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 before it retires this Friday, March 12th at 10 am CST.

The hard work and excellent tunes of Mladen Solomun and his cohorts have made Diynamic Music a do-it-yourself success. They’ve developed a potent niche of melodically colorful and highly textured tech-house — with an emphasis on all things plucked, including heartstrings — that resonates strongly with dancers and critics alike, one whose foundation rests on Solomun’s solo and collaborative releases. He’s also wowed with 12″s for Sonar Kollektiv, Four:Twenty, Dessous, Compost and liebe*detail. Although he DJs as Play, we hoped his signature Solomun style would shine through on this exclusive new mix. We were only left dancing, not disappointed, by his nearly 60 minute mix of sunny house and techno.

Download: LWE Podcast 08: Solomun (59:04)

Tracklisting:

01. Solomun & Stimming, “Lemniskate” [Diynamic Music]
02. Amelie vs Audiofly, “Move” [Supernature]
03. Robert Dietz, “Shunsower” [Cécille Records]
04. Butch, “About This Time” [Great Stuff Recordings]
05. Tigerskin & Benno Blome, “Heather” [Sender Records]
06. Rauwkost, “Unsere Liebe” [Thirtyonetwenty]
07. Roland Clark, “Black In My Soul” (Tiger Stripes remix) [King Street Sounds]
08. D-Nox & Beckers, “Beefcake” (King Roc remix) [Sprout Music]
09. Solar & Poppcke, “Night Train” [Diynamic Music]

Read an interview with Solomun after the jump.

When and where did you make the mix?

Solomun: I did this mix October 1st, at home, with Ableton Live.

What’s the concept behind the mix?

These are tracks I like to play at the moment in the clubs and I also wanted to introduce some new stuff which will be coming out soon.

Who are a few of your favorite DJs and why?

I don’t know. It’s hard to say. There are some good DJs, but if I have to make a choice I take the most impressive DJs who’ve played over the last five years at my own “Diy” parties in Hamburg: Tobi Neumann, Martin Landsky, DH T, Âme (Kristian). These guys have played two or three times at our party over the last years and they’ve always done a great job.

Diynamic has just released its first label compilation, and important milestone. Where do you see Diynamic going from here?

I can tell you it’s amazing and a proud feeling for us. Nobody knows what the future is for Diynamic. The compilation is for us a next step. At the moment everything is going well and we are really happy about it. I’m really thankful about all that’s happening right now. We are not afraid about the future, as long as we have fun.

What can we expect from you for the rest of the year?

In 2009 we’re getting a new office and studio, which we will take together with our homies from Liebe*Detail. There we will have more space. I can’t wait. I must finished a remix for Toni Moreno’s “Piano Bar” (watch out for this guy, a big talent). A fantastic track, I play it all the time since I got it and I charted it also. I canceled all requests for remixes the last three months, ’cause I need a break now. But for this track I gave my go. In the next few weeks my new EP together with Ost & Kjex on Diynamic comes out, called “Nordisch by Nature,” as well as a remixes for Tiger Stripes’ “Hooked” on Liebe Detail, Kollektiv Turmstrasse’s “Blutsbrueder” on Musik Gewinnt Freunde and one for King Street Sounds.

Download: LWE Podcast 08: Solomun

01. Matthew Styles, “We Said Nothing” [Diamonds & Pearls] (buy)
So far I’ve managed to look past Matthew Styles despite the sheen of buzz around him, but “We Said Nothing,” the lead cut from an EP of the same name, is utterly impossible to ignore. The dense and flashy percussion cuts a path for the snaking acid progression, all the while female and tar-pitted male vocals invoke chaos in the tightly structured piece. It’s prominently featured in Âme’s forthcoming Fabric CD, and is sure to wreck a little havoc on dance floors. Mr. Styles has my attention now.

02. Matias Aguayo, “Minimal” (DJ Koze remix) [Kompakt] (buy)
Sure, the lyrics are inflammatory (“people don’t dance, ‘cuz that music’s got no groove, got no balls, no man”), if not outright sarcastic (especially coming from half of Closer Musik), but the breezy sunshine DJ Koze injects into Matias Aguayo’s “Minimal” can assuage even the most inconsolable critic’s qualms. More in line with his work with International Pony, Koze threads a funk guitar needle through soothing Rhodes pads, leaving only the jangling percussion of the original to penetrate the mellow vibe. Yet another incredible production from the vaunted DJ Koze, a radio edit of which can be downloaded here.

03. Brendon Moeller, “Electricity” [Leena Music] (buy)
While so much of dub techno is content to hang in the air like cumulus music, Brendon Moeller is one of the few producers to persuasively toughen things up to delight DJs and dancers. “Electricity” aggressively proves the point with a hard percussive shell, from which dub reverberations stab pointedly or flare up like a sudden tidal wave. So for DJs who would rather see bodies moving instead of pinned to couches, this cut off a great EP is the one for them.

