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Transition 299
With just a week away until Transitions hits the triple century 299 sums up the best in new electronic music out there - Erphun's massive Holden/Thompson remix plus monsters from Varela, Deetron & Gerber !
We start with Andy Cato & Tom Findlay - better known as deadly dance duo and former Space Terrace residents Groove Armada, reknowned for their unique blend of house, big beat, Balearic, disco & funk. In his downtime Tom indulges his underground sensibilities by running Tirk Records who signed up Morten Sorensen for his "Start Something" EP [TIRK 037]. Returning the favour Morten provides a cool and dark edge to GA's latest single turning in a banging and lively house track which features NYC indie vocalist, Jess Larrabee from She Keeps Bees.
Established Swiss artist David Durango offers up another Poker Flat release, this time for their Digital imprint. The perfectly balanced and super funky 'Give Me Up‘ gyrates around a hypnotic central theme built from micro synth dabbling and tricky + jacking percussion for a nice piece of Tech House.
Next the 'Mutant Clan' of Timo Maas & Sante Pucello weave their magic again, this time remixing Romboy & Bodzin's groovy neodisco electro monster 'Luna' - the original dates back to 2005 [SYST00014-6] for Marc Romboy's very fine Systematic imprint, a forwardthinking electronic house label with past releases from Robert Babicz, Steve Lawler, Booka Shade, Chelonis R. Jones & John Dahlback. Here the Clan bring things upto date with a dark slow burner that chugs along very nicely with a Moog monster bass-line, great percussion and overladen effects, bleeps & zaps.
A real highlight of this weeks show is that little rascal Erphun, and his remix of Holden & Thompson's seminal 2003 Progressive Trance epic 'Nothing' that's been massive for Diggers live. Erphun's music is described as brooding, pounding, moody and transformative so it's no suprise his productions have caught John's attention resulting in the outstanding Bedrock 11 contributions last year. Here 'Nothing' is given a contemporary rework as the dark edgy melody and Julie Thompson's haunting vocals hang in the air, cleverly used by Erphun as a launch board to ramp up the track and bring in some heavier beats, as the tune then breaks down again and drifts back through to a driving crescendo. Simply epic !
Next it's the turn of Madrid 4 deck techno wizard Cristian Varela and his debut Bedrock EP 'Col Me' which features three techno stormers. With over 150 productions and compositions to his name Varela is something of a Spanish legend, having also won just about every DJ and Producer award his country has to offer. Along with John, Varela is a regular guest at Carl Cox's legendary Space (ibiza) residency, so it's a good bet that funk-fuelled percussive techno workout par excellence 'Perras A Tutti' will be testing that infamous Funktion One at some point over the summer.
After remixing 'Blank' for Green Label boss Joris Voorn, Deetron ("An amazing producer who keeps the Detroit spirit alive in his music") gets a chance for his own release. 'Dark Matter' as the name suggests real heads down and bass-heavy affair, with a darkly exquisite atmosphere that is brightened temporarily by the lush pads in the break. This has all the key elements to be a mainstay of Digweed's current sets.
Not content with providing Chaim's fantastic latest EP, Bpitch Control continue their relentless quest to leave an unmistakable mark on techno & beyond with some no-frills house and the return of Zander VT (Fritz Zander & Sven von Thülen), last seen on Sascha Funke's Watergate 02. 'Trying Some More' is one of those very danceable tech tracks that aims to get the dancefloor moving with a pumping, yet cushioned 4/4, with off-beat hi-hats and chords. A great one for later in the night to keep those ailing limbs grooving.
Supplement Fact's has released so much great music of late it's unreal. Label boss Guy Gerber returns to the fray after his hugely successful 'My Invisible Romance' long-player and the infectious title track of his new Hate/Love EP. featuring the talents of P. Diddy’s new Dirty Money Crew member, Dawn Richard. This has been getting great reaction with the tropical percussion, laid back melody and vocals are sparsely interfered with by stabs of Ruggero Deodato style horror synths. Dawn’s graceful vocals work well with the hypnotic melody as Mr Gerber does it again !
Guest mix this week is c/o Pete 'Stylus Trouble' Heller.
