Posts Tagged ‘Steve Pitron’
February 22, 2013 | 
Author What was a brilliant brand and a fabulous favourite of ours, is fast losing both is brilliance and its favour with the twelve hour “Midnight” mould breaker that is effectively laying this colossal club to a first four waste, we once again, yet for the last time, looking at why & how Beyond is being broken when it needs no fixing.
Of the myriad of meets, the catalogue of clubs and the bounty of brands we have come across in the close on twenty years we have been circulating the clubbing scene, not just here in the capital but across in continental Europe, as well as back home in South Africa, there are of these meets, clubs & brands, a figure that must run into the thousands, just a handful or two that we would class as truly legendary in our clubbing lifetimes. Back home it would have to be Cape Town’s Bronx, while in Europe, Muccassassina in Rome, Red & Blue in Antwerp, La Demence in Brussels & Salvation in Barcelona top our legendary continental tree. And while there are clubs further afield as yet untouched by our visiting hand, we look to the capital for a the rest, Factor 25, DTPM, Action, Fiction & FF, while of all these, there are two that sit above even this pronounced party parapet, both Sunday morning afterhours and both accounting for a seventh day of the week wondrous loss to the normality of straight minded Sunday life, each contributing to a run lasting from 1993 to 2012, with just a year or so break in 2006/7. Naturally, Trade is one of the two, Lawrence Malice’s legendary creation without doubt at its brilliant best in the Turnmills era which stretched from 1990 to 2003, while the other, one that wrestled the magnificent mantle for our mothership of clubbing as THE best club of all-time can only be Beyond, it dominating the 21st century like no other club, yet close on twelve years after its inception, is in serious danger of losing its title back to Trade.
So why this falling in favour and what is causing the brand breakage? Well, to answer those questions with qualification, we need to look back to Beyond, two, three or even four years ago, when having risen like a phoenix from the ashes of the split with former host venue, the Collosseum as well as on the back of a fall out between the then joint promoters. Finding its feet within weeks of securing its new home, the amazing Area, Beyond very much entered its most prolific purple patch period to date, a run of events spanning 2008 through 2010 securing it as not just the most popular outing on the capitals clubbing circuit, but gained a reputation overseas, even though it had yet to play out in continental Europe and further afield. And during this period, the format of Beyond hardly changed, a solid residency of stars ensuring its popularity never waned or the need to change was not an issue. Indeed, with Steve Pitron, Mkey D & Alan K masterminding the main room and David Jimenez, Hifi Sean & Paul Christian sorting the sounds in the second space, Beyond was very much at its brilliant best. However, the real magic for us was in the terrace room, where the delightfully debaucherous & decadent feel of clubbing on a Sunday morning played out the most, The Sharp Boys, The Oli, Jamie Head & Fat Tony often outstaying even the main room revellers right up to the midday finish, while that main room lighting the exceptional effects, the trademark ceiling rockets and scores of sterling sets from Mikey, Alan &, particularly an always precision perfect Mr Pitron, earned Beyond its all-time best club status.
Yet, despite all this, the then new promoter, Jonny Marsh, decided in 2010 that Beyond was destined for bigger and better times, not just in London but overseas, his aims to share the brilliance of the brand not just in other capital cities of the world, but in festivals & tours, this programme marking measured successes in Paris & Mykonos, although not that much more, The Week in Brazil playing host just once, Beyond showing its singular hand at Sydney Mardi Gras, while the La Demence cruise and the XLsior festival will go down as Beyond’s best international expeditions. However, back in London, the virtual constant tampering with the format, swapping and changing the D.J.’s at the drop of a hat, the continual desire to throw special events and the theory that by changing & shifting the show around would keep it fresh, actually put many of its earlier years fervent followers off, while this went virtually unnoticed by the promoter and his team, as for every regular they lost, another transient party goer would replace, meaning the bottom line figures didn’t look much different, but that whole fabulous feel & marvellous magic that had been Beyond, was slipping & sliding significantly. But, with Steven Sharp steering a stormy ship into calmer waters, Beyond, for a while at least, regained some of that magic it had lost, although with knee jerk axing & changing of promoters becoming the norm across the group, like Later & A:M, Beyond was an inevitable victim, a situation that has existed now for the last two years.
So that brings us pretty much up to date, although in 2012, while we continued to support our then most favourite frolic of all, our stays were merely extended to Steve Pitron set performances (which will always remain special for lots of reasons) and not much more, the charge laid at our door that it was only his house music we were interested in, but the true fact being that Beyond was not a patch of the party that it was in the years before. Indeed, another element in this equation was the decimation of the scene Saturday schedule , much of which lays at the doors of Orange Nation, meaning there was little to feed our desire to party before Beyond, even the protagonists of this sad Saturday story not replacing their crushed competition with ample or sufficient alternatives. And that brings us neatly to this “Midnight” format, one that was originally devised, like “Super Size” & “Ice”, as simply specialist & one-off events to satisfy increased clubber demand that bank holidays & the like dictated. However, more deviously, this “Midnight” format was also used as a weapon against brands such as Matinee & SuperMartXe, that competition crushing attempt to pitch this afterhours party right into the thick of the Saturday schedule, a place were Beyond in our view, simply doesn’t belong. But with no competition left and no real big parties remaining, excepting WE, Beyond is now simply being used to fill that very gap its timings switching & fixing created, 2013 already proving that as in the last eight weeks, there have been no less than five “Midnight” events, all the current promoter being able to say on the subject is “…we like to let people party for longer…”, a weak response to our critiscm of how this format is being used & abused, if ever there was one.
What we simply cannot understand with the current use of the “Midnight” muddle, is that rarely is the chapel space open before 3 a.m., while a wait till six or even seven is required before the main room swings into action, leaving just the terrace space which, in the hands of one Anna Iwinska, is tortuous tech house terror that wouldn’t be out of place in Berlin’s Berghain, while this week’s zero o’clock start sees an absolute unknown, Daniel Braggins, kick off this once spectacular show. But the favour faltering & all-time status sinking story of Beyond doesn’t rest just at the door of the now maligned “Midnight” format, but the whole atmosphere & feel of the club, the staff nowhere near as friendly as before, the security imposing & sometimes acutely invasive, while the promoter, who we would expect not only to take charge, show himself throughout and generally be the face of the club, is rarely seen after 8 a.m. And while some order has been restored with the once steady resident star line-up’s, we cannot help but feel (without mentioning names) that square pegs are being pushed into round holes, just one example being that certain D.J.’s can be seen playing in all three rooms, whereas each space always did and should have their own distinct sound, these individual’s styles actually no different from one room to the next. However if we are to believe the bullish banter of the clubs promoter when he say’s “…I’m loving the atmosphere at Beyond this year so let’s all raise the roof, take it to the next level and keep it at the top of its game…” those very words a contradiction in terms, as if Beyond really still is at the top of its game, where is that next level? Plus, while he adds of Beyond, “…not just London’s but the world’s best afterhours…” we are seriously casting doubts as to whether it can still rooftop shout that status.
So, with NYD looking like it was our last Beyond and with the winds of clubbing change about to sweep the scene, thus putting this once awesome afterhours amazement’s home in a pronounced & precarious position, we not only fear for Beyond’s future, but reckon that soon Trade will recapture that title as our top club of all-time it lost back in 2001/2, leaving us to simply lament on the magical memories Beyond brought us, both in those halcyon Colloseum days and that purple patch Area period. (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Reports, Reviews | 
Tags: Alan K, Area, Beyond, Colloseum, Fat Tony, Hifi Sean David Jimenez, Jamie Head, Mikey D, Paul Christian, Steve Pitron, The Oli, The Sharp Boys | 
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While we make no secret that Beyond has become our favourite club of all-time, having wowed our world for over ten years now, recent developments have left us in dismay over some of the mixed messages that are marring its magnificence, while come Sunday (3rd Feb) all that will be brushed under the carpet as Beyond’s first big bash since NYD looks set to be a sell-out success, we reporting on then recommending this brand & it’s “Pervert” party.
Having devoted reports, features, recommendations & reviews to this brilliant brand, pretty much speaks for itself, while we have propelled related podcasts, music and the clubs resident D.J.’s on scores of occasions in our time, all an indication of the love and passion we have for this awesome afterhours (we use that word for good reason), as since day one back in 2001, we have been probably one of the biggest & longest lasting supporters, fans, fervent followers of this Sunday morning (also used for purpose) meet. Indeed, having formed friendships with flocks of D.J.’s, scene faces, scene workers and pure party people, this captivating club, for much of its history, stood for everything that was great about clubbing. From the Colloseum period, through to its current reign over Area (and no other brand or event feels the same here for us), a purple patch period between 2009 & 2011 chalking up tons of terrific turns, during 2012 and particularly in the last two to three months of the year, it seems to have lost some of its spark, So, our once weekly visits have become far less often and when we do make it down,, they are short & sweet (for some far too short), no one’s fault but ours, we just seem to be finding our favour faltering. But more than that, what was recognised from the off as a pure afterhours party, has shifted its timings as often as the wind changes direction, leaving us scratching our head as to what the promotions team are attempting to achieve.
Beyond, without doubt remains at the top of the capitals gay clubbing circuit pile, it having built on the solid foundation of its early years competing against Trade, quickly becoming THE place to go after the previous parties pale, this “all roads lead to” reputation played out virtually weekly, Area having proved the perfect venue for this awesome afterhours. And our clubbing memory banks are brimmed with magical moments, not least from the band of superstar resident D.J.’s that have graced the club’s decks over the years, The Oli, Jamie Head, Hifi Sean, Fat Tony & The Sharp Boys right up there as considerable contributors, while that purple patch period we talked about was pretty much dominated by Alan K, Mikey D & Steve Pitron, Alan always playing the final main room set, while Mikey & Steve would swap around, we & masses of other never getting tired of seeing the same trio week in, week out, it was monotonous, it was simply magically stunning to soak up their scintillating sets. And when you look at Trade for example, their main room line up hardly changed each week, Malcolm Duffy starting, Steve Thomas next then Alan Thompson, Ian M, Tony De Vit & Pete Wardman, while as a couple of the characters fell out their places were filled, but the D.J. format hardly ever fiddled with.
