Star Wars fanatic Tom Middleton learned the production ropes with Richard “Aphex Twin” James and later created a fruitful partnership with Mark Pritchard as Global Communication and a host of other aliases. After going solo nearly ten years ago, he continues to spin his eclectic sets all over the world and is rethinking how to circumvent the music industry’s broken model for releasing music. The force is definitely with him!
Plus, artists look back on 2009; John Digweed answers questions from Big Shot‘s readers, Tiësto, Annie, RJD2, Udachi, Modeselektor, Dixon, Magda, Gavin Hardkiss, Book of Love, DJ Spooky, Kraftwerk, and a whole lot more. Continue reading
After a series of false starts in other bands, the members of Manchester’s The Whip finally realize their dance-rock dreams. Since The Whip formed three years ago in Manchester, England, they’ve been on a nonstop touring schedule, bringing their dirty, sexy, sweaty, and infectious dance-rock to all corners of the world. While they’ve rocked clubs and festivals from Tokyo to Austin, two boiling hot outdoor gigs last summer stand out for them. The first is opening for The Breeders at … Continue reading
Satoshi Tomiie is among a growing legion of globetrotting DJs who are blurring the lines between dance floor genres.
Revered DJ/producer Satoshi Tomiie hails from Japan and calls New York City home. However, he hasn’t spent much time in either place during the past year. “My summer tour kicked off in May, and I was on the road nonstop until September,” explains Tomiie, talking from a hotel room in Buenos Aires. “I didn’t go back to New York at all. After the tour was over, I left two weeks later for another couple of months. I don’t spend time in one particular place; I keep moving. It’s difficult for me to stay in one place because I love what I’m doing.” Continue reading
Anders Ilar is one of the most underrated producers working in electronic music today. His sound blurs the lines between techno, IDM and ambient, creating a style all his own. 2008 was a big year for him, where’s he headed now? What drew you to electronic music? Who would you count among your formative influences? Anders Ilar: My love for electronic music started quite early in my childhood, and I strongly suspect R2-D2 had a lot to do with it. … Continue reading
Norway’s best export (sorry, A-ha) returns from their sophomore slump with a posse of popular lady friends and a pleasing set of atmospheric dance-pop. Röyksopp’s best quality—their buoyant happiness—is also what threatened to capsize their last disc, 2005′s The Understanding, which was too radio-friendly for many fans of their sublime debut. One gets the sense, looking at Junior‘s guest list, that Torbjørn Brundtland and Svein Berge felt like they needed to prove their relevance after four years away: Lykki Li, … Continue reading
The 11th volume of the DJ Hell-run imprint once again captures the label’s eclectic style that ranges from dirty electro to gorgeous techno and sinister acid. Once again the only thing binding this whole non-linear collection together is Hell’s refined musical taste—a cornerstone of the International Deejay Gigolo label mission statement. The first disc mainly focuses on very minimal and physical electro vibe with the old veterans holding things down as DJ Pierre, Richard Bartz, Peter Kruder, and Hell himself … Continue reading
Rennie Pilgrem’s TCR label pioneered the genre known as new school breaks while serving as a vehicle for productions by Pilgrem, B.L.I.M., Arthur Baker and Koma & Bones. As the label turns 15, Pilgrem recalls what it was like running an indie label in the previous century. The sampler was king: It made home recording possible and introduced the manipulation of sound as an accepted form of music. Mine (an EMU) cost $5,000 in 1997. I sold it six months … Continue reading
With releases such as “Burning Up” and “Summer Dream” being hammered by the likes of Paul van Dyk, Armin van Buuren, Tiesto and Judge Jules, expectations for Kuffdam’s debut artist album are bound to be high. Fortunately, the Scottish DJ and producer doesn’t disappoint. Like any good trance artist, Network shows off a range of his skills, seamlessly offsetting uplifting, euphoric tracks like “The Ones We Loved” and “No Way Out” against more dark and moody sounds as in “Network … Continue reading
The long awaited follow-up to the Montreal duo’s 2006 debut literally delivers until it hurts. That’s more good than bad, and guests like Ghostface Killah, John Legend and E-40 contribute significant weirdness to one of the most riff-intensive discs of the decade. On first listen, the new MSTRKRFT sounds similar to their debut, The Looks, but playing the two back-to-back reveals striking differences. The Looks feels like Midnight Star updated for the Paris set, and any riff explosions culminate from … Continue reading
Sasu Ripatti is normally a reliable producer, a rock-solid talent who can always deliver the goods even when he’s dividing his attentions between three or four different projects. Unfortunately, he seems to be slipping a bit here lately. His last album as Luomo, Convivial, was a lackluster effort that found him steering the project into some seriously schmaltzy waters, while Symptoms, the product of his latest sessions with AGF—who co-produced Ellen Allien’s Sool album and is an accomplished sound-artist in … Continue reading