Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Vosper - Release (Official Music Video)



Buy it on Beatport: http://www.beatport.com/release/release-ep/879946

MEANT012 - Vosper - Release EP

Supported by: Chloé, The Hacker, Ivan Smagghe, Cosmo Vitelli, Brodinski, Electric Rescue, Slam, Optimo, Matt Walsh, Daniel Avery (StopMakingMe), People Get Real, Nhar, Krikor, Pan/Tone, ...

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Music Video Credits:

Director & Creative Director :
Fred Caron, Edouard Le, Christopher Byron

D.O.P. : Jean-Francois Vezina

Editor : Christopher Byron, Edouard Le

Visual EFX : Christopher Byron, Edouard Le

Actors :
Edouard Le, Christopher Byron, Christopher Macdonald, Francis Latreille, Sofia Byron, Darien Pons, Fred Caron

Produced by Meant Records


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Follow VOSPER on facebook : http://www.facebook.com/vospermusic
Follow MEANT on facebook : http://www.facebook.com/meantrecords

Follow VOSPER on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/vospermusic
Follow MEANT on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/meantrecords

Follow VOSPER on Soundcloud : http://www.soundcloud.com/vosper
Follow MEANT on Soundcloud: http://www.soundcloud.com/meant

Website : http://www.vosper.ca
Website: http://www.meantrecords.com

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For those who missed it: VOSPER Podcast + Interview

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Interview: RIVA STARR


(via rivastarr.com) "Just when you think you know Riva Starr... He’ll probably confuse you with yet another side to his musical personality. Don’t call him fickle, though. Try bored. Try excitable. Try unpredictable... And then some!

As Philippe Stark once famously said “I do not try to please everybody, I make what I can, how I can, when I can. […] I try to deserve to exist by doing my job well. I have this sickness called creativity and I exploit this sickness to offer new meaning in things to my friends. That’s it, very simple

Riva humbly subscribes….

Driven from his Italian motherland by a compelling desire to reinvent, innovate (?) and progress (!), Riva has made London his home since 2008: A breath of freedom and fresh beats that allowed to him to wear his inspirations proudly beyond the sleeve and deep, deep, deep into the groove.

A Neapolitan cultural exile with a degree in Chinese literature; a passionate family guy who still manages to juggle a DJ schedule of over 200 international gigs a year, a label and production duties. How can you pigeonhole a man who never sits still?

From the dolce vita to Dalston, the Big Smoke’s open eared community and exciting cauldron of influences finally allowed him to truly make the records he wanted to make. In the past he’d produced house, techno, breakbeat, electro, pop, folk and everything in between. Here was the city where he could bring them together.

As the very name of his own label Snatch! suggests, Riva’s unpredictable “Magic Hat” selection keeps both him and us listeners on our toes. It’s kept him relevant, but more importantly, it’s kept him alive and kicking…

To Riva, though, he’s just doing his job, hoping to pick up new friends along the way.

It’s been like this from the very first releases. Having taken his previous guises as far as he could, his infamous debuts on Made To Play and DirtyBird were the result of anonymous MySpace demo entries. Refusing to rely on any kudos he’d developed before, Riva took a brave dive into a whole new world of beats and let the music speak for itself.

Since then he’s strutted with acts as varied as Noze and Balkan Beat Box, remixed Dennis Ferrer, Usher, Gossip and Estelle (to name a few) while future fix-ups include Fatboy Slim and Beardyman.

Never forgetting his roots, Riva records range with the wily eclecticism of all the ages; he strikes chords we can all relate to: from the DJs that have appreciated his work (from Tiesto to A-Trak, Jesse Rose to Annie Mac and Giles Peterson to David Rodigan) to you, me and everyone in between.

Throughout this mayhem, he’s been hard at work on the DJ circuit – with over 190 gigs in 2010 alone – strutting his stuff in some of the coolest venues on the planet such as Panorama Bar, Space, Womb and Fabric as well as some of the biggest festivals in the world from Fuji Rock to Global Gathering to Exit and beyond.

"His latest project, the first Snatch! WMC Compilation album, Batería Fantástica is a unique collection of exclusive & original South-American/Latin flavoured cuts hawking back to the original inspiration behind the Miami based conference... all made especially for this album by some of the coolest producers on the planet."(Resident Advisor)"




Tracklist:
01) Riva Starr & DJ Sneak – Manduka (Riva Starr Cut)
02) Carl Cox & Jon Rundell – Caipiroska (Original Mix)
03) 2000 And One & DJ Madskillz – Los Olvidados (Original Mix)
04) Gonzalez & Gonzalo – La Fiesta (Original Mix)
05) &ME – Dios (Original Mix)

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Interview: (by Alexander Leblanc, for dukeofswabia.com)

First of all, where does the name Riva Starr come from?

