smilecoldanatomy's favorite 9 of '10

figured it was about time to put together some sort of list commemorating some of my favorite pieces of music from 2010. of course, this list will stick to the style that i feel myself aligning with lately (as readers of this blog may note), and so it shouldn't be considered any sort of ranked or 'best of' survey regarding the overall realm of electronic dance music, and it's definitely not reflective of my favorite full-length albums for the year. it is simply a look into the specific sorts of things i've been (really!) enjoying this past year. i'm sure there's some stuff that i'm missing, but as the moment is fleeting, so is my memory. coincidentally, i've chosen nine tracks to discuss, which is a nice enough number to deal with. so here it goes... smilecoldanatomy's favorite 9 of '10.

giorgio gigli|obtane|nax_acid - the child that was watching the moon | zooloft/aconito ltd
it would be hard to choose favorites among the excellent (if small) output of these producers in 2010: notable tracks include the sprawling cerebral architecture of nax_acid's 'dgt is shit' edit, and the zooloft duo's 'psychological scene of the imagination', with its thundering chords and ethereal minor-key swooning. but combined, the trio put together what was to me a defining moment for deep techno in 2010 with the a-side (well, both sides) of this record, environmental radiation dose on the moon. pitched barely above 120bpm, anchored by a softly-padded 4/4 pulse and a never-ending droning bass riff, layered with abrasive sustained tones, and punctuated with huge transitory splashes, this was a favorite when i first got my hands on it, and it's still a ton of fun to play with and listen to.

marcel dettmann - drawing | ostgut ton
it took a while for me to succumb to the charm's of marcel dettmann's debut long-player, and while i'm still unsure of the album as a whole, there are a bunch of great tracks (and i find the cover art to be perfectly appropriate). 'drawing' is probably my favorite from the album, a soundscape of softly-clashing chords with nothing underneath but a lone bass kick. hard to describe, but considering dettmann's new material like this, as well as his mind-bending remix on cyclical tracks, it seems like the producer is starting to apply a careful coat of cosmic radiation to his raw, sand-blasted textures... which is a good thing.

perc - BCG (milton bradley beyond the silence mix) | perc trax
having only really dived into perc(trax)'s sound this past year, i think this milton bradley remix is my top pick from the label in 2010, even if it does diverge a bit from their usually raw, harder aesthetic. on a record alongside perc's original track, forward strategy group's remix, and another milton bradley remix - all of which are more physically intense - this interpretation drops the bpm's and smooths out the original's shotgun-blasts of noise. all that's left underneath the haze is a slow clickety beat and a noir-ish dub stab, instantly recognizable as milton bradley's sound. the shadowy producer has had a low-key but prolific year: an excellent EP on prologue, more stuff from his own do not resist the beat! imprint, and a dramatic new project, the end of all existence, on top of a handful of remix duties. bradley seems intent on getting deeper and darker in 2011. i can't wait to see what's next.

silent servant - regis edit | sandwell district
adding emotional depth to their distinctly clinical techno through a series of edits has been a great move on the part of the sandwell district guys. this track sums up all that is right with this sound in about 5 gorgeous minutes: the trademark sandwell sonar ping and punchy percussion is nothing new, but then a slowly evolving progression of chords fades into the mix, adding delicate beauty to an otherwise uncompromising sound. the label/collective's new album set finally dropped, i can't wait to hear it and see where these guys go next year.

shackleton - man on a string part 1 & 2 | woe to the septic heart!
gone are the (relatively) accessible, dj-friendly tracks from skull disco and perlon, in are the new, and even more insane sounds of woe to the septic heart! it's not just a good thing, it's a GREAT thing, that shackleton seems to stay far away from the beaten, bloody corpse that is 2010's dubstep/pop genre in order to summon entirely new and quite unconventional visions of sound. no more words... just go listen.

claudio prc - last corner | prologue
another anatomy mixer, with a digital track that should not be forgotten in favor of his vinyl-ized efforts with the gods planet and prologue. the last track on his digital EP vacuum substance, claudio injects a bit of steppy syncopation (it's still my blog, i can invent words) into a rolling arrangement of bass growls, low hums, and a bunch of darkly-shining high frequencies. now i just wish i had it on vinyl...

modern heads - 1969 | stroboscopic artefacts
another digital release that i wish was put to wax... it's been a breakout year for stroboscopic artefacts, with a patient pace of vinyl releases as well as a relative storm of digital works that tended towards futuristic depth and experimentation. but this track on the gamma sampler is, well, what its name implies: it's all about those retro keyboard riffs, with heaping amounts of atmospheric pressure. 8 minutes of instantly-recognizable boogie that sound like it would kill most any proper dance floor. too bad i don't hear this one out more often.

obtane|giorgio gigli - the different perception of silence (smear remix) | zooloft
one of my favorite remixes of the year, and worthy of a bit of discussion with smear to accompany his anatomy mix. you would be hard-pressed to find many similarities between the original version and this. smear kept the tempo low, but took that insistent bass drone and turned it into a fearsome beast covered in layers of sharp teeth... in other words, completely fucking mental.

john roberts - navy blue | dial
at this point you can perhaps see that 2010 wasn't a very house-y year for this writer. but my go-to label, dial records, has satisfied my needs with a consistent output of high-quality house. and hooray for the midwest-born john roberts! whose debut album glass eights has caught the hearts and minds of many around the world with its classy take on an aging yet classic house aesthetic. the album has a few really really good goodies, but the instant romance of the backwards piano in 'navy blue' is probably my favorite. later in the track, a quick, twisting synth flourish reminds us that even if the original ideas seem covered in years of dust, we are still here and now in 2010. but there's also the warm, low-key riffs of an acoustic bass... be still, my beating heart! this is shining, emotional, deep house at its most brilliant.

okay! i think that's it for now; check discogs and/or youtube and you should be able to find streaming audio for most of these picks.

i hope to have a new anatomy mix prepared to share soon in anticipation of a busier year here, and i hope you all have a safe new years celebration and a happy 2011!

giorgio gigli - room of secret memories [anatomy 05]

i am really, really excited to share a very special set of sounds with you all, from a very interesting artist...

