Midnight

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 - I Wanna Go Back (Featuring Blake Baxter)

Matt Sassari - Ipon - Kneaded Pains 006

Sante  Sidney Charles Vs. Derrick Carter - Where You At (Carlo Lio Washy Mashy Edit)

A fully analog production featuring thumping drums, a rumbling bassline and evolving synths that reach a stunning conclusion and we’ve got the first play below.

http://mixmag.net/read/premiere-joseph-capriati-and-flavio-folco-produce-a-heaving-analog-cut-premieres

More exclusive music

Premiere: Joseph Capriati & Flavio Folco 'Prospective Journeys'

Info: http://bit.ly/2152GU
Beatport: bit.ly/GU212BP
Traxsource: bit.ly/GU2152TX

Support from: Prok & Fitch, Roger Sanchez, Karotte, Chus & Ceballos, Skream, Lexa Hill, Caal Smile, Junior Sanchez, Timo Garcia, Oscar L, Vlada Asanin, Danny Howard, Rob Da Bank, Greg Fenton, Joyce Muniz, Forrest, David Tort, Hollen, D.O.N.S., Landmark, Alex Slater (LAMP), Severino, Luis Factomania, Vanilla Ace, Tjerk Coers (Armada), Roberto Sevillano, Tuff London, Jamie Coins, Per QX, Alan Nieves, Mia Mendi, Brett Gould, Jelo, Tom Breu, House Keeping, Matchy & Bott, Markus Schulz, Mark Knight, Steve Lawler.

Rudosa - Eyes on You (Original Mix)

Danzer

Darius Syrossian - Danzer (Techno Tool Version)

'Relief Records re-visit label boss Green Velvet’s classic 1997 cut ‘Answering Machine’ this August as they invite UK duo Prok | Fitch and Suara boss Coyu to remix the production...'

Read More: https://whenwedip.com/2019/08/premiere-coyu-green-velvet/

Follow: @coyu // @green-velvet-1 // @reliefrecords

Connect: When We Dip on Spotify - open.spotify.com/user/whenwedip

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Answering Machine 2019 Remixes (incl. Prok | Fitch & Coyu Remixes)

Premiere: Green Velvet - Answering Machine (Coyu Remix) [Relief]

Andrea Oliva is the latest blue-chip artist to make their debut on Truesoul in 2019.

The respected Swiss DJ/producer has long commanded the juncture between house and techno, releasing on-point cuts on Cadenza, Objektivity and more recently Cuttin Headz and Play It, Say It!. He’s likewise put his stamp on Ibiza as a resident of one of the island’s premiere underground weeklies, ANTS. It was at the Ushuaia party’s opening in May 2018 that Adam Beyer recorded Drumcode Radio episode #411, making Oliva’s debut on Truesoul a natural follow-on. 

The ‘Repeater’ EP is a muscular four-track package, the original built around persistent synth stabs made for sweat box moments. Label favourite Oscar L amplifies the intensity, adding an exhilarating melodic underbelly and fiery snares pushing the vibe towards peak time. ‘Jam Table’ throbs with a rave-injected pulse as scattergun key patterns add a deliciously head-scrambling element to the mix. Drumcode regular Marco Faraone dons a Truesoul cap to contribute a deeper, Detroit-inspired work to round out the pack.

Buy all

Andrea Oliva — Jam Table (Marco Faraone's Love Is Lie Remix) — Truesoul — TRUE12126

Ron Costa - Breathe EP [Potobolo Records]
Release date : December 30th, 2019
Across All Platforms !

Ron Costa - Breathe [Potobolo Records]

To celebrate the milestone catalogue number UTTU100 Len Faki has remixed label head DJ Haus for this special limited one off coloured 10 inch release.

Sante Sidney Charles Vs. Derrick Carter - Where You At (Carlo Lio Washy Mashy Edit)

Heavy Vybez

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