Friday, March 2, 2012

DUKEOFSWABIA.COM Podcast #003 - VOSPER (+ Interview)


DUKEOFSWABIA.COM Podcast #003 - VOSPER



*see tracklist below

(via vosper.ca) "With roots firmly in the fertile ground of Dark Wave, EBM and Techno music, Vosper bring the listener to heady vistas of sound and tone. Where other groups wallow in the dank claustrophobia of retro-fetishism, Vosper's relentless enthusiasm for developing a singular musical voice, nourished on a shared past, guarantees the listener glimpses of, and participation in, the formation of a new sonic sensibility.

Formed by Montreal-based Edouard Le and Christopher Byron, the duo utilizes their own rich backgrounds to craft melancholic compositions in an analog mode for a digital age. Though both Le and Byron had previously collaborated, it wasn't until the formation of Vosper that the intangible qualities of their own musical ethos truly coalesced into an unique sonic world, coloured by visions of haunting pasts and future frontiers.

Through his involvement in various music projects, as well as djing in many cities alongside Andrew Weatherall, Green Velvet, Moby, Trentemoller, Dj Hell to name a few, and production and remix releases in multiple electronic music genres, Le has developed a deep understanding in production and remixing with a natural affinity for the dance floor.

In Christopher Byron, Le found a kindred spirit… Weaned on the sounds of new wave, alternative and industrial music, and particularly influenced by the genius of Alan Wilder, Byron's sound design skills and song-writing produce the melancholic strain that runs so deeply through Vosper.

Fuelled by an obsession for collecting vintage gear, the band's signature sound has been crafted using a select ensemble of hardware. Influenced by the music of early Human League, James Stinson, Nitzer Ebb and LFO, Le & Byron have fashioned an abrasively modern dynamic from the modes and mores of the past. Vosper is about the marriage of propulsive Teutonic beats to the melodic impulse of the Sheffieldian sound: muscular industrial-strength rhythm finding its highest expression in its companionship to the pensive and wistful despondency of memory.

Their debut release EP on highly regarded Parisian label Meant Records marks a great head start for this up and coming band."

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Interview: (by Alexander Leblanc, for dukeofswabia.com)

How did you two meet? How/Where did it all start?

Ed: "We actually met at work and happen to share the same office. With the similar interests in music and music technology, we decided to write some tracks and the studio chemistry just clicked."

Please explain the name 'Vosper' and how you came up with it.

Chris: "Vosper was the name of a ship builder in England, My Great Grandfather worked there."

Who were your early musical influences?

Chris: "I guess I would say that the bands which inspired me to start composing melodic songs were Skinny Puppy, Depeche Mode, NIN, and Front242."

Ed: "For me, the bands that lead me to Vosper was probably Human League, Dopplereffekt, Green Velvet, Anthony Rother, and Swayzak."

What is your academic background?

Chris: "Bachelor degree in Communications Studies with Specialization in sound."

Ed: "Bachelor degree in "Graphic Design."

It may be difficult to merge two minds into one. As a duo, how would you describe your "production process"?

Monday, February 27, 2012

DUKEOFSWABIA.COM Podcast #002 - AQUARIUS HEAVEN



DUKEOFSWABIA.COM Podcast #002 - AQUARIUS HEAVEN



*see Tracklist below

(via circuscompany.fr) "Aquarius Heaven might be new to the electronic music world, but he is no newcomer to the music scene as such: Aquarius Heaven, born Brian Brewster, is an ex reggae dancehall and hip hop singer. It was pure chance that Brian became involved with the electronic music scene after he moved to Paris in 2005, where he meet the Parisian electronic music trio dOP.

After spending hours in the studio with the three musicians, Brian’s musical sound was profoundly changed. Yet, we can still hear the colors of the Caribbean in his vocals, and since he is new to the genre, his music is unbound by the old rehashed sounds and limitations of the electronic music scene. All of this creates for a very interesting musical ride. It was during the Summer of 2010 when Aquarius Heaven was truly born: while recording the track “Universe,” Brian realized that he and Clement (of dOP) had the same birthday in February, so Brian created the name “Aquarius Heaven” under which to make electronic music.

This new chapter of his life was made official with the release of his track “Before U Go” on the Watergate 06 album, mixed by dOP. With the release of his first EP, titled “7 Days” (on Circus Company), Aquarius Heaven started generating buzz in the music world. Aquarius Heaven just recently released his “Can’t Buy Love” EP (on Wolf + Lamb), the single of which – paired with a dark-and-sexy music video – catapulted him into the world of music-blog buzz, before the EP was even officially released. Aquarius Heaven has only begun the journey that continues to accelerate day by day."