(click on photo to enhance)

giorgio gigli hails from rome, italy, and over the past few years he has developed a distinct style of deep, hypnotic, darkly romantic techno. more recently, he has been busy releasing his music through limited-edition vinyl alongside obtane on their label, zooloft records.

no interview for now, and no more explanation... about this set, giorgio only had this to say:
"shadows never sleep"






for more info about giorgio and zooloft, check out the zooloft blog. it's been a pleasure to get to know giorgio, and as the 5th contribution to this blog's mix series, i could not be more pleased. his unique, reflective selections are exactly the sort of things i've come to expect from these anatomy mixes; thanks again to each artist for contributing, and thanks to those out there reading and listening... enjoy!

news for yous

hey all! i hope people have been enjoying smear's mix; thanks to the 150+ people who have downloaded. and if you're looking for more stuff from smear, check out this excellent set of deep, intense techno from him and patrick walker as forward strategy group. now onto some fresh news:

my review for hatikvah's synchronicity is up at bleep43. not exactly news because it's been a few weeks, but check it here if you want. my quick opinion: it's a solid deep-house album marred by an overload of usually-confusing lyrics. also check out a recent review (not by me) of john roberts' debut album glass eights at bleep43 here; see how that compares to a glowing review at RA, and more praise at test industries. personally, i think it's a very good album; i've been following john roberts since he put out his first record with dial, and i think the album is a warm, cozy realization of his sound.

fucked-up-bass-music producer shackleton is back in the news with the launch of his new label, woe to the septic heart. you can hear samples from the debut 12", man on a string part 1 & 2 here at juno. shackleton will also release a fabric live mix next month!

have you heard about ostgut ton's 5-year anniversary compilation, funf? it just released earlier this month in 2xCD and ... get ready... a limited edition 7xLP box set. anyway, every track on the compilation borrows sounds from a set of field recordings of the label's home-base, berghain/panorama bar. read this interview with emika, the UK producer charged with the recording duties.

remember dj sprinkles? s/he created midtown 120 blues, hailed by many as one of the best deep house albums of last year. now under his/her real name, terre thaemlitz, the trans-gender dj/producer has put together a whopping 8gb compilation of mp3-based sounds, titled soulnessless. quite the intellectual, and quite the atheist, the album comes from thaemlitz's "openly non-spiritual and anti-religious perspective" and ... as usual for the producer, it gets complicated, bringing up issues of faith, commercialism, and genre. get some quick info from RA or head to thaemlitz's label website, comatonse for the full read.

and in one final exciting chunk of news, check out this interview with luke slater, aka planetary assault systems, aka LB dub corp. the techno veteran discusses his different aliases, his approach to playing live, his work with ostgut ton... and also plans to release a new album in 2011!


okay, that's all for now. next up will be putting together a november chart and figuring out who is next up for an anatomy mix...

anatomy 04 - smear

get your ears ready for a new set of twisted sounds for this blog's mix series... anatomy 04 comes from UK techno producer/dj smear!

i first learned about smear earlier this year through his excellent remix for giorgio gigli and obtane on their record, contextualized in monochrome. he is one half of forward strategy group, and also works on a few other projects, with the emphasis usually on aggressive, industrialized techno.

i approached smear to see if he'd be interested in a mix. as it happens, he was in the process of putting something new together and was happy to share it through smilecoldanatomy, as well as talk a bit about his music.

Who is Smear, and how did he discover electronic/dance music?
While growing up, this (http://www.mediafire.com/?kywzxdmnlic) was one of my favourite tapes. It had a big influence on my early Element Abuse releases. I went in and out of phases listening to techno, but i was mainly into noise, industrial and hardcore, that kind of thing. I was never keen on 'music', in fact there wasn't a band I liked until I was 18. Music to me has always been a means to arrange and present sounds rather than tell a story, and obviously being young I was attracted to more extreme, more immediately gratifying music.

What musicians have made the biggest impression on you? Are there any artists in particular who excite you right now?
Stella & Poka Michelson, Vromb, La Peste, Yb70 Records, and the "Harshkoc'h" guys are the main ones in terms of electronic music I guess. Archae & Grovskopa and British Murder Boys were responsible for me getting into producing techno. It seemed a natural step to take at the time as I was making music along the lines of BMB's Fist/Splinter EP. It had a sense of craft and attention to texture that I felt was quickly disappearing from the industrial/powernoise scene at that period. It was inspiring to hear just how much potential there was in techno, it was refreshing having spent several years working with styles of music where exploring potential was increasingly being frowned upon.

At the moment I love what Milton Bradley does, especially on his new label. Blackest Ever Black looks like it's going to be fantastic, but my favourite techno record this year is Friendship Connection's debut, I really hope those guys carry on with that project.

If you had to name your three most favorite records/songs/tracks, what would they be and why?
La Peste - Techniques Illégales De Juxtaposition Des Angles
Hiroaki Iizuka - Fr
Both of these for similar aesthetic reasons, both squelchy, propulsive and constantly evolving. The whole Iizuka EP is massively underrated in my opinion. It's also quite handy for techno sets that the La Peste record about 260bpm, but I only play it when I feel I can get away with it.

Integer - Integer
I've only worked up the courage to play this out fairly recently and went down surprisingly well. It's basically a never-ending loop of 808 rumble and noise, but it's very intense and effective, almost like a very violent Plastikman track.

What do you think of the never-ending debate between vinyl DJing and digital DJing?
It's not really important to me, I prefer playing vinyl but I've started to DJ digitally recently. They both have their pros and cons. I think some people look at digital DJing the wrong way. There are endless possibilities with what you can do with it, but many don't properly explore it, the options available can be crippling and ultimately constrictive. The limitations that come with vinyl are a good thing, they're there to be worked around.

Your remix on Zooloft is one of my favorite tracks of 2010; I think it is a delightfully aggressive counterpart to the droning, hypnotic original mix. How did you connect with Giorgio Gigli and Obtane?
Giorgio got in touch a few years ago with a demo for FSG. We don't take demos but we still get some, and his was by far the best we've ever received. His music is quite different to mine in a lot of ways so he seemed like someone worth working with. The 3 of us have talked about working on a record together but I've not been able to do much recently. Hopefully we'll do something soon.

You employ a few different aliases, and operate your own record labels as one half of Forward Strategy Group as well as Retail & Leisure. Are there specific motives in mind for each project? Do you have a general philosophy of music?
Retail & Leisure is a bit of an experiment in composition where I set up systems for elements of tracks to largely compose themselves, either randomly or algorithmically. If the system produces something worthwhile, I'll use it as the basis of a track. If not, I clear it all and start again. There's an element of chance to it, but I always have an idea of what a Retail & Leisure track should sound like, it's not total chaos.

