Meet Michael Ballus and his analogue artillery

I am pleased to introduce you a great producer called Michael Ballus.

His love for analogue instruments is enormous and in his bunker in Bad Driburg – it’s the real name, I myself thought it was Michael saying his town was “bad” but… it’s the city’s real name – close to Kassel in Germany, there Michael collects and plays many juicy analog machines.

Michael grew up with friends like Gabriel Ananda (Trapez), Alex Multhaupt (Karmarouge) and Graziano Avitabile (Platzhirsch Schallplatten) all of them transmitted to Michael the love for hardware and djing.

He produces only on hardware synths and boxes, bypassing completely any computer based sequencer or Vst instruments and Vst efx, because he says they sound cold.

I asked him what was his favourite piece of gears he owns and heanswered it’s the analog synth Deep Bass Nine and the 808 clone Mam Adx-1 .

Complementary to his analogue artillery Michael often uses his own field recordings of natural sound processed to get unique hats and snares – this tecnique is nowadys used by many producers as TommyFourSeven, Plastikman and myself (eheheh).

Actually he’s looking for a serious label to release his deep tracks and he’s also working on some new ambient music projects.

I really love Michael’s  webcam video in which he plays live his own tracks in the studio, YouTube is full of such videos, be sure to check them out so to get a taste of his incredibly elegant sound and analogue warmth.

Here’s a couple of links:

so far he released for Rumpfunk Records two deep and experimental lps full of techno, electronica and ambient: Waldgedicht EP (October 2008) and In Weiter Ferne which registers the label’s downloads record: 60.000!!! being Rumpfunk a netlabel you can freely download both of them

Last cool things about Michael, he’s an hardcore gamer, those fps games in which you roam around with a big gun in your hands trying to shoot enemies, actually his web clan is Homefront’s number one in the world . wow! – this is why you can see homefront’s big poster stuck on Michael studio wall.

Now let’s hit play and drown deeply with michael’s warm music.

Filed under: ambient music, art, detroit techno, electronica, live set, net label, techno music, Uncategorized, videoclip, techno, live set, detroit, deep techno, Michael ballus, Ballus, detroit techno, Mam Adx-1, Deep Bass Nine, analog synth, analog, tommy foru seven, 808, analog instruments, gabriel ananda, Alex Multhaupt, Graziano Avitabile, Trapez, Karmarouge, Platzhirsch Schallplatten, Rumpfunk Records, Waldgedicht EP, In Weiter Ferne, homefront, bloefeld, waldorf, analogue instruments, hardware, vst instruments, www youtube, techno electronica

“Twelve Grapes” included in Revox’s TWO, a superb compilation!

Right at the end of 2011 Revox Records released a compilation called TWO featuring many artist from their rooster, including my track called Twelve Grapes.

The compilation is really great with lots of friends featured: Chris Venola, Jesse Oo Roc, Eddie Hu, Eric Reivolp, Chris Carini, Sinus O, so fojust 10 bucks you get 13 original tracks to start the year in a deep and fresh way.

my track is called Twelve Grapes and it’s a deep and slightly dub tech tune. it contains a field recording of my friends at the 2010 new year’s eve party we had at our house during wich we followed the spainsh tradition of the “campanadas” or “uvadas” consisting in eating 12 grapes over the last 12 seconds of the year. Definitely it was fun and we were all mouth fulled with grapes and laughs. I love my friends and I wanted to celebrate them this way

 

here’s Twelve Grapes for you to listen:

 

 

Filed under: detroit techno, electronica, GabeDM, techno music, beatport exclusive, campanadas, Chris Carini, Chris Venola, Eddie Hu, Eric Reivolp, field recording, Gabe DM, House, Jesse Oo Roc, new years' eve, original tracks, Revox records, RVRD019, Sinus O, tech house, techno, twelve grapes, TWO, uvada

Something Leninist included in IPO//030. a superb compilation

Ipoligica Recordings’ guys are back with this excellent compilation featuring many great producers and friends.

