Welcome to the second chapter in this colossal composition catch-up and with the bit between our teeth, it’s all steam ahead as we delve into some of the European D.J.’s that are doing it for us and making magnificent music. But we will also be taking a trip across to the Middle East, giving some deserved attention to an impressive Israeli who recently rocked London with his brilliant beats, while we will also be sharing more of those terrific tracks that are knocking on the door of our top choices of 2011. With no less than eight D.J’s/Producers to cover, we have our work cut out, but having picked on some pretty heavy hitting stars of the international scene to share, the quality as well as the quantity should shine through, so let’s get to it.
Barca Boy
First up is a talent who we first spotted in the early part of last year, having stumbled on his name & works while focussing on Parisian pal Leomeo, the associations with Barcelona’s Javier Medina quite strong, not least as they have collaborated on a number of studio projects including the amazing “Nirvana Dream”. Being born & based in the Catalonian capital, Javier, like many of his compatriots, finds himself in a real melting pot of D.J.’s & producers and within a scene that is recognised as one of the most vibrant in both the Spanish & European circuits. With residencies in his career including the cities Dboy & Devotion clubs, Javier’s big break came late last year when he was signed to super club brand Matinee, a move which has seen him play to audiences in The US, right across Europe & even down in Australia, while with the massive Circuit Festival just over a month away, Mr Medina will be playing an intrinsic part in proceedings and one that should thrust him into the spotlight with some of the world’s biggest promoters & music industry figurehead’s.
So, whilst the future is looking bright, this change in stature has not changed Javier in the slightest, he continuing to devote many hours of his spare time into studio projects & recordings, two recent track releases very much in the Medina tribal/tech style, one which we will come onto in a moment, but the other a re-work of Pagano’s track “Perfect World”, Javier’s touch taking the track on those pseudo tribal & trance directions that are so evocative of his style. But it is his two compilation releases that get our major attention, the latest “Neo Tribal” a full-on Medina onslaught that pure & unadulterated tribal, so one very much for the purists, while we are more inclined to his “Happy Tech House” mix that treats us to more uplifting tones & vocal injections within the tribal undertones that are trademark Javier, plus is a mix very reflective of the sets he is playing right now. So, to see what sort of sounds are rocking the Matinee dancefloors & to grab superb successive slices of the Medina magic, go now to http://soundcloud.com/javier-medina/ & take your choice. Plus watch this space for the next in our special music focus features, when Javier will be our name in the frame.
This Is The Sound Of C
Now to that Leomeo track we promised to cover from chapter one, plus a tune that has been given the remix treatment by a number of stars including, of course, Javier Medina. “The Sound Of C”, first released in January last year, was inspired by the genre of music from Belgium called “New Beats” and one which influenced Leomeo’s style in his informative years. With remix versions released just over a month ago breeding new life into this terrific track, we predict “The Sound Of C” getting the kind of attention it deserved at the outset, Kult Records having given both Tom Stephan’s, Bruno Kaufmann’s & Javier’s versions exposure on their label, samples of which you can grab for yourselves by going to http://soundcloud.com/djleomeo/leomeo-the-sound-of-c-1, for Tom’s version, while Bruno’s is out at http://soundcloud.com/djleomeo/leomeo-the-sound-of-c-bruno & Javier’s “Congo Mix” version is up at http://soundcloud.com/javier-medina/leomeosoundofcremix. Plus, Leomeo has been at it himself, serving up a “French Riviera” remix which we love & is available at http://soundcloud.com/djleomeo/leomeo-the-sound-of-c-french, leaving you with four versions to choose from, fabulous.
Redant On The Radio
Now, onto another D.J. based in Barcelona plus one we have featured a few times in focuses & newsletters and for good reason as Steven Redant is not only an accomplished talent behind the decks, but his recent studio works have been attracting a lot of attention too. Now when we say based in Barcelona, this Belgium born beatmaster is hardly ever there these days, as it seems Steven’s demand is such that he continues to live the jet set life, gigs seeing him tour the globe, recent trips including Australia, Florida & a handful down to Brazil & Mexico. Add to that his European commitments which included a showing at the Beyond vs La Demence party here in London last month and there is absolutely no stopping the radiant Mr Redant as he continues to wow his audiences & impresses us with the versatility & vitality of his sets that make him such a dynamic draw. Plus, he is surely to prove a hot ticket on the forthcoming La Demence cruise, which, as one of the clubs main residents, Mr Redant will feature large.