FSG is more than just a cross between myself and Patrick, it's a seperate entity that we spent some time developing before we started properly making tracks. We have definite idea of what we're doing, so we trust each other to often not work together too closely. Sometimes 90% of a track will be the work of one of us. We have some different ideas as to what FSG means to us, and we use that to our advantage, it allows us both to entertain ideas we wouldn't on our own.

There's also Adrian Ross, the new third member who will be contributing more in future. He joined us at the last minute to do a live set a few months ago. We gave him an MS-2000 at 6pm, he had an hour to learn how to use it. It turned out great. We always like to take risks with live shows, and quite often we'll try to surprise and shock each other. I can be quite mischeivous with some of the things I spring on Patrick. It's good, it keeps things exciting.

What is next for Smear?
It's been a bit of a slow year for me while I've been settling down in a new city, but we have an FSG remix for Dave Miller & Paul Boex should be out soon. As well as that we've got some new stuff on Perc Trax over the coming months. Patrick and I are DJing at Perc's new night in London this month, I'll still be playing regularly at Detatched in Leeds, and any other place I'm wanted.

Would you like to share any thoughts on your mix?
It's quite gloomy and a little bit strange at times. There's some stripped down versions of unreleased FSG tracks in there and a few loops and live edits. With Ableton there's scope to play around with proportion and dynamics more than you could with 2 turntables, so you can be more nuanced with how you present the music.

... now, time for the mix! all i really ask out of those who i contact for mixes is whatever it is, please just make it deep and intense... and this is exactly what smear has done. check the tracklist, or ignore it and approach this with a completely open mind. at 70 minutes in length, smear really took advantage of digital technology to create a dense, challenging work.





Ammo - Kaleinoiscope Part 5 - Falling Elevators
Substance P - Ingrates - Killout
Cio D'or - Organza (Milton Bradley Remix) - Prologue
The End Of All Existence - A2 - The End Of All Existence
Raime - Retread - Blackest Ever Black
Psi Performer - 1972 - K2 O
Senking - Wind Up - Raster Noton
Zyrtax vs Sudden Infant - Aloka04 - Dead Mind
Go Hiyama - Mathematical Accuracy (Norman Nodge Remix) - Perc Trax
Invisible Men - Winter Night - Livejam
Giorgio Gigli - Spazio - Prologue
Clock DVA - Bitstream (Hafler Trio Remix) - Contempo
Benny Liberg & Johannes Wikstrom - Untitled - Maracas
Adrian Ross - Untitled - Unreleased
Pub - Screw - Ampoule
Planetary Assault Systems - Surface Noise - Peacefrog
T++ - Audio1995#8 - Apple Pips
Ritchie Hawtin - Concept 12.a - Concept
Ben Gibson - Possess - Perc Trax
Charlton - Slow Down - M_Rec
Forward Strategy Group - Tokyo Stress Test (Smear Dub) - Unreleased
Miller & Boex - Relevance (Forward Strategy Group Remix) - Labrynth
Tevatron - Dark Energy - Re-Load
Donato Dozzy & Cio D'or - Limone - Time To Express
Modern Heads - Mooger - Prologue
Nuel - Untitled - Aquaplano
Nommo Ogo - Geletec
Autoerotic - 06 - Unreleased
TV Victor - 130509 - NSP
Donato Dozzy & DJ Say - Your Eyes - Attic
Shackleton - Let Go - Perlon
Inigo Kennedy & Isodyne - Lagrange Point - Stroboscopic Artefacts
Mist - Through Tongue & Skin - Cosmic


check out smear's myspace, as well as forward strategy group's myspace, to learn more about his sounds. thanks again to smear for his excellent contribution to this blog's mix series. it was a pleasure to get to know him, and i all hope you enjoy this set as much as i do!

mid-week blues/news

hello all! i've been busy doing some off-blog writing/reviewing, and also recruiting some more artists to contribute to the anatomy mix series here. more on that very soon but for now here's some quick news...

PARTY PICK OF THE WEEKEND: silent servant and dvs1 at smartbar friday night! chicago welcomes the debut of oktave, a promotion group originally from new york city that is now trying to expand and bring better techno things to the windy city. check out this mix by oktave man jeff derringer, who will help open the night along with karl meier... AND be sure to check out the new little white earbuds podcast featuring both silent servant and dvs1. looks like the two headliners will get 4 hours to tag-team at smartbar... should be tons of fun!

and if you can keep your shit together, saturday night sees some sexy slow-house sounds descend upon the city with an underground loft party with soul clap and art department. more info at the RA event page.

on to some quick music tips:
been really enjoying a few mnml ssg special mixes lately. check out the classy sounds of steffi, the harder techno stuff of patrick walker (forward strategy group), and the deep 'live' microhouse of kettenkarussell.

it's been dormant for a little while, but nax_acid's aconito records will be back in action later this month with the release of a new record, gaia's archetype, by hironori takahashi. the record features two original mixes by takahashi, 'serv' and 'outgass', along with an extremely atmospheric edit by nax. while the main aconito website is still under construction, get more info here. release date: monday 11.22!

another anatomy friend, claudio prc gets his first vinyl release under his own name ... on prologue records! the clear depths EP will feature claudio's 'clear depths' original mix, a 'variant', and remixes by silent servant and obtane. stream the tracks at prologue's soundcloud... super deep stuff here. the record hits stores next week, thursday 11.11!


that's all for now. stay tuned...

lookin' out

heading out for some heartbeats later but for now, here's some news and music and music news. sorry, no pictures for now - i guess blogger is sick right now.

magda's new album drops friday, via richie hawtin's m-nus records. get on it!

on a related matter, check out this interview with richie's visual artist, ali demirel. if you've paid attention at all to what richie's been doing with his plastikman project, you've probably seen this guy's work.

take a look at this guy's artistic depiction of the berghain experience: partying at the world's most (in)famous dance music club. on a more objective note, check out this building profile of berghain. neat blog, that one.

on to some music: check out these two mixes by the forward strategy group guys. i've been really enjoying smear's jam, raw but deep.

back to berghain, check out this fwd mix by xhin, a live recording of him in action at the berlin club. (register first, to get the download link) intense, twisted, loopy... very nice stuff.

