Artists will never come unprepared to a party. They always bring a toolbox packed with tracks that are truly dance floor destroyers. What’s in Your Toolbox features artists’ secret weapons, aka, the tracks they don’t leave out of their USB.
Simon Doty’s origins from deep in Canada’s Western wilderness to a college basketball shooting guard are unlikely beginnings for the development of a finely tuned electronic artist. His consistent yet dynamic signature sound defined by gritty analog synthesis, emotive melodies and tough, driving grooves, has been supported by the likes of Pete Tong, Danny Howard, Jax Jones, Gorgon City, Hot Since 82, and Lane 8. Doty’s highly anticipated debut on Nora en Pure’s Purified imprint is called Dreamscape. The three-track Dreamscape EP is out now on Purified, get it here.
Black Circle “Inner Tension”
I love Black Circle’s music and this one’s no exception. They always have the magic combination that I’m looking for – melodic and emotive while always being powerful and edgy for the dance floor.
My Friend “Clockwork Pigeon”
I’ve been playing these guys’ tracks a lot lately and the grooves are always very tough and heavy. This one has a very nineties feel to it which I love and it always seems to get a great reaction!
Simon Doty “Hometown”
This is the one many people were asking me for over the course of the pandemic – Ursula Rucker’s vocals always seem to create a magical moment and it’s been really cool to see how many people know it and say the words out at shows while the track is playing.
Hoten “29 Summers”
This one is another example of a great and powerful groove combined with a lot of emotion. The breakdown gets really trancey and uplifting and always seems to get people going.
Joachim Pastor “Kenger” (Teho Remix)
I’ve been using this one as a last track of the night type of track and it always seems to create a special vibe. I’m always looking for those tracks that can cap things off in an emotional way and this one definitely accomplishes that.
Blaze “Lovelee Dae”
This one is a bit more of a throwback but I’ve also been using it to close out the night sometimes of late. It’s hard to find a track with a more positive vibe than this one!
https://www.6amgroup.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Whats-in-Your-Toolbox-Featured-Image-1-e1649177703672.png5361024Skylar SchossbergerSkylar Schossberger2022-04-05 09:51:332022-04-18 10:06:44What's in Your Toolbox: Simon Doty's 6 House & Techno Gems
Your favorite artists inspire you, but who inspires them? INSPIRED asks leading names in house and techno to share people who’ve inspired them and why. This installment of INSPIRED welcomes Hannes Bieger, a Berlin-based DJ, producer and electronic music engineer.
Hannes Bieger is one of Europe’s most in-demand electronic music engineers turned star in his own right. Since stepping back into the light as an artist, he has released on leading labels like Bedrock Records, Poker Flat Records, Tronic and Awesome Soundwave, topped the Beatport Progressive House Chart, provided a guest mix for John Digweed’s legendary Transitions radio show and taken his scintillating, analog gear-heavy live show across, from D.Edge in Sao Paolo to Awakenings in Amsterdam to Watergate in Berlin.
Balance Music snares Bieger just as he begins his ascent into the uppermost echelons of dance music. Bieger’s no-shortcuts approach to making wondrous melodic house and techno makes him an ideal candidate to provide a truly special mix for the long-running Balance Series. Comprised of all-exclusive music from Bieger, his friends and collaborators, this mix capitalises on the fact that he was gearing up for another artist album. Instead, the music he’d been saving up for his next LP appears here, alongside music sourced from people has been working in tandem with in the studio.
Steve is a fantastic DJ and a great producer, but to me he is so much more than “just” that. His entire career to me is a role model of how to do things the right way. He was always in it for the good reasons, because he loves music, and he loves to dance. And he always stayed true to his ideals, never sold out for quick gains – Poker Flat is “out of fashion since 1999”, and proudly so. It takes guts, morals and a good compass to be in the game for so long, to stay relevant for so long, and to build a platform for so many other artists as well. He supported me a lot – my first release after my long break was on Poker Flat, and my first ever live set as Hannes Bieger took place at one of his parties in Berlin. I’ve been mixing a lot of music for him in the past ten years, and he became one of my best friends. And he can still surprise me with his music. His 2021 release “Montafon” is one of the best tracks he has ever made.
