Elsewhere: ReSolute + Blkmarket Present: Oslo Vs. Freude-Am-Tanzen

Both Blkmarket Membership and ReSolute are dominating promotional forces in the New York techno underground. They draw from the same crowds and equally throw some of the most epic parties with some of the most sought-after acts from overseas. Over the following months, Blkmarket will bring Melon, Dixon, Masomenos and Half Hawaii (to name a few) as they celebrate their 4th year and ReSolute were responsible for the DJ Hell gig in March 2009 that many consider to have been a major turning point in New York's underground scene. Their second anniversary party in November, featuring Alexi Delano, was also something to write home - or here, rather - about.

But back in early April there were incidents of both parties getting shut down and rivalries being formed. The straight story never came out, but the more important fact is that no one cares - ReSolute and Blkmarket quickly came out to all of their followers and announced that they are brothers and nothing can change that. In fact, that was the slogan of the Freude-Am-Tanzen vs. Oslo Records showcase that happened this weekend; a joint effort between Taimur + Fahad (Blkmarket) and Nektarios + Nikola (ReSolute).

Utilizing a new space on the Gowanus Canal, not far from the Yard, the massive tent housed a giant, pristine disco ball with LEDs. On top of that, the promoters had supplied everything from an ATM to a barbecue with everything in between. Aside from a 10 minute walk to a bodega on Court St + Nelson, there was nothing else in sight and the atmosphere felt more like a festival than a lengthy party.

On the lineup was Monkey Maffia (Soren) of the Wighnomy Brothers, making his first appearance in New York since the WBs decided to call it quits as a touring duo. On the Oslo (from Berlin, not Norway, funny enough) side was owner Frederico Molinari and Vera. VERA! I cannot stress enough, in a number of ways, how incredible this woman is.

(a) She is the type of producer that you may not know off-hand, but if you check out her work you will instantly recognize multiple tracks from some of your favorite DJ mixes. Vera is definitely a DJ's DJ.

(b) Her set was perfectly mapped out, taking us on a proper journey to where many of us couldn't believe it was still her behind the decks - her styles were so diverse.

(c) Vera is lovely. I spoke with her briefly afterwards and I have no doubt that she belongs right up top with Ellen Allien, Anja Schneider and Cassy as one of the most deserving female DJs in electronic music. Personality goes a long way, and Vera radiates it like the fucking sun.



Monkey Maffia was pretty incredible as well. He's a truly talented DJ and there's a heaping amount of insight into both Brothers in Speaking in Code - a documentary that comes from Basstown founder David Day and Amy Grill. I've always said the best DJ sets are majoritively defined by the inability to tell when one song truly ends and another begins, and Soren is right up there with world-famous DJs that are known to rock any party. I didn't recognize a single track he played until Dennis Ferrer's "Hey Hey" - a version he stretched out for at least 15 glorious minutes. Someone next to me took a video, and I will harass him into getting that on YouTube soon...

All in all, it was an incredible party. Perhaps not as epic as some of the other Blkmarket/ReSolute parties in the past, but ultimately a great place to be for many hours on end. My friend and I clocked in around 9 and both slept like rock babies, highly satisfied.

Jamie Jones @ Plastic People

Jamie Jones is un-fucking-real. Die Young first brought him up when he got his hands on "Summertime" long before it was released and played it out at Zuzu and other hot spots around Cambridge. Jones has since paired up with Crosstown Rebels, Culprit and beyond and is definitely a sought-after artist. He played the famous Plastic People venue in London about a week ago, and goddamn...just listen.

Jamie Jones Live @ Plastic People, London -16-04-2010 by R_co

K.atou Offers a New Podcast for Autobrennt, Continues to Reign

Starting out in Athens before moving to Corfu, K.atou is the Greek goddess of the turntables. She's been coming up fast for the last few years, and when we had the pleasure of seeing her for her first time in Boston at Midweek Techno two years ago she played an excellent set. Since then, she's only gotten better and made stronger associations with fierce artists in the underground techno and house scenes that are constantly cross-pollinating and reaching larger and larger audiences.

Utilizing her strong bookings in Greece, she founded collectives that pushed minimal into Athenian nightlife. She's also been doing her own music production for the last few years and had great reception towards her first release in 2007 on Einmaleins Musik. She now lives in Berlin and continues to kick ass, showing up at making everyone smile, whether she's behind the decks or on the dancefloor.

This latest podcast comes from Autobrennt, a NYC-based management/promotion agency that works with the likes of Midweek Techno (you may have heard of them, ya?), Plot (think Midweek Techno...in Miami), MNMLKTCHN, Buddies (Matt Dear + Philip Jung's new monthly) and many others. She's in good hands.

Download: Autobrennt Podcast 008 // K.atou

CORALCOLA .::. EGGGIRL (video + download)

A new video from Coralcola - an artist that Basstown can arguably take credit for discovering (thanks, Die Young) and unleashing on the public when he opened for The Field in June 2008.

Speaking of Die Young, he is one of the many local favorites that contributed to this long, impressive trackist.