keepin' it deep, tune in to this all-vinyl mix of abstract, atmospheric sounds by alan backdrop. alan found me online after listening to my mix (posted below), and it seems like we have similar tastes when it comes to techno... go listen!

oh, and chicago locals, don't forget: stroboscopic artefacts label-head lucy will be in chicago this friday at the migrashun party in the lair in vision's basement. any self-respecting techno head in chicago needs to make it to this one!

lost in a hallucinated romance

new mix by yours truly. a hazy story full of long hypnotic grooves and tense noises:



tin man – birds | white denim
monolake – swamp | monolake/imbalance computer music
perc – bcg (milton bradley beyond the silence mix) | perc trax
giorgio gigli|obtane|nax_acid – the child that was watching the moon | zooloft/aconito ZAltd
the gods planet – no nation | thegodsplanet
xhin – link | stroboscopic artefacts
ben klock – czeslawa | ostgut ton
obtane|giorgio gigli – the different perception of silence | zooloft
darko esser – onmacht | perc trax
nax_acid – synthetic nature | aconito
marcel dettmann – reticle | ostgut ton

i had been wanting to record a new mix for a few months, but only recently did all the pieces come together to get a good quality recording. this mix is made completely with vinyl records in one take, on two technics 1200mk2's with shure whitelabel needles and a vestax pc-175 mixer, connected to my computer via an external rca/usb interface box. audacity 1.3beta was used to capture the sounds and do some minor editing (mostly boosting the levels), before converting it to mp3@320.

thanks to everyone i know - people/friends/musicians - who are constant sources of inspiration. extra hugs to elly and andrew, as well as andrea, claudio, and giorgio, and all friends from around the world who don't mind a bit of darkness...

october chart!

figured i'd keep any readers out there busy with some more stuff to stroke your chin at... so here's my top 10 tracks for october, in no particular order:

1. perc - BCG (milton bradley beyond the silence mix) | perc trax
2. giorgio gigli|obtane|nax_acid - the child that was watching the moon | zooloft/aconito LTD
3. the gods planet - no nation
4. marcel dettmann - drawing | ostgut ton
5. hironori takahashi - outgass (nax_acid edit) | aconito
6. giorgio gigli|obtane - the psychological scene of the imagination | zooloft
7. xhin - link | stroboscopic artefacts
8. monolake - ionized | monolake/imbalance computer music
9. darko esser - onmacht | perc trax
10. anders ilar - unfold | yard rec

one year!

hey hey! looks like today is smilecoldanatomy's first birthday. oh, how the times have changed! well, not really... i do have a fancy new phone now, but that's about it. it's also been about 6 months since the birth of this blog's anatomy mix project. there's only been three mixes so far but i think each one is special in its own way, and there's definitely still more to come. stream and download the mixes at smilecoldanatomy.official.fm.

i've been late with my sonar chicago review and i'm really not sure if i'll get around to finishing it. i've had a lot to write about lately; i just finished a review of anders ilar's new album stories of old for bleep43. read it here! my quick final thoughts on the album: while i wasn't terribly impressed with it, i grew to admire ilar's warm sound design, especially on some of the more gorgeous tracks.

anyway, just a few notes this wednesday morning:
early warning, friday 10.22: migrashun will have lucy, the head of stroboscopic artefacts, return to chicago to play in the lair, the basement room of the vision megaclub. i'm very excited about what should be an intimate night of techno. if you haven't done it yet, read RA's label of the month spotlight for stroboscopic, as well as a sick mix by lucy (direct link), made entirely of tracks from the label's 'monad' digital series; he'll also be releasing a record on prologue soon as well. there's a lot going on that night but this is my priority... $6 presales - a steal! - are still available at the RA event page.

here's this excellent new ambient mix by black dog ... much respect to these guys for sharing their musical thoughts with the world, besides their excellent album from earlier this year.

and a lot of mixes have popped up lately that i'm about to jump on. no reviews yet, but i think/hope these will be good:
iori - modyfier process234 (soundcloud link)
sandwell district radio mix 2 (tracklist at where next?)
ancient methods - FACT mix 188

that's it for now. more mixes to come soon, including one by yours truly!

fresh jams

hello! i'm still kickin'.... been busy as always. last weekend's inaugural sonar chicago festivities went pretty well (more on that later), and i am working on a review of anders ilar's new album for bleep43. so until my next essay, here's a bit of what i've been tuning to lately...


dasha rush live act, berghain berlin 2010 - dasha just put this up last week, a 1.5hour extract of a 2.5hour live set at berghain club in berlin earlier this year. this is deep and dirty, with dasha throwing down tons of nonstop hypnotic rhythms and noisy effects. if you want a good introduction to the sound of dasha rush and her fullpanda record label, i'd recommend this.

graphite north mix volume 5 - now, here is a mix series with potential. dj identities are kept hidden, but you can see the tracklists which all look intriguing. this one is an absolute banger: rough, hard, industrial, as the 'unseen selector' slowly tightens the noose and drops a twisted vocal track right smack-dab in the middle... check out the graphite north blog for more mixes. i think i found out about this a while ago but - my fault - got distracted elsewhere... now i'm definitely keeping my eye on this project.

clyde drexler september 2010 promo mix - made in anticipation of opening for a show on marcel dettman's australia tour (as well as a smashing debut here in chicago), clyde drexler throws down 50 minutes of slinky, slow-burning grooves. i really like how long the tracks blend together on this one, as well as the dirty ending. (EDIT: i am an idiot, and just realized that this is not dettmann, but clyde drexler, who provided dj support for dettmann at his tea party in australia)


go go go! expect my sonar review soon, as well as a new anatomy mix...

my tips for sonar chicago 2010

it is upon us! for the first - and hopefully not the last - time, sonar, barcelona's premier international music and arts festival, will descend upon chicago with a set of free public events backed by a variety of after-party options. there's a lot to choose from, and i may not be aware of everything, and i may not be familiar with every artist involved. but for now, here's my thoughts about the upcoming weekend...

first off, check out the official sonar chicago page and get informed about the venues involved. click here for more information about millennium park. it is the shiny, silver-green jewel of chicago's downtown loop area, and the jay pritzker pavilion is, in this author's mind, the best outdoor venue in chicago. besides the sheer beauty of the place, entry is free; the park is surrounded by amazing views of the city; and visitors are usually allowed to bring alcohol (and, in fact, entire picnics) onto the pritzker's lawn which stretches behind the seating bowl and which features impressive acoustics. capacity is 10,000+.

in contrast, the friday and saturday events (also free) will be held in much smaller rooms in the chicago cultural center. the building is more than a hundred years old and is chock-full of artistic and architectural goodies, but the main event spaces for sonar - the preston bradley hall, and claudia cassidy theater - can only hold a few hundred people. it may be a good idea to arrive early. and don't forget: besides the music noted below, the cultural center will host sonar cinema, which will be playing experimental films both friday and saturday.

another important venue for the weekend will be smartbar, located under the metro (concert venue) near wrigley field on the north side. as always, thursday and friday will have 4am closing times, while saturday night will close at 5am. if you don't know much about smartbar, click here to find out. the club is the best in the city for providing good electronic dance music in an relaxed, inclusive environment, and its program for the weekend is stacked. now, on to the music...


