monday night mixes

summer is drawing near! with temperatures here in chicago expected to reach the 70s in a few days, perhaps a few sets of some sexy sunny tech-house in order... as well as a slamming set of hard techno to bring us back to the reality that it's still just the end of march and temps are still in the 30s here in the windy city...

martinez - live at 'save the day' off sonar, barcelona, 2009
one of those sets that i should have seen while i was in barcelona... alas, i was getting a few hours of sleep and meeting up with a friend before arriving at this party later. 'save the day' was a party in a big rented-out room in a mall with balconies overlooking barcelona harbor, showcasing matthias tanzmann and some of his moon harbour label friends... the slow-burning beats of this afternoon set seem like it made an excellent warmup for the higher-intensity sets later that night. while i'm not completely familiar with martinez's work, it's interesting to contrast this and late 2008's organic theme EP with his LP from late 2007, a chemical imbalance, which definitely seems to cater to the then-in vogue style of 'minimal techno'. anyhoo, this isn't anything spectacular, just a nice mellow hour of low-bpm grooves.

argenis brito - 2009-8-22 barcelona live PA
another set from barcelona last year but later in the summer. argenis brito has a small portfolio of edm releases, perhaps most notably on luciano's cadenza label... so if you like luciano and his brand of lush, tribal-esque dance music, you'll probably dig this. lots of interesting cut-up vocals and horn samples... a bit more peak-time, with some intense break-downs. funky and fun!

seth troxler - 2009-12-26 boxing night, belfast

it's seth, you should know what's up. if not... well get a clue and check this out. fun, emotional, weird... all put together with excellent mixing skills. go seth!

sleeparchive vs dj pete - 2007-02-03 @ club transmediale
a master of bleeping, looping electronics + one of the founding fathers of dub techno = two hours of unrelenting techno destruction! i'm honestly not quite sure if this is both sleeparchive and dj pete (it might just be sleeparchive, according to one source, and indeed there are some sleeparchive tracks sprinkled throughout), but i do know both these musicians occasionally dj together. regardless, this is *the shit*. this mix starts off a bit weird and disorienting, but be patient: this develops a razor-sharp edge, fast and hard-hitting. if you can keep with it, this mix should burn holes in your face. i don't need to dig up a picture to accompany this one... just do it!

so there you go - a few dashes of summery beats, and a techno bullet-train aimed straight at your forehead. get to it!

mathew jonson to release debut LP in june!

one of the decade's shining stars in experimental electronic music, mathew jonson is set to release his debut LP, agents of time, on june 7!

jonson has made a BUNCH of music over the past ten years. starting primarily with records on the itiswhatitis label, the canadian producer has dropped bombs on labels like perlon and m-nus, before settling on wagon repair, which he co-founded. his style has focused on long tracks with hypnotic, slowly-evolving melodies. jonson's emphasis on repetition and subtlety was demonstrated when he came to town with his monstrous, hardware-heavy live set at smartbar earlier this year that pummeled the chicago crowd for nearly three hours.

for his first full-length effort, resident advisor is reporting that jonson will incorporate a variety of tempos and moods for agents of time, so this album will presumably have dance-floor bangers as well as more introspective headphone productions.

jonson's group collaboration on wagon repair, cobblestone jazz, has received a pretty average review on RA, but i am very, very excited to here what the man will unleash upon the world in a few months with agents of time.

for a sneak-peak, here's the only track already released from the album:

music/chicago/news

hope you are enjoying nAX_acid's very nice mix; thanks to those who have commented on it. be sure to watch his website for more news, including info on upcoming releases on aconito along with a special, limited-edition collaboration with giorgio gigli... now, for some more music/chicago news:

sound tribe sector 9 announces late august chicago run
glitchy electronic funky whatever band sts9 will play a run of shows around chicago the weekend of august 20. friday will see the band play a regular electric set at the house of blues; saturday, the band will host a mini-festival of sorts at the charter one pavilion on northerly island; and sunday, the band will 'axe the cables' and play an acoustic show at a to-be-decided venue. unfortunately, sts9 is bringing along bassnectar, purveyor of horrible dubstep and awkward mash-ups, and one of smilecoldanatomy's most hated enemies in music... he'll play at northerly island, and he gets to take over the house of blues saturday night for the official afterparty. i would have preferred sts9 do an actual 3-night run somewhere but i'm content with what should be an interesting weekend. check the band's news section for more specifics.

efdemin's new album to be released in late may on dial
ironically entitled chicago, the album is set for a may 24 release on berlin's dial records. efdemin's debut LP on the label received mostly glowing reviews worldwide. i wasn't too impressed with it, but chicago sounds like it will be a more organic affair, so i'm hoping it captures my attention a bit more. read more at resident advisor.

