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. He’s also put his sonic thumbprint on many big ticket artists, notably receiving a Grammy nomination for a Tori Amos remix in 2003. Such diverse musical horizons are rare. While other prolific artists may have slowly watered down their music, Buttrich’s star has risen in diametric opposition. His vision has become more and more condensed, more and more crystallised. Flipping and puncturing grooves in a live setting is a snap for him, and he’s entranced audiences at festivals like Time Warp and Creamfields, at temples of boom such as Fabric (London), Womb (Tokyo), Cocoon (Frankfurt), Panorama Bar (Berlin) and Amnesia (Ibiza) and at worldwide Desolat Experience parties with Loco Dice.

Buttrich’s journey into electronic music began in clubs in Berlin and Hannover at the dawn of the ‘90s, when post-Summer of Love-Europe began to swing to its own hypnotic, machine-like groove. At 18 years old he began experimenting with production as X-Rotation (with Daniel Bross), which led to the projects Rhythm Assault, Sounds of Life and Phunk Diggazs (with engineer Andy Bolleshon).

Buttrich began a notorious collaboration with his then co-worker at Peppermint Jam distribution, Timo Maas, in the mid-‘90s (they worked the telephones together). After setting up his first studio in the basement of the Peppermint Park studio building, the partnership led to over 100 co-productions and remixes that included Madonna, Muse, Fatboy Slim. Josh Wink and Green Velvet. Buttrich has produced funk legend Bootsy Collins, while switching the patterns for artists including Tom Jones, Kelis, Moloko, Depeche Mode, Placebo, Yello, War and Roger Sanchez. His Azzido Da Bass “Dooms Night” remix with Timo Maas hit the UK top ten charts.
 
All the while he created an impressive library of beats and collected an arsenal of music production equipment for his studio in Timetools, a studio complex founded in 1997 in Hannover with a group of musicians. Buttrich is happy with the subtle crunch of an SP-12 sampler and the ‘smoky’ vibe of his analog mixing desk – adding a bass guitar or other instrument when necessary. But he’s not above having fun with a laptop either: approaching music programs as if they were video games. He doesn’t rely on any one machine or music composition technique, and his array of outboard gear is mouth-wateringly state of the art.
But he never loses touch with the gritty, human side of music, and the environments that it is played in.

Another key musical partnership, with Loco Dice, begun in 2002, undoubtedly inspired Buttrich to delve deeper into the musical histories that first lured him towards after-dark melodies. In a short space of time they’d built up a deep discography creating an era-defining sound in the process. They spent more than half a year living in New York in 2006/2007, with half of Buttrich’s studio set up in a rickety hideaway in Brooklyn that looked out over Manhattan’s vistas. Between late night production sessions and snowstorms, their Desolat label came to life.

Having his debut solo album Crash Test released on Desolat in early 2010, Martin Buttrich is taking his vision to the road, fusing wild imagination with solid musical architecture, cherry-picked inspiration with true perfection of his musical craft. 

Since then constantly on tour, in 2011 Martin Buttrich still has dropped a remarkable collection of music - productions like “Fire Files” EP on Desolat or remixes for Marco Carola and Lee Curtis amongst others.

Currently based in LA, Martin Buttrich is working on his second artist album and a jazz project called The Stoned Autopilot.

Stay tuned.

Label and Artist Page by AKA AKA from Berlin, Germany.

Quality will find its way.
booking: info@pracht.dk

Gabriel Ananda has been an established institution in the electronic music scene for countless years now and produces from emotionally playful, to primetime Techno a wide range of styles, without ever forgetting the organic groove in it. In recent times he has attracted attention especially through his radio show and same named label "Soulful Techno" in the emotional, melodic segment. Through several releases on his more dancefloor oriented label "Basmati" and further collaborations, as well as remixes by and for various well-known artists, Gabriel can now look back on over 300 productions. In addition to that, he fascinates with his gripping and varied sets, which take people around the globe on an emotional ride. Either from behind the DJ desk, or with his monthly Soulful Techno Podcast.

From early breakout hit "Phat Dope Shit" in 2002 to "Heavy Heart", a new collaboration with Skrillex and Fireboy DML, Dice has always been in the headlines. After his debut album "7 Dunham Place" on his own now long-running and well-regarded Desolat in 2008, came the major label follow-up "Underground Sound Suicide" on Ultra Music with guests like Giggs, Just Blaze, and Neneh Cherry, then the agenda-setting and club-focussed house and techno showcase that was "Love Letters" in 2018. 