.thursday
sonar in the pritzker pavilion, millennium park - what better way to start off a weekend of music than a night under the pritzker's arches, nestled against the city skyline? dutch dubstep maestro martyn will headline the festivities, and it should be interesting to see how the venue handles his bass-heavy dj set. i'm also looking forward to jimmy edgar; his recently released album xxx continues to push the young artist's erotic take on synth-heavy electro and glitch. he'll play a live set earlier in the evening. click here for set-times.

faltyDL at smartbar - the beginning of what should be an excellent trio of nights for smartbar... with a strong set of local support dj's (fun fact: dj warp oversees the city's public music program), the headline set goes to new york city's faltyDL, who has been producing some classy garage/2-step jams lately.

jimmy edgar at juicy wine co. - to those who are particularly turned on by jimmy edgar's set, he will also be playing an afterparty later that evening, just northwest of the downtown area. not sure if i'll make this one, but hey - it's free!


.friday:
sonar in the chicago cultural center - friday sees the festival move indoors to the elegant confines of the chicago cultural center. my pick for the day activities is nosaj thing's audio/visual live set. i don't know much about the visual side of things, but i know nosaj thing has been winning over fans lately with his melodic take on glitchy dance music. i understand oval's live set is worth catching as well... click here for set-times.

sonar club night at smartbar - this is a very eclectic lineup... lush electro and weird disco seem to be the main course before things turn more dubstep-y with cosmin TRG and appleblim. each artist gets an hour to do their thing before appleblim takes over at 2am to close the night. i'm most excited about appleblim's set; hailing from the UK, the dude has been crafting cut after cut of forward thinking dubstep. click here for the lineup and set-times. and don't forget: only $5 cover for smartbar all night!


.saturday:
sonar in the chicago cultural center - the last day of formal sonar activities, with one last healthy dose of experimental sounds. my pick for the day is definitely ben frost; i've grown quite fond of last year's album by the throat which showcases frost's unique take on dark, distorted aggression... and i'm expecting his live set to fill the cultural center with a dense cloud of noise. also, chicago's own benn jordan will oversee a performance under his flashbulb moniker, featuring the new millennium orchestra (more info here). and keeping with the hometown love, barcelona's own bRUNA and huan show off their stuff as well. and then there's la chambre des machines rounding out the bill that should leave you certifiably insane by the end of the evening. aaaand back to sonar's website for set-times.

marcel dettmann at smartbar - fuck yeah! after some initial skepticism, smilecoldanatomy has grown quite fond of the berliner's eponymous album debut... mostly because the individual tracks are simply fantastic dj tools. dettmann is known as a musician without compromise (surely seen in the rough, repetitious nature of his music), so it should be interesting to see what and how he plays at smartbar, but the club will no doubt be filled with techno all night long. after missing him in barcelona last year at sonar, and having him cancel his detroit appearance earlier this summer, i'm looking forward to seeing what dettmann will do. go back to smartbar.com if necessary.

secret son@r gallery featuring roman flugel - a very recent addition to the weekend's festivities sees edm-chameleon roman flugel headlining a loft party *somewhere* on the north side that should go into the wee hours of sunday morning. not quite familiar at all with the guy's work (i know. i suck, right?), but a squad of chicago dj's and what should be a relaxed afterparty setting sounds like a good idea if you need to clear your head a bit after smartbar. check out the RA event page here.


.sunday:
hi five mobilee! at green dolphin - after a long weekend of all sorts of electronic and experimental sounds, wind down at green dolphin and celebrate 5 years of operation for berlin-based dance music label mobilee. last year label co-owner anja schneider helped provide an excellent soundtrack to the 'varsity all-stars' day party at moretti's. this time around, she's joined by another mobilee artist: and.id, who will be performing a live set. the action takes place on green dolphin's back patio, which has seen a handful of excellent day parties already this summer; this looks to be a proper way to 'celebrate' the change of seasons. more lineup info and advanced tickets at the RA event page.


... and, from my current point of view, that about covers it for the weekend. i'll be busy all weekend with music, but expect some reviews and final thoughts sometime within the next week or two. let's all hope for a successful debut of sonar in chicago... cheers!

after labor day...

hello! i'm still alive and kickin'... i've just been busy with work as well as tons of live music around chicago lately. here's some quick bits for your tuesday morning:

new RA podcasts - resident advisor has been on a bit of a roll lately with its podcast series. last week featured a set from bruno pronsato, as well as an interview revealing his upcoming releases (a new public lover single is out very soon, with public lover AND bruno pronsato albums seemingly ready to be released later this year and early next year) . this week's featured mixer is superpitcher. the guy has made a name for himself pushing dreamy, melancholy dance music that often (and purposefully) borders on the pretentious. i'm not a big fan of his own material... then again i haven't dived too deep into his catalog. i might have to change that after this charming mix of 'voodoo' house music. he has just released a new album on his 'home' label kompakt, entitled kilimanjaro.

music for falling asleep to - check out this list of 10 ambient albums to doze off to. with albums by artists like brian eno, sigur ros, and wolfgang voigt on the list, i think i approve!

todd burns interviews plastikman - first done in july (in the midst of the plastikman world tour), RA's todd burn features the full transcript of his interview with richie hawtin on his own blog. one big topic of discussion is the challenge for hawtin to recreate his plastikman sound as well as the challenge to make something new.

and if you need some more new tunes, here are my quick picks...

juho kahilainen's new all-analog live project 'mind over machine' - juho told me a bit about this idea when he was working on his anatomy mix, so i'm excited to finally get a taste of what he was talking about. he goes in a bit more depth at this facebook event page for the live debut of the project. expect disorienting bleeps and cerebral acid lines in this short but tasty set...

smear - process part 231 - another excellent collection of sounds from one of the guys from forward strategy group. i don't even know how to describe this other than to say that smear brings the noise here. very interesting set; download now!


that's all for now. up next i'll preview this weekend's SONAR festivities!

shed - 'the traveler' FREE stream!

thanks again to fact magazine for another free album preview! this time we get to try out the highly-anticipated new album by berlin's multi-faceted dub dreamer shed: the traveler. it's being released on ostgut ton at the end of the month, and is the first 'sophomore' artist-album on the label. i am withholding judgment until i give this a few detailed listens, so join in the fun:

EDIT: looks like it's all gone, sorry folks!