IPO//030 is available now only at beatport Exclusive (bhuuuuu) but will be sold on every major web music store shortly, so for all of you who don’t have a beatport account (or just hate beatport) be patient and wait for your favourite web store to sell this compilation in the near future.

the compilation contains “12 tracks by 12 different artists. A concept where the pure electronic music and experimental (Gianluca Angelini – boss at ANG rec, Giulio Maresca – boss at Ipologica Recordings, Miquel Salla) through the deep sounds (Gabe Dm, Alveol, Enrico Sedda, Yuuki Hori, Gabriele Brunno – boss at NGB) and dub-techno sounds (Ness, Gale Talk) ending up in things hybrid, more acid (Kawatin) and mental (Fabio Sestili – also boss at Ipologica Recordings). An image of a beautiful label that has as a common denominator: the love for the sound class and its roots in electronic music”.

I really like the music in this compilation, particularly the first track scored by Alveol, which is a great producer and a very sweet guy.

I would like to make a special mention to the track called Soundtrack by Giulio Maresca who shows here his more intimate and delicate side, he’s not only a fine techno dj but also a great producer with a good taste and strong technique.

personally I also like the track by Miquel Salla, it’s got good synths sounds, sparkling hats and stompig kick. I also like the Ness’ one it’s got his particular dub touch which defines his style.

my track?…it’s just a piece of vintage sounding sovietic dancefloor stomper (or at least this is what I imagine sovietic youth to dance in their uniform when they party on the 23 of february for the day of Indipendence). this is it:

comment or criticize it if you feel like

 

in the end… the compi is great and you should buy it as a christmas gift for your top quality seeker friends I am so proud to be part of it!

Filed under: ambient music, detroit techno, electronica, GabeDM, techno music, Alveol, beatport, beatport exclusive, deep, deep techno, dub, dub techno, Enrico Sedda, experimental, Fabio Sestili, Gabe DM, Gabriele BRunno, Gale Talk, Gianluca Angelini, Giulio Maresca, ipologica recoridings, Kawatin, Miquel Salla, Ness, something leninist, sovietic, techno, vintage, vintage sounding sovietic dancefloor stomper, Yuuki Hori

Kraftwerk, and the Electronic revolution – documentary

Kraftwerk And The Electronic Revolution by Thomas Arnold

This long documentary (180 minutes !!!) attempts to cover the rise of German electronic and experimental music from the 1960s, centered on Kraftwerk but focusing on the large avant-garde/ kraut rock scene that developed in the eastern Europe.

Aside form the many clips, both from videoclip and concerts, very interesting to me is the long interview with Karl Bartos (member of Kraftwerk form 1975 unitl the 90′s).

it’s a long documentary but  very nice produced  which reminds me of another fabulous music documentary aired on BBC4 called Synth Britannia, here the topic is the english new wave but the seed still came from the Kraftwerk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(via VST Cafe)

Look up on youtube for the other 13 parts or buy it on Amazon. com

 

 

Filed under: ambient music, art, documentaries, electronica, live set, and the Electronic revolution, documentary, electronic, Germany, Kraftwerk, kraut-rock, Thomas Arnold

meet the mysterious RROSE

 

my ears are frying and I am crying out of joy.

this is RROSE

Filed under: ambient music, art, electronica, techno music, Rrose, Sandwell District, techno

MiMi, a record label.

I recently discovered this little but very unique net label called MiMi, a net label which released so far 179 (!!!) albums and eps.

 

Mimi covers many music genres: pop (electronic or acoustic), ambient, electronica, field recordings. Every release is special of his own and if you add the fact that everything (!!!) is downloadable for free you get a very special pack, with lots of goodies, to spend the next 100 hours of your listening-to-new-inspiring-stuff time.

I started from Mi176 a release from N-qia called Sweet Sequence EP, a glitchy/acoustic/electronic pop 4 tracks album from this avant-garde band from Tokyo: it’s unique and really inspiring, every detail is so impressively tidy and so solidly produced that is a joy especially  for my lately over stressed techno abused ears

Randomly you can playlist any of Mimi’s 179 releases, for example Spatial White Noise (Mi 106) which starts with a spoken words intro (some field recordings of a tv and noise in the background) to introduce a hyper relaxed acoustic song, very gentle until crazy noises start to raise along with chorus made of loooong vowels … it seems to be in a dream or in some dilated atmos like The Doors’ psychedelic trips. Very slurpy I must say.

Another aspect of uniqueness of Mimi is the geographic provenience, if you look the graphics and the elegance and sobriety  of the website anyone would undoubtedly say “far east….Japan!” but then, you hit the contact link, and this address pop up:

“MiMi Records
A/C Fernando Ferreira
Bairro António Sérgio, Bloco C1-2esq
3020-078 Coimbra – PORTUGAL”

….yes….Portugal?….yes!.

