Tag Archives: Techno

New Hotness: Treetops ft. The ScumFrog, Mat.Joe, PONY & More!

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(While my Attend feature is still your best place for the events you just can’t miss, I wanted to take a moment to showcase people starting something new. Starting a new party or dropping a new concept on Gotham is always difficult. So, a new column focused on the events taking their first steps. Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you, the New Hotness.)Treetops BannerTreetops is good for NYC. In a wholesome, quenching kind of way. The kind of relaxed vibe that these producers are going for is exact opposite of the mega-plumage that litters NYC scene. Run by two savvy luminaries, they’re bringing some whimsy & relaxed appreciation to the dance music scene here in NYC. To that end, they’re bringing a pile of talent, and telling you to wear your comfy shoes. Comfy everything in fact, as it’s about enjoying yourself with cool people & not popping bottlez while Instagramming your clubbe, bro. The Scumfrog has earned a reputation for excellence in the NYC House music community. I think I’ve seen him at 4, maybe 5 different venues? Each time it’s dope. This guy is a master at work, and I’ve listened to sets of his in Brooklyn, Baltimore, and flying over Bratislava. His April mix is a fantastic example of the smooth perfection of The Scumfrog. The dirtybird BBQ is a legend in its own right, and we were blessed to have one last summer. Christian Martin‘s posse showed up properly and the tech house, techno, dirty bass & minimal, almost acid vibe kicked off like you’d expect for a day party in Brooklyn with this level of talent. Listen to that set if you need a little more persuasion.  You know the tech house, deep house & techno is serious when there’s talent in from Berlin. They’re bringing Mat.Joe out from Deutcheland to add their soulful stylings to the roster. I’m a big fan of the sound Mat.Joe works in, a fusion of techno & hip hop essentially. There’s a lot of hit or miss work involving progressive & future bass melding with hip hop. This stuff definitely hits the mark. There’s a nice groove to the dance floor that I can’t wait to see when these two take control. PONY, what more can I say about the man. The Caliph of Crushing It is making this thing happen so I have a feeling his set is going to be quite interesting. If you’re a fan of his sets at I Feel or Evolve Thursdays @ Macao, definitely show up and compare. I bet he’ll save a couple of musical inside jokes just for you.  I am really digging this progressive tech house & hip hop vibe that Treetops is bringing to Brooklyn and showcasing Duane Harriott is a great choice. Dirty Decibels provides additional deep house related support, with some catchy, butt-shaking that still manages to stay surprisingly synthy at times. Bryan Cosgrove‘s grooves were a touch tough to find, but I found an eclectic set from a couple of years ago that I’m throwing in for free because I love you people.

With visuals by Levitation Theory and a Paper Box location, I think this event has all ticked all the right boxes. #Treetops has wings & you’re gonna want in on the ground floor. Get tickets here and show up on Facebook here. This is going to be a good night, and you’ll see me on the dance floor. Maybe I’ll see you.

Attend: Disorient presents: BIOLUMINESCENCE – Lux Aeterna

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It’s finally returned, bigger, longer & with better views of the city! The not-quite-annual, yet much-anticipated BiOLUMiNESCENCE winter boat party is back! This time the boat has been severely upgraded, from the Queen of Hearts (old & busted), to the Hornblower Infinity (new hotness). While the name of the party is best known for being the title of the theme to Requiem For A Dream (yes, that one), it also refers to the Latin idea of “eternal light,” that, especially by late February, we’re all gonna need reminders of. The last time I was on this boat, I was reviewing a DJ Chuckie/Dirty Dutch party. I can safely say that the party will be qualitatively different, on every discernible level. The costumes, the deco, the people, the music, will all be totally different. Hooo boy will the music be different. Continue reading →

Album Of The Week: AMB – Going Down [Psy/Techno/Future Garage]

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I’d not heard of AMB before I got a note about this new album in my email, and I’m so freaking happy I did. This is some advanced crazy awesome stuff right here. The atmospheric power of this stuff is tremendous, and you can tell the production values required to make this were through the roof. Make Me is a fun, psy-garage (is that even a genre?) tune with some fun rifts, that seem to be played on some Jamaican oil drums, but in space. The vibes are strong with this one. Going Down is a more melancholy song that features some fun little wind-up samples & the wind chimes you hear in bad video games, used to excellent effect. Sweet Bronze slows the action down even further to an almost meditative pace, while invoking some classic rock vibes in between the spacey keyboard/synth work. Night Slide adds the first female vocals on the album, bringing a feel that manages to be both future and retro simultaneously. One 11 One 10 has a vaguely West Coast Gangster style to it, in between exploratory strings & mellow synth work.  First Light manages to be both groovy & yawning at the same time. The haunting, Beats Antique-esque tune is definitely a highlight on the album. The Widdler joins AMB in remixing Night Slide, which rounds out the album with a future garage kind of feel, a sound that I think totally works in this space. The offering was a pleasure start to finish, and I can’t wait to hear more from AMB & Gravitas Recordings.

