I have to say, starting off in 2011 I've never felt so excited about Glasgow producers and local music, there's just so much quality going about from such a broad spectrum of genre's. This week Synth returned to Subcity Radio for our first show of 2011, and hearing these tracks from local producers next to music from around the world just felt really right, this is definitely an exciting time for G-Town!
LOCAL HERO:
So without further a do, this week's Local Hero award goes to Simon Bryan for his new track 'Intersect'. A grooving, minimalistic roller which captivates from the off, this is finely crafted techno for the more sophisticated dancefloors. Revolving around a simple hook, you'll find yourself hypnotised by its quite soothing charms. For more like this check out Simon's show, Beat Beneath on Subcity Radio every Wednesday at 7pm (straight after us actually).
Simon Bryan - Intersect
We continue in the techier corner of the dancefloor next with a new mix from Dersonna on fellow Glasgow producers Worx. As we've come to expect from Dersonna, this is sheer quality Techno designed to get your pulse racing and your body sweating. With driving energy, a menacing bassline and a vocal sample which beckons you deeper into the song's fiery core this will undoubtedly leave you dazed and begging for more. Pick it up 26th of January on Mu.Too Records.
Worx - Funk You (Dersonna Remix)
Ok, I think it's time we put the spotlight on this fantastic and exclusive Donnell Jones edit Slow It Down gave us for their feature earlier this week. Focusing on that utterly smooth and irresistible bassline, we find ourselves engrossed by a groove which has that classic RnB flavour. Only when a beat is so lovingly refined do we recognise its true genius and that's what Slow It Down specialise in.
Donnell Jones - U Know What's Up (Slow It Down Edit) Free Download
Finally, we're loving Mia Dora so much right now we thought we'd feature the other side of that 'Random Romantics' cut that’s going about at the moment, and to be quite honest, its just as big. 'Baby I'm Bored' harmonises a heavily vocodered vocal sample over tribal drums and a deepening bassline, creating a sense of quite dramatic tension throughout. Future Dubstep for an apocalyptic wasteland.
As we know, Glasgow is a truly exceptional party city, every weekend we're spoiled with some of the biggest name's in dance music at some of the best clubs in the world, we're treated to off-the-wall raves in disused warehouses, over-flowing parties in West End flats and we revel in a community which is so tight-knit and welcoming that you ALWAYS find an afterparty. But we perhaps suffer from a hunger to party which can't always be satisfied, so many nights offer that promise of the 'finest Electro, House & Tech' that the sheer volume of such similar propositions mean many usually fall by the wayside in the first few months, unable to compete with the bigger, more established clubs.
It's refreshing then to find a night which offers a cacophony of bass in it's more unrestricted form. Subfriction, launching this Friday at Blackfriar's Basement is bringing you the cheapest, dirtiest skankathon to hit Glasgow's heaving weekends in a long time. Offering up a steaming hot (dub)plate of underground bass and served by some of the most talented local DJ's and producers going, Subfriction is bringing you nothing but the filthiest Garage, Dubstep, Grime & Bashment.
Born out of a love for underground UK Bass and a passion for igniting dancefloor devastation, the Subfriction guys realise that running a club night is now more than just offering the same residents every month so expect a healthy roster of G-Town talent on a monthly basis. This Friday sees the likes of All Caps Radio, Kid Robotik, Sub Terrain and Floyd on the bill, all vying to move your feet and turn up the heat. Check out the Subfriction podcast below, a recent mix and one of our favourite Kid Robotik cuts 'Exit'.
We also recently caught up with Kid Robotik to hear more about the Subfriction launch & their bass-driven motives...
S: Ok, so Subfriction launches this Friday at Blackfriars basement, let’s firstly talk about the concept behind the night. What sort of vibe, music and energy can we expect and what motivated you to start it?
KR: "Basically the idea we had was to put local dj's on with some big names for some exposure. At the moment we're concentrating on pushing the deeper side of dubstep, with a twist of modern garage and general UK Bass music. The night was originally started by a friend of my girlfriend, and I started out as a resident. After the night fell on it's arse I just kinda took the name and ran with it. Since getting my brother Conor involved, the idea of Subfriction has became so much more than it was. He brought in the idea of having all flyers designed by local artists and visuals done by local media students. These ideas are still in work but they are looking like they will be ready to go by the 3rd night."
S: You’ve enlisted a number of talented DJ’s for the launch and there seems to be a prominent theme of low-end distortion & heavy bass! What should we expect from each performer and what do you think they’ll bring to the night?
