Asked for observations at the dawn of the CNTRL: Beyond EDM Tour, Ean Golden does not hesitate.
“Roughly 70 percent of the people at the seminars say they want to be producers,” DJ Tech Tools‘ founder says, grinning broadly. “Fewer people want to be DJs. It’s a paradigm shift in terms of what people want to be.”
It’s the same sea change that made this tour a reality. Conceived by minimal techno legend Richie Hawtin (aka Plastikman), his M-nus Records artists Loco Dice and Paco Osuna, and Golden, CNTRL is as much an educational roadshow as it is a concert tour. Each of the 17 North American shows is preceded by a college-campus seminar, featuring an artist panel discussing music technology and the past and future of dance music. The events are saturated in social media coverage, allowing dance music fans around the globe to tune in and learn.
American transplant Jon Gaiser is arguably one of the most unique and exciting artists to emerge from Berlin’s vaunted techno scene. Although he now calls the German capital (and Richie Hawtin’s M-nus label) home, Gaiser received a steady diet of Detroit techno while growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His old school roots still show in his minimal bass-driven productions and carefully crafted arrangements. Click past the break for more on Jon Gaiser’s stellar set at the 2012 Sonar Festival
It’s been 13 long years since German techno visionary Sven Väth first brought his Cocoon party to Ibiza, a remarkable span of time that has seen the White Isle blossom into a global epicenter for dance music. Weathering ebbs and flows in genre popularity, Väth’s party built its reputation as an uncompromising haven for underground techno. This summer’s “Into the Magic” incarnation was no different, boasting a staggering lineup of scene stalwarts like Richie Hawtin and Chris Liebing, as well as young guns like Seth Troxler and Maya Jane Coles.
In the wake of his closing party, Väth has released a fan-centric after movie to recap the season. Featuring such vaunted acts as Loco Dice and Ricardo Villalobos, the video is a fitting capstone to an Ibiza season in which underground parties (see Enter and Cadenza) flourished. Now that Amnesia is closed for autumn, Väth is taking his Cocoon Heroes show on the road. With 17 dates announced in 13 countries — including shows in New York and Miami — those who couldn’t make it to Ibiza this summer can still experience the magic. Click past the jump for the full list of tour dates.
With all the talk of future techno these days, Dutch minimal legend Koen Groeneveld continues to prove he’s anything but the past. “Stesstjopper” is a multifaceted production that builds from bitcrushed organ chords into a dark after-hours groove, replete with stuttering synths and off-kilter industrial samples. It’s a groovy techno piece with slabs of electro blended flawlessly from first bar to last. With the infectious pull of the electro-heavy breakdown and the incessant chord play to follow the drop, this song will make for a great peak-time banger. Unless you’ve got a flight to his native Netherlands for Amsterdam Dance Event, catch it on his Abzolut imprint’s Terminal 4 release today.
Whether you’re on the fence or have already purchased tickets to this weekend’s Black and White Festival, allow this Good Morning Mix to educate you on one of the supporting acts of the festival, and one of electronic music’s best underground producers. With over 100 releases over the past five years, Bülent Gürler – professionally known as Butch — has toyed with a wide variety of house and techno outputs. His two-hour Essential Mix showcases everything from grooving house to soulful techno. Within the confines of the genre being released, when Butch puts out a single, EP, or album, you’d be hard-pressed to not find it at the #1 spot on Beatport. Full tracklist after the jump.
For many, the third and final day of Electric Zoo could be the most conflicting day of the weekend. Tiesto and Skrillex will unquestionably have the broadest reach. Excision and Zed’s Dead will have their bass-head faithfuls behind them. Diplo and Bloody Beetroots need no certificate – they’re pioneers of sorts and offer their own kind of fun live experience. Then we have Boys Noize – a German electro-infused techno wizard with Italian techno god Marco Carola following suit. The atmosphere created by the union of these two artists could make for an experience superior to the other headlining acts. For those three hours, a larger-than-life musical journey will commence — and if you’re there to experience it, you’ll be treated to some of the finest dance music around. (more…)
Luciano’s Vagabundos parties at Pacha Ibiza have already become the stuff of legend, but he’s also been making waves down the road at Ushuaia. His Thursday poolside residency was a smash hit last year, and if this video is any indication, he’s taken outdoor clubbing to delightful new heights in year two. With guest appearances by Laurent Garnier, Chicago house legend Derrick Carter, DJ Sneak, and deep house’s golden child Maya Jane Coles, Luciano certainly knows how to curate a good time. If you needed another reason why you should be saving every penny until you can afford the trip to Ibiza, this is it.
Richie Hawtin is one of underground dance music’s most seminal figures; a third-culture kid who would go on to change the face of clubbing forever. Born in Britain, raised in Canada and then reincarnated in Detroit, the enigmatic Hawtin’s influence on the minimal scene has been considerable. He’s a techno god. Consistently committed to reinvention, Richie first made a name for himself by cultivating the Plastikman legend in Detroit, then became a star all over again as Richie Hawtin in Berlin, conquering techno’s twin capitals in the process. In Loco Dice’s words: he’s a techno “messiah.”
In this fascinating one-hour profile, Radio 1‘s Heidi tells us the Plastikman story from the very beginning, tracing Richie’s career from dirty warehouses to international quasi-stardom. We get a few crazy stories, too, including a couple of politically incorrect adventures from the early days of acid house and the Detroit underground rave scene. If you’re a techno lover, you need to hear this piece, and it’s only available for another three days.
One of dance music’s most iconic names is 50 years young today. In celebration of Mr. Carl Cox’s birthday, here are 50 reasons we love him. Please add your own reasons in the comments. Happy Carl Cox day, everyone!
1. Children have Santa Claus. Buddhists have Buddha. Ravers have Carl Cox.
2. His signature line — the greatest in all of dance music: “oh-yes-oh-yes-oh-yes!”
3. His infectious gap-toothed smile.
4. His stage presence. Every great DJ has a unique aura. Armin bursts with unbridled euphoria. Dubfire exudes understated elegance. Carl Cox? He’s like a bull in a china shop crossed with a kid unwrapping presents on Christmas morning. Not exactly graceful, but full of power and joy.
5. The beads of sweat that invariably go flying into the faces of the people in the front row.
6. His driving, relentless sets. There’s hardly ever a moment to relax and catch your breath. Why would there be? You’re here to dance, remember?
7. His commitment to keeping the spirit of acid techno alive, decades after it first hit the UK.
8. His fitting nickname: “the three-deck wizard.” The man has incredible timing. His use of syncopated rhythms to mix tracks together is impossible to resist.
Even though the DJ Mag Top 100 is essentially a popularity contest, we think everyone who loves dance music should vote. It’s a great way to support your favorite DJs and engage in some spirited debate with fellow dance fans. As an extension of our Where My Head’s At series, our editors will share their five favorite CDJ technicians, and tell you what makes them so great.
