When you listen to an original track, a remix, or a DJ compilation by UK artist Paul Woolford, it is crystal clear this guy knows the history of electronic music. He has excelled in all three of these playing fields, releasing on labels that span the gamut from 20/20 Vision, Dirtybird, Junior Boys Own, and now Scuba’s Hessle Audio. The sound of Detroit techno tends to be Woolford’s starting position, and from there he draws influence from different time periods and different countries in his original work. Recent efforts have witnessed Woolford branching out to remix the work UK funky and post-dubstep artists including T Williams and Appleblim, as well as collaborating with the likes of Jamie Lidell, The Juan Maclean, and DJ Hell. The guy has quite the busy schedule and his tours are often brief, but Boston is in luck tonight as he will be making an appearance at Re:Set (Phoenix Landing, 512 Mass Ave).
I am particularly a fan of Woolford’s FACT mix he released for the magazine earlier this year. It is very heavily influenced by Carl Craig’s signature, Detroit-infused sound, a natural product of them finishing a tour together at the time.
Red Door and Rise resident Patrick Barry is opening as well. Facebook event invite - Get there early to avoid line! $10 before 11, $15 after. 19+
Troxler needs no introduction; over the past few years this guy has ranked very high in almost every DJ poll. The most recent of which was for Resident Advisor, where he clocked in at #2. Not a small feat in and of itself. Often known for his hypnotic and extended sets where he digs deep into both the present and past of house and techno, he is often credited for being a DJ’s DJ. Not even sure when the last time he played Boston was; I have a good feeling this might be his FIRST appearance here. Either way, WeNo is really starting to set the standard for bringing house and techno artists to the area; they’ve had some great headliners on a bi-weekly basis these past few months.
No introduction necessary. If you like ANY kind of house music, just go. Howells will be commanding the decks the entire night at RISE (306 Stuart St, Boston).
Not only is RISE Howell’s favorite place to play in Boston, but is also the only club that is open to his multi-hour set format (which needs to be heard from start to finish to be appreciated). From 1am to 7am Howell’s music will be heard on both floors, and anyone who expects to be taken on a musical “journey” will not be disappointed. The last time I saw Howells was in early 2010, his set easily making it into the top five I was lucky enough to be present for that year. Tonight will be no different for me personally.
The WeNo guys have been on a bit of a roll lately, holding the responsibility for bringing a tasteful and well-refined selection of tech house and minimal producers to Boston over the past two months. They’re not slowing down either; after a great turnout last week with Martin Buttrich at 131 Broad St., they turn their attention towards Felt (533 Washington St, Downtown Crossing) this week with Nic Fanciulli in tow. Co-sponsored with BonTon Productions, this is going to be another great event.
Fanciulli comes from the “quality over quantity” fraternity, generating just a few records each year, but every single one being a game changer. He is particularly renowned his collaborations, the most recent of which have included Loco Dice, Josh Wink, Stacey Pullen, Gary Beck and U.N.K.L.E. “Hear Me Out” with Beck has been hammered by DJ’s worldwide for months now, as has his track “Together”, with Joris Voorn. Soundcloud embeds of these below.
PLEASE NOTE: You need to RSVP on the Facebook event invite in order to get in! There are no pre-sale tickets either, only at the door ($20 with RSVP before midnight). Get your RSVP on now, and be sure to get there early to check out local tastemakers Sergio Santos and Tamer Malki, two of the people behind making these nights possible.
The CreateSpace Collab return with their monthly Saturday schindig at the Goodlife. They are continuing to think outside the box when it comes down to the headliners they are booking, opting for either cutting edge performers you’ll be raving about ten months from now, or long-standing legends who have been overlooked by other promoters. Following in the footsteps of Doc Martin, DJ Funk, and J.Philip comes Joey Beltram.
I get a LOT of promo material stating how “artist x” or “producer y” is a “Legend”. Although each case is subjective, I think most of us can agree universally that Beltram is the real deal. Originally hailing from Queens, “Energy Flash” was one of the first tracks penned by an American producer to get massive exposure in the rapidly developing rave scene in Europe and the UK in 1990. Top shelf techno labels such as R&S Records, Warp, and Tresor supported his work in the form of nonstop releases from the man throughout the entire decade that followed.