04. Solomon, “Explicit” [Four:Twenty Recordings] (buy)
Solomun’s stature as an excellent producer only grows faster as he steps further away from Diynamic and its hallmark aesthetics. “Explicit,” a hidden gem of a b-side to the well-charted “International Hustle,” maintains his carefully groomed balance of melody and organic percussion. The plucked progression at its core is delayed such that it could be echoing through a lengthy alley, and its looming pads color the long shadows. It’s also a treat to mix with.

05. Portable, “Release” [Perlon] (buy)
It’s hard to think of a label with better and more consistent taste than Perlon, and the past 12 months have only bolstered its already impressive reputation. Their 70th release yields some of Portable’s best music to date, the incredibly soulful and demented “Release.” Alan Abrahams’ multi-tracked vocals plead from the center of a twisted city which bends and arches around determined 808 stabs. If you’re craving something deep and housey that avoids indulging in all the oft-repeated cliches, pick up a copy of “Knowone Can Take Away” pronto.

06. My My, “Everybody’s Talkin’” [Playhouse] (buy)
07. Nekes, “Waitin” [Oslo] (buy)
08. Henrik Schwarz, Âme & Dixon, “D.P.O.M.B.” (Version 2) [Innervisions] (buy)
09. La Peña, “Untitled 1″ [La Peña] (buy)
10. A Guy Called Gerald, “In Ya Head” [Perlon] (buy)

Welcome to the first in our new series of short interviews, affectionately titled Talking Shop. The majority of media and fan attention gets showered on the artists who create the music we love to listen to/DJ with/dance to, and for good reasons. But without the hard work, keen ears and business savvy of label staff, we’d be stuck only streaming tracks on Myspace. The first up is Adriano Trolio, one of the owners of the rapidly blooming Diynamic Music. In its first 10 releases, the Hamburg-based label (which Trolio co-owns with Mladen Solomun) has readily established itself in the house/techno scene with an ornate and infectious aesthetic built by Stimming, H.O.S.H., Kollektiv Turmstrasse, Gebrüder Ton, Solomon and Adriano themselves. They’ve also recently started their own booking firm, fittingly called DIY Booking. Now seemed like a perfect time to ask just how they do what they do.

Please tell me about the beginnings of Diynamic Music. Why and how did you start out? Did you have much experience in the business end of things?

Adriano Trolio: Since we both (Adriano and Mladen) are great fans of music, we have organized parties for many years and produced electronic music for a long time; so it was always our next step to someday start our own label.

How did you select the artists for Diynamic’s roster?

We have regular artists who have built up [their names] on our label and continue to put out new records with us, such as Stimming (formerly of Gebrüder Ton), H.O.S.H. and Solomun. Now we’re adding the boys from Kollective Turmstrasse, with whom we have a very friendly relationship. But in the end it’s always about the music – we have to like it and it has to convince us 100 percent of the time.

Listen to Solomun & Stimming, “Eiszauber” (buy)

Do you get many demos?

As time goes on we continue to get more, and with a select few we’ve come close to signing a new artist; but in the end, unfortunately it didn’t happen. But we look forward to every demo that’s sent to us.

Economically, running a record label isn’t one of the “smartest” things to do. How do you keep Diynamic running with vinyl sales slowing as they are?

I think we do the same sales everyone else does. If anyone has any successful tips, then they should call us!

How important are sales figures to you?

The sales figures don’t say anything about the quality of the music. It is, of course, a big help if a record sells more, because it also means that we’ve reached or won over new people.

What do you think are the advantages of being based in Hamburg?

We just feel really good here in Hamburg and there are a lot of other great artists and labels with whom we have a friendly relationship. We are also very close to our distributor, Word and Sound, which is also based in Hamburg, so everything just fits together very well.

Listen to Kollektiv Turmstrasse, “Wagnis” (buy)

Do you think mp3 blogs like mine help or hurt the dance industry, and why? Do you think blogs have a role in the future of dance music promotion?

It’s hard to say, but there was a great interview with Ewan Pearson on this topic in the new issue of Groove (number 108). He pretty much hits the nail on the head with regards to this situation. There are always new paths that have to be forged [with regards to promotion]. I believe that every form of promotion helps the label a little bit. But usually you only know which way is best in hindsight.

There is no shortage of labels in dance music. What does Diynamic do to stand out from the crowd?

You will always have people who like your music and people who don’t — sometimes more, sometimes less. That’s how easy it is. We only go after artist who we like, and we stand behind that 100 percent.

As technology advances further, vinyl is moving closer to becoming obsolete to many DJs. How do you feel about this?

I find it very sad. It doesn’t make putting out vinyl any easier. I can’t imagine it any other way, and there’s an entire culture that’s in decline. I’m really sour and upset about that.

Do you think the end of vinyl is in sight?

Never. In two to three years from now, vinyl will bloom again. I’m convinced!

What can we expect from Diynamic Music in the next year or so?

In the coming months our online shop (shirts, sweaters, etc.) and our artist agency, DIY Booking, will launch. In the next year there will be a Diynamic compilation with unreleased material and new remixes from artists who are our friends. We’ll also go on the great Diynamic Tour, and of course, lots of new EPs.

[Note: Replies were translated from German and may appear slightly different from original wordings.]