Yes, I know… I’ve been bare slack yet again regarding my blog. Anyhoo, I’ve been really excited about writing this next post as this young man is not only a seriously talented producer, he is also a close friend of mine and a fellow resident at AKA AKA ROAR! Leon has always been incredibly supportive of what I do and really understands my passion for DJing. This is why I wanted to do this post, so show my support for him as an artist and friend.

LEON VYNEHALL

I first met Leon (not his real name by the way, I’ve been told not to give away his actual name) at AKA AKA ROAR about 2 years ago when he played his first set for the best club night in Brighton. He started off proceedings impeccably, spinning hi-hat house with a few classic twelve’s that he has brought along in a leather suitcase/record bag type thing.

Since then he has become an integral part of the AKA family, becoming the main man on all of AKA’s line-ups along with Lorca. Brighton has really cemented it’s place in the world of underground music over the last year or so, with artists like Guy Andrews, Lorca and of course Leon breaking through the barrier of the unknown. More and more producers are emerging from the beautiful seaside city, which I miss dearly since recently relocating to London. Keep your ears and eyes pealed for more to come.

So, back to Leon. I was actually due to post this interview a little while back, but having said that, the timing couldn’t be anymore perfect. Why you may ask? Three reasons. 1. He is playing at Corsica Studios tonight in South London with his beloved Well Rounded crew. 2. He is on the bill for AKA AKA ROAR’s next party (which is tomorrow night, Brighton heads… don’t miss this!) with Boddika, Oneman and Dubloke. 3. He is due to release his debut EP on Well Rounded’s sister label, Well Rounded Housing Project. Due out on Monday!

Without further a due, let’s talk about his wonderfully crafted productions.

So I sit here listening to the EP and the stand out track has definitely got to be ‘Mauve’ – which is the title of record. Leon has the wonderful gift of programming hi-hats, they shuffle to and fro from the word go. This is probably because he is a very talented drummer, so programming drums must be an absolute doddle to him. Soft synths quickly take center stage alongside some slightly creepy vocals. When the beat drops, the track gets your body moving and grooving in an instant. The acid-type bass line is floaty but hard at the same time, a great club track that has seen the likes of Eliphino, Braiden and other big names in the game support it. It is also a track that I regularly paly out in my sets as well, it’s a great track to mix in and out of. Proper DJs will know what I’m on about.

LEON VYNEHALL – MAUVE

Although ‘Mauve’ is the stand out track on the EP, personally I think all 3 tracks are the stand out tracks. Leon opts for a slightly more low-key number with ‘Homage’. Again, those hi-hats. I with I could get my hi-hats sounding like this; the best word I can think of to describe them is ‘industrial’.

This one is a little more bass-heavy that Mauve, the kind of bass that shakes your ribcage when listening to it in the club. The kind of bass that gets your gun fingers going. Another one for the dance floor. If you listen carefully to the spoken word sample it sums the state of mainstream music extremely well. I’m not going to explain; it’s up to you to find out.

LEON VYNEHALL – HOMAGE

For pure listening pleasure, Leon delivers the third track off the EP in fantastic style. Personally my favorite because I got so wrapped up in Mauve and Homage that I actually didn’t really listen to Picture Frame properly. Once I had given it my full attention, I fell in love with.

To listen to this one I suggest you buy the EP when it comes out on Monday, well worth it. Sunset vibes all over.

That enough of me rambling on, let’s get rolling with the interview…

Hi mate, how are you doing?

Alright, well thank you.

For those who don’t know you, tell us about yourself…

I’m from Brighton and I make House music in its many forms. I like/try to make things soulful with lo-fi grit, but with an acid edge that is club ready.

I’m as intrigued as everyone else, you’ve changed your name about 3 times since I met you, can you explain why?

My alias used to be Leon, but I found out there was another producer of the same name, so I added the surname too avoid complications. Before that I changed it to Leighton for a couple of days, but that was a mistake. I didn’t like it.

