Most intriguing new addition to the artist lineup for this year’s Digital Dreams Music Festival: Toronto house duo Art Department, a collaboration between legendary local DJ Kenny Glasgow and Jonny White, the mastermind behind the No. 19 label. This spring finds them wrapping up the tour for their newest album, the mix compilation Social Experiment 003. Can’t wait to see them bring it to the Echo Beach Stage on June 29!
Vive la france! bpm:tv blogger Gosia Mrugala goes tête-à-tête with Parisian producer/DJ MISS KITTIN (a.k.a. Caroline Hervé).
GOSIA MRUGALA: Hey, Caroline Hervé! what have you been up to lately?
MISS KITTIN: Playing every weekend, Christmas dinner at my place with my Parisian friends, and working on the future live show that will follow the release of my new album.
GM: Where did the name “Miss Kittin” come from?
MK: An illegal party we organized when I was at art school, in a military fort. I was asked to play in the chillout area. They needed a name for the flyer. I said “Kittin,” like “Kick into something.” It has nothing to do with “kitten.” Later on, all promoters started putting “Miss” in front, because it was more fashionable. I could never get rid of it.
GM: How would you describe your musical style?
MK: “Diverse.”
GM: Who would you say have been your biggest influences?
MK: Life in general.
GM: As in “Life is My Teacher.” What are some things you’ve learned from life?
MK: 1) Nick Curly – Underground (Dennis Ferrer Remix) | 2) George Fitzgerald – Unilateral | 3) Maxxi Soundsystem feat. Name One – Regrets We Have No Use For
GM: When you created your label Nobody’s Bizzness, you said it was about maintaining the maximum freedom with your music. How would you describe the relationship between a label and its artists, and what kind of influence do labels have on an artist’s music?
MK: I always think it’s better to be a label manager if you’re not a DJ or a musician, to avoid ego fights. I’ve seen that a lot. That’s why I don’t release other people yet, because I don’t have time to take care of them properly. I will do it when I am 100% available for them.
GM: Do you prefer playing at clubs or festivals?
MK: Both — good balance. You can experiment in clubs, and throw the big show in festivals.
GM: Any upcoming projects or collaborations in the works?
MK: My new double album [Calling From The Stars, slated for release April 22, 2013 on wSphere] a live show, a song with Acid Washed, another one with Aquarius Heaven, and more.
GM: Where do you see yourself in five years?
MK: I don’t know!
Miss Kittin’s new digital-only EP Life Is My Teacher is out now! Buy it on Beatport HERE. Buy it on iTunes HERE.
Download the single “Life Is My Teacher” for free on SoundCloud HERE.
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
As a DJ, producer and mastermind of the renowned Night Slugs imprint, South London’s Bok Bok (a.k.a. Alex Sushon) has emerged as one of the most influential figures on the UK bass music scene. Tireless bpm:tv blogger Gosia Mrugala tracked him down recently for a quick one-on-one chat about his musical passions.
Gosia Mrugala: Hello, Alex. What have you been up to lately?
Bok Bok: Lately I’ve been moving studios, lining up some new releases for my label and, as always, playing DJ sets. The last batch of shows were in Paris, New York and Brighton UK.
GM: What’s the meaning behind your alias “Bok Bok”?
BB: I’ve had that name for a long time, way before I was fully focused on music. So it’s a bit hard to remember, at this point, what I was thinking when I conceived it. But I think it’s just supposed to be two quick percussive sounds, like onomatopoeia. I’ve since found out it means a weird variety of things across several languages.
GM: How would you describe your musical style?
BB: Grimy, modular, often stripped-down music for the club.
GM: In your own words, how would you describe grime?
BB: One of the most inventive music genres around, which at its best channels both hip-hop and techno via a collective consciousness. It’s the music style that got me doing what I do today and remains my biggest inspiration. In its early heyday, grime producers were working with no rulebook whatsoever — it was sheer freewheeling creativity in an urban setting. The key to grime is a nervous energy which is undeniable in the club.
GM: When you’re not producing, DJing or working on graphics, what do you like to do on your spare time?
BB: Just normal things like like try to see my friends, catch up with everyone’s latest YouTube favourites, read or watch movies or reality TV. I also like to ride my bike. And I like to go to clubs and not DJ when I get the chance.
