techno

Samjay Nov'13 Lush Autumn Vibes Mix

XDB is Kosta Athanassiadis – German by birth and in residence, with Greek parentage. His roots are in the central German town of Göttingen. It was here that he began DJing in the early nineties; where he worked in a record shop; where he ran a radio show for five years; and the base from which he established the Metrolux record label in 2006.
For many people, it was at this point that XDB appeared on their radar. His debut ‘Jackintosh EP’ and the following ‘Descap EP’ made a splash with heads, but whilst the shimmering dub techno moments were perhaps the most obvious hook, subsequent tracks defied easy categorisation – an early indication that the person behind the music took a broad view of electronic music, caring not for stylistic pigeonholes.
Further releases mapped out more of a defined aesthetic for the label, with XDB’s own work sitting alongside contributions from Atheus and Arne Weinberg. By 2007, Kosta’s music had caught the ear of other outlets; including Francois Kevorkian’s Deep Space Media (a sublabel of Wave Music) licensed ‘Descap’ and ‘Descap live’ for re-release. Brendon Moeller was the A&R at that time and a 4 track EP on Wave Music followed in 2009.
The same year, Patrice Scott put out the first XDB release on his own Sistrum Recordings, which saw Kosta tailoring his output to a cleaner, more Detroit-inflected sound.
In tandem with his production work, XDB the DJ was coming into his own. An avid collector of vinyl since his childhood (Kosta’s collection presently numbers some 10,000 records); he had honed his craft in clubs and on the radio – mixing monthly on his own ‘Case Check’ show. 2008 brought an early highlight – spinning at Japan’s lauded Labyrinth festival alongside the cream of the international deep techno and house scene.
Kosta’s DJ sets draw upon his expansive record collection, playing right across the board of electronic music. He has no shortage of technical skill but it’s his selection that truly shines – putting the music itself at the forefront, letting songs breathe when need be, and delivering plenty of head-scratching ‘what the hell is this track?’ moments.
It’s on this that Kosta has built his reputation. Tastemakers such as the now-defunct mnml ssgs crew were quick to snap him up for a guest mix in 2009, and several of his online recordings have been picked up for Resident Advisor’s ‘Mix of the Day’ spot.
In 2010, XDB played at the UK’s highly-regarded Freerotation festival – starting a love affair with the event that’s seen him come back every year since. The festival secured Kosta’s place within a fraternity of fellow musicians and DJs who also prefer to let their music do the talking – likeminds who recognise the purity in what they do, and are all the more respected because of it.
That same year, he remixed Detroit heroes Norm Talley and Aaron Carl and in 2011 produced releases for the Dolly, Harbour City Sorrow and Echocord imprints. 2012’s highlight was a split 12” with Kassem Mosse and in 2013 he was reunited with Sistrum Recordings for the ‘Frocks’ record. 2013 also saw the rebirth of Metrolux after a 3 year hiatus, with ‘Edition 2’, an excellent Various Artists release.
When it comes to producing, Kosta favours a slow and steady work rate, opting to focus on quality control rather than record shop ubiquity. His DJing keeps him in the public eye, but one gets the sense that XDB prefers to operate in the shadows. There’s a refreshing lack of gimmickry to his approach – keeping it low-key allows him to be judged solely on the basis of talent. Arguably, it’s an innate quality – the way he wants to play it; the way that brings him most satisfaction, but it’s helped establish his reputation as an artist of considerable merit, winning the approval his audience and peers, alike.

Nick Craddock, November 2013


Phonons Podcast 014 - XDB

MIXED BY Mike Huckaby

Our weekly radio show is back on air.
Darkroom Dubs Radio presented by Silicone Soul.

Spring broadcast times :
Sundays 1am [CET]
Pioneer DJ Radio: www.pioneerdjradio.com
Tuesdays 9pm [CET]
Ibiza Sonica 95.2 FM (Ibiza)
Ibiza Sonica Radio: www.ibizasonica.com

More info on our website:
www.darkroomdubs.com

Tracklist - Justin Robertson - Darkroom Dubs Radio - Friday 4th April 2014
Dj Nori - Spaceg
Dionigi - You Look Good Tonight
La Muerte - Crash Course
Public District - Kaos In The House
The Twins - You’ve Got A Twin In The Attic
Richard Rossa - Ram Vong [ Justin Robertson’s Deadstock 33S Remix]
Barking Dogs - Last Call To Black Loops
Mijo - Crosscheck
Elitechnique - Love Triangle [ Bottin Remix]
Voiski - Ad Infinitum
Audion - Sky [ Daniel Avery Remix]
Mark Du Mosch - Space Helmet
Marc Pinol - Clef Iii
Temples - Shelter Song [Justin Robertson’s Deadstock 33S Remix]

Justin Robertson - Darkroom Dubs Radio - Sunday 6th April 2014

One of my favourite clubs in the world, i've had some splendid times here especially at the marvellous Electric Elephant. I'm very excited to back there on August 4th with Ivan Smagghe, i've done a jacking rave up mix to celebrate!
https://www.facebook.com/events/304566699714835/?fref=ts

Justin Robertson's Dj Mix For Barbarella's July 2014

"Nash Jina, TURN THAT FUCKING LIGHT OFF!"

Main Room, 4am, House Of God. Sandwiched Between Jerome Hill & Harvey Lane. 

Jake Conlon - Live @ House Of God, Subway City, BIRMINGHAM, 16 - 05 - 2014

DJ Hell - Live At Sonica Studios(Ibiza)- 23-Sept-2014

Loving the deep psychedelic downtempo 4/4 beats that have come my way. Wonderfully atmospheric tribal-feel perfect for sunny sessions

Tracklisting

Desert dwellers - Our dream world
Alwoods - Open mind
Gus till - Angelfright
Alwoods - We are modern shamans
Tuatara - Jungle never sleeps
Mr Squatch - Moving forward
Akshan - Solar Cycle24
The Zap - Isopdope
Max Cooper - Spiral Inflections
Desert dwellers - The Elephant's march
Tarac - Tinker tanner
OOOD - Dum Dum



Jay monaghan detriot techno mix

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