LOCAL HERO: Cruffy - Girls
It’s been a while since the Local Hero Award went to an unsigned track, but sometimes you just have to make the exception. Earlier this week we were sent four new tunes from the superbly fresh Cruffy, which apart from emanating some serious ghetto-bounce, also fit in perfectly with Glasgow’s futuristic Hip Hop vision. Our favourite cut is ‘Girls’ – a skewed reflection of early Skream in Pharrell Williams' perfectly polished chrome rims.
Cruffy – Girls (Unsigned)
Fresh from a lively performance on Boiler Room and the release of his sensationally feel-good mini album, ‘Future Rhythm Machine’, Auntie Flo has generated some fully justified heat from his open-minded and gloriously live approach to world club music. Here we have a completely organic slice of sunshine in the form of ‘La Samaria’ – five minutes of tribal-funk gold destined to make you smile.
Auntie Flo ft/ Mamacita – La Samaria (Huntley’s & Palmers) (Buy)
Auntie Flo ft/ Mamacita - La Samaria (Huntley's & Palmers) by Synth.
Having just celebrated twenty years at The Arches last month (which you can hear some of here), Slam have been hard at work in the studio crafting peak-time monsters with devastating results. Recently collaborating with Gary Beck for the new ‘Alliances’ series, while also unleashing the ‘Collecting Data’ compilation, the duo have managed to fit in a remix for Paperclip People which needless to say, hits hard.
Paperclip People – Throw (Slam’s RTM Remix) (Planet E) (Buy)
Paperclip People - Throw (Slam's RTM Remix) (Planet E) by Synth.
Finally, in a compete swerve of direction, Heartbeats head-honcho and constantly innovating lyrical lynchpin, Megamegaman released a new EP by the name of ‘Style To Burn’ this week. Featuring four cuts of unhindered heat, it’s the blue sky reflecting ‘Definitely’ which caught our attention. Short, sweet and with just the right amount of posturing, this is definitely worth a listen.
Megamegaman – Definitely (Free Download)
Megamegaman - Definitely (Free Download Link Inside) by Synth.
QUICKIE: Introducing Midnight Cowboy
For all the murmurings about Glasgow’s club scene being over-saturated and too competitive, sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind and get on with it. If you have a large group of friends and want to put a party on for them (and anyone else who fancies popping along), then the fact that some high-ranking powerhouse is playing down the street just doesn’t matter. And that is how Midnight Cowboy - a new monthly get down at Flat 0/1 - have approached things.
Kicking things off with a low-key event last month, the disco-deviant collective have drafted in legendary London outfit, Horse Meat Disco to step things up a gear and provide a Friday night soundtrack which is likely to get you heading to the dancefloor in record time. Now in their eighth year and claiming residencies at the likes of Lux, Tape and of course their natural home at The Eagle, the funk-frivolous quartet have become one of the most recognised brands in Britain, citing their influences with the outlandish club scene of 70’s New York. Expect Italo, House and a hedonistic eclectism from a team who truly know how to make people dance…
We recently caught up with Midnight Cowboy to find out a little more about the night and what people can expect:
Synth: So this is the first proper event from Midnight Cowboy, can you tell us a little about the concept of the night, the sounds you're pushing and what people should expect from one of your events?
Midnight Cowboy: No concept as such, other than the desire to play our favourite records to our friends (and anyone else willing to listen), in a venue where everyone feels at home. We want the playlist to be as varied as our record collections permit; however disco always features prominently whenever we get together. We actually held an introductory night last month, which went surprisingly well, with actual disco-dancing taking place right through to 3am! We had planned to quit while we were ahead, but then we heard about this month’s guests…
Synth: You have a Disco institution joining you for the first party - for those who may be unfamiliar, what is Horse Meat Disco all about and what were your reasons behind booking them?
Midnight Cowboy: As you have pointed out, they are a disco institution, so when the opportunity arose we obviously jumped at it! We aren’t really in a position to say what they’re all about, but we do know that they’re fantastic DJs who are incredibly passionate about what they do. We managed to catch them in Croatia a few years back, where we witnessed Severino play a classics set, ably accompanied by James Hillard on air-violin! Anything along those lines on Friday would be encouraged.
Synth: Finally, you have more parties in the pipeline for Midnight Cowboy, what can people look forward to over the coming months and have you got anything special planned with regards to how you will be utilizing the space at Flat 0/1?
