Hello, g'day and welcome! So happy you can join us for a wee whizz around Planet Prog again on this wicked Wednesday. Bags packed? Passport safe? Then take a seat on our first class flight to another scorching dancefloor destination.

There are few producers in the Progressive House world who command more respect than our guest DJ today, and there's no one as happy as us when we introduce him to you. Il Modo, give it up for the amazing Gab Oliver!

“You just had to be there” is an oft-repeated refrain whenever the “Melbourne sound” – the dark, stripped-down, and gritty progressive house and breakbeat that dominated the city’s dancefloors in the early 2000's – comes up in conversation. 

Gab Oliver created and nurtured a sound that eschewed the big, bold, brash sounds of the late 90’s in favour of a deeper, darker, and more hypnotic aesthetic. In the process he shaped an entire movement that cemented Australia as a creative force in the global dance music scene, and led to the rapid maturity of Progressive house and Breakbeat. 

The legendary party 'Sunny' was the key Melbourne monthly event where punters could regularly hear these new sounds, thanks to the resident DJs being given free reign to experiment musically and the party having a strong emphasis on going against the grain. Without question, the driving force behind the uncompromising deep and dark focus of the event was Gab Oliver.

 “Road testing our tunes at Sunny was the biggest gift of all. That’s all that really mattered, people going off to our music, that was fucking amazing.” The pioneer of the deep and hypotonic sound has recently re-launched the much loved Zero Tolerance label which has given the current Progressive House landscape a shakeup from the mainstream, pointing towards a deeper, darker, and more moody aesthetic. He recently released "Drowning" EP on this label and has also joined forces with Bassiray & Mckeown under the guise "Depth Institute".  

Moody soundscapes, mediated by underlying tension and bathed in darkness, Depth Institute‘s haunted and sophisticated late-night progressive storytelling is uncompromising in every sense of the word. Their debut Remix on Gab's ‘Drowning EP‘ which focused on subtlety and deep textures representing the true ZT sound brilliantly. 

Their follow-up release was a remix of Hot TuneiK‘s ‘Poema‘, a track heavily supported by John Digweed on his recent tour of Argentina, on his Transitions Radio show, and peaked at #2 on the Beatport Top 100 Progressive House Releases Chart.

"I want the relaunched Zero Tolerance to be like it was back when we started it, a place for new artists to make music other people aren’t making. I’ve always had a passion for new music and supporting emerging artists, and I would love to see a new generation of producers given the kinds of opportunities we weren’t by other labels when we started out. If you’re making music that’s too deep and dark for other labels, we want to hear it." - Gab.. 

With that in mind, enjoy the mix! 

Gab Oliver - Moody Intro [unreleased]
Desaturate - Scurvy [False Dichotomies]
Hot TuneIK - Close Encounters [Dopamine Music]
Brian Cid - Shoreless Ocean [Infinite Depth]
Lostep - Burma (Mike Rish Remix) [unreleased]
Paul Angelo & Don Argent - Dear Cave [Movement Recordings]
Subandrio - Mein Sohn [Balance Music]
Alex O’Rion - Mastodon (Dub mix) [Sudbeat]
Mike Rish - Tunnel People [Lost & Found]
Paul Deep - Shakti (Matias Chilano Remix) [Sound Avenue]
Gab Oliver - Boogie Man [unreleased]
Jiminy Hop - Playground (Nicolas Petracca Remix) [Majestic Family Records]
Shanil Alox - I'm Too Weird (Original Mix) [Dopamine White]
Hi Fi Bugs - Lydian & The Dinosaur [Zero Tolerance]
Precision - Nightmare (Unreleased Mix) [unreleased]
Ric Niels - Falkner (Hobin Rude Remix) [onedotsixtwo]
Digby & Oliver - Human (Depth Institute Remix) [Zero Tolerance]

Zero Tolerance party in Melbourne -> https://www.facebook.com/events/1649075792272645

The Progcast - Episode 178 - Gab Oliver (Zero Tolerance)

Welcome to Il Modo. Supporters of quality underground electronica, specialising in Progressive House and all related genres. Follow us for Exclusive DJ sets from around the world, both weekly and monthly. Plus our monthly radio shows on DIFM & Subcode! 

We push new and emerging DJs as much as we can, alongside current club favourites and headliners. Fresh talent is always on our radar so if you would like a chance at a guest mix here, impress us! Drop us a message here or through our FB/Instagram channels, we are always listening x

The Progcast - Episode 178 - Gab Oliver (Zero Tolerance)

IL MODO