But despite his hectic schedule, Steven does get time to dive into the recording studio every now & then, more to lay down podcasts from the live sets he plays right across the globe, although his latest offering being a slight departure as it marks his appearance on Gaydar Radio, the mix entitled “Los Angeles To Hawaii”, packed with towering tech & tribal tunes ala Steve style so well worth a listen/download at http://stevenredant.podomatic.com/. But he also gets his hands dirty with track remixes too, generally with recording partner Lenz Garcia, although his latest one, Rachel’s “You Don’t Know Me” also includes a collaboration with friend & fellow D.J./producer Phil Romano, this tribal triumph by the trio very evocative of the Steven sound, one we absolutely love and is available in sample form at http://soundcloud.com/stevenredant/rachel-you-dont-know-me-romano. Plus, we know Steven has been back in the studio recently, working on a new track with Lenz Garcia, so keep your eyes peeled right here for news on that.
Guareber Guy
Now before we leave Barcelona behind, we couldn’t move on without mentioning the incredible Ivan Gomez, who, of all the D.J’s/Producers we know (and we know a lot), seems to be the busiest in the recording studio, turning out track after track & mix after mix that leaves us breathless in admiration of his feverishly hard work & dedication to his art. And being one half of the mighty Guareber Recordings label, we often come across collaborations with Nacho Chapado, although Ivan also works closely with the likes of Fran Ramirez, as well as on solo projects a-plenty. Add to this a long list of gig dates both at home in Spain & across Europe and we can’t quite fathom out just how he finds the time to fit everything in, although he seems to with consummate ease & skill. Mind you, come July, Ivan will be spending lots of time over in Rome for the summer smash, Gay Village, while he will also be an intrinsic part of the bearfest gathering in August, along with continual residency appearances for club, Gorgeous I Am.
However, we simply have to share some of those masses of studio recording releases with you, stand-out tracks for us the simply spectacular “You Drive Me Crazy”, a creative combo of progressive, tech & tribal beats with vocal undertones & uplifting beats that make it hard to beat, while the so called “Guareber Anthem”, the Gomez & Chapado re-work of the Free Radicals Formation track “World”, is another exceptional example of the talents of the immense Ivan. But the list goes on, with no less than eight tracks released since we last featured Mr Gomez on one of our newsletters, along with three compilations too, his latest, a “June Promo Mix”, packed full of pumping progressive tech & tribal tunes that glued from minute one. Add to that tracks “Yejaaa” & Funkagain”, both due for release in the next few days and life in the Ivan Gomez recording world remains non-stop. So, with so many sounds to choose from, the best way to get your complete fill, is to simply go to http://soundcloud.com/ivangomezmusic & take your choice from the rich picking of prolific Gomez productions.
Right, time for a track interlude and like we did in Chapter One, we pick on a track which is very much knocking on the door of top slot in our year-end chart, this one reminding us of the sounds of the underground, at Crash no less, but having been given an up-to-date twist that, for us, makes it superbly stand-out. From the second we heard “You Will Remember”, we were hooked and then when we realised it was a Michael Gray track, we loved it even more, this “original” version at http://youtube.com/watch?v=DCIuQY28b34 giving you a flavour as to how fabulous & fulsome the track is, so making it a sure-fire contender for that top spot in our chart.
Deviate Dude
Now we trade Spain for Italy and first take a look at a terrific talent that was with us and played out to a packed main room at Muccassassina when we tripped across to Rome at the end of last month, Micky Galliano’s performance there really impressing us and clearly showing that he richly deserves his slot on the residency team. Muccassasina aside, Micky keeps his D.J. hand in back here in London, regular sessions for bear brand Tonker as well as Bear Necessity seeing him suitably exposed to the scene, while he is also part of the team of D.J.’s for Pagano’s club brand & record label, Deviate, a collaboration with awesome afterhours Beyond just last weekend scheduling Micky to play out to a packed Terrace room at Area in Vauxhall. With appearances in Barcode next door also a feature of his D.J. roster, Micky does transcend the scenes, playing on the straight circuit quite often, gigs including those at Ministry Of Sound, while, with Gay Village about to commence its summer season, Micky will be jetting back & forth to Rome, he also being involved in the big bearfest gathering in August.