GM: So tell me about Night Slugs.
BB: Night Slugs is the crew and label that me and L-Vis 1990 started back in ’08. In 2010 it became a record label, home to such artists as Girl Unit, Kingdom and Jam City. Since the start the focus has been on club music in all its forms, presented with a sensibility learned from raving to grime, garage and early dubstep. The whole thing is very DIY and feels like a family. It’s really special to me.
GM: How much time do you spend on your own music versus running Night Slugs?
BB: Almost the whole of the last year has been taken up with mixing the releases we put out, but lately I’ve refocused on my own production and have been spending a lot more time in my bunker. Balancing the two can be a challenge.
GM: Your top three tracks at the moment?
BB: Jam City – How We Relate To The Body; L-Vis 1990 – Ballad 4D; Fiedel – Andreas
GM: What is one aspect about the music scene you would change?
BB: In general I love that it’s even possible for me to do what I do, so I’m not one to complain. But at a push I’d say: it would be great if, instead of trends being driven so much by genres, we could see more people (especially new producers!) approaching club music in a more abstract way as just different arrangements of interesting sounds.
GM: Where do you see yourself in five years?
BB: Hopefully doing what I do now — but better with another five years of experience; that’s a lot of time to learn and improve. All the mixing and creative direction I’ve done with Night Slugs has made me open to the idea of working with other artists in production and mixing, especially for longer projects where we can really craft something together.
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
Unstoppable bpm:tv bloggeuse Gosia Mrugala is seeing double after an exclusive one-on-two interview with fast-rising Dutch trance duo W&W, a.k.a. Willem van Hanegem and Ward van der Harst. Check it out.
Gosia Mrugala: Where did you meet and how did you guys start working together?
W&W: We had a mutual friend and through him we started talking online about music production since we were both producing on our own. After a while we finally met at a Dutch festival, we had a good connection so we started to hang out more and more. After we attended another festival, we felt like producing music together. That’s when we made our first release.
GM: How is it working in a duo?
WW: It’s great! You always have someone around who’s opinion you can ask for when working! It’s also good to be on the road together, we can imagine it must be very boring to travel by yourself all the time.
GM: Your top 3 tracks at the moment?
Willem: Rick Mitchells – Sub Zero; Alvaro – Make The Crowd GO!; Deadmau5 – Fn Pig
Ward: David Gravell – Fire Away; W&W – Lift Off; Above & Beyond vs Hardwell – Thing Called Spaceman (W&W Mashup)
GM: Outside of trance, what kind of music are you into?
Willem: I have a very broad range of music that I like, I listen to everything, from hip-hop to rock to dubstep and all other kinds of EDM.
Ward: I love artists like Coldplay and Ed Sheeran.
GM: So how are things going with your Mainstage radio show?
WW: Mainstage is doing really good! It’s broadcast on Sirius XM. Also, the podcast gets more and more downloads! We get so many reactions from people listening to our show! It’s great when you read on Twitter that somebody from Australia, Canada or South America is listening to your radio show when sitting on the train or metro.
WW: That is actually a funny story! We were on our way to Los Angeles from Argentina where we were standing in the customs queue. We checked our Twitter and saw that we were a trending topic worldwide! As soon as we checked the @ mentions we noticed that we won the competition, amazing news of course!
GM: Any memories/moments from summer 2012 that stand out for you?
Willem: The past summer has been great! Definitely our best and busiest summer so far! The whole summer and all its festivals were actually one big highlight! We played so many great gigs!
Ward: Exactly like Willem says, it’s been such a fantastic summer! It was an honor playing festivals like Global Gathering, Tomorrowland, Nature One, Nocturnal Wonderland and Electric Zoo to name a few!
GM: So, any predictions for summer 2013?
WW: Well, we think and hope 2013 will have an even better summer! It’s going to be hard to top this last year, but always aim for the stars!
GM: Can you tell me of any upcoming projects or collaborations in the works?
WW: Our latest mix compilation, Mainstage Vol. 1, just got released and the reactions on that are overwhelming! We didn’t expect this at all! Next up are a few very strong releases on our label Mainstage Music, and after that it’s time for our new single ”Lift Off”! We have some huge collabs coming up as well, but we can’t reveal those yet.
GM: Where do you see yourself in five years?
