'Martin Buttrich is famously as fluent behind a mixing console as in front of a virtual drum kit. That technical prowess, combined with a fascination for music of every shape, has resulted in outstanding releases on influential labels such as Planet E, Four: Twenty, Cocoon, Poker Flat, Nervous and Desolat. Having recently retired from DJing, Buttrich has devoted himself entirely to his own productions over the last few years.

“I discovered how much better I am as a producer. I'm so happy in the studio, and so productive. It feels good after 15 years on the road as a house and techno DJ to take a little breather and gain perspective,” says Buttrich. Relieved from heavy touring schedules and the pressure to make dance music, the veteran producer took a trip down memory lane for his latest album project, Light Vessel Automatic, which he releases under the new alias Stoned Autopilot.

With a career with roots in Berlin and Hannover clubs, through to his notorious collaboration with Timo Maas at Peppermint Jam distribution, to formative years in New York working alongside Loco Dice, Buttrich has throughout the decades collected a vast array of musical influences that have shaped his groove into one that is instantly recognizable for the discerning listener. Light Vessel Automatic is a collage that colourfully brings together these musical memories, with an especially jazzy and chillout sway - a style of music that has always been a passion of his, but that had somewhat been sidelined by his career entertaining dancefloors worldwide, “I’m definitely not letting go of dance music, but over the last few years it just didn’t feel right releasing big bangers out there,” says Buttrich.

It’s not just the catchiness of his compositions or the way he manipulates beats into unique tapestries that have earned Buttrich his stripes. His skills with a sonic scalpel, that esoteric ability to navigate the spectrum of audible (and inaudible) frequencies have given him cachet among even the most meticulous of sound engineers. For Light Vessel Automatic, Buttrich is unafraid of putting solemn piano melodies and cinematic strings side-by-side wacky synth dings, reggae bounces or retro-house beats.

“Nothing fits in one direction, it’s a bit chaotic, so I thought of having this stoned autopilot go through it all,” notes Buttrich. Even more impressively, he manages to give every sound on the album orchestral coordination and breathing space, stretching out tracks until they feel like whole universes with colours and textures. Within what is a highly personal journey, an exercise or recollection really, Buttrich also finds space to look forwards, inviting a younger generation of musicians to contribute on the album, as is the case with Greg Foat’s luxurious rework of Lovefields. “I’m a little older, and there’s a whole new generation of producers, a great new movement from people I wanted to support,” says Buttrich.

Attention to detail is a trademark of the producer, but so is his ability to never sound fastidious – above all, there’s an overarching playful and nonchalant attitude to Light Vessel Automatic. It’s an album for slow appreciation and careful consideration, much like pictures in a photo-album, every track on Light Vessel Automatic captures a memory of a moment in time of Buttrich’s rich musical life. In all its layers it expresses just how far Buttrich has come as one of Germany’s foremost producers.'

Follow: @martin-buttrich // @frntr-uk

Premiere: Stoned Autopilot aka Martin Buttrich - Better Days [FRNTR]

The Berlin-based DJ, producer and Panorama Bar resident turns in an emotional and era-spanning set saturated in psychedelic hues.

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Crack Mix 474: Paramida

http://asip.me/isolatedmix44 https://soundcloud.com/kaito

01. Susumu Yokota - Azukiiro No Kaori		
02. M83 - Sister (Part 1)	
03. Deaf Center - City
04. Minilogue - Europhonia	
05. Jean F. Cochois	- Silence Unheard
06. John Foxx & Harold Budd - Here And Now
07. Gonno - Turn to Light	
08. Walls - Vacant
09. Leo Abrahams - Sundown	
10. Lawrence - Friday's Child (Special Intro Version)	
11. Michael Stearns - Star Dreams (Peace Eternal)
12. Ken Hayakawa - Place To Stay Summer Breeze Version
13. Helios - Even Today
14. Model 500	- Starlight (Echospace Dub)
15. Deepchord Presents Echospace - Warm	
16. Múm - Random Summer	
17. Markus Guentner - Das Vergessene
18. Vessel - Tiny	
19. Inner Science - Emerge	
20. Justus Kohncke - Spukhafte Fernwirkung
21. Yagya - Rigning Fjórir	
22. Popnoname	 - Nightliner
23. Naohito Uchiyama - Solea
24. Junyamabe - nomeans...no	
25. M-koda - Conflict
26. Brian Eno & Harold Budd - Their Memories
27. Kaito - Until the end of time  (Beatless version)	

Hiroshi Watanabe has been releasing records since 1996, with styles ranging from deep house to his more recognized ambient/electronica works on Kompakt under the guise of Kaito. A stalwart for the label for the past twelve years, Hiroshi has clocked up no less than eight albums and recently released the rather brilliant ‘Less Time Until The End’.

His passion for introspective electronic music is clearly visible in his latest release and his Kaito moniker is seemingly dedicated to this emotional side. Named after his son and translating as “the one that is able to explain the universe”, Kaito’s music is warm, analogue and immersive electronica, riddled with a million stories. Hiroshi’s a big believer in communicating through his music and opens up to the many ways a track can be perceived- he’s a storyteller, a painter of the night sky and the magician behind the soundtrack which accompanies them.

