yeah, doing the Techno skank out now. Cheers!

Drumcode - part 2

Pär Grindvik - Do Us Part - 2000 And One Remix - Drumcode

Slam - Crowded Room

Intercharge / NA•RO Remix

Run It Back

Having developed an impeccable reputation in the past twenty years since delving into the word of turntables and mixtapes at an early age, Sims can be called a genuine legend in the world of techno. As a producer he has remixed Jeff Mills, Chris Liebing, Adam Beyer and Kevin Saunderson as well as releasing on just about every seminal techno imprint there is. As an A&R he’s been at the helm of nine labels, including the highly influential Ingoma and KB Records inc, and continues to steward Theory and Hardgroove towards the boxes of the discerning fans. 

Most recently the London-based producer has seen his ‘Way Back Wednesday’ (with Tony Anderson), ‘Funk You’ and occasional disco radio shows garner huge support while ploughing further energy into the futurist techno club night “Machine’ alongside Kirk Degiorgio. 

It’s with Sims’ multitude of achievements and notoritey in mind that the knowledge that ‘Smoke & Mirrors’ is his debut LP is somewhat unbelievable, but fact it is. After initially hooking up with Adam Beyer’s Drumcode imprint late in 2010 after a long standing friendship, the affable and dry witted Sims’ was persuaded to deliver an LP and the lengthy writing and selection process began. The result is 11 superb productions which showcase Ben’s talents, influences and perhaps most importantly, his vision of what techno can and should be. 

From the off ‘Smoke & Mirrors’ is a technicolour affair that refuses to sit too comfortably into one groove, preferring to pull the listener through a range of vibes that, while disparate, flow together perfectly. As the album moves, snippets of new vibes bleed through before developing into themes and this is one of the brilliant elements of ‘Smoke & Mirrors’.  

The rousing and prophetically titled ‘Riots in London’ opener leads us into a frenetic, dub-tinged and filter-driven aesthetic which is neatly carried on in ‘Descent’ but subtly augmented with almost-there soulful vocal samples. This nod to soulful elements is then carried on in the less pacey, house referencing ‘ The Snake’ which fuses stabbing keys to a skipping beat which is as much New York as it is Detroit, London or Berlin. 

As ‘Smoke & Mirrors’ develops, suprises like the out-and-out tech-funk of ‘Back To The Pod’ and the street party disco of ‘Can You Feel It?’ are hinted at but never lack surprise when dropped. The emphatic drive of the huge sounding ‘I Wanna Go Back’ featuring Blake Baxter takes things back to techno territory and does so with real purpose while darker edged tracks such as the lethal ‘Bullet’ and the late-night discordance of  ‘The Afterparty’ ramp up the tension. 

The twilight sections of Sims’ debut are perfectly judged. The dubbed (and blissed) out title track lightens the mood before the slightly more aggressive but widescreen ‘The Calling’ trips proceedings out in anticipation of the closer, the Tyree Cooper vocalled and aptly titled ‘I Feel It Deep’

‘Smoke & Mirrors’ has been more than worth the wait. It’s as balanced, entertaining, engaging and powerful as you’d expect from such an artist as Ben Sims and, complete with artwork from Alan Oldham and collaborations from Blake Baxter and Tyree Cooper, is essential stuff.

Ben Sims - Bullet

Ben Sims - The Calling

Ben Sims - Miss Out On Monday

Dense & Pika’s latest Drumcode release comes in the shape of a heavy four track EP, ‘Calf EP’. The four tracks showcase Dense & Pika’s signature industrial and dynamic style, each track bringing its own unique sound to the release whilst being unified by the sledgehammer intensity throughout. The release is laden with sporadic vocals, clanking samples and serious kick drums throughout - another heavy hitting, ear whipping release from Dense & Pika.

