Robin Ball plays at Egg club in London 26th November & 3rd December

Time for the Advent

Ahead of his live UK gig @ Corsica Studios on the 5th November techno legend The Advent discusses how he started out in music, the state of the scene today and his inspirations and ambitions in music.

Q: As a true ambassador for techno what is your opinion of the techno scene in 2010?

A: MMMM, good Question! I think techno as it's true pure form, for me has been diluted into to many sub genre's which is a shame, I hear a lot more known djs & artists playing deeper "tech house" rather than the more pumping techno from the past, which for me is lacking in the energy that techno originally brought to the club, of course it depends on the artist & release. Some new artists are maintaining that energy that I personally call techno, like Legotech. Sash Carassi, Spirakos & Steen, Len Faki & Audio Injection to name a few, so there are a few that I am into and would play their music, but most of the other known artists & labels I’m not really into these days. Hopefully in 2011 that energy "wake up call" will return back into techno.

Q: At the beginning of your career you studied sound engineering at college and then moved on to work in a studio. Has this been a big influence on the way you make music?

A: This was my introduction into the music industry! Starting as an assistant sound engineer and working my way up the ladder was a good way to start working with a lot of artists, mostly rock music for the first year but the second year I got more involved with the early house artists and from this point (1987) I was completely hooked on house on techno. I learned a lot between 1986 and 1988 from some of the early pioneer's of Chicago & Detroit like Finger inc, Adonis & Derrick May, TO MENTION A FEW!!

Q: Do you get time to listen to other music and if so what music do you take inspiration from?

A: Yes I do get the chance from time to time to listen to promos but they don't inspire me to make music, usually what gets me ticking is a good weekend playing in front of a 500 club or a 30,000 festival, and seeing how the crowd react to my music, this inspires me to make music the following week, it's my Addiction! 

Q:  What else in life gives you inspiration to make music?

A: Life itself of course, you know sometimes you have a good day and sometimes you have a bad day so the music has it's ups & downs as well, all good inspiration is from life!!
 

Q: If you were going to have a night off and go out to a club which artist / dj would you like to hear?

A:  That’s a hard one as I haven't been to see a dj in a long time, for the last 15 years I’ve been back & forth from London so on my days off I’m usually spending time with my kids and the other weekends I’m always away Performing at events, if I’m on the same line up as another artist / act I haven't heard for a while I usually stay a few hours at the event, as a posed to going straight back to the hotel, the last people I heard were Dave Clarke and the Space DJ'z at Nature One in Germany.

Q: You have recently had a release on Advanced Intelligence, is this your label?

A: Yes it's a new label I started with Ricardo AKA Industrialyzer, for our deeper & slower side. In today’s scene I think it's good to expand your variety in music production, it doesn't always have to be one sided, so the label "AI" is to focus on another side of our music styles.

Q:  What projects and releases are you working on at the moment?

A: Recently I have finished quite a few projects some are actually out in November: 

Pig & Dan "Addiction EP" The Advent & Industrialyzer remix and Tom Hades remix on his "Rhythm Convert-ed" label. Also I just completed an EP for label "1605" which is one of UMEK's and there’s a new Kombintaion Research release on the way "KR034" The Advent Vs Minimalrome which has two nice electro tracks on there. There’s a new CodeWorks & Advanced Intelligence release "Jonestown EP" which was a concept we had about the Jones town Massacre". In 2011 there will be a lot more projects to look out for!

Q: In the past you have recorded a more house sound under the name G Flame, is there any chance we will hear more house style releases in the future?

A: MM, Good question. Well after leaving our contract with London Records / FFRR me and my ex production partner Colin Mc Bean decided to move to another label also run by the same A&R that signed us to FFRR, now he was based at BMG/Metalbox, which for us was a great way to start something New: "GFlame & Mr G", this was a time before tech house exploded, so we used Elements from house into techno and vice versa, unfortunately after 6 12'" EP's and one Album we decide to stop, only a few months later Colin wanted to carry on as Mr G as he had departed from The Advent, so I helped him

with his label "Phoenix G" first 6 or 7 releases, which helped him get into the scene with a new alias. I did start a label for G Flame releases from NYC Called "Alpha Recordings", I had 4 to 5 releases, then stopped to carry on The Advent as Techno is my first option in Music, so who knows, maybe sooner rather than later you might see a G Flame release!!

Q: Do you prefer a day in the studio or playing a live gig?

A: I could never choose between these two! It has to be both. I prefer in the week  to be in the studio and then at the weekend I like road testing the week's studio work. It’s hard to choose as these days I like to be in the studio and performing as much as possible. 

  

Q: What are your ambitions for the future?

A: To discover new Talent with that desire and drive that I had back in the day. There are a few good new names to watch out for; Hugo Paixao and Jason fernandes are two young producers that I have been working with in the past year, we started a new label

S.T.G. and they also have new releases on Kombination Research. So there’s still a lot to for fill and accomplish!!

Q:  What makes a good party for you?

A: First the Sound and PA has to be very good and loud, a good Line up, A LOT OF DRINKS, and whatever’s your poison, then the rest is a blur I think... burp!!!

