Podcast 072 - TOM MORGAN

Slowly but surely, Tom Morgan is establishing himself as one of the next generation of household names, with an ever-increasing fan base and a growing amount of support from the industry’s biggest DJs.

From Bogota to Bangkok, Budapest to Dubai, Tom has forged a reputation as one of the most diligent and versatile artists on the circuit; a view also shared by Desyn Masiello, who tipped him as ‘a DJ who’ll break through in 2006’ in the DJ Mag Top 100 poll.

Tom's tireless devotion to the craft is there for all to hear in each and every set, with his sound possessing a maturity that defies his years.

"I’ve known Tom for a long time since he used to come and see me at one of my first residencies up in Scotland. He’s got a spot on ear for a hot tune and I’ve always supported him - the man has a solid DJ career ahead of him." – Desyn Masiello

Born in 1985, Tom has been immersed in music ever since he can remember. However, since being bitten by the house music bug at the age of fourteen, he hasn’t looked back. A regular at seminal Scottish house night Progression, where regular guests included Desyn, Danny Howells, Luke Fair and Lee Burridge, Tom’s teenage years were spent practically living in clubs. Seeing DJs of that calibre on a regular basis helped feed his passion and provided the basis of an education on what moves a dancefloor.

“I have many ‘where the $%*& did he get that?’ moments when listening to Tom's sets. He plays some of the best music out there and has agreat ear for tunes.” – Luke Fair

Tom is renowned for playing a wide range of music that traverses many genres, with his sound becoming increasingly difficult to pin down; anything from 115 BPM downtempo and deep house all the way through to peak time progressive and banging techno. His sets possess a trademark personal touch; packed with unknown gems that have passed beneath the radar of most, with many tracks edited in line with his musical vision. This reputation was cemented further by Desyn’s decision to hire him in an A&R capacity for his prestigious Alternative Route label; giving him access to a vast number of tracks and ensuring that practically his every waking minute is spent listening to music.

“Tom is undoubtedly a true music lover who is set for great things to come.” - Omid 16B

With Tom’s profile on the rise and his sound creating more demand, a global tour was sparked in 2006, encompassing a host of South American countries as well as all over Europe, Asia and America. This gave him the chance to hone his skills in a variety of environments, both headlining and sharing the booth with DJs like Nick Warren, Jimmy Van M, Desyn Masiello, Omid 16B, Jody Wisternoff, Luke Fair and Spirit Catcher.

"There are many good DJs out there, but every now and then someone grabs attention of your ears in a big way. Someone that has that extra level of polish, and a sound that may draw on others, but is still very unique. Tom caught my ear with these exact characteristics, there's a noticeable intelligence to his sound." - Stuey Dean (www.inthemix.com.au)

2007 saw the launch of his digital imprint, Discoteca Music, alongside Dana Bergquist, balErik, Somnus Corp and more recently, Luke Fair. Their emphasis on quality has generated a lot of support from a vast number of A-list DJs and they’ve attained a reputation for having their collective finger firmly on the pulse; picking up on a host of up-and-coming producers well ahead of the pack. Parties are the latest string in their bow, with the label gigs taking them as far as Guadalajara, Miami, Bogota, Helsinki, Oslo and Toronto.

“Tom Morgan personifies the new generation of progressive house. He never confines himself to one style, always locking the listener into a groove with only one intention, to make the dance floor move. Tom is already the next big thing.” - Gregor Davidson (www.bringthebeats.com) 2010 sees the most significant steps in Tom's career to date.

Following a number of well received podcasts for them, his first compilation is set to be released in conjunction with Electronic Groove: a two-disc mix that showcases his evolving talents. As well as this, Tom is one of the core members of the new Alternative Route concept; where seven members will regularly contribute to a series of mix CDs and worldwide parties, with the intention of pushing their careers to the next level. Add to this a blossoming production alliance with France's Urban Breathe and it is further evidence that Tom is taking strides towards being mentioned in the same breath as the luminaries whose influence helped to shape his sound; with this year representing a coming of age for this young talent.

http://www.australmixing.com/tom-morgan-072/tom-morgan-072.html

Continue reading →

Podcast 071 - STEVE MAC

Stephen Michael McGuinness, also known as Steve Mac, is a UK house music producer. As a solo artist, he runs Variation Recordings.

