INTERVIEW: SHONKY ( Freak n Chic)

BIOGRAPHY :

In music, one hit record is lucky. Two? That’s talent. And the talent everyone is talking about at the moment is fresh-faced Frenchman Shonky. But with over 50,000 tracks in the Beatport database, how does a modern electronic music artist distinguish himself? For Parisian techno and house producer, DJ and remixer, Shonky the answer is simple. He took his profound passion for making music and created a signature sound, delivered a few solid EPs, topped the charts, landed a nice place with a “few” big labels, moved to Berlin, & spun in the hottest euro Tech clubs and . . . Voila !

Indeed His natural aptitude for producing was immediately evident with releases like Let Me Ask U, his remix of Mlle Caro & Franck Garcia’s Far Away.. Back in 2007 every underground club was echoing to the sounds of Olympia – a slab of panoramic techno that seemed to have been custom-engineered at the bottom of the sea; Or dancing to his massive remix of Danton Eeprom’s All I Can Say, and he was piling up serious air miles with his increasingly hectic DJ schedule. In 2008, Shonky took another bold leap forward by releasing his first full-length album Time Zero. More than a haphazard assortment of tracks, Time Zero is blended together with a common theme: getting your groove on at a party and the art of celebrating life.

Incredibly, music was a second-choice career for the 26-year-old. “I studied mathematics and statistics for five years. I was supposed to get a job in a bank,” he grins. But as a dedicated clubber since his teens the lure of electronic music and culture proved too strong. Shonky bought a pair of decks though he admits he had no idea what to do with them at first. He picked up many of his tips at Dan Ghenacia’s infamous Batofar after-parties, where he struck up a friendship with Dan, Dyed, and the rest of the Freak n’ Chic crew.

Immersing himself in the rave scene in Paris, Shonky’s musical roots were then found at the “Batofar club”. More so, it was the deep house, soul and funk infused sounds hailing from the mid-90s West Coast house scene (namely San Francisco and San Diego) and the historical Chicago house movement that left an everlasting impression on his future. Inspired by pioneering deep house figures such as Gemini and Kerri Chandler, Shonky has dubbed his own innovative style of mixing, writing and producing.

Shonky’s was to be one of the hottest young stars of 2008 and simply a star in 2009 with still big releases, on Freak n’Chic and Contexterrior his home labels. Shonky’s hit tracks “Carnage” & “Coco Feel and Love Shonk,” unmistakably portray this development and expansion within his production, marking a musical crossroads in his passage towards a new sound –one that revealed sonically groovier house dimensions infused with stronger vocal representation. At this time, Critics and fans alike celebrated the new direction with admiration and enthusiasm. The result was a lighter feeling, less minimal with the same hypnotic overtones.. “He’s a natural talent,” raves Ghenacia. “I know when he does something it’s going to be perfect.” And 2010 shows no sign of slowing down, as Shonky delivered the summer Bomb Cluborama (FNC051) and Les shonkettes, contexterrior’s autumnal anthem.

We may never know what Shonky’s moniker means, but we certainly know the sound.. and Among those clamoring for his services, are clubs like.. DC10, Space, Zoo project in Ibiza; Goa, Madrid, Mac arena Beach Bbarcelona; Techno parade, Rex Club, Paris; mulletover and Fabric London, Bar27 Amsterdam, Berliner clubs Panoramabar, Der visionnaer & Watergate, Pollerwiesen Düsseldorf, Harry Klein München; Arma 17 Moscow; Kazantip Festival; Australian Ambar; La huaka Peru; Playa Del Carmen’s festival in Mexico & Hollywood’s famous Avalon Club to name but a few !

We caught up with Shonky as he continues his North American Tour ! He will be playing @ Salon Daomé

on March 1st ! Remember the date ! He is unbelievable :)

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INTERVIEW: (By Omar Diouf)

DUKES: Hello Olivier! First of all…we are here to talk about Music, a passion we all share so what I want to ask you is, how did you first get into production/DJ and what still motivates you to do it today ?

My first approach to production went through a sampler and that classic TB303. That’s all I could afford at this time. Then I wouldn’t talk of “a start in production” yet, I was 16, but it was a matter of getting familiar with the machine and the process at the time. I started in a proper way in 1999. I was working also with a friend of mine who helped to understand better logic audio and then in 2005 I was releasing my first EP on Freak n’Chic.

INTERVIEW : GUIDO SCHNEIDER @ U.N

«Guido Schneider has been producing electronic music for more than 10 years now. Strongly influenced by EBM he started his first project in 1991 with a friend; his first records released on SPV.

Changes marked the beginning of the new millennium: Guido closed down his label Neue Welten and met vocalist Florian Schirmacher. After their first joint studio session it became obvious that Guido‘s production and Florian‘s vocal skills would complement each other perfectly, and together they founded the project Glowing Glisses, under whose pseudonym they released 3 singles and the album 'Silver Surfer' on Poker Flat.

