We Need A Resolution

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a fabulous New Years eve party that lived up to their expectations, it's always a difficult thing to do. There were a lot of good ones around, including NYD which seems to be getting better than NYE it's self. As for me I was playing in Dubai. It was a interesting place to be, warm weather, luxury everywhere, a shiny new corporate tourist paradise really, whether thats a good thing or a bad thing it depends on how you look at it. But it unfortunately it definitely meant a bad thing on the party front. Most people didn't even end up going out on NYE. The Ruler of Dubai ordered all NYE parties cancelled (the day of the parties!) as an act of solidarity to the Palestinians being bombed in Gaza. After all, Dubai is a Muslim country and what's going on right now in the Gaza strip is pretty major not to mention horrific. With some maneuvering we were still able to go through with the party. But it meant we had no NYE countdown and most Palestinian sympathizers didn't go out, and if they did they weren't really feeling like parting. The owner of the club I played donated all of our party's proceeds to the Palestine aid fund, incredibly generous. But at the end of the night, it was all a bit of a let down.

Anyways, it's a New Year and I'm feeling good! Despite it being a tradition normally never buy into, this year I've made loads of resolutions. Because this year is special. I have lot's new exciting plans for music making this year. It's gonna be an extremely important and exciting year, I'm letting go all the stuff in my life that's holding me down or that I've outgrown and I'm gonna do exactly what I need to do. It's gonna be a year of big changes. Yes, I am being ernest, and slightly vague (i must keep some of my mystery!), but I really don't care. I'm excited. I'm positive. And I'm determined to make some music to cheer me up in the new year. I'll let you know how I get on.....

I've put together a couple of best of 2008 charts. This is not me trying to be obscure or clever. It's just an acknowledgment of who or what I think were the hardest working, talented and inspiring. My fave records, labels, and people etc...and the most amazingly brilliant nights I played over the past year, in no particular order:

Best Club Trax

Roar - Patrice Baumel (Get Physical)
We Bring The Music -Freak Seven
Sunglasses At Night - Tiga & Zyntherius - Alter Ego Remix (Turbo)
Two Doors Down - The Mystery Jets - Duke Dumont Remix (6-7-9)
Dull Flame of Desire - Bjork Ft. Anthony Hegerty - Modeselector's Remix For Girls (One Little Indian)
Church Of Nonsense - Danielle Papini (Alchemy)
Good Life Ft. Inner City - Kevin Saunderson - Mathew Jonson Acid Remix (KMS)
Falafellows - Kebacid
Dance Like a Hoe - Otto Von Schirach (Cock Rock Disco)
Township Funk - Mujava - Sinden Remix (Warp)
Crimewave - Crystal Castles - Sinden Remix (Last Gang)
Pocket Piano - DJ Medhi - Brodinski Remix (Ed Banger)
Wassup Wassup Ft rye Rye - Diplo Vs Sega - Crookers Remix (Mad Descent)
Shake It to The Ground Ft. Rye Rye - DJ Blaqstarr -Claude Von Stroke Remix (Mad Decent)
Duke Dumont - Hoy (Dubsided)
Smith N' Hack - Space Warrior (Smith N' Hack)
Italo Boyz - Zinga (Get Physical)
Kids - MGMT - Soulwax Remix
Hot Chip - Hold On - Switch L.A. Remix (EMI)
Diablo -Oliver Huntemann & Dubfire (Cocoon)

Best Of My Own Trax

Welcome to Dalston (MYTHIC) - Erm, rating your own music is a bit embarrassing, but you know i worked bloody hard in the studio this year, and produced the most music to date. It may not be good enough for my best of the year list, but it's dammed worth a mention!

Best Dance Labels

Turbo
Man Recordings
Boys Noize
Mad Decent
Mental Groove
Kitsune
Modular
Get Physical

Best Pop-Indie Acts

MGMT
Hot Chip
Crystal Castles
Santogold
Alphabeat
La Roux
Bloc Party
Ladyhawk
Late Of the Pier
Mystery Jets
M.I.A.
Robyn
Sam Sparrow
Kid Kudi

Best Comeback

Grace Jones - She is absolutely mad and I love her. Read this interview from the Guardian, she gets drunk with interviewer Miranda Sawyer and tries to go take her home, brilliant.

Best DJ Gigs

Paris Social Club, Paris April 26th 2008
My sister came along with me on the Eurostar, a nice weekend, great boutique club, met and played with Housmeister.

The Last Ever Nag Nag Nag, London, May 28th 2008 - An emotional nostalgia trip. As Jonny said 'The end of an ear-ache.'

Gloria, Sao Paulo, Sat 10th May 2008
It was my first time in Brazil. I need to go back.

Jezabel @ Amnesia, Ibiza July 18 2008
With Hannah Lottle and Paulette, stayed with Jade Jagger in her beautiful villa, fab venue, a rare girls night.

