A true drum & bass genius, some lo-fi loveliness, and bassy house jams feature in today’s On Rotation segment, which compiles our expert team of merchandisers’ and editors’ favorite picks of the week.
Legendary. Seminal. Groundbreaking. Visionary. Classic. These words get thrown around in electronic music like bootlegged SoundCloud files. Yet, in the case of pioneering drum & bass maven LTJ Bukem (aka Danny Williamson), the man who helped define an entire generation of liquid D&B, these descriptors are certainly warranted. Beatport News caught up with Bukem to find out why now was the perfect time to re-introduce his legendary label’s full body of work, to dive into his career of achievements, and—ultimately—find out what he thinks the future holds for drum & bass.
There’s a veritable smorgasbord of drum & bass history tucked into today’s Morning Roundup, so, heads, prepare for one serious rewind. But the big news today focuses on Guy Gerber’s weird single-glove obsession. Move on over, MJ.
Mechanical drum machines, Mixmaster Mike and The Gaslamp Killer getting crazy on the decks… with NAMM still on the brain, there’s no shortage of awesome tech clips coming our way. So without further ado, check those out and more after the jump.
Sure, podcasts were everywhere this year. And sure, many folks say the dance-music world is a singles game. But to our ears, very little beats a proper DJ mix or compilation, especially when they’re curated and crafted by the world’s finest selectors, clubs, and labels. There were dozens upon dozens of mixes and comps that got our attention this year, and we’re happy to finally bring you the cream of our crop—10 must-hear compilations for 2012. Enjoy!
As you may already know, tons of your favorite DJs, like Moby, Paul Van Dyk, Photek, and Diplo, have been selling their exclusive mixes through our Beatport Mixes store. Now it’s your turn to start doing the same, as we’re excited to announce that we’ve released Beatport Mixes to open beta for the public.
As always on Friday, it’s time to break out the week’s brand-new, pre-cut music packs for Mashbox, the app that lets you mash-up your favorite dance music and pop songs on your iPad.
Photek’s brand-new LP is tearing up the charts, and we’re happy to have “Pyramid” from that album, along with a whole lot of other exclusives, in this week’s Mashbox crate:
- Kiko – Wallio [Playmobil]
- Photek – Pyramid [Photek Productions]
- Freq Nasty – Not Givin’ In [Skint Records]
- MiniCoolBoyz – What’s Going On [SCI+TEC Digital Audio]
- Martijn – Green Haze [Deep 8]
All throughout this week in the European capital of techno, Berlin, you’ll find the latest in city-wide festivals, Berlin Music Days (known to the locals as BerMuDa), which spreads itself across the myriad of clubs and culminates in the mega-techno rave Fly BerMuDa at the legendary (former) Tempelhof airport this weekend.
Alongside the main stages, which play host to the likes of Sven Väth, Luciano, and Chris Liebing, Beatport will be hosting their more intimate arena featuring DeWalta, HRDVISION, Wankelmut, Pinch, Clockwork, and Photek.
In the run-up to the event, we managed to sit down with all the artists and get their thoughts on playing this huge event. Today, we chat with Rupert Parkes (aka Photek), whose new album, KU:PALM, is released tomorrow.
Much in the same way that ’90s guitar music evolved (some might say devolved) from the bleeding punk purism of grunge to the mosh-ready thrust of nu-metal, dance music has so followed the course in recent years, from buttoned-up techno purism and swervy house hedonism to a more aggressive fist-pumping sound thanks to crossover acts like Justice and Skrillex. So it makes sense that Rob Zombie, he of the ’90s metal/funk/punk/alt band White Zombie, would be ripe for the remix treatment from an array of contemporary dance music producers on this new EP.
At the height of the ’90s drum & bass explosion, no producer combined artistic ambition with global recognition as well as Rupert Parkes (aka Photek). A true godfather of intelligent bass music, it makes sense that his name would resonate within the new generation’s obsession with all things low-end. And “Levitation” proves that the don of intricate and seductive breaks can still deliver a deadly blow.