See, it’s funny but hey it’s Portugal nothing Japanese at all.

This made me reconsider some past roommate’s bad experience I had with Portugueses, definitely I want to meet more Portuguese ppl as Fernando! Cause he’s doing a great great superb job!

the real reason for this strange connection is explained here

Anyway let’s stick to the subject:

Mimi has it all: do you like Ambient? Then check She Sings Sea Songs (Mi115) by Linda Bjalla so comfy and interesting it become my daily working soundtrack since two weeks.

Or you prefer more electronic groovy tunes? Then I suggest you to listen to Hiroshi Hirose a.k.a archidelic’s “Hairline Drawing” (mi007): sweet and smart micro-sampling IDM electronic.

If you are in a mood for some “new wave/electro pop/slow ambient intros” tunes (eheheh…) check Lili Hirakawa’s Spectrum Ep (Mi095) a beauty if his own, or Alektronic’ Birds Ep (Mi135).

Final word for Oporto’s producer ocp, because his 1234 ep is experimental and techno and glitch and noisy (and minimal and contemporary as I like).

Mimi records is what I like from a net label: free to download (of course), experimental, good quality, hidden gems, perfectly run.

Mimi has so many treasures for you to discover that will bring you through a journey of inspiring and quality music for the next winter months.

Filed under: ambient music, art, electronica, net label, techno music, 1234 ep, Alektronic, Birds Ep, free download, Hairline Drawing, Hiroshi Hirose a.k.a archidelic, japan, Lili Hirakawa, Linda Bjalla, MiMi, N-qia, ocp, Portugal, She Sings Sea Songs, Spatial White Noise, Spectrum Ep, Sweet Sequence

IQSV ep out now on Beatport Exclusive plus a gift for you!

IQSV, my newest ep is finally out, at the moment you can download your copy  only @ Beatport Exclusive.

the ep is getting good feedbacks from international djs and radio speakers like Paco Osuna (!), Alex Kennon, Electrosound.tv, Robert Grand (additan radio), Catastrophic (Tunnel FM – Sweden), Steve Parry (Juice FM), Richie Hawtin (!), Klangware, Claude VonStroke, Tsugi magazine, Todd Burns (Resident Advisor), Björn Bender (ClubTime.fm, HouseTime.fm), Joy Kitikonti, and more to come… so I am very excited and hope to get new fans and new contacts.

the ep consist of three tracks of deep tech and tribal techno. I especially love the track called IQSV which I suggest you to check and share comments.

gift for today! the first ten that will share the ep on their facebook wall will get a free donwload of one track of your choiche from the IQSV ep

the ep is inspired by the tragic events that took place in 1878 in Tuscany (in Arcidosso as the first track is titled) you can read all the info in my Facebook Fan Page.

the ep is out for top taiwanese label Revox Records so I suggest you to go to their website and have a look and open your ears!

again the ep is mastered by Sebastian Fishbeck at Arktis Studio in Berlin which did a woderful job on my poor and sucky mixes I want you to listen to his incredibly cool new songs at his Facebook FanPage. please do it you won’t regret it!

 

bye and please partecipate at the contest and win!

 

Filed under: GabeDM, techno music, Arktis Mastering, beatport, Gabe DM, GabeDM, history, In Arcidosso, IQSV, IQSV ep, minimal techno, music, povero prete, Revox records, techno

groovebox today: say hello to Tempest :)

Dave Smith Instruments & Roger Linn togheter for this beauty….

 

 

Analog Drum Machine at its top! I may get one when I raise enough money

…and here’s Roger Linn himself on the Tempest

Filed under: Uncategorized

IQSV ep out soon on Revox Records!

IQSV will be my next release out on Revox Records (top quality deep tech-house taiwanese label).

(one of the three tracks included in the ep)

The ep tells the story of Davide Lazzaretti, who  in 1878, along with his fellows  was slaugthered by the Carabinieri  while manifestating their beliefs in the plain outside of Arcidosso (Tuscany). They believed in a different society (sort of socialsitic but still dense of christian dogmas and rules) but where considered erethic by the Roman Catholic Church and seen as revolutionaries by the recent formed Italian Republic which was still fighting at the time with gangs of outlaws spread all over the peninsula.