Interview by Robin Ball

The Advent plays live alongside Ben Sims and Mark Broom in room 1 with Justin Robertson & Colin Dale in room 2. Socialeyes and Tilted Disco @ Corsica Studios London, Friday 5th November 2010. Click here for tickets

SOCIALEYES AND TILITED DISCO

 

SOCIALEYES AND TILITED DISCO

FRIDAY 5^th NOVEMBER 2010 

10pm – 6am

Corsica Studios, 4/5 Elephant Road, London, SE17 1LB

Nearest tube: Elephant & Castle

Tickets: Early Bird £8 Savers £10 / M.O.T.D

Available from www.corsicastudios.com

LINE UP:  BEN SIMS, THE ADVENT (LIVE), MARK BROOM, JUSTIN ROBERTSON, COLIN DALE, STEVE STRAWBERRY, ROBIN BALL

Tilted Disco has breathed some much needed life into the capital’s electronic music scene since it began back in 2004. Over the past six years it has hosted parties all across London and beyond – from Ministry of Sound and The Egg to Glastonbury Festival – teaming up with promotions with the calibre of Tresor, Split, Closer and Hi-Tek Soul. They have played host to some of the world’s most revered techno DJs and live acts. They now team up with Socialeyes one of the newer electronic music nights on the block. Created in 2006 from the Groovepressure & Groove Pleasure labels the Socialeyes parties have been popping up for one-off nights in and around London until finding their home at Corsica studios in 2010. They have hosted a broad spectrum of quality electronic guests from Funk D Void to Bar9, Terry Francis to Elite Force and always pushing open-minded, forward thinking electronic dance music on the best quality sound systems in intimate fun spaces. Socialeyes are proud to team up with Tilted Disco to bring you this heavyweight line up of Djs and live acts;

Ben Sims - Theory/Ingoma

Known as the '3 deck master', 'the human ableton' and 'the machine', Ben Sims is one of the UK’s biggest techno exports and a much in demand producer. Ben has been involved in running 9 labels, a couple of which are on hold at present (Theory, Killabite, Hardgroove, Native, Ingoma, Symbolism, Assembly, KB Records inc, Split Music), each one with a distinctive sound, ranging from hardgroovin’ and funk driven techno and house that is the trademark of his DJ sets, via tribal, to melodic electronica.

The Advent (live) - Kombination Research // Portugal

Advent – a coming, or an arrival; a coming into being or use. Quite an appropriate name for Cisco Ferreira, a man who has played a big part in the creation and development of Techno from the very beginning of this genre’s history. Indeed, his Techno CV is the stuff of legend. Cisco was producing Techno and performing live Techno shows years before the rest of the world had even heard of the genre. He released his first track in 1988, was a pioneer of the Live PA (or Live Public Address – performing Techno live in front of an audience using electronic music gear), and, if all that wasn’t enough, he even worked as the sound engineer on some of Derrick May’s, Adonis & Fingers Inc’s recording sessions!

The list goes on, and so does Cisco. Unlike other Techno pioneers from the early years, Cisco continues to produce with as much passion and frequency as he did back in the day. His releases on Labels Like Tresor, Rotation, Electrix, Kanzleramt, Dj Gigolos, Pure Plastic, Synewave plus many more is just another example of his ongoing pursuit to keep making music and pushing Techno to new boundaries.

Mark Broom – 2020 Vision

Former East Londoner now Norfolk based Mark Broom has always been a name that is synonymous with the UK electronic music scene. A truly prolific artist, he has a myriad of production credits to his name having worked with world renowned labels such as Mo-Wax, Warp, R&S, Soma, Ifach (with Baby Ford ) Bpitch Control, Platzhirsch,Rotary Cocktail, Material and more recently 2020 vision. Producing some of the worlds most exciting dance music Mark is a must for this party.

Justin Robertson – Bugged Out

Justin Robertson's tastes have always been catholic though in 2009 you would be hard pushed to find a musician working successfully in areas as diverse as techno, house, dancehall and art pop. Justin is a true modernist: he excels as a DJ of international repute; is a creator of bespoke techno; one third of New Pop band Thee Earls, a remixer for the likes of The Whip, Bjork and Felix Da Housecat and, most recently he has written and produced an album called Silent Life.

Colin Dale - Wildlife-am / Tilted Disco

To call Colin Dale "legendary" is no over-estimation here is an artist that has been one of London's most cutting edge Djs for over 20 years and still continues to surprise and marvel. As resident of Tilted Disco and also a regular at Socialeyes events it's only right to get Colin to rock the dance floor.

Steve Strawberry - Sedition DJs / Tilted Disco

Steve Strawberry is emerging as one of the most passionate and talented young DJs around. Promoter and resident of Tilted Disco his enthusiasm and skill behind the decks have won him much support from both fellow DJs and clubbers alike. Don't be fooled by the light-hearted name either, this guy likes his music rough and tough, and has developed a fresh interpretation of the acid house blueprint.

Robin Ball - Socialeyes / Samura.fm

Robin has been djing since his early teens, he did his first club gig in 1992 and since then has played in clubs from the Uk to Australia alongside all his heroes, in 1997 he started the Groovepressure and Groove Pleasure record labels and club nights which ran right up to 1996 when his newest project Socialeyes was born.

Gus Brown – Mixtape Records

Gus label owner and producer at Mixtape records will be warming up the main room with an alternitive set of Funk, Disco and House.

SOCIALEYES

Info: 07956 375 370 / socialeyesparties@gmail.com

  
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Silicone Soul - The Darkroom Dubs interview

Ahead of the next Socialeyes party we catch up with Graeme from Silicone Soul to chat about Soma Records, the Glasgow scene, listening to and making music and what makes a good party.