So Leon Vynehall isn’t your real name?

It’s my pseudonym, my other self.

What’s the first thing you do when you get up in the morning? (or afternoon).

I have a coffee. Black gold starts my brain.

You’re a great DJ/producer, I love your work. What I want to know is, if you had to be a DJ/producer for one day, who would it be?

Dave Sitek. I’d love to know how he thinks and his structure to what he does. I’m a big fan of TV On The Radio and all their records (especially Return to Cookie Mountain and Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes). The sound he produces I can only describe as a visual metaphor. He creates atmosphere outside the music, almost like a ball with an aurora around it. It’s beautiful.

Where is the most exciting place you have played?

Germany for Chez Freiburg was great. It wasn’t necessarily the venue that was exciting, just the vibe from the crowd and the hospitality I was welcomed with.

You recently had your EP cut onto vinyl, which must have been an exciting moment for you. Can you describe to us that experience?

It verified for me how mastering is such an important part of making a record. It was my first time in a mastering studio and the difference it makes is phenomenal. It brings out the best in a producers production (when done right). We went to Curve in Hackney and I was very impressed, great engineer.

I see you have been collaborating with Lorca recently; can you describe to us what it is you’re making?

Yes we have. Lorca is a good friend of mine, we work well together and he is one of the few people I can actually collaborate with. It almost sounds like the best parts of each of our productions styles glued together. It’s understandably House, but we’ve ended up making something that I would describe as rhythmical soundscape but it’s also got a bit of a Garage twist, but not at the same time. I don’t know… I guess you’ll have to wait to make your own decision.

Is it something you indent to eventually release? Or is just an experiment?

We’ve had some interest already, but we didn’t intentionally make it for a release. We live about 100 yards away from each other so it was just a bit of fun.

How you get your hi-hats to sound ‘industrial’?

The right sample to start with always helps. There are templates to get to a certain sound, but it’s just messing around with gain, limiters, phasers etc until I find something I like the sound of. I find that sometimes the best sounds come out of nowhere after experimentation.

How did you get involved in Aka Roar? It must be amazing to be part of such a great group of people… elaborate if you will…

I was fairly new to Brighton and been to a few AKAs before. They started out every Monday and then moved to monthly nights. I got in touch with them by sending a mix, the old school way. I’ve now been a resident there for nearly two years and see them as my extended family. Everyone involved with it is passionate about what AKA is promoting in Brighton. It’s an absolute asset to the city.

Now be honest, how painful was it to get your fingers tattooed?

It was bearable, until it hit my bone. I wont say anymore…

Fill us in with details about your forthcoming debut EP if you may…

It’s out on 12″ and digi on Monday 30th April through Well Rounded Housing Project (one arm of Well Rounded Records). It includes Mauve, Homage and Picture Frame. I wrote this EP about a year ago now, so I’m excited for it to be out in the world on something physical.

What or who has been floating your boat recently?

A producer called J.Tijn from London is one of my favorites right now. He makes some incredible techno but it’s got a great edge to it. It’s his sound. Wheez-ie’s new record on Well Rounded is furious. It was being mastered at the same session as mine and I’m definitely going to be getting that on wax. Recently bought a few of Cabin Fever’s Trax releases, DJ Wild, Gerd, Factory Floor and some others.

Best DJ you’ve seen revelry? (please say me)

Of course you, goes without saying. Actress is one of the best I’ve seen recently. Not for his technical mixing skills but for the selection he has, it’s always on point and interesting. I played with him in London last year and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Can you tell us of any new artists we should be aware of?

J.Tijn (as I’ve said before), Lorca (of course) and Perc. They’d be my three to watch.

What is in store for you in 2012? Do you have any more music due to be released?

I have releases lined up for the rest of the year. The next one after the Mauve EP will be on George Fitzgeralds label, Man Make Music. I’ve also got some remixes lined-up, you’ll know about them soon enough.