Low Club, Madrid Oct 4th 2008
Just a really amazing night with mad love from the crowd. The Spaniards party better.

Bugged Out @ Sankey's Manchester, Dec 14th 2008
I'm loving Manchester right now and this night with Miss Kittin returned it.

Bugged Out, Tokyo Dec 12th 2008
Not without it's stresses, but what an fascinating strange world!?

Tokyo Jo

I played in Tokyo this weekend. What amazingly intensely insane and exhausting trip that is etched into my mind forever. Did I say I enjoyed it? That's what I meant. I don't think I ever adjusted to the 8 hour time difference. But it sort of worked out because as soon as I realized this, it just meant I let myself sleep all day and stay up all night (this is really helpful for a DJ actually). I did manage to do some stuff in the day....like a lot of window shopping, the pound was seriously letting me down there, everything worked out to be like paying for it's weight in gold. But the best times were had in the Tokyo nightlife: karaoke, a trip to the famous Womb club, and of course our own night at Warehouse representing Bugged Out and London at London Calling. Bugged Out residents Matt Walsh and Bi-Bop also joined me on the bill along with numurous other London mates at the party, which meant there was a lot of misbehaving and maybe just a tiny bit brits abroad at times (Oops! ;o)....oh and of course the food was indescribably heavenly and fresh, I lived off raw fish and Edamame mmmm! There are some things in Japanese culture that I found totally enlightening that made for some utopian moments, and naturally some alien moments when I didn't quite get it. I absolutely adored their tireless enthusiasm for their pastimes i.e. fashion, music, culture and the respectful attitude towards work and other peoples work. Thanks so much to Julian and Peter for being such great guides. And thank you to I Am Tokyo Night for the pic and great review!

Saturn Returns - Fan Video

Someone posted this video of Saturn Returns, a track I made in 2006. It's synced up with edits from the 80's science fiction film Tron. I remember the movie from when I was a kid, it looked so futristic to me then, the effects look sooo cheesy and kitsch now though! The track recently got more exposure since Felix Da Housecat licensed it to his Global Underground mix CD in the Spring. It sounds almost proto-bassline-house now that I listen to it again. At the time I was definitely influenced by the Prodigy........It's not totally where my head is it at right now production-wise....the stuff I'm working on right now has moved on bit......But I thought the video was woth a look, well visualized.

Rave From The Grave

....I know from the sounds of my recent posts titles you might think I'm beginning to turn all goth on you, that I'll never do, but I will admit am in a bit of an escapist mood these days....escape to 92......I guess I have been ever since I read Energy Flash by Simon Reynolds - a brilliantly written, massively entertaining documentation of the history of London's electronic dance culture. A totally essential read.......anyway the point is I'm in love with this album Where Were You In '92?, a side-project by a South London dubstep producer Zomby. The album is a long player that works from beginning to end, it's dance music but not really for dancing, a rare bird these days. The production is thick and haunting, as you'd expect from a Dubstep artist, but the feeling is warmer, and there is that all important sense of humor there. It's pure unashamed early UK-hardcore-rave-nostalgia-worship, that also sounds fresh. My fave tracks are the 'Fuck Mixing, Let's Dance' with it's funny "Are you done mixing yet sample", 'Daft Punk Rave', and the beautiful 'Float'.......anyways, I played until 6 am last night at the Egg here in London, my eyelids feel like sandpaper looking at this screen, so I'm not going to get all loved-up waffle on and on........

Vampire Weekend

I played a double header this weekend at Bugged Out with Miss Kittin. First we did Sankey's Soap in Manchester then down to London for the End. I did the late set in Manc and had such an amazing time. Thanks to everyone who stayed until the lights went on and made it such a special night. Manchester is quickly becoming one of my fave cites to play right now. I got such a warm vibe from everyone that night and I loved the warehouse feel in the club. In London I did the early-mid set before Caro. Two incredicbly satifying and inspiring gigs....playing with Kittin is always a great party, we kinda just feed off each others energy and I can enjoy entertaining my dark-side, playing mindfully and with sense of drama....pure escapist, fantasy, just for a session. And why not?

Here you can listen and download my set from the night in London. Remember this is a LIVE MIX, no computers, or Ableton have been used, just two Pioneer CDJ's and a mixer, recorded live on the night at the End. I'll soon be posting via podcast too (my podcasts are coming back with a vengeance TBA) but until then, YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST☺

