Friday the 28th January was an ostentatious occasion- Tronic reached the ripe old age of 5 and celebrated at the 13th Note with sets from some of their favourite underground live electronic acts of the moment. The sagacious folks who turned up en-masse to join in the party were not to be disappointed- Tronic's birthday was a night to remember...
Kicking off the night was KVETCH - side project of Sean Gillespie from Integra TV, setting the tone of the night masterfully with soulful, symphonic glitchy electronica. It was the first full outing for Kvetch and the feedback afterwards was very positive...looking forward to hearing more from this fella!
Next up was the tenacious MEGAMEGAMAN. Megamegaman has been making an illustrious name for himself on the Glasgow electro scene for some time, and is also responsible for the Heartbeats Collective: a group of some of Glasgow's finest up and coming producing talent who release compilations of exclusve material on a regular basis. His wobbly chiptune-inspired tunes and thumping basslines got the crowd moving-and- a'grooving and the party in full swing. It was undeniably Megamega.
Rounding off the night was Edinburgh-based CAPITALS - a new project from Araya (Benbecula Records) and lead singer of Cinematics, Angus Carbarns. Their melodic indie/electro sounds brought a pleasant diversity to the night and many of the crowd were clearly already fans. Expect big things in 2011.
Making the music come alive were the visuals from Thesareid and Hurden Huskett- who really deserve a mention, helping to create an incredible atmosphere. During it's five years Tronic has showcased artists from across Scotland and it's birthday party was testament to it's ability to bring the finest new talent in Scottish music to our fortunate eyes and ears. Happy birthday Tronic, may there be many more to follow!
Check out the Tronic podcast with live recordings of the night HERE
And a video of the night here:
Words & video: Rachel Carpenter Photos: Nicola Scholz (Contact her through the gallery link on the Tronic website)
Mega disco pals, Mighty Mouse are back with a new mixtape for 2011, and the first in a series of 'Mousecast's' you can expect from the guys this year. We already reported on their fantastic concept album late last year, the incredible 'Song With No Word' and we're now salivating all over the floor at the prospect of new material in the pipeline.
As we've come to expect from Mighty Mouse, the 'Future Music Festival' is more a journey through sound then a quickfire combination of highs and lows. Starting at 100BPM and ending at 130, you get a real sense of their intuitive love for quite deep & involving soundscapes, as well as the more breezy numbers from the likes of Beth Ditto. Where the talent lies, is in their ability to make 15 songs come together as one, (and this was also prevalent in 'Song With No Word') making it easy to get lost in an hour of soothing, moving & eccentric sounds. Download the mix below as well as two unofficial re-edits of Abba & Books for free.
Finally, if your going to be in London this weekend, make sure you head down to the Jazz Cafe where Mighty Mouse & Sunday Best will be hosting some turbo-talented acts including Herve (Ableton Live set), David E Sugar, Sound Of Rum and of course Mighty Mouse themselves with a DJ & live set.
Always nice to wake up on a Thursday morning to some super-chilled reggae vibes, and when its mixed by one of Glasgow's premier dub technicians, Bungo (of Chungo-Bungo) you know it's only going to involve the finest cuts. 'The Sub Goes Woof' takes in everything from lo-fi Dubstep (Mia Dora's sun-stroked take on Megamegaman) to next level Grime from Kozzie and future riddims from the Purple City don, Joker.
Quite cleverly (or coincidentally), it actually soundtracks our working day, from relaxed early morning vibes, through hectic mid-morning catch-ups, to the brief respite of lunchtime and the gentle optimism of home time approaching (Not that our day is that frantic, we just sit and listen to music).
Pick up 'The Sub Goes Woof' below as a free download and catch Bungo tonight at the return of Cheap N Nasty in Nice N Sleazy's basement. You can also hear him every Wednesday morning on Subcity Radio from 1-2am...check out his flex HERE.