(last but not least) initial lineup announced for early june's MUTEK festival
montreal's MUTEK festival has released it's first wave of lineup announcements. the music will take place during the long weekend of june 2-6... the weekend following detroit's movement festival. as usual, the canadians will contrast detroit's 'heavy hitters' with a rich variety of electronic musicians. among the names that cause the most glee for smilecoldanatomy, there's moritz von oswald trio, shed, and vladislav delay. check out the MUTEK website for the full announcement and more info.

anatomy 01 - nax_acid (mix series debut!)

hello, and welcome to the beginning of something new for the smilecoldanatomy blog: the anatomy mix series, with the debut mix coming from nax_acid!

nax_acid, aka andrea ruffino, is an italian-born dj/producer currently living in london, where he has pursued an education in sound engineering. i discovered andrea's music via a collaboration with giorgio gigli last year on andrea's own label, aconito records. i connected with andrea through the power of the internet, and he was happy to prepare an all-vinyl mix for smilecoldanatomy.

andrea is a vinyl enthusiast, and he strongly dislikes digital DJ'ing: "none of that traktor shit ... music is about feelings," he told me, referring to the over-reliance on technology and matching waveforms on a screen versus hearing and feeling the music when DJ'ing. he has been collecting vinyl for more than 10 years, and claims a collection of more than 5000 records. when discussing music with andrea, two words repeatedly came up that present a common theme for his music and his label: 'deep' and 'atmosphere'. his music as nax_acid focuses on the hypnotic qualities of techno; "music for inside the head," as he described it. andrea was kind enough to answer a few questions and discuss his thoughts on music.

which musicians have made the biggest impression on you? what musicians excite you right now?
definitely aphex twin ... raster-noton is giving me some inspiration now with their minimalistic noise music.

if you had to choose your three favorite records, what would they be and why?
the record that changed my life completely was the classics by aphex twin. that record is amazing, it opened for me a completely new way to see music (i was a musician playing classical guitar and then bass) ... then synthetic perception by myself, because i put lots of effort in it and i think it's quite innovative too... and last, stabil by kangding ray. that record gave me a new vision of music as well.

what made you want to start your own record label, and why did you name it after a poisonous flower?
since i started producing music, i wanted to release my own one ... so since i was 20, i decided that soon or later i would have open my own one. to choose the music i like on it and release mainly my own one (in fact as you see all aconito as my name on it). the reason i chose the aconite as the symbol ... it was a bit of luck. i was looking for a flower to be the symbol and after looking through the flower guide in alphabetical order, i read about this one... i said this is the one. this flower is not only poisonous, it's used to cure some diseases too. and it has a really strong mythological context, it was brought on the earth by hercules when he adopted the dog with 3 heads from the underworld, the land of the dead... so in a certain way, the records i release are the seeds of the plants coming from the underworld. read more about it at my website.

do you have a philosophy of music?
yes i have a philosophy... i think that music is a way of expression of human emotion and feeling, a way to capture the moment of the emotion, to translate it from the abstractness of the moment to something that lasts in time and can be felt from other individuals. music is also expression of beauty, make us going into "trance" and lose yourself into it and be driven from it (this is a synthesis, just few points, my philosophy is inspired by schopenhauer). about dance music, i like hypnotic music, it has to be hypnotic, to induce people into trance, get people in it. it can be both bright or dark, but it has to get you in it.


... enough discussion - on to the mix! starting with a foreboding wash of sound, nax_acid provides 70 minutes of deep, dark soundscapes, incorporating tracks from some well-known techno producers as well as some very new, fresh sounds. BIG thanks to andrea for the mix; i think he's set the bar pretty high here. be sure to check out his label, aconito records, and his myspace, for more info and streaming music. besides aconito, nax_acid is working on a new label project with giorgio gigli. until then, enjoy this journey into the depths...






