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Throwback Thursday: Radio Slave – Grindhouse (Dubfire Remix)

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Dubfire

There are some artists who have gone the extra mile to give us the music landscape that we enjoy today. Dubfire is one of those legendary individuals that helped pioneer the minimal techno movement, and continues to push the boundaries of technology and creative vision.

In preparation for his return to Exchange LA, this week’s Techno Therapy features his remix of Radio Slave’s Grindhouse. A minimal masterpiece, Grindhouse is carefully crafted to absolutely decimate dancefloors. It did then, and it continues to do so today. Starting with heavy kicks and a sub layer that will pierce your soul, the track reaches an eerie peak as the droning synth rises from the dark layer where minimal was born. The iconic “Do I wanna know?” vocal sample then kick starts a monster of a track followed by inaudible vocal bits and minimal percussions all over the spectrum. A true piece of heady minimal aimed at satisfying the mind and body.

Since this track was released, Dubfire has continued to run an incredibly successful label with Sci+Tec curating talent such as Carlo Lio, The Junkies, and SHADED. Add that to his impressive touring resume over the past few years, and you have yourself one of the busiest artists in the game. This Saturday he’ll be gracing the decks at Exchange LA, and you can be sure that he will deliver techno and minimal slices that we have come to know and love.

Dubfire on Facebook | Soundcloud | Resident Advisor

Throwback Thursday: Matthew Herbert – It’s Only (DJ Koze Remix)

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dj-koze

Although it’s not that old of a track, DJ Koze’s remix of Matthew Herbert – It’s Only will go down as a modern day classic. Resident Advisor sure thinks so; considering It’s Only was named the #1 Track of 2013 according to the RA Top 50 Track Poll. DJ Koze rarely puts out work that isn’t amazing, and this remix on Pampa Records is no exception.

But where do I begin with this masterpiece? There are so many captivating elements that contribute to the overall beauty of the song. When the deep chords come filtering in it is a direct shot right to the heart of clubbers on the dance floor. Add what appears to be a pan flute and you have a mystic journey through an after hour near you. But what completes this track are the touching lyrics from Dani Siciliano. When her comforting voice comes through the speakers it feels as if it she is right there inside your head.

I was fortunate enough to see Sven Vath two weekends in a row, and both times this was one of the highlights of his set. At Amnesia Milan he closed with this track and it had my mind firing with different feelings and ideas about dance music. A week later he dropped it in the middle of his set to about 20,000 people in the main room at Timewarp and at that point I realized how powerful this track could be. Maybe it was Sven’s charismatic attitude behind the decks that made it work, but regardless this track struck a chord for myself, and probably many other fans out there.

Throwback Thursday: Plastikman – Plastique

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Plastikman Live

The calm before the storm. That’s what I envision when I listen to the minimalistic works of Plastikman. The career of Richie Hawtin begins when his family settled in Windsor, Canada, one of the closest Canadian cities to Detroit. With a start at clubs like The Shelter, and meeting Detroit legends like Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, and Jeff Mills, Richie’s career was launched into a scene where he could experiment and test his creativity. For Throwback Thursday we’re taking it back to Plastique, a track from Richie’s peak days of Plastikman.

With droning atmospheres, acid drenched leads, and rolling shaker patterns, Plastique feels like I walked right back into the peak of one of the Plastikman parties of the 90’s. This is just one of many tracks that can be highlighted throughout his previous releases, each track somehow telling a different story. It was this type of sound that became popular in techno powerhouse countries like Germany. And like all scenes, it takes a sound and introduces it’s own influence. With his music being exposed and accepted in different parts of the world, it was only a matter of time before his vision would be shared everywhere. For insightful history about Richie Hawtin, and Detroit in general, take a look at this feature Slices documentary.

But he’s come a long way from his warehouse raves in Windsor and Detroit. Richie Hawtin has established himself at the forefront of music, technology, and nightlife branding. Headlining festivals and expanding his brand has taken him everywhere from Timewarp and Space, Ibiza to the Guggenheim Museum in New York. The future still appears to be bright for him, and it’s always interesting to see what he comes up with next. But for now, we can look back on a timeless classic from Plastikman.

Throwback Thursday: DJ W!ld – News Z (wAFF Groover Remix)

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waff

Leeds producer/DJ, wAFF has been on a roll this year. With releases on Hot Creations, Suara, and Cocoon nothing seems to be stopping him. Today, we throw it back to one of his remixes for DJ W!ld from July of last year.

News Z (wAFF’s Groover Remix) shows us how versatile wAFF can be. Starting with a strong groove, the track evolves into a journey with strong leads and a tantalizing vocal aimed directly at the dance floor. After solid productions such as this, it’s no wonder he started getting signed to the major underground labels like Suara and Cocoon. Although we’re featuring some of his older work, his new two track EP for Cocoon Records seems equally promising. You can preview that here, and enjoy the News Z throwback below.

 

 

wAFF on Soundcloud | Resident Advisor | Facebook

Throwback Thursday: Blackwater at DC-10 Closing

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Blackwater Martinez Bros DC10

Today we throw it back to an old tune dropped at a not so old party. Octave One’s Blackwater has been an iconic house track that is loaded with emotion and just enough groove. Every now and then, an artist will sneak a classic tune into a set, and when it happens the crowd reaction is explosive.

At the infamous DC-10 closing party in Ibiza, which runs from about 4pm until noon the next day, The Martinez Brothers rocked the terrace including Kevin Saunderson’s dynamic remix of Blackwater during their set. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this classic tune and remix from one of Detroit’s legends.