Shed: The Traveller by factmag

weekend eve

hello all: hopefully juho's pleasant little mix has perked some of your antennae. for now, there's tons of stuff to talk about as quick as i can... been on an awkward sleep schedule lately so this message comes to you courtesy of that magical time: 5 o'clock in the morning...

cio love - looks like mnml ssgs has helped out a bit with cio d'or's excellent RA podcast, offering up an extended version (and in higher bit rate!) of cio's set here ... right-click save because it's a direct mp3 file, and check out the tracklist here. do it to it!

tea (and psychic stuff) with perc - UK-based techno producer perc sits down to talk about music and tea. he just produced a monad for stroboscopic artefacts, and i just picked up a few records from his perc trax label... good stuff, i am especially diggin' the recent tracks/remixes by milton bradley and forward strategy group. here's a direct download (right-click + save) of perc's recent set of really weird sounds, with tracklist, for allez-allez.

sex with jimmy edgar - ...well, not really. check out his interview with bodytonic, where he talks about his new music. don't forget: jimmy edgar brings his steamy live set to chicago next month for sonar! here's a recording of a recent set from berghain, again courtesy of allez-allez.

and finally,
this weekend is chock-full of good live music in chicago. take a look at the events listing to the right for the big picture... you might see me at one of these musical get-togethers:
-sts9 will be playing the house of blues tonight, the aragon saturday night, and an intimate acoustic show on sunday to end the weekend. i'm not nearly as big a fan of this band as i used to be, so my expectations are low for these shows...
-autolux, another smilecoldanatomy favorite, will be performing at the bottom lounge tonight (which means i will be leaving the sts9 show early to catch this)
-seth troxler will headline the annual varsity all-stars day party this sunday. the weather forecast is looking favorable for what should be a fun day out under the sun! if you need some motivational reading, check out his lengthy recent interview on ibiza-voice.

listen! party!

anatomy 03 - juho kahilainen

huzzah - a new addition to the anatomy mix series! this compact set of diverse techno comes to us from finnish dj/producer juho kahilainen.

calling his music 'depressive trance' (jokingly), juho has been DJing since the late 90s, and has a small catalog of dark, melancholy dance cuts to his credit. most recently, and perhaps most notably, are his two excellent EPs from early last year for the then-fledgling experimental techno imprint, prologue: 'prophet without a vision' and 'kuolonkellot'.

i tracked down juho through the internet a few months ago to see if he would be interested in contributing to this mix series and talk about his music. he was game (and happy that his music had reached the other side of the world), but he had something to take care of first: getting married! in response to a series of interview questions i sent him (regarding, among other things: his path to dance music, fellow finnish noise-makers pan(a)sonic, etc), juho sent back a rather long essay... he discusses his past, present, and future, including plans for a full-length album on prologue. to the impatient, scroll to the bottom for the mix. for those who want to know more about juho and his music, take a look at what he has to say:

I come from a small town called Pihtipudas. I was born and raised there - the nearest city was 130 kilometres away. There was not much so called scene there, but a few older guys than me were into electronic music. Luckily the atmosphere in Pihtipudas - although it's very rural Finland - was quite open. One of the first punk bands of Finland came from Pihtipudas in the beginning of the eighties . It might be that this phenomenon still had an effect on people. They knew that music has many shades and weren't laughing to you if you were making weird stuff. I felt I got support from the community. This was very important for a teenager. Obviously Pihtipudas lacked the industrial setting that is essential for techno, but I had it built in my imagination. This might not be authentic, but it was my interpretation.

I was introduced to electronic music by the national radio. A special show hosted by Tapani Ripatti was on the air every Saturday from 1 AM to 6 AM. I was listening to it and recording those shows on cassettes. Ripatti was playing a lot of Finnish stuff and probably that influenced me a lot. I could sort of relate myself better to Finnish tracks even though they were interpretations of something happening outside Finland. Especially Marko Laine's distorted and jacking techno sounded fat on a cassette. Also DUM Records run by Mono Junk was really into something (Disclaimer: No idea where that video is from – I am against this kind of driving).

Mika Vainio's stuff (known as Philus or Ø on Sähkö) didn't hit me right away. I was more a fan of Jimi Tenor, but Tenor kind of pulled me to Sähkö's back catalogue. I was open to interesting music and naturally Panasonic (later Pan Sonic) and Ø were really interesting – more like an antithesis of pop. I bought Ø's album to my little brother because I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. Nowadays I've stolen that album from him.

In 1997 me and my friend arranged a party in Pihtipudas and we asked Jori Hulkkonen to dj there. I was 16 and Jori must have been around 24 or something, but he came and played for three hours. After that it was all about house music. Jori himself claims that he "never was the thing", but I must say that between 1998–2001 he was the best from my point of view. Besides Jori, Tuomas Salmela (aka Phonogenic) and Sasse were making quality house music.

I'm listening music on a relatively wide scale. High Violet by The National, Black Noise by Pantha du Prince, Origin by Villa Nah, Atom / Document by Robert Henke, Dettmann by Marcel Dettmann, Black Telephone of Matter by Mika Vainio, No More Stories Are Told... by Mew, In And Out of Control by The Raveonettes... For me techno and pop go hand in hand. They might be parallel universes, but both exist and don't block each other out. Warping from one universe to another is actually quite nice sometimes.

My three favourite records of all-time... Quite hard to say since some day one record sounds better than the other and vice versa. Today my top-3 of all time looks like this:
1. Drexciya: Black Sea
2. Surgeon: Atol
3. Maurizio: M5

About the debate between digital and vinyl... It doesn't matter what format you are playing if you can get the right feeling and the people sense it too. Personally I prefer vinyl and stick to it. When I see someone playing vinyl I get more out of it than seeing someone staring at her/his laptop. CD-r's are cool for playing your own edits or new pieces here and there. A lot of my friends have gone into digital deejaying, but so far I haven't been even planning to do that. I love to go through my records and pick some of them for my bag for the night. It's part of the deal.