Although abrasive techno was Beltram’s forte, he also managed to stay relevant as the popular sound shifted towards disco and tech-house around the turn of the century. Followed by the minimal aesthetic over the past decade. But without sacrificing the energy and tension for which his tracks are revered.
Joey Beltram has never played anywhere in New England since I moved here in 2004. This show was a long time in the making, and once again there should be plenty of old school heads coming out of the woodwork for it.
Who else is on tap to play Goodlife (28 Kingston St, Boston) tonight? Why, none other than CSC founder Matt McNeill, and Banana Peel co-hort Mzungu. Also on tap is Johanns G. All three play quality house and techno, and two of them have recorded mixes for the BBD podcast series, which you can check out by clicking on the links to their names.
Should be a good night! 9:30pm- 2am $5 before 11, $10 after, 21+
Jesse Rose is one of the hardest working names in house. For the past five years, this guy has been putting out releases on a huge array of well-known labels, from Dirtybird to Get Physical, by way of Man Recordings, Freerange, and Made To Play. Jesse’s output is about as varied as the imprints that distribute his music to the masses, tied together with one common thread: his love of vintage house and techno.
Although he resides in Berlin, Jesse constantly tours the world. Luckily for us, he has time for Boston. He’ll be passing through this coming Saturday at RISE (36 Stuart St). You can expect to hear a great deal of tunes form his “Made 4 The Night” compilation, a collection of originals, remixes, and edits Jesse has engineered over the years. Remix work for Armand Van Helden, Claude Von Stroke, and Hot Chip, along with a Pete Tong Essential Mix several years ago, also make good small talk for his resume.
I actually had a chance to get a quick Q&A in with Jesse over email to help promo the night at RISE. Here’s what he had to say in regards to how he produces, what influences him, and some more tidbits!
Nick: I notice you’ve been collabing with a lot of other producers as of recent (i.e. Riva Starr, Round Table Nights, Cats-N-Dogz, etc.) Do you work with these guys remotely, where you kick stems and project files back and forth online, or do you work with them in person?
Jesse: I guess every collaboration is different, with Riva he sent me some stuff and I finished the track. With Henrik Schwarz for our Black Rose project we normally always work in the studio together, as it’s all about vibes. with Hot Chip it changes every time. Every person or group you work with is different, the most important thing on collaborating is that you respect the people you’re working with, otherwise it will never work.
Nick: There definitely seems to be a consistency in your work that nods back to both Chicago and Detroit, circa 1980-85. The first track of yours I heard was in 2006, a tune you did with Jimpster on Freerange called “Now I’m Ready”. Would you say that your sound and influences have changed a lot since then?
Jesse: Nope, I started djing in the days of Detroit techno, Chicago & New York house but have always been influenced by everything going on outside of house especially new styles that come up from London like grime, 2-step, drum & bass; these were the sounds I grew up on.
Nick: I know you’ve been producing for a long time. Any advice you would like to give to someone who is just getting started, and wants to do this for a living?
Jesse: Get ready for a long ride, it was nearly ten years after I started djing that I started touring the world. Then when I thought it would be less work it became lots more, but if you love what you do it all seems to make sense. Right now it seems like the best thing to do as a new artist is to release an album on the Internet for free. Make you’re own YouTube videos and get a following, then people will come to you and life should be easier.
Nick: What city have you not visited /performed in yet that is at the top of your bucket list?
Jesse: Hmmmm that’s a hard one. I still haven’t been to Iceland and I always wanted to go there. Also, somewhere like Peru, which I heard is great.
Nick: Do you have any upcoming projects in the cooker you’re able to tell us about?
Jesse: There always seems to be like 20 things going on. Right now I’m getting ready to release the first “Made For The Night” compilation via our new label. It should be released in the states late October and am currently touring a lot for that. I just remixed Metronomy and am hopefully gonna be finished on my next solo album very soon, am excited about that. Also look out for a free remix of “Well Now 2.0” which I’m about to chuck onto the Internet.
Time flies when you’re having fun, and of course this means when you’re at a CreateSpaceCollab party, every minute passes by at hyperspeed. It’s hard to believe they’re already hitting their one-year milestone, but they are, and celebratory events will be taking place tomorrow to bookmark it.