Dense & Pika - Drag N' Drop - Drumcode - DC155

With her trademark shock of untamed dark hair, the Nigeria-born artist can be spotted in a DJ booth by profile alone, rocking crowds before she even drops a record. In-demand all over the world, Moudaber has played everything from intimate after-hours clubs; to revered nightclub institutions like Space, DC-10, Output and Stereo; to massive festival stages, including Glastonbury, Electric Daisy Carnival and Coachella. She’s also been featured by the New York Times, CNN and Billboard.

Nicole follows up her 2015 release on Truesoul with ‘Your Love Picks Me Up’, a 2 track EP featuring a remix from in-form producer Marco Faraone. Kicking off with Nicole’s original, the vocal hook teases itself in and is guaranteed to get stuck in your head. Expect to this one sung back at you on any dance floor. Marco Faraone is one of techno’s fastest rising stars as his remix is a prime example of why, putting his sinister twist on the track with pounding drums and sharp piano stabs. This is one for the after hours…

Nicole Moudaber – Your Love Picks Me Up (Marco Faraone Remix) – Truesoul – TRUE1292

After appearing on A-Sides Volume 4 at the start of 2016, Ilario Alicante now makes his full debut on the label. He has quickly established himself as a key player amongst a new crop of techno artists and truly is one of the brightest stars in the game. His skills behind the decks have seen him tour the globe with Cocoon, as well as appear at the likes of elrow, Lovefest and We Are FSTVL.

Opening with ‘Times’, the EP gets off to a flying start as the track rages straight into top gear, rolling through 6 minutes of pure power. This is a peak time tool that is set to be heard across dance floors worldwide this year. ‘Awakened’ you may have heard from Adam Beyer’s sets of late, a firm favourite which gets his much sought after seal of approval. Rampant syths and mesmerizing vocal hooks all make it one hell of a journey. ‘Sense’ is a more industrial affair, chunky basslines take your hand through the track as it charges on. It’s that classic deep Ilario Alicante sound we all know and love. The EP finishes off on ‘Apogeo’, with its hypnotic siren tones and acute percussion. One thing is for sure, Ilario Alicante is in a league of his own.

Ilario Alicante - Sense - Drumcode - DC169

Artist: Ben Sims 
Title:  Smoke & Mirrors 
Label:  Drumcode 
Release: 27th October 2011 
Format: Vinyl / CD / DigiCat No:  DCCD005 

Late-October sees the long awaited release of Ben Simsʼ debut LP, ʻSmoke & Mirrorsʼ, on Swedish techno imprint 
Drumcode.  
 
Having developed an impeccable reputation in the past twenty years since delving into the word of turntables and mixtapes at an early age, Sims can be called a genuine legend in the world of techno. As a producer he has remixed Jeff Mills, Chris Liebing, Adam Beyer and Kevin Saunderson as well as releasing on just about every 
seminal techno imprint there is. As an A&R heʼs been at the helm of nine labels, including the highly influential Ingoma and KB Records inc, and continues to steward Theory and Hardgroove towards the boxes of the discerning fans.  
 
Most recently the London-based producer has seen his ʻWay Back Wednesdayʼ (with Tony Anderson), ʻFunk Youʼ and occasional disco radio shows garner huge support while ploughing further energy into the futurist techno club 
night “Machineʼ alongside Kirk Degiorgio.  
 
Itʼs with Simsʼ multitude of achievements and notoritey in mind that the knowledge that ʻSmoke & Mirrorsʼ is his debut LP is somewhat unbelievable, but fact it is. After initially hooking up with Adam Beyerʼs Drumcode imprint late in 2010 after a long standing friendship, the affable and dry witted Simsʼ was persuaded to deliver an LP and the lengthy writing and selection process began. The result is 11 superb productions which showcase Benʼs talents, influences and perhaps most importantly, his vision of what techno can and should be.  
 
From the off ʻSmoke & Mirrorsʼ is a technicolour affair that refuses to sit too comfortably into one groove, preferring to pull the listener through a range of vibes that, while disparate, flow together perfectly. As the album moves, snippets of new vibes bleed through before developing into themes and this is one of the brilliant elements of ʻSmoke & Mirrorsʼ.   
 
