Curated music to the hip-hop culture.

Contact: rap@nations.io

So-T does not scowl and look mean while he DJs. He does not pretend to know everything and he will be nice to you and your friends. He is grateful to be doing music for a living and he knows that the reason people go to parties is to shake their ass and have fun.

Hailing from South Africa, but with a London influence, his love for house music comes from his experiences across the European club scene.

I am neither afraid of showing my emotions nor to include them in my music - Stimming

Few people bring a truly original sound to house music. At a relatively young age, Hamburgs Martin Stimming did just that, demonstrating a sophisticated yet accessible sound that is beyond his years.

Two years after hooking up with Solomuns Diynamic Music, his 2008 breakthrough hit Una Pena made the electronic world sit up and take notice, and before long acclaimed labels like Freerange, liebe*detail, Buzzin´ Fly, Green and Poker Flat were snapping up his work. 2009 saw him release his immaculate debut album Reflections to great acclaim, cementing his reputation as one of the most exciting new producers of his generation. 

His second album, Liquorice, eschews the normal kick-clap/snare template by and large to explore more interesting and progressive territories, but always with that trademark magpie-like sense of texture, emotion and discovery. 

His productions are filled with a multitude of his own unique, charismatic field recordings, and he never uses the same sample more than once. 

2010 saw him pick up an award for Best Newcomer at the Ibiza DJ Awards, following on from his live show (Stimming does not DJ) stunning the crowds at the islands legendary Pacha, and the finest danceries around the world Πfrom Berlins Panoramabar to Sao Paulo´s D-Edge, Brussels Fuse, London´s fabric and Paris Rex, and plenty more beyond. 

Remixes for the likes of Sascha Funke, Claude VonStroke, Deadmau5, Stephan Bodzin and Tom Novy to name but a few have further spread his influence amongst the discerning house and tech community, and cemented his reputation as one of the scene´s most exceptional producers.

Clearly, Martin Stimming is a precious talent indeed. But then again, not everyone loves liquorice...

“DJ’ing is about connection, the basic human 
experience, and I love this.”

Accomplished DJ and label owner, 2Lani The Warrior, typifies a new generation of talented twenty-first century South African electronic dance music creatives.  His approach to track selection, whether building a DJ set in real time or discovering tunes for release on his labels, draws heavily on diverse musical influences. Formative years spent in the warm embrace of the finest jazz, soul and reggae tunes, alongside more locally-originating sounds, lends 2Lani’s work an uncommon richness and eclecticism.  The common thread linking everything is the man’s desire to transmit emotion from recording to audience.

It’s easy to discern 2Lani’s musical heritage and fastidious approach to curation, both in his sophisticated DJ performances and in the catalogue of releases on Do It Now Recordings, Music Basket and DeepStitched.  The results of his lifelong quest to showcase great music are particularly evident in the intelligent, almost unconscious, melding of musical forms found in 2Lani’s live performances.  Recent critically acclaimed cameos for Mixmag’s The Lab series and another appearance in Johannesburg for the respected Boiler Room brand, attest to his enduring high status in the deep soulful house underground.  2Lani’s regular guest mixes for Los Angeles-based taste-maker Lars Behrenroth’s legendary weekly Deeper Shades of House show are further testimony to the esteem in which he is held among the global house cognoscenti.  A real innovator bringing real music to real people.

2Lani is recognised for thoughtfully constructed and uniquely moving DJ sets, and while deeply rooted in his proud African heritage, his music choices are outward-looking and accessible to the most discerning worldwide audiences.  Beyond the underground, the man’s prestigious talent as a selector is one of the best kept secrets of house.  If you know, you know.  Whether playing out to an appreciative dance floor of discriminating deep soulful house enthusiasts or championing local and international production talent across the genres, his underpinning ideology remains the  same.  For 2Lani, it’s all

Kivi 
DnB & UKGarage Producer
Jungle Cakes Brand Manager 
Defused Mood 
Birdcage Hanoi 
Contact: https://www.facebook.com/KiviUK/

Luks is following