Drawing a line under a lack lustre last year, we lift up on our music newsletters where we left off, restarting our “Podcast Picks & Tracks In the Mix” series with the first volume for 2013, picking out some of the latest podcast productions, while re-capping on our top track of 2012 as well as our tracks of the week from this year so far.
Having planned this new newsletter series back at the end of November, like much of our writing in 2012, it didn’t really get off the ground, although with a steadfast determination to put delinquent deliveries behind us, we restart our “Podcast Picks & Tracks In the Mix” series, today marking the first volume in a 2013 weekly set that will switch focus from podcasts to tracks and back again, while also hinting towards newsworthy items & upcoming releases, sharing podcast & track page links along with YouTube inclusions, this first edition of the year having a London as well as a “protégé player” feel to it.
So let’s get on and first to a D.J. who has certainly been through the mill recently, a pretty straightforward operations plagued with complications that laid Hifi Sean’s deck duties to waste for well over twelve weeks, cancelled gigs in London & internationally leaving him pretty much down, but fortunately for us & all his music following lovers, not out. But the great news is that this brilliant beefy bloke is back, having played gigs at Orange and, just this morning at Beyond, while all that international work is kicking back in too. And while his 2012 didn’t end in the best possible way, he has given us his own “Retrospect” on a year that he may want to forget, save for the superb sounds he has selected in his compelling compilation, a sure-fire collection addition by going to http://hifiseandj.podomatic.com/.
Now talking of Beyond, another D.J. that starred this morning in our favourite club on the capitals circuit, was GSP, this gentlemen Greek who, for us, will forever be linked with Mykonos music festival, XLsior, has plenty more in his playing portfolio, from his Athens base GSP being heavily involved in the weekly club, Apartment as well as a host of international gigs including WE. However, London has been his playing field for the last few days, The Hart boys welcoming him back to the Gigolo decks on Wednesday, while the second showing in Beyond’s main room will surely cement his character in the eyes of clubbers here. And having propelled his series of “Energy” podcasts in our movers & shakers section, it seems his latest production is destined for delivery there as well as here, his Vol. 5 devoted to London and in true GSP uplifting, energetic style, so well worth a listen & more at http://djgsp.podomatic.com/entry/2013-01-08T07_13_46-08_00.
Now to our first track mention and one which ended 2012 on a D.M. chart topping high, Taito Tikaro having also rose to the accolade ascendency of our Producer Of The Year, not least from this resplendent remix of DHP’s “Not Alone”, which continues to tumble our tears with each & every listen, so one to start 2013 as we left 2012 off, in Taito track hit heaven.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbESoQ_tWI8[/youtube]
Onward to our next podcast production and the first of “protégé player” picks which goes to a talent who tintered on the brink of regular residencies on the capitals clubbing circuit last year, Norbert M having been successful in a string of D.J. competitions that saw him play at Heaven & at Fire & Area, although this promise proved to be a bit of a false dawn for this impressionable individual. However, this scene stalling set-back hasn’t stopped Norbert in his podcast production path, he having compiled no less than 12 in 2012 and with his first this year named “Thirteen” he continues in his funky disco & tech toned directional style, this latest production, pretty easy on the ears as you will find out by going to http://norbertmik.podomatic.com/entry/2013-01-16T17_10_07-08_00.
Sticking with the protégé theme and with London, as we are for this first 2013 newsletter volume, we look to our Premier Protégé Player, Zach Burns, who is one of just a handful of D.J.’s that devoted a podcast to 2012, his final “Hose Sessions” edition of the year, picking out a track from each of the previous eleven, along with his December track pick, making for a compilation that really does take you on a magnificent musical journey through the last year of the brilliant Zach Burns beats world. And having bucked the trend on many, he had a spectacularly successful 2012, scores of gigs in London & across the continent, raising his profile even higher than it was in 2011, meaning we couldn’t have started our “Podcast of The Week” choices in 2013 any other way than selecting this as our top of the tree choice and one still out there to add to your collection by going to http://djburns.podomatic.com/entry/2012-12-28T09_03_18-08_00.
Switching to tracks for a moment, our next sharing selection goes to one that we labelled as our birthday track, making it to our final “Track of the Week” choice of 2012, also charting into our top ten of the year, but one that may well re-appear in our 2013 countdown, hence its inclusion here, the fabulous D.J. Eako & Jason Chance’s “Deep Inside My Soul” still rocking our world.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sv1J3U-l9A[/youtube]
So to our next podcast pick and we couldn’t pass proverbial free parking without driving our compilation car in the direction of our Premier Protégé Player for a second time, Zach Burns having just last night starred, also for a second time, at prolific Paris party Scream, he having made their series of “London’s Burning” outings his own, Ludo & his terrific team surely welcoming him with open arms, just as they did with us a couple of weeks ago when we were too in Paris for this heavenly happening. But back to Mr Burns and in true Zach style, he has devoted his first “House Sessions” to his appearance at Scream, while we are eagerly awaiting his live recording from last night’s event, which should be published via his Soundcloud site in the next couple of days. However, in the meantime, we highly recommend you head to Zach’s Podomatic page at http://djburns.podomatic.com/ and add this thirtieth monthly mix to your collection quick sticks.