KR: "Awww man, for the launch we just had to get one of the All Caps boys involved. I've been mates with Matt (Acto) for a while now, we used to make a few tracks together. At the moment the boys are really making moves, so getting him on board was just a must (and his sets are outstanding, blending soo many genres in such a short time). Then we came to Skinny Rufftracks. Every set I've seen the lad play left my jaw tickling my toes. I love his passion when he plays, the way he just throws himself into the music is inspiring, to dj's and the listeners. It's good to see someone so passionate about the revival of smooth basslines and funky breaks. Basically, what you can expect from the launch from these lads is a fusion of old post garage dubstep and some vocal housey grooves."
S: Being a Dubstep producer yourself, what do you think about the current scene in Glasgow? Do you feel it’s represented well or do you feel it’s still to really announce itself on the club circuit?
KR: "There's not really a scene at all in Glasgow to be honest, its pretty dry. Well, I play more Jump Up dubstep and it seems all the Dubstep heads in Glasgow are too "old school" to pay attention to it. I was a drum n bass kid so i go for harder drums and bigger basslines. The scene in Edinburgh is big at the moment, and i think its brilliant, but its long overdue in Glasgow. I'm sick of techno, house, techno, house, techno, house everywhere i go, i think its about time people put all those pills there dropping to good use and burn off that energy throwing your arms and legs about to some fat subs!"
S: Your own productions have been garnering some quite positive attention recently, for people that might not have heard yet how would you describe your sound and what do you have planned for 2011?
KR: "My sound? It's like the product of too much weed, too much time, and not enough samples to keep making hip hop haha. I like to bass my tunes around sub and repetitive drum loops and synth lines. Lately I've been moving in some new directions, into a more garagey zone really. BUT, I've been making some shit I've been keeping quiet but seeing as its Synth I'll spill the beans. In 2011 expect to hear Kid Robotik push out some Electro, Drum n Bass and Uk Funky as well as the usual heavy dubstep and deep garage. Also look out for my first release on Massive Music in a month or two!!"
S: Finally, what would you describe as your ultimate vision for Subfriction? I know it’s early days but do you see yourself being a dedicated supporter of local talent or making some outside bookings over the coming months?
KR: To be honest i think we may have already planned the ultimate vision, all we need is the funds. So if you tell a friend to tell a friend to tell a friend to come to Subfriction, buy some cd's and t - shirts, you might just see two big names in the dubstep scene at the moment on the same stage, first time in Glasgow for both of them ;) I wont name drop but all i can say is, it's gonna be big.
There waiting on the money, we're waiting on you ;)
WHAT: Subfriction Launch Party WHO: Kid Robotik, Acto (All Caps), Rufftrax (Subterrain), Floyd (Bangers & Mash Up) WHERE: Blackfriar's Basement, 36 Bell St, Merchant City WHEN: 11-3am // Fri 14th January TAX: £4 VISUALS: Diana Edwards FACEBOOK EVENT: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=148531198529527
Not satisfied with having arguably the album of 2010, Kanye West has joined forces with Jay Z to create a new project for 2011 and an album called 'Watch The Throne'. The first offering is a street single called H.A.M.(Hard As A Mother F****r apparently), and with two giant egos going full throttle on one track, it was of course bound to be full of fire.
Produced by Lex Luger, the song begins with menacing synths before a bouncing 808 drops hard with an apocalyptic choir. The beat may be meaty but lyrically I find this really quite uninspiring. Essentially we find the two rappers boasting rather predictibly about clout, girls & money, which let's face it we've all heard before. If two Hip Hop heavyweights are going in on one track I'd prefer to hear something constructive rather then childish postering. Anyway, that's just my opinion...please feel free to tell us yours. Check out the track below, but be aware that it contains very strong language.
'Watch The Throne' is scheduled for release on March 1st
Who: Jamie Gardiner & Ralph Thomson Sounds: Mid-tempo Funk, sublime Disco & grooving Hip Hop
So, in the first of our new features for 2011, we're going to be shining the spotlight one particular Glasgow artist, producer or visionary who we feel deserves some extra coverage due to their inexplicable talents. And what better way to begin then with masters of the bomfunk re-edit, Slow It Down...
Born out of a love for pioneering Hip Hop breaks, irresistible 80's grooves and searing Soul samples, the production duo of Jamie Gardiner and Ralph Thompson have been claiming a lot of attention recently. With thousands of plays a week on Soundcloud, mixes comissioned by Radio Magnetic and more blog love than we care to mention things look set to get quite hectic in 2011. Taking classic tracks from by-gone eras, stripping them back and re-building them as the embodiment of turbo-funk is how we like to describe Slow It Down, but what makes their tracks so damn popular?