Listen: Steve Bug “Montafon” – Poker Flat Recordings
With our planet in peril because of climate change, it is more important than ever to have passionate voices like the one of Cristina Mittermeier, the Mexican marine biologist and photographer. She is not only a fantastic artist who can capture the beauty of our planet and its inhabitants in incredibly vivid, moving and sometimes iconic pictures, she is also devoting her work to raising awareness for the environmental issues her subjects, and our planet at large, are facing today. When I was a kid, one of my dream jobs was marine biologist, and today I am quite an experienced photographer, too. In a different life I might be doing what she is doing, and I am eternally grateful that, in this life, she is sharing her view on this planet with a greater audience.
Pablo Picasso
To me, Picasso is not only one of the best painters and sculptors of all times, but also one of the most interesting artists in a wider sense of that word. After graduating from school, for a certain period of time, I wanted to become a painter too, and I applied at several art schools. In hindsight, it didn’t work out because the musician in me deliberately sabotaged the application process. I always thought I had to apologise for loving Picasso so much, because it’s such an obvious, almost “boring” choice. But to me his career is monolithic. He started out on the most solid of foundations, painting like the old masters when he was a kid, and when he grew old he almost painted comic strips – and in between he reinvented himself several times, writing art history along the way. I find that especially the work of his blue and rose periods is ranging among the most touching pieces of art in any genre and at any time – and I quote and paraphrase him often during my mixing sessions and masterclasses, because his universal view on art holds so much wisdom even for musicians.
Adrian Utley
The guitarist, keyboarder and founding members of Portishead is probably one of the musicians with the most profound impact on my career. When I was 14, I started playing guitar in rock bands, and that was literally my life. But in 1993 or 1994 I listened to Portishead for the first time, and it struck me like a lightning. The first track I heard was “Strangers” from the first Portishead album, and there really was a “before” and an “after”. In a way, my interest in powerful guitar riffs and long solos was wiped out immediately. What I admire is that he can play so little and say so much with it – few notes, incredible expression, mindblowing analogue sound design… he changed my musical thinking forever!
WORK is a premiere event collaboration between 6AM group and Synthetik minds, driven by the work-to-play mentality. Making its debut in 2022, WORK has launched its first-ever WORK Residency Program which will grow and feature talent within the local techno community. Newly inducted WORK resident Trovarsi has joined the talented roster of local artists that have put in their hours in the studio, behind the decks, and their presence in the community. She is known for heranalog and modular style and will be able to give more to the Los Angeles warehouse scene with her residency at WORK.
The co-founder of the Southern California Synth Society, Trovarsi is a Los Angeles-based music composer and producer, live electronic artist, educator, and streaming YouTube host. With a hybrid blend of modular and analogue synthesizers, drum machines and Ableton, Trovarsi embraces Afrofuturistic electronic expression while remaining firmly planted by her musical roots.
Hi Trovarsi! How did you become interested in the world of electronic music, particularly analog and modular synthesizers?
I started getting involved in music at a very young age, so it has always been always a major part of my life. My first instrument was the violin and then my focus shifted to playing the piano. I first heard dance music in the early 90’s and I was hooked! I grew up in the midwest, and Chicago was a short drive away, so I would drive down to pick up records and go out to the clubs and raves. I also worked at a record shop near the UW Madison campus. I was always following what was being released in all genres and I explored all types of music. Skipping ahead to when I got older, I started producing house and techno. I love being able to play and perform with instruments. That raw sound, tactile feel, and connection with the machines and instruments and music made it an easy transition to hardware synths, drum machines and eurorack modular.
Our motto is: “Shifting the paradigm in electronic music from what is expected, to being accepted!”
Trovarsi, founder of the So Cal Synth Society, speaks about shifting the paradigm in electronic music to be more inclusive of women and non-binary folks
We love your initiative, Frequency Shift. Can you share more about your streaming festival?
