31.1.2007 von mk.

The Big Bang Album ‘Way In Jazz’ was a blast. Therefore the label decided to give you more putting together a classic compilation of the best of Big Bang’s material.
You might know the musicians by now that have taken part of this great project: people like Rasiyah (Bugz In The Attic - Marc De Clive Lowe), Xan Blacq, Roger Beaujolais, Jessica Lauren, Neil Angilley & Davide Giovannini, (Snowboy - Vertente -Jazztronik ), Samba’s King Barak Schmool, the excellent Nathan Haines on sax and flute, Hajime Yoshizawa & Tomokazu Sugimoto on the classic cover of ‘Speak Low’ sung by Alexander, the incredible Horns Section featuring Ingrid Laubrock, and the percussion of Pete Eckford.
On top of that Arision has added some favourite remixes, like the one of 4Hero of the Co-Op classic tune ‘Lady’, the amazing remix of Nicola Conte of ‘Yo Yo Jazz’, and an extra unreleased remix of Summer Fields by the Japanese band Indigo Jam Unit.

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24.1.2007 von mk.

Block Barley, bürgerlich Sascha Hohn, ist ein Mensch, der einen guten Loop zu schätzen weiss, das wird einem klar, wenn man „Dead at the Control“ hört. Seine musikalische Sozialisation sieht entsprechend aus: Der Turntablist und Plattensammler ist mit HipHop in seiner ursprünglichen Interpretation aufgewachsen, bevor er von Psychedelic und Krautrock fasziniert wurde. Dass der Albumtitel dabei ausserdem mehr als nur einen Wink in Richtung der Dub‐Ästhetik eines Mikey Dread („Dread at the Control“, 1979) darstellt, versteht sich von selbst.
Alte Sampler, Synthesizer und Effektgeräte bestimmen hier das Klangbild, das hier im Zeitlupentempo aufgebaut wird: Ein knisternder, hippie‐esker Sound auf der einfachen Basis, die Block Barley von HipHop gelernt hat: Die Schönheit und Vielschichtigkeit eines Loops.
Vorgestellt wurde „Dead at the Control“ erstmals im Rahmen der Tape‐Loop‐Installation ʺTapemosphere meets Dead at the Controlʺ, einer Zusammenarbeit der beiden befreundeten Künstler Block Barley und Béla Janssen. Zentrale Punkte waren die Auseinandersetzung mit dem Medium Tonbandkasette sowie deren räumliche Darstellungsmöglichkeiten in Verbindung mit analogen Manipulationsmöglichkeiten – ganz im Sinne der Musique Concrete. In der Installation wurden 4 Tonbandschleifen über Nylonschnüre dreidimensional durch den Raum geführt, einfache Kassettendecks dienten als Abspiel‐ und Transportgerät. Drei der vier Loops beinhalteten Elemente einer Komposition von Block Barley: Eine Bassline, Schlagzeug und eine Melodie. Der vierte, interaktive Loop erlaubte es dem Besucher, über ein Mikrofon eigene Sounds, Gesang o.Ä. aufzuzeichnen – dieses Signal wurde verzögert wieder abgespielt und fügte so dem Eigenleben des Songs, der sich durch die unterschiedlich langen Loops stetig veränderte, eine weitere Dimension hinzu. Ein Livemitschnitt ist als Hiddentrack auf der CD zu hören, für 2007 sind weitere Ausstellungen im In‐ und Ausland geplant.

www.blockbarley.com 

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23.1.2007 von mk.