IQSV (In Questo Segno Vincerai – In This Sign You will Win) was the slogan that hundreds of faithful furthers to David Lazzaretti brought back on the banners and on their flags on the day 18 of August of 1878 when, coming down in procession from their community located on the slopes of the Labaro mount, they arrived in Arcidosso and there they were slaughtered by the gunshots of the Police officers (the Carabinieri) of the recent unified Italian nation.

David Lazaretti, after the first part of its life spent between the hermitage and preaching, in particular in Tuscany and France, decides to stop itself and to found on the mount Labbro (today Labaro mount)  a religious community, with highly social attempts, in which the participants (peasants and craftsmen) made available the possessed assets in order to redistribute according to the need. In the election of the managing organs of the Community, David instituted the universal suffrage, with the ballot which extended to the women, when this was still unknown to not only in the Italian State but also in the other European states. These initiatives intended subversive, will determine that strange alliance between State and Church that led to the violent repression of the movement which lead to the death of the “povero prete“.

Three traks of deep techno that illustrate a page of forgotten Italian history.

Filed under: GabeDM, techno music, David lazzaretti, deep techno, Gabe DM, In Arcidosso, IQSV, IQSV ep, Labaro, original, povero prete, Revox, Revox records, tech house, techno

October 15th. Rome riots or the way to fuck it up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I attended the big demonstration on the 15^th of October in Rome along with many many peaceful people and some angry idiots.

I want to make clear that I don’t agree politically or strategically with the rioters (black blok and crazy heads or infiltrated fascists) charging and battling during the manifestation, mainly because they received all the attention and left none to the majority of the participants, which where there to show indignation and will to change society and its (wrong) rules and assets.

The main reason I was there was to show my indignation towards capitalism, banks and bankers, not to show haste or to devastate properties (which we will have to pay at the end).

Maybe we are the 98% not the 99% because, if math is precise, I don’t think the 99% want the rioters included, so let’s take the 1% out.

I must admit that I never saw so many engaging duels with the police as this time. I believe they were organized and reading this article in Repubblica.it could explain it even better, but also I think that the police behavior was really provocative (as always) forcing even more people to violence and disorders: I saw the trucks with the hydrants mounted on top, repeatedly charging the peaceful majority in San Giovanni square leaving them soaked with nothing else to do than going home (or charging back). And I also saw police trucks striking in the middle of the people standing peacefully in front of the Basilica.

This is a pretty indecent way to disperse a manifestation.

The political reason and responsibility to me is very easy to point out: Saturday should have been the celebrations  for the end of Berlusconi’s rotted  government but, in a very unpredictable way, on Friday, the government had the numbers in Parliament to keep on going, so everyone was really frustrated and angry and that anger naturally exploited in violence and riots. So, if the Italian politics were wise enough to put the good of the country in front of their personal grief and stupidity, probably this would not have happened. But this is only a theory.

But I am really tired of the same old corrupted and ineffective politics. Stop the old shitty and corrupted Italian political parties we are tired of your interfering, you had your time, now please it’s time to extinguish.

I also hate all the people which thinks they are doing such a great job for humanity standing behind the police forces, shooting photos and videos. I think this is very bad: these self called photo-reporters are just waiting for the worse to happen, hoping to shot the coolest photo…c’mooooon you are very pathetic – and cowards.

This to comment this cartoon, which is going viral on the web, but I must say the rioters were many, I never saw so many ppl fighting in the streets and squares in a manifestation in Rome.

Last thought to the police forces: how can you stand and defend politics we all know are corrupted and proved criminals?, those same politics which are destroying your life and your future also. You promised to serve and protect the weak, the oppressed and the honest, don’t you see you are on the wrong side?

Finally I don’t think big manifestations can be the solution to change the contemporary unfair and useless society, we need to change our lifestyle, we need to be concerned of what we do (what we eat, consume, waste) we need to experiment contemporary forms of rebellion, we are already there we only need to focus and evolve in a smartest way.

Stop street violence which is so vintage and useless and easily instrumentalized.

I don’t want to wait for others to fulfill my head and my spare time. I want to be smart, modern, pacific but uncompromising.

In the end, one cool thing for you to download, the Rome Riot Sample Pack recorded and shared by Fieldabuse.com.

Filed under: economic, society, stupidity, 15th october, black blok, fieldabuse, file recording, indignados, pacifist, police, riots, rome, san giovanni