In the giddy, optimistic aftermath of Boiler Room debuts in Belfast and Dublin, as well as a hugely successful first outing for AVA Festival, Aidan Hanratty and Antoin Lindsay deliver their weekly look at all things electronic.
GIGS
Pogo: Bodytonic & Hidden Agenda present Late Nite Tuff Guy & Young Marco at The Twisted Pepper
Saturday, June 6
So unfair, so unreasonable – Bodytonic and Hidden Agenda combine to bring two excellent DJs to town. Late Nite Tuff Guy is famed for his edits/reworks (a personal favourite is that of Roland Clark’s ‘I Get Deep’), while Young Marco has released on Rush Hour and provided remixes for Let’s Play House and Permanent Vacation among others. Both arrive at that sweet spot between “Unknown” and “Superstar”, thus eschewing unnecessary hype or commotion. AH
Twitch Present: Secretsundaze at The Bunatee, Belfast
Saturday, June 6
Giles Smith and James Priestley have been running their Secretsundaze nights in London for ages. That means they’ve had a long time to craft their DJing skills, 13 years in fact, and for the first time they bring themselves to Belfast for Twitch. Expect some deep cuts of disco, house and techno from the pair, who’ll be joined by the Twitch DJs themselves on the night. AL
NTWRK presents: Breach at The Nerve Centre, Derry
Saturday, June 6
Derry crowds are always a delight, and with Celtronic coming up soon it’s great to see the city building up to the even nicely. NTWRK have been putting some great nights recently and they’ve hooked a pretty massive booking with Bristolian-turned-Amsterdamer Breach. He’s managed to become one of the most recognisable names in underground house and techno over the last few years so expect The Nerve Centre to a busy and sweaty one. AL
TRACKS
Iglew x Skepta – Bad Myth (Oneman Edit)
Oneman has been building up a fairly strong arsenal of edits over the years, and here he’s thrown together Skepta’s ‘Bad Boy’ with previous RNW subject Iglew’s ‘Urban Myth’. There’s been talk of how the current crop of grime producers such as Iglew aren’t linked closely enough to MCs such as Skepta (who appears to have hit a purple patch in his career of late), but Oneman’s clearly went out to set that right. Lovely stuff. AL
HELM – Olympic Mess [PAN]
New HELM (pictured) is always a cause for celebration. Impossible Symmetry is one of my favourite albums of the last few years so his forthcoming one which is coming out on PAN should be equally special. ‘Olympic Mess’ is a far cry from the substantially noisier HELM we’ve heard in the past. The new album is supposedly inspired by Balearic sounds, and the taster we’ve been given dips its toe into territories of ambient drone and dub techno. Nice way to ease yourself into the weekend. AL
Kito Jempere – ‘Kiya Kiya’ (Palms Trax Remix)
Palms Trax was recently the subject of one of RA’s Breaking Through features. I’d argue that he’s already broken through, but fair play for the deserved hype nonetheless. This remix, which he’d no doubt rather didn’t feature here or anywhere (he’s prone to serious bouts of self-deprecation), manages the feat of being both breezy and frantic, its relentless pace battling with effervescent xylophones and flutes for supremacy. I imagine a video in which a lone convertible hurtles down an otherwise empty freeway at 120mph on a beautifully hot day. AH
Lokier – Voyage Of Troubles (Morgan Hammer remix)
Late pass but this is a banger. French DJ Morgan Hammer remixes Mexican newcomer Lokier’s ‘Voyage of Troubles’Stomping house that’s a few bpm higher than Wevvers’ ALFOS tempo but just as sexy. Rolling kick filles and lift-off passes throughout, while a devastating 80s bass cuts through searingly underneath. Whopper. AH
RELEASES/MIXES
Galcher Lustwerk – Parlay EP
If you haven’t spent many hours listening to 100% Galcher over the past two years, GET TO KNOW. It’s a glorious mix, a collection of his own unreleased tracks mixed together for Blowing Up The Workshop. Days after he submitted the mix, however, a devastating laptop crash resulted in the loss of all his work. The tracks thus had to be re-mixed and re-arranged using stems and the mix as a reference. Two years on, he’s putting out two 12″s of tracks from the mix (‘Put On’ came out on WM004 in late 2013). ‘Parlay’ is a gem of crystalline purity, beautifully special for the way in which it brings 100% Galcher into existence after a brief balm of synths. “The sun, the sun is shining through…” Without getting too deep int mythos, these unmistakeable opening lyrics herald something wonderful. This is a lengthy blurb, so just dig in. It’s a delight. AH
Eli Escobar – Up All Night
Eli Escobar has been DJing in NYC since the 90s, but his production career has been measured, steady. This writer has been following his career since the mid/late-00s nu-disco period, in particular his releases on Money Lotion and Plant Music and his guest appearances on Mark Ronson’s Authentic Shit show on East Village Radio. Since then a steady stream of classic-house-leaning 12s have appeared on a variety of labels, and his debut album dropped in limited numbers last year. It’s finally appeared digitally, with extra tracks to boot. Straight-up party music, it’s soulful and boisterous, rambunctuous yet controlled. AH
The Cyclist: FACT Mix 498
The best thing to come out of my hometown since John Hume (maybe), I’ve not really wasted any time in making my love for The Cyclist known on these pages and elsewhere. His take on techno has always had a distinctly raw feel to it, so it’s no surprise that among the usual fare of Levon Vincent and Anthony Naples he’s also thrown in James Chance and his own formidable mashup of Can and Ricardo Villalobos. The response it’s got has been pleasingly positive, and I’m happy he’s getting recognition in other climes. AL
Hurfyd – Blowing Up The Workshop #45
On hearing that I intended to run a bath to his mix, Hurfyd suggested I accompany it by burning a Chewits candle from Poundland. If that doesn’t sound like an ideal night in, then I don’t know what is. Anyway, he may have made his name as being the go-to Youtube channel for fresh dance music with trippy videos, but he’s clearly got a love for ambient music too. Lots of nature sounds and bubbling and hardly a kick-drum within earshot for over 90 minutes. Real nice. AL