Q:  You are signed to the excellent Soma Records, and you have your own label “Darkroom Dubs”, do you release music yourselves on both labels or is Darkroom Dubs for other artists?

A: Darkroom dubs is there more to release work from other artists although we do like to put something out of our own from time to time and we get involved remixing some of the releases. We recently released "The Time Mariner's Mirrour" on the label which was well received.

Q:  Soma Records has been a force on the electronic scene since the early 90’s, what positive benefits have you found being part of a family like that? Did you release music on any other labels before you signed to Soma?

A: For us it means a great deal to be signed with soma, we first were exposed to the music by Slam at the arches, the first records we bought were soma releases so it's really encouraging that they support us, I think when you are working with a label that has such a great, long running reputation it can only help when it comes to getting your music across to people. we actually started out releasing 2 records on our own “Depth Perception” label in the late 90s , slam were playing the tracks at their gigs and that was kind of the first step to us signing with them .

Q:  There’s a really strong electronic music scene in Glasgow, it’s certainly been an important city for house music over the years, why do you think this is?

A: For me the strength of Glasgow’s electronic scene can really be traced back to the guys that kicked it off – Slam / Soma and Harri and the gang at the Subclub, they’ve guaranteed that you can hear the best in electronic music in the city ever since.

Q: Do you get time to listen to other music and if so what music do you take inspiration from?

A: Yeah we both try to keep our home listening as varied as possible. We grew up pretty mad for rocky/punky 60s/70s music and to this day it's something we feel rubs off on the tunes all the time, obviously dub has had a big impact along with soul & disco sounds, 

 but in general it's impossible not to take something from everything you hear - even if it's " I don't want to ever sound like that ".

Q:  What else in life gives you inspiration to make music?

A:  Everything and anything from personal experience and emotional responses to books, movies, current events... Again I think if you're into music and making music, whatever you live through and come across will affect matters in some way .

Q:  What projects and releases are you working on at the moment?

A:  We are working on a bunch of remixes at the moment as well as starting to put together ideas for a new album. Next year is Soma's 20th birthday so there's going to be all kinds of exciting stuff happening with that .

Q:  Silicone Soul is a duo but I believe you live in different countries? How do you work the production process?

A: These days it involves a lot of swapping projects by email, we both run the same daw so it's really easy. In many ways it helps because between us we're like an octopus now.

Q:  At your gigs do you play records, cds or are you computer based? 

A:  I play with cds these days and Craig uses Traktor. I think a lot of folk get hung up on this but it's the noise that matters not what makes it.

Q:  What makes a good party for you?

A: For me the important stuff is the people and the soundsystem. I enjoy playing so it's got to be quite a dire situation before a party could be anything other than good :)

Interview by Robin Ball.

SILICONE SOUL PLAY AT SOCIALEYES ALONGSIDE FUNK D VOID, JUSTIN ROBERTSON, ELITE FORCE, TAYO AND ROBIN BALL THIS SATURDAY 25TH SETPEMBER @ CORSICA STUDIOS.  CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

Silicone Soul Soundcloud
Silicone Soul Mixes 

SOCIALEYES 25 SEPTEMBER @ CORSICA STUDIOS

On Saturday 25th September, Socialeyes returns to Corsica Studios for its third party of the summer with another killer line-up, merging the sounds of the new-breed with some of the best loved DJ’s on the circuit for a night of quality techno, electro, house, disco, dubstep, breaks, beats and bass. 

Since 2006 Socialeyes have been running special one-off parties around London.  This summer saw the first party at Corsica Studios back in May, followed by the 6th boat party down the River Thames.   Always pushing open-minded, forward thinking electronic dance music on the best quality sound systems in intimate fun spaces.  Corsica Studios is a favourite venue for Socialeyes, having been voted ‘Best Small Club’ in DJ Magazine, boasting two intimate rooms, both with Funktion 1 sound systems, and with its raw underground vibe it fits perfectly with the Socialeyes ethos.

Socialeyes is not restricted to one genre of music, the emphasis is quite simply on ‘good’ music.  Created by Robin Ball, Socialeyes was born out of a passion for quality electronic music, a desire to hear big DJ’s on big soundsystems in small intimate spaces, and a place for friends old and new to just come and dance to music they love.  Through Socialeyes, and a lot of hard work Robin is realising his dream.

So on Saturday 25th September, in the ‘Groove Pleasure’ Room you’ll find the brilliant Funk D Void, Silicone Soul and Justin Robertson, complemented by Socialeyes creator Robin Ball, all playing a sublime mixture of electro, disco, house and techno.  While in the ‘Groovepressure’ Room is one of London’s favourite pioneers of breaks, dubstep and beats; Elite Force, alongside man of many musical talents; Tayo (known for his infamous Tracksuit Parties, and a long-serving residency at Fabric with his Cool & Deadly nights), plus Robin Ball in his Robin Beats moniker.  This is one busy man!

The Groove Pleasure and Groovepressure rooms represent the different sides to Robin’s musical passions.  They are also the names of his previous record labels and are currently used as titles to his radio shows on Samurai FM.  Tune in here to check them out – www.samurai.fm/groovepleasure   /  www.samurai.fm/groovepressure 


WEB LINKS FOR SOCIALEYES
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BUY TICKETS

SOCIALEYES @ CORSICA STUDIOS
SATURDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER 2010 
10pm – 6am
Corsica Studios, 4/5 Elephant Road, London, SE17 1LB
Nearest tube: Elephant & Castle
Tickets = Early Bird £8 / Advance & Student £10 / On the door £13
Available from http://socialeyescorsica.eventbrite.com/

LINE UP:  FUNK D VOID, SILICONE SOUL, JUSTIN ROBERTSON, TAYO, ELITE FORCE, ROBIN BALL

Socialeyes @ Corsica Studios 25/09 with with Funk D Void / Silicone Soul / Justin Robertson / Elite Force / Tayo / Robin Ball

This is the second event at Corsica Studios, the last night was a winner and I hope you’ll agree this line up is great!