Hiroshi’s isolatedmix stems from this approach and takes us on a night-flight through some of his inspirations that span the spectrum of the ambient electronic genre – a perfect introduction to the newbie or an expertly curated accompaniment for the veteran. Hiroshi will be the guide, but you’ll make your own way there…

“I started with this kind of electronic music, mainly because my father created some very imaginative ambient music when I was child (around the late 70s). I was watching how he made the music and the sound seemed so impressive. It was because of this I fell in love with electronic music.

I love how the music can portray special images within each person – no-one the same, it’s impossible. There’s no need for vocals, or lyrics or words, just sound. I can close my eyes and it’s all I need – every person connecting to the universe through tension, energy and inspiration.

This is a selection of music which reflects that feeling – something special. Of course, there are tonnes to choose from and some amazing ambient music in the world, but this is just a little selection. Please enjoy the music and use your imagination to travel your own way”

isolatedmix 44 - Kaito aka Hiroshi Watanabe

BBC R1 Residency - Paramida - Personal Treasures

Ryan Crosson & The Ridgewood Vanguard - We Can Only Ever Be How We Are

Out Now - http://lnk.to/RCTRV-WCOEBHWA

Brooklyn based producer and DJ Ryan Crosson makes his debut on FRNTR with his ‘We Can Only Ever Be How We Are’ LP. Moving away from the dance floor, the album has been in the making for the last ten years and sees Ryan evolving as an artist as he continues to explore and push boundaries through his experimental musical output. 

Deep rooted in the electronic sphere, Ryan brings together an array of friends and acclaimed musicians in ‘We Can Only Ever Be How We Are’. The LP is truly a collaborative affair featuring: Ryan Cavanagh, Violeta Vicci, Emil Abramyan, Yonatan Levi, Henrik Raabe and Greg Paulus. The ten track LP enables Ryan to have creative freedom and explore new sonic tapestries, resulting in an mesmerising soundscape. 

“This album has been a labour of love over the past ten years. It all began with the desire to move away from the dancefloor and the pressures of putting out EPs simply to keep up "in the game" that is the current state of modern dance music.”

Out Now

Ryan Crosson and The Ridgewood Vanguard - Carter's Jam

Last month, with Goldie's guest curatorship of Resident Advisor, we focused on the history of one of the most important music genres and scenes to come out of the UK: drum & bass. With this RA Podcast from Kasra, we switch over to the style's cutting edge. He's probably best known for his long-running Critical Music label, whose name is instructive. You'll find some of the most essential, crucial drum & bass of the last two decades through its 20-plus year-old back catalogue.

As a DJ and producer, Kasra embodies everything great about Critical and its approach: drum & bass with flair and personality, forward-thinking while staying true to the roots of the sound. The kind of music he plays is wide-ranging, but it usually leans towards the tight and minimalist. The basslines stop and start like stuck engines, drums hit with the mechanical precision of a Swiss-made watch, the MCs move with a tactical flow. Kasra's RA Podcast is a blend of new and old cuts from the likes of Skeptical, Halogenix, Break and the boundary-breaking Ivy Lab, plus a few cuts from the man himself. 

@kasra-critical

Read more at https://ra.co/podcast/910

RA podcast

RA.910 Kasra

My favourite show I have ever played in the US. 7 hours b2b with John in a sold out underground warehouse rave in downtown Los Angeles. So good. Can't wait to do it again in 2025! Big love to the WORK / 6AM massive and to all our VII Crew in the US who travelled from all sides of the country.

Simon Patterson & John Askew - 7hrs B2B OTC At WORK Los Angles 08.24.24

SDXN’s ‘Only Water’ EP is out now on Frontier Records

https://pro.beatport.com/release/only-water/1629148
https://open.spotify.com/album/1pcZ0sRRD3TVs4ws5z0ZhU
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/only-water-ep/id1047639586

Frontier Records returns this October with SDXN’s debut EP ‘Only Water’, comprising three original tracks from the British producer and a remix from Manchester’s Winter Son. 

The Frontier imprint was launched back in May of 2015 with a release from Italian duo Name/Age, inaugurating the new imprint with a sturdy foundation. Here the label pushes on and welcomes an up and coming artist a little closer to home, namely Brighton based DJ and producer SDXN, and although only 20 years old and marking his debut here, it’s evidently clear when listening to ‘Only Water’ this budding young artist is deeply rooted in the thriving electronic scene of the UK. 

Kicking off the EP is ‘Eyes’ a stirring slice on hypnotic electronica laid out over six and a half minutes with stripped back rhythms, swelling pad swirls and staccato guitar licks setting the tone brilliantly for what’s to follow. Following is ‘Only’ which retains a similar aesthetic laying the focus on floating soft pads, low-slung percussion and sporadic stabbing synth that radiantly vacillate through the composition throughout. 

Last up on the original from SDXN is ‘Saturn’ which ups the energy levels bringing hooky sub lines, bright piano hits and upfront drums into the forefront, Mancunian Winter Son then rounds off the package with his take on ‘Saturn’ delivering a stunning six and a half minute beatless, subtly unfolding and entrancing interpretation on things. 

Tracklist
1. Eyes (Original Mix)
2. Only (Original Mix)
3. Saturn (Original Mix)
4. Saturn (Winter Son Remix)

www.soundcloud.com/sdxn
www.facebook.com/sdxnuk

Only (Original Mix)

Ryan Crosson & The Ridgewood Vanguard 

Out Now: https://lnk.to/RCTRV-WCOEBHWA

Ryan Crosson and The Ridgewood Vanguard - Carter's Jam

FRNTR

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