Having a label called Minimise can be a tough gig these days. Yet Donnacha Costello has always been in it for the long haul, launching the imprint in the late 90’s before minimal became a fad with the understanding that minimalism is an approach, a characteristic — not a genre. First coming into prominence with an album for Force Inc. and the ambient classic Together Is The New Alone for Mille Plateaux, he unleashed the Colorseries upon the world from January to October in 2004, a now classic succession of 12″s that ranks with Studio 1 and Concept 1 as one of the most intriguing concept series in techno. Throw in another series entitled 6×6=36, a new label called Look Long and numerous records released throughout and Costello’s back catalog grows in both quality and quantity. Today sees the release of Before We Say Goodbye, his fourth album and a wonderful journey through his melodically charged sound. We caught up with Costello for a quick chat a bit about the album as a format and his love for old gear while he provided LWE with its 46th exclusive podcast, a trip through his early influences and favorite records.
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LWE Podcast 45: Stacey Pullen
As an ambassador for Detroit, Stacey Pullen has been flying the flag for over fifteen years; DJing vigilantly around the world with a gruelling schedule that has brought him a dedicated fan base and releasing sought after, kinetic explosions of Detroit techno and house. His productions filtered out of the various labels through the early to late nineties came under a number of guises but all were imbued with an unmistakable soul and current of exploration. His talents were such that Virgin records gave him a major record deal in 1998, which lead to the recording of his first album under his own name, Today Is The Tomorrow You Were Promised Yesterday. In anticipation of his March 12th gig at Chicago’s Smart Bar (part of the D25 concert series) LWE spoke to Stacey Pullen about that album which lead to a bleak period of disillusionment, the early years at Transmat and feeling reinvigorated again with a basket-full of new music to unleash on the world. He was also kind enough to put together an exclusive mix for LWE of tracks he has been feeling lately.
LWE Podcast 08: Solomun retires this week
Head of Diynamic Music, Solomun, was charged with mixing up LWE’s eighth podcast and he did so with gusto and melodies to spare. Don’t miss your last chance to hear his mix as it retires this Friday, March 12th at 10 am CST.
LWE Podcast 44: Ed Davenport
Ed Davenport is not a producer whose tracks neatly melt into the background. His claps crunch too hard, his vocals are often bewildering, and many of his tunes take sudden left turns which are hard to ignore. The UK born, Berlin based producer has made a career of standing apart from his peers, crafting uncommon house music for liebe*detail, Gumption Recordings, District Of Corruption and Vidab while remixing everyone from Len Faki and Mark Henning to Guy J. And having released his first record at age 21, Davenport still has many years in front of him to further confound audiences and let his ear-catching timbres and rhythms unfurl themselves across dance floors around the world. We grabbed the young producer for a chat about his unusual sounds, working with a broad assortment of labels, and his favorite time of day to spin. Davenport also contributed LWE’s 44th exclusive podcast, a diverse slate which offers an aural roadmap to the tunes that have inspired his conspicuous sound.
LWE Podcast 43: Gravious
Hailing from Edinburgh, though a Glasgow resident for the better part of the last decade, Ali Jackson has steadily been making a name for himself with far reaching dubstep, spanning reggae tinged, spatial rollers to deep, meditative funk. His debut “Wormsign/Monolith” came out on the Hotflush subsidiary Scuba, and was the first artist other than Scuba himself to release on the label. Citing influences from old school jungle, drum ‘n bass and electronica, Jackson imbues his productions with these elements while forging his own distinct sound. Showing a steady evolution in his work, last year’s Futurist EP seemed to be infused with a touch of Mike Banks, though Jackson has stated that this was purely coincidence, as was the aptly titled track “Jupiter Jazz.” With a series of further releases due out in the near future we tracked down Jackson for a quick word and talked him in to providing us with an exclusive podcast too.
LWE Podcast 42: Anthony “Shake” Shakir
By now, any techno head should know that Anthony “Shake” Shakir was one of the music’s creators. It’s hard to resist mentioning that he had a track on that first Detroit techno compilation, that he put out a record on Metroplex, and so on. But the recent Frictionalism compilation on Rush Hour demonstrates that his significance doesn’t stop there. While Shake’s profile may not have blown up like some of his neighbors, his recorded output has arguably been more consistent than any other techno producer. Remarkably, his approach to production remains as singularly brilliant as ever — edges have not dulled, colors have not faded. Shake is one Detroit techno legend whose entry in the history books cannot yet be written; too much lies ahead. For instance, catch him DJing at the Bunker on February 12, as part of New York’s Unsound Festival, along with DJ Qu, Petre Inspirescu, Eric Cloutier, and schoolmate Mike Huckaby. Those unable to attend need not worry — LWE’s 42d Podcast is an exclusive mix straight from Shake’s decks. The urbane Mr. Shakir also took the time for an expansive discussion with LWE, on subjects ranging from Motown, to MIDI, to Mel Brooks.
LWE Podcast 05: Tama Sumo retiring this week
I think it’s safe to say LWE Podcast 05 by Tama Sumo is among the most beloved of our entire series. This classic slate of deep house, both new and old, mixed together with grace and exceptional timing, is retiring this Friday, Feburary 5th at 10am CST. Don’t miss out on a piece of LWE history — grab this gem while you can.
LWE Podcast 41: Juju & Jordash
In an increasingly consensus driven dance music culture, Juju & Jordash let their freak flag fly. More akin to a particularly funky jazz combo or psychedelic rockers than your average production duo, Gal Aner and Jordan Czamanski take a vivid and largely organic approach to making house music that leaves few boundaries left to color outside of. Early on their sui generis sound caught the ears Detroit artists Reggie Dokes and Keith Worthy and garnered releases on their labels (Psychostasia and Aesthetic Audio, respectively) among many others, but the Amsterdam-based pair gained their widest renown with the release of their self-titled sophomore LP on Dekmantel. The present pinnacle of their vibrant, jazz-infused sound found favor with critics and elbowed its way onto several discerning year end lists. It also gave us hope there is much more to come. Gal and Jordan were kind enough to answer a few of our questions between gigs, and put together a whirlwind mix of lush house sounds, industrial textures and ethnic explorations that goes a long way towards explaining their perspective and getting you dancing.
Curator’s Cuts 04: Per Bojsen-Moller
LWE’s Curator’s Cuts podcast series features our reviewing staff mixing together recent favorites and providing explanations for their selections. Staff writer Per Bojsen-Moller was charged with mixing together Curator’s Cuts 04. We will post the tracklist later in the week, as each curator discloses and describes the tracklist as part of the podcast.
LWE Podcast 40: Andy Vaz
Years before he’d released a single record of his own, Andy Vaz had already left a conspicuous mark on electronic music as the man behind Background Records. When he finally started releasing music, he garnered a good deal of attention for the “clicks, cuts, and a 4/4″ sound exemplified by the cult Soundvariation series. In the last three or four years, though, both his music and his A&R focus have increasingly mined classic house influences. More a shift of priorities than an outright swap of musical templates, house has always been a part of Vaz’s program, and his morphing live sets retain much of the abstract and experimental qualities that characterized his first records. Yore Records, the label he runs with Alessandro Vaccaro, is the focus of another Little White Earbuds interview feature. Today, though, our exclusive podcast focuses on the sometimes silky, sometimes jazzy, and very often jacking music Vaz produces himself. Live sets, as discussed in the Q&A below, are where Vaz feels most comfortable, and this percolating mix certainly finds him in very fine form.