SOCIALEYES
Saturday 25^th September 2010 
at Corsica Studios

Groove Pleasure Room
Techno, House, Electro & Disco
Funk D Void / Silicone Soul / Justin Robertson / Robin Ball

Groovepressure Room
Dubstep , Breaks, Beats & bass 
Elite Force / Tayo / Robin Beats

10pm – 6am @ Corsica Studios, 4/5 Elephant Road, London, SE17 1LB 
Nearest tube: Elephant & Castle

Early Bird £8 / Advance & Student £10 / on the door £13
http://socialeyescorsica.eventbrite.com


AND ONE FOR THE MEMORY BANKS, WHO DOESNT LOVE THIS CLASSIC RECORD....
FUNK D'VOID 'DIABLA' 
 

Terry Francis Interview

Q: You’ve been in this game a long time; please explain what got you hooked on the idea of being a dj?

A: I'd always collected records and loved music and this bikers bar I knew had a basement and decks and they asked me to do a night in there, it became really popular, then someone asked me to play on the South Coast, which lead to playing at Sterns and it all carried on from there.

Q: What dj’s were you listening to before you took up the headphones?

A: David Rodigan, Paul Trouble Anderson, John Peel, Kiss FM when it was a pirate station and Solar Radio.

Q: As a dj you are well known for your clean fluid mixing style, was this the way your heroes played and do your current favorites play in this style, or could you also be impressed by a more cut and paste, chop it up style?

A: I’m not really into the cut and paste style; I prefer music to have a bit more flow.  I was going to listen to Eddie Richards and he blew me away, we had very similar taste in music at the time and he is still my current favorite today.

Q: If you were going to have a night off and go out to a club which artist / dj would you like to hear?

A: I'd go and see Sasse, Eddie Richards obviously, Andrew Weatherall, or I'd just go to one of my mates parties in London such as Kerfuffle and have fun with my friends.

Q: In 1997 you won Muzik Magazines ''Best New DJ'' Award” which I know changed things dramatically in your career, but I always remember when I was abroad dj’ing in places that Muzik Magazine wasn’t as well known, people knew you for a mix cd that you had released, I think it was on Pagan, can you tell us more about that release?

A: It was called ‘Architecture’.  At the time most of the music out there was wishy washy disco loops or banging techno so I think it was different and went down well, it caught peoples imagination as I think there was need for something a bit different at the time.

Q: You celebrated 16 years of Wiggle parties this year! I remember going to an early Wiggle party and it sticks in my mind as being exactly what acid house was and is all about, a good sound system, dark warehouse and deep tech house sounds! How did the Wiggle parties come about and what is your favorite Wiggle moment?

A: At the time in the early 90's when Kiss FM had become a commercial radio station, they had taken over London with the same old DJs, so we decided to do a night in an old warehouse to bring back a bit of a vibe which the underground crowd appreciated.  The Wiggle name comes from my friend Tobi, her Dad used to call her My Little Wiggle when she was younger and Nathan and I thought it a fun name for a fun party.  As for my favorite Wiggle moment there are far too many for me to put down here ;o)

Q: There have been some releases lately by you and Klunk on Wiggle Recordings, is this a new partnership and can we be expecting more music from you soon?

A: Yes my partner Klunk and I have been making music under the moniker Klunk & Zilly.  We have done a few remixes for various labels and we are starting up a label to release our own music and remixes we've done for other people.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about being a fabric resident?

A: I'm blessed to be able to play at fabric, it’s a forward thinking club musically and it’s in my home town - I also met my girlfriend Sassie there.

Q: All the rooms at fabric have a different musical and atmospheric vibe, which do you prefer to play in and why?

A: It’s great to be able to play different styles in different rooms which you wouldn't get the opportunity to do at many other places so I like them all really.

Q: Obviously having to be at fabric every Saturday means you don’t get to travel as much as you used to, do you miss the weekends away playing at different clubs around the world? Or is it nice not to have to spend hours in airports and hotel rooms?

A: I still travel every Friday and I take the odd Saturday out to play other places, I’m enjoying travelling at the moment.

Q: Obviously you are known for your house and techno sets but are there any other styles of dance music you like? Do you ever get to play an alternative set?

A: Every now and then I do a funk and soul set, but only if I’m asked by mates really.

Q: As a dj do you play records, cds or are you computer based?

A:   At the moment I’m playing with cds as when I’m travelling its easier, but I still play vinyl at fabric sometimes and will be switching over to Traktor soon

Q: What makes a good party for you?

A: Good music!