And finally, do you love me? (as a friend and aka fam member)

Unconditionally.

Big ups to Leon for taking the time to participate in the interview. Catch him tonight at Corsica Studios and tomorrow at LIFE Club for the mighty AKA AKA ROAR! And, most importantly, go grab a copy of this must have EP. I’ll be first in line on Monday morning to grab mine.

Insabit,

TEMPLE

Urgh, been really slack regarding the blog again, sorry. Don’t worry though, I’ve written up the next 3 posts to be published which includes this one. Here I talk about one the nicest guys involved in the scene and top producer, Midland.

MIDLAND

I first discovered Midland when he and Pearson Sound (Ramandanman at the time) released ‘Your Words Matter’ on the Aus Music imprint. I was quite surprised at the time because Pearson was producing that 808 sound (still is) around the same time when he released the timeless classic ‘Work Them’ on Swamp 81 so I was like ‘ey?’ when I saw the track was at 124bpm. What I didn’t know at the time is that they were house mates, and still are. How sick would it be to live in that house?! This dance floor destroyer has been played out by myself many a time, and I still do play it out to this day. If it’s a tune that I feel fits the vibe and atmosphere at a club I’m gonna play it, no matter if it’s old or not, which it isn’t, it’s just that people are so hell bent on hearing new material these days. MUST. LISTEN. TO. NEW. MUSIC. AAARRGGHHHH!

‘Your Words Matter’ takes a little while to warm up, but I like tracks with long intros/outros as it’s really fun to create big blends when DJing. When the subtle piano eventually comes in so do the cut up vocals, and again I’m such a sucker for that. It’s a track you can really groove to, and when the stabby synths hit you when the beat drops again it’s that driving 125 bpm pace that gets your head nodding back and forth like a puppet on a string. Huge tune, always will be in my Serato crate for months to come.

RAMADANMAN & MIDLAND – YOUR WORDS MATTER

Now onto Midland’s solo material. Over a year ago, Midland contributed a mix tape to the long running Fact series which caught everyone off guard. His effortlessly diverse mix included a multitude of tracks both old and new, and several of his own edits which became sought after rarities. With releases on Phonica, This Is Music and Aus alongside edits and remixes for the likes of Lone, Julio Bashmore and Caribou (his re-edit of Sun is pure summer vibes), Midland has quickly become the man of the moment. I have actually met Harry (his real name by the way) a couple of times, first when I was on the support for LIFE’s 2nd birthday bash which featured Space Dimention Controller and Blawan and also more recently at Beat Redemption in London. He’s most definitely one of the nicest DJs/producers I have met over the last couple of years and it was an absolute privilege not only to be on the same line up as him but also to have the opportunity to have a chat with him about music and shit.

He must of got a little fed up with me telling him how ‘Through Motion’ is like my favorite song ever, but honestly it really is! Harry is very good at drum programming, especially the way he thinks about the hi-hats in his productions. For me its the hi-hats that gets your body moving, and ‘Through Motion’ perfectly displays that. Again I’m a sucker for beautiful chords, so when the soft emotional piano comes in it made my heart melt. If that wasn’t enough, the killer vocals ‘you hold me, body’ just puts the icing on the cake. Fantastic track, hands down.

MIDLAND – THROUGH MOTION

I caught up with him again recently at Trix last weekend, it’s always a pleasure to chat with him. He seems really excited about his forthcoming EP, and so is everyone to be honest! It’s nice to see him back on producing his own material as he has done a lot of remixes over past 3-4 months. Not going to post up a tune from his forthcoming EP, not because I don’t want to it’s because I can’t find any YouTube clips! Fail. Anyway, still on the remix flex it leads me nicely onto this one, his best remix for me. Not officially a remix but it’s an official ‘re-edit’. This one involves Caribou along with some great vibes. It’s a great time to listen to it again as it’s getting warmer outside, summer is coming! This one will get you in the right mood for sunshine vibes.

