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Digging Deeper with Alex Stein

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There’s something brewing in Brazil as of recent, with a string of talented techno and house artists from the country enjoying well-deserved notoriety in the last few years. Alex Stein is a true Brazilian (SĂŁo Paulo) homegrown artist with roots that reach all the back to the Old Continent — with German blood flowing in his veins and German citizenship to prove it.

The Bavarian-Brazilian artist has made his own way through vast musical studies, including Audio Engineering, studied at the SAE Institute in Frankfurt, as well as a lot of trial-and-error to get where he is now as one of the most well-known and revered artists of the new Brazilian techno/tech-house scene.

His work in the studio has been paying off with a recent release on Suara the latest of a series that has seen him put out music on labels the likes of Bunny Tiger, Great Stuff Recordings, ​Herzblut, Tronic and Sincopat, all the while preparing a new EP for Oliver Huntemann’s imprint Senso Sounds. You wouldn’t be mistaken in thinking that Alex seems to be following on the footsteps of his close friend, peer and fellow countryman Victor Ruiz. They have not only produced together but seem to be following the same path of ascension in their industry, as Alex enjoys an incredible legion of followers not only in his home nation Brazil, but throughout the world thanks to performances in Canada, South Africa, Australia, and of course the main European capitals.

6AM caught up with Alex to learn more about his roots and the personality behind the great music he has been churning out non-stop for the last several years.

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Digging Deeper with Minimono

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Fresh from releases on legendary imprints such as Italian label Vibraphone and Phil Weeks’ Robsoul (alongside their ever impressive work at their own Bosconi label), Fabio Della Torre and Ennio Colaci aka Minimono join the Inner Balance family for an EP of four fine house dishes.

Each cut on On The Edge EP gives us a different taste of classic house, from the sharp Melchior shuffle of “Goblin” to the sweet Rhodes and walking bassline of title track “On the Edge”, which wouldn’t sound out of place in the Fair Park catalogue. Elsewhere, “Still Alive” is a light confection of soft pads topped with subtle improvisation, while “This Side of the Forest” delivers a more flavorsome Sir Lord Commix-style groove.

Check out our exclusive interview with the duo and listen to “On The Edge” below.

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Q&A and Global Vibe Radio 073 feat. ADMN

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This week’s edition of Global Vibe Radio showcases the sounds of ADMN, a producer and DJ based right out of Detroit that has enjoyed releases on the likes of Audiophile Deep and Anabatic.

Classically trained, Alexander has an innate knack for music and technology. It is no surprise then that he learned to play piano, trumpet and bass guitar all before graduating from high school, then allowing for his extensive training in Classical and Jazz theory and technique to propel his propensity for producing electronic music.

Inspired by the sounds of Detroit, ADMN has shared the stage with acts such as Lee Curtiss, Worthy, Christian Martin, Monty Luke and Kevin Saunderson, and was hand-selected by Paxahau for his debut performance at Movement Electronic Music Festival in Detroit in 2015.

Enjoy the mix below, which you can download for free here, and read on for our chat with ADMN and full track listing.

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Rebekah: The Problem With Being Labeled “The Queen of ________”

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In an interview with Mike Boorman, techno producer and DJ Rebekah talks about her mental approach to life and to music, and how this has changed through the years.

She began as a socialite party girl on the Birmingham scene in the UK, undergoing years of transformation that eventually led her to become one of the most respected and sought-after techno artists in the world. Her ascension began when she caught the eye, and ear, of Chris Liebing and his CLR label, and hasn’t stopped since.

While CLR is pretty much a defunct label now, Rebekah has continued on with a heavy strong on releases, including her debut album on revered techno label Soma, and a heavy touring schedule that has seen her grace some of the most coveted DJ booths in the world.

In the interview, which you can listen to below, she discusses all of this as well as her creative rationale and whether gender debates are useful in this day and age. She gets real about real subjects, including the issue with “being labeled ‘the queen of …..” (insert given genre)’ and how it “implies that there can be only one and when women are already in a minority can breed competitiveness.” In a Facebook post on the subject she went on to say, “We really need to stamp this out, please stop comparing artists (who happen to be female) to one another, this is even more so ridiculous when the styles are not even the same.”

Listen to the interview below:

Follow Mike Boorman on SoundCloud

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Q&A, Global Vibe Radio 072 and FREE Track Download with Deep Tribe

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It’s hard to envision what can happen when two people with completely different upbringings, life experiences and cultures meet. On one side we have Andrew, born and raised in Southern California, and on the other Dimitry, from South Ukraine. Two worlds apart, yet connected by a thick, visceral and intellectual thread. Somehow their paths crossed, and together they would fuse their artistic minds into a project known as Deep Tribe.

Los Angeles-based Deep Tribe is a DJ and production partnership that stirs musical minds with soul-hitting and deeply meaningful underground electronic music. Creators and innovators in their own right, the duo blends elements of house and techno with influences from other genres peppered in for an outcome that is a signature sound they are becoming widely recognized for.

Today they are gifting their fans and 6AM readers with an exclusive free remix of their very own collaboration with David O’Dowda entitled “Keep Your Head,” out on their imprint Counterfeit Fun Records, which you can  You can get download here.

Furthermore, 6AM had the chance to chat with both Dimitry and Andrew as they deliver this week’s edition of Global Vibe Radio with a powerful mix that clocks at nearly one hour and 20 minutes. You can listen to that right here and also download it for free courtesy of 6AM and Deep Tribe.