I am immensely proud to be a founder of the So Cal Synth Society and the Frequency Shift Festival. It began with the goal of shifting the paradigm in electronic music away from a male dominated industry, to be more inclusive of women and non-binary people. We have connected with hundreds of female/non-binary musicians around the world. Through SoCal Synth Society’s platform, we are able to curate shows and events which feature these amazing artists. Through this community they have connected and built new relationships, supporting each other, and creating new projects. Our motto is: “Shifting the paradigm in electronic music from what is expected, to being accepted!”
You’re part of the newly launched WORK Residency Program and as part of it, you’ll be playing at selected events throughout the year. What does it mean to you to be invited to be a part of it and recognized as a standout talent? I think it’s an honor and great opportunity to play in a scene I really connect with and love. It takes a lot of hard work and continuous dedication. I value all opportunities to share my music and I appreciate that people want to hear it and dance! Nothing beats connecting with others through the love of sound and working it out on the dancefloor.
It’s nice to see a local promoter focus on local talent because it gives us an opportunity to support and build up our community in Los Angeles. Sometimes, all someone needs is a chance to showcase their talent.
Trovarsi on why WORK Residency program is important for Los Angeles’s community
Why do you think the WORK Residency program is an important initiative?
I think it’s important because this is fun as hell BUT it is not easy! There are a lot of people out there putting everything they’ve got into their music and often they go unheard. There is so much amazing talent out there. Most clubs and events focus on the big names, the ones that sell tickets, but everyone has to start somewhere. It’s nice to see a local promoter focus on local talent because it gives us an opportunity to support and build up our community in Los Angeles. Sometimes, all someone needs is a chance to showcase their talent.
Are there any new projects or events on the horizon for you?
I am going on a five day journey through California deserts with three other producers in a solar powered RV! #modularcaliforniavibes We will be producing, mixing and mastering a joint EP during the trip. This event will be captured by a camera crew and released as a short documentary. I’m really looking forward to the collaboration and working in a studio on wheels! My other project, Transduction Signal Collective, is growing and we have some great shows coming up this year, The next one will be at the Analog Astronaut Conference at Biosphere 2, in Arizona. Check out our website for more details on upcoming performances.
Brussels-based DJ and producer MARHU brings her dark, energetic and powerful sound to the forefront of her debut EP titled Obsession on Arkham Audio. The project is centred around thumping kick drums, obscure and aggressive sounds, all tied together by intoxicating acid synths with D.A.V.E The Drummer and Cri du Coeur both contributing remixes to the EP.
Over the few past years MARHU has been honing her skills and focusing on her music production. Originally a Swiss rider for the dressage team, MARHU later transitioned to a music-oriented career. With the discipline she developed throughout years of sports she has demonstrated her creative ability to not only break the rules – but create her own rulebook entirely. MARHU’s music combines the force between dark energetic and powerful techno.
Listen: MARHU “Nothing” (D.A.V.E. The Drummer Remix) – Arkham Audio
Influenced by Dax J, Ben Klock and many more, MARHU’s dynamic style is crafted from both obscure and aggressive sounds which brings an extensive and innate sense of rhythm, and compositional elements which burst forth with relentless energetic expression on every set.”Nothing” is the second track on her Obsession EP and has a bit more depth and groove to it. The massive low end grooves beautifully with the flowing acid synth as well as the bright variations of hi-hats.
D.A.V.E. The Drummer rains down pure destruction in his remix of “Nothing”. Waves of noise wash around you as the drums and acid synth continue driving you forward. As the filter on the acid synth gets turned higher, the track becomes more intense by the second, resulting in pure dance-floor devastation.
Amsterdam-based DJ and producer Keith Carnal is a tastemaker in today’s world of techno. His own style of techno has a strong emphasis on melodies, groove, and percussive elements. The artist returns to BPitch with a rousing excursion into the visceral side of techno. Stocked with deadly drum arrangements, thumping kicks and imposing bass lines, Keith Carnal’s armory is well equipped to cause maximum impact on the dance floor.
“Ape Shit Crazy” takes listeners straight into the depths of Keith Carnal’s wild mind. It’s a bombastic cut that utilizes a pitched down spoken word vocal. The storyteller takes its listeners into the world of after party excess and “ape shit craziness” as the beats pump relentlessly. It’s debauched, heavy and utterly alluring.
