Watch out for Artificial Latvamäki

This Finnish producer started his career with 'Mänty' on Trapez LTD. Riley Reinhold liked the track so much that he put it on his yearly Triple R presents... compilation. For two minutes it was nicely blended in between Burnski and Oliver Hacke but I didn't pay too much attention to it. Shame on me!

Now Ellen Allien spotted his talent and included 'It is now not either' in her mix-cd for Fabric. 'It is now not either' is one of the stand-out tracks on this cd. It is techno like it should be: Joris Voorn meets Booka Shade, hypnotic drive without having to use trance-strings, old skool feeling while still sounding fresh.
Then I checked his two very very solid tunes on Belgian Curle Records (which is a label from Gent which is building up a nice forward-looking catalogue with artists like Efdemin, Reynold and this Latvamäki). 'Se Tuli Aavikolta' (Curle 004) is also a small masterpiece, building up over 11 minutes and going deep, down and dirty.

His new song "Tämä Tuli Järvestä" is coming out on the new Cocoon compilation. James Holden loves him. I love him. This is one of THE most promising producers around. No reason to not check out his myspace he?

NEWS

I just see that this blog is featured in the promosheets of N.E.W.S. Nice incentive to continue blogging!

Attack of the clones: Stephan Bodzin - Liebe Ist...

This is probably the album that everybody had expected from Nathan Fake and James Holden before everybody noticed that they were actually Boards of Canada fans in disguise. Basically all Bodzin's songs are a blatant ripoff/variation of the James Holden Remix of The sky is pink, which is ehm, a good thing! If every copycat would make his songs as hypnotic as titeltrack 'Liebe Ist..' we wouldn't even need the originals anymore. Great!

Also very very very good 12inches from
- Jesse Somfay - Jewelsweet Groove (STUNNING!! And it comes with a big Kiki remix)
- Jona - Smart Cats vs Dumb Dogs (Belgium conquers Get Physical)
- Gui Gerber - Bellydancer (believe the hype!)

And just heard that Agoria will play back to back with Oxia on Pukkelpop this year. Sounds like proper mayhem to my ears!

Houston we have again a monster! Mathew Jonson remixes Joel Mull

Jonson delivers again an epic monster with his 'Tiger' remix for Joel Mull's 'Begun the End Has'. This tiger eats you alive in 12 minutes time. And before you ask: yes, it is as good as for instance a 'Return of the Zombie Bikers'. And you know what that means...

Max Beckmann - Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam, 6 april - 19 augustus 2007

Ga dat zien! Ga dat zien! Circus Beckman opent zijn deuren...

Ik denk dat Beckman 100 jaar later wel into minimal zou zijn. Een Loco-Dice fan. Misschien wel een Villalosbol. Beckman ontvluchtte in Amsterdam de oorlog door veel naar de schouwburg, het circus en - vooral - naar donkere jazzclubs te gaan. Beckman hield van acrobaten, van mensen die leefden van hun eigen creativiteit, van mensen wiens leven zich afspeelde in de spotlights. Beckman hield van de maskerade van mensen die zich een andere rol aanmeten. Een beetje zoals Beckman zelf...

DIAL Hamburg - Efdemin

I'm quite lucky with being a Hamburg resident now as DIAL seems to go through a creative boost. I could go to Gui Boratto's liveact somewhere else in the city yesterdaynight, but I was hoping I'd be able see him later this year somewhere (10days please!), something which was probably not going to happen with this labelnight in U&G.

Arrived there around 1.30 to see the last half hour of Lawrence. Was not really in the mood for his warm and slow house and was already thinking of going to Boratto, when Pantha Du Prince started his hypnoctic live-act. 'This Bliss' is not a brilliant or surprising record, but it's nonetheless a strong record. Pantha Du Prince proved that by showing the best bits and pieces out of it. Great! Carsten Jost made a very nice Plaid-hommage with the spacey 'Atlantis' 12", and finished the night of with old house. But the highlight of the night was Efdemin, who went for a harder, more minimal set on which I couldn't stop dancing.

With his self-titled debut (check definitely tracks like 'Stately, Yes' or 'Acid bells') Efdemin joins the The Field, Boratto, and Eulberg in making interstellar techno anno 2007. Efdemin is a resident in Panoramamabar in Berlin, but to label him as 'minimal' is way too limited. On 'Efdemin' he goes from minimal to techno to deephouse, but always with the renowned melodic/melancholic DIAL-touch. Efdemin makes basically techno for Twin Peaks. Everything is warm and fluffy on the outside, but inside there's something dirty. Again highly recommended...