Mac started out as scratch DJ at the age of 11. He met his production partner Rob Chetcuti in a hip-hop group in Malta. They formed the group, The Rhythm Masters.

Mac and Chetcuti also set up a studio followed by a record label, Disfunktional Recordings in 1995. The label was mainly a showcase for the pair's own productions although artists such as Danny Tenaglia, Junior Sanchez, Paul Woolford, and Giorgio Moroder also contributed.

The Rhythm Masters split in 2002 to pursue solo projects, with Mac producing tracks including "Circus Parade", "Da Canto" and "Lovin’ You More (That Big Track)" for CR2. Mac also remixed for Jamiroquai, Charlotte Church and Simply Red. The track "Lovin' You More" is used on the Radio Station "Vladivostok FM" on Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony.

In 2008 Mac released the track "Gotta Have Some Fun"; and in September that year his track "Paddys Revenge" (sampling Penguin Cafe Orchestra's 1984 song "Music for a Found Harmonium") reached number 17 in the UK Singles Chart.

Mac's most recent release is the track 'The Fly' also for CR2

http://www.australmixing.com/steve-mac-071/steve-mac-071.html

Continue reading →

Podcast 070 - Tom Budden

The rise of Tom Budden epitomises what can be achieved when a dance music obsessive channels all that dancefloor enthusiasm wisely.

By patiently building a reputation and not being afraid of the graft as well as the good times, he’s carved out an enviable position for himself as an in-demand DJ, producer, label owner and promoter. And taking the long term, focussed approach to his passion is now paying off big time.

A lynchpin of South England’s phenomenally productive, loosely connected house music mafia, which sees the region produce a disproportionate number of the UK’s highest achievers, Tom’s deep, rolling tech-house sounds are seeing his name regularly mentioned in the same breath as the guys who were his early inspiration.

Presenting a thoroughly modern sound that has furrowed paths at both the deeper and the more driving end of the spectrum, his DJ sets are renowned for being precision tuned perfectly for the vibe, the venue and time of night… or indeed day. This has lead to high praise when playing before or after some of the biggest names in the business. But that doesn’t mean Tom is content to play second fiddle, “given the chance I would play all night, and play everything from disco and deep house through to acid house and techno” he says, with a confidence that hints at just how well he’d pull it off.

With a string of seriously high profile gigs at UK clubs including Ministry of Sound, Sakneys, Shindig, matter at the 02 and Cocoon at The End, his international profile has truly taken off in recent years too. Whether it’s smashing it at Kristal in Romania, (where Tom has become a regular fixture on Bucharest’s nightlife scene), touring Australia and Asia alongside James Zabiela or ensuring the après skiers are literally swinging from the alpine rafters when joining James and Nic Fanciulli’s legendary DJ tag team for a night at the Snowbombing festival in Austria.

He remains loyal to his hometown crowd in Southampton alongside the growing global interest, with an ongoing residency at the infamous High Tide Boat Parties, which he also helps promote. It was from this party pedigree that he took another major leap in 2008 and launched his own label, the respected ALiVE Recordings. “The label was originally set up as an output for my own music,” explains Tom, “but it just grew organically. Now I have a handful of regular artists from all over the world as well as attracting some well known names. I’m really proud of its ongoing reputation.”

The label’s tenth release, Tom Budden – ‘The Tree Dance’ was a real milestone for both the imprint and its owner. The track appealed to some of the finest ears from across the board, being played by everyone from deep house DJs to the techno fraternity. It was one of Richie Hawtin’s most played tracks of that summer (just check his Twitter!) while also finding favour in sets as diverse as Milton Jackson’s and Steve Angello’s, and was snapped up for a range of CD mixes by big players including Global Underground and Subliminal.

You’ll also hear his touch further afield, on remixes including Tijuana’s ‘Groove Is In The Air’ for Bedrock, Danny Howells ‘Laid Out’ on Dig Deeper, Simon Rogers ‘EC1M’ on Paolo Mojo's OOSH and Groove Armada's recent single 'History', featuring vocals from Will Young.

The boss expands upon the sound of the label via his popular ALiVE show on Proton Radio, which has been running for 7 years and airs on the fourth Friday of every month. And he’s dropped successful guest mixes for internationally syndicated radio shows including John Digweed's Transitions, Carl Cox's Global and Mark Knight's Toolroom Knights.