Interview by Robin Ball

  
 Terry joins Justin Robertson and Robin Ball for the 6^th Socialeyes Boat Party this Saturday 14-08-10 in London, the after party is at Corsica Studios with Matt Tolfrey. Tickets from;
http://socialeyesboat.eventbrite.com

Sasha Mix - UK exclusive

Groove Pleasure is proud to present the latest in the series of mixes on Samurai FM comes from the legendary SASHA!!!  click HERE to listen to a UK exclusive mix from this world class DJ

The Socialeyes Boat Party is back! On Saturday 14th August with Terry Francis, Justin Robertson, Matt Tolfrey and Robin Ball

The Socialeyes boat party is back again this summer and setting sail on the great waves of the River Thames on (what will hopefully be) a balmy Saturday evening in August, where you can listen to the sublime sounds of the Socialeyes dj’s whilst taking in the beautiful sights of London as we sail by into the sunset and into the night with one of the most fun parties in town.

Last years boat party was the best yet! Justin Robertson did us proud with a perfect mix of Balearic, acid house, tech and disco sounds. It was so good in fact that we’ve asked him back! And last year we couldn’t get enough of the sounds, the sail and the good times, so this year we’ve added another 90 minutes onto the sailing time and brought another world class dj into the fold; Fabric resident Terry Francis! And on top of that we've secured an exclusive after party at Corsica Studios in London to take us through to 6am with special guest Matt Tolfrey.

So expect quality house, techno, electro & disco with some well chosen classics; good vibes; good people; and definitely a better way to party.

SOCIALEYES 6th BOAT PARTY

AND After Party

SATURDAY 14th August 2010

6pm to 6am (including after party)

Part 1 Boat Party

With Terry Francis, Justin Robertson, Robin Ball

Meet at Festival Pier, London, SE1 8XZ, @ 6pm till Midnight

Nearest Tube / train: Waterloo.

Part 2 Afterparty @ Corsica Studios

With Matt Tolfrey and Robin Ball

4/5 Elephant Road, London

SE17 1LB, start 12am, finish, 6am.

Tel: 07956 375370

socialeyesparties@gmail.com

www.socialeyesparties.com

FACEBOOK

£25 tickets for entry to both boat and after party

£8 tickets for after party

Tickets available from;

http://socialeyesboat.eventbrite.com/

The Socialeyes boat party as always is a non-profit event, we’re just in it for the love.

Please feel free to message us if you have any questions.

Robin Ball Mix (July 2010)

The latest mix on Groove Pleasure from your host Robin Ball

SATURDAY 29TH MAY, SOCIALEYES AT CORSICA STUDIOS......

Just incase you didnt get all the information from here, facebook, twitter etc - here's all the info you need to know about the next Socialeyes party taking place at Corsica Studios this Saturday 29th May.

Justin Robertson / Max Cooper / Colin Dale / Robin Ball play the Groove Pleasure Room where you'll hear the finest in techno, electro and tech house.

Meanwhile Elite Force / Bar9 / Rob Sparx / Robin Beats play the Groovepressure room selecting dubstep, breaks, beats and bass.

Doors open 10pm till 6am

Advance tickets are £10 - get your tickets now from HERE
Tickets will be £13 on the door.

Join the Facebook Fan Page to keep updated, and invite your friends at the Facebook Event Page.

SOCIALEYES DJ MIXES

Part of our series of mixes running up to the Socialeyes party tomorrow:

Groove Pleasure mixes from Justin Robertson & Max Cooper:  http://samurai.fm/groovepleasure

Groovepressure Mixes from Elite Force, Rob Sparx & Robin Beats http://samurai.fm/groovepressure

Inteview with Elite Force

Q: You are well known for being diverse in your production style, blurring boundaries between breaks, house & techno, and Your latest LP “Revamped” has a strong breakbeat vibe to it but on a few of the tracks you have mashed the breaks up with dubstep which worked really well, can we hope to hear more of this in the future?

A: Yes I expect so, I've always had really broad tastes and I’ve made a conscious decision to create a lot of breaks tracks from both my own sets and the Revamped album, which has lead to me really extending my musical palette. People are *far* too judgmental about music and what is and isn't 'allowed', and I have no time for that whatsoever, I'd much rather dwell on the positive, and that's what the album was all about ... just doing music I liked regardless of what the self-appointed tastemakers say. It seemed to work pretty well and I was especially pleased that the dubsteppy stuff went over as well as it did.

Q: What styles are you playing most in the clubs at the moment? Or does it change from club to club / country to country?

A: Absolutely it does yes, although for me personally probably not as much as it used to. Most of the tracks I play in my sets are re-edits, remixes and mash-ups, and increasingly those are what people are coming to see me play, so I'm leaning more towards setting the agenda musically rather than pandering too much to stereotypes (within reason of course!).

Q: Does the fact you are known for different styles of music complicate things when it comes to choosing what to play at your gigs?

It does a little, yeah, but I kind of like that. I spend a good deal of time before every set analysing my tunes, looking for new runs of tunes especially for that night, working new bits into the sets and looking at the context of the night I'm playing at.

Q: In the breaks, dubstep and d&b scenes there seems to be a lot of short dj sets being played where as house and techno djs normally play longer, why do you think this is and which do you prefer?

I don't really get the short set things - for me it has a detrimental effect on the dynamics of a night (everyone tunes up and smashes it with the BIGGEST, LOUDEST tracks they have) and that effect ripples out into the production process, especially in those genres mentioned, where every track has to be bigger & badder than everything that's gone before. It also moves producers away from developing any real depth or craft to their sound, so I would personally take a 3-hour set over an hour set any day of the week, as long as I'm not playing at a MEGARAVE where people's attention spans are somewhat limited!

Q: As a dj do you play records, cds or are you computer based?