Yet in the last couple of years and in 2012 particularly, the Beyond powers that be have insisted on messing with the magic, introducing an effective rolling D.J. roster, while the year also saw Alan K finally throw in the towel, for reasons we won’t yet go into detail on, while poor Hifi Sean, who for us, was the epitome of everything the was charismatic & compelling about the chapel space, was ditched due to inter promoter politics. But the upheaval didn’t stop there, oh no, The Sharp Boys removed from the roster by the current promoter, they being told “…their music didn’t fit with Beyond…”, shocking in the extreme, especially when you take into consideration that they were playing the club in the Colloseum days and, with the exception of Steve Pitron, are (or is that were) the longest surviving residents. Indeed, talking of promoters, very much like the club timings, they have changed like the wind over the last three years, we’ve had Steven Sharp twice (the best in our opinion), Jonny Marsh, Mauricio Ortiz & most recently Ben Kaye, while as we go to press with this post, our ear to the ground information (not confirmed we must stress) is that Ben is due to be replaced by JJ Clark. And as for these “Midnight” parties, which in late 2012 & for nearly the whole of January became the norm, well they are the single most confounding contributor’s to the mixed messages that are marring the magnificence of Beyond, The Orange Group seemingly falling back on the brand to fill a gaping gap in their Saturday schedule, rather than launch a new night, a move that may perhaps re-emulate those heady & hypnotic days of Juicy & Horizon.
Yet, all that said, we feel that Beyond has been the savour of the nation of clubbing brands that make up Orange (Orange Nation – The Orange Group), as 2012 has seen virtually all of them falter, some more significantly than others. Onyx has all but disappeared & As One has gone into hibernation, CasaLatina seems to have ceased to be, while A:M has been subject to what we see as a muddled make-over affecting numbers, Orange a place on its prolific past. Even Gravity has seen a switch of venues, in effect downsizing form his former home Fire, Later’s “Nu Direction” promising, well until the promoter that made all the marvellous changes was, once again, sidelined, Beyond however remaining buoyant, often brimming, its popularity seemingly unblemished despite a distinct movement away from Vauxhall. So, as much as we have our own issues, one thing is for sure, this awesome (and it truly is) afterhours beats every other club we know in London & on the continent hands down, meaning that while we remain uneasy with recent developments, Beyond simply cannot escape our positive spin, our resounding recommendation and, more than anything else, our acknowledgement that, clubbing in the capital, when this brilliant brand is on fantastic form, doesn’t get any better. And we highlight suspect it will be at its best this weekend, when it entertains Matinee goers & many many more for sure, with its “Pervert” party.
So what can you expect from this spectacle? Well, we concur with the promoter, Ben Kaye, when he say’s “…this is biggest weekend on the gay scene calendar since NYD…” and given the explosion of events, Beyond looks like it will have rich pickings as there are at least three other big events apart from Matinee, that will no doubt converge on Area on Sunday morning, although with it being the official afterhours for the Spanish superclub’s latest London outing, Beyond sharing the “Pervert” pin for its party, so will probably also replicate some of the production & dancers from the Fire foray. However, the D.J. line-up is pure Beyond, the main room looking good (well great actually) as it seems the team may have sensed some of our discord, Steve Pitron & Mikey D appearing consecutively from 6 through till 10 a.m., while The Oli is back in the terrace too, the full line-up picture completed by Rob Sykes, David Jimenez, Maze & Masters and (sharp intake of breath) Anina. Plus, the promoter tells us that the team are “…welcoming back JJ Clark to Beyond, who you will be seeing a lot more of in the coming months…” perhaps deluding to what we said earlier, while a whole host of others, including James Marsh on the door & the amazing Altina Ha on VIP duty and new addition John Brooks who, following the sudden closure of Profile/Lo-Profile, switched swiftly and now seems to be involved in Gravity, Beyond, Later & A:M, while he has brought brand Society with him, one that launches in Area this very Sunday evening from 6 p.m. As for Beyond’s doors, well they open at 4 a.m. this Sunday (3rd Feb), advance tickets available online at https://orangenation.ticketabc.com/events/beyond-official-mati/ as well as at the usual Soho outlets, all at an inflation busting £10, while entry will be available on the door, but expect to pay more, further info available via https://facebook.com/beyondclub and on the events page at https://facebook.com/events/203328906476042/.
Now, given our pre-Christmas planned commitments, we won’t be back at Beyond, our stay of absence extending and almost unheard of six weeks, while we leave it to Ben Kaye to round off our recommendation when he says, “…don’t miss the best after hours in London on the weekend that the whole of London seems to be going to…”. (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends, Reports | Tags: Alan K, Area, Ben Kaye, Beyond, Hifi Sean, JJ Clark, Jonny Marsh, Mauricio Ortiz, Mikey D, Steve Pitron, Steven Sharp, The Oli, The Sharp Boys | No Comments »
Shunning the snow, we have been rather serenading scores of superb sounds this Sunday, not least our podcast & track of the week choices, both premier productions for more reasons than one, the dynamic studio duo of Pitron & Sanna hitting our top of the tree track highs, while Zach Burns sweeps the podcast selection board, download/stream options on our weekly picks mere image click(s) below, while we triumph in our terrific trio beneath.
Well what a Sunday it has been here in London, many out splendouring in the snow, while many more will have stayed out of the cold, us included, we rather having soaked up scores of sounds while compiling our first D.J. focus & our first music newsletter features of 2013. But it’s also been a day for picking out our podcast & track of the week selections, these having been propelled via our Facebook pages and now in what will become a weekly music/picks posting, we heading up each selection with images that, with a mere click, lead you to download/stream options, our track first & our podcast next, while we them triumph in the trio that make up this week’s choices.
So it’s our track choice first and as you may have gathered from the image, it is the marvellous remix production from the studio partnership Pitron & Sanna that has lifted our top of the tree track trophy this week, one we have been meaning to mention for a while, although having been wrapped up in our year end music reviews which, in 
itself caused a chaotic queue of choices. However, given the fact that the boys released this remix three months ago, we thought it was high time we pushed some others aside for a week at least, so as to propel this prolific production, Steve & max landing on British boy band The Wanted and their track “I Found You” for this, their most recently released remix. And having been handed the official rights to remix this track, which was first aired on national radio back in September 2012, both Steve & Max have been credited for their wonderful piece of work, across the web (including Wikipedia) and in the popular music press, this captivating club mix having risen steadily in download charts across the globe, while it is doing great guns in The States, topping the country’s Billboard chart, an awesome achievement for Messrs Pitron & Sanna, as well as an amazing accolade for The Wanted themselves. So while promoters across the capitals clubbing may not be aware of Steve & Max’s achievements abroad with this resplendent remix, we reckon they should wake up & smell the roses, as it is clear to us that this is one of many mixes that prove this dynamic duo continue to show many of their music producer counterparts a clean pair of heels, while to stream this superb sound, head to https://soundcloud.com/maxsanna/the-wanted-i-found-you-steve, or simply click on the image above, the track available for download on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/i-found-you-ep/id556382747, we polishing off this pick with the video link below.
To our podcast of the week now and for the second time this year, Zach Burns sweeping the selection board, despite the likes of Eduardo de la Torre, Hifi Sean, Elof de Neve & Chris Brogan in contention, we pretty much finding fabulous favour with Zach’s latest “House Session” podcast, which he has devoted to his second appearance for the special Scream Paris sequence of “London’s Burning” parties, one we feel Mr Burns has made his own, although 
other stars such as Pagano & Paul Heron have been part of previous proceedings. Indeed, this thirtieth edition of Zach’s has also resonance with us, as it was just two weeks ago that we were too treading the Scream dancefloor boards, so are aware on what an amazing outing it is and therefore why Zach has been so forthright in devoting a mix to this magnificent meet. And having been in message contact with Zach just this afternoon, as well as seeing a collection of comments from the clubs promotions team, we can confirm that our premier protégé player’s showing at Scream was another resounding success, most likely paving the way for more to come, his more progressive spin in this latest podcast production certainly suiting the Scream style of sound, which by all accounts, saw what was originally planned as a 2 ½ hour set showing ending up being 5, the Parisian party people clearly loving our Mr Burns’ barnstorming beats. And listening to the podcast we can see just why, because Zach has definitely takien progressive to a new level for him, a jovial journey from minute one to one hundred & five, the occasional vocal drops an absolute dream while, among some towering tech/tribal & progressive tunes, we find our highlight track, which has to be Nathan C’s edit of Tim Cullen & Brett Gould’s “Lovely Day”, one superbly symptomatic of this Scream smash, so a captivating compilation you should go grab without delay by heading to http://djburns.podomatic.com/ & hitting that “House Sessions 30” download button, or simply clicking on the large image above. while as a little bonus, here’s that highlight track of ours that made it big on the White Isle last summer.
So that’s our triumphant trio, Pitron, Sanna & Burns showing us what they do best, we pretty sure that it won’t be long before we find them back in these weekly pick slots, that new Steve & Max production destined for “Track Of The Week” status for sure, while with a new Pitron podcast on the cusp of completion & more to come from Mr Burns, it seems that these premier players of ours will be yet again proving, as they always do, that “Music Is The Answer! (DISCO MATT)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
Posted in Music | Tags: Adam Turner, Chris Brogan, GSP, Hifi Sean, Jamie Hammond, Jay Luman, Max Sanna, Norbert M, Pagano, Steve Pitron, Taito Tikaro, Zach Burns | No Comments »
First there was the shock news of the closure of Gaydar Radio and now, owners QSoft Consulting, have delivered a second crushing blow to the gay scene, this time with the sudden ceasing of trading of its Bar Soho Limited business, meaning that, as of immediate effect, both Profile & Lo-Profile will be no more. So, amidst no warning & no opportunity for its staff, key players & customers to say a fond farewell, we find ourselves picking up the pieces of this pack of cards closure announcement & trying to put them together into a special report reflecting the mood of many for whom this is new news even bigger a shock than the last.