Midnight Cowboy: Next month we are looking forward to welcoming a disco institution from a bit closer to home; Mr Billy Woods! We don’t have anything specific planned after that, so will probably take the opportunity to play a few nights without any guests, just to try and settle into the place. With regards to utilizing the space, we really need to sort out the skipping needles, and get a disco ball. That is about as “high-concept” as you’ll get from us.
Horse Meat Disco feature at Midnight Cowboy tonight at Flat 0/1
Midnight Cowboy on Facebook
GET TO KNOW: This Is I
Perhaps one of the greatest pleasures of this job is spotting talent early and then watching it flourish. Scrolling through Soundcloud once a week for the past two years, we have found some truly incredible music which in our eyes deserves even further exposure. To avoid sounding like self-aggrandising pricks we won’t suggest that we have by any means influenced the success of any of the producers we choose to highlight, but certainly discovering that unsigned gem and then shouting about it is one of the most satisfying aspects of Synth. And perhaps the best example of this gratifying foresight is the recently signed John Smyth aka This Is I – one to watch and definitely someone who caught our attention from the start.
In arguably typical fashion, John originally started making music in a high school band before teaming up with his mate Gary Campbell to create dynamic production duo, Dynamode. Learning from each other and getting to grips with a copy of Reason 4, the pair eventually moved away from their early Rock influences to find electronic music and the wonders of House. Although both having a hand in production, it was John who took more of a lead when it came to developing their sound and earlier this year he decided to go it alone as This Is I.
Having already claimed our ‘Local Hero Award’ for both his forthcoming releases, it comes as no surprise that all three of his flagship tracks were snapped up almost immediately after sending them out. ‘Like Me’, ‘Right Hand Red’ and ‘Round & Round’ all have a distinct flavour which smacks of unreserved quality. Employing deep basslines, a reflective atmosphere and an irresistible groove, each song captivated us from the very first listen. Shaping up what will undoubtedly be an exceptional summer and with more releases in the pipeline, we can sense that in 2012 it will be more than just us who fall in love with his sound.
Check out some of his forthcoming releases below and read on for an in-depth interview with the man himself:
Like Me EP Wired051 ( Release date May 24th) by This is I
Synth: So we’ve been following your progress for some time now, first as Dynamode and now as This Is I. You had a few tracks that were floating about in 2011 which have since been signed - who eventually picked up on them and how did you go about getting the necessary exposure?
This Is I: Yeah with the Dynamode demos I had been pretty lazy in respect to sending them to labels - it was also kinda because I had been toying with the idea of going solo, so I didn't really have a clue what to do. When I finally did decide to go it alone, I sent ‘Like Me’ & ‘Right Hand Red’ to my friend's label called Wired - they're a cool Brighton based House label that I had signed other stuff to when I was in Dynamode. Ivan Barrientos had already done a remix for it (Right Hand Red) before it was signed, so I sent them that over too and they got back to us saying that they loved it. So that was those tracks sorted, and with ‘Round & Round’ I had really only one label in mind, Love Not Money Records. I've loved pretty much everything they’ve put out so it just seemed like a cool label to aim for - I sent it over and hoped for the best, luckily they emailed me back the next day saying they were into it and that was it! 6 mix downs and 3 masters later it's waiting for release, I'm pretty excited about it! Should be out sometime in July!
And with exposure as This Is I, I'm not sure it's a working progress, I think as a producer that is the hardest part, you could have a great song but the difficulty is getting people to actually press play. Even then I can only really reach my Facebook friends or followers I already have, so it's a slow process just now. Luckily there's awesome people out there who promote me to there friends and followers…like Synth!
Synth: Your sound is very much directed towards the deeper end of House, what is it about that side of the spectrum which interests you and where do you take your inspiration from when starting a track?
This Is I: I originally started off making Tech House, and that was great for a while, but I started listening to Stimming, Daniel Bortz, Solomun, David August etc so my taste gradually changed, and with that so did the style of music I wanted to produce. As soon as I started producing Deep House I could tell almost instantly that it was a style I was much more comfortable with - I just feel that it doesn't have to try as hard to have the same impact. It's just cool as.
Synth: From the beginning, how did you originally get into club music and how did you eventually find your way into production? Do you cite any particular artists that made an impression?
