[BPitch Control]

After four homegrown installations of their Boogy Bytes mix series, BPitch Control broke free of their own roster, judiciously offering the fifth chapter to Berlin’s beloved “baller by definition,” Mr. Troxler. Voted one of the top ten DJs of 2009, it’s comes as no surprise that Troxler’s track selection is as eclectic, varied, and charming as his character is memorable. The mixing is careful and colorful, and the narrative grows more magnetic with each end-to-end listen.

That said, the first five minutes of the mix came dangerously close to causing me to miss it entirely, and what a shame that would have been. Unlike his silly “WGOD, God FM” counterpart from the RA podcast, the voice that introduces this mix offers a little too much commentary for comfort. Sure, the meter is nice, but Troxler’s musical selections paint a picture far more enticing. Perhaps the intro could be more easily dismissed if it had not been followed so immediately by Dinky’s Arp-A-Pella mix of The Royal We’s “Party Guilt” (an admittedly hilarious skit portraying the weekend woes of a celebrity DJ).

Still, once the ramblings have passed, the selection is nothing short of the pure quality we’ve come to expect from Troxler. Catchy, disco-steeped house like Craig Smith & The Revenge’s “The Soul Part II” is met by minimal flashbacks like Hawtin’s 2003 remix of Spektrum’s “Freakbox,” offering the listener an engaging tour. There are some downright toxic moments sprinkled in: Baeka’s “Right At It” tied me into warm, cuddly knots on first listen, and it’s still one of the most hypnotizing cuts I’ve heard in 2010 (though it was released last year). Far more stylistic, the bounce behind Rosina’s lyrical vocals in the Deniz Kurtel remix of “Fables and Fairytales” may not have lasting appeal, but it certainly has stuck-in-my-head-all-day staying power. These are the sort of jewels that leave you yearning for the chance to stumble into more afternoon afterparties with Seth behind the decks. The mix’s crowning moment comes on slowly and seductively, as Troxler’s own Thrill Cosby rendition of Heartthrob’s “Signs” gently unfolds into the new self-titled track from Birds and Souls, a stunning and euphoric collaboration by Sergio Giorgini (of the similarly rock-inspired duo Benoit & Sergio) and Ryan Crosson.

Rumor has it that Troxler recorded this mix in the post-party glow of a weekend well spent. Despite what was no doubt a healthy dose of rave fatigue, Boogy Bytes Vol.05 was allegedly driven to completion at the insistence of a wise friend and a looming deadline. Whether Seth’s genius demands such conditions or works in spite of them, we’ll happily embrace his goofy “bytes” as long as he keeps bringing the “boogy.”

Until now, the Boogy Bytes mix series has been BPitch Control’s showcase for its DJ stable, with mixes from Ellen Allien, Sascha Funke, Modeselektor and Kiki. With Vol.05, however, BPitch opt only to feature exceptional DJ talent with a mix from the self-proclaimed “Andy Kaufman of techno,” Seth Troxler. Looking to snag a copy? Stick with us, kid. Simply answer this trivia question and your correct answer will make you eligible to win one of two copies of Boogy Bytes Vol.05 (care of Fabric, where Troxler is playing this Saturday the 6th): On what label did Troxler make his vinyl debut? Send your answer with “Boogy Bytes Contest” in the subject line to editor[at]littlewhiteearbuds.com by March 2nd at 10am CST. Two winners will be notified by email. Good luck!

Sometimes you read about collaborations happening in the music industry and they’re almost impossible for your little ears to comprehend. What would really happen if two heavyweights like Prince and David Bowie collided in the studio? What if Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston finally had a musical purging of all their love and talent in a duet? Seeing Seth Troxler and Matthew Dear on the same ticket didn’t quite dredge up the mind boggling fascination of a Prince/Bowie merger or the morbid fascination of a Brown/Houston team up, but I admit there was a fair amount of due anticipation to hear their result.