CARIBOU – SUN (MIDLAND RE-EDIT)

Midland’s ‘Placement’ EP will be released on the 26th of March on Will Saul’s sister label Aus Music, can’t wait to cop that!

Insabit,

TEMPLE

Anyone heard of Bondax? I sure have, but if you are not familiar with them this post should shed some light on the subject. To be honest with you I don’t know too much about them either, but what I do know is that they are seriously talented producers. So to get an understanding on what they are about I have written about a couple of tunes that I’ve fallen in love with and have also sorted out an interview with them which will tell us all we need to know about Bondax.

BONDAX

I first heard of Bondax when I came across their first release ‘Just Smile For Me’. It was shown to me by a friend back in the summer and since then I can’t stop listening to this track. So let’s talk about it. The tune was released in Spring last year and is blessed with the incredible vocals of Bobbie Gordon, hope they don’t mind me saying this but the remind me of Disclosure, a similar type of sound. That drop is just ridiculous, I don’t think I’ve heard anything like it. For me this track creates an amazing atmosphere when listening to it, hope it does the same for you. Check it.

BONDAX feat. BOBBIE GORDON – JUST SMILE FOR ME

I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be a big year for the duo having already remixed the likes of Last Japan, Monarchy and Maribou State. Along with some fantastic remixes they have some solid as fuck tracks to back that up with. One of them being ‘All I Want’. I completely missed the boat on this one as they gave the track out for free and set it to only 100 downloads, I was a little late. However, I got in contact with them and they were kind enough to send me a copy.

When the track arrived in my inbox, it went straight onto my iPhone and onto the speakers. No word of a lie, I had this on repeat all day, and it’s all I wanted to listen to for a whole week. A big reason why I love this track so much is the vocals.

Again the drop is just insane and the lyrics are the most beautiful I have heard for a long time. I so desperately want to play this out at one of my gigs but I just don’t know where or when to drop it as it’s on a chilled flex, gonna try and drop it last tune next time, perfect one to end on I reckon. Again it creates this blissful atmosphere, it completely relaxes you with synths that seem to be made out of air and a beat that jumps and jives around keeping you on your toes to see where the track is going. I’m absolutely in love with this, you might be as well after listening to it, here it is…

BONDAX – ALL I WANT

As I said earlier in the post I don’t know to much about ‘Bondax’ and I didn’t want to talk about the music too much because I just wanted to show you how amazing these two tracks are and what they mean to me personally. So I thought it would be a good idea to organise an interview with the lads to tell us (and me) a little bit more about them and what they have in store for us in twenty twelve. Let’s get acquainted with Bondax…

Hi guys, thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions, how are you doing?

Hellooo were great cheers man! Currently lying down with reservoir dogs in the background, seems like a suitable atmosphere for writing an interview.

Very suitable! So, without sounding patronising, who are you and where do you come from? tell us a little bit about yourselves…

We’re George and Adam. Myself (George) being 18 and Adam 17, were from Lancaster, a small city in the North West. We grew up through secondary school together and towards sixth form became close mates.

Bondax is quite an obscure name for an ‘act’ so to speak, where did the name come from?

Umm we get asked this alot and I’m going to be annoying and not go into the detail because it’s all a bit silly haha (but not to do with bondage haha) which at first people joked about alot. We nearly changed it at the start but kept the name because we don’t really think it matters, most names sound silly when you remove them from the musical context they lie on top of. Bondax because of it’s lack of meaning is hopefully just a word for our sound.

This is a difficult question, but can you describe your music to us in 3 words?!

Air romance bass.

Perfect. What got you guys into production? And how did you get into it?

Well I (George) got into it mainly because I was obsessed with bass music at like 13 and I wanted to make my own. It was gradual I just messed and messed in my spare time on some software on my dads laptop. Then my cousin showed me early dubstep and that was it. I then pulled batty in and away from bands and we tried out some samples with some chords and it turned out the way you hear it.