As the collation issues its mid-term report in a period of austerity that is now predicted to grip the UK for an extra four years, it seems that the tough economic times will continue to have an impact of our lives for a long while yet, although with a determination to make 2013 our year of “Positivity”, from day one, a real sense of optimism of bigger better & brighter things to come was sweeping across us, a definite new DM dawn on the near horizon, with the first weekend of 2013 encompassing Paris & PLAY>TIME. However, with the news of Gaydar Radio’s closure having shocked us, we had an inkling that this may be followed by another announcement, our report at the time saying “…this decision that will see Gaydar Radio close its door today, possibly having a knock on effect for QSoft’s bar & restaurant arm, Bar Profile Limited, which has been reported to be carrying a pre-tax loss of £2,195,581 in 2011 and so, purely in financial terms, could also be in danger of a rug pull closure..” we adding, “…however, we guess that announcement is for another day…”. But that other day has come, just four after the shocking news of Gaydar Radio, we find ourselves soaking us the not so shocking but stunningly sudden closure of Profile & Lo-Profile.
Yes you heard us right, Profile & Lo-Profile, as of today Monday 7th January, have ceased trading, the news, as it did with Gaydar Radio, filtering through on Facebook, while it wasn’t long before the official announcement was e-mailed to us, QSoft’s chairman, Henry Badenhorst, saying this, “It is with great sadness that I have to inform you that Profile & Lo-Profile will be permanently closed from 7th January 2013…” he going on to explain that “…the building is undergoing major refurbishments required by the landlord and an agreement was reached for the lease to be surrendered back to the landlord after various problem areas could not be resolved…”. So, taking this on face value, we can understand that there has clearly been a dispute over the tenancy agreement, although what is not clear is whether that agreement was due for renewal, or whether the landlord had sought a review under the terms of the lease, given those extensive refurbishments that, if you have visited Profile in recent months has been all too evident given the scaffolding that has shrouded the entrance. However, that word “surrender” seems to be key here, as, if we are reading this correctly, it looks like there has been little attempt to fight these agreement complications tooth & nail in defence of a business that has not only become a cornerstone of the Soho scene, but is one over six years established, rather the towel was thrown in for that greater or lesser, whichever side of the fence you sit on, evil of life.
So, lease issues or not, it seems that, as with Gardar Radio, our beloved Wardour Street wonder, the creative combo that is (or was) Profile & Lo-Profile, has lost its fight for survival down to that evil word money, the figures speaking for themselves as that considerable debit the holding company, Bar Profile Limited, was carrying, we suspect too much to continue to bear. Plus, the raw facts are that, save for PLAY>TIME on Friday’s & a sizable chunk of Saturday’s, Lo-Profile was not a viable turnover proposition, one also under continual licensing pressures/issues, while the seven day bar come restaurant operation upstairs, Profile, was surely a real cash drain on QSoft. Indeed, the grandiose plans to push the food side of the business, the first few months seeing it open early doors & serve breakfast, the American diner style menu finding initial favour and it soon outshining many of its round the corner food serving competitors, was all relatively short lived. Indeed, with so much of the bar’s floor plan given over to dining space, must have found itself battling to cover costs, while, like its sister below, Friday’s & Saturday’s proved the singular popular nights of the week in what was always going to be an ever decreasing circle of its fight for survival. Yet, all that said, what Profile as a bar achieved during its now short 3 ¾ years on Wardour St., is something the team can be proud off, raising the Soho sophistication stakes substantially and providing a platform for some amazing D.J.’s tout their talents, who can forget the “ClubNation” Friday’s with Phil Marriott, the Zach Burns sessions & the likes of Nathan Six & Jamie Head, who always seemed to excel in this smart space.
No, it has not shocked us that Profile & Lo-Profile are no more, but what has truly shocked & stunned us is the speed & suddenness that it has both happened & been announced, our trip to PLAY>TIME last Friday now sadly proving to be our last, as with the immediate closure, there has been no opportunity to say a fond farewell to the place, in what would surely have been a much more gracefully & gracious departure from the scene than this. And, that is what has actually angered us, as surely QSoft were aware sometime in advance of today’s announcement, that this day would arrive and so, surely, for the sake of so many fervent fans, loyal customers, key players & staff members old & new, would want to have left on some sort of a, if but sadden tinged, high, a final Friday or Saturday fling surely the fitting end to a brand that has made a huge impact of the social & clubbing lives for many in Soho. Indeed, we would go as far to say that QSoft owe a debt of gratitude to the scores of stars that have helped line its pockets, bringing their wealth of talents to the fore, many of which you would associate with the big boy clubs in London & internationally, the likes of Steve Pitron, Paul Heron, Pagano, D’Johnny, Tony English, Jodie Harsh, Jamie Head, Mikey D, Brent Nicholls & Oliver M, while scores more made Lo-Profile a prolific playing ground, some developing & nurturing terrific talents, Zach Burns forever linked with the place. Then there are the clubbing connections, Gigolo having been born there, SuperMartXe, Lovechild & Salvation having used it as a pre-party platform, while it would feed others, A:M & Beyond always benefactors, although Soho was made so richer by it very presence, meaning that to bow out so ungraciously & without any kind of generous goodbye is nothing short of scandalous.
As for the reactions, well they speak the biggest volumes in terms of the magnitude of the loss that Profile & Lo-Profile’s closure has caused, Facebook having gone viral on the subject, this just a small collection of reactions, the first from one of the clubs Managers’ who spoke out first by saying “…Life is hard and most of the time I feel I’m struggling to get through every day. Today made me look back at my life and see that I have been blessed to have worked with the greatest team of people I could ever have asked for — life is hard and sometimes the happiness you were searching for was right with you the whole time I will miss you all…”, this causing a floodgate, tributes & comments pouring in, this from Zach Burns, “…Sad news, very sad to hear off Profile & Lo Profile closing today. Must thank Paul Beardshaw & Raphael Goes for giving me the chance to join the venue & team of DJs, Lo Profile was one of my favourite clubs, every time spent there has been amazing & a massive boost for me. Over the time there I met many great people from the team, It’s been truly awesome, you won’t be missed because I’ll still see you all but wish you all the best for whatever’s to come next…” while one of its biggest supporters & also a key player there, Seenqueen’s webmaster & scene D.J. Brent Nicholls saying, “…I can’t believe one of London’s best clubs and bars Profile & Lo Profile are closed. I loved djing there, it had a touch of the old school glamour clubbing and was one of the few quality crowds and venues London had. Why are all the ‘great’ places closing? Although there are other quality venues, there is also a lot of sub standard clubs and venues…this is a sad reflection of a gay scene in decline…this is also an opportunity for other venues to step up to the plate, when one door closes another one opens…but there will never be a door like Profile/LoProfile…we were a family that had a home in the heart of vibrant Soho. Goodbye Profile/LoProfile and thank you to all those that made it the fantastic place it was…”.
But with so many more like this from one of its heavenly hosts Andrea Drudikova, “…Such a shame Profile and Lo Profile closed down. Sending good vibes to all the staff. It was a fab place where we always had lots of fun…” and this from one of its most well known Manager’s, Raphael Goes, “…It’s a very very sad day, spent a big part of my time in London inside that venue, so many good moments, so many new friends, can’t believe I won’t be able to go back there to see everyone and have a tequila shot!!!! I’m so sorry guys, hope you are all well, miss you all very much and hope to be able to see you guys somewhere else now… Goodbye Lo-Profile…” sent all the way from Brazil, it is clear that this news is far reaching & affecting so many, meaning we could easily devote another post to the comments along, while what we will be commissioning, is a special review, not just capturing that last PLAY>TIME from Friday, but sharing snippets from reviews across the years in celebration of what D.J. & pal Mikey D exclaimed as “…one of the most fun and exciting places to DJ on the scene…” and one “…sorely missed in Soho…”, while, pictorially, Seenqueen have already come up trumps with their own tribute and one well worth taking a look by going to direct link. http://seenqueen.com/web/club-pix-profile-lo-profile-memories/ while watch this space for some exclusive shots taken just this afternoon, when we were given an opportunity to step inside the venue for the last time ahead of the builders bulldoze, a special few minutes that gave us the chance to say bye to team members & toast what had become our favourite Soho spot ever, a fond farewell.
So while we remain ravaged by mixed emotions over this awful announcement, anger swinging to sadness & back again, we are determined, even if QSoft aren’t, to mark the moment of Profile & Lo-Profile’s passing with that promised reflective review tribute “Final Lo-Pro Fling” which we aim to publish on Saturday, while you too can say a fond farewell to these Soho splendours, Saturday the day, 7 p.m. the time, & The Yard the place to do it, details up at http://facebook.com/events/244194319045789/, raising a glass to the future to the team, but all toasting that farewell to a brilliant bar/club brand that, just a day after meeting its maker, is so sadly & sorely missed. (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Reports | Tags: D'Johnny, Jamie Head, Lo-Profile, Nathan Six, Pagano, Profile, Steve Pitron, Tony English, Zach Burns | 1 Comment »
Having dived into our last dance of 2012 within its wonderful walls, the New Year could only commence with a rapturous return to the brilliant Beyond, it’s “NYD Super Party” very much proving the spectacular new season start that we hoped it would. But what made this first 2013 capital clubbing circuit colossus so captivating & which stars of the show shined the brightest?
