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

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