Your music is incredibly moving, where do you get your inspiration from to make your tracks? Who are your biggest influences?

Good times, places, dreams. We work separately alone, alot of our production ideas arent influenced by anyone it’s just the result of messing around. The melody is definately influenced by who we’ve been listening to at the time of writing. For instance, I’d (Adam) been listening to a lot of the Roots at the time of writing the chords for the Chromeo remix, and I think that shows through.

Working as a duo can sometimes cause differences in opinions, but it seems like you work together in complete unison. How do you go about ‘working together’ so to speak?

It’s funny, sometimes we have disagreements, but it’s never really anything that serious because we’re both working towards the same goal so theres no huge conflicts. We usually work separately, we find a sample together, I (Adam) write a melody around the sample, and then it gets sent to George who will work on it and we’ll usually listen to it together at the end, decide if theres anything else that needs to be added.

Do you DJ?

Yes we both DJ, our sets are usually b2b having one or two mixes each, but it varies on the night.

Do you have any plans to develop Bondax into a ‘live’ scenario?

Theres been a lot of talk about this, but we enjoy djing a lot and we haven’t really had chance to DJ very often. I think that eventually we will probably end up performing live sets, but hopefully not for a while yet.

There is a lot of amazing music coming out of the UK right about now, who has really impressed you recently and why?

In terms of relatively new acts, we both really enjoy Jonas rathaman and AlunaGeorge, they’re definitely making really interesting and original music, “Tobago” by Jonas Rathsman and “You Know You Like It” by AlunaGeorge are both sick. Other artists worth mentioning are Medla, Kidnap Kid and Zeppy Zep.

What can we expect from you in 2012? Have you guys got anything due for release? Can you tell us when your first full length EP is due to drop?!

Our EP is coming out Feb/March time, its been delayed a long time and we definitely want to turn a new page on a new EP. We’ll be giving out a few tracks for free in the lead up for it so you can look out for those. We also have a remix for Mr Fogg coming out soon.

A big thank you to the lads for taking the time to answer some questions, big ups.

Insabit,

TEMPLE

Night Slugs needs no introduction, the London-based record label and club night has had a huge influence on the UK dance scene. Today I write about the imprint, the artwork that has shaped the Night Slugs image and my internship at the label which has helped me personally grow in confidence in my own ability.

NIGHT SLUGS

So, a quick introduction for those who are not as familiar to the imprint as I am. The label is run by Alex (Bok Bok) and James (L-vis 1990) and they started the Night Slugs brand by throwing parties in London to represent a particular breed of club music that wasn’t getting the shine or recognition it deserved. They wanted to create a platform where they could showcase their music along with their friends. 2010 was the birth of the record label and the reason behind starting the label was to give the music and sound a home.

The tight knit crew of producers and DJs had music that needed to be shared with the world, and they did just that with the first release off the label – Mosca’s ‘Square One’ EP. This really set the bench mark for what was to come, an underground movement of open-minded music for people in the know.

MOSCA – NIKE

The label covers a lot of genres everything from grime and house to ragga and garage, I don’t want to pigeon hole the sound of the label because it is what it is, as James explains… “between us, we’re creating something that no one can quite put their finger on, but that seems to fit together, we’re all just trying to make upfront club music that has the capacity to convey other emotions beyond just going mad.”

ARTWORK

Obviously it’s the music content that is most important when it comes to running a record label, and the guys at NS have consistently put out quality music with every single release. However, for me a massive part of the Night Slugs brand is the artwork which is designed by Alex himself who also boasts a degree in graphic design. With a lot of independent labels these days the owner or owners have complete control over everything to do with it, hence why they start it themselves. They control when a record is released, what music is put out, where it is distributed and so on, and of course they get to chose the artwork. It would be fucking cool to have prints of these (which I’m trying to persuade Alex to do so at this very moment!). Check them out…

Night Slugs as a label has long carved itself an iconic image. Built from grid irons and computerized outburst the artwork for everything NS related, from the club flyers to the logo and super stylistic artwork, fits a slightly pixelated futuristic theme – like the 1980’s vision of the future. Whether it’s the gargantuan purple washed phallus of Velour’s ‘Velvet Collection EP,’ the intricate ancient pyramid of Egyptrixx’s early EP or the digital mountain ridge that followed it for his ‘Bible Eyes’ album everything Night Slugs put out there is the work of one artist and over the neon soaked series of designs Alex has carved himself a hyper-specific style.