This Is I: Originally I had just been playing guitar in some small bands that never really went anywhere. I started a band with my friend Gary Campbell and we had been listening to screamo/electronic bands like Test Icicles and Enter Shikari. The band we formed was terrible, but we were that into it that Gary bought a synth drum-machine sequencer called an Elecbribe MX, and with that we would sit for hours making songs till eventually they had little or no guitar in them. At this point Gary had started college and he was given a copy of Propellerhead's Reason 4, so whatever he learned at college he would show me until we were pretty much at the same level - we then started making dance music together under the name Dynamode. Eventually we just made songs individually, but still under the one name. He was the much better DJ and I was the producer for the most part, we did that for about a year and a half, but we stopped playing gigs and things as it got a bit stale for us, so I ended up starting This is I, (almost exactly a month ago).
The artists who have made an impression on me are Deadmau5, who was a massive inspiration when I first started producing, not so much these days, but ‘Faxing Berlin’ and ‘The Reward Is Cheese’ and loads of his earlier stuff had a massive impact on me! Then there's Daft Punk, Justice and Boyz Noize - they were the other producers I loved when I first started. And as my taste changed, people like Stimming, Marek Hemmann, Maya Jane Coles and probably Solomun have been my biggest inspiration, all of their productions are just so tight, and everything is so deliberate. I get impressed when I have no clue how something is done, and in all of their productions it happens at least once.
Synth: Let’s get a bit technical then. What is your current set up with regards to software, synths and plug-ins and how long did it take to learn your craft? Any tips for people just starting out?
This Is I: I use Reason 5 which doesn't support plug-ins. Reason has 3 synths - a polyphonic, a subtractive and a graintable synth, and with those 3 I can emulate/create most sounds I'm after. I'll shortly be getting Reason 6 as one of the main problems with 5 is that I'm unable to really edit wav - it only uses midi, but with reason 6 this is something that they have sorted as I have to do most of my wav editing in recycle or Audacity before importing to Reason. It can be painstaking, and I'm still trying to refine the craft myself, but I would say just keep at it, youtube is filled with lessons on pretty much everything. I also found a good exercise is to try and recreate songs you like; it helps with both your musical intuition and honing your production skills.
Synth: Give us a snapshot of where your musical taste lies – can you give us three favourite tracks right now and briefly what it is you like about them?
This Is I: My taste is pretty eclectic because of my rocky-metal, classical, guitar background, and I was brought up listening to everything from the Eagles to Erasure so most bases are covered, but my top 3 tracks these days are all House:
1. Spring Offensive – ‘Worry Fill My Heart (Cubiqs P45 Remix)’. As soon as I got sent the promo of this track I loved it, I liked the original too but the remix just made it that bit better for me. It’s just such a well made remix, seems to me Cubiq can do no wrong.
2 The Mekanism – ‘Can't Believe’. The first track I heard by The Mekansim and only recently as well, so I'm a bit slow with this one as I think it was out in February. It's just such a good track, from the cool pitched vocals, to the faint guitar stab and that punchy bassline - to me everything about this track is perfect!
3 Flight Facilities - With You ft/ Grovesnor (David August Remix). Such a great remix, and the original vocal is amazing. The Danny Daze remix is good too but I prefer the David August remix. If you listen to it you will hear why!
Synth: Finally, other than your scheduled releases what else can we look forward to over the rest of 2012? Any DJ dates lined up we should be looking out for?
This Is I: Good question. Hopefully I will continue to get better as I feel like I'm still finding my feet with production and the kind of music that I'm happy making, so I'm going to work on being consistent with the tracks I'm putting out. Hopefully aim for some of the bigger labels and get a bit more publicity from my releases. Also I have to buy a mixer as I don't have one just now. So no gigs until then I guess. But I don't really want to start playing gigs until my tracks are on par with where I think they should be - so who knows how long that could take! I should also be releasing a remix and possibly some originals on Glasgow Underground at some point, so that will be pretty cool! I'm currently working on another track with the vocalist Amy Lyon, and I have a few other new tracks I'm working on, I'll keep you posted on dates and what's what!