These days it's CDs and has been for at least 4-5 years now. With the flexibility that editing software gives us now, I kind of see most tracks I buy or get sent as raw material to be manipulated into something that's custom-made for my sets ... I am looking at possibly doing something with a laptop at the heart on some of my forthcoming DJ sets, although the main reason for that would be the syncing with Visuals rather than anything else.

Q: If you were going to have a night off and go out to a club which artist / dj would you like to hear?

Honestly? I wouldn't go near a club on a night off, but when I do get a chance to check out other DJs at festivals and WMC, I tend to go for people like James Zabiela, Ben Sims, Marco Bailey, Laurent Garnier ... technically brilliant and just passionate about the music they play. I really enjoyed seeing Sven Vath a few times on tour in Australia a while ago - inspired track selections and just compulsive to watch.

Q: What projects / releases are you working on at the moment?

I've just finished a remix for Vandal which will be coming out on his 'Benefit' Recordings in June and a couple of Zodiac Cartel remixes for A.G.Trio and I have a double remix pack coming out of my 'Law of Life' track which will be dropping in two parts, featuring remixes from Miki Litvak & Ido Ophir, Access Denied, The Loops of Fury, Zodiac Cartel, Nom de Strip and Mike Hulme. The singles will be out on U&A in June and will also feature the bonus track 'Feel The Pain'.

Next thing for me is preparing a whole new round of re-edits and mashups for the summer festivals (I'm playing around 10 of them I think). I'm also very close to committing to a *massive* video game scoring project, which if it comes off would lock me down for a few months.

Q: Do you get time to listen to other music and if so what music do you take inspiration from? What else in life gives you inspiration to make music?

Aside from big guns like Underworld and The Chemical Brothers who still set the bar for me both in terms of live sets and quality albums, if I do listen to music outside of electronic stuff, then it's usually quite a long way removed ... recently been loving the Dead Weather stuff, but I'm as likely to listen to minimal classical as I am to System of a Down.

Q: How does your production process work?

Start with beats, move onto bass garnish with toplines / vocals, arrange, mix, Bosh, Done.... Except the reality is usually a shedload of technical issues, program crashes, software glitches, interruptions on phone / email / label business, lack of clear focus on the endgame. What I have learnt to do over the years is to work through the shit and once I'm in the middle of doing a track, I really have to finish it before I can focus on other stuff.

Q: Do you use any hardware in your production or is it all made on computer?

A mix of the two. In-the-box alone just doesn't do it for me, especially given the fact that most soft-synths just don't give you the hand-on 'vibe' that you get from hardware (and that includes real mixers with real faders as well as synths).

Q: What makes a good party for you?

An open-minded and up-for-it crowd, which usually stems from having great residents who understand how to build a night (rather than kicking your face off from the minute the doors open). Great sound & lights aren't a bad idea too, but really it comes down to the people. 

Interview by Robin Ball

Elite Force joins Bar9, Rob Sparx, Justin Robertson, MaxCooper, Robin Ball, Colin Dale, & Robin Beats @ Corsica Studios, London, Saturday 29thMay


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THE MAX COOPER INTERVIEW!!!

Q: You released some great music in 2008 and 2009 which has raised your artist profile, has this changed your life in any way?

A: Yeah I’m more or less doing music full time now, which is great to have the time to do it properly – writing music is very time consuming, it’s hard to get started when you have other commitments as I’m sure a lot of producers out there will know. And now I get strange people offering me high class prostitutes. Or sometimes low class. Which are obviously refused.

Q: You have carved a name for yourself as a deep techouse / techno producer but I believe as a dj you have played different styles in the past?

A: I’ve played all sorts yeah, I have a lot of different musical interests, and don’t like to get pinned down. I used to be all into turntablism, scratching and juggling and all that, which unfortunately doesn’t fit over the sort of music I’m playing now, hopefully I can get back to that somehow in future.

Q: Can we expect to hear some different production styles in the future or are you a 100% purist now?

A: I guess I’ve accidentally answered this partly with my last answer – you can definitely expect some new styles, especially for my album which I’m working on now.

Q: Do you get to cross genres in any of your current dj sets?

A: Yes, my recent mixes up on FTVS and Fabric sites for example, include de

ep house, modern classical, dubstep, electronica, techno and minimal. I’m all for crossing genres and keeping things interesting.

Q: If you were going to have a night off and go out to a club which artist / dj would you like to hear?

A: One of my favourite producers who would play in a club is Stephan Bodzin, who I still haven’t seen out. But to be honest most of the people I’d go out of my way to see wouldn’t play in clubs – Max Richter, Philip Glass and Helios for example.

Q: Harmonisch Serie, Stochastisch Serie and Chaotisch Serie are three of your latest releases on Traum, please explain these names and the concept behind them?

A: The names and concepts are all tied into scientific/philosophical ideas which I find interesting, and which influence my productions and which the videos for the tracks were based on.

Q: What projects / releases are you working on at the moment?

A: I’m doing remixes of two of my favourite artists – Minilogue and Ryan Davis at the moment, plus working on album tracks and a new 12inch EP.

Q: Do you get time to listen to other music and if so what music do you take inspiration from?

A: I mainly listen to modern classical and melodic electronica, so things like Max Richter and Helios as mentioned, and Jon Hopkins, Deaf Center, Olafur Arnalds.

Q:  What else in life gives you inspiration to make music?

A: Science, philosophy, art, nature – I find these things almost inseparable from what drives my music.

Q:  Did you take inspiration from anything when you made the superb “I”?