“Like dancehall, the electronic world has no boundaries. That’s one of the factors that I love about it, you can actually mix almost everything into it… a lot of people don’t, but I like breaking rules!” – Aquarius Heaven

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Tracklist:

Apparat - You Don´t Know Me - Octane
The subs - decontrol - Aquarius Heaven remix
Shirol - Taron Trekka
Go Away (Wareika Incandescence Resistance)
Jamie Woon - Night Air (Solomun edit)
Greenville Massive - Tone
Who's Afraid of Detroit - Claude Von Stroke
Robert Babicz - Dont look back
Pantha Du Prince - Saturn Strobe
Walk a mile in my shoes (henrik schwarz remix)

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Also, check out: Duke of Swabia Podcast #001 - LOUIE FRESCO

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Sound Pellegrino Thermal Team - FABRICLIVE x MODA Mix


(via fabriclondon.com)

"Since 2009 the Sound Pellegrino label, fronted by Orgasmic and Teki Latex, who was once of French hip hop outfit TTC, has become a respected home to music that they themselves note “built itself on the ruins of loud big-beat-like fidget and overly distorted washing machine electro”. Together as a DJ team, Orgasmic and Latex perform as the Sound Pellegrino Thermal Team, a concept that enables them to warm you to their type of dance music in its optimal club setting.

It’s an outlook they’ve explored through their continuing podcast series (which, at the time of publication, is currently on its 61st instalment) as well as through the music they choose to present and release through their label. Notable recent releases on the imprint have come from Bok Bok & Tom Trago, Style of Eye, Noob and Malestrom; though the back catalogue boasts names like Para One, Bart B More, L Vis 1990, Gucci Vump, Solo and more amongst its ranks."


Sound Pellegrino Thermal Team - FABRICLIVE x MODA Mix




Tracklist:

Tone Loc - Wild thang - Delicious Vinyl
The Footclub - Driftwood (Work Remix #2) - Work
Marc Romboy, Kink - Don't Shake my tree - Ovum
Levon Vincent - Man or Misstress - Novel Sounds
Nina Kraviz - Ghetto Kraviz - Rekids
Richi Ahmed - Suck It - Hot Creations
Claude VonStroke and Jaw - Le fantôme - Dirtybird
Timbre - Mushroom - Cdr
Twilight 22 - Electric Kingdom instrumental - Vanguard
Maelstrom - Pool Chicks - Sound Pellegrino
Mikix The Cat and Dj MikeQ - Vibe - ADD Cat Records
French Fries - Yo Vogue - Dirtybird
Renaissance man - Stalker Humanoid (Dexter Remix) - Turbo Recordings
Sound Pellegrino Thermal Team - Bassface (Aquarius Heaven Remix) - Sound Pellegrino

Friday, February 3, 2012

DUKEOFSWABIA.COM Podcast #001 - LOUIE FRESCO (+ Interview)


DUKEOFSWABIA.COM Podcast #001 - LOUIE FRESCO





Biography: (via theblacklegagency)

"If we can define Louie Fresco in one word it would probably be "Versatile".

This multifaceted DJ and Producer from Mexico has single handedly put his hometown Mexicali B.C. on the map with his many original tracks and remixes.

Artists like Art Department, Maya Jane Coles, Deniz Kurtel, Mark Knight, Noir, Heidi, Solomun, Miguel Campbell, Russ Yallop, Siopis, James Teej, Flight Facilities, Tale Of Us, DJ Three, J Phlip, WildKats, The Crystal Method, Felix Da Housecat, Tommie Sunshine, Dirty Vegas, Deepgroove, Oliver Klein, NASA, John Roman, Lazaro Casanova, Larry Tee, and Junior Sanchez to name a few have played Louie's remixes and songs on many events including shows like Coachella, Winter Music Conference, Get Lost, Circoloco, and South by Southwest.

His DJing skills have earned him invites to share the stage or headline events all over the world with the most eclectic group of DJs out there. DJs like Boys Noize, Crookers, Felix Da Housecat, Steve Aoki, Marco Bailey, Desyn Masiello, Popof, NOOB, Martin Eyerer, Julian Jewell, Heidi, Damian Lazarus, Magda, Marc Houle, Pier Bucci, Uffie, Sharam, MSTRKRFT, Nic Fanciulli, M.A.N.D.Y., Justin Martin, Tiesto, Toy Selectah, Nadastrom, MightyFools, The Young Punx, Le CastleVania, Audiojack, Russ Yallop, Jamie Jones, A1 Bassline, Designer Drugs, Bird Peterson, Harvard Bass, L.A. Riots, The Crystal Method, LAZRtag, Nortec, Panoptica, Tommie Sunshine, Silver Surfer, Lee Foss, Treasure Fingers, The Rapture, DJ Bam Bam, Staccato, Lazaro Casanova, Catz N Dogz, Skrillex, The Bloody Beetroots; among others, while touring all over Mexico, USA, Canada, Spain, Poland, Germany, Netherlands and Ireland. All of these in less than 3 years.

But DJing is just his "weak side". What really makes heads turn it's his production skills. Louie started making music at the age of seventeen. 11 years and hundreds of tracks later we find that he has done (and it's doing) remixes for, originals, and song collaborations with artists such as Art Department, Etienne De Crecy, Tommie Sunshine, Peaches, Felix Da Housecat, Gtronic, Lady Gaga and Michael Bolton, Young Buck (G-Unit), Lee Foss, John Roman, Sergio Santos, Russ Yallop, Bunny Lake, Hot Pink Delorean, etc.