1. Egggirl (Original Mix)
2. Tecmo
3. Arny Palm
4. Egggirl (Die Young Remix)
5. Egggirl (Christopher Wade Remix)
6. Egggirl (Space USA Remix)
7. Egggirl (Brothers Sunny Side Up Remix)
8. Egggirl (Nooka Jones Remix)
9. Egggirl (Kat Fyte Re-Rub)

CLICK HERE for your free download, and to keep your eye on Coralcola news.

CosminTRG @ Matter (London), January 2010

photo by Seze Devres, Bass Mutations 02.13.10

Back in February, Cosmin TRG performed at Bass Mutations as part of the Unsound Festival. He also spoke on the related panel along with Dave Q of Dub War and FaltyDL (Planet Mu), who happens to be playing Dub War in New York tomorrow night with Geoim. More of a 2-stepper with a penchant for house, TRG fit right in alongside Dave Q, Untold and 2562 that Saturday night in Brooklyn dropping techno at times (think Dennis Ferrer's "Hey Hey") within bass-heavy beats.

FWD/Rinse has another party coming up at Matter in London - with over 20 guests on the bill, believe it - and in return they've put up Cosmin's set from January. His discography is small (for now) and his DJ sets are a bit hard to find. On top of that, he lives in Bucharest so he's not hitting the states often enough!

A true original.

CosminTRG - FWD>> + Rinse, January 2010 by matterlondon

Trentemoller: New Album, Video and Remixes by Boratto + Schumacher

It feels like years since Trentemøller's timelessly breathtaking release, 'The Last Resort,' came out. In fact, it has and the electronic music scene has changed so much for Boston, Basstown and the whole goddamn globe. Still the master of beautiful music, Trentemøller's single for "Sycamore Feeling" will precede the release of his next full-length, 'Into the Great Wilde Yonder.' It includes remixes from Gui Boratto and Thomas Schumacher, and altogether these advanced producers build the anticipation for the Danish artist's latest efforts. Also loved by us was his remix collection, 'The Chronicles Of,' which came out on Audiomatique in 2007. Above is the new video for the original version of "Sycamore Feeling," and below you can click through to Ibiza Voice to hear the Boratto/Schumacher remixes.

Ibiza Voice: "Sycamore Feeling" Remixes

Making The Noise: Live in New York, January 2010

Making The Noise is no stranger to Basstown, and since we first wrote about him in 2007 the Boston native has made a name for himself as a great live performer and one of the top applications programmers for the Monome - the secret weapon for his MTN sound. Late last month, he came down to New York to headline the first installment of The Vectory, a new party in Greenpoint's Coco66. The East coast event draws its inspiration from Low End Theory in Los Angeles, which has garnered associations with the likes of Daedelus and Flying Lotus. Over the last few years, MTN utilizes his website to post live sets and new tracks, but the total pleasure of experiencing his music comes from his stage shows, which are paired with mesmerizing visuals and his unwavering enthusiasm. In many ways, the Warp-esque set in Brooklyn evoked similar reactions to seeing Aphex Twin almost 10 years ago. Any IDM fan that has grown to appreciate a wide variety of music can find a kinship in MTN's taste. Below, you can watch the closing track to his set, and be sure to keep an eye out for his rare but special appearances.

mtn - untitled track - live @ coco66 nyc 1-27-2010 from makingthenoise on Vimeo.

Fabric Goes Higher With 'Elevator Music'

fabric presents Elevator Music: Vol. 1 from Fabric London on Vimeo.

Fabric is a powerhouse among clubs and labels, and 'Elevator Music Vol. 1' is an authentic display that the institution is aiming to utilize the dawn of a new year and decade. Its press release states that the project "stands as an album in its own right, becoming more than just a collection of tracks. It's a collation of the variant strains of dubstep; a completely original and exclusive collection of future bumps that reflects the embracive nature of fabric's dance floor music policy." The mission is to - and I love this quote - "further the cocktail of sound that dubstep is currently thriving off of."

Featuring names well-known and obscure, this is a great compilation for newcomers to dubstep that have just sunk their teeth into Hyperdub's five-year anniversary release, which was lauded by tastemakers big and small in the last year. Bolded are the tracks that stand out, but Starkey's "Black Monolith" is by far the greatest track...quite possibly to 2010 what "Moth" was to 2009.

1: Hot City – If That’s How I Feel
2: xxxy – Sing With Us
3: Doc Daneeka – Drums In The Deep
4: Hackman – Pistol. In Your Pocket
5: Julio Bashmore – The Moth
6: Untold – Bad Girls
7: Octa Push – Doctor Bayard
8: Shortstuff – Behave
9: Skinnz – Ukraine
10: Mosca – Gold Bricks, I See You
11: Martyn – Friedrichstrasse
12: Vista – Elixir
13: Caspa & Rusko – One Of The Same
14: Om Unit – Encoded
15: Starkey – Black Monolith

16: Shortstuff & Brackles – Melvin Blue (Digital Bonus Track)
17: Hackman – Pistol In Your Pocket (Hypno Remix) (Limited Digital Bonus track)