For as many years as we can remember, we have spent New Year’s Day on the dancefloor, when we were younger, partying right through from New Year’s Eve, while in the period when we worked in the industry & in hospitality, we would always ensure that 1st January would be our day to party, often working the previous evening when many would have preferred it off. Indeed there would be nothing that would get in the way of what has become as much of a tradition as the rituals we follow over Christmas, even the distance from previous Essex & Kent county bases, not enough to stop us from being London bound and ready to party, sometimes into the following day. But it is New year’s morning that holds the most magical memories for us and while we can remember the days of Trade on this day with fond reflection, since the turn of the century it has been Vauxhall rather than Farringdon that has seen the lion’s share of our New Years Day dancing devotions, Matinee holding sway for one year, while what has become the biggest and, in our books, the best brand not just here in the capital, but across the globe, has dominated proceedings. And while we may have missed out in 2011, for reasons we won’t go into, we were right between 2002 & 6 when it reigned supreme at the Colosseum and then at the truly awesome Area for 2008, 9, 10 & 12, meaning making Beyond for the first morning of 2013 was a foregone conclusion.
Now some would think that returning to the same club & venue within two days would be a little like overkill, although while we would agree in the vast majority of cases, when it comes to the brilliance of Beyond, we could probably succumb to its splendour from Sunday to Saturday, if that were ever possible, while there have been periods when we have turned up at its doors on a weekly basis. And that is a reflection of the regard in which we hold this heavenly happening, as we have said, the brand in our books the best by far and has become an all-time favourite, it having had a massive effect, not just on our clubbing exploits, but in our very way of life, many of the close friendships we have forged having been formed as a result of this outstanding outing, while every time we pull our keys from our pocket, both Beyond fob & chain is a resplendent reminder, not that we need to be, while it extends to other personal parts of our existence that, for good reason, need to remain confidential. But you get the gist of what we are saying, So Beyond as a brand and as a club is right up the top of our tree and one that, during 2012, has seemingly gone from strength to strength, confounding its challenges, continuing to make its mark both in London & internationally, while, given what we have said, it will come as no surprise that it scooped 2nd & 3rd spots in our annual club event review, only beaten to top spot by the phenomenal WE “Formula 2” party.
So, having dived into our last dance of 2012 within its wonderful walls, that “Music Is All You Need” on the Sunday scoring second to WE, the New Year could only commence with a rapturous return to the wonderful walls of Area, although with expectations high following that scintillating Sunday at the magical mercy of a stunning Steve Pitron set, plus with knowledge & experience that NYD parties are not just packed, but roadblock affairs, we were already resigned to not being able to dance on our spot with the usual vigour. And arriving not long before 6 a.m., we found a main room wall to wall with revellers, it taking us an age to get down to our hallowed turf, otherwise know at “the spot”, although the D.J. booth was our destination, The Sharp Boys in full flow, captivating the crowd with a truck load of towering tunes, while Smalls was sorting the exceptional lighting & effects as only she can do best. However, having been out at a fantastic NYE house party & then to a friends to crash, we were not in our usual club clobber, our dancing boots & adjustable jeans already much missed, not least that it was hot, hot hot, meaning that both a drinks dive & a dip into the open air was in order. Soon leaving Steve in the crowd, the terrace was calling where we found Edna waiting, like many, at the bar, just one person serving making our start not the best, the music completely out of synch with what we would expect in Beyond, it better suited to Berlin’s Berghain.
It was therefore the main room that we were heading back towards, after that much needed cool down of course, the place packed, some would say over packed with party people, our eventual return to our spot finding it brimming with Brazilians, relegating us to a secondary spot further into the floor, this, on top of our tired disposition from lack of proper pre-club sleep as well as our uncomfortable attire, we were not feeling the party at all, an awkward rebuff towards our fellow party animal & fab friend Peter, not going down well at all. And with both Steve Pitron & Mikey D having started their back-to-back set, you would have thought we could have shrugged off these inhibitors to our fun & frolicking, but not at all, even beautiful Brazilian Bel unable to lift a sagged spirits, the sardine style of this super party not helping either. But, with a head tap from Mr Pitron stirring something inside us, we forced ourselves back onto our spot, which was nothing short of standing only room, Mikey’s selections of both “Naturally & “Let The Sunshine” making their mark and waking us up to the realisation that this would be a prolific party in the making, yet would never quite reach the delightfully dizzy heights of the “Misc Is All You Need” meet of two days previously. Plus, with the space on our spot spreading before our eyes, it seemed that others had felt our vibes and were making room, meaning it was now time to engross ourselves into this euphoric event.
With Steve & Mikey trading tremendous tunes, we had well & truly shrugged off shady start, rather soaking up their superb sounds with gusto, Steve leading the way with a scintillating string of selections which included “She Loves”, “Pressure”, Fusion” & “Time”, it was clear that he was aiming this sector of his set sections in a classics direction, Mikey following suit with similar sorts of sounds, the crowd lapping up every terrifically tender morsel of their magnificent music, this very much the place to be. But with Mr Pitron sending us off to the bar for refilling refreshments, heading into the chapel found it also packed & pumping, D’Johnny deep into his tech toned turn, clearly finding favour with more than just a fervent fan base & flock, while given the strange sounds that we had encountered in the terrace earlier, we thought better of checking it out for now, rather heading back with our provisions and into the roomy respite of the main room D.J. booth. And it was here where we would finally feel the enormity of this event, the view from the privileged position seeing a sea of splendour before us, while an unexpected yet welcome boost was to come our way, very much giving us a further spring in our heavy booted step and sending us smiling back to our spot, even our impromptu door duty not stopping our ever increasing enjoyment & excitement which was helped along by friends & familiar faces, including the marvellous Mauricio Ortiz, Mark Williams, Peter Graham, Beyond’s promoter Ben Kaye and, of course our brilliant Brazilian’s Bel & Celso, Mr Moura looking after his two visiting friends who had found themselves back in London a little earlier than planned, but who were clearly amazed by Area & the brilliant Beyond bash.
Now nothing was going to stop us from partying deep into New Years Day, Steve sending us skyward with more mesmeric music mixes, “Beautiful Lie” and “To The Moon & Back” hitting their heavenly mark, Bel’s boisterous with their beats, her cocktail dress the loser in this bravado, the arm lining hanging precariously from its former position, while we kept getting draw into door duty as the security switches left the out of bounds corridor unattended to the virtual constant advance of party people in the habit of using this exit to gain access to the toilets. However, in amongst all of this extracurricular activity on behalf of Beyond’s operations team (Craig Elder & Tom Fuller please note), Mikey’s marvellous music & Steve’s spectacular sounds were delighting us enough to easily compensate, Mr Pitron’s picks possibly pointed in our direction on purpose, his knowledge that both “Symphony” & “Strange Fruit” were sounds that were well & truly rocking our world, the former fabulous enough, while it would be the latter that sent it delightfully delirious, its breathtaking beats leaving us in a head in hands pose on our sacred spot, this phenomenal piece of progressive come tech tune tower, once again leaving us magnificently mind blown, just as we had been two days before when Steve had sampled in “Sunday’s At Heaven”, the singular “Strange Fruit” stunning enough on its own. Yet, as gigantic it was, this selection would mark the final few of a back to back performance to savour for scores of seasons, the dream team of Mikey & Mr Pitron giving way to special guest Pagano, but not before Steve serenaded this enormous event with the heavenly “I Heart You”, proving the perfect curtain call to his scintillating showing.
With our Italian stallion now in control of the tunes, the post Steve set bravado was about to begin, playful photographer Nico arriving to add to the about to ensue tickling frenzy, we sent squealing down the corridor by both him & Steve, not once, twice or even three times, but for a full ten minutes of constant chasing, only to be saved by Steve’s bailing out of this Beyond bash. So we were now free to take a wander, the terrace our target at The Oli was stirring up a set storm, crammed with classics that proved a welcome break from the main room madness, he on fabulous form and holding a considerable crowd, who like us, were enjoying every musical minute. But with a sense of devotional duty towards our Italian stallion, it was back to Pagano’s pumping progressive parade we headed, Bel in a boisterous
mood, ducking & diving to Francesco’s barnstorming beats, even though they were far removed from her preferred genre of uplifting & upfront house, indeed with the lack of vocals right through his two hour showing, the music policy of Beyond was being tested to the limits. That said, with the room still packed & pumping at the close of his set, as it was at the beginning, it was clear this New Year crowd were up for anything, the atmosphere amazing, Smalls sorting the effects & lighting exceptionally as always, even our usual “throw in the towel” time of 10 a.m. passed with hardly a blink, such was the terrific time we were having, not least those magical minutes up in the booth with the Sicilian superstar who was showcasing some of his most recent & prolific productions and even played a request, “That Disco Fever”, sealing the delightful deal on our magnificent morning.
So what was our final verdict on this first foray of 2013 and did it deliver as expected or fall short in style & substance? Well, while it didn’t get off to the best of starts, not down to the door we have to say, Mark Williams a star player here, while the security check was pitched perfectly, and not really that we (literally) couldn’t swing a cat or bust a move, as we were expecting it to be a roadblock situation, even though in reality, at times it was too busy. No, the shaky start was down to the fact that found ourselves in a funny frame of mind & mood for the first hour or so, our awkward & uncomfortable attire not helping, while the monstrous music in the terrace room definitely put us off our stride. To say it was awful was the biggest understatement of the century, the D.J. looking like she was the only one enjoying it, certainly not the style we would expect from this let alone any Beyond room, while fortunately her replacement, The Oli, restored the superb status quo in this space, evoking magnificent memories of old and what, for us at least, the terrace is all about. However, what the early awfulness the terrace turned out, was totally outweighed by the wonder of Beyond’s main room, the D.J.’s, from The Sharp Boys through to Fat Tony & all between, proving just what the superstars they are, the music very much doing the talking, well along with the exceptional lighting & effects, down to the sterling work of Smalls, the stage showings, as good as they were, always going to play second fiddle to all these other prolific players.