'Like Me' and 'Right Hand Red' are released May 24th via Wired
This Is I on Soundcloud
This Is I on Facebook
QUICKIE: Chungo Bungo - Badman Sound
Following a string of highly successful collaborations with Mungo’s Hi Fi in which they brought the likes of Digital Dubs, Kenny Knots and Charlie P to Glasgow, Chungo Bungo are well on their way to establishing themselves as one of the main players when it comes to Reggae/Dancehall in Scotland. Rolling with a full crew and recently claiming residency at iAM’s weekly shindig in Edinburgh, it’s no wonder their trademark ‘GLA’ t-shirts are in high demand. And it’s this hyper brand awareness which perhaps sets them apart as one of Glasgow’s most recognisable collectives. From hand-painted decorations emblazoned with their logo, to great draping banners and personalised slipmats, Chungo Bungo have a presence which is truly hard to ignore…
Check out two recent videos by Bartosz Madejski documenting the preparation of their party with Charlie P and also some live action with Kenny Knots:
Chungo Bungo collaborate with Mungo's Hi Fi to present Iration Steppas on May 25th
Chungo Bungo Website
Chungo Bungo on Facebook
Chungo Bungo on Twitter
Chungo Bungo on Subcity Radio
Chungo Bungo on Soundcloud
PREVIEW: NoSleep & Chambre69 Present...Nina Kraviz
There’s been no escaping the rapid rise of Russian starlet, Nina Kraviz. Over the last five years or so she’s carved a name for herself which is based on a deep understanding of the dancefloor and an unbridled passion which is apparent in everything she does. Quite rightly stating that “there should be something wrong if a DJ doesn’t dance”, her attitude towards playing records is pure, healthy and completely organic. And with regards to her opinion concerning the presence of a DJ, we couldn’t agree more – those who spend their time concentrating inanely on what they're doing while the dancefloor thrives in front of them should reassess just why they’re playing records in the first place.
Following a childhood in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, Nina eventually moved to Moscow where she became heavily involved in the local scene, playing numerous bars and clubs including the infamous Propaganda. Finding her way into production in 2008 and claiming her first release, ‘Voices’ on Underground Quality in 2009, her talent was quickly picked up by Matt ‘Radio Slave’ Edwards who signed her for breakthrough single ‘Pain In The Ass’. Since then she’s been in high demand, playing everywhere from Fabric to Panorama Bar and ticking off pretty much every major club worth mentioning.
This year she finally released her eponymous debut to critical acclaim. Noted for capturing the often elusive area between club and headphones, the album flows with confidence and integrity, perhaps best realised in the superbly minimal ‘Ghetto Kraviz’. Having just executed her first Essential Mix for Radio 1 (two hours of undulating groove and a must listen for anyone venturing out this weekend), her appearance at NoSleep this Friday will undoubtedly rank as a highlight in the clubbing calendar.
Listen to and download her recent Essential Mix below as well as a stream of 'Ghetto Kraviz':
WHAT: NoSleep & Chambre69 Present...Nina Kraviz
WHO: Nina Kraviz, Juniper
WHERE: Chambre69, 69 Nelson Mandela Place, G2 1QY, Glasgow
WHEN: Fri 18th May // 11-3am
TAX: £10 Advance // £12 Door
SOUNDSYSTEM: Chambre69's Own/Funktion 1
VISUALS: Custom Installation
TICKETS: https://chambre69.ticketabc.com/events/nosleep-x-chambre-ni/
FACEBOOK EVENT: http://www.facebook.com/events/389367457768047/
NoSleep on Facebook
Chambre69 on Facebook
Chambre69 Website
COMPETITION: How's Your Party? x Palace Present...Girl Unit, Egyptrixx & Lil Silva
As they say, all good things must come to an end, and with a tinge of sadness but some great memories in the bank, this month marks the final How’s Your Party? in what has been a long-running stable for Mixed Bizness and the Glasgow clubbing community. From 2007 right up to the final beat on May 25th, the last Friday of every month has been reserved for some of the biggest names in bass, with everyone from A Trak to Eats Everything passing though to show the dancefloor an unreserved good time. So perhaps unsurprisingly, the final event is shaping up to be something of a classic as Mixed Bizness team up with Palace to bring the achingly on-point Night Slugs to Glasgow.
Along with a handful of others, Night Slugs are one of the few labels who have taken on an almost pioneering attitude when it comes to the direction of modern club music. Taking little notice of their peers or the ever raging debate about ‘bass’ music in general, the collective have constantly pushed their own sound, establishing themselves as trend setters in an ever expanding and blurred movement – they’ve even banned genre labelling in the camp.