It’s hard to know who exactly is tweaking what and sequencing and so forth, but it seems the vocal duties for “Hurt,” the duo’s single sided output on Spectral, are taken care of by Troxler. Upon further inspection it sounds like the blunted bass and percussion work is straight out of Mathew Dear’s play book while the much warmer, Rhodesy chords developing later could be attributed to Mr. Troxler. His pitched down vocals bear a heavy reverb and chorus effect on them, filling out over the breadth of the track as they wax lyrical about pain and love in a typically irreverent manner that even manages to name check Huey Lewis. Punctuated intermittently by big floor toms and crisp, squashed down claps, much of the effectiveness lies in the sculpting of the sounds used. The two producers masterly craft “Hurt” with a powerfully druggy, opiate-hued groove, slather on some sleazy rhetoric from Seth and tighten up the top end with steely hats and claps. Huey fucking Lewis!

As the cut up vocals intoning the title of “Good Voodoo” slip into your ears, you can almost picture the moment Kiki discovered the sample: Eyes wide and jaw gone slack with awe, BPitch Control staple Joakim Ijäs likely sensed its potential immediately, building a broadly enticing techno structure to house the hypnotic chant and the rest of Chela Simone’s affected vocals. Its spherical synth riff and massive, Carl Craig-inspired pads hit several populist pleasure centers at once, assuring its selection as the first single from Kaiku, Kiki’s sophomore album. But not ones to leave things to chance, BPitch lined up Jay Haze, Chaim and the rarely seen Visionquest trio to put their own shine on “Good Voodoo” and seal the deal.

Contexterrior head honcho Jay Haze shares the A-side with the original, yet of the three remixes his take wanders the furthest. Promiscuous with flexing percussion and (eventually) next-room-over piano chords, Haze’s version conjures a ramshackle occult vibe that would’ve been far spookier if not for Simone’s meandering performance, which could withstand a closer edit. By contrast, the Visionquest guys (Seth Troxler, Ryan Crosson and Lee Curtiss) merely magnify the original’s strengths. Like a floating fortress, the looming C2 pads arrive front and center, firing beautifully moist organ notes (which disappear far too soon for my taste) at dancers’ feet. Aside from newly swinging hi-hats and tambourine twinkle, Visionquest’s light touch approach has me curious why theirs has been the most discussed and charted version. It doesn’t hurt that Chaim’s revision settles for a somnambulist stroll through Cadenza territory, limp with humidity and dappled by drowsy hand percussion. The “Good Voodoo Remixes” EP affirms the necessity of an appealing instrumental in framing killer samples. But whether Visionquest’s next edit is equally well received may depend on the quality of their source material, for which Kiki deserves credit this time around.

In the mostly faceless world of techno, a little bit of character can go a long way. This explains, at least in part, Seth Troxler’s speedy and seemingly effortless rise in the international house and techno scene. Musically and personally, he has a lot more charisma than the average DJ/producer (and for those of you who haven’t already heard it a dozen times, he’s a 23 year old Michigan native currently DJing full time in Berlin, which in this culture earns him quite a few cool points). I found Seth in the shadowy back room of The Marcy Hotel, fully reclined on a dirty sofa with his head cradled in a girl’’s lap, smoking a joint. He looked pretty relaxed, but sprung duly to his feet when I said I was here for the interview in anticipation for his appearance at Electric Zoo Labor Day Weekend. We moved to a room with more sufficient lighting, and Seth gave me an earful about his background, his goals as an artist, and the downside to DJing in Berlin.

Let’s talk about your background a little bit. What were some of your first experiences with house and techno?

Seth Troxler: I grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and first started going to parties when I went to high school in Detroit. When I was 15 I threw a party with Magda, and by the time I was sixteen I was DJing Spectral Parties at The Works. Basically I’ve just been a total rave kid ever since I was a teenager. I “retired” from my job at The Palace [Detroit's sports and entertainment arena] when I was 16 cause they wouldn’t let me keep my dreadlocks… basically haven’t had a real job since then.