As for our stars of the shows?, Well Pagano was right up there, even if his set, with a complete & utter lack of vocals, wasn’t really our Beyond bag, The Oli’s superb classics serving a huge highlight, while the simply stunning back-to-back Mikey D & Steve Pitron performance not only won the day, but proved just what a prolific dovetailing playing partnership they make and how much part of the Beyond furniture they have both become, both as a joint playing partnership and as individuals. Indeed, in terms of New Years Day, we cannot remember not one in the last five or six, when they haven’t been part of the playing picture, so when you consider that, until virtually the eleventh hour, that Steve had been left off the list, was simply shocking, although sadly symptomatic of the lack of proper promotional planning & organising that has become apparent of late, while we remain mystified by the now weekly “Midnight” meets that seem to have turned Beyond more Saturday than Sunday, surely & hopefully not the direction the club is heading. That said and having shrugged off that shaky start, Beyond sparkled with both style & substance this New Years Day, the scintillating sounds from the string of superstars speaking the loudest volumes of all, while the captivating company & the myriads of magical moments certainly made it a spectacular new season start, even though it had a hard act in the final Beyond of 2012 to beat. So did it better that bash?, a definite no, will it live in the memory banks?, a possible maybe, will we be back next NYD?, a very most likely, is Beyond still the best club ever?, a resounding yes, yes & YES (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Reviews | Tags: Area, Ben Kaye, Beyond, Fat Tony, Mark Williams, Mauricio Ortiz, Mikey D, Nico Montenegro, Pagano, Smalls Lites, Steve Pitron, The Oli, The Sharp Boys | No Comments »
Well the podcast cat is finally out of bag as we share our 2012 top ten chart that marks the final feature in our four part music review of 2012, we keeping the substance short and allowing the listing to do the talking in a year where podcast music was the biggest & best answer to our problems.
Having kept you in suspense over our number one track of 2912, we haven’t quite done the same with our podcast announcement, part three (direct link ) having revealed our premier podium position production, although given the expanse of that last special review feature, you may have missed it, so we thought it only right & proper to issue the chart separately to make both the winner and the other nine that made it to our top ten of 2012, crystal clear. But having lauded the spoils of victory on Steve Pitron in our last post, we will give the others at least some house room, even though, as you will see below, he swept the podium place board, a one to four podcast placing party fell foul to the amazing Adam Turner, whose “House Of Summer 2012” was, in reality the only considerably challenger in a year dominated by our dynamic deliverer of divine dance delectations. As for our remaining entrants, well Zach Burns hit second spot in our podcast producers top five, this the stand-out session from eleven others in 2012, while Mikey D made it into the studio for the first time in a year to rock our world with “House Music All Night Long” that secured a three week run in Oct/Nov as our “Podcast Of The Week”, The Sharp Boys, The Oli & Elof de Never all making it to this prized pick of ours, beating of a long list of others to make it into our top ten.
So, we said we would keep this final part of our music review brief, rather let our 2012 top ten chart speak the volumes, while, we finish by simply paying a tremendous tribute to each & every entrant across this four piece review for making our year one of the best for music ever and in so doing, proving that “Music Is The Answer” (DISCO MATT)
Podcast Chart
- Steve Pitron – “WE Formula 2”
- Steve Pitron – “Summer 2012 Part 2”
- Steve Pitron – “Jan 2012 Session”
- Adam Turner – “House Of Summer 2012”
- Steve Pitron – “Summer 2012 Part 1”
- Zach Burns – “House Session 23”
- Mikey D – “House Music All Night Long”
- The Sharp Boys “Disco Cafe Pt’s 1, 2 & 3”
- The Oli – “Later Birthday”
- Elof de Neve – “Matinee Easter Mix”
And here are the podcast page &/or soundcloud sites where you can grab your copies, http://stevepitronsessions.podomatic.com/, http://djburn.podomatic.com, https://soundcloud.com/adamturnermusic, http://mikeyd.podomatic.com, http://sharpboys.podomatic.com/, http://theoli.podomatic.com, http://soundcloud.com/elofdeneve
Posted in Music, Reviews | Tags: Adam Turner, Elof De Neve, Mikey D, Steve Pitron, The Oli, The Sharp Boys, Zach Burns | No Comments »
What a year, one of considerable challenges to conquer, music being the answer on so many fronts, not least the prolific podcasts & producers that paved our path with pulsating productions that saved our 365 day & days, meaning we couldn’t complete our 2012 review series without celebrating the colossal creators that combined to deliver the most divinely delirious dance delectations in a decade or more.
When we look back across the last year, we have had some pretty hefty mountains to climb, from family health issues to our own, which continue to cause concern, while we have been very much off the writing boil, out kettle often running on empty and so ending up as dry at the Kalahari, our music focuses, features & newsletters affected nearly as much as our reviews. Yet while we may have had a continual catalogue of considerable challenges to conquer, a number of false music writing re-starts part of the picture, the one constant we have been able to rely upon, has been the music itself, a pack of prolific podcasts & producers not just helping us through the tough times with tons of towering tunes, but some have consumed our lives, whether it be while pedalling around London’s roads, heading out to our various clubbing commitments, or simply sitting back on our sofa, soaking up scores of superb sounds.
So, in a year that music definitely was the answer and with those prolific producers we deluded to, proving to be our sanctuary & our saviour amongst the sorrowful slices of the last four seasons, some have amazed, excited & inspired us with their fantastic productions, some reaching phenomena & heavenly heights, it was a foregone conclusion that we would devote separate part of our “What A Year!” 2012 review series to them. And here it is, a run through the podcasts & the producers that rocked our would in the last twelve months, we landing on our top five producers, in the two categories of “podcasts” & “tracks”, while also picking out our top ten productions from those players whose compositions have made the most considerable contribution to our “music was the answer” year.. Plus with some special mentions for a few others whose tracks have rocked our world in the last twelve months, we will recap on some of their entries into our top 40 chart, while finishing this final 2012 review feature with the podcast & producer chart listings.
Well lets get to it and take a look at the track producers that have made it big in our music world during 2012, Rony Seikaly making the first impression back in January, his two tracks “Let You Go” & “Take Me Higher” making us stand up and notice this basketball player turned producer, the latter production gripping us like virtually no other, which as early as the second month of the year, had already secured him, at least, a top 10 position in our track chart, it actually making it to a soaring second. But there were other, Erick Morillo impressing us with a duo of dynamic dance delectations, “Murder The Dancefloor” & “Gravy” examples of our slant towards tech in the last twelve months, while Chris Lake, who is no stranger to our sound sorties, hit us heavenly hard with a pumping production, “Stand Alone” ending up one of our Y.E. favourites, despite only making an impression in November. As for others, Crazibiza tickled out tunes taste buds with a trio of triumphs, “Must Be The Music”, “Show Me Love 2k12” & “Finally I” shining examples of these mix masters at their brilliant best, while Steven Redant & Phil Romano were our superb surprisers, their mix of Kylie Minogue’s “Timebomb” tremendous, our last special mention going to Jay Lumen for the simply stunning “Strange Fruit”, like Chris Lake, trouncing us with a tech tower of a track that was oh so close to a chart podium position.
So we come to our top five, each here for good reason, as they both influenced & indented our musical year in many (sometimes different ways), Carlos Gallardo the first, who comes in fifth, a string of scintillating sets at WE Party in London leaving us more than satisfied, while being up with him on stage for “Safari”, “Hi Japan” & “Formula 2” will live with us forever. But the superb Spaniard is no slouch in the recording studio either, collaborations a plenty including with vocalists Bobby Alexander on “We (Eloise)” & Peyton on “Desert Rose”, particular highlights, while it was his track composition with Rebeka Brown that contributed to him being here, it creeping into our top 40 chart, no mean feat considering the competition and one that immensely impressed us on our very first listen.
To our fourth position producer and another Spaniard, there seeming to be a wealth of talent emanating from the region of Europe, Ivan Gomez, in our books, right up there with the best, his collaborations with Nacho Chapado under the Gurabear label diving deep into double figures, a 2012 highlight their “We Have Disco EP”, while on a singular front, Ivan’s list of track productions is enthralling exhausting by sheer volume, favourite picks of ours including “La Musika” & “Somebody 2 Love”, his 2012 releases encapsulated in a special compilation which is well worth a listen at https://soundcloud.com/ivangomezmusic/sets/forthcoming-tracks-remixes while shifting through his soundcloud site alone is a terrific task & a half, evidence of just how bust he is in the recording studio. However, from our track chart point of view, he made his mark with the remix of Offer Nissam’s “I’m In Love”, while it would be The Free Radical’s Formation, of which he & Nacho are members, that would rate the highest, “World” in Fran Ramirez (the third link) remix form our favourite of Ivan’s pack of productions.
Onto our track producer third now and to Milano man Danny Verde, who’s meteoric rise to fame & fortune of the world clubbing & D.J. stage three or so years ago was due, in no part, to his superb studio productions and while Danny now has an exhaustive schedule that sees him jetting across to all corners of the globe, its roots remain in his hallowed Holab, the name he gave to is recording studio many moons ago. The likes of “Pushin To the Top”, Open Your Heart” & “Express Yourself” propelling him as a prolific producer. However, with official remixes for Lady Gaga sending him to another outstanding orbit, 2012 has seen him work on tracks from the Wanted, Cyndi Lauper, The Scissor Sisters & Mariah Carey, while our best of the bunch and one that made it into our top 40 chart was & is his rapturous remix of Neon Hitch’s “Fuck You Better” the first reason he is here, that awesome weekend with him in Brighton back in September the second.
So to second and the exceptional Etienne Ozborne who repeated his incredible influences on our year, as he had done in 2011, although in a way, even more so, as it soon materialised that it was he (along with studio partner Zolton Kontes) who was behind our now infamous “Track” three, which turned out to be the huge hit “I Really Want To Say”, Polina’s vocals appearing for a third time in our year. But standing alone with the spectacular “Feeling For You” has surely got to be one his own highlights of 2012, this terrific track having made it big across dancefloors right around the world, while Mr Ozborne has had his fair share of global gigs too, Seoul his last, while we are just getting into his latest release, “Undecided” looking like it will chart in 2013. However, all that said, it is probably down to the stunning “Sotto” that he finds himself in second spot, this towering tech tune yet more evidence of our slant away from uplifting & vocal, or at least a better balance strike between the two, while the horn effects on this colossal composition still blow our minds, it securing a healthy fifteenth in our track chart.