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Q&A: German Duo umami Discuss “RGP” EP Release on Favouritizm and Forthcoming Debut Album

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German duo umami have been rocking their distinctive sounds on top labels such as Katermukke, 3000 Grad, Audiolith and Stil for Talent, among many, winning fans all over the globe. Now ahead of their forthcoming debut album release, they unleash their striking new RGB EP on Favouritizm.

6AM checked in with the endearing duo to find out more:

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Q&A and Global Vibe Radio 068 feat. Synthek Live at KHIDI

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Synthek is a Berlin based DJ and producer, owner of Natch Records and STK imprint. Always seeking for new influences, over the past years the style of his sets and productions has faced a constant evolution, focusing on deep rhythmics and powerful, introspective vibes.

Following few successful EPs on Natch Records, he released his debut album Unwise, in collaboration with label partner Audiolouis. Unwise, seen as their last co-produced effort, got consecutively remixed by Polar Inertia, Antigone and Varg among others. Synthek started curating the booking of New Faces Wednesdays at Tresor Berlin in 2014, becoming a respected presence behind the decks of the legendary venue and especially so for his closing sets. The idea of creating STK, a self titled imprint and home of his own productions only, gives him the freedom to experiment new approaches to music production and reshape his signature sound. The initial wave of 3 EPs entitled VERSE, launched in July 2015, brought him to look slightly away from the dance floor, and finally orienting towards mind-twisting and psychedelic compositions. Beside releases on STK, since his last appearance on Attic Music, Synthek has released new material such as his MRI EP on Russian label Wunderblock, a remix alongside Svreca on Spanish imprint Redpoint Alert, and a contribution for a compilation on OVUNQVE.

This year Synthek released Transitions of Life on Natch Records, his first solo LP. The 11-tracker came out on April 18th, the unfolding of a two-year transformational period that saw Synthek cross along rough roads and tribulations to reveal an intimate personal journey of revelation through emotional downshift, spiritual upheaval and cerebral quandary.

Synthetk is this week’s guest on Global Vibe Radio, where he presents the last 3 hours of his 7 hour set at KHIDI in Georgia from earlier in 2017. We also took the chance to chat with him about projects past, present and future. Enjoy the mix and read on for the exclusive interview!

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Digging Deeper with Kevin Over

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Although only 25 years old, Kevin Over is an old music soul in a young man’s body. He’s been obsessively collecting music since he was 13, cutting his teeth at Important Records, the store in Essen, Germany, co-owned by Vladimir Ivkovic, who he rates as his biggest earlier influencer/educator. That comes to no surprise to anyone who knows Ivkovic, manager at Desolat and a Dekmantel regular, among other things.

Kevin Over’s major breakthrough came in early 2015 when the stunning Retrovision EP dropped on Noir Music. Detroit legend Stacey Pullen licensed his stunning “2002” for his well- received Balance 028 compilation, and the warmth of the ‘90s embosses the artist’s musical output, as Kevin creates rough-edged, groove-ridden dance floor weapons that appeal to house and techno heads.

Over the ensuing years, he’s made it his mission to learn and dissect 20 years of music culture and channel it into his productions. His music is a sample heavy brand of house and techno, which draws on garage, funk, soul and disco influences – everyone from Roy Ayres and Funk D’void to The Streets.

You can really feel all these influences in the new Back to Back release for mobilee, an ‘album’ of original tracks, remixes and Kevin’s own tracks remixed by his favorite artists such as Soulphiction, Jacob Korn and Marquis Hawkes.

6AM had a chance to talk with Kevin extensively in occasion of this most recent release, which can be purchased via Beatport.

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Richie Hawtin: The Moment I Felt My Career Was Over

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In the genre of electronic music, Richie Hawtin is considered an industry pillar. As one of the pioneering techno artists in the music scene, Hawtin has enjoyed a very successful career playing to sold-out crowds all over the world, headlining major festivals, running several world-renowned labels, founding some of the most talked-about party series and brands and even launching his own ENTER.Sake and PLAYdifferently DJ mixer equipment lines.

As such, it is hard to imagine that at one point Hawtin’s career came into serious doubt, but that is exactly what happened more than 20 years ago when the man himself did indeed think his career was truly over.

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UMEK: Past, Present and Future Behind the Iron Curtain

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UMEK is undeniably Slovenia’s biggest electronic music export, a literal techno legend personally responsible for kickstarting the electronic music scene in his home country by first organizing illegal raves and then becoming one of Slovenia’s most wanted export products and number one music ambassador to the whole world.

Standing at 2 meters tall, 6ft 5in for us in America, UroĆĄ Umek is a producer, founder of his own 1605 imprint and a globe-trotting DJ. With 100+ gigs per year, UMEK visits almost every continent with each of Earth’s rotation around the sun, his gig schedule taking him from dark underground clubs in Berlin to massive techno stages at some of the biggest festivals in all corners of the globe. And on top of that, he keeps up a popular weekly radio show called Behind the Iron Curtain, which is now featured on more than 150 radio stations across the world.

More recently, UMEK teamed up with  German airline Lufthansa to curate an exclusive 2 hour playlist that will be available on all their long-haul flights and has just released his latest EP, Work It Out, on his own 1605 label.

6AM had the chance to chat with Uroƥ and discuss his many projects, as well as life in Slovenia and the future ahead of him.

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