If there was a textbook on building solid credentials for clubland success then Tom Budden should have written it. He’s methodically earned a position as one of the most exciting names in dance music, and his continued ascent looks as sure-fire as his enviable track record.

http://www.australmixing.com/tom-budden-070/tom-budden-070.html

Continue reading →

Podcast 069 - Gabriel Sordo

After a decade pioneering the house music scene in Guadalajara Mexico, the name becoming synonymous for electrifying dance floors everywhere he goes is Gabriel Sordo.

Gabriel began DJing in 1999 and a year later he joined forces with his good friends Jorge and Beto to begin creating music. Their shared drive and creativity led them to start the production trio Somnus Corp, which has led to a steady stream of releases that have been signed to some of the best labels in electronic music today.

Their discography is successfully growing, most notably with ‘Expo 86’ which was included on Nick Warren’s GU35 Lima and ‘Spacer’ which will be included on Hernan Cattaneo’s 2009 Renaissance Masters compilation. Other successful releases have come from their work with Kosmas Epsilon, which produced the smash hits ‘Buenos Tiempos’ and ‘Metal Bronco’ that were played by Sasha & Digweed for thousands of people during their South American tour in 2008.

Hours have been spent in the studio creating enough music to be used for Somnus Live, the act which has the trio playing solely their own productions while re-editing and remixing to create a truly unique listening experience.

As a platform to release Somnus Corp productions as well as showcasing quality tracks released by their peers, in 2007 Gabriel along with his Somnus Corp partners founded arguably one of the best new underground labels of today, Discoteca music, which they share with Tom Morgan, balErik, Dana Bergquist and Luke Fair.

Whether Gabriel is performing live with Somnus Corp or on his own Gabriel knows how to create a vibe on the dance floor that keeps the energy high and the crowd begging for more.

He transcends boundaries blending all genres of house into his sets, from tech to progressive, from deep to disco, his mixing and track selections are always on key creating a smooth sound that has drawn listeners from across the globe. He has performed all over Central and South America including his native Mexico, Panama, Buenos Aires, Bogata, Costa Rica and as far as Toronto, Lithuania, Beijing, Dubai and Shanghai.

His keen ear and professionalism behind the decks has allowed him to play alongside some of worlds best DJ’s including Sasha & John Digweed, Danny Howells, Nick Warren, Sander Kleinenberg, Luke Fair and Hernan Cattaneo just to name a few.

In a time when everyone wants to be a DJ and 14 year olds are producing tracks from their bedrooms it is becoming the listener’s job to have the ear sharp enough to know what is true talent. Gabriel is a true talent that needs to be heard. His passion and charming personality shines through his music and is making him a world class player as not only a DJ but as a successful producer and label owner. Lisa Sant (bringthebeats).

http://www.australmixing.com/gabriel-sordo-069/gabriel-sordo-069.html

Continue reading →

Podcast 68 - Shlomi B

Shlomi originally from Jerusalem, Israel, his affair with electronic music starts back in 2000, as one who loves to clubing and music plays a large part of his time, he understand that there is something beyond.

He decided to move on and start studying music and sound, after Shlomi graduation he gets the first opportunity to play at the mega event "love parade" In front of thousands of people, The event crowned a success and Shlomi getting bids to play in some of the country's leading, clubs alongside some of the well known dj's in Israel like Flash Brothers, Sahar Zangelevich, Guy Gerber, Shlomi Aber, Guy Mantzur, Roy Brizman a.k.a Gel Abril, Rollo & More.

Shlomi known for his love to deeptech house music with no compromise sound, this must be the most up to date sounds loaded with full groove and sexy if possible.

In 2005, Shlomi leaves Israel and move to New York to promote his career; After a while Shlomi welcome to play at some of New York local clubs and leaving a good impression, he ties a relationship with the right people some of them DJs, label owners and radio hosts, which allowed him to get the most recent and most interesting music. Shlomi's exposed his music at popular radios such as Pure FM, Tunnel fm, radio Jerusalem, Bringthebeats and more.

There are no strings attached when listening to these beats.

keep your ears open, you have lots to expect from this guy. By barney BringTheBeats.com

http://www.australmixing.com/shlomi-b-068/shlomi-b-068.html

Continue reading →