The rousing and prophetically titled ʻRiots in Londonʼ opener leads us into a frenetic, dub-tinged and filter-driven aesthetic which is neatly carried on in ʻDescentʼ but subtly augmented with almost-there soulful vocal samples. This 
nod to soulful elements is then carried on in the less pacey, house referencing ʻ The Snakeʼ which fuses stabbing keys to a skipping beat which is as much New York as it is Detroit, London or Berlin.  
 
As ʻSmoke & Mirrorsʼ develops, suprises like the out-and-out tech-funk of ʻBack To The Podʼ and the street party disco of ʻCan You Feel It?ʼ are hinted at but never lack surprise when dropped. The emphatic drive of the huge 
sounding ʻI Wanna Go Backʼ featuring Blake Baxter takes things back to techno territory and does so with real purpose while darker edged tracks such as the lethal ʻBulletʼ and the late-night discordance of  ʻThe Afterpartyʼ ramp up the tension.  
 
The twilight sections of Simsʼ debut are perfectly judged. The dubbed (and blissed) out title track lightens the mood before the slightly more aggressive but widescreen ʻThe Callingʼ trips proceedings out in anticipation of the closer, 
the Tyree Cooper vocalled and aptly titled ʻI Feel It Deepʼ 
 
ʻSmoke & Mirrorsʼ has been more than worth the wait. Itʼs as balanced, entertaining, engaging and powerful as youʼd expect from such an artist as Ben Sims and, comfrom Blake Baxter and Tyree Cooper, is essential stuff. 

DJ SUPPORT FROM: ADAM BEYER, SLAM, BEN KLOCK, MARCEL DETTMANN, CARI LEKEBUSCH, TECHNASIA and many more.

Ben Sims-Smoke & Mirrors 'Drumcode Album Mini Mix'

Slam  (@paragraph)- Constructivism EP ( Soma513d)

1. Mellifluous
2. Pantera
3. Paradox
4. Constructivism


Slam drop their 2nd release of 2018 as the duo continue to develop their unique and hard-hitting sound with the Constructivism EP. Despite the pair’s heavy touring schedule, they consistently deliver ever more impressive releases each time, exploring the realms of dance floor orientated Techno.   Opening with Mellifluous, surging synths are propelled by tough kicks and driving percussive elements yet the whole track is tied together by deep and emotive pads. Pantera begins to take things up a notch. A seemingly more stripped back approach gives way to hypnotic rhythms and effect drum workouts. Paradox lifts things further still, building gradually through effective use of subtle FX and a very in your face track structure. Title track Constructivism a colossal EMB cut, road-tested by the pair at Berghain just two weeks ago, closes out the EP. A well crafted and constantly evolving sequence burns at the heart and drives this monster home with furious energy.

Constructivism EP

Constructivism

Slam - Constructivism (Soma513d)

Contained within this eleven-track compilation is a collection of tracks submitted to Drumcode as demos but which didn’t have other tracks to be partnered with to make up a classical Drumcode EP. Such was the quality and quantity of these stunning one-off tracks that the idea of making them into a compilation was born primarily for practical reasons. As the project grew the idea became a theme and the theme evolved into a finished project – A-Sides - which tells both the story of Drumcode’s recent past with familiarly high-octane tracks from Adam Beyer, Alan Fitzpatrick, Joseph Capriati, Gary Beck, Gregor Tresher and Dustin Zahn & Rachel Palmer but also gives a glance into what is to come as the likes of Patrick Siech, Luigi Madonna, Roberto Capuano, Dhillon and Manic Brothers get their chance to contribute to the shaping Drumcode’s future.

DC97 08 Roberto Capuano - Absolute - clip

Ben Sims - The Afterparty (Original Mix)

Independent record label owned by Adam Beyer.

Slam - Crowded Room

Drumcode

Recent comments

Fabio Vega

DIEM

clement

Mr. Ground

Related tracks