For us it's their ability to source out forgotten gems, the record collecting dust in the corner, the songs you know, but never really took the time to love. It's these perhaps overlooked classics which Slow It Down really make their own. Forgive this 23year old writer for never having heard early 80's Soul-funkers 'Change', but after hearing Slow It Down consolidate the groove on 'Change Of Heart' - one of the first edits they sent us - they never sounded so relevant. With Disco reaching new heights of popularity with the likes of Azari & III, Tensnake & Aeroplane reclaiming BPM's in the low 100's it's not surprising that these classic records that Slow It Down have so masterfully reincarnated are now gracing the cooler dancefloors of our fair city, not to mention claiming attention from the likes of Q Burns, Sleazy McQueen and Social Disco Club.
Check out a few of our favourite edits below as well as their recent mix for Radio Magnetic:
We recently caught up with Jamie, one half of Slow It Down to discover more about the origins of the project and where they plan on taking it. He also dropped us a little present in the form of an exclusive free download of their latest edit which you can find after the jump....
S: Ok, so let’s start with how this project began, what initially inspired you to start creating these incredible re-rubs and edits? Was there a particular tune or era of music which really got you excited?
J: "I grew up listening to black music, in particular hip-hop and always admired the way guys like DJ Premier, Pete Rock and Just Blaze took snippets of obscure funk and soul tracks and made it into something fresh and exciting.
My idea to start producing was to really showcase a lot of the 'breaks' that these guys used and incorporate into my own productions.
I went to Croatia's amazing Garden Festival this Summer and was blown away by the sounds I heard; really soulful edits but with that modern edge and I started to put together edits pretty much as soon as I got home.
I've dabbled with the the Tech House sound and landed some pretty decent gigs out of it but it lacks the soul and that good feeling that the oldies do, so the 60's to 80's soul and funk era inspires me for sure."
S: What would you describe as the concept behind Slow It Down, the majority of your tracks are edits of classic soul, funk & disco, but with the production skills you have are you not interested in producing your own material?
J: "Slow It Down is myself and Ralph wanting to drop the tempo and get away from that 126-128 techy sound that's dominating Glasgow at the moment and make our on mark on the local scene and hopefully beyond.
We do have plans to produce our own tracks from scratch but I have an incredibly short attention span and the idea of starting with a kick and snare bores me to tears.
We want to wait until our production skills are to a level where we are confident that we can approach labels knowing that they stand up to what else is out there."
S: Production wise, what set up are using to create your edits and could you give us a brief insight to how you approach a song and some of the process you might go through to create the final cut?
J: "I spend maybe 6-8 hours of digging for each track before I decide to use it, I only want to mess with an old track that I'm sure no-one else has edited and put my own stamp on it - there's 40+ years of classic tracks out there so I don't see the point in rehashing what's already been done.
We start off using Audacity which is a free audio recorder that I record my dj sets into, drop the full track in there, and chop it into as many as 30 loops, and pick the best dozen or so that we want to use.
From there we warp my loops in Ableton and arrange the warped pieces in Logic Pro, EQ'ing and smoothing out the sound as we go along before bouncing down to the finished track.
A lot of people add heavy delays, reverbs and filters but we want to maintain the integrity of the original where possible.
I hate Ableton for anything other that warping, the layout is backwards to me, although loads swear by it."
S: You also started a club night last summer called Slow It Down. With your own edits gaining wider recognition, do you intend on developing the night further in 2011?
J: "Yeah we have plans to host a handful of off the radar free parties in Glasgow and beyond this year. We're enjoying having the time to get into the edits at the moment - but we will get some parties arranged for the not too distant future."
S: Finally, is there one edit you’ve produced which you are particularly proud of and who do you site as your current musical influences, is there anyone we should keep an eye on?
J: "We like them all for different reasons but the Orlando Johnson one was the first to really get attention from guys who we look up to on the scene like Q Burns, Sleazy McQueen, Social Disco Club, Bicep, Rayko and closer to home Solardisco, One More Tune and Thunder Disco Club.
People from all over the world are playing the track out and it makes the hours spent in front of my Mac worth it!
We're working on an edit at the moment that's going to be exclusive to the Thunder Disco blog that I think is the best yet, It has that Italo sound with a bassline that will rattle your teeth out, I think it will really work on the dancefloor.