To our top spot and, despite everyone before him, this Spanish superstar D.J./Producer came home first by a country mile, no-one else in this category coming near in terms of impression & influence, his five track entries into our top 40 chart speaking volumes enough, although it goes much deeper than that, the quality, the style & the pace of his productions just perfect. And while we waxed lyrically in our chart review feature, “Not Alone” seeing him to top spot there too, Taito’s year has not just been about the recording studio, as he has played right across Europe & elsewhere, he flying the Matinee flag mainly, a summer season in Ibiza seeing him prove one of the biggest draws on the island, while sets in Sitges & the brands Barcelona base were also huge highlights of what was a breathtakingly busy year. However, back to those studio recordings and while both “Lady Luck” & “Lift Me Up” were magical markers, it would be his interpretation of the classic “She Loves” in 2k13 remix that really impressed. But even that paled in comparison to the mighty “My World” which, if we are entirely honest is right up there with “Not Alone” and may prove to have lengthier legs than the latter, this towering Taito triumph as much of a tear tumbler as our number one of 2012, meaning a first podium place here richly deserved.
Well, that’s the track producers covered, now to the podcaster’s and a snap decision to dive straight into our top five, those extra mentions having to wait for a forthcoming 2013 music newsletter. So to out fabulous fifth and it’s to Greece we go to find GSP (short for George Spiliopoulos) who has consistently created compilations that drove right up out superb sound street throughout 2012, while we were fortunate enough to see him play over here in London, at Beyond no less, his set on Easter Sunday superb & setting the scene for a season of XLsior pre &main parties that took him to Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, the latter part of the colossal Circuit Festival. But GSP will, for us, always be connected with the Mykonos five day meet, the news this year being that it was THE place to be, the Greek isle seemingly back on the up & up his podcasts reflective of this, as no less than eight devoted delectations to this five day dance festival, while we had a particular penchant for his “Energy” series of podcasts, volume two pretty much the responsible party for placing him as our fifth most prolific podcast of 2012. But you may have your own favourite from the fifteen he produced, a trip to http://djgsp.podomatic.com/ helping you decide which or how many to add to your collections.
To our fantastic fourth now and a Belgian based beatmaster who’s 2012 was simply stunning, an impressive set of new trails trodden and events enriched by Elof de Neve, his residency at Rome’s Muccassassina one, while Sexy in Cologne was another, trips across to Spain a regular feature of his spring & summer season showings, the “Get It On” world tour kicking off in Barcelona seeing him play, while Sitges Pride was a fabulous feature, his festival frolicking extending to both Lesbos in Lisbon & Circuit in Barcelona. But his base in Belgium, Antwerp’s Red & Blue remained an Elof anchor, from where he popped across both the north & south borders, playing for Matinee in Amsterdam & Paris, both which have dedicated podcasts, while even given the his hectic schedule, Mr de Neve has stepped into the studio on plenty of occasions, the result being two compilations that are pure Elof through & through. And like GSP, our Belgian mixers beats very much hit our heavenly music mark, his uplifting, euphoric & energetic house, us down to a t, while he has taken (or at least dipped his toe into) a more tribal come tech direction during 2012 to reflect the kind of clubbing crowds he finds himself in front off, a trip to https://soundcloud.com/elofdeneve seeing you safe into his series of sounds.
Now our tremendous third and without doubt the busiest D.J./producer we know, both in terms of live performances and podcast productions, not a weekend going by when he isn’t jetting off somewhere, whether it be as near as Bordeaux or as far as Bangkok, his Philippine routes seeing him travel back to Asia quite often, while Canada is also another regular long haul house music destination in his rampant roster. But what is just as jet-setting in terms of both frequency & volume are the plethora of podcast productions that come our way, 2012 having been no exception, a staggering twenty one mixes dedicated to a whole variety of his visits around the globe, Leomeo not shy in coming forward with a little self promotion, daily posts on Facebook cramming our notifications window full with his posts. However, it seems to work as, his download figures are pretty impressive, while his beats bag holds the whole house spectrum, from tech, tribal & trance, to progressive, euphoric, uplifting and everything in between. So, laying you hat on one particular podcast from the twenty plus in 2012, is down to preference we guess, but with all bases covered, a shoot onto his Soundcloud site at https://soundcloud.com/djleomeo should sort it.
Well, we come to second slot in our treasured top five and here we find our premier protégé player, Zach Burns, who like all the entrants thus far, had a amazing 2012 in terms of all sides of his production premises, a score or more mixes laid down simply from his sets at various locales, CasaLatina, D.J.’s At Work, Gigolo, Matinee, PLAY>TIME, Popcorn, Profile & The Edge, London spots where he has played or held residencies during the year, while both Berlin & Paris played a part in proceedings, GMF in the former & Scream in the later, very much propelling his profile & stature significantly. And while we missed out on many live performances of his, all those post gig pressings helped us keep right in touch with our PPP’s progress, although it is his “House Sessions” series that sees Zach safe into second spot, the once a month releases never failing to make it into our collection, one in particular even tumbling (albeit for just a few days) another phenomenal podcast of its playing pedestal. Indeed with a blend of beats that edges towards funky, Zach is also sometimes experimental with his genre mixing, creating compilations crammed with character, as well as terrific twists & turns, a trip to http://djburns.podomatic.com/ sure to find favour, while his “2012 Top 12” production has already been earmarked as our first “Podcast of The Week” for 2013.
So, who stepped up onto our top podcast producer podium position? Well, if you follow us religiously, regularly or even irregularly, the then name Steve Pitron will appear with just as much regularity, 2012 having proven a phenomenal period in his production pressings, the year kicking off in scintillating style with his “Jan 2012” mix, one which ended up responsible for rearing seven tracks that had a impressive impact on our top 40 track chart, one securing second slot, at the time we remarking that we couldn’t see this total triumph being topped. But Mr Pitron being the superstar that he is, came back at us with a two part “Summer” series that did just that, collectively combining to make an monumental mark on our track chart, as well as our airwaves, with some of the best beats of the year, real highlights in the thirteen that made it in, “My World” “Sotto”, “Symphony” and “Must be The Feeling”, the latter coming third. Yet, he was clearly still not satisfied with delightfully destroying us with these two summer stunners, as we were literally both blown away to compulsively consumed by his phenomenal “WE Formula 2” podcast, the benchmark set in the summer, smashed to smithereens by the most spectacular set of sounds we have come across ever. And when you consider that with just one mix, Steve managed to fill out fourteen places in our track chart, including number’s one, four, five, six, seven & eight, is testament to its captivating qualities, ensuring that, at the risk of upsetting the competition, he romped home with the top place podcasts production plaudits, no more words among the myriad of features, focuses & mentions able to add to the simple fact that each & every 2012 pressing has to be in your collection and if not, then get on that computer and get downloading now at http://stevepitronsessions.podomatic.com.
So, that’s our top five producers of tracks & podcasts, but what of the podcast chart positions? W, given how extensive this review has been and with further commentary coming on some of the compilations, rather than cutting back completely, we thought, as with did with our tracks, that splitting it off into a separate shortened special review, part four now our final feature, the chart inclusion & topping bean spilling having to wait just a little bit longer. (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Music, Reviews | Tags: Carlos Gallardo, Danny Verde, Elof De Neve, Etienne Ozborne, Fran Ramirez, GSP, Ivan Gomez, Leomeo, Nacho Chapado, Steve Pitron, Taito Tikaro, Zach Burns, Zolton Kontes | No Comments »
With the kind of suspense that surrounds the run up to the crowning of the Christmas number one, we too have created our own acute anticipation of who & what topped our 2012 track chart, our commentary composition running from 40 to 2, leaving that all important question heartlessly hanging, that wait now over as we reveal the tip top tune that cleaned up as our cream of the crop of challengers.
Well we have given you our rundown of the tracks that, following the toughest of choices from a tonne of tunes from 2012, made it into what become one of the tightest top 40 charts ever, a colossal collection that showcases some of the world’s leading D.J.’s & producers along with huge dancefloor hits and amazing anthems, along with a small handful of obscurities that we included from a purely personal perspective. But having decided to stop the first part of this special music review of the year, stopping at second spot, you will be pleased to know that the suspense & the wait is over, as it is right here, right now that we will be naming our number one, while we will also then share the full chart, from 1 to 40, listing each track in its entirety, so you can pick out your own favourites, head to the official music download sites and add them to your collection.
So to that all important number one and a pretty late entry if we are to be honest, but for a number of reasons richly deserves the premier position on our track chart podium, not least that it simply swept us off our feet on the first play back in November and continues to do so each & every time we listen to it, erupting emotions, sending scintillating shivers up our spines & leaving us brilliantly breathless. But there is more, as it marks the sixth entry into our chart for superstar Spaniard Taito Tikaro, who has incredibly influenced our musical year more than most and we think, looks set to rock our world even more in 2013, while we also have to give acknowledgement to Taito’s studio partner, Flavio Zarza, who has had a heavenly hand in propelling this phenomenal production to that premier place on our podium. However, without artists DHP and the vocals from Sunday Girl, “Not Alone” wouldn’t be here, so we give thanks to them too, although it is Taito to whom this number one goes, his version having all the hallmarks of a Tikaro tear tumbler and still sends tingles through our whole body that are bigger & better than any other. But there is one more person to thank for bringing this towering Taito tune into our world and that is an equal superstar to to his Spanish counterpart in our books and a brilliant bloke to boot, the one, the only Steve Pitron.