Now, combining both protégé player and birthday themes with our selections, while we have already devoted the first “Podcast of The Week” feature & the first D.J. Focus of 2013 to this terrific talent, given it is Adam Turner’s birthday today, we simply couldn’t resist giving his new podcast another push, “Not Another Fu@king House Session” far from both the words not & another, as we cannot get enough of this marvellous man’s music making, we having to wait, very patiently, over five months for this compilation, after being blown away by his “House Of Summer 2012” mix, which safely made it into our top five podcasts of the year, this new compilation heading for a similar destiny and one, like the former, we absolutely adore, the vocal into progressive journey twists a triumph and so one we are sure you will love too, grabbing your copy via http://adamturnermusic.podomatic.com/ a musical MUST.
Track time again and to our first weekly pick of 2013, one that absolutely enthralled us in the final few dancefloor moments of 2012 at Beyond and did exactly the same on NYD, Steve Pitron the purveyor of the pulsatingly stunning “Strange Fruit” by Jay Lumen, he brilliantly blending it with the classic “Sunday’s At Heaven”, leaving us breathless with its brilliance, a real head in hands job, as it continues to do in its pure “Original” mix form right here, heads up to Mr Lumen for storming our Y.E. chart to position four, toppling many others in his wake.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TYTt2IKD4Y[/youtube]
Back to protégé’s, podcasts & birthday’s another one of our prized pack celebrating his birthday today, Chris Brogan having been on our protégé list for quite a while now, he first impressing with his podcast productions some three years ago, while dips in & out of the scene have kept him in our minds eye, even if he may have missed out on mentions recently. However, given that it is his special day today, plus the fact that his Friday frolics at the Edge in Soho will be added to when new Saturday club night “Baked” launches round the corner at Green Carnation on 2nd February, it only seemed right & proper to include him here, a glance at his Podomatic page revealing no less than five productions from 2012 to choose from, “Baby Cakes 4” and “Of With Their Heads” out top two choices, while, appropriate for the weather at the mo, is his “Winter Warmers” mix, the choice being all yours by going to http://djchrisbrogan.podomatic.com/.
So, to our final podcast for this first 2013 newsletter series volume, this in response t a message (we suspect tongue in cheek) which said “…what has happened to my podcast mentions…”, this despite him being part of our one November newsletter at the time of his last release, while Jamie Hammond, given the other includes here, makes for a fitting match, not least that he stars alongside both Adam Turner & Zach Burns at the Monday night clubbing colossus that is Popcorn at Heaven, next week seeing Jamie play alongside his spinning sparring partner Alan K at the monthly outing “Trinity”. As for his podcasts productions, he was one of just a handful that got a mention in our music newsletters (of which there were very few), his November “Sleepless Night” the last we covered, while since he has posted his live mix from the now no more Gaydar Radio, while it is his “After Dark” compilation, published just five days ago that gets our thumbs up, an uplifting collection of tunes but with a definite tribal twist that plays into the hands of those international clubs that will pepper his playing programme throughout 2013, so one worth of more than just a listen by heading to http://d-jamie.podomatic.com/ and pressing that download button.
So to our final track mention for this time and our second “Track of The Week” choice of the year, one which was rocking our world in 2012, but really hit the mark during his set at Beyond on NYD, Pagano playing us the tribal version of his tremendous tune “That Disco Fever”, but hitting our house mix mark here, this among other productions of his seeing him ascend to a regular slot in the Supports section on our website.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTO13oR_aRM[/youtube]
Well that’s almost it, but just some small snippets of news before we close, a brand new Steve Pitron podcast on the cusp of completion, while we have been privy to exclusive exposure of the equally new Pitron & Sanna track production, it still very much under our gagging order wraps, but is one we will bring to you as soon as we can get our mitts on it. As for our next newsletter , we will be switching our focus to track rather than podcast producers, also heading across into Europe to give next weekend’s volume two edition an international flavour, this ahead of our trip to Antwerp the following weekend. Plus with our latest podcast & track of the week feature to come, along with the promised music review of Profile/Lo-Profile, which closed doors ten days ago, there is much more music coming your way in the next seven days, while in the meantime, we trust there is plenty here to keep your ears buzzing & your feet tapping, all the podcasts and tracks proving, to us at least, that “Music Is The Answer!” (DISCO MATT)