★ Diplo - Wassup Wassup Ft. Rye Rye - Crookers Remix
★ Jan Driver - Rat Alert
★ A-Track - Say Whoa - Boys Noize Remix
★ Hatiras - Tom Le Douche
★ Bloc Party - Mercury - Herve is in Disarray Remix
★ Plan Tec - Jonas Kopp Remix -Espias Psiquicios
★ Crystal Castles - Crimewave - Sinden Remix
★ Smith N Hack - Space Warrior
★ Man Like Me - Carny - JoJo De Freq's Island Pressure Remix
★ Tomas Schumacher - Red Purple
★ Kebacid - Felafellows
★ Kevin Saunderson - Rock to the Beat - Smith & Selway Remix
★ Melon & Je Davu - I Zebra
★ Chemical Brothers - Hey Girl, Hey Boy - Soulwax Remix
★ Medhi -Pocket Piano - Brodinski Remix
★ Patrice Baumel - Roar
★ Justice - Phantom II - Boys Noize Remix
★ Italo Boys - Zinga
★ Hot Chip - Hold On - Switch L.A. Remix
★ Kevin Saunderson -Bassline - Joris Voorn Remix
★ Fra Soler & Maxim Ruiz - Zambomba
★ Diplo vs Sega - Ready Or Not
★ Holgar Zilske - Wrecker

Return Of The Mac!

After an unbelievable 6 weeks of painful computer withdrawals, the Mac is back! It's hard to believe that Apple could not figure out what went wrong with my machine. It was a freq case of Mac attack. My repair guy told me it was getting shipped strait over to the Apple development technicians -in other words the people who actually design the machines- so they could try to solve the mystery of my Mac....in the end they had to replace my entire machine....To credit Apple, they did give me incredibly fantastic customer support and genuinely tried resolve the issue, while reimbursing me for anything lost in the process (except precious time of course). I truly wish all the businesses I have to deal with with were so helpful. I still love Apple for all the genius stuff they produce. I've had 6 weeks to learn how everything I do completely revolves around my Mac, to say I'm happy it's back would be a massive understatement.......So after this little period of misfortune, now I can finally get back to blogging, being a digital DJ and of course my most beloved passion, making music.

On top of the Mac meldown, October had been one of my busiest DJ months of 2008. I played everywhere from Moscow to Madrid, from Nottingham to Newport. It's a shame I've not been able to tell you all about them.....but there are still many more to come.....that's one of the reasons I like to blog: the second you finish playing the experience just disappears into the cosmos, here I can at least document a little bit of the hard work and excitement that is unique each night.

To try to make up for my Mac attack and my resulting neglect of this blog, I'M OFFERING 10 HALF PRICE TICKETS ON MY GUEST-LIST FOR BUGGED OUT THIS WEEKEND at the End in London exclusively for De Frequencies' blog readers. So that means £8 tickets and guest-list cue. The first 10 people to email us here at De Frequencies will get 'em. It's gonna be a fabulous party will me and Miss Kittin ripping it up in the main room and loads of other hot guests, so get yourself down there, and if you're in London and you're a Freq HIT US UP!

The End of The End

ME @ THE END IN DECEMBER

Oh dear, it's true, I've not posted for almost two weeks now....but I really have the best (actually the worst) excuse! My laptop of over 4 years just died on me a couple of weeks ago, just like that poof, its gone but after that long, you start to expect this to happen, so naturally I had the entire drive backed-up. No major trauma. It just means until I can afford to replace it, I have to use my desktop computer -normally strictly reserved for making music with- to do admin tasks including blogging. But last week suddenly my desk top died! Can you believe a monster 8 core processor Mac Pro, basically the top Mac your money can buy, and less than a year and a half old, can breakdown just like that!? I can't, I wasn't expecting it, and it couldn't have happened at worse time. Thank god for my extended Apple warranty is coving it. Although it seemed way over priced, I highly recommend getting it if you're buying a Mac (you also get telephone support)....anyways, this is why I've not blogged. And not done a lot of things. I've come to realized my whole life revolves around my Mac. So borrowing my boyf's lappy, I'm writing a little update finally for De Frequencies until I get it back.....

If you haven't heard already, the news was out last week, London's legendary End club is going to be closing it's doors for ever in January. Really, it's like the end of London club venues en masse this year, it kicked off with the closure of the massive Canvas and the historic Cross, along with the slightly younger fab boutique disco The Key. Then, the long-time London clubbing institution Turnmills closed it's doors, and now one of the last standing credible 'proper' club venues, The End. The End was the first club I visited when I moved to London in 2001, it was one of the few, of the then massive number of big clubs, that appealed to me because of their great underground line-ups. Now I've played there, OMG, for like 5 years?! I'll be sad to see it go. So Bugged out will be looking for a new home, along with Erol Alkan's Durr club, two important alternative dance nights residing at The End. Where will we go??? If someone opened up a medium sized two roomed 1500 capacity proper night club with a killer layout and sound-system, they would absolutely clean up right now....I hope someone does, or else we're going to be forced to keep throwing parties with crappy sound systems in the car parks (well, alt least more than we already are!)

It's just coincidence, but The End website-zine asked me to do an interview with them the same week they announced their closure. It's quite in-depth because Bugged Out asked the questions, and I think the questions are spot on because they know me so well. You can check out my full interview for The End here.