WW: Hopefully in five years we’ll still be doing what we love to do: making music and playing it for as many people as possible!
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
Released just two weeks ago on Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak label, Datsik‘s album Vitamin D is the banger his followers were primed for. The B.C. artist has described dubstep as “totally the punk rock of electronic music,” and on this debut LP he explores his limits, merging a wide range of musical inspirations — most notably Wu-Tang Clan and its MVPs RZA and Method Man. The album definitely captures something of the spirit of Wu-Tang, with its ominous, futuristic sound and gangster vibe.
My personal favourite here has to be “Complete Control” — but the whole of the album is a dark, euphonious mental roller coaster ride. Let’s break it down:
1. “Annihilate” – Definitely a track to entice the listener into playing the entire album. A perfect introduction to Vitamin D’s diversity of dark and captivating sounds.
2. “Fully Blown” (feat. Snak the Ripper) – Here, Datsik displays his affinity for hip-hop. He wastes no time on this one, jumping right in, without any buildup at all, and enlisting Snak The Ripper to provide some heavy-duty rap vocals.
3. “Syndrome” (with Downlink) – This track starts off with a classical vibe, then drops in some overwhelming bass. For me, it’s a standout for merging two such seemingly incompatible genres with surprising artfulness.
4. “Bonafide Hustler” – It’s almost like a biographical anthem for Datsik, the quintessential dubstep hustler. The sound is grimy yet cutting edge, pretty much ensuring that this will be a “bonafide” banger in the clubs and on the airwaves.
5. “Evilution” (with Infected Mushrooms & Jonathan Davis) – A collaboration with trip-hop duo Erez Eisen and Amit Duvdevani (a.k.a. Infected Mushroom) and Korn lead vocalist Jonathan Davis results in psychedelic/trance/electronic rock track that opens the darkest corners of the musical mind. I pressed replay more than a few times — as will you. It’s one of those tracks that invades the mind and refuses to leave.
6. “Need You” – This one sounds a bit like a mash-up of music and sound effects from old arcade games. It creates a certain musical clutter in the mind (a bit of everything all over the place) — but isn’t that what dubstep is? Mashed-up, unpredictable and a bit cluttered (in a good way)?
7. “Don’t Feel Right” – Here he starts with a playful electronic rhythm, then shifts into memorable sample from Shakedown‘s 2002 hit “At Night,” and from there into an overpoweringly grimy sound. Quite the mash-up, but definitely worth a replay or two.
8. “Light The Fuse” – A track with a very catchy, bob-your-head-along kind of kick to it. Dubstep usually conjures a dirty, borderline-rebellious feeling for me, but this one put me on a playground playing hopscotch — at least until it reached the 1:09 mark and it took on a different spin: grimy, anarchic and overpowering.
9. “Complete Control” – A fitting title for this superlative banger. With everything from intriguing build-ups to filthy drops, it takes you on a dark, fantastical. I put this one on repeat, letting Datsik take “complete control” of my mind.
10. “Punisher” (with Downlink) – Okay, the build-up was a little irritating, but the drop won back my attention. A daring, musically capricious piece of production that I can see entrancing listeners, whether on the dancefloor or chilling with headphones in the “grimy” comfort of one’s home.
11 “Napalm” (feat. Masinian) – The opening recalls the start of Skrillex‘s “First Year of (Equinox),” until the rap vocals swoop in and ambush the listener. Can’t say I was a big fan of this track or came away from it feeling the urge to press replay. But it does offer a unique sound.
12. “Double Trouble” (with DJ Z-Trip) – “We came here tonight to get started.” Except it kinda felt like it was taking a bit long to start. Still, once it revs up, this one repays your patience. A suitably filthy track from one of Canada’s brightest young bass music stars, this does what every good album-closer should: leaves the listener eager for more.
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
Flux Pavilion is dirty. Stinky stanky dirty when it comes to creating that bass sound we’ve come to love. So when you get a chance to listen to Joshua Steele sit down for two hours and drop some of the songs that inspire him, you listen. No, scratch that: you download asap. This is Josh’s Essential Mix for the BBC Radio 1 series, and it’s something special: basically, a dive deep into the history of Circus Records, a label that has led the way in showcasing innovative new music. A perfect listen for a Monday, and I strongly advise you to give it a run-through. Class, my friends, is in session.