A resurgence of ancient styles are influencing today’s experimental electronic music. Artists are revisiting folk traditions from around the world to create tracks that makes sense of the present.
Mexican-American musician Debit, aka Delia Beatriz, utilized pipes and flutes to create her new album The Long Count. Beatriz created, with the help of machine learning, digital instruments modeled after ancient Mayan wind instruments held in the collection of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. The album’s title references the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar, an ancient cyclical calendar that captures the universe’s creation and destruction.
Debit’s otherworldly and at some points unnerving album shows that folk music isn’t just a genre. Folk music can be means of making sense of the world and connecting with others, both in celebration and in mourning. Philip Sherburne writes eloquently, “harnessing unfamiliar instruments to ask questions about tradition, heritage, and post-colonial forgetting, her music suggests that certain sounds may unlock emotions we can’t readily decipher, placing us in a lineage far vaster than we might have imagined.”
Polish composer Wojciech Rusin’sSyphon was also created using digitally processed instruments. Rusin used digitally processed reeds, 3D printed instruments, and a cappella singing for “what he describes as a ‘speculative’ approach to medieval and renaissance traditions, performed in an imagined future in which the past is recalled only in fragments.”
Rather than being used as means to understand the world, folk music is being captured in today’s electronic music as a feeling. Polish composer Piotr Kurek’s new album World Speaks is inspired by the 19th century painter Thomas Cole. Just as Cole’s landscapes were riddled with classical and Biblical symbolism, Kurek layers reeds, organ, voice, and samples thereof into “surreal, moiré-like patterns.”
The melancholic composition Community of Grieving by Polish sound artist Zosia Hołubowska and Stockholm composer Julia Giertz also invoke ancient feeling. “Harrowing vocal harmonies” and “otherworldly ululations dissolve into thick sheets of digitally treated drones, techno rhythms, and ASMR-inspired breathing.” The artists wrote the 24-minute piece for the the online-only 2020 edition of Krakow’s Unsound Festival in response to the newfound fear and confusion around the world due to COVID-19. The piece attempts to reconcile mourning rituals with the comfort that is found in community.
https://www.6amgroup.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/f257f3484448edd82d508d3fd4efc2bf-e1647630692910.jpg6051024Skylar SchossbergerSkylar Schossberger2022-03-19 09:30:062022-03-19 09:31:52How Folk Traditions Are Inspiring Today's Electronic Music
Scottish duo Slam, Stuart McMillan and Orde Meikle, are a tour de force on the global techno circuit. Their unique, six deck, back-to-back DJ performances have seen the duo play leading clubs and festivals across the world. They are renowned for both their experience and their powerful, contemporary sound. Listen to Soma Records’ head honchos signature high energy and peak-time mix for this week’s Global Vibe Radio.
The last few years have seen some of Slam’s most prolific studio output as they continue to innovate and keep things moving forward, most recently with the Louder Than Chaos project. Louder Than Chaos was a series of five releases on 12″ vinyl and digital. Each volume released monthly via Soma Records.
The project kicked off with Vol. 1 featuring collaborations with 999999999, Hector Oaks and Keith Tucker (AKA Optic Nerve). Vol. 2 features collaborations with UK techno legend Perc, and Vol. 3 features long term Soma affiliate Rebekah. Vol. 4 with Belgium’s finest export Amelie Lens. Vol. 5 concluded Lounder Than Chaos, featuring the enigmatic Mancunian AnD. Each EP features specially commissioned artwork from German based artist PPP Panic, which consolidates into one constructive piece over the five releases.
Listen: Global Vibe Radio 305 feat Slam (Soma Records)
Besides heading Soma Records and spearheading projects, McMillan and Meikle are co-directors and co-curators of Glasgow’s Riverside Festival. The festival showcases the best emerging local talent alongside some of the most established names in international techno. Scotland’s premier electronic music festival returns on the Jubilee Bank Holiday Weekend, June 2 to June 4. The party will take place at the iconic Zaha Hadid-designed Riverside Museum on Glasgow’s Clydeside. The program features international heavyweights to some of the most exciting, emerging talents.