Micky is also an accomplished producer, having worked with Italian Luca Ricci on various projects under the recording name of “Vibe Junction”, while he is also producing tracks for Pagano’s Deviate record label, stand-out studio works including “My Body & My Soul”, “Flipped” & “Every Gender”. These aside, Micky does also lay down the odd compilation mix here & there, his last composition created for the “Lovelife” event which took place at Cafe De Paris in April, Mr Galliano flying the flag for Muccassassina. And in this mix we have very much the sound & style that sees Micky rock the Mucca dancefloor every time he appears there, an octane fuelled progressive & tech triumph with plenty of funky & banging beats intentions that make it an absolute addition to any collection and available for download at http://mickygalliano.podomatic.com/, while we are expecting another podcast in the making to mark his appearance for club brand Lovechild next month, along with news on a new Pagano track, so keep your eyes peeled for news on those.
Italian Stallion
Sticking with the Roman, or in this case the Sicilian theme, no newsletter of ours would really be complete without more than a mention for our own Italian Stallion, one Francesco Pagano, the prolific D.J./Producer who has really gone places in recent months & years, very much stepping up to the plate & pursuing a pretty exhaustive schedule that takes him right around the globe & up there with the best in the business. Having made a considerable impact stateside last year, it seems that Francesco’s feet have touched the ground since, regular trips to the US a big feature of his life right now, although not one corner of the world untouched by his live performance musical magic. Indeed just this week he has left London for South America to take in two gigs in Sao Paulo, before jetting back to the UK for a date with Trade in Brighton this coming Friday, then hopping across the channel for an extra special Greenkomm party in Paris. And this is not unlike any week in Pagano land at the moment, the gigs following into July seeing him centre stage the massive WE Heroes on Gay Pride Saturday, before catching up with the Le Demence cruise in the med, after which he heads stateside for D.J.’ing commitments in San Diego & elsewhere.
So given all of that, he would be forgiven for being a bit of a studio slouch, but none of it, as he remains as busy recording as he is D.J.’ing, a latest remix release having the prolific & pumping Pagano stamp all over it. Eva’s “Not My Daddy”, which was released last year, has been brought bang up to date by Pagano, he injecting bucket loads of electronic & progressive beats to this rock/pop pick, the result being a remix, available at http://soundcloud.com/eva-15/not-my-daddy-pagano-remix, that looks set to hit the dancefloors of the world in the coming weeks as its exposure increases and a track that surely featured in his superb set at beyond vs Deviate last Sunday. And this release was on the back of another, the dynamic DT8 Project track, “Destination”, which like the former, is trademark Pagano, although this one with much more vocals that has seen it included in a ten track compilation “Summer Vibes Vol 1”, which is out on download music chart site Beatport (direct link https://beatport.com/en-US/html/content/release/detail/377366/Summer%20Vibes%20Vol.%201), Pagano’s track available to download as a single or part of the album. Indeed, with artists a-plenty getting in on the Pagano act & remixing classics including “Trapped”, “Kissing The Wookie” & “Perfect World”, it seems the spotlight on this superb Sicilian shows no signs of dimming, which means it won’t be long before you see him in another of our newsletters, as well as in a planned special feature coming soon.
Milan Main Man
Neatly moving on and to another Italian who has been rocking the world recently, as like Pagano, Danny Verde’s globetrotting is of epic proportions, this year alone having seen him touch virtually every corner of Europe, tour gig dates taking him as far as Mexico, Brazil and even Hawaii, while more work in The U.S. is on the cards following his successful tour there last year. However, while tracking down Mr Verde & keeping up with his schedule can prove a little tricky, we have managed to do it three times this year already, two major highlights being Delice Dream in Barcelona in April and then, of course, on his home(ish) turf of Rome for Muccassassina, the delightful 24 hours spent with Danny a real highlight of that terrific trip. Indeed it seems he was centre of attention again the following week for the massive Euro Pride event, while just last weekend he was over in Toronto for the cities infamous club, Fly, when he debuted his new studio release.
And, whilst Danny is now an accomplished international D.J., it is still his studio recordings that stand him in high regard across the industry and with many of his peers, no real surprise when you realise he was responsible for such greats as “Pushin To The Top”, “Express Yourself”, “Open Your Heart”, Let Me See Your Underwear” and the recent Blake Lewis smash, “Till We See The Sun”, a track that a whole host of D.J.’s continue to include in their playlists receiving rapturous reactions. But what of that latest piece of production?, well, still in the final stages of completion, we have been privy to a sneak preview of Danny’s remix of Kelly Rowland’s “Motivation” and have to say, it is yet another corker from the Verde stable of sounds that looks set to steal plenty of limelight this summer, the preview up at http://soundcloud.com/holabstudio/kelly-rowland-motivation-danny and the full version due out sometime early next month. With other studio projects piling up, including the completion of his own 2011 version of “Pushin To the Top”, a preview of which is available at http://soundcloud.com/holabstudio/halmadaxx-danny-verde-pushin-to-the-top-danny-verde-miami-011-remix-preview, Danny has plenty to keep him busy, not least a remix of Eva’s “Ashes”, Pagano’s “The Reflex” & Hector Fonsceca’s “I’m So Addicted”, all meaning its knuckle down time for our man from Milan, the fruits of his labour sure to sparkle like all his others..