John Digweed - Transitions 299 (Kiss100) 23rd May 2010
01. Groove Armada - Look Me In The Eye Sister (Morten Sorenson's Mo Bounce To The Ounce Remix) [Cooling Vinyl GABLDLS5P]
02. David Durango - Give me up [Poker Flat Digital PFD07DBP]
03. Marc Romboy & Stephan Bodzin – Luna (Mutant Clan Remix) [Systematic Recordings Promo]
04. Holden & Thompson - Nothing (Erphun's Bootleg) [unsigned]
05. Cristian Varela - Perras A Tutti [Bedrock Records BED89]
06. Deetron - Dark Matter [Green Records GR11]
07. Zander VT - Trying Some More [Bpitch Control BPC213]
08. Guy Gerber - Hate/Love feat. Dawn Richard [Supplement Facts SFR021]
Pete Heller Guest Mix (Kiss100) 23rd May 2010
01. Mission Control (Shelter Mix) - Outta Limits (Atlantic)
02. Nu Acid - Pete Heller (Bedrock)
03. The Expert (Bookashade Mix) - Yello (Colombia)
04. Ride - Josh Gabriel (Different Pieces)
05. Back To The Bush - Ramon Tapia (Monique Musique)
06. Zebraland - Lewis Lastella (Pumpz Recordings)
07. WAX 30003B - WAX (WAX)
08. Do It - Anil Chawla (Great Stuff)
09. Damage (Dub Mix) - Pete Heller & Rocky (Phela Recordings)
10. 2 Be - Pol_On (Freerange Records)
11. Sounds Of Nature - Stylus Trouble (Phela Recordings)
Pete Heller
www.peteheller.com
www.myspace.com/peteheller
From childhood marching bands to disc jockey and dance music producer: Pete Heller knows a good drum when he hears one. Boom-boom. Out go the lights.
Born in Brighton, Pete Heller was a music nut right from the get-go. The Clash, Psychedelic Furs, Jam and Madness as a kid and then discovering nascent hip hop at a Clash gig in London. “I was sitting at the back before the Clash and this band came on,” remembers Pete. “I’d never heard of this music before. It was very rhythm-based. It was Fab Five Freddy doing a hip hop show. I thought, ‘I’ve got to get into this’. Found out about Groove Records, went up there and the first import I bought was Davey DMX ‘One For The Treble’. It smelt different.”
Things were different in the 1980s before house arrived and shocked our system to its core. Dance music was a minority interest, like clay pigeon shooting or wine tasting. There were few magazines documenting it, and no-one wanted to be a DJ. It was like dreaming of being a gas fitter. But when Heller discovered clubs (thanks to an older sister), he was smitten. “There was no DJ culture then. They were just blokes who played records. But I found them intensely glamorous. That whole music and club scene was very other, then.”
At Manchester Uni, he got a break DJing and started to promote parties all the while travelling back to London where the early house/Balearic clubs were mu-Shooming out of from nowhere. “It was the maddest place I’d ever been to,” says Heller of Danny Rampling’s now-famous Shoom. “It suited my aesthetic completely, because all I did was take acid, and lots of it. I’d go straight to the dancefloor and that was it.”
Against the odds for such a young shaver, Heller was handed the warm-up slot when Shoom relocated to Busby’s. Aside from the instant kudos of playing at the hottest club in London, it was a satellite around which half of London’s club faces revolved. Introductions were made, friendships were sealed, including those of Terry Farley and the Boys Own crew. Heller worked in the studio on the first Bocca Juniors single (he played guitar) and somehow found himself producing The Farm alongside Terry and Madness’s Suggs (“We spent most of the time playing Subbuteo, although I did programme a little beat!”, laughs Heller)
When the cheque arrived for Heller’s contribution to Altogether Now, he bought studio gear and started making proper house music with Farley (as Roach Motel and Fire Island). Lots of records, one club hit after another. DSK’s What Would We Do: massive tune at the Sound Factory. Happy Mondays’ Stinkin’ Thinkin’: ditto. Eventually the records were big everywhere, remixes, original productions, funky, deep, guaranteed floorfillers the lot of ’em.
In the mid 90s, the pair had an unlikely crossover hit when a rejected remix, Ultra Flava, suddenly became the hottest track in Ibiza and went top twenty n the UK. Then, in 1998, Heller produced his biggest hit yet, with Pete Heller’s Big Love. “Terry went to see Chelsea in the European Cup Winners’ Cup final in Stockholm so I went in the studio on my own. I knocked it out really quickly. In a day. Actually 12 hours. After I’d done it, I thought it was going to be a demo so I edited it down to ten minutes and that became the final release.” It reached number 12 in the UK pop charts in May 1999.
Since then, he’s continued to produce more club monsters: Sputnik, Stylus Trouble, remixes of Cevin Fisher, Inner City… and endless list. And now - in the wake of JBO’s recent cessation - sees the launch of Phela Records. His own baby, though not literally. More music, big plans (well medium ones, but big eventually), a nice website, direct interface between man and machine and man (and woman). More stylus trouble, in fact.
Finally - this Transitions epic is released at last on Monday :
. .... ....... guy gerber is far !!
I don't know what they have put into the Water of Timo Maas & Sante Pucello (together they are Mutant Clan) but each track or remix I hear from them lately is making me 
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