I think you’ll agree that the artwork is fucking cool, it’s unique to any other designs out there and it fits with label so well, can’t really explain why but it just does. Alex goes about his business in a very professional manor and it really shows through his creativity. What I really like about the designs is the intricate lettering of the title of the EP. Each one has been carefully crafted in a unique and individual way, so much thought has gone into each one and I feel it reflects the music that is associated with it. My personal favourite is from Jam City’s ‘Waterworx EP’.

INTERNSHIP

As some of you may know I’m an intern at the label. I met Alex at Beat Redemption back in April I think, and after introducing myself I asked if he needed any help with the label. The reason I asked him is because his partner is crime James I know from school and is a good friend of mine.

In September Alex and James were ready to give me my first ‘job’ I guess! My task was (and still is) to distribute their merchandise. Since joining up with them as an intern, I have contributed many hours, days and weeks of my time and have taken on great responsibility, after all, handling this task is like running a mini business! My main role has been to almost single-handedly manage the distribution of our merchandise. My tasks have included looking after stock, post office runs, management of our online store, communication with customers and research into packaging solutions – to name but a few.

Doing this work for the guys has been really important for my well being. Went through a shit time not long ago but am out of that now, and a massive part to do with that is how amazing Alex and James have been. They have taken me under thier wing so to speak, been there for support and have really looked after me in a big way. What I really appreciate is that they make time to reply to my texts, answer emails and are there any time I need to ask any questions – mostly to do with the distribution of their merchandise but also questions I may have about the label, what it’s like to travel the world as a DJ and to give me an insight on their lifestyle and career. I see them as really good friends, and it’s pretty amazing to be able to hang out with them on a personal level as I’m learning so much.

I’m proud to say that I’m a member of the Night Slugs fam, and they have rewarded me for my hard work by sending me tracks and putting me on guest list spots, most recently up in Manchester at Warehouse Project where I got to hang out in the booth with Alex, James, Girl Unit, Boddika, Oneman, Mele and Krystal Klear… big night!

So really this post is like saying a thank you to the Night Slugs fam for helping me through… bigs up to the both of you.

NIGHT SLUGS #25

On Thursday 12th Night Slugs kick off 2012 with their first party of the year which see’s MikeQ make his UK debut along with fellow American and Fade to Mind boss Kingdom. I’ll be working on the door on the night so if you are reaching I’ll see you there, this one is definitely not to be missed!

Insabit,

TEMPLE

It’s crunch time! Here, are my top 5 tracks of 2011…

One of favorite producers by a long mile is Midland. Since discovering his amazing productions I have become a die hard fan. Harry is very consistent with his work, every release has been absolute quality and ‘Through Motion’ is no exception. A tune that I almost play every time I DJ, this killer house track gifted to us by none other than Aus Music is too good… lovely breakdown and atmosphere.

MIDLAND – THROUGH MOTON

These two kids have a seriously bright future ahead of them… nuff said. I can’t help but dance like a maniac to this every time I play it!

DISCLOSURE – BLUE YOU

I’m obsessed with Mahs these days, I just can’t get enough! This one is my absolute favorite, it sends me into a dancing fit when I play it. Was tempted to put it as my number 1, but I think it’s right to have it at number 3. Love those lyrics (sampled from Usher I believe).