This summer the legendary Slam Tent in Edinburgh also returns after a six year hiatus as Slam Events and Edinburgh promoters FLY join forces. Across one unmissable three-day May Day Bank Holiday Weekender, April 29 to May 1, legions of music fans will once again be welcomed back to what has become globally renowned as one of the biggest dance tents on the European festival circuit. Slam is thrilled to reveal the full line-up which showcases sets from across the spectrum of electronic music inside the hallowed walls of the original Slam Tent as they recreate the greatest dance floor that Scotland has ever seen.
SXM Festival 2022 returns for five days and nights of underground house and techno bliss on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin / Sint Maarten. SXM Festival regularly hosts the top names from around the globe, and this year is no different. Attendees will experience secluded beaches, lush jungle dance floors, stunning villas, boat parties, and beach clubs from sunrise to sunset. Get in the groove for SXM Festival 2022 with these exclusive mixes from artists John Acquaviva and Chloé Caillet who will be playing at this year’s event.
John Acquaviva as a DJ/Producer and Entrepreneur has flourished in the heart of electronic music. His multi talented persona is Superman-like. He’s the quintessential businessman by day running Plus8 Equity Partners, and an iconic musician by night. John Acquaviva is the eye of the storm on an incredilbel hurricane. The techno icon’s strategic positioning along the electronic music spectrum as an inspired soul, rather than a hit maker, has made for one of the most exciting producers the community has ever experienced.
Chloé Caillet is a DJ, producer and multi-instrumentalist from Paris. Known for her eclectic taste in music and fashion, she has played some of the world’s most renowned clubs and parties. These include a residency with Dixon at Pacha, fabric London, Tek Support New York, Badaboum, Hï Ibiza, Brooklyn Mirage, Guy Gerber’s Rumors and most recently her residency at Circoloco in Ibiza and all over the globe.
After releasing a critically acclaimed remix commissioned directly by Beck, Chloé will release her series of singles on newly found label XCESS RECORDS started with her collective PVBLIC XCESS. Her first single “Love Ain’t Over” dropped at the end of 2021 with an outstanding video by artist and director Ana Sting, following up with a series of remixes by Gerd Janson, Carlita and No_4mat. Chloe has received support from internationally acclaimed media and journalist tastemakers like DJ Mag, Mixmag, Wonderland Magazine, CRACK Magazine, Metal Magazine, Refuge Worldwide and many more.
https://www.6amgroup.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/LineUp-2022-Static-Hype-Wave-2-9x16-Second.jpg419687Skylar SchossbergerSkylar Schossberger2022-03-01 20:47:072022-03-01 20:50:27Get in the Groove: SXM Festival 2022 Mix Series
The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and that one techno track sounds especially good right now. You can’t help but smile. Maybe it’s just a really good day, or maybe love is in the air (the more you deny it, the likelier it’s true). Here are six cute date ideas that you can do with your techno boo in Los Angeles. Flying solo? No worries, these are things you can do by yourself too. Self-love is key.
https://www.6amgroup.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/40d3e1889415c515954bf0569cdac271-e1644801179680.jpg500695Skylar SchossbergerSkylar Schossberger2022-02-14 09:49:192022-02-14 09:49:32All in a Day: 6 Cute Date Ideas for LA Techno Lovers
WORK is launching the giveaway of all giveaways: a year’s worth of free tickets to all their events in 2022.
6AM and Synthetik Minds‘ event collaboration series called WORK has been bringing the best talent of the house and techno world to a warehouse near you, becoming one of North America’s most respected techno event series. Artists such as Oscar Mulero, SHDW & Obscure Shape, Luke Slater, Rebekah, Paula Temple, FJAAK, and many more, have graced the WORK warehouse in the series’ illustrious past.
https://www.6amgroup.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/THE-ULTIMATE-WORK-TICKET-GIVEAWAY.png10801080Kevin ChingKevin Ching2021-12-21 12:43:552022-01-27 15:45:38A Giveaway Like No Other: Win Tickets for Every WORK Event in 2022