James Brown represented what may well be the greatest and yet most contradictory career in the history of pop. His most enduring invention was undoubtedly the music we now know as funk.
In the mid-sixties, James Brown ignited a pop music revolution with the release of “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag.” He followed through with classics such as “I Got You”, “Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose”, “Sex Machine”, “Super Bad” and many more, effectively bringing the whole thing home. Music shaped by melody gave way to music dominated by rhythm; as dry as it may sound, this in fact marked the birth of modern dance music and would decisively influence generations of music lovers.
In 2006, a select group of international producers, musicians and DJs set out to pay tribute to “Soul Brother Number One.” For once “The Hardest Working Man In Show Business” was able to kick back and let others do the work. The result of this project is a collection of fascinating remixes of James Brown’s classic hits. The variety of approaches in these reworkings is outstanding; each artist explores his own personal “James Brown cosmos” and leaves behind an exceptional musical fingerprint. “It’s got to be funky!”
“Sex Machine” was more than just a musical milestone; it manifested something in our collective consciousness on a par with the first moon landing. Many pop stars are products of their times, real pop stars embody their times. “He was ecstatic. He had transformed a single groove into a piece of gold.” (Alan M. Leeds)
Reworking James Brown’s classics such as “Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose”, “Super Bad”, “Soul Power”, etc., as well as “Sex Machine” of course, was definitely a challenge. For James Brown / “Dynamite X”, producers, musicians and DJs like dZihan & Kamien, ex-UFO founder Toshio Matsuura and many others have each created their own very personal homage to James Brown and his music.

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20.1.2007 von mk.

The best thing about that SLOPE sound is that it is so hard to define. In their ten year existance as SLOPE, HONESTY and his partner in crime DANIEL PAUL have constantly been eclectic. They have always been about uniting a multitude of influences while always keeping the bassdrum in the right spot. Around a dozen tracks from recent years have been selected for this remix album.
First up is the Bass-check remix by swede FORSS who with his incomparable cut-up technique serves up a deep dub track. On it goes with SLOPE’s remix of the FAT FREDDYS DROP song Ray Ray. There’s also, to name but one or two of the many highlights, SLOPE’s edit of It’s You (DEYAMPERT), the slow but powerful groovy collaboration with MC CAPITOL A In The Mix as well as the HENRIK SCHWARZ mix of Keepin’ It Up featuring the one of a kind DESNEY BAILEY on the mic (this track already came out on the first 12″ taken from this album). The SLOPE mix of the STUDIO-R track Clapz has a real old-school vibe, helped along by the vocals of underground superstar MOCKY. MEITZ bridges the gap to acoustic jazz with Find Our Love performed in a classic trio ensemble and which he has interpreted with his trademark rhodes chords.
Other contributions come from ROBAG WRUHME (one half of the house duo WIGHNOMY BROTHERS), DANIEL MAGG, CHARLES WEBSTER, DAZ-I-KUE & AFRONAUT (BUGZ IN THE ATTIC) and 1LUV.
One glance at this list of artists, as stylistically varied as they are innovative in their respective fields, is proof for the power of the SLOPE sound.

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20.1.2007 von mk.

Berlin got a new show in 2006, Belle et Fou realised by four star chef and events caterer HANS-PETER WODARZ and producer/director ARTHUR CASTRO. Besides dance, theatre and refined culinary delights, this new project from the makers of Pomp, Duck & Circumstance has one very special highlight to offer: the soundtrack is by JAZZANOVA.
The Berlin collective not only made a selection of tracks from the Sonar Kollektiv label catalogue available to director ARTHUR CASTRO, the main theme tune is original JAZZANOVA material specially written for Belle et Fou. And JAZZANOVA where thrilled with the challenge of for once not having to work on their “own” material, rather to work with a director in order to make music which serves the purpose of the concept as a whole.
But of course the music written especially for Belle et Fou has something special. In the tradition of the “orchestral” soul of the 70s, BARRY WHITE, MARVIN GAYE and the Blaxploitation Soundtracks by ISAAC HAYES were the basic musical idea. But JAZZANOVA also takes trips deep into folk, acoustic jazz and classic. And this was part of the attraction of the project for JAZZANOVA: to amalgamate these elements with their own sound. Complex string arrangements and brass sections as well as live guitars, bass and special instruments like harps meet the drum programming that has made JAZZANOVA stars of the worldwide club scene.
As well as this original material especially recorded for Belle et Fou, a selection of classics from the Sonar Kollektiv back catalogue became part of the show. This mainly song orientated material fits perfectly into the Soul/Jazz context. There are contributions from, among others, CLARA HILL, MICATONE, WAHOO, GEORG LEVIN, THIEF, FORSS, OUTLINES and EXTENDED SPIRIT…

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17.1.2007 von mk.