Now to our full chart listing and that promise of all the details of each track, so you can head off to sites such as Beatport, iTunes & Juno (not Zippy please folks) where not only you will be getting hold of legitimate copies, but you will be making, small as it is, a contribution to the artists & producers coffers, something we are extremely passionate about promoting. So with our top forty done, we can now look forward to a new year full of new tunes, although given the enormity of the epics that made it into our 2012 chart, the next twelve months will have a lot to live up to, while we are sure that 2013 will prove to be another year where “Music Is The Answer” (DISCO MATT)
Top 40 Chart
- DHP feat. Sunday Girl – Not Alone (Taito Tikaro & Flavio Zarza mix)
- Rony Seikaly – Take Me Higher (Original mix)
- Nero – Must Be The Feeling (Funkagenda remix)
- Jay Lumen & Gary Beck – Strange Fruit (Original mix)
- Prok & Fitch – Symphony (Original mix & S. Co remix)
- Keemo – Beautiful Lie (Dick Ray remix)
- Chris Lake & Lazy Rich feat. Jareth – Stand Alone (Federico Scavo remix)
- D.J. Eako & Jason Chance feat. Soraya Vivian – Deep Inside My Soul
- Taito Tikaro & Lydia Sanz feat. Vanessa Klein – My World
- Kylie Minogue – Timebomb (Steven Redant & Phil Romano mix)
- Trent Cantrelle – Naturally (Original mix)
- My Digital Enemy & Jason Chance – Got To Be Strong
- Alex Roque & Marcello Vak feat. Leon Cormack – Finally I (Crazibiza remix)
- Afrojack feat. Shermology – Can’t Stop Me (Carlos Fas Private remix)
- Etienne Ozborne & Zolton Kontes – Sotto
- Ministers de la Funk – Gravy (Antranig remix)
- David Herrero – Vibern (Dick Ray remix)
- Erick Morillo & Konshens feat. Sympho Nympho – Murder The Dancefloor
- Albert Neve & David Oleart feat. Soraya Naoyin – She Loves 2k13 (Taito Tikaro & Flavio Zarza remix)
- Sean Finn – Show Me Love 2k12 (Crazibiza remix)
- Hoxton Whores feat Krysten Cimmings – Fusion (2011 remix)
- The Free Radicals Formation – World (Fran Ramirez Radical mix)
- Etienne Ozborne – Feeling For You (Original mix)
- New Iberican League – Loveground (Jorge Montia mix)
- Taito Tikaro & Flavio Zarza feat Chipper – Lift Me Up (Big Room mix)
- Lizzat & Voltaxx – In The Heat Of The Night (Deepdisco mix)
- Neon Hitch – Fuck You Better (Danny Verde remix)
- Joey Negro – Must be The Music (Crazibiza remix)
- Serge Devant feat. Hadley – Dice (Mario Larrea mix)
- Tony Braxton – I Heart Love (Peter Rauhofer remix)
- Federico Scavo – I Do (Original Club mix)
- Rony Seikaly feat Polina. – Let You Go
- Etienne Ozborne & Zolton Kontes feat. Polina – I Really Want To Say
- Sunfreaks vs. Alex Kenji & Starkillers – Counting Down The Pressure (Esquire bootleg)
- Hoxton Whores – Right Before My Eyes (Original mix)
- DPM – Lady Luck feat. Chipper (Taito Tikaro remix)
- Offer Nissam – I’m In Love (Nacho Chapado & Ivan Gomez remix)
- Carlos Gallardo & Rebeka Brown – Feel It Inside
- The Believers – Another Chance (Richard Grey remix)
- Ralphi Rosaro & Abel Agulera – C’mon Get Funky Part 2 (Pagano mix)
Download site links where all the above are available :- http://beatport.com/, http://apple.com/itunes/, http://apple.com/uk/itunes/ & http://junodownload.com/
What a year it has been, in terms of music, our best in living memory, a ton of tracks tipping our satisfaction scales, making the final forty one of the toughest tasks we have ever had. But the chart is completed, the inclusions indented, this rapturous reflection guiding you through the track highlights, 40 to 31, 30 to 21, 20 to 11 & 10 to 7, while a special sixth along with more acute attention for our fantastic fifth to our stunning second, the one question remaining, who & what made it to number one?
Like many traditions we follow fastidiously during the festive season, movie must “Oliver” and eating gammon on Christmas Eve, no Christmas Day ever quite right without “Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang” & champagne, while it has to be a tea time treat tuck in during “My Fair Lady” on Boxing Day, some say we are a full on fruit cake (that’s the treat), hardly able to fathom out why we do what we do. But what makes much more sense is the announcement of our top forty tracks of the year, something we always endeavour to do as the old year becomes the new, a painstaking & prolonged process seeing us amass, without exception, well over one hundred towering tunes that have rocked our world. However, with a year long list to look through, we are then faced with the tricky task of culling that one hundred plus to just forty, this year no exception, well in truth one of the toughest we have come across, such has been the stiff completion for these much prized places. That said, then deciding our forty to one has, this year, been off the scale in terms of toughness, the tightest chart we have seen making for a formidable final formation. But let’s not delay the news any further as we run through the rhymes & reasons of why who made it to what, section splits in track tens, until we reach our special sixth & then fabulous fifth to stunning second, while keeping you in suspense as to our chart topper, that coming in part two of this “music was the answer” special review feature.
So here we go, tripping light-footed through positions 40 to 31, the track holding up the chart a fabulous Zach Burns find and one part of his podcast which, for a while dominated our airwaves, “C’mon Get Funky” in Pagano mix rocking our 2012 world in June, The Believers amazing us in April with a re-work of the classic “Another Chance” our next chart entry, this followed by a trio of treats from D.J./producers that would play a big part in our year, Carlos Gallardo, Peter Rauhofer & Taito Tikaro, the latter’s remix of DPM’s “Lady Luck” setting the scene for no less than five other chart entries from this superb Spaniard & his studio partner Flavio Zarza. Our next top forty tune was very much dancefloor driven, a whole host of D.J.’s including it in their playlists, Fat Tony probably the first, while one other Beyond all-star was to make it his own, the rounding “Right Before Your Eyes” one of the best The Hoxton Whores productions yet, although sitting lowly at position 35 is evidence of just how tight this year’s chart choices were. As for our next three, well they all came from the first three months and include the now infamous “Track 3”, named as that was where it was generally placed in a Steve Pitron set at the time, while the first of two Rony Seikaly entries could have been much higher, had it not been for the stiff competition ahead, number 31 going to a track at the other end of the year scale, Federico Scavo’s “I Do” one of no less than fourteen from a prolific podcast that cram our chart.
As for our highlight track of this slice of selections, well it goes to the Esquire bootleg that pits Sunfreaks against Alex Kenji & Starkillers that resulted in “Counting Down The Pressure”, one that was a another fabulous find by our premier protégé player, Zach Burns, but by making it to a meek & mild 34 in our chart, is further evidence of the delightfully tough dance delectation decisions we faced< but richly deserves our first of eight video links.
So we move to positions 30 through 21, our first track charter here another resplendent Peter Rauhofer remix & one which we will forever associate with our Brazilian boy babe Nilsson Junior, while with other huge D.J./producer names from the world stage showing their hand here, Danny Verde remixing Neon Hitch’s “Fuck You Better”, Crazibiza re-working Joey Negro’s classic “Must be The Music” and Lizzat & Voltaxx’s singular entry this year, “In The Heat Of The Night” are all shining examples of what was rocking our world early to mid summer. But two others that were doing the same chart just a little higher, positions 24 & 23 to be exact, New Iberican League’s “Loveground” in Jorge Montia remix form hitting our musical mark well, while Etienne Ozborne shows the second of three top 40 track chart hands with the fantastic “Feeling For You”. However, as we get close to our top twenty, the choices did become even tougher & tighter, the immensely impressionable “World” by The Free Radicals Formation, a collaborative combo between Barcelona based beatmasters Fran Ramirez, Nacho Chapado & Ivan Gomez, for a long stretch of 2012 was destined for headier heights, but was pushed down to 22nd, the last position in this section going to another classic and to the Hoxton Whores, who reproduced their track “Fusion” and was & is still the one that gives us prolific pedal power.
To our highlight track and another forced down the chart by a host of other towering tunes, this from a producer that has been rocking our world for well over three years, Serge Devant having come up with some stunners during this time, although this year would see just one, but what a one it was, “Dice” in Mario Larrea remix form having made it big on two prolific podcasts of 2012 and while sitting sedately at position 29 in out chart, has some many magical music memories that it was an compulsory video clip choice.
Well we are into our top twenty,, running through from 20 to 11 here and to our closest choice of tunes, not just this year, but of any, a more colossal collection of towering tech, vivacious vocals & hard hitting hits we couldn’t want to wish for, two lovable classics re-made kicking it off, “Show Me Love” 2k12 form by Crazibiza and then the superb “She Loves” the next Taito Tikaro remix triumph, while we then run into a four track tech tower of tunes, the magnificent “Murder the Dancefloor” from Erick Morillo, followed by David Herrera h=who gave us “Vibern”, Dick Ray remixing this powerhouse production. As for the other two, well they vied positions, Etienne Ozborne & Zolton Kontes winning out by a whisker with “Sotto”, condemning the gigantic “Gravy” from Ministers de La Funk to a still respectable sixteenth place. But now begins that podcast track domination, as the final four slots in this section all came our worldly way from Steve Pitron’s “WE Formula 2” production, one that consumed the last two months of our year, Afrojack’s “Can’t Stop Me” resplendently re-worked by Carlos Fas, while yet another Crazibiza remix charted next, this time of Alex Roque’s fabulous “Finally I”, it put into its thirteenth position place by one of a few simply stunning sounds that still spectacular send shivers up our spines, My Digital Enemy’s “Got To be Strong” an example of the towering tech tunes this have tickled our 2012 taste buds.
But our highlight track had to be the one that hit eleventh spot in our chart selections, one that is a genuine 2012 anthem and is another product from that phenomenal podcast that we predicted would virtually sweep the top ten track board in our, Trent Cantrelle’s “Naturally” coming oh so close, but once again proving what a tough choice we were faced with. However, having played its part perfectly, we thought it only fair to give it an extra bit of exposure with this video clip share.