Not only is the Anniversary party happening at a new spot (The North Star, 222 Friend St. in Boston), but they don’t even need to have the words “VIRGIN VENUE” slathered all across their flyers to help sell the event. Many of their local events do well on the CSC name alone, even if there aren’t any A-list headliners involved! The North Star is basically what you would imagine if Landsdowne Street had to downsize and Jillians and the House of Blues were consolidated and made a quarter of the size. Part arcade, part dance club. Add some more games from the CSC team: if you haven’t smashed a pinata in awhile, well by golly you’re in luck.
May I also point out that people who show up early (between 8-10pm) get bonus points in the form of FREE CHAMPAGNE. There are also going to be raffles, door prizes (i.e. free tickets to next month’s identity festival), and other assortments of goodies.
Mr. McNeil, Baltimoroder, Fens, Dr. Jeep, Lacey, Santiago Caballero, Alfredo, and myself will be on the decks!
North Star, 222 Friend St., Boston MA, 8pm-2am, Free before 10pm, $5 after, 21+ | facebook event invite
There’s never a shortage of anything dance music-related happening on Thursdays in and around the Cambridge area. Conveniently nestled in the heart of Harvard Square, OM lounge now provides house music afficiandos another stop on their pre-weekend pub crawl. It doesn’t have a name, but it doesn’t need one either really.
Veteran house DJ’s Jeff Curtis and Andy Savage (both of whom I’ve known for many years) have launched a Thursday night weekly over at OM. If you fear that the flyer suggests they’ll be playing Lady Gaga or Ke$ha remixes all night, don’t worry, they won’t. Nothing but quality house; in fact the library of both of these guys ranges from deep to techy to progressive, maybe even a little techno or trance for the hell of it. Refer to recent Soundcloud mix below.
We’re super excited to announce our newest night life venture at Good Life!!!
Both purveyors of fresh and cutting edge electronic music in Boston, veteran events collective Basstown is pairing with the up-and-coming electronic arts community ElecSonic for one hell of a party!
ElecSonic & Basstown are proud to present: Phase Efficiency. Two floors of live audio/visual performers and DJs including:
Upstairs, live electronics.
9:30- 10:15 Luke Nukem | 10:15-11:00 Sigi Mueller | 11:00-11:45 Tylor 11:45- 12:15 The Veldt | 12:15-1:00 Fat Camp | 1:00-1:45 Luke Nukem
Downstairs, DJ’s. (In order of appearance).
9:30-10:30 Lu Saldarriaga | 10:30-11:30 Coral Cola | 11:30-12:30 Balian | 12:30-1:45 Volvox
Our goal is to provide the dance floor with a variety of audible treats and offer live electronic musicians and artists a place to share their creations.
So join us on the dancefloor Friday July 1st!
Good Life 28 Kingston Street Boston MA 02111 21 plus / $5
I hear there’s some hockey game or something happening tonight, but if that’s not really your thing, there’s some festivities happening at Goodlife. Or, if it is, then bonus, you can watch the Bruins win the Stanley Cup on the flatscreens upstairs in the lounge. Info below:
District Eighteen Techno Dancing Head banging Be there
UMEK is a music making machine. He has around a decade and a half of experience under his belt, creating everything from edgey, abrasive techno to sleek and sterile minimal grooves. There are easily a hundred 12” singles in his back catalogue, and probably just as many remixes on top of that. With this frequency and experience, there’s no surprise that his name is a frequent on the Beatport charts. Despite how quickly those change, UMEK always manages to outdo himself, replacing last weeks content with something brand new about as fast as a printed newspaper.
Needless to say, it’s an honor to have him make his Boston debut. And not only that, but he will be alongside Terry Mullan (who is also a headliner status producer/DJ from Chi-town) and the Funky Splunkers (Jordan Jaser Kane & Randall) in the lounge.
And thanks to our friends at Rise, I have one ticket to give away! Same drill as all our other contests on here. Leave your name and email address in the comments section to this post. At Friday 9am sharp, I draw the lucky winner, so you have 48 hours to tag this post. Good luck to all who enter.