Add in tens of EPs on Ovum, Minus, Cocoon, to name a few, and his remixes from everyone from Kevin Saunderson to Moby, Black Coffee to Disclosure, Warren G to Basement Jaxx, Loco Dice has always been at the beating heart of the electronic scene. 

His DJ sets, too, always brim with personality, whether in a small underground basement or on an iconic main stage at some of the world's top festivals like EDC Ultra, Tomorrowland and Coachella to name a few, playing to thousands. He has had era-defining residencies at iconic Ibiza super clubs like Circoloco at DC-10 and on the Amnesia Terrace as well at Space Miami. 

His lockdown move has been to unveil En Coleur, a label reserved exclusively for his own music produced at that time. SB Recordings followed. A new label open to all styles of dance music.

Since day one Loco Dice constantly pushes the boundaries of techno and house music production, from his appearance in 2004 PlayStation2 game "Decks & FX" to cooking up his own ideal fusions of hip hop and electronic music with his FKD side project or writing critically acclaimed runway soundtracks for Italian fashion designer Marcelo Burlon during Men’s Fashion Week in Milan for both FW20 and SS20.

Dice's distinctive fashion sense and strong visual aesthetic manifest in his collaborations with Amsterdam fashion label Daily Paper, pro sports hat purveyors New Era and in his own clothing brand Seran Bendecidos. 

All of this and his longevity prove that Loco Dice is undoubtedly an insatiable creative force most interested in the uncharted territory between genres and styles, the elements that link everything together.

Established in 2009 by Berlin-based DJs and producers Jakob Hildenbrand and Franziskus Sell, known, praised and recognized by fans and followers of electronic club music under their conjunctional moniker Format B, Formatik Records was initially installed as a homebase for the pairs own productions.

After their so-called Motor Funk-sound, a forward thinking take on pumping, straightforward, high octane electronic music represented both by releases on labels like Highgrade Records or Stil For Talent as well as an endless string of captivating live sets, had caught the attention of clubbers and media alike the pair felt the need to create a platform of their own that would grant them full creative freedom as well as unlimited quality control for a fertile and fecund future.      

Whilst taking care of the A& R side of things Format B teamed up with electronic music veteran Hawks Grunert on management duties, setting up an imprint that soon gained massive traction, became one of the major forces on the global club circuit and quickly grew way beyond the teams initial plannings and intentions.
 
With its core sound being defined by the powerful Motor Funk / Tech-Funk production of its founders Formatik Records soon became home and mothership for a vast array of likeminded producers and friends whose single releases are still rocking dancefloors all over the place.

Spreading the labels trademark sound further and catering towards the needs of an ever growing fanbase the label soon expanded and started to set up Formatik Records club nights and showcases all over Europe back in 2014, selling out  shows and leaving punters in awe whereever these nights are taking place.

Aside from carving out an in demand niche as club promoters the Formatik Records crew also started to take care of their artists bookings with their very own booking agency Formatik Booking which was subsequently renamed, restructured and relaunched in 2017 under the name of VIVID Artists which is now successfully handling things bookingwise for a good portion of the labels roster plus a carefully picked selection of other aspiring as well as well established artists and performers.

In addition to these musings the ever busy Formatik Records team established a second, rapidly growing musical outlet in 2017. Embracing a broader musical spectrum than its Motor Funk-oriented mothership, the freshly founded label FMK+ provides a home for a new generation of producers covering a wide range of electronic club music incorporating a musical spectrum including all things House, ElectroHouse, TechHouse, Techno and beyond. With more than 10 red hot releases within the first year the new FMK+ branch has received much love amongst DJ's and from an international dancefloor crowd and quickly turned out to be a launchpad for fresh, upcoming talent from all over the globe.

Branching out even further Formatik Records launched an additional subdivision in early 2018 – FormatikSounds. Focusing on the ever growing demand for high quality samples and grooves this specific and one of a kind label provides exclusive sample packs for DJ's and producers alike, starting operations with Format:B's “TechHouse Signature Cuts”, an acclaimed release which sees the upfront production team unveiling some of their best kept secrets soundwise, catering to the needs of every creator of contemporary club sounds of today.

the pied piper of dance ...and occasionally known to spot the odd tune...

JayJay1988 is following