I call my music 'depressive trance' because it's a total opposite of uplifting. 'Depressive trance' also states that I'm not aiming to produce club-bangers for Ibiza or even Berghain. On the other hand I want to step aside from categories. I don't want any labels in my forehead. The music has to reflect me – not a label or a genre or a club. Naturally the techno side of things are in-built, but it's more important to get the idea "he comes from techno" than "this is techno".

My strength and my weakness lies in this thing: the music doesn't pay my mortgage loan. I'm working as a journalist as my day-job and making music as my hobby. I don't have much time to produce new tracks, but every track is important to me. There is no commercial need to compromise.

What I'm about next? I've just finished my debut album for Prologue Music. I guess Tom from Prologue is trying to figure out how to sell it... It's a mixture of techno and pop, but only slightly stirred – not shaken. Techno tracks on the album are real techno tracks and pop is pop. I'm quite sure most people won't get it, but in my world it makes sense.

The other project is my new live-set that I'm building. It will consist of TB-303, TR-606, SH-101, MFB-502 and an fx-unit for some reverb and delay. Very stripped-down hardware-only setup. I might use also some circuit-bend stuff on the side, but the core is always the same. I got a bit bored of Ableton Live and at least this way my live set will sound totally different from laptop-sets.

...
okay! thanks to juho for sharing his story with us. now, on to the mix. juho had this to say:

"It's not the perfect take, but recorded on one shot. I added my own field recording in the beginning to add some special atmosphere to this mix. All the tracks (except for the first and last) are played straight from vinyl and it was mixed using an Allen&Heath Xone:32 mixer. I added a little bit of compression to the overall sound to keep the volume more stable.

It's all European techno - old and new stuff blend together. I'm a fan of U.S. techno too, but for this mix I wanted to promote this European sound."





01. Thunder – field recording by Juho Kahilainen
02. Marko Fürstenberg: 070120 (A.r.t.less)
03. Schermate: 001B (Schermate)
04. Giorgio Gigli, Obtane & nAX_Acid: The Child That Was Watching The Moon (Zooloft/Aconito LTD)
05. Ellen Allien: MM (Bpitch Control)
06. Peter van Hoesen: Quartz #1 (Time To Express)
07. Samuli Kemppi: Dark Matter (Mote Evolver)
08. Conforce: Intimidation (Meanwhile)
09. Terence Fixmer: Things Are Over (Electric Deluxe)
10. Basic Channel: Q1.1 (Basic Channel)
11. Tron: Kumi Putki (Function)
12. Surgeon: Atol (Downwards)
13. Pehr Henrik Nordgren: Vesipisaroita (On Off / Like Kustannus)


thanks again to juho for the words and for a nice, raw, spontaneous mix of deep, dark, and dubby sounds... and congratulations on his recent marriage! check out his homepage and his myspace for more info and updates. enjoy!

wednesday night notes

a few thoughts before i'm off to perform an opening dj set at this week's heartbeats at morseland...

check out nax_acid's abstract archetype for the modyfier mix blog. scroll down a bit for nax's thoughts. it's a patient, meditative blend of techno, ambient, and acoustic sounds. it definitely sounds like he put a lot of thought into this set... respect! andrea has said he's on a bit of a break from producing, but expect some new stuff from his aconito records in a few months...

speaking of thought-provoking sets, check out RA podcast 219, courtesy of german tripping-techno master cio d'or. the mix is an excellent example of what someone can do with "digital dj'ing"... cio takes a bunch of deeeeep, introspective tracks and loops to form this work of art. i've been told it took her two months to create this, and it definitely shows.

after cio melts your brain a wee bit, relax with RA.219 from peverelist. i've grown pretty tired of dubstep, but i still trust peverelist to put out quality, forward-thinking stuff. this is a really nice vinyl mix, featuring some rootsy dub as well as dense percussive sections and some dirrrty tracks. it definitely works as a soundtrack to a day at the beach, cough cough....

looks like amon tobin is going back on tour soon, hopefully to showcase the new album (described as an 'auditory space walk') that has been in the works since at least earlier this year. uniting drum n bass aesthetics with cinematic film score flourishes and transcending both styles, the guy has been creating unique stuff for 15 years. he's also released some free music on his site so go check it out.

onto some quick local news, there's been more announcements surrounding the Sonar Chicago festival, coming up in just a month. a few very interesting off-sonar events have been announced. thursday night will see a dubstep-oriented afterparty at smartbar with faltyDL. saturday, berghain/ostgut ton superstar marcel dettmann will headline the festival's 'closing party' at smartbar. sunday, there will be the hi five mobilee day party at green dolphin street, with anja schneider and and.id celebrating 5 years of operation for the berlin-based label.

that's it for now. i've updated the events list on the right with even more danceable chicago goings-on. looking forward to an excellent transition into fall with tons of good music coming up...

doing it to it

more news and interviews:

brian eno on warp records?!
the internet is abuzz over the announcement - on both brian eno's website as well as warp record's website - that brian eno will be 'coming soon on warp records'. the label that sprouted huge releases from artists like aphex twin, boards of canada, and autechre, now appears to be the launching pad for new material from the master of ambient music. i guess we'll all just have to stay tuned...

interview: ben klock
check out this (relatively un-edited) transcript of a conversation with ben klock. the guy talks about his home-base, berghain, as well as some of his favorite tracks.

another interview: marcel dettmann
another berghain artist, dettmann talks with rhythmism.com about his upcoming new york city appearance, as well as his approach to music production and his love for his home club in berlin.

the black angels & black mountain: new albums/tour/chicago show
the black angels are set to release their third full-length album, phosphene dream, on tuesday, september 14. smilecoldanatomy has loved the retro-psychedelic styles of the texas-based band since their first album, 2006's passover, and their 2008 album directions to see a ghost is excellent as well. the band will be doing a u.s./canada co-headline tour with fellow psych-rock group black mountain, whose new album wilderness heart's release date will coincide with that of phosphene dream. awesomely, the two bands kick off this 'dropout boogie' tour right here in chicago, at the metro, thursday, october 28! check out more info at the black angels myspace page.


that's it for now. it's been a while since i've posted up some interesting new mixes to check out, so i'll try to do that next... happy wednesday!

matthew dear - 'black city' FREE stream

enjoy this FREE stream of matthew dear's new album black city, courtesy of fact magazine. black city will be released physically in two weeks on august 16, via ghostly international. until then, you have one week to let your ears digest the album via this free media player...