A:  That track was supposed to be called “i”, but the small letterness of the name got lost in translation somewhere along the line! The name was supposed to refer to the self (i.e. “I”), as well as the square root of minus 1 (i.e. “i”), because the inspiration behind the track was to represent something personal in an electronic form.

Q: How does your production process work?

A:  It varies from track to track, but the best work happens when I start with a clear concept or emotion to try and represent, and work as accurately as possible to that theme so that its message is most clearly conveyed in the resulting track.

Q:  Do you use any hardware in your production or is it all made on computer?

A:  Strictly software for me! I would love to have some real synths, as there is definitely something to be said for the analogue sound in its dance music effect, but they are expensive, and I’ve focused my studio expenditure on maximizing sound quality so far – acoustic treatment and monitors etc.

Q:  As a dj do you play records, cds or are you computer based?

A:  DJing is mainly CDs, plus the odd vinyl, much more fun not to have to worry about a computer when possible, always causing problems those pesky things! I have to use one for my live show though of course. Someone pointed out recently that in spite of the fact that I do all my music and science on a computer, I am in fact a technophobe.

Q:  What makes a good party for you?

A:  Pass the parcel.

Interview by Robin Ball

Max Cooper joins Justin Robertson, Colin Dale,Robin Ball, Elite Force, Bar9, Rob Sparx & Robin Beats @ Corsica Studios inLondon on 29th May 2010. 

Robin Ball live tonight

Robin Ball will be Live in the mix tonight from 10 to 11pm at Online Studios for Area 38. Check it out.

Groovepressure question Rob Sparx.

Groovepressure question Rob Sparx.

Q:   Your album “Trooper” was released in 2009 to great reviews and has raised your profile on the scene, tell us about your history in music up until the album? 

A:  I'm a classically trained double bass player with a bit of jazz knowledge too, as a kid I had lessons at the Royal College of Music, I started playing at 8 and by 18 I had a Grade 8 distinction and had also got quite good on the guitar and piano but by this point dance music had pretty much taken over and its been mainly synthesizers, computers and decks ever since. I've always been into lots of different genres of music, when I was very young it was live music mainly Indy/rock/metal but by the time I first started producing at 16 my main influences were dance artists like Massive Attack, Prodigy and Leftfield and labels like Metalheadz, Good Looking, Ram and Virus.

I got a lot of my production knowledge through being mates with Twisted Individual & Zen and I used to go smoke with them, Gdub, APB and Dubchild at the Formation studios, I picked up lots of techniques watching these producers at work. My first 20 or so releases were mainly drum n bass - in 2004-2005 I released a load of DNB tunes on Grid, Zombie and Up Yours and also a few tunes on Formation, Propaganda and Z-Audio. I ended up falling out with Twisted for a few years and got bored with the way the jump up DNB scene was going so I tried to get into the deeper, darker and dubbier side of DNB which originally influenced me but predictably I had difficulties with getting most of my output released so I changed direction and got into other genres of music and worked on improving my production techniques.

I used to go to college with Loefah, Mala and Coki and I knew in 2003 that they were working on a new genre that was like deep garage but the first time I actually heard it was when in 2004 Mala passed a cd to my house mate Tunnidge with all the early DMZ stuff on. I really liked the sound and I started experimenting with the genre although mixed with techniques I'd learnt from DNB so hardly purist. By 2007 Z-Audio were getting into dubstep and released the 2 Faced Rasta and Independent Life on DUBTING which both did pretty well, that’s when they asked me to do the album and dubstep, garage and breaks has been my main focus ever since then. 

Q:  How do you feel about the album now? 

A:  I actually finished the album in 2008 and it wasn't released until over a year later so I'm pretty keen to do another one to be honest, it took me ages to write some of the tunes on there and I'm happy with it and think it still sounds fresh but I'm very keen to start another one as my production has moved on a long way since then and albums are a good chance for me to write music that’s more soulful and interesting to listen to not just to dance to.

Q:  Has the release of the album changed your life in any way?

A:  In the last year or so since album promo started I've been outside of the UK a lot more times than in my whole life before. I've played gigs in Poland, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Israel, New York and Puerto Rico and I've got forthcoming in Ukraine, Budapest and a AUS / NZ tour being planned for most of September plus I've done an interview on 1xtra so yea I'm sure the album helped with that a bit.

Q:  You have carved a name for yourself as a dubstep producer but Trooper has a wide variety of influences, so can we expect to hear some different production styles in the future or are you 100% dubstep now?

A:  I might be having another crack at DNB soon because Twisted has asked me to do an album for Grid so that could be a good opportunity to return to producing and dj’ing in that style, which I've been meaning to do for a while. I'd also like to produce some house music with some of the ideas I’ve learnt from dubstep, I’m sure I’ll be doing that soon but how quickly that happens depends on what labels I get to know as I'm not interested in writing any more music that ends up sitting on my computer for years without getting a release, I've had way too much of that bullshit over the years, at the moment I’m sticking to music I can mix with so its being put to some use even if I can't get a tune signed quickly.

Q:  If you were going to have a night off and go out to a club which artist / dj would you like to hear?

A:  I've heard Mixmaster Mike is pretty good at beat juggling and scratching with dubstep that would be interesting to hear!

Q:  Do you get time to listen to other music and if so what music do you take inspiration from?

