Central Station: Fine Grains Records

Glasgow based creative social network 'This Is Central Station' kindly asked me to divulge some words about my new music and design initiative, Fine Grains. A brief re-cap on DO IT! collective and look to the immediate future and long term goals of Fine Grains are covered in the piece. You can have an overview of the Fine Grains project from the website here. To read the 'This Is Central Station' article click here.

Images: Fine Grains inverted logo, printed stickers and Inko playing live at Fine Grains Records web launch at Turkish Delight, Oslo 2012

CITY: BERLIN

Finally made it to Berlin after five years of trying, cannot wait to go again. Locals may sway in favor of pre-gentrification past times but, the city still has a unique spirit compared to most other urban destinations. Panorama Bar was of course a deeply satisfying experience, took me back to visiting Rex for the first time in my teen years. Best bar was Paloma though, for the post-apocalyptic Blade Runner meets Warriors building and train station view out the futuristic angled windows.
Berlin phone snaps by Alexander Horne

MUSIC: RA REVIEWS

With just a few weeks until Sonar Barcelona time, June 16-18, and to coincide with the announcement of RA's  anticipated off Sonar events and special tenth anniversary celebrations - what better time to have a brief look over some of the releases I recently reviewed for the RA website.

It would be no understatement to say that Brian D'Souza aka Auntie Flo is somewhat of a pioneer in Scotland's highly reputed and tightly packed electronic music scene. From being one of the first promoters to bring Riccardo Villalobos to UK shores, embracing AV and live multi-DJ performance via his Edinburgh night Pogo Vogue and most recently holding down residencies at two of Glasgow's most acclaimed nights serving new world music (Afro Futures) and dark underground italo and Detroit respectively (Slabs of The Tabernacle). When not playing alongside the likes of Shackleton, T Williams and Mike Paradinas -  It was just a matter of time until a label worthy of his quality took the next logical step in putting out his own productions.  Check out the review of his full debut EP for Huntley and Palmers here. Auntie Flo plays live at DO IT! Abz on the 13th May!

From one new independent label to one that has managed to reach out to heads into dubstep, house and hip hop through some heavy bubbling underground releases. Run from the Dublin based record store, All City is the creative endeavour of Olan O'Brien - a true digger and finder for new and old musical gems. Somehow each release on the label manages to weigh up the sound of now with something that reminds us of the music we loved yesteryear - a vision no less apparent than in the first EP from the collab. series featuring jazzy beats magician Mike Slott and the dubbed out machine city techno of Martyn. A glittery space beats journey on one side and a straight down the road 4x4 club journey on the flip - just how they used to make them. Read about the EP in detail here.

Likewise released on All City, Krystal Klear is apparently a, one a few it seems, heir to Dam Funk's future boogie throne. He does his reputation some real good here with this solid release capped off in style with an old school piano house remix from HudMo. Check out more track info here.

music: Oslo Institution Closes

It is with a relative degree of sadness that The Villa closed their doors after one last dance on 2/10/10.  Although the club had sat below pizza institution Hells Kitchen for less than five years, it had won a place in many music aficionados hearts in Oslo and from overseas. From New Wave to old age disco via dubstep, skweee and house - the club was the only spot in town close to rekindling memories of clubs such as Edinburgh's The Venue and old Bongo Club (sadly also both defunct). For readers not familiar with those venues, perhaps the best comparison came from one revered DJ visiting for a set during Oslo Live who compared The Villa to Plastic People in London - only better. The Oslo nightscape maybe changing with the arrival of new venues and rumors of takeovers on the horizon but, in the meantime we salute you The Villa; door and bar staff, regulars, visiting acts and in particular the booking team of Tore Jazztoback (Ost from Ost&Kjex) and Scot Electric Lane (Jen McConachie). It was a pleasure to play there on several occasions and in particular for our DO IT! event during Øya.   
video: Oslo Experimental presents: DO IT! Oyafestivalen, The Villa 13.8.10 by Halvor Bodin

Architecture by Night

As reported by design blog Its Nice That - one of my favorite projects of recent years is back! Kubik is a pop-up club concept from Germany which pits raw urban architecture with electronic music in a fluoro Blade Runner-esque temporary space. The creators of the project, Ballestra Berlin, have previously taken the club to spots as diverse as Eindhoven, Dubai and Warsaw. The temporary structure is constructed using disused septic tanks joined by an outer metal membrane, each tank has a small L.E.D inserted in them which is connected to a midi control that allows a VJ to control the lighting patterns. When I first saw the Kubik concept in Barcelona I was in awe of how an already scenic space (next to a port) was transformed into a theatrical and functionable culture venue by night.

video: by Chad Samson, Barcelona 2007

Scando Robot Funk

Wading through the splutter of very ordinary Indie acts at Norway's by:larm festival last week, I came across my first direct experience of Skwee music courtesy of a night dedicated to it at underground Oslo club The Villa. Skwee has been bubbling under the radar for a while since one of the genre's first international introductions via Sonar 2008. It generally sounds like future funk made by machines from the era when they looked like cyborg robots and has roots mostly from Scandinavia, particularly Sweden and Finland. I had a chance to meet one of the scenes driving figures, Mesak, during by:larm and got so excited by the sounds I heard at The Villa and on his new album The School of Mesak - I've written a review about both that night and the album. There is something for beats heads, disco, house and even grime DJs in this album - be sure to get on this Scando-wagon and pick it up!

