Posted by: Derek

I had the pleasure of meeting LA-based producer Nicholas Bennison when I worked for Looq records back in the day.

Originally from the UK, Nicholas is a killer producer and DJ. He’s a genre chameleon, switching from melodic progressive to trance, tech-trance, and full-on psy, and his sound has gotten the attention of some of the biggest names in the biz, and he’s done original work and remixes for a crap-ton of labels, including legendary Hook Recordings.

He tends to keep it pretty tough and rolling - as reflected in his own sound and also that of his label Propulsion Records.

This set from him from 2004 runs the gamut of sounds, and is chock full of solid tunes. I grabbed it from his website at the time of release back when and it’s been with me ever since! Actually, I remember it from a particular night of it playing in my car while I ferried Jondi and Spesh between gigs on NYE…

It makes killer road music - so burn yourself a copy for the road to Black Rock if you’re going to BM this year — it will definitely keep the journey interesting.

Listen here:

Nicholas Bennison - Energy FM 2004 Mix (right-click to download)

Posted by: Derek

DJ Dara (né Darragh Guilfoyle) should be a familiar name to anyone who’s been into DnB for a while. Originally from Ireland, he emigrated to New York just as the beats were starting to roll, and after making a name for himself in the emerging arena of jungle/drum’n'bass, he started one of the genre’s seminal labels and record shops — Breakbeat Science. Through the label and his own productions and DJ sets, he’s been a pioneer and essential element in the development of DnB as we know it today.

And holy carp, here’s a digitized version of an old mixtape of his from 1997! In some ways it’s crazy old school, but it really showcases Dara as a visionary as well, because it still sounds fresh and solid. And we got both sides of the tape here for ya!

So for those who enjoy a bit of roll n skitter…here we go:

DJ Dara - Beats 97 Side A (right click and Save As.. to download!)

DJ Dara - Beats 97 Side B (right click and Save As.. to download!)

Tracklist after the jump!
Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: Matt

I can’t for the life of me remember exactly how I came across this mix. It’s by a local DJ who I have never actually seen or met, and Google has no record of this file that I am able to locate. My computer tells me it was downloaded in July of 2005, so that is the best date I can offer as far as carbon dating goes.

I do however recall the impact it had on my taste in electronic music. At the time I was moving away from glitchy, plonky IDM (of which there are traces at the beginning here) and towards…..something. My next focal point was waiting to be defined, and then I found Bass Lab pt. 1. I loved the gritty, front-and-center basslines and the unabashed use of speed garage tempo and beats, and for a brief time, Tube Jerk, Audion, and others dominated my crate. Most of the tracks here owe a lot to UK garage but they are lacking the pitched up divas and general cheesiness that style loved so much. I’ve never quite pinned down the origin of that sound. Was there a subset of Garage producers who were pushing the envelope? Had another region picked up on the sound and made it their own? Maybe someone out there can answer that for me….

In any case, I believe this was supposed to be part one of a pair of mixes; At 44:20, the odds are pretty good that this was one side of a cassette tape. You can hear it switch gears right at the end (to introduce some perfectly timed funkiness) and then it just gets hacked off mercilessly. I tend to feel that it adds to the charm though, and leaves you wanting more.

What’s Miss La Fey (if that IS her real name??) up to these days? Well, Dubstep, according to her myspace page. I suppose that makes sense, given her gravitation towards heavy bass sounds. So if you are in the Bay and see her on a flyer, feel free to drop in and request something from Bass Lab. Maybe you’ll get lucky.

Maebyn La Fey - Bass Lab pt. 1

Posted by: Jay

Happy Friday everyone!  We’ve got a super exciting guest for the podcast next week, so look out for that next Friday.  For now I’m stoked to share this classic mix that I’ve been grooving to ever since I got turned on to it down here a few months ago.

First a little know fact:  Did you know that when I first got into DJing I almost started by playing jungle and D&B?  It was late 90’s when that jungle sound was fresh and fantastic, before the hostile take over of the genera by the rabid hoard of glitchy argo-bass that has yet to release it’s cold, techy clutches.  I ended up picking trance though, and the rest is history.

What’s that all got to do with this set?  Well, “Brazil Rockwel” is a throwback to my favorite era of 170 BPM break beat dance music.  It’s chalk full, end to end, of that upbeat late 90’s jungle sound.  What’s more is this set is fully infused with Brazilian flare that really takes it over the top.  Not only does it capture a time, it captures a place.  I’ve not yet been to Brazil (even though it is soooo tantalizingly close to Bolivia) but once I get there I envision music just like this pulsing from every cafe, beach bar, corner store, radio, nigth club, and boom box all across the country.  Spontaneous dance parties, fiestas on the beach ’till the sun comes up, beautiful Brazilian woman kissing me for no other reason besides that what they do in Brazil… wait, am I still typing?

ANYWAY, ladies and gentlemen enjoy a little taste of Brazil with Pista!

Pista - “Brazil Rockwel” (right click and “Save as…” to download)

I know nothing else about this set.  Not the year, not where the guy (girl?) is from.  Not the tracks.  Nutin.  But I DO know it’s dope, so enjoy!

Posted by: Matt

I can’t quite remember how I came across Apparat’s music, but damn if it didn’t excite me. He managed to blend glitchy beats, bass, and distorted organic textures so well; it hit just about every button I had. He’s naturally evolved over the years as artists do, but once you are familiar with his sound you know it, particularly the droney washes he loves to drape delicately over everything.

As long as I’ve been aware of him, I’ve never heard of an Apparat DJ set. All his performances are of his own work, either solo or with accompanying musicians. I was fortunate enough to catch him at Conne Island in Leipzig a few years ago with Telefon Tel Aviv, and he spent half the night playing guitar with an organist/vocalist, and the rest rocking harder beats with his laptop and controller.

This live recording here is a little over six years old at this point, and though it doesn’t seem like much, that can equal several lifetimes when it comes to electronic music. It’s certainly a little busy and noisy, but it is pure Apparat. Though he’s refined his compositional practices, his signature elements are all here and can be heard to this day in his tracks (including his collaboration with Modeselektor, Moderat). I love that someone has such an unavoidable fingerprint on their work.

Anyway, it starts out watery and slow but be sure to stick with it! He really goes for the full range here, and it’s a totally worthwhile trip.

Apparat - Live @ Fad, Barcelona (2003)