In 2002 Guido and Glowing Glisses joined Steve Bug, the Märtini Brös and Martin Landsky on the Poker Flat World Tour. Back in Germany, highly inspired, Guido began focusing on his solo project. His first Poker Flat single 'Triple Bolted' (pfr35) and the track 'Moved' showed Guido’s huge potential. Two 12"s followed in 2004: 'Unterwegs mit Guido Schneider' (pfr47) and 'Oh My Buffer' (pfr53). These two 12 inches finally put Guido on the map of internationally acclaimed producers.

Guido was also Steve Bug‘s first choice to remix his unstoppable classic 'Loverboy' for Poker Flat‘s 50th anniversary release. In 2005 Guido contributed the exclusive track 'Las Cuerdas de Las Canarias' to the 'Poker Flat Volume Four' album, alongside artists such as Steve Bug, Donnacha Costello, Argy and Jeff Samuel.

Recently, Gudio joined forces with his old friend Sammy Dee (Pantytec) again, with whom he had worked years ago as Schneider & Radecki. The result of this reunion was the Poker Flat 12" 'Styleways' (pfr63), which also was licensed to Richie Hawtin’s 'DE9: Transitions' album.

As a DJ and producer of international demand, Guido Schneider currently tours top clubs around the world. The new album 'Focus On: Guido Schneider' is the next milestone in Guido’s carreer. It includes some of his best released tracks and mixes as well as some brand new songs and gives an excting overview of his capabilities.»

(source: www.residentadvisor.net)

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The Dukes catched up with Guido before his Flight to Montreal !

In all Exclusivity Guido tells us a little more about himself and his gig at Stereo Nightclub

this Friday February 18^th !

DOSSIER: Maher Daniel jacks the house !

Photo by Leif Tiltins

Maher Daniel has been moving masses lately ! The Get Physical artists Talks to Duke of Swabia in all Exclusivity ;)

«Where do we start with a name like Maher Daniel. "Maher" in his native tongue strings form the word excellence, and excellent is exactly what 2009 has been to jump start his career forward. Releasing records on top labels in the dance industry such as Get Physical Music/ Souvenir Music and Bedrock Records.

His remix of Tone Depth's 2001 classic Rumblefish saw him sitting at the #1 position of the Techno Charts for a solid 2 and a half months. His Music has reached out to the top players in the industry receiving immense support.

2010 sees a continuos rise with his musical journey,

Nominated this year as the world's biggest hot spot, renowned for its Analogue based sound system, this year's 14th best club in the world Stereo Montreal. We find Maher warming things up for the biggest names in the industry such as Lee Buridge, Clive Henry, Audiofly, Adam Beyer and Josh wink to Name a few.

Playing Festivals such as Creamfields Abu Dhabi, Piknic Electronik and Igloo Fest his sound travels across sound scapes of Deep house, Tech house, Techno and House as he never likes to pigeon whole himself with one specific musical genre.

This summer saw Maher's debut in Berlin and Europe where he has played at clubs such as Watergate, Bar25, Golden Gate, Cute Club Poland and Vozduh Moscow sharing his musical taste and energy.

The passion projected from this energetic character shows the perseverance and stone setting stature of someone who is not going anywhere anytime soon. Keep your eyes peeled as his passions and dream are transformed into reality.»

(Source:www.residentadvisor.net)

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INTERVIEW: (by Omar Diouf)

« DUKES: Hello Maher ! first of all…we are here to talk about Music, a passion we all share so what I want to ask you is, how did you first get into production/DJ and what still motivates you to do it today ?

i guess i was always passionate about playing music and being a musician i used to be in a band when i was younger i played the guitar until my brother introduced me to electronic music and then i got hooked 5 years later i started producing and djing i can't sleep drink eat without thinking of producing or djing and thats how it all started . The biggest thing that motivates me is the reaction i see on people faces when they hear my records being played its really inspiring and keeps me wanted to give them more.

DUKES: Montreal is a hard place to break through , how did you do it ? and how did your life change lately ?

The Man Behind The Camera: Exclusive Interview with Karel Chladek

I have something very special for you guys.
Most of us have seen his photos.
Many of us have heard of his name.
Some of us have seen him sneaking around with his camera and backpack.
But only a few of us really know the man behind the lens.
Here's an opportunity to pick the brain of talented, popular and well-respected professional photographer/videographer: Karel Chladek.

- Karel Chladek isn't a very common name, where are you (family) from?
Czech background, born in Montreal though.

- I have seen you around with your camera for no more than roughly 2 years now. How old are you, and at what age did you start getting into nightlife photography specifically? Remember the first event you covered?
I am 19 at the moment. Nightlife came into the scene when I went to my first event, Tiga Live @ Terrasse Bonsecours. Evidently I had to do it again.