I would definitely be looking out for Fantastic Man (Wolf Music) who I think will be huge this year, his 'Look This Way' track with the Erkah Badu sample is a breath of fresh air on the house scene, also Brightons BlackLodge, who as well as incredible edits has some great slo mo house tracks and remixes that are getting better with every release.
My friend Dean Smith who plays a big part in the Croatian festival scene is also knocking out some really respectful edits and original tracks which are coming out in the Summer, plus guys like Ooft! and Craig Smith continue to put out amazing tracks and I'm sure they will keep raising the bar in 2011."
So, now your on a first name basis with Slow It Down, how about a slice of their sexiest, slimline edit yet? Exclusive to Synth, here is their take on 90's RnB classic 'U Know What's Up' by Donnell Jones. Oh baby...
So, I just realised we never actually wished you all a happy New Year last week, it was straight in on Jan 3rd with talk of all day boozing down Bar Petite. Well, let me take this opportunity to wish you all the best for 2011 and beyond....
If you are new to the blog, then welcome, thanks for checking us out! Our main objective here is to round up all the best Glasgow has to offer, from locally produced beats to interviews with some of the hottest promoters and finest DJ's, we firmly believe Glasgow is one of the best party cities in the world.
However, we do enjoy sourcing out super-fresh music from around the world and that's what our weekly Blog Burner title is for - the hottest track to hit the blogs over the last seven days. Do read on....
BLOG BURNER:
This week's Blog Burner literally dropped in three hours ago and already it has us hooked. The majority of you will already be aware that super-producing duo Aeroplane split last summer and now the two are chasing separate dreams. Stephen Fusano aka The Magician has perhaps been the quietest of the two but every so often he pops up with a killer remix. Debuted last week on Jaymo and Andy George's In New DJ's We Trust show this piano driven take on Lykki Li's new single is nothing short of glorious. Let the sun shine!
Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers (The Magician's 'Epic Piano' Remix)
Next up, more an ode to a producer than an accolade to a particular song. We all knew Jamie XX had something special after his quite pivotal remix of Florence & The Machine, but not until recently have we come to recognise him as a singular artist regardless of his XX connections. After stunning remixes for Gil Scott Heron & Glasser, plus headline appearances at such influential night's such as Glasgow's very own Numbers, you get the feeling Jamie XX is destined for something great. He dropped his two most recent mixes last week, check them both here:
FaltyDL - Hip Love (Jamie XX Remix)
Adele - Rolling In The Deep (Jamie XX Shuffle)
If you didn't know already, The Streets are back, their last album 'Computers & Blues' is scheduled for release at the start of February and the first single 'Going Through Hell' is due for release the week before. With a remix package that includes Diplo & TMV Vs Dot Rotten, it's Lil Silva that provides the killer cut with a jittery re-rub of rolling sub-bass and imposing synths.
The Streets - Going Through Hell (Lil Silva Remix)
And here's a cheeky download for you, French electro upstart Para One has provided a dancefloor grinding mix of the new Depressed Button's single 'Ow!'. Completely deranged in it's original form, Para has taken the bouncy madness of the original, stripped it back and added a freaky naughty bassline for the those in need of some extra punch. Pick up a copy on the Mad Decent Soundcloud now - follow ze link.
Damn, time to lift the mood a little I think. Chromeo's super-slim, sexy, new single 'Hot Mess' is scheduled for an imminent release and Duck Sauce have provided the peak time remix to take it deeper into the night. It's by no means ground-breaking by their standards but will certainly get the girls moving with Elly Jackson of La Roux on vocal arrangements. Guess it pays to have A Trak as your little brother sometimes....
Based in Glasgow, Synth is a hub for one of Britain’s most thriving clubbing communities. We pride ourselves on getting in on the ground level, whether it’s reporting on an incredible party in an abandoned warehouse, putting the spotlight on an up and coming local producer or bringing you interviews with some of the key players on the scene, Synth is your guide to one of the best party city's in Europe.
Glasgow producers, promoters and DJ's: We want to hear from you! If you've got a hot new track that needs to be heard, a brand new mix which you think should be featured or a big club night coming up that you want listed or reviewed hit us up on info@synthglasgow.com and we will get back to you. We're also currently looking for writers to contribute to the Synth blog. We have a lot of guest list opportunities for exciting new clubs and established nights. We need people to go and review them, so if your interested please get in touch on the above email address. All audio featured on this blog is for promotional purposes only, if you want a song removed please contact us on the above email address and we will remove it immediatly.
