, and arguably a better record than either of those under his better known partnership. ”
