Archive for March, 2008

… you might already be well aware of the fact that there will be an extended re-edition of their album “Moon Safari” very soon. For those who don’t know, the 2 million seller will soon be available as a CD/DVD package including several bonus tracks and videos. While disc one covers the entire original album, disc two is filled with some of their remixes, rarities and demo sessions recorded during the late nineties and disc three providing a 60 minute documentary and video clips of the album’s most popular tracks. Release date is determined as the 15th April. I think this might be worth a blog entry, as I’m going to purchase this.

www.myspace.com/intairnet

Time goes by quickly, but at least I was able to deliver my tracks (and albums) of the month before it ends. Well, you can go to the charts section and check it out. My definite album of the month must be Aaron Jerome’s “Time To Rearrange” (which I already mentioned earlier on this blog post). There are some really nice gems on there. Despite I’m actually a house dj (at least that’s what i would call myself) it is rather non-housy, to be honest, there’s not a single house track on there…

The other stuff though is mostly straight 4-to-the-floor. I think i don’t have to emphasize the Carl Craig release, self-explanatory. Unlike the Kelly Polar album, which might be rather unfamiliar to the scene yet, judging from the media presence I’ve recognized so far. There’s however a good reviews at Pitchfork.

Another one I’d like to point out is Modern Walker’s release on recently launched Sensual Touch Recordings. Bouquet Of Stars, which was already featured on Essen City’s Supercity compilation, is now beeing accompanied by another fluffy deep groover called First Touch, which is also the name of the EP. Great stuff! Last but not least if you’re into deep, mellow kind of stuff, Joe Rizla’s “Jost One Night” will do it for you. A perfect smooth, ambient vocal track for the (hopefully soon) upcoming spring days.

Last week i went to Denmark to visit my girlfriend who is currently attending university in Roskilde, which is only a few kilometers from the capital town of Copenhagen. Nice occasion to explore the qualities of nordic lifestyle, clubbing, meal and and last but not least shopping. Yeah shopping, going to Copenhagen means to have your credit card with you, because you will be overwhelmed by fashion & design stores on every corner. You need to know (I didn’t) that Copenhagen is the birth city of famous architect Arne Jacobsen, whose furniture is ubiquitous. Also, it is a must-do to check out the Dansk Design Center and the Dansk Arkitektur Center. Both very nice places with varying exhibitions and each providing a good book store to dig in.

Of course there is no way in leaving out the usual sights such as the Radhuspladsen, shopping avenue Strøget, the little mermaid or Amalienbørg, home of the danish royal family. But watching behind the scenes of the city’s main attractions unleashes a way more interesting and also deeper view into the character of the city. If you go beyond the lakes that separate the suburbs of Nørrebro and Østerbro you get in touch with the urban, stylish (more…)

I don’t know if you have been to this guy’s Myspace profile yet, but if you’re in a kind of laidback mood right now, you should give it a try. Just listen to the tracks on his player and melt away in the beauty of his melancholy, moody, epic, gorgeous piano productions… Why does this stuff not come out as 12″? I’d buy it.

www.myspace.com/svenweisemann

Yes, and if you live near any of the participating cities, you should definitely mark this in your calendar. After Coke’s last Dj Culture Tour that covered some of the scene’s greatest hip hop-artists they are now performing a house-only tour in april of this year. And despite the rather lush budget that Coke will provide it seems there’s not only a money generating purpose behind that thing. Cos’ regarding the masses that this brand could reach they bring some of the scene’s most unfamiliar acts to our country: Theo Parrish, Robert Owens, Omar S. and Quarion. Wicked! So, spread the word, these are the dates:

11.04.08 - Berlin / Engelbrot
12.04.08 - Hamburg / Click at Ex-Karstadt
17.04.08 - München / Die Registratur
18.04.08 - Köln / Triple A Club
19.04.08 - Erfurt / Joue Joue Club

www.cokedjculture.de

… is almost impossible, regarding the vast amount of tracks and remixes this guy has done in his more than 20-years spanning musical career. Nevertheless does his most recent release on !K7 called “Sessions” cover a whole bunch of it, including stuff under his Paperclip People and Innerzone Orchestra disguises as well as the grammy nominated Junior Boys remix of “Like A Child”. And after listening a few times i have to conclude that there is not even a bad track on here, just about every track has this special Craig touch to it. Very well and carefully selected compilation. Big ups not only to C2 but also to !K7 who very continously provide us with some of the best quality electronic music there is on the market. Get your hands on this, here are some additional links:

!K7 Records
Carl Craig on Myspace
Planet E Records

If you’re someone who tunes into radio shows every now and then you have probably heard of the Deeper Shades Of House Radio show on XM Radio - The Move. This weekly quality broadcast of finest deep house music is hosted by Lars Behrenroth who does now raise his musical brand to higher level by - almost logically - launching his very own label.

The first release comes from his buddy and only Deeper Shades resident Jojo Flores and Joe DiPadova. And the title “Yes Smoke” already kind of reveals the ambience of the track: Very lush, clubby, percussion driven, and - hell yeah - SMOKY madness. Definitely the type of music i want to hear in the club. The track can already be purchased on Traxsource or of course on the Deeper Shades site itself. Looking forward to see more stuff like this coming up there in the future.

www.deepershadesrecordings.com

Sometimes it’s useful to read bulletins at Myspace. Yesterday i came across a post by Tortured Soul where they announce their new album. Yes, and they even added three new tracks to their player. For those who don’t know: Tortured Soul are a wicked Live-House / Nu-Jazz-Band based in New York City, having released one great album in 2006 called “Introducing Tortured Soul”, one of my favourite albums when it comes to soulful house music. Well, the “In Transit - Advance EP” and a single of their new song “Your Dream Is My Dream” including a Jon Cutler mix will probably drop very soon on Coco Soul Records. And hopefully, the album will shortly follow. I can’ wait…

www.myspace.com/torturedsoul

Yes, and that means you can now get in contact with me anytime and anywhere via this webpage. Nice, eh? I have to admit it was really annoying to make this form work in any modern browser, but as far as i tested it does now work in IE, Firefox and Opera. Most of the trouble was of course caused by Mr. “non-standard-compliant” IE and i really hope that with the new version of IE 8 Microsoft gets on the road to interpreting XHTML & CSS correctly.

Anyway, while i was looking for a decent contact form plugin for wordpress i found a really nice site about cooking. Cooking? Yes, this guy seems to be a professional web designer as well as a passionate cook. He created this awesome wordpress plugin and offers many interesting recipes and recommendations. Check out his website, it’s definitely worth a look. I was impressed by both the good design as well as the quality of content. So, here’s my recommendation of the day:

www.deliciousdays.com/munich

If you’re into deep house and nu-jazz music and want to release stress with some good cocktails or maybe some hot and spicy spare ribs then this might be a good hint for you. I’m playing twice per month on mondays at the Three-Sixty Bar in Bochum City. It’s a pleasurable occasion for launching the week with some chilled out beats and melodies.

So come down, have a pint and get down to the lush grooves. You can see my upcoming gigs on my Myspace account. Some of the sets will be recorded and put online in the near future. Looking forward to see ya there! (more…)