MAHS – DON’T

Not gonna say much about this one, don’t need to, but what I will say is this… ‘this is our song, always will be…’

JACQUES GREENE – ANOTHER GIRL

Dun dun duuuuuuun! At number 1 in my top 20 tracks of the year is Scuba’s ‘Adrenalin’. Yeah, probably an obvious choice but seriously, how fucking good is this track?! It sends me into a complete state of euphoria, hands in the air! I was a little surprised that he didn’t release this under his SCB alias, personally I think it would of been better suited to that but hey, it’s his choice. So, my favorite tune of the year for 2011… MASSIVE. TUNE.

SCUBA – ADRENALIN

Cool, hope you enjoyed my top 20 tracks list. In the mean time keep checking back to the blog as I have some really exciting posts and interviews with some up and coming artsits to publish over the next few weeks/months…

Insabit,

TEMPLE

Yeah yeah I know, just another ‘top 20 this’ or another ‘top 40 that’, some people don’t like these ‘official’ rankings of tracks, understandably so to be honest. However, I’m gonna limit my chart to 20 tunes, and this particular one has a personal feel to it as the list I have complied are my top 20 tracks of the year – according to my personal taste. It’s not a ‘top 20 biggest tunes’ list, again it’s my personal taste so don’t go hating and saying ‘but that track was SO much bigger than that one’ – none of that!

Anyyyyyway, let’s get started! I decided to do 4 posts with 5 tunes in each, spread it out a little. So, without further a due let’s get down to my top 20 tracks of 2011…

In at numero 20 is a producer who burst onto the scene in a big way. ‘Like We Used To’ is Kahn’s debut release which was discovered by the genius minds behind the Bristol based label Punch Drunk. This track is almost like ‘slowed down dubstep’ – although I don’t really know what the term ‘dubstep’ is anymore to be honest with ya. Slow moving synths seem to send waves through your body with the twisted/echoed vocals sending shivers down your spine, this, is why it’s in my top 20…

KAHN – LIKE WE USED TO

As I mentioned in my post about Scuba, Paul Rose has a couple of different alias’s. SCB is his more techno and house side of things, and his other alias is Spectr. Not really sure where this came from but what I do know is that the killer two tracker was released via the Roska Kicks And Snares imprint, run by, guess who… Roska. The bassline is ridiculous and gets your body moving fucking quickly, not really sure what else to say on this one but it sent me absolutely crazy when Appleblim dropped it at Bestival, I got some really strange looks… oh well, this is my 19th favorite. DANCE. FLOOR. BANGER.

SPECTR – DANCE 4 ME

Who would of thought I would have a track by A1 bassline in my top 20 of the year? Buuuut, I do! Something changed, maybe it was because he recently got snapped up by Dirty Bird (Claude Von Stroke’s record label) or that he probably thought that ‘bassline’ ain’t going nowhere mate. So, he produced this… ‘Falsehood’. I play this out every time these days, also it’s one that I’ve pulled every time I’ve played it too (if you have seen my DJ sets before you’ll know that I’m not really one to pull up tunes) so for that reason it had to go in my top 20. Also had the man himself skanking away on the dance floor to this one when I played at Below The Line a few weeks back! ‘Falsehood’ is in at number 18 y’all.

A1 BASSLINE – FALSEHOOD

How long did this take to finally be released? A LONG. FUCKING. TIME. I think it was Nick from AKA AKA ROAR! who first showed me this one, and I fell in love with it right away. It felt like years had passed, and someone said to me ‘have you heard the new Jamie XX tune?’ I was like, no, really? So when I sat down and listened to it I was like fuuuck I heard this aaaaaages ago and it’s only just been released?! Anyway, big tune, love the steel drums, goes without saying.