1.Jah Come To I - Mungo's Hi Fi (Scotch Bonnet) 2.Tywyllfyd (Mia Dora Remix) - Megamegaman (Unreleased) 3.Temperature - Sean Paul (Atlantic) 4.Roll That Shit - Soom T & Disrupt (Jahtari) 5.Who Are Ya Remix (Instrumental) - S-X (White Label) 6.Destruction (Spartan Riddim) - Kozzie (Pitch Controller) 7.Ganja (ft. Flowdan) - Killa P (Self Released Bootleg) 8.Babylon - Mungo's Hi Fi (Scotch Bonnet) 9.Snake Eater - Joker (Soul Motive) 10.Next Hype (Acapella) - Tempa T (Slew Dem) 11.Fine Day (Remix) - Taz Buckfaster (White Label) 12.Purple City - Joker & Ginz (Kapsize) 13.Cruel Intentions (Joker Remix) - Simian Mobile Disco (Wichita) 14.I Need Weed - Soom T & Disrupt (Jahtari)
A bit of a tease here which we apologise for, but we reckoned you'd thank us for the heads up. Let's face facts, Ed Banger is the coolest label in the world, so when two of the label's smoothest hip-cats put a mixtape together, they're going to call in some favours. Entitled 'Let The Children Techno', this new mix scheduled for release on Feb 21st (14th digitally), features brand spanking new music & mixes from the likes of L-Vis 1990, Skream, Riton, Flying Lotus & SebAstian, which in itself should get you perspiring with excitement. Check out the tracklisting & a sneaky sample of Busy P's new track featured on the mix:
Tracklisting:
1. MR OIZO 'Let The Children Techno' 2. BUSY P 'Procrastinator' 3. DUKE DUMONT 'Hipgnosis' 4. SIRIUSMO 'Idiot' 5. PARA ONE&TACTEEL 'Infinity Riser' 6. BREAKBOT 'Shades Of Black' 7. SEBASTIAN 'Enio' 8. MATTIE SAFFER 'Is That Your Girl?' 9. GESAFFELSTEIN 'The Voice' 10. CASSIUS 'Shark Simple' L-VIS 1990 Remix 11. DJEDJOTRONIC 'The Invisible Landscape' 12. DISCODEINE 'Grace' 13. FEADZ 'Far From Home' 14. BRODINSKI & TONY SENGHORE 'Anagogue' 15. BOBMO 'Control' 16. ZOMBIE NATION 'Relax' 17. RITON 'One Night Stand' 18. SKREAM 'Boat Party' 19. DJ MEHDI 'TragicoMehdi' 20. FLYING LOTUS 'Caravan Of Delight'
Also, remember one of our favourite tunes from last year, 'I <3 U SO' by French Touch legends Cassius get's a re-release on Valentine's day. New mixes come from Skream, L-Vis 1990, Gesaffelstein, Neon Dreams & Bowski, which just sounds like a dream package to us. Check out the radio edit of the Skream mix below:
Sounds: Progressive House driven by solid basslines & big breakdowns
It can literally happen overnight. In 2011 it has never been easier to start producing your own music, the need to access a professional studio with banks of the latest equipment is no longer there, all you need is the drive to succeed and an unwavering belief in your music. 21 year old Daniel Donnelly embodies that sentiment. Having only started producing music a matter of months ago he's now looking at the imminent release of his debut EP, 'Playing Serious', two massive tracks set to provide those dancefloor moments which we instinctively crave and already supported by the likes of Paul Taylor, Steve Murrell and Funkagenda no less.
Armed with a copy of Ableton Live and the patience to sit through hundreds of online tutorials he quickly developed a sound which is far beyond what his limited experience would suggest: a subtle euphoria, underpinned by driving basslines and a solid tech-house foundation. Siting the Toolroom fraternity as his main influences his latest tracks certainly wouldn't go a-miss in a set from Mark Knight or Michael Woods, bringing together those big, hands-in-the-air moments with searing basslines and driving energy.
The first track to be picked up, 'Sias' - a 6 minute monster which would feel right at home on the terrace at Amnesia - was incorporated with Miami House Muzik's most recent compilation and we ourselves quickly jumped on it after initially hearing it on Soundcloud. With His debut EP lined up for release next week on 'Muchiq Records', and numerous other tracks already appearing on Soundcloud, we can see it's only a matter of time before Daniel makes it big, some would argue he's already there...
Check out some of his tracks below as well as an interview with the man himself:
S: So let’s firstly talk about what inspired you to start producing and what originally sparked your love of dance music. Can you tell us who influenced you and what pushed you to take your passion for music further?