Bonus Mix For The Summer Weekend: Nutritious At Cielo!

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Coming at you to wind down the weekend, Nutritious brings in some of the deeper, rounder, groovier elements of the dance music spectrum for this delightful mix at his return to Cielo. The last time we saw our hero there, he delighted & blissed out the crowd. I assume this time was more of the same. From the sound of it, I’m not sure how it could be anything but. Wind down with this fun mix and make sure to show Nutritious & SpinSpinNYC some love.

Mix Of The Weekend: Sounds from the Brooklyn Underground 012 with Agent Orange!

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Time to get out into the sun and enjoy the day. Agent Orange is coming at you with an hour of gorgeous, sophisticated techno for you to bomp while grilling or hiking or sitting on your ass with the AC blasting directly onto your sweaty, hungover body. You know, whichever. Agent Orange is one of the only people I know consistently pushing out new releases, mixes and compilations while living the Gotham life without getting a big head. Get at this guy and if you’re a producer, hire him. The Techno Master won’t disappoint you.

Midnight Music: Nicolas Jaar & Sasha Spielberg Present Avalanche

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Nicolas Jaar has teamed up with Sasha Spielberg to create a potent 7 minutes of ethereal but persistent re-workings of Avalanche. There’s a slow, plodding, but potent & organic feel to the track that blends with Daughter Spielberg’s soft vocals. This is an interesting & playful collaboration that’s good for pre-club drinks or a Sunday. Enjoy! (via FACT)

Techno Institution Green Velvet Releases New Track!

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Someone owes someone some money in your party group. Green Velvet released a new track as part of their new compilation that’s dropping. Shake It, a collaboration with Harvard Bass is pure techno goodness, driving 4:36 of old school relentless synthy bass pounding into your nostalgic faces. I can’t say I’ve ever heard of Harvard Bass, but if you’ve gotten Green Velvet’s attention, then good on you my friend. (via EDMTunes)

Ten Questions With Terry Gotham: DJ Dollpartz

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1534784_10151952033683725_212484438_o1. If you were forced to spin a genre/genres of music other than the genres you spin now as Dollpartz & as one half of WoJ, what would it be? Both my solo and collaborative sound projects definitely engage a huge range of musical genres, so I’d just have to go with what I have yet to explore!  I’m a huge hip-hop fan, and because that genre necessitates a certain technique of mixing, it would be a great new skill to master.  I’m also a huge Reggae fan, and can see myself grooving behind the decks to a nice mix of Reggae and older dub and dubstep.  Maybe you’ll hear a set like that from me in the future!

2. How does Dollpartz differ than your half of the Talon/Claw pair? What makes you one or the other?  The real difference is in the sound that’s created when I DJ solo versus the sound that Tyler and I collaborate to bring to audiences and listeners.  For example you’ll find a lot more soulful house lyrics in my solo work, simply because I love them but they don’t make sense for whiteowljaguar’s sound.  When I dig for tracks for whiteowljaguar, I’m not only listening through my ears.  I’m always conscious of what we’ve created in the past and take into consideration whether this track works with or grows off of those sounds.  If the track really doesn’t fit with woj but I still love it, it goes into my Dollpartz folder.  That’s not to say I don’t dig just for Dollpartz, or that some tracks don’t carry over between projects.  Dollpartz has a playful, teasing, naughty, and hearful sound… at least, so far.  Whiteowljaguar is more deep, dark, and dirty.

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10 Facts About Berghain, Berlin’s Legendary Techno Club (Warning: Beatport Article Hilariously NSFW)

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Beatport took a quick look at the club everyone splooshes about at Resolute & Blackmarket parties here in NYC. The space, notorious for you just straight up not being able to get in, with its very own Techno Vampire bouncer (below, yes, seriously, that’s him, and no, seriously, he won’t let you in), is considered one of the best clubs on the planet, especially if you’re a. a fan of techno or b. gay. Beatport explains more, just don’t open it on a monitored computer. Please.

Japanese Techno With Tea Ceremony Precision. And Kitties.

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This was sitting in my feed this morning, and I had to make sure you all saw this. Apparently, a bridal practice, this Japanese bride-to-be pushes out some amazing acid house & techno on a 707, 303 & a few pieces of other super old school gear. There’s even a kitty which she jams out with, around 3 minutes in. I’d say more, but then you wouldn’t be watching/listening to the minimal action & most polite techno creation ever. (via Stoney Roads)