1. AU - Trilogy - General Elektro
2. Ben Klock - Subzero (Function/Regis Remix) - Ostgut Ton
3. Function - Variance (Edit) - Sandwell District
4. Nax_Acid - Flying Higher - Aconito Records
5. Jeremy P Caulfield - Licorice Pipe - Dumb Unit
6. Emad Parandian - Marangai Waikawa - Haknam
7. Speedy J - Beyond the Stars - Syncom Data
8. Mark Broom - She Don't Like the Collar - Edit-Select
9. Nico Purman - Tuesday - Vakant
10. Nax_Acid - Synthetic Nature - Aconito Records
11. Donato Dozzy - Fazah - Dozzy Records
12. Loco Dice - Seeing Through Shadows - Minus

thanks again to nax_acid... enjoy!

peter van hoesen - 'entropic city' FREE stream

belgian-based dj/producer peter van hoesen has been making waves around the edm world lately, blending depth, no-bullshit minimalism, and the occasional hint of dub into a potent techno stew. his reputation has grown via mixes and productions, and now 'the hose' has prepared and generously presented a free stream of his new LP, entropic city, on his own time to express imprint. entropic city is due for physical release on march 22, but take a sneak peak via this media player. go to van hoesen's label website for more information, links, and music.

detroit's movement festival: initial lineup announced

anchored by a headlining trio of live sets, paxahau has announced the initial lineup of their movement festival in detroit on the weekend of may 29-31.

plastikman, inner city, and model 500 will headline the festivities, backed by dozens of other dj's and live sets. besides the headliners (particularly richie hawtin's first plastikman set in detroit in over 15 years), here are smilecoldanatomy's quick picks, so far: scion (live), mark ernestus, luke hess (live), martyn, cassy, chris liebing.

expect more additions to an already-solid lineup to be announced, as well as a wealth of off-site parties and events around the city. check out the official website for all necessary information, and more discussion can be found at resident advisor.

record grooves... close up

continuing with some more vinyl appreciation...

check out this article on synthgear, about scientists who examine the grooves of vinyl records with microscopic detail, and contrast those views with a close-in view of a typical (boring) compact disc. pretty groovy...

video: monolake tours dubplates and mastering

check out this brief clip (sorry, no embedding allowed for this one) of monolake at the world-renown vinyl-cutting facility, dubplates and mastering, as they discuss the decades-old technology used to create records.

and, go check out this recent interview at the monolake homepage, where robert henke discusses the silence LP from late last year. the full interview with introductory notes can also be read here at create digital music.

happy monday!

techno news

now for some recent news and updates around the world of dance music:

marcel dettmann prepares debut LP for ostgut ton
after a thought-provoking run of albums that touch upon the worlds of techno, dubstep, and deep-house, next up for berlin-based record label ostgut ton is marcel dettmann's first long-player, dettmann. the album appears to continue in the vein of previous ostgut LPs by incorporating a variety of styles and tempos suitable both on and off the dancefloor. an EP of remixed dettmann material, aptly titled dettmann remixed, has just hit record stores this week in anticipation of the full artist album, to be released on april 26. hop over to resident advisor for some more specifics.

spectral sound to release label compilation
an off-shoot of ghostly international, spectral sound will celebrate 10 years of operation with a compilation of tracks selected by ryan elliott, entitled document. included in the collection are tracks by lawrence, kate simko, audion, and gadi mizrahi, among others. document is due for release on may 10... get a bit more info and a tracklisting here.



seuil set to release debut LP this spring
french dj/producer seuil has been making waves with his playful tech-house grooves over the past few years, and he too will jump into the LP game with his debut full-length, chamaeleonidae. seuil's tracks have been released on moon harbour, freak n chic, and raum...musik, among others; chamaeleonidae will be the first 'outside' contribution to the french imprint welcome to masomenos, with album art fitting WTM's psychedelic styles. like dettmann's new album, chamaeleonidae is expected to drop on april 26. once again, learn more at RA.