It’s no secret that I am a HUGE fan of Fake Blood and his Blood Music label. I’ve never seen another group of artists who share a similar sound yet manage to be vastly different. Does that even make sense? Is this even possible? What do I mean?
To be honest, I don’t quite know how to describe it — which, of course, is exactly what you want to hear from an EDM addict who wakes up every day hoping to introduce someone to their new favourite track. All I do know is that whenever there’s a new release from the label — no matter which artist is responsible — it will have the distinctive atmosphere that says: “Blood Music.” That dark, uptempo, 16-bar electro sound I have come to love.
This newest release is more of the same, and exactly what the doctor ordered. Following hard on two new tracks from Donovans comes another soldier in the Blood Army, dangerDAN, with The Count: a three-track EP that includes a Boy 8-Bit remix of the title track.
dangerDAN’s bio isn’t exactly common knowledge, but I can tell you that the man has some gems in his library: “Tokyo Night Drive” stands out in my mind, but take a gander at his YouTube channel for yourself. You’ll get a real sense of what makes his sound unique.
The new EP really strikes a balance between his sound and the characteristic Blood Music feel. “The Count” supplies some heavy kicks at the beginning to get your pulse racing before a melody fit for a haunted house starts to kick in at what feels like 128 bpm. Heavy.
And then there’s “Like Butter,” which is probably the illest name for a track this year. It’s the perfect description: because if your ears are bread, this track is like butta, baby. If I’d heard this without any prior knowledge of the artist, I might have pegged it as a Fake Blood track — and that’s high praise. In terms of production skill, dangerDAN could well rival Blood Music’s founder himself.
A release like this definitely makes me hunger for a multi-artist Blood Music showcase like the one they staged not long ago at Fabric in London. A Fake Blood show is good enough on its own — add Bowski, Ado, Kris Menace, LeBreton, Boy 8-Bit, Donovans, Ego Troopers and now dangerDAN, and you might bleed for days.
The forthcoming single from Above & Beyond‘s studio album Group Therapy, this vocal trance track is the perfect, entrancing nepenthe. Group Therapy itself is a heart-stirring album perfectly summed up by its title. Listening to this LP, pegged by Mixmag as the artist album of 2011, is pretty much guaranteed to alleviate any form of negative emotion.
The newly released music video for “Love Is Not Enough” plays in reverse, taking the viewer on an emotional rollercoaster as it tells a story of deep love that was just not meant to be. The video, directed by Vicky Simmons and starring Emily Beecham and Liam Boyle, fits the track’s sad love story perfectly. Together, the track and the video play enticingly on the emotions.
We’re fortunate to be able to stay up to date with new tracks and new artists from Above & Beyond’s influential Anjunabeats label by tuning into their weekly show Trance Around The World. As they have proven yet again, their sound is sempiternal, and we can count ourselves lucky to have such an incredible trio on the EDM scene.
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
It’s amazing. Fake Blood has one of the most distinctive sounds in all of music — yet he has managed to find a militia of devious DJs who share his refined ear. The only fault most electro heads have ever been found with Fake Blood is the fact that he doesn’t release as much content as we want to hear. No worries: his Blood Music label has become the perfect remedy for all those desperate fans — the Roc-A-Fella to his Jay-Z. Another Blood Music soldier is set to drop a release in the coming month; we got a sneak preview of some of the tracks yesterday, and they are big: the Big le-Bowski Big.
Bowski ‘s new EP, Poppies will be released on Decemeber 18, and these songs get your attention quickly. Due to a shortage of time, I can’t break them down — and to be honest, they are too fresh for me even to try. But as you would expect, Bowski delivers. All I can tell you is that the formula is pretty much the same for all of the artists in the Blood Music stable: dark-yet-pleasant-soulful-mindf*ck-sounds at their best. Menace, Ado, Clouds, Nick Cambell, LeBreton and Bowski: this is turning into the absolute dream team. Enjoy these artists and support the label, because the only thing better than more of these releases would be a Blood Music tour.
The master. “Deep Red” and “Medieval” got more love, but this was a favourite the minute I heard it and still gets played every week. Can you blame me?
Gosia Mrugala is a Toronto-based blogger and reviewer. You can read her blog HERE, and follow her on Twitter HERE.