A:  I like a bit of minimal house, techno and electro or whatever you call it, the good glitchy stuff. I'm liking what Instru:mental and DBridge are doing with DNB at the moment, I still love some of the tunes on Trentemoller's first album and I've taken a lot of influence in the way I use my basses from Justice's chopped bass style. There's a pretty big dub influence from the classic producers like Lee Perry and King Tubby in my music especially the drums.

Q:  How does your production process work? 

A:  It’s different every time, I find its best to have drums first but often this gets in the way of being creative, sometimes I’m just messing about making a new preset or listening to some samples then I get an idea and that one preset or sample becomes a whole tune pretty quickly.

Q:  Do you use any hardware in your production or is it all made on computer?

A:  I've got a Moog Prodigy, a guitar and access to a pogo stick electric double bass but everything else is software

Q:  What projects and releases are you working on at the moment?

A:  I've got the 5th releases on both my labels (Sour Grapes & Migration) out next month, there’s also a Proptingz remix of Windscreen Sniper coming out on Z-Audio soon and I'm working on material for other dubstep labels and the Grid album.

Q:  What are your ambitions in music?

A:  I'd just like to get some really good vocalists and write music that’s more accessible but still with integrity, not sellout cheesy shite with no shelf life. I'd like to do a vocal project with an electro sound like The Eurythmics or New Order mixed up with all the crazy dance techniques I’ve learnt over the years but to be honest I could work with a whole range of different sounds and vocal styles, it would really depend on the vocalist.

Q:  The sales of vinyl have been dropping for years but compared to a lot of other genres dubstep has kept selling record units, as an artist do you get more sales from vinyl, cd or download?

A:  Its still vinyl despite shit sales, but digital formats are definitely catching up.

Q:  As a dj do you play records, cds or are you computer based?

A:  At the moment I’m playing 1/2 set vinyl 1/2 cdjs - I was purely cdjs for a year or two (after many years of just vinyl) but now I try to play vinyl where I can.

Q:  What makes a good party for you?

A:  A longer set on a quality sound system to a packed club who actually like dubstep and don't just want to hear spazzy filth.

Rob Sparx plays alongside Bar9, Elite Force and Robin Beats on Saturday 29th May @ Socialeyes, Corsica Sudios, London. In the other room Justin Robertson, Max Cooper, Colin Dale & Robin Ball - http://socialeyesparties.blogspot.com/2010/04/socialeyes-corsica-studios.html

Robin Ball talks Socialeyes

Hello I’m Robin Ball creator of and resident dj for the Socialeyes parties. And i thought you might like to know a little more about me and the ideas behind Socialeyes.  

I have been involved in the dance music industry since the early 90’s and have worked on all sorts of music events from small clubs to big festivals but I feel that the best surroundings to hear great dj’s in is in an intimate space with a solid sound system, a relaxed vibe and a vibrant atmosphere, so I made it my goal to start a night with that concept, and in May 2006 Socialeyes was born!

Since then there’s been many great nights, the best for me being the five boat parties, the most recent holding host to Justin Robertson who went down a storm!

Up until now the parties have been kept low key and promote on a word of mouth system but now it’s time to let more people in on the vibe, which brings us to the first party at the excellent Corsica Studios in London! Corsica was recently voted “Best Small Club” in DJ Mag and just this month was voted “41^st best club in the world” in DJ Mag! It’s the perfect venue for Socialeyes for many reasons, firstly it has two rooms so we can push our eclectic music policy on lovely Funktion One sound systems, also it has good lighting, an old skool warehouse vibe, and it’s run by a forward thinking management with a good attitude to music! Come and find more reasons your self on 29^th May.

The Socialeyes concept is a strong eclectic dj line up of the best underground talent playing for an alternative crowd who want to have fun and let go to a sound scape of diverse well programmed electronic dance music. I believe strongly in good music programming so the night flows well and I put a good deal of thought into that. For the opening night on 29^th May in one room we will be covering techno, techouse, electro, Detroit, acid house and anything in between, played by myself alongside legends Justin Robertson and Colin Dale and one of house and technos brightest hopes Max Cooper, the other room will be a mix of dubstep, breaks, beats and bass with myself under my new alias Robin Beats alongside two of dubsteps best names, Bar9 and Rob Sparx, plus the mighty Elite Force who is on top form at the moment riding high in the Beatport charts and ripping up clubs wherever he goes. This is a line up I am very proud of and it’s going to be a treat!!!

Watch out for forthcoming interviews and mixes from the other djs playing on the 29^th May.

Rob Sparx and Robin Beats mixes

Rob Sparx and Robin Beats start off a series of mixes running up to the next Socialeyes party on 29th May.   listen to the mixes here on Samurai FM  Dubstep and breaks!!!!!

Socialeyes @ Corsica Studios

On Saturday 29th May, Socialeyes gets Soceyeball again....

Join us at the fabulous Corsica Studios (previously voted best small club by DJMag, and recently at no.41 in the top 100 clubs in the world) on what will hopefully be a balmy Bank Holiday Saturday evening for some seriously good music.

We've got 2 rooms on sonic enjoyment for you, as we're joined by Justin Robertson, Max Cooper, Colin Dale and your Socialeyes honcho Robin Ball in the Groove Pleasure room.  And in the Groovepressure room we have Elite Force, Bar9, Rob Sparx and Robin Beats.

Tickets are onsale now from http://www.socialeyes.eventbrite.com and if you in now they're only £8!

Corsica Studios, 4/5 Elephant Road, London SE17 1LB.
10pm-6am
Early Bird £8 / Advance and Students £10 / MOTD