True originators are thin on the ground but 4hero’s claim is more robust than most.
As pioneers of jungle and drum n bass, they massively changed the face of 90s music and made a huge contribution to dance culture. Forging ahead with new beats and new techniques, the London duo have released a steady stream of precious moments and crafted a sound which is entirely their own.
Play with the Changes will be their first album for 6 years in a prolific career that has gained critical acclaim, a Mercury nomination, MOBO award and widespread respect from the music fraternity. It is 4hero’s duality of approach which makes them truly unique. Influenced by underground techno as much as Chicago soul, their music is a synthesis of past and future, artificial and organic, strange and familiar. Intertwining live and electronic sounds, 4hero create futuristic soul for real music heads.
Play with the Changes is a richly textured and musically complex album. Fluttering, delicate beats mutate into orchestral excursions. Strings and live drums give way to abstract sounds and disjointed electronica. It features a role call of superior vocalists of the quality one has come to expect from 4hero, including Carina Andersson, whose contribution to ‘Les Fleur’ made it a straight up masterpiece. Poetess extraordinaire and long-time cohort Ursula Rucker lends her lyrical wisdom and Grammy award winning legend Jody Watley makes a special appearance. Daughter of Cosmic Jazz Bembe Segue, Bugz in the Attic’s Kaidi Taitham, Phonte of Little Brother, Jack Davey (J*DaVeY) and Larry Mizell (who has written and produced for the Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye and countless others) join a host of new evolving talent.
Suffused with a love of black music history (think Roy Ayers, Rotary Connection, Sun Ra, Minnie Riperton, Afrika Bambaataa), and technical innovation, 4hero’s unique brand of alchemy has given us genre-defining albums and breakthrough anthems which stand out as milestones in the history of dance music. After releasing early rave classic Mr Kirk’s Nightmare, they established Reinforced Records and unleashed Goldie onto the world, as well as material by Doc Scott, Photek Peshay and Grooverider.
Parallel Universe set a precedent for successive drum and bass long players and was labelled NME album of the year. Two Pages, their debut album for Talkin’ Loud in 1998, was one of the most anticipated albums of that year and was nominated for a Mercury music Prize and also won 4hero a MOBO award. 2001’s Creating Patterns explored more acoustic sounds and featured Jill Scott, soul-folk legend Terry Callier and 60’s psychedelic poet Mark Murphy. As well as working with some of the great voices of soul, they set new standards as remixers and their stunning reinterpretation of Black Gold of the Sun”…one of the best remixes ever…”.

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11.1.2007 von mk.

How to describe a new cd in times of upgrades and downloads, understatement and overkill? Ladies & Gentlemen, attention please, before you continue fiddling with your I-Pod or fall back into the lounge. The BLAUEPHASE DJ team is releasing a new, song-orientated cd „Discoarzt – The Original Soundtrack Album“ and accompanying vinyl EPs with zeitgeist minimal future disco.

The project:
An outrageous hommage to pop and club with a twist back to the future. A larger-than-life, ambitious , sharp mixture of a DJ team and a pop group. Minimal, pumping vinyl mixes for the club crowd and radio-friendly album material featuring strong singles. BLAUEPHASE live are a temperamental tour de force, yet maintaining a disciplined approach while working in the studio. Jens Poenitsch ( Lefreak: vocals, keyboards, guitars, vinyls ) and Bernd Jakopic ( Dr.Luv: keyboards, vinyls, data, programmes ) happily forget about dull pop business rules and ignore turntablism clichées with this record, just functioning as producers, musicians, vocalists and entertainers with the natural ease of veteran DJs.
Advanced electronics and real instruments blend with walls of vocals ( Glam, Music can ́t be too loud), echoes of disco and glam ( Stardust, Dream Love) surface in their own material, while covers ( Blockbuster, Drive) are stripped down and then rearranged. Recurring themes of pop, the bombastic album intro ( Blue Pt.1) or the classical ballad ( Beautiful Stranger) are simply absorbed and pimped up. Toying around with grandezza, irony, futurism, nostalgia, stereotypes and taboo, BLAUEPHASE just want to entertain you, after all…
Want to cure you from a daft, elitist attitude. Want to combine showbiz tradition, rock ́n roll romanticism, disco hedonism and electronic kicks and present it to you as a remedy against current musical boredom. The origins of Discoarzt ( a German fantasy word roughly translated as club doctor) dates back to the first BLAUEPHASE album “ Freaks in Munique” and the accompanying, successful german club tour. Inspired, they immediately started parties in Munich ́s best hang outs, mixing old vinyls with innovative electronic files, combining DJ art with live performance. Keywords like Munich Sound, Musicland, Mercury, Bowie, Prince, Chic, Donna Summer or Faltermeyer have a similar status in the BLAUEPHASE universe like Tiga, Scissor Sisters, Radio FG, Guetta, Roulé, Kitsuné, Kompakt, Munich clubs Café am Hochhaus,
Rote Sonne or the Munich lifestyle shop Kare where BLAUEPHASE promoted club and vintage cds over the last years. But now get ready for the first BLAUEPHASE cd release “ Discoarzt – The Original Soundtrack Album” on Disco Art Recordings