DD: I guess I’ve loved all genres of music all my life. I started producing my own music when I heard about Ableton Live. It’s an outstanding piece of software that enables you to do pretty much anything with music. I managed to get myself a copy of Live and just started messing about with it. It’s frustrating at first but from watching countless videos, reading tutorials and basic trial and error, I managed to get the hang of it. The first tracks I made were terrible to say the least but you get excited that you’ve produced your own music so you keep at it until I started to produce a more professional sound. Recently I’ve really started to love the sounds of Toolroom Records (Mark Knight, D.Ramirez, Chris Lake, Funkagenda, Kim Fai etc) I guess my current sound relates to listening to these big artists and trying to create something similar.
S: Your sound lies primarily in Progressive House, echoing such artists as mentioned above. What is it about this style which captures your imagination and are there any other genres which you’d like to experiment with?
DD: Like I’ve said before, my music taste covers all genres but when it comes to production I love progressive house. I love how each track has a melodic element along with a driving sound that can really have a massive impact on dance floors. I don’t want to limit myself to producing only progressive house therefore I’m currently listening to a lot of Tech House and trying to find my feet in the production of that style. In essence producing Tech House is pretty simple; groovy percussion and a good bass-line. But I’m sure over time I’ll get the hang of it.
S: Having only been producing for a few months your track ‘Sias’ was picked up by Miami House Muzik for a compilation last year. How did it feel to be recognised so early and how did the release actually come about?
DD: It was quite a shock to be honest! I had only been messing about with Live for a few months and found this chord progression that sounded pretty nice. I created the sound on a plug-in called Z3ta, and the track basically fell together for me. It was a great feeling to get that first release under my belt and it gave me the confidence that I could produce music people would want to listen to.
S: Production wise, could you give us an idea of how you go about making your tracks and talk us through some of the software and processes that help to create your current sound?
DD: In terms of the actual sound/style of the track, it all depends on my mood that day. Some days I can start and have most of the track done in 4 or 5 hours, other days it will take some time to get going. Starting a track is always the exciting bit for me, others may find it boring but I like to lay down a basic beat with a kick, snare and some hi-hats for about 8 bars. This way you’ve already created a groove to work with. Then I will think about a bass-line. For Bass, I usually use a plug-in called Sylenth. It’s a great synth and usually helps me create the sound I’m after. Next, I’ll start adding in the Stabs, Pads and other synth sounds. These sounds again, usually come from Sylenth or FabFilter Twin 2. When I’ve got the sound I’m after I then move onto the arrangement stage which is basically about listening to your track over and over and making it Dj friendly. And that’s it!
S: You recently played at a night called Jilted at the Soundhaus in Glasgow, but do you ever find it difficult to pick up DJ gigs when your tracks harness such a big-room sound?
DD: Definitely! Up until now I’ve not really been pushing for a lot of gigs, mainly due to the fact I’m focusing on my own productions. Like you said, my tracks harness a big-room sound and therefore can only really be played in big nightclubs. When I start finding my feet more in tech house production, I’ll then try and find myself some gigs in local bars and smaller clubs.
S: Finally, how do you plan on taking your production further in 2011? Things are obviously moving quickly for you at the moment but do you have an ultimate goal that you’d like to reach?
Late 2010 was a great time for me. Everything moved so fast. I’m really excited about 2011. My first release of the year is out on Feb 8th on Muchiq Records. It’s my own EP titled ‘Playing Serious’ and features two tracks, ‘Playing Serious’ and ‘Ljus’. The EP has had great feedback so far and just last week I received a message to say that Funkagenda, Paul Taylor and Steve Murrell plus many more, were all supporting the EP already. This of course is massive for both Muchiq Records and myself. It’s released on all major download sites so I recommend everyone get themselves a copy when it’s released!
;-)
As far as the rest of 2011, I’ve got another couple of tracks lined up to be signed at the moment, ‘Until Daylight’ being one of them and I have also started collaboration with Lee Sanderson who also has an EP out on Muchiq Records called the ‘Deep Water EP’. Lee creates some big sounding Tech House so that’s one to keep an eye out in the next few months. To finish off the question, my ultimate goal would be producing music professionally but for now I aim to keep producing quality tracks that will continue to be recognised by the big names in the industry and hopefully that will lead somewhere.
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.