How did you end up moving to Berlin?

Well, I had just graduated high school, and [Ryan] Crosson had just broken up with his girlfriend, so we were like, ‘Fuck it, let’s move.’ We made a plan to move exactly a year later, and we stuck to it.

How did you and Ryan Crosson meet?

Oh man, it’s the biggest bromance. Ryan tells it all cute too. We met one day when I was working at Melodies and Memories in Detroit. That night, Dan Bell and Magda were playing in a meat locker in Detroit. Crosson and I went to the party and just got hammered, we were spraying beer everywhere and shit. Eventually we passed out in the parking lot of his dad’s factory. The next morning we got some Coney’s for breakfast, and before we went in we decided to pretend we were German DJs the whole time, talking with accents and shit. We’ve been really close ever since, and we’re roommates now in Berlin, with Shaun [Reeves].

I heard some of your first gigs in Europe were at Panoramabar and Robert Johnson.

Yeah, a week after I graduated from high school, I went to Berlin to DJ at the Playhouse party, at Panoramabar with Omar-S. It was totally different. In Berlin it’s just like, let’s turn the lights down and get weird. Detroit kinda has that too, everyone’s just locked into the music, but you definitely get a special vibe in Berlin.

What’s it like bouncing between Europe and the U.S.? How are the parties different?

In Europe there are obviously lots of amazing clubs, and its great because so many people come out that love this shit. But they also kinda know what to expect. I think especially in the past few years, past three or four years or so, at least in Berlin, the party scene has changed because people are so used to partying.

How do you mean exactly?

Well it’s like, in Berlin people come out, and they’re like ‘Wooo, yeah!’ [puts his hands in the air], and they’re still there the next day and everything, its great. But a few years ago it was like, whoooooa. Like, seriously hedonistic. Now it feels like people are going through the motions sometimes, you know? That makes it fun to play in the U.S., cause it’s a lot easier to blow people’s minds.

That reminds me: Marcel Dettmann said recently that The Bunker is one of his favorite parties. For a guy who’s been and played so many parties around the world, I found that pretty surprising.

Yeah, that’s the thing. You play at the craziest parties in Berlin and the UK and everything and its great, but the people there have been into this music for years. So somebody like Marcel comes here and people like “WHAAAAAT?!” It makes it really fun for the DJ’s. Cassy told me that after her set at Paxahau 10 year anniversary in Detroit, she cried. In Berlin, it just doesn’t go off like it used to, we’ve all noticed it. Still leaps and bounds a head of the rest of the world, but just not as crazy as it used to be. Berlin really needs something new.

Let’s talk about your newest track, “Aphrika.” How did you decide to use a Maya Angelou poem for the vocals?

I heard it on a Defected a cappella compilation and I just liked the words, thought it was a cool idea. It’s like, I’m dedicating this one to all the special ladies, all the phenomenal women, you know? [laughs] I also like that it sort of sounds like a trannie, declaring her gender, “I’m a woman,” which makes it kinda weird.

Why do you think that appeals to you?

[laughs] I’m a weird dude I guess. Really didn’t think about it too much, I just like the feeling it gives the track. A lot of music coming out now is just beat tools, and I wanted to give it some more atmosphere.

Photo by Will Calcutt

Do you try to be more colorful than other house and techno producers?

Yeah, I think some dance music is a little bit dry. A lot of people are just putting out “product,” not taking enough chances. It’s like, go with your own ideas, do something new, something weird. I want my music to be remembered in an art history sense — like, I want it to be culturally remembered. Obviously the beats should work well, but there’s also so much room to play. You can always use packaging and pseudonyms to put in a lot of concept. Like, for instance —

[Seth grabs two records, "Take 1/ Take 2" by Others and "Warriors" by LoSoul featuring Malte.]