Representing at How’s Your Party? will be Girl Unit, who after releasing underground smash ‘Wut’ back in 2010 has gone on to become one of Night Slug’s biggest artists, recently dropping new EP ‘Club Rez’ to devestating effect. The superbly lucid Egyptrixx will also be performing a live set featuring cuts from last year’s critically acclaimed album ‘Bible Eyes’, while one of UK Funky’s most experimental players will complete the line up as Lil Silva brings a bass-driven rhythm designed to jack you into a new dimension. Throw in up and coming local talent Floyd and the answer to How’s Your Party? is pretty obvious.
Check out sounds and mixes from all the aforementioned below and read on for our competition:
GIRL UNIT - Club Rez EP - NS013 by Night Slugs
Egyptrixx - Bible Eyes - Chrysalis Records feat Trust (Night Slugs) by pdis_inpartmaint
Gobble That by lilsilva
Floyd - Me, Myself & My Records by Floydyyy!
So, this may be the final How's Your Party? but we've still got two spots on the guestlist to giveaway for one luck winner courtesy of Mixed Bizness (they're just cool like that). If you want to be in with a shout, simply type HYP? X PALACE on our Facebook wall and we’ll select a winner at random.
SYNTH FACEBOOK
Terms & Conditions: Please note that this prize is for two places on the guestlist for How's Your Party? & Palace Present Girl Unit, Egyptrixx and Lil Silva at the Sub Club on Friday 25th May. The competition closes at 6pm on Monday 21st May and the winner will be notified via Facebook shortly after. The winner must be 18 years or older. After we have passed on the winner’s details to the event organisers we then pass on responsibility for entry on the night.
Tickets are available from Ticket Scotland priced at £8
Mixed Bizness Website
Mixed Bizness on Facebook
Mixed Bizness on Twitter
Mixed Bizness on Soundcloud
Palace on Facebook
Facebook Event: http://www.facebook.com/events/219257554855176/
REVIEW: Auntie Flo - Future Rhythm Machine
WORDS: Colin Brownbill
It’s been hard to ignore Auntie Flo over the last few weeks. In-between album launches at Fabric and La Cheetah, the growing popularity of his flagship night Highlife at the Sub Club, various promotional videos and the general chug of the perpetually rolling hype machine, Goan-born Brian D’Souza has no doubt had little time to breathe. Well, now he can relax. Debut extended player/mini album, ‘Future Rhythm Machine’ has dropped, and we’re pleased to report it doesn’t disappoint.
There is perhaps little surprise that FRM continues in much the same vein as previous releases ‘Oh My Days’ and ‘Highlife’, but then the collection of songs featured on this record apparently pre-date the aforementioned singles. From the moment your eyes settle upon the wonderfully garish artwork you know that this will be no normal listen, and certainly from the opening licks of ‘Haven’t Got Any Body’, you find yourself instantly submersed in a beautifully exotic atmosphere reminiscent of the first time we heard DJ Mujava’s ‘Township Funk’. Infact, during ‘La Samaria’ you can quite literally feel the sun beating on your back as you are awkwardly beckoned to participate in a thousand year-old tribal dance.
And as the album unfolds things continue with similar flavour: rumbas, rhythms and consolidated vibes run deep throughout, surrounding you with an organic warmth which is rarely found on an ‘electronic’ record. But it’s the live element which makes ‘Future Rhythm Machine’ completely instinctive. This is ‘world’ music delivered by someone who has been inspired by a wildly diverse background, and although the songs featured on this album may all resonate with a similar vibrancy and tone, there is no doubting that ‘Future Rhythm Machine’ marks the start of a completely unpredictable journey.
Listen to the full album courtesy of Factmag here and read our recent interview with Auntie Flo here
'Future Rhythm Machine' is available now via Huntleys & Palmers
Auntie Flo on Soundcloud
Auntie Flo on Facebook
Auntie Flo on Twitter
FREE DOWNLOAD: Azealia Banks - Jumanji (Prod.By Hudson Mohawke & Nick Hook)
Fresh from announcing the release details of his much hyped collaboration project with Lunice, while also delivering an outstanding remix for Bjork, it seems Hudson Mohawke has yet even more up his sleeve as the Glaswegian super-talent teams up with Nick Hook for ‘Jumanji’ – a track produced for Azealia Banks new mixtape ‘Fantastic’. Evident of America’s growing interest in the rapidly ascending producer, this is yet another shining example of his capabilities and suits the Harlem MC down to a tee. Off-kilter, bouncy and completely eccentric, you can very much expect this to the necessary damage. Pick up the free download now:
Hudson Mohawke on Soundcloud
Hudson Mohawke on Facebook
Hudson Mohawke on Twitter