So, to our top ten, we running through here from 10 to 6 and four tracks who’s high charting was pretty much a foregone conclusion from the first minute we heard them and, with one notable exception, come from a sound stable that has our name written all over it, uplifting, vocally vivacious & emotionally erupting epics, each & every one of them. So, in at ten comes the simply spectacular “Timebomb”, Kylie Minogue making our chart for the first (and maybe the last) time ever, although when you realise that Steven Redant & Phil Romano were the remix responsible’s, it should come as no surprise. Then in at nine is the penultimate Taito Tikaro chart choice of ours, the mesmeric “My World” an exemplary example of an emotionally erupting epic that, had it not been for the next eight, would have struck a more prominent place pose, even a podium one, such is its sheer splendour. Now we come to number eight and what we have labelled as our birthday track, DJ Eako & Jason Chance’s terrific tune “Deep In My Soul” flying under the radar later into 2012, but for a most of the last eleven days since our birthday, was close to taking the chart crown and has every possibility, given how fresh off the appearance press it is, of making it into our 2013 chart. So to seventh place and this the towering tech track in amongst all the other vocal & emotional entrants here, Chris Lake sweeping us off our spine chilling feet with the scintillating “Stand Alone”, Federico Scavo giving it a remix touch that, in combination with the lyrical line “…i’m the rebel type to never do what I’m s’possed ta…” is sheer brilliance in our books.
However, our highlight from 10 to 6 couldn’t go to any other but the track that charted sixth in a decision that we toiled over for not mounds or minutes or heaps of hours, by a dose of days, “Beautiful Lie” when we heard it for the first time, stopped us in our pedalling tracks, erupting emotions & marking memories of the time & the place that will live with us forever. Yet more than that, the whole story behind the track, that original artist was signed to Island records & that, in Keemo version form, it played a prolific part in this year’s Circuit Festival, particularly the wonderful WE event, both these connections to the track inextricably linked to two of our most nearest & dearest, Steve & Celso making its positioning in our chart all the more poignant. So, leaving it sixth was our toughest choice of the year, the Dick Ray version at http://youtube.com/watch?v=zX_1AqKc4vk the one that charted, although it is this video clip that, for plenty of deeply personal reasons, won over our hearts meaning we just had to share it here.
Now we head to our fantastic fifth and the singular entry that actually gets two mix form mentions, the pulsating and stunning Prok & Fitch production “Symphony” sending superb shivers up our spines simply by putting proverbial pen to paper on it. Yet when the original mix
first came to our attention back in the summer, while we loved the track, we never thought it would it would chart so high, but this theory was quickly confounded following the emergence of the S. Co remix on Steve Pitron’s WE Formula 2” podcast, another of those torso tingling, spine shivering & emotionally erupting epics that has dominated the final two months of our airwave listening months, itself giving chart inclusion credence to the original and a picks precedence & first, we simply unable to split the two so giving them a combined & collective fifth place position
To our fabulous fourth and another that came out of that phenomenal podcast production of Mr Pitron’s, Jay Lumen’s “Strange Fruit” stunner having gripped us like virtually no other we can remember, each time we hear it, we falling into a delightfully divine daze, our head going into a complete spin as though it is about to explode, such is the enormity of this colossal creation. And to add to the provenance of this pick, not only was it hugely responsible for elevating a stunning set from Beyond just this last Sunday to top spot, but when Steve combined it with “Sunday’s At Heaven” during his performance back at beyond on NYD, we were totally & utterly blown away, “Strange Fruit” continuing to leave us on the emotional edge & breathless with its brilliance, so richly deserving its fourth place positioning in our 2012 chart.
Now to our tremendous third and a huge 2012 danecfloor hit that some tried to steal, but will forever that Steve Pitron’s label sown into its scintillating & stunning sounds, scores of people having come up to us and saying “…what is this track…” Indeed, when we first heard it, that is exactly the question we asked, the moment that Steve looked over at us on our Beyond spot when he first played it back in the summer, one of the magical memories that we will never forget. And from that time on, we knew that it would score highly in our chart, although the spanner in the works came from the ones that made it to fourth, fifth & sixth, although given how much of a magnificent mark it made on our year, we had to see it into our top three, a podium position that Nero’s “Must be The Feeling” in Funkagenda remix form we couldn’t be more pleased about, not least that the heavenly haunting tones & head in hands qualities would, in any other year, have easily seen it to the top of our chart tree.
So we are nearly there, although for this part of our special review we will keep you in suspense, stopping at our stunning second chart choice, a track that like “Strange Fruit” did in the last two months of our year, gripped us for the first three, four & five, erupting our emotions like virtually no other, it by far & away the biggest & best in our books to come out of Steve Pitron’s “Jan 2012” podcast production, a find that floored us from the off and, to be honest, still does today. In fact, on listening to it for the first times in months the other week, it recaptured all those emotional eruptions that were a prolific pattern of our pedalling period earlier in 2012, we having come to the conclusion then, that it would be right up, if not actually at the top of our chart, a decision that we simply couldn’t overturn, even given all the completion that has come before it. So, seeing his second entry into our chart & into second place seems amazingly appropriate, Rony Seikaly not quite making it to top spot, but a podium place so well deserved with the toweringly terrific & tear tumbling “Take Me Higher”, but one that, despite everything, couldn’t quite make it higher than our penultimate chart topping position.
So what about our number one? Well, in true suspense style and, given it is our top choice, we decided it would be both right & proper to separate it from the rest, extending our 2012 music review into three parts and placing out top track choice, along with our full chart listing, 1 to 40 into a special “Music Was The Answer!” part two post that will follow this, while all our thirty nine entrants here have proved that what a year it was for truly towering tunes & magnificent music, best that we can remember EVER!! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Music, Reviews | Tags: Adam Turner, Carlos Gallardo, Crazibiza, Flavio Zarza, Serge Devant, Steve Pitron, Taito Tikaro, Zach Burns | 1 Comment »
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22 Feb 2013 | 1 Comment
Reports/Reviews – “Not Another One!!” – Beyond “Midnight” – Saturday 23rd February – Special Reflective Report
What was a brilliant brand and a fabulous favourite of ours, is fast losing both is brilliance and its favour with the twelve hour “Midnight” mould breaker that is effectively laying this colossal club to a first four waste, we once again, yet for the last time, looking at why ...
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1 Feb 2013 | 0 Comments
Reports/Recommends – “Mixed Messages Marring Magnificence” – Beyond “Pervert” – Sunday 3rd February – Extra Bites Special
While we make no secret that Beyond has become our favourite club of all-time, having wowed our world for over ten years now, recent developments have left us in dismay over some of the mixed messages that are marring its magnificence, while come Sunday (3rd Feb) all that will be ...
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21 Jan 2013 | 0 Comments
Music/Picks – “Prolific Premier Picks” – Podcast & Track Of The Week – Sunday 20th January
Shunning the snow, we have been rather serenading scores of superb sounds this Sunday, not least our podcast & track of the week choices, both premier productions for more reasons than one, the dynamic studio duo of Pitron & Sanna hitting our top of the tree track highs, while Zach ...
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20 Jan 2013 | 0 Comments
Music – “Podcast Picks & Track In The Mix” – DM Does The Music News – Sunday 20th January – 2013 Newsletter Vol. 1
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 ...
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8 Jan 2013 | 1 Comment
Reports – “Pack Of Cards Closure” – Profile & Lo-Profile “The News & The Reactions” – Tuesday 8th January – Special Report
First there was the shock news of the closure of Gaydar Radio and now, owners QSoft Consulting, have delivered a second crushing blow to the gay scene, this time with the sudden ceasing of trading of its Bar Soho Limited business, meaning that, as of immediate effect, both Profile & ...
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6 Jan 2013 | 0 Comments
Reviews – “Spectacular New Season Start” – Beyond “NYD Super Party” – Tuesday 1st January – Super Size Review
Having dived into our last dance of 2012 within its wonderful walls, the New Year could only commence with a rapturous return to the brilliant Beyond, it’s “NYD Super Party” very much proving the spectacular new season start that we hoped it would. But what made this first 2013 capital ...
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3 Jan 2013 | 0 Comments
Reviews/Music – “What A Year! ~ Music Was The Answer!” – D.M.’s 2012 Music Review – The Podcast Chart – Wednesday 2nd January – Special Review
Well the podcast cat is finally out of bag as we share our 2012 top ten chart that marks the final feature in our four part music review of 2012, we keeping the substance short and allowing the listing to do the talking in a year where podcast music was ...
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3 Jan 2013 | 0 Comments
Reviews/Music – “What A Year! ~ Music Was The Answer!” – D.M.’s 2012 Music Review – The Podcasts & The Producers – Wednesday 2nd January – Special Review
What a year, one of considerable challenges to conquer, music being the answer on so many fronts, not least the prolific podcasts & producers that paved our path with pulsating productions that saved our 365 day & days, meaning we couldn’t complete our 2012 review series without celebrating the colossal ...
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2 Jan 2013 | 0 Comments
Reviews/Music – “What A Year! ~ Music Was The Answer!” – D.M.’s 2012 Music Review – The Tracks (Part Two) – Tuesday 1st January – Special Review
With the kind of suspense that surrounds the run up to the crowning of the Christmas number one, we too have created our own acute anticipation of who & what topped our 2012 track chart, our commentary composition running from 40 to 2, leaving that all important question heartlessly hanging, ...
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2 Jan 2013 | 1 Comment
Reviews/Music – “What A Year! ~ Music Was The Answer! – D.M.’s 2012 Music Review – The Tracks (Part One) – Tuesday 1st January – Special Review
What a year it has been, in terms of music, our best in living memory, a ton of tracks tipping our satisfaction scales, making the final forty one of the toughest tasks we have ever had. But the chart is completed, the inclusions indented, this rapturous reflection guiding you through ...
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