[Others] is a great record. But there’s nothing here except the music. “Warriors” has a lot more shit goin’ on. I used to look at this sleeve and wonder, where are all these places? Who took these pictures, who are all these people? Actually — pretty sure that’s Heidi from Get Physical right there. I know her now. Huh. Anyway, this is what I mean. I want the whole product to be worth it, there should be room for fantasy. So many records are just the dude’s name, with two tracks in a white sleeve. I want my records to be more like this, something people can really connect to. Like, on the cover of “Sexplosion EP,” all that blotter paper symbolizes growing up in Michigan — Kid and Play, pizza, Rambo, all shit that was cool growing up in Michigan.

It seems like a lot of artists, especially in techno, like the simple functionality of the records, and intentionally avoid artwork and pseudonyms.

Yeah, but I mean, techno creates a fantasy too, they’re doing their own thing. It makes it more mysterious, makes the whole thing more engaging. But I’m a crazy dude, and I want my music to be weird and crazy. Sometimes I feel like I wanna be the Andy Kaufmann of techno.

How do you mean?

Well, like the whole Sex Trothler thing. The idea behind that was, Sex Troxler is supposed to be like my Jewish alter ego. One night I put on one of those masks that’s like, glasses, a nose and a mustache — actually, we cut off the mustache, cause I have my own mustache — and we said this was Sex Trothler, the Jewish version of Seth Troxler. We had a “Bar Mitzvah” party at the Marcy, the whole thing was a really fun, weird joke. Same thing with Thrill Cosby, that was another one of my characters. At first, I wanted Thrill Cosby to be in blackface, but no one was really down with that. [laughs]

Do you think that kind of playfulness is missing from techno at the moment?

Well, techno in Berlin is really focused on progress. Which is good, but it’s like, fuck! There’s so much room to play, you know? Let’s just have fun with this shit. You know that track with P Diddy, where he’s like, “I wanna hear something I can fuck to, something I can rob a bank to…” that’s how I feel! Obviously it should work in the club, but I also wanna be able to clean my house to this shit, make something people can connect to. It’s hard sometimes; there was a four month period where I just couldn’t make anything good enough, just ended up smoking weed and browsing the Internet all day. But I wasn’t just gonna release product, it’s important to me that each EP really represents something.

Is that a perspective you share with the other guys here at Wolf + Lamb?

Yeah. Wolf + Lamb is an outlet that’s providing depth touched with a pop sensibility, taking risks with class and sophistication. [laughs] I mean, that’s true, but also none of us really give a fuck. Wolf + Lamb is all about smokin’ joints and not givin’ a fuck.

So have you always had this laid back attitude or was there a time where you were really determined to market yourself and get your music out there?

No, I never did shit, never sent anybody a demo, probably only made two mix CDs ever.

Do you ever feel strange about how far you’ve come?

Oh yeah, there’s not a second I take it for granted. It’s ridiculous — like my own private joke. Kinda goes back to what I said about being the Andy Kaufmann of dance music.

What are some labels and artists you’re really into at the moment?

I really like Jin Chio at the moment; also Chris Sylvester, or Inxec is making bombs. The best label for me right now is Cómeme, a new disco sub-label on Kompakt — it’s really magic!

Any plans for the next release?

Just had a remix for Louderbach on M_nus, and there’s an EP coming on Spectral Sound with a track I co-produced with Matt Dear. Also, a Paco Osuna remix, and a remix I made with Shaun Reeves of Adam Marshal coming on Aus Music. Ummm… a remix on Adults Only. Also a Visionquest remix of Kiki called “Good Voodoo” for BPitch — it’s a bomb.

[Wolf + Lamb Music]

Raise your hand if you saw this one coming: a tech-house appropriation of Maya Angelou’s classic poem “Phenomenal Woman.” Oh, nobody? In the long run, however, it’s not much of a surprise given Seth Troxler’s predilection for 12″ curveballs. If his output in the past twelve months is any indication, picking up a Troxler cut without peeping it first is a bit like playing one of those mechanical claw games at the state fair — you had the same odds of taking home the elegant sensuality of “Love Never Sleeps” as you did the siren-wail abrasion of “Aggression”. How Seth got it in his head to give the club treatment to the revered poet laureate is anybody’s guess, but the crazy thing is, it works. And if you grasp this in its radical-ness, you’ll understand one principle of dance music innovation: as long as the booty-moving goes down, use any sound or source material you want, because the ends justify the means.