JAMIE XX – FAR NEARER

Anyone heard of Bondax? Well, I certainly have! These guys are sick. George Townsend and Adam Kaye together make up Bondax. They are both from Lancaster and I have been chatting to them recently about (hopefully) getting them down to play at AKA AKA ROAR! – because these two are seriously talented. In at number 16 on my chart and a firm favorite of mine is ‘Just Smile For Me’ which is blessed with the amazing voice of Bobbie Gordon. It’s all about the drop on this one, nothing will prepare you for it… deep, moody, moving. Also look out for an interview with the guys coming soon!

BONDAX feat. BOBBIE GORDON – JUST SMILE FOR ME

So that’s it, the first 5 in my top 20! Numbers 15-11 coming in a few days, hang tight!

Inasbit,

TEMPLE

Fuck! I’ve neglected my blog yet again! Sorrrrryyyyy…

Wasn’t sure what to write about so, here I have put together my top 5 remixes of the year. Again this is my personal taste, it’s nothing official!

To be quite honest with you, there hasn’t been that many stand out remixes that have come out this year, that or I’m forgetting some. When putting this together it turned out to be a pretty easy task, I already knew what was going to be my number one and the rest just followed organically. So let’s get on with it shall we?

First up and in at number 5 on my list is none other than Midland. Harry has been one of my absolute favorite producers since discovering him and he continues to find the time to remix/re-edit some amazing tracks. I had no idea about this particular remix until it was played to me, don’t know how it passed me by as I’m such a big fan but somehow it did! Beautiful lyrics with the chilled but driving house flex of Midland is the perfect combination. Here is it, number 5…

STATELESS – ARIEL (MIDLAND’S INFLIGHT REMIX)

I’ve fallen in love with Mahs since discovering them. If you remember my post on these guys (or this guy, I have no idea who or what ‘Mahs’ is) a while back when I first started my blog, I raved about them until I ran out of words. The 4 track EP is the best thing I’ve heard this year, and to top it off Mahs deliver a killer remix, a 2-stepping masterpiece that’s makes your feet dart off in different directions spontaneously. This one is in a number 4… (I feel like I’m presenting Top Of The Pops haha)

GOOD NIGHT JUPITER – KILLER (MAHS’ ‘THAT LADY’ REMIX)

A club classic and 3rd on my list is Mr Bashmore with his brilliant and vibrant remix of Classixx. ‘Into The Valley’ brings soul, class and smiles to the atmosphere, well, that’s what I feel when listening to this dance floor smasher. The chords are so uplifting, and if that wasn’t enough the vocals seem to lift you even higher, can you even go any higher?! An instant hit with party people, that’s why it’s in a number 3…

CLASSIXX – INTO THE VALLEY (JULIO BASHMORE REMIX)

From uplifting to, errrrr, slightly depressing?! Yep, that’s Radiohead! Well not all the time, I was only joking. But that’s not what I wanna talk about, I want to talk about this remix of their track ‘Lotus Flower’ by another one my favorite producers, Jacques Greene. Not really sure what to say about this one, only that it was rather hard trying to choose between this remix or the one by SBTRKT. Personally I prefer this one, it has more of a progression and has a beautiful build up. This one is my penultimate choice…

RADIOHEAD – LOTUS FLOWER (JACQUES GREENE REMIX)

And now, I present to you, the fans, my favorite remix of 2011… Colo. You’re probably thinking, who? As I said, Colo! These guys are so sick and I’m so glad that I discovered their amazing music. Producing a good remix also depends on how good the original track is, not all the time, but most of the time. And what better track to remix than ‘Cocoon’ by the wonderful Alpines. I think I am one of the few people who actually have this track, as this particular remix is not available to download anywhere and they were kind enough to sent it to me as I am completely in love with this track. Um, I don’t have a clue how to describe how good this remix is, so I’m gonna leave it to you guys. I hope you’ve enjoyed my top 5 remixes of this year so I will leave you with this one, my favorite remix of 2011… by a mile.

ALPINES – COCOON (COLO REMIX)

I’ve also started to compile a top 20 tunes of the year post by me which is just around the corner so look out for that one!

Insabit,

TEMPLE