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www.blauephase.de

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9.1.2007 von mk.

There was a time when one needed a few grooves pressed on vinyl, a TB 303 and a TR 808. And a small provincial town like Rosenheim was suddenly on the same map as Detroit, Manchester and all the other cities in the world that generate interesting electronic sounds. Because it was hard to understand this wondrous phenomenon, let alone explain it to others, one simply thought the Rosenheim natives were “the German Autechre.” Björk, the Wu-Tang Clan and all the advanced electronic acts knew better: Funkstörung are unique.
The Y2K bug was just starting to hit in the nineties when Michael Fakesch and Chris de Luca, who in 1996 started drawing attention to themselves with diverse small releases on Bunker & Acid Planet, their own label Musik Aus Strom, as well as on Compost, saw themselves forced to add another computer to the whole collection of devices they already had for the 303. Björk had namely asked Funkstörung to remix one of her tracks. They had less than a week to get used to the operating system and software they needed to correctly underlie the vocals on Björk’s track “All Is Full Of Love” (1998) with “funky but distorted” beats. Björk really liked it and immediately asked for a second Funkstörung remix.
A whole series of further remixes for the most prominent and innovative electronic acts ensued: Funkstörung remixed the Wu-Tang Clan and Jean-Michel Jarre. In addition to their own groundbreaking productions, remixes became Funkstörung’s second pillar - and in principle sounded like their own tracks: Michael Fakesch and Chris de Lucas’ signature is unmistakable. A year later they already had enough material for a remix compilation that was released as “Additional Productions.” This was followed in 2001 by “Vice Versa,” the surprisingly poppy sequel.
That was preceded by “Appetite For Disctruction” (2000), the first artist album by Funkstörung on which the complete development of their own style of broken beats, melodious sound and futurist hi-tech hip hop could be heard. Tours through Europe, the USA and Japan followed. The second stroke came in 2004 with “Disconnected” (and with the unique book-DVD project “Isolated - Funkstörung Triple Media” so did the third one). Last but not least, Funkstörung reflected on their acid roots with last year’s double vinyl “The Return To The Acid Planet”.
Now it’s time to take stock and look back on one of the most interesting careers in electronic music. For “Appendix,” their third and final remix compilation, they once again went through old archives, looking for rare remixes that were in part only released as B-sides. They reconstructed tracks, searched for missing master tapes and went through computer files. Funkstörung struck it lucky in the yearbooks of their own history between 1998 and 2005, which is when they remixed artists including Towa Tei, Barry Adamson, Lamb, Nils Petter Molvaer, the Raveonettes and, as already mentioned, Björk. After last year’s celebrated tenth Funkstörung anniversary, “Appendix” is their final statement. Chris de Luca and Michael Fakesch decided to disband Funkstörung and will in future dedicate themselves to their solo projects.
So, “Appendix” looks simultaneously back and ahead. Paradox? Perhaps. But Michael Fakesch and Chris de Luca’s creations have always been characterized by a good panoramic view - and Funkstörung exist beyond time and space.
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