However, one project that is complete and a track that quickly ascended to top slot in our 2011 chart was Danny’s resplendent remix of Ellie Goulding’s “Starry Eyed” and another example of Mr Verde at his creative best, this vivacious version not a patch on the original, rather ten times better in our books. And having been a regular feature of a certain D.J.’s sets at Beyond, we have spent more than one or two Sunday morning’s in floods of emotional yet joyful tears to this terrific tune, which continues to move us in every way, plus is, without question, our favourite track of Danny’s so far, even given the considerable collection of his prolific productions at our fingertips. So it is to “Starry Eyed”, which you can take a listen at http://soundcloud.com/holabstudio/ellie-goulding-starry-eyed-1 in full 8 minute glory, that we hail as a track that will go down as a true dancefloor classic & one that looks like continuing to storm D.J. sets for the summer & beyond.
Impressive Israeli
So, leaving Italy behind and heading out to the Middle East, we finish in as prolific a way as possible as we focus the final spotlight on impressive Israeli Guy Scheiman, who was to subject of a full-on focus of our back in February and has been bubbling just under our musical radar ever since, not least as we spent some time with him out in Barcelona for Delice Dream in April and were hoping to be with him for Hustlaball just a couple of weekends ago when he featured large in the main room proceedings of thus porn star themed fetish frolic at Fire in Vauxhall. Indeed, while we were laid up in hospital, it seemed that Guy was very much making magical musical waves and wowing a packed out place with a whole host of heavenly house tunes, many from his own considerable collection, Mr Scheiman being a pretty accomplished producer, having remixed for the likes of Rihanna, Kylie Minogue, Alicia Keyes, Jennifer Lopez, & even Madonna, while works with compatriot, the colourful character that is Offer Nissam, a feature of Guy’s studio creations. But with so much studio credibility, Guy still finds himself within a scene a little remote from the action in Europe, although that is not to say he doesn’t get his chances here & there, building on the solid foundations of weekly residencies back home in Tel Aviv.
However we cannot escape his accomplishments in the studio which have seen him, in the last two months alone, lay down no less than twelve tracks, all showcasing his terrific talent for uplifting yet progressive & tech style productions that made him so popular at Hustlaball and indeed when he last visited London in January. Picking through the twelve, we particularly like his rework of Offer Nissam’s “Heaven In Your Eyes”, a crafty combo of two tracks on one, while the “Summer 2011 mix” of his own track “Feel The Vibe” is also a gem. Then there is Mr Scheiman’s remix of UK vocalist David Jonson’s “Get Down” which definitely has the Guy stamp on it, as does his “Tel Aviv” remix of Kristine W’s “Fade”, both terrific tracks which very much hit our mark. Then we come to the compilation that he laid down for Hustlaball itself and a collection of uplifting, euphoric yet sexy tech & progressive beats that we are sure are very much reflective of the resplendent rhapsodies we were told came out of his prolific performance two Saturday’s ago. So, it goes without saying that his compilation along with all the tracks we mentioned are musts for your collections, all of which are a mere click away at http://soundcloud.com/guyscheiman/, while we know there is more to come from this impressionable Israeli, not least as he will be part of the massive upcoming “Oman 17” FFF Group festival, the biggest gay party in Israel. Plus, being someone who we can call a true friend & a terrific talent to boot, he will be popping up in a newsletter of ours before you know it.
Right that’s it for our second chapter catch-up, this finding us half way to bringing you right up to speed with the magnificent mound of music that has been building up over the last two/three months. However, with much more to come, for our next newsletter, we hit a really exciting phase, as it we will be devoting the whole of chapter three to awesome afterhours club Beyond & its dream team residents, many of whom have been hard at work producing prolific podcasts which we are itching to share. So with lots more to come, for now we hope you like our music choices here, a coverage of no less than 31 tracks & compilations for you choose from, leaving us to say “…sit back, select those sounds, turn up the volume & let them play, as music is the answer…” (DISCO MATT)