Skwee/Mesak street tag

À bon chat, bon rat

Suffering from post-cheap flight travel trauma and subsequent illness from the multiple chicken marching arrangements (extensive bus journeys, caged into tight squadrons of ill travelers before embarking and vice versa) put paid to any previous words about my recent Paris jaunt. Here are some nibbles from the French metropole of amour and tardy waiting staff; Staying around the Château Rouge area of Paris was grimey warm - like onion soup - charming, colorful and full of slapdash market stalls. The daily contraband operation at nearby Barbès metro was a theatrical masterpiece; sellers moving back and forth to the changing of traffic lights or loitering like seasoned flâners. One of the lures of Paris on this occasion was a return to the Rex Club for a set by legendary mixer Francois K. You can check out my review of this event on Resident Advisor. Ultimately, the best cultural olives in this swing-by-trip were the burgeoning design and culture scene in Bastille and the vibrant and youthful burst of bars in Oberkampf.

'ticket collage' by Alexander Horne, 2010

DO(1)T!

One year ago this month I wanted to kick start something of a petit creative revolution in my home city, Aberdeen in Scotland. As it has been documented in the press recently, through the tribulations of the contemporary art center and Union Terrace Gardens project, despite hosting a fine art school and many aspiring young creatives Aberdeen is not quite the hub of creativity and culture as it could be. Compared to similar sized cities such as Bergen across the North Sea or Dundee down the road it is very slow to understand the support and encouragement required by young creatives, especially in such a tough economic climate as now. The petit creative revolution that is DO IT! is now one year old and we are ready to celebrate this Friday with two special guests with strong local links. The first guest, DJ Giles Walker is a resident dj at Snafu Club and an important local figure in the introduction and booking of new music and acts from around the UK and beyond. Our headline guest, Two Eyes, is a rare talent from Edinburgh who when not designing buildings, pulley systems or riding bikes up extremely challenging hills can be found secretly composing deep future music in his humble Leith flat. We have been lucky to export our own 'deen talents to cities such as Barcelona, Bergen and Helsinki this year so for this one year celebration if you are in town come and enjoy DO IT! in Aberdeen and support and celebrate with the local creatives that make this collective a vivrant force in Aberdeen and beyond.

Poster: by SIO.

Ekko Fest 2009

Finally got round to writing a review for Resident Advisor from Bergen's Ekko Fest this year. The line-up was a great example of how smaller and more compact festivals can pick an astute and interesting line-up without the commercial constraints inflicted upon larger festivals. Suffering from a spot of Norsk swine flu and some sad news from back home detracted from my full enjoyment of the event but, some lager beverage medicine and good company made sure the stellar line-up was enjoyed as best possible. Losing it to Clark's delicate thrasing and merging of light and folksy sounds with crashing breakbeat and electronic noise was by far the highlight. Best new find of the three day festival was definately Velferd, who played a nicely executed live set that took in twisted disco and house sounds amongst many subtle layers. He is in fact also a member of the the band The New Wine from Bergen, who have been getting lots of attention in Norway this past year and will undoubtedly prop up elsewhere soon. Check them out here.

Photo: Clark rocking the Studio room at USF Verftet by Julie Arrive.

Sonar 2009

The only downturn going on in Barcelona from June 17th - 21st this year was a void of early risers missing out on hotel breakfasts. Perhaps that was an isolated experience for myself and my traveling companion but, what was prevalent at Sonar festival this year was that not only were the huge number of attendees, 3 day passes and Saturday Day sold out, but the curiosity and hunger of those in attendance. Over the past few years of this festival, an occasionally disjointed roster has often attracted a more laid back, diverse and interesting crowd to Sonar by Day. Sonar Night though, seemed to lure a louder, beer swilling and toxic mix that were more intent on hunting down the most repetitive, recognizable or 'banging' beats on showcase that particular evening way out In Fira 2, Hospitalet. Sonar 2009 however, was quite contrary.

A festival that many see has one of the most influential brands in electronic music today. The organizers have been steadily building strong relationships with other global electronic music channels such as the always compelling Red Bull Music Academy and, fast becoming a leader in the breaking of new underground music worldwide, club and BBC radio DJ Mary Anne Hobbs. Indeed the latter connection with BBC has even grown to include another stage during Sonar Day featuring BBC radio DJ Huw Stephens and several introduced acts. Alongside these newly established partners, stalwarts of electronic music and Sonar veterans (Hawtin, Mills, Garnier and Carl Craig), fresh beatmaking talent and many bands convened to make this one of the most fluent and well blended Sonar's I have witnessed. For such a large festival and with a global reputation, the music selection and event organization is always going to be a tight rope of opinions and critique. For really to the point up to date line-ups it would be much easier and self-satisfying for electronic music enthusiasts to check out smaller and younger festivals such as Italy's Dissonanze, Norway's NuMusic and even the only comparable North American counterpart Mutek, held in Montreal. However, what Sonar holds over these other festivals is a consistent mix between new and old, underground, uncovered and well-known acts. A healthy move toward a more band friendly festival was also a real feather in the hat for Sonar this year. Having been trumped, in many critics opinions, by fellow Barcelonian festival Primavera Sound in terms of quality and depth of the line-up and perceived 'coolness' of the crowd this year spelled out a strong comeback for a date that crosses all electronic music enthusiasts minds come mid June every year.

In terms of the actual festival, a mixture of classic acts making comebacks (Grace Jones and Orbital), genre defying experimental acts (Animal Collective, Fever Ray, Crystal Castles) and a strong showing from what we now generally call the 'Beat Generation' was solidified by a plethora of off Sonar events. Strangely these off events seemed to actually compliment the core festival as opposed to detract from it. Pick of the bunch probably being Flying Lotus's Brainfeeder night taking on local Barcelona night Plat Du Jour (ran by the former organizers of Friends and Family). Our very own DO IT! collective also had a night on that you can read about below.

Sonar highlights were witnessing a room fill to the bassy wobbles and wibbles of the ever charming Vienna based Dorian Concept and courtesy of his Korg machines, keyboards and at one stage shoe. You can watch some highlights here. Fever Ray had a very stylish yet brief set taking influence from the Gothic and Futurist fashions du jour at the moment. Glasgow's Rustie put in a very strong performance mixing wonky, r'n'b and rave inspired breaks to a rather limp crowd, showing he has a lot more than just exciting production in the armoury. But, festival highlight was undoubtedly the performance that was but never was. Crystal Castles and Alice Glass in particular normally pack a punch or two musically wherever they perform but, after numerous sound problems I don't think anyone expected Glass to layout a security guard with a fist after failing on first attempt with the biggest drum on stage. Check here for THE highlight of Sonar this year. Thanks to Delia Dumitrescu for the photos, who I met mid Dorian Concept. You can check out her latest blog entries and photos via her site here.

Photo: Muhsinah (USA) live during Sonar Day by Delia Larisa Dumitrescu.

FIXed

I was in Bergen a few weeks ago for The Fix party at USF Verftet, created by the people behind Ekkofest as part of Bergenfest. It was a strong line-up (featuring acts like Flying Lotus and Gang Gang Dance) for such a compact event and I was impressed enough by the party to write an article for Resident Advisor magazine.

Bergen is quite a small sized city compared to similar central European destinations but, it makes up for this with a core of cultural and nightlife activity from the heart of the city. While the venue for The Fix was a little away from the center, toward the end of the port, the walk was only about 15 minutes long from the main buss station. The actual venue, USF Verftet, is a former Sardine factory and provided an interesting array of cavernous passageways to mostly low ceiling rooms. Other places worth checking out in Bergen include Cafe Opera where you can enjoy a coffee while people watching during the day and get down to some of the cities finest djs every Friday and Saturday. I'll be back to Bergen soon, where I hope to find out a lot more about the city, it's people and it's artsy goings on. Until then I'd recommend booking a trip for September's Ekkofest which, promises to bring an exciting batch of electronic acts to a charming, cute and compact city.
Photo: Gang Gang Dance at The Fix by Asle.

Nordic Visions

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of sharing a stage with Finland's Vixen vjs as part of a new venture in Norway by the name of Transplant Sessions. I spun records as part of the DO IT! collective, under my dj guise Uraki Riddim, and organized the event at Transplant's innovation and design center in Dale I Sunnfjord on the West coast of Norway. Transplant Sessions is a platform for electronic music and visual talent from Nordic countries to showcase themselves through live performance and documentation of their work online. Transplant Sessions' first guest, Badass Bambi from Vixen vjs, represented Finland and on the night provided a beautiful, colourful and abstract re-interpretation of the Transplant venue's idyllic surrounding landscape.

Vixen vjs are originally from Tampere, said to be Finland's equivalent to Manchester, where they have been performing with the local Plauge dj collective at their Off The Hook club night and their very own Pikku Sisko Disko parties (little Sister disco). Vixens are two female vjs, Pony Revenger and Badass Bambi aka Video-Jukka-Paula aka artist Paula Lehtonen. Their attitude and style is unique but, also representative of a significant number of smaller DIY club nights and parties sprouting up throughout the world. It was a pleasure working with the Vixens and it is certain that DO IT! and Vixen vjs will be colloborating again at some point later this year when their busy schedule allows. Before Vixens bring their visual venom to Scottish shores, or wherever else a future colaboration takes form, check out Paula Lehtonen's own personal artistic output on her website here.