Done effectively, club music absorption of a well-known sample should expose something new in it, and true enough it’s remarkable how well the twists and turns of Angelou’s poetic cadence fit Troxler’s polished, spare house groove. What’s more, not only does Angelou’s paean to feminine charms find the dance floor a fitting place to put its theory into practice, insofar as it’s largely a catalog of minor anatomical delights, it’s also not that hard to make the rhetorical substitution of woman for track. Instead of advancing the cult of the woman, Maya could very well be praying at the temple of the beat. Imagine one last verse, where after “It’s in the arch of my back / the sun of my smile / the ride of my breasts,” she would say “it’s in the throb of my kick… the pulse of my bass… the flicker of my stereo-panned conga sample….”

On the flip, Troxler’s remix of Nicolas Jaar’s “The Student” is a heady delight after your ears have been primed by “Aphrika”s wonky audacity. Troxler’s production skills, which understandably take a bit of back seat on the A-side to the full-bodied vocal, are manifest here in their usual impressive form. Thudding and smacking noises abound here one wonders if he gets his drum patches from field recordings of billiard parlors or bowling alleys. Overhead, a moody, tumbling piano line unfolds in suspended Satie-like clusters while hi-hats and live kit samples build an expressive, jazz-tinged groove — a good soundtrack should Wong Kar Wai ever shoot one of his elegantly melancholic films at Fabric. If you take this release and stand it next to Troxler’s recent stunning Ibiza Voice podcast, comprised solely of new and forthcoming Wolf + Lamb material, you’ve got reason enough to believe that both artist and label are geared for a banner year.

[Wagon Repair]

“Through a leaking bodily cavity resembling the pork found in Chinese restaurants, Satan shat out a crystal beaming with glowing red embers. This crystal matured into the fetus of Seth Troxler.” Thus begins Beyond Booking’s bio for the artist behind “Sexplosion,” the newest EP on Wagon Repair. Both the absurdity and the extravagance of this blurb fit Troxler well. At the tender age of 22, Seth has completed the proverbial techno journey from Detroit, where he was born (err, shat out), to Berlin, where he currently resides. With releases on Circus Company, Crosstown Rebels, and now Wagon Repair, as well as a killer podcast for The Bunker and numerous performances at Watergate, Panoramabar and Robert Johnson, Troxler is really killing it this year. For those who were unconvinced thus far, “Sexplosion” should seal the deal.

In just two and a half tracks, “Sexplosion” showcases the refreshingly bizarre talent that makes Troxler such a badass. “Jus Your” starts off with some haphazard organ doodling and no beat — perfect for a starting track. Cartoon house vocals usher in the drums, a few high hats slip into play, and soon we’ve got a bright and simple groove going. The track has a fantastic just-got-laid strut to it, and is probably the best manifestation of Troxler’s weird sense of humor I’ve heard yet. “Internude,” aside from the admittedly decent nuthouse synths in the background, is nothing but humor, but it’s a nice touch; when was the last time a producer threw a slapstick monologue between two tracks on an EP? Not sure who did the vocals on this one, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that over-the-top DJ caricature is Troxler himself. The wackiness subsides, more or less with “Face (A Tribute to Head).” Much like “Love Never Sleeps” (another killer Troxler track), “Face (A Tribute to Head)” sports a deep but campy style with a bit of sci-fi flair. This one is much darker than “Sexplosion,” with heavy-handed panning and extra-warped vocals stirring up a rather druggy vibe. It’s hard to say which is the stronger track, as they both achieve completely different ends with such charismatic swagger. “Sexplosion” makes it clear enough that while Seth Troxler may not take himself too seriously, he’s certainly no joke.