A1 Rebekah - Diablo - Cult Figures 03

Phil Kieran_Computer Games_Matador Remix

Brand new remix of Cari Lekebusch's latest hot creation 'Fly' is out now! Check it out!

Cari Lekebusch & Zoe Xenia - Fly (Spektre Remix) (Tulipa)

Maxx Jett feat. Kamal Imani - Existence (Original Mix)

Download EP here: http://www.beatport.com/release/drift/284354

Release date: 27/09/2010

“This album is about the cold dark grey Berlin winter” – Marc Houle.

A simple statement, sure – but anyone who experienced Berlin during the winter of 2009 / 2010 will know exactly where Marc is coming from. Each day and night the temperature remained below freezing, the sky grey from an unsettling lack of sun. Ice covered streets from Kreuzberg to Prenzlauer Berg. The conditions did, however, grant Marc the opportunity to spend all of his waking hours in the studio, absorbing the warm welcoming heat generated from his analogue synths. The experimentation during this winter period was the catalyst for Marc’s latest long-player for Minus – quite possibly his most accomplished and personal release to date.

Drift is an album of tracks inspired by the prolonged Berlin winter, and the depression, which it so often causes – from the chill of the coldest nights felt on tracks such as Inside and The Next, through to songs that encompass the frustrations of gray skies such as Seeing In The Dark. Marc has created a season of emotions and in doing so put forth his own personal frustrations towards what is considered “techno” in its most basic form. Locking himself away during a winter season to fully embrace his own idealism has resulted in an album on which his rebellious nature and desire for a more experimental musical mentality has cast him further from the standard practice of our techno underworld. His grievances are at their most clear on the title track, which is an intense, and ultimately angry, techno belter produced as the winter season caused feelings less of “beauty” and more of suffocation.

Drift is not without moments in which the sunlight peeks through the layers of heavy clouds, however. Tracks such as Sweet and Hitcher Man provide the audible interpretation of a person dreaming of warmer climates. The not so forgotten idea of being elsewhere, with the experience of finally seeing the snow fade away and the clouds drift towards springtime skies. By the time the album reaches its finale, with the track Hammering, it’s clear that Marc’s winter blues have receded, as the few remaining patches of ice melt into puddles of past musical memories. While summer has not yet arrived, the sun is starting to make its presence felt, warming the city streets once more.

A mainstay of the Minus camp, Marc Houle has been known to push the boundaries with his output for the label, always adding tweaks and twists from analogue synths, unexpected, obscure sounds, and an onslaught of vocals and playfulness. He is a producer clearly not satisfied with following the guidelines set by other techno practitioners. His take on electronic music is one in its own, a personal sound that draws upon his early influences from industrial, retro and Detroit, along with a modern vision of path-finding techno. His ability to play with ideas and equally provide functionality for the floor sets Marc Houle apart. And his latest venture for the label, although inspired by the coldest moments of the year, is undoubtedly hot as fire.

Tracklist:

1. Inside
2. Seeing In The Dark 
3. Sweet
4. Drift
5. The Next 
6. Hitcher Man 
7. Melting
8. Hammering

Press contact: press@marchoule.net

Connect with Marc Houle:
www.marchoule.net/
www.facebook.com/marchoule.official 
www.mixcloud.com/marchoule
www.youtube.com/user/MarcRHoule
www.twitter.com/MarcRHoule
www.residentadvisor.net/dj/marchoule 
www.dj.beatport.com/marchoule 
www.juno.co.uk/artists/Marc+Houle/
www.discogs.com/artist/Marc+Houle 
www.itemsandthings.com


Marc Houle - Sweet | Minus | 2010

Meltin Pot EP

Meltin Pot (Original Mix)

Download LP here: http://www.beatport.com/release/undercover/867190

Release date: 24/02/2012

Let’s call ‘Undercover’, the new album from Marc Houle, a double departure. His last album, ‘Drift’ was on Minus, and his label, Items & Things, run alongside Magda & Troy Pierce, was until last year a Minus sub-label. He’s now left the label, and Items & Things stands on its own two feet poised for great things in the years to come. With this new found freedom Marc’s synth-driven techno sound continues to grow, evolve and surprise. Nowhere is this growth more evident than in the tracks that make up ‘Undercover’.

Things kick off with ‘Hearing’ which has a bassline that drives like a vintage Mercedes shifting gears on the Autobahn as it picks up speed. The synths, with their soft melody, let you know how smooth the suspension is while a metallic voice whispers in your ear from the back seat. ‘Undercover’, the eponymous single, is a case study in the deep and moody side of old school Chicago House.

In a recent interview Marc said that ‘right how I am trying to get away from my regular tempo, play some real drums and get some non 4/4 fills and beats going on.’ On ‘Juno 6660’ he does just that and with stellar results. ‘Juno 6660’ sounds like what could have happened if early Warp artists like LFO and Sweet Exorcist had grown up on NYC freestyle rather than Detroit Techno. ‘Very Bad’ is actually very good, so Marc must be referring to something else entirely; the mystery remains within him and the music. Bink is able to set you off balance with a melody that sounds like it’s from an old music box that’s been wound up just a little too far. The ballerina dancing on top of the box is held steady only by 4/4 beat, acid house claps and bouncy bass.

Continuing with ‘Am Am Am’ Marc takes things in a bit of an industrial direction. Not the industrial of Nitzer Ebb & Einstürzende Neubauten but rather a construction site buried deep inside an unsettling dream. Hammers ping and echo, while the sounds of cables detune and voices echo from other floors. When ‘Mooder’ drops you wake up slowly and find yourself back on the dance-floor. The tracks driving rhythm and pitter pat toms keep things moving underneath the track’s ever dreamy pads.

The albums concludes with ‘Under the Neath’ which succeeds in taking things even deeper than just ‘Under Cover’ while at the same time unearthing Marc’s roots in the sound of Detroit Techno. Chords shift back and forth in pitch as the rolling bassline goes lower and lower. Kept steady by a very live shaker sound the track completes its cycles adding new layers and voices upon each turn.

Marc says that this album represents ‘my personal sound more than anything I've ever done before’ and it shows. With influence and inspiration from such diverse sources that Marc calls upon, ‘Undercover’ more than manages to carve out a distinctive flow that is all his own. What the future holds is anyone’s guess, just expect the unexpected.

Tracklist:
1. Hearing
2. Undercover
3. Juno 6660
4. Very Bad
5. Bink
6. Am Am