EDIT: sorry, looks like the free stream is all gone!

Matthew Dear: Black City by factmag

music n news n shit

if you need stuff to hear/see, i suggest this:

brand-new super-fresh bruno pronsato live set
stream it or download it... either way, just get on it because this is definitely good stuff. this is a recording from bruno's set at watergate club in berlin just a week ago... some of this sounds like new material, and with a new album due to be released at some point later this year, i wouldn't be surprised if some new studio stuff shows up in this diverse set of playful jams.

this weekend in chicago: wicker park festival
chicago's hipster community gets taken over this saturday and sunday by the annual wicker park festival. with 3 stages of non-stop music in exchange for a $5 suggested donation, there's plenty of indie-oriented variety going on: electronica, jam, rock, metal... smilecoldanatomy's top pick is the live-band-electronic stylings of holy fuck, who will headline the south stage saturday night. check out the facebook event page and myspace page for set-times and more info.

also this weekend in chicago: vroom vroom techno day party
come ham it up at pour's backyard beer garden with some dance music from dj's reppin' chicago, detroit and milwaukee. this will go on from 2 til 10pm rain or shine and is free! check this facebook event page for more info.

efdemin comes to chicago
berlin-based deep house dj/producer efdemin will make what i think is his debut appearance in chicago this fall, in support of the album named after our fair city. tune in to the warm vintages of chicago, and get ready for some dial-style jams at smartbar on friday, september 24.

shed and his second skin
on the eve of the release of his second album, fact talks with shed about techno, breakbeats, and his various production aliases. a very honest, informative read, and it makes me even more excited to hear the traveler, due to be released via ostgut ton in exactly one month!


hear, see, learn, enjoy your weekend!

sonar chicago: more details, initial lineup announced!

finally, we have more info on the chicago version of the spanish/international festival sonar!

due to take place thursday september 9 through saturday september 11, the large-scale daily events will take place thursday at the magnificent pritzker pavilion (pictured at right), followed by two days right across the street at the chicago cultural center.

the festival has also announced the timetables for those three spots here, with apparently plenty more night events to be announced soon. so far, the small initial lineup features martyn, jimmy edgar, and ben frost, among other electronic and experimental musicians.

get all the info straight from the source at sonar's website. read all the way to the bottom of the page, where it says that all festival events will be FREE... can't wait to see what else happens when sonar pays a visit to the windy city!

album review! monolake - silence

it's been a while since i've discussed/reviewed a full-length album. why not start with a work from one of smilecoldanatomy's favorite producers? so, here are my thoughts on monolake's silence, from late last year.

for 15 years monolake, which at this point is headed solely by robert henke (but has previously featured gerhard behles and more recently, torsten profrock), has been on the cutting edge of electronic music. using the power of computers to unite aspects of techno, ambient, and dub(step), monolake has created a distinctive style that sounds immediately unique. the last monolake album, polygon cities, was released in 2005 and presented a relatively accessible collection of longer, dancefloor-ready tracks. five years later, silence shows henke embracing his meditative side (as well as interesting sound design decisions, according to his website), stepping away from straight 4/4 techno to craft some of the most intriguing soundscapes he's ever produced.

the album begins with the aptly-titled 'watching clouds,' as far-away bass thumps make way for a uniquely monolake-style storm of metallic clicks, clings, and clangs, sounds and effects that are featured throughout silence. the track leads into a pair of low-slung dubstep-ish tracks, but it's the melodies here that are the most captivating: listen to 'infinite snow' with its flurry of piano-sounding notes singing out a captivating tale of lush eastern expressions with subtle hints of pentatonic blues music. 'null pointer' employs a familiar tool to monolake fans: a computerized female voice. here it discusses "lab safety" and is used to cerebral effect, with the final instructions rising up to an almost psychedelic crescendo of pitch modifications.

the pace picks up a bit with 'far red' and 'avalanche', both of which anchor rapid-fire clicks to broken-beat rhythms under foreboding atmospherics. 'avalanche' is a slice of dub techno from the future, with its abominably deep chords. it fades away to make space for 'void', a gorgeous ambient piece featuring soft, dreamy synth tones paired with a wandering female voice submerged in reverb.

'internal clock' is next, with another unique melody; this time, it sounds like some sort of eastern stringed instrument plucked from the future and processed in way that only monolake can do. things get darker with 'shutdown', an aggressive track with squealing, disorienting flutes anticipated by last summer's 'atlas' 12". 'shutdown' transitions into 'reconnect', which features the voice from someone's answering machine surrounded by robotic hand claps. the album ends with 'observatory', its vocal samples lost in a cloud of thunderous dub chords.

overall, i find silence to be an excellent album from start to finish; each track is abstract and thought-provoking. it shows that monolake has not stopped growing and evolving, and continues to lead in the world of intelligent electronic music. much respect to robert henke and monolake for their forward-thinking approach to sound design!

stuff to read!

happy tuesday morning! before i jet to work, check out this stuff to read:

RA says 'italians do it better'
check out this featured article at resident advisor, discussing the history of techno in italy as well as some young producers today who continue to push deep, hypnotic sounds. cheers to smilecoldanatomy's friend claudio PRC, who is discussed along with the likes of giorgio gigli and donato dozzy!

lucy and his artefacts
speaking of italians, enjoy this very informative interview with lucy, the italian-born dj/producer who now runs his stroboscopic artefacts imprint out of berlin.

tea with xhin
on the other side of the world, singapore's xhin briefly enjoys some tea and talks about his music (some of which has been released through stroboscopic artefacts) and his homeland.

efdemin talks chicago...
but has he ever even been to our fair city? pardon my ignorance; i only ask because i'd love to have him make an appearance, because from my first listen, efdemin's new LP chicago on dial records sounds like a pretty good one. check out this interview where he talks about the new album.

matthew dear's black city
on the eve of his new album release (and just after this weekend's day party set here in chicago), matthew dear talks about dance music vocals and new york city's vibe... both of which dear claims as influences on black city.


read on, friends! coming up next is my first full-length album review in a looong time...