- When did you first start expressing interest in photography?
Summer 2009, started with drifting events, learned it all by trial & error. 



- Are you currently in school? What are/were you studying in? Have you ever taken classes in photography/cinema?

I am currently in my first year of Photography at Cegep du Vieux-Montreal. I have already completed a Creative Arts DEC at Champlain College, which were my first steps towards holding my first camera.

- What camera + lens do you use?
A couple things that work for me. But if you must know, to make the videos and most of the albums I use the 5D Mark II, and a 40D. For lenses, I have gathered a couple but realized that for nightlife, I prefer my 50mm F/1.8 and my 24mm F/1.8.

- How did you end up in 'electro' shows? What kind of music do you listen to?
Ended up in it because I enjoyed it all my life, I live electronically, dnb, dubstep, trash, progressive, house, electronic, acid. They all have their advantages.



- Favorite track/artist/band at the moment?
At this very minute, Russ Chimes, it’s inspiring!

NICOLAS JAAR :SPACE IS ONLY NOISE : Recommended on R.A !

"Even those peripherally interested in dance music have probably noted the meteoric rise of Nicolas Jaar. The Chilean-born New Yorker debuted at just 17 with the expansive, cellar dweller house of his debut, the Student EP, in 2008 on New York's esteemed Wolf & Lamb. Following his Marks and Angles EP on Circus Company and a contribution to the label's celebratory Snuggle & Slap compilation, Jaar returned early last year to his original home with the slow astral grooves of A Time for Us along with a series of singles on his own slightly-skewed label, Clown & Sunset. As his music continued to both fuse and restructure traditional house, downtempo, jazz touchstones, his increasingly popular live sets mirrored the warmth and patience of his own productions, often sticking with warm-up BPMs for long portions of his sets (or damn near the entire runtime).

All of which leads up to Space Is Only Noise, his heartily anticipated debut album on the lovably weird sonic melting pot, Circus Company. And, frankly, the label's the perfect home for a record of Jaar's recombined dance tempos and textures. Much like James Blake—which Space is likely to be coupled with in the coming weeks for their different approaches to vocally oriented electronic music—there's a fascination with space and near-silence. Jaar uses his own voice, for the most part, more as texture than as center. Much of Space's charm lies in how suffused they are with moments of hush. In fact, so calm and comforting is Jaar's debut that the album at times almost resembles a bizarre downtempo DJ set of his own material (to which precisely nobody would be dancing). Melding Parisian jazz, Warp-style IDM, slo-mo house, classical, musique concrete and hip-hop, Jaar somehow never feels like he's trying on too many hats; the seams of his restitching just don't show.

For an album so clearly concerned with cohesion and a sustained narrative, it seems almost foolish to try to tease apart highlights. Space is, first and foremost, a full-length statement, and one of the best you're likely to hear all year. Remove any of its tracks, resequence any portion, and it would feel like a film poorly recut by the studio. Bookended by the mournful sample-and-piano crawl of "Etre"s, there's the bluesy vocal glide and soft Rhodes of "Colomb," or the waltzing guitar and slow grinding bass of "Too Many Kids Finding Rain in the Dust." With its basso vocal repetitions and stumbling rhythm, "Keep Me There" sounds a lot like labelmates Nôze, while Jaar anchors the drunken house of "I Got A" around a famed Ray Charles vocal, reveling in the use of such a "big" piece of history.

The title track, on the other hand, is echo-chamber soul music, Jaar's voice making its way carefully over its gentle, clicking rhythms and electronic glare. "Almost Fell" finds Jaar in brokedown effected-falsetto against sparse Rhodes coloring—the record's most refined moment arguably, and its saddest—only to lead into one of its more celebratory outings, the buoyant sample-cut funk of "Balance Her in Between Your Eyes." It's a pairing that resembles the slow emotional slide of life itself, this barely noted rise from deep blues to dancing days. It's also a good example of just how reflective and journey-based Jaar's debut feels. Space Is Only Noise is as appropriate for ten on a Sunday morning as it for the bleary ends of 3 AM, an on-the-nod effort that still feels redemptive and invigorating. You can play it whenever, which is good because you're going to want to play it a lot. "
(Source: www.residentadvisor.net)

Camel - Jellyjazz EP

This mornin', I'm havin' some of that Jellyjazz on ma toasts, with a glass of Coconut milk, per favore. I don't know if Camel is a baseball fan, and/or on steroids, but he keeps hitting it out of the ballpark. Jellyjazz EP, another home run release, via the label Blotter, is out now on Beatport. In the bullpen we've got original tracks Jellyjazz and Coconuts (souncloud previews below), as well as Jellyjazz remixes by Mr. Ho, Playmode and Pow! Pow!, and a nutty Coconuts remix by none other than Act Yo Age.