city: Bucharest Beat

All the blood, sweat and beers that go in to running events in two cities throughout the year seems to pay off (never financially!) in Autumn time. Last year DO IT! collective were hosted in Helsinki and Bergen for two differing gigs but equally fun trips during August. This year it was just me (Uraki Riddim) on a solo trip to Bucharest via Copenhagen in late October.   Copenhagen opened my ears to an exciting instrumental beats scene which is arguably the strongest right now in Scandinavia, the label Hobby Industries and New Folder collective making up the best of it. Bucharest peeled back my eyes to an otherworldly place.  Hosted by ex-pat DJ and journalist Tom Wilson, I was given the insight needed to map my way through a city that without assistance I would have struggled to grasp.  Full of contrasts, romantic and mysterious historical corners it is a metropolis like none other I have visited. Playing at Ota's minimal looking basement club (complete with kitchen for making hearty soups) alongside Tom was incredible, the crowd were so locked in and ready to dance - someone name checking and asking for a spin back on a Mike Slott tune will surely be a once in a lifetime request! Props to Fresh Good Minimal for press, check them out for a lowdown on the Bucharest scene.     

photo: from the excellent Bucharest based photo blog Revelator//Planet34 by Andrei Mocanca

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

press: Think issue 6

Think magazine issue 6 came out some weeks ago and marks something of a landmark for the thought provoking and aesthetically conscious publication. Editor of the magazine Jacqueline Carlisle has upped the output ante of Think by introducing not only web and Iphone apps but, also pressing a limited run of actual physical copies. With an article from talented Scottish designer Scott Jarvie and my own regular contribution discussing issues related to the 'Progressive' theme, there should be something in there for not only designers but also those interested in ideas and sustainable issues we face today. You can read the latest issue here.

image: LEED certified Cherokee studios by Pugh & Scarpa, Los Angeles 2010

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

DO IT! abz 20.08

Heading back to the Granite City to drop some of the new Dødpøp wax I picked up from the guys having played out with them at The Villa a couple of times this past month. Especially looking forward to playing some records before and after Lamplighter's first full live show since he dropped his debut LP on Antimatter. Lamplighter's ever evolving sound caught our eyes and ears since the very first day we started this whole DO IT! jaunt. Chris Clark, John Carpenter and Prince Paul - these influences are all in there. Warming up for Cars & Trains on a cold and dark Aberdeen night some years back, he managed to capture the darkness of the nordic spirit with a peephole of light and communicate it through a crisp layered sound that could be best imagined as a beats incarnation with more attachment to folk than the grimey boombap or new jackswing that swaggers loudly at the moment. I'm going to playing with our Aberdeen residents Kid Bell and White Chocolate, with Uber AV (M.O.C. & Ben) on the visuals and a selection of Aberdeen's street aret continuum adding some live illutstrion to the event. Check out the Resident Advisor events page or fb event for more details.

poster: by Sio, 2010

RA: Singles Reviews

What with Resident Advisor just being nominated for a BT Digital Music Award for 'Best place to discover new music' I thought it would be an appropriate time to have a quick run down on some recent single reviews I've dispatched on their site. To vote for RA  - click here to register and vote. 3 releases varying from disco to beats - all with an underlying cosmic vibe, in reverse order from oldest to the latest.

First up is Spanish visionary Mweslee and his Eurocarne EP for Mamiko Motto's ever evolving Nod Navigators imprint. From the outset this release has been one that stands out; it is very apparent from the variety of production and depth of musical knowledge demonstrated on this EP that the producer is someone who has most certainly served their music traineeship.  Five years DJing at an R'n'B club obviously hasn't done Mwes much harm, he is now at the forefront of new Spanish music alongside others such as his Arkestra label partner Bflecha and Lo Fi Funk honcho and DJ extrordinaire Chelis. Check out the review here.

Closely related in the classification game and gaelic background - LuckyMe duo DomSum and Martyn Flynn aka The Blessings first official release, also on Nod Navigators, is ethereal and impecably referenced. Covered in a light cosmic blanket with a sweet underlay of new jack swing, hiphop and acid euphoria you could listen to this Ep at dusk or dawn. As with the Mweslee release, the greatest thing that can be said about this release is that it is interesting, relevant and enjoyable music and not just a one genre representation or scene jumping horse. I cannot wait to hear more from these two, read about the EP in greater detail here.

Similarly euphoric but, more directly aimed for the dancefloor - Skatebård's Starwatcher release on Luna Flicks is an EP which divides opinion. As a live performer, producer and DJ his status in Norway is unquestionable and it is certainly worthy of some greater attention outwith of the Nordic domain.  However, on this release for the two good productions from the man himself it is let down by some substandard remixes - most notably the Plastique De Rêve mix which could have been found in a 90s trash can.  Nonetheless, for the strength of the originals this EP is well worth picking up. Check out some more about it here.

Øyanatt: Oslo Experimental presents DO IT

Friday 13th was a massive night for DO IT! and Oslo. Through support from Oslo Experimental, we had the privilege and power to book two of the finest active purveyors of contemporary music alongside a showcase of the best of Norwegian skwee, a legendary graphic artist and our very own Norway based residents and regular collaborators for a memorable Øya festival party at The Villa. While Cupofill went all Friday 13th with Jason masks and blood red markers in the lounge, the Dødpop crew treated those who managed to fit in the backroom skwee shop to a barrage of lofi funk squeaks and blips that included Beatbully, Sprutbass and a live debut for Kapteien Melkevein's new Mother North project. The main room got hot and sweaty to Inko's heavy hitting opening DJ/live set before I spun some slower experimental beats as a prelude to Dorian Concept, whose tailored live show transformed the club into a dancing pit of awe and joy. Inko and I took it up a notch to get things ready for the much anticipated live show of soon-to-be Warp album debutante Rustie, which as expected tore up what remained of the club. All this was complimented by some industrial influenced imagery from VJ Pop Com and some incredible disected and deconstructed works from the well-known Norwegian designer Halvor Bodin aka VJ Superlow. More coverage to come soon!

poster: by Alexander Horne (me) and Cupofill. 2010 / video: Sprutbass 'Matt Huffley' by Halvor Bodin

Logo Design: ESRU, Universitat de Barcelona

Considered to be the best university in Spain, The Universitat de Barcelona has over 30 specialist research units focusing on expertise in subjects ranging from mathematics to sociology. One of these academic and research organisations, The European Social Research Unit, contacted me with the request of a new identity design to be used for an upcoming international conference and thereafter as their continuous brand image. The brief requested something similar to the existing Universitat de Barcelona logo. The result was simple and bold with the social quirk of a slanted main image and highlighting of key words in the logo text.
ESRU logo design by Alexander Horne