Rise: 300 Stuart St, Boston Sunday, May 29 (1am-6am) Price: $10 members, $20 guests, $15 w/college ID
Wow, what a week it’s been. I’d say the second TOGETHER festival was beyond a success. Surprisingly enough, even after having been out partying for about 12 nights in a row (something I haven’t attempted since college), I feel more inpired to take all of my creative and artistic endaevors to higher levels after being a part of the team! A lot of people I was lucky enough to work with seem to agree; not to mention that burn-out across the board for all of the promoters, DJ’s, and street team who worked tirelessly to make this past week a success appears to be minimal.
I’m honestly glad I was able to attend the number of events I did, especially the daytime workshops. Going to a wide array of events really proved how broad the spectrum of music TOGETHER helped promote this year. It was definitely more than just an “Electronic Music Festival”, despite it still being an integral pivot point.
Mad props definitely out to Cole Goughary, Joe Grafton, Alex Maniatis, David Day, Mike McKay, Koren Bernardi, Logan Hudson, Jacki Morisi, Ari Paoletti, Jamie Michalski, Dan Hogan, Gareth Middlebrook, Sean Conte, Dan Murphy, ALL of the promoters and performers, and anyone else I may have missed (I’m sure there’s at least one)
I’ll soon return back to my regularly scheduled post schedule, but in the meantime I have been able to upload ALL of the photos from the events I attended. With almost a thousand of them, they might keep you busy for a little while to sort through ;) But feel free to promote and distribute them however you want. Enjoy.
Dubstep, juke and techno fans are going to be in for quite a treat tomorrow. Thanks to the efforts of the Bassic crew, as well as Jay Coppo, Addison Groove (also known as Headhunter) makes his triumphant return to Boston to headline not only a Bassic party, but also speak and perform at a Red Bull Music Academy session.
The last time this guy traversed the Atlantic and made his way into Boston was when Bassic brought him out at the end of 2008, fresh after wrapping up what became his “Nomad” LP on Tempa. This was one of his earliest projects where he folded a variety of styles into his dubstep work beyond just reggae and jungle. Elements of minimal, techno, even deep house made themselves comfortable within the rooms this castle of an album presented; and little did many of us know that he was only getting started.
Although he still primarily went under the “Headhunter” alias at that point, he spent most of 2009 working on his Addison Groove side project, kept very tightly under wraps until at the tail end of the year, he unleashed this seminal mix:
In one foul swoop, dubstep fans became instantly exposed to an entirely new side of this producer. Arguably one of the first to merge the energetic, hip hop driven sounds of Chicago juke with dubstep, this style caught on within the community very quickly. This is especially true for those who wanted a balance of the latters’ energy and catchiness with the space and atmospherics of the former. Although this mix consisted of many tracks from prominent Juke producers such as DJ Nate and Rashad, several of his own tracks were premiered for the very first time, such as Footcrab.
And the rest is history. Footcrab went on to becoming one of the most infamous tracks within all of dance music in 2010.
Addison Groove continues pushing his own sound forward; last year he procured a Roland 808 drum machine and continues to lay down some serious beats on Loefah’s Swamp 81 imprint, several of which are set to drop digitally and in 12” form very soon. Get a sneak peak of his recent work HERE in this mix. (Embedding and downloading is disabled, but at least it’s still streamable)
The Red Bull Music Academy workshop event begins promptly at Goodlife at 7pm. If you wish to attend, make sure you RSVP with Coppo (email: coppo@redbullmusicacademy) and confirm your presence on the Facebook event page if you have an account there. The Bassic party will begin promptly afterwards, with co-founder Damian Silva on the decks, as well as Bakir of the Spit Brothers, coming in from the left coast. This is going to be a fun one for sure!!
While Make It New loves to shine a light on the national and international producers of the new dance music we know and love, more and more Boston produces it’s own talent.
the last time Todd Gys played a Basstown event, he was opening for Pantha Du Prince on Lansdowne street. Soren Jahan (aka R. Audiard), on the other hand, is a new blood who would try to sneak into the club only a few years ago.
>Now, the duo join up to take on Make It New in celebration of their original production, Tyrants.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 9:23AM 
