Craig’s journey began at art school in the late eighties. Over a six year period he attended Bournemouth school of art, St. Martins School of art and the Royal college of art. 
Artist, record collector, DJ, producer, festival organiser and gentleman of the night - Craig Richards can be described in many ways but most of all he is a storyteller. His ability to bring life, breadth and narrative to everything he does is the secret to his success.
As artist in residence and Musical Director at Fabric for 15 years he was responsible for the modern approach taken to the programming of Saturday nights and as a DJ his unique and uncompromising sound provided a unique identity for the club. His early morning sets at the club were legendary, never the same and always challenging. He is as an originator and a DJ held in high esteem by his peers.
His label THENOTHINGSPECIAL has released music by Schatrax, Calibre, Trevino, dBridge and Mathew Johnson to name but a few. Craig’s paintings and drawings appear on all of the covers. He has an ongoing collaboration with studio genius Howie B. In 2006 they created the soundtrack for the award winning animation Rabbit and released a limited edition boxset of music, poetry and drawings to accompany the project. Craig’s own notable releases to date include “Sleeping Rough’ and ‘My Friend Is Losing His Mind”.
In 2017 an opportunity came about for Craig to curate a new festival in Norfolk. Craig was so impressed by the venue Houghton Hall and the existing sculpture park that he decided it should be an arts and electronic music festival. The first edition of Houghton was a huge success. Craig’s ethos of doing things simply but to the best they can be was a winning formula.
After 3 years of cancellations due to extreme weather and the pandemic, Houghton made a grand comeback this year and with some 230 artists from around the world. This instantly reinstated the significance of Houghton within the underground electronic music scene.
To accompany the festival, Craig illustrated a book of drawings representing every artist who performed at Houghton 2017. The work was exhibited in a disused building opposite the Bank of England. The exhibition was entitled ‘A Show of Heads Inside and Out’. Craig’s paintings, drawings and handwriting are synonymous with the festival.
2018 saw the launch of Craig’s project ‘I Want To Like You But I Find It Difficult’ a three part series of events which took place at the Fondazione Prada in Milan. His curation explored the relationship between juxtaposition and preconception.
In recent years Craig formed a project called Collisions. Again exploring the idea of juxtaposition and contrast within Dj sets, it involves infamous back to back sets with Ben UFO, Ricardo Villalobos, Nicolas Lutz and Ivan Smagghe. It takes place bi monthly at Fabric, at Wonderfruit in Thailand, Love international, The Lion and Lamb and every so often around the globe. His solo DJ sets are varied and highly considered. They continue to inspire and excite in equal measure.

Carl Craig is a visionary Detroit pioneer whose lifelong pursuit of independence has driven three decades of electronic music innovation. As the mastermind behind Planet E Communications, Carl created a platform that has supported an array of international artists for 30 years, releasing records that span hip-hop, jazz, funk, and esoteric electronic sounds while avoiding commercial conventions.

theBasement proudly presents DÍAS DE CAMPO RECORDS, the Montanejos’ boutique music festival 12” imprint. 🌲

Valencia’ theBasement crew has created an enduring legacy, and the power of their impact is visceral in Spain. DDC Records is an opportunity to stablish the sound of the 6th edition of one of the best music festivals for vinylovers. 📀

Demos 👉 alvaro@thebasementxxx.com

www.bootsandlegs.com

From somewhere between yesterday and tomorrow, the cobblers at Boots & Legs transmit a charismatic cavalcade of bespoke, artisanally crafted musical delights. The label draws inspiration from 80’s Italo-disco and synth-pop, modernising these timeless sounds for the dancefloors of today. Joyous and propulsive with a flair for the romantic, these boots were made for dancing.

Run by @greetingstoyouu 

look to your feet for guidance as another release from Boots & Legs is on the way.

RELEASES:
[BOOT001] VA Vol.1 SOLD OUT
[BOOT002] VA Vol.2 SOLD OUT
[BOOT003] VA Vol.3 SOLD OUT
[LEG001] Furor Exotica EP SOLD OUT
[LEG002] Family Secrets DIGI Comp
[LEG003] Club Sausages - Clubnie Sosiki DIGI EP
[LEG004] Family Secrets II DIGI Comp 
[BOOT004] - VA Vol.4 (vinyl still available)
[LEG005] GREETINGS - Look Within EP (vinyl still available)
[LEG006] Family Secrets III DIGI Comp 
[LEG007] Flight Status - 2364 EP DIGI EP
[LEG008] Harrington + Heavy Jo - Body Senses DIGI EP
[LEG009] ?

In a world of ever recycled trends, Tiefschwarz (deep black) is that most classic of shades. Its timeless style is testament to its staying power, and with a DJ and production career spanning over 14 years, this German deep house duo have proven just how apt a moniker can be. Born and bred in Stuttgart, brothers Ali and Basti Schwarz’s passion for techno and deep house flourished their initial experience as DJs in the early 90’s at the now legendary clubs that Ali ran in their home town, ON –U and Red Dog. This led to the formation of Tiefschwarz in 1997, from which they found rapid success with their debut single ‘Music’ (on Francois K’s Wave Music label) and album Ral 9005. By 2001, this had been licensed to the London label Classic Recordings from where they springboarded to international recognition. They decided to make the move to Berlin, at the time fast becoming the epicentre of a true electronic music renaissance, from where they pursued a hectic touring schedule and remixing the likes of Cassius, The Rapture, Missy Elliott, Kelis and their personal heroes Masters At Work. They then scored a double whammy with their all-conquering crossover hit remix of Spektrum’s ‘Kinda New’ and the single ‘Isst’ off their 2005 long-player, ‘Eat Books’. This was also the year that electrohouse dominated the charts and minimal the clubs, but Tiefschwarz have never allowed themselves to be tied down to a certain sound, staying true to their love of melody as demonstrated on their contribution to the Fabric mix series that year.
A series of high profile mixes in 2006, including Depeche Mode, Madonna, Roxy Music, Booka Shade, Phonique, Plastikman, dOP, and many others saw them continue perfecting their distinctive sound. Yet this was also the year in which Ali and Basti gravitated back to Berlin to found their own label, Souvenir. Basti explains “We like the idea of seeing music as a souvenir, an impression you take from somewhere. Something intimate that you remember”. They haven’t let this slow down their impressive production workload though, with a ten year anniversary compilation and a 2010 follow up album ‘Chocolate’ made in collaboration with Santé, and featuring Cassy, Seth Troxler, Dave Aju amongst others. At a perfect time to take stock of their career, the brothers are proudly contributing the ninth installment in the Watergate mix series, and have chosen a number of tracks that simultaneously pay homage to the tracks that shaped the beginnings of their career whilst also remaining very much forward looking. After years of constant touring, however, their Souvenir label has allowed them to lay down more permanent roots back in Berlin. It’s a place to foster talent, both young and old, not only in a sense of releasing records but also as a platform to share mutual experiences within a common network, a close core of artists work together including Ruede Hagelstein, Maher Daniel, the brothers Santé and Re.You, Ali &amp; Basti at the helm. With plenty more artists on the roster as well as a digital only subsidiary, Souvenir Plus, and a debut LP from Hagelstein on the horizon, there is promise of plenty yet to come for the Schwarz brothers’ imprint.

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