Andreas Tilliander on TB-303 fetishism: "I want to be buried with mine."

By Ken Taylor

It certainly is not a stretch to describe Andreas Tilliander as an innovative producer. Operating under a number of different aliases across his long career, the Swedish artist penned some of the most seminal records in the rise of glitch-techno for labels such as Raster-Noton and Mille Plateaux. Tilliander has continued to push the envelope as a forward-thinking producer, most recently issuing icy, hardware-driven live techno under his TM404 alias. With TM404′s self-titled LP of techno lattices still giving us chills after dropping in April, we decided it was time to take a peek under the hood to see just what Tilliander utilizes to craft his unique brand of techno. Turns out it’s all the magic of the classic Roland TB-303.

My Favorite Machines

Alland Byallo's five favorite production tools

By Chris Galvin

Berlin-based DJ, producer, label owner, graphic designer, and event organizer Alland Byallo has been making fantastic electronic music for over 10 years on such seminal labels as Poker Flat, Liebe Detail, and his own Nightlight and Bad Animal imprints. With a slew of upcoming releases and remixes on Real Tone, Thoughtless Music, Bad Animal, and Bpitch Control, we asked him about his top five production tools.

Power of Ten

Ableton Live 9, Korg's MS-20 Mini, and Moog's Sub Phatty make our 10 Biggest Announcements at NAMM 2013

By Francis Preve

For the uninitiated, The NAMM Show is one of the musical instrument industry’s biggest events. Like the annual North American International Auto Show in Detroit, NAMM (short for the National Association of Music Merchants) is a tradeshow where manufacturers from around the world debut the latest tech toys and musical instruments to literally tens of thousands of attendees—think Winter Music Conference but for production tools, and you have the general idea.

This year’s NAMM was a mashup of recently announced gear combined with some truly incredible surprises from companies like Korg, Dave Smith Instruments, and Moog. After assessing the announcements, we picked our 10 coolest products at NAMM 2013. And here they are…

My Favorite Machines

Balearic duo Land of Light walk us through the gear that made their new LP

By Dan Cole

Land of Light is a new production duo consisting of Jonny Nash, one of ESP Institute’s founding members, and Kyle Martin, who also records as Spectral Empire. Their self-titled debut album, which landed on ESP Institute late last year, featured all sorts of slo-mo disco and Balearic sounds, made, presumably, with some interesting bits of studio gear. We chatted with the North London pair to see just what went into the album’s making.

My Favorite Machines

Munich's Zombie Nation shows off the gear that made RGB possible

By Ken Taylor

Google “Zombie Nation” and you can forever be sure that the artist’s hockey-arena anthem “Kernkraft 400″ will appear within the first few results. It’s likely both a blessing and a curse for Munich producer Florian Senfter, who probably never intended for the track to find such huge success—but who’ll never be able to shake it from any mentions of his name.

That said, Zombie Nation’s latest LP for Turbo Recordings, RGB, does its fair share to distance its maker from his now-classic bombastic tune. RGB‘s 16 tracks dig into deeper, more subdued techno territory with the odd groovy excursion thrown in for good measure, and sound much more suited to dark dancefloor frenzies than the fist-pumps of drunken frat boys. Here, Senfter gives us a look at some of his favorite studio gear, which he used to construct this newest opus.

Must Hear 2012

Beatport News chooses its Top 10 pieces of music-tech gear for 2012

By Francis Preve

Trailblazing artists, genre-blending DJs, and world-class clubs are the forward-facing trends that shape our industry. But behind the scenes, new production tools are the unsung drivers of progress in electronic music. For example, Native Instruments’ Massive softsynth is at the core of both dubstep and complextro, while Roland’s classic TR-808/909/303 boxes arguably served as the launchpad for everything we hear in clubs today.

So, if you want to get the inside track on the future sounds of dance music, you need look no further than the newest toys of the trade. Accordingly, here’s Beatport News’ take on the most interesting and innovative musical products of 2012.

My Favorite Machines

Skip & Die talk about their favorite piece of studio gear

By Dan Cole

Newcomers Skip & Die epitomize how the internet is breaking down global borders, bringing artists from different worlds together and creating a whole new wave of different sounds. Formed originally as a collaboration between South African vocalist Cata.Pirata and Dutch producer Jori Collignon (of C-Mon & Kypski), the group expanded their lineup to create a multi-instrumental, Afro-house, electro, digital cumbia, moombahton-styled live group. Touring intensively, they’re currently breaking through with their new album, Riots In The Jungle, and will more than likely be playing a festival near you soon.

We caught up with Collignon to find out what special ingredients went into making their unique, genre-defying sounds.

My Favorite Machines

Anstam on programming for chance and making techno for 50 Weapons

By Dan Cole

One of the 50 Weapons stable’s more reclusive producers, Anstam is known for crafting music that is rich in its composition and technical wizardry. When listening to his tracks, one can’t help but imagine Lars Stöwe (the man behind the project) crafting his tailored apocalyptic techno and broken beat in a darkened room surrounded by huge computer banks and vintage synthesizers. His latest album, Stones and Woods, has just seen a release via the Modeselektor-helmed 50 Weapons imprint, taking shape as a challenging, yet charmingly embracing electronic experience; one that consistently has us scratching our heads wondering just how Anstam managed to bring it all together. So, we thought what better way to find out than to catch up with Stöwe himself and fire off a few questions to help shed some light on the mystery.

My Favorite Machines

Sweden's Roll the Dice talk about their most prized sonic tool

By Dan Cole

As Roll the Dice, Stockholm production duo Malcolm Pardon and Peder Mannerfelt (aka The Subliminal Kid) have been exciting listeners the world over with their analog-based ambient music. The outfit’s second album, In Dust, saw a release last year via The Leaf Label to critical acclaim and still, one year on, remains a wonderfully crafted and pleasurable piece of work. This year, they’ve teamed up with Berlin-based dub master Stefan Betke (better known as Pole) to rework some of the best tracks from the album, the results of which can be heard on their brand-new In Dubs record.

My Favorite Machines

Nils Frahm talks vintage goodness and all sorts of analog gear

By Dan Cole

Berlin-based Nils Frahm is one of those ambient instrumentalists who has been able to perfectly meld together his immense musical skill and knowledge—which he has honed from his love of classical music—with an astounding ability to produce. Currently wowing crowds with his wonderful piano-based songs, and supporting his latest release Screws, which you can currently download for free, Frahm gave us some insight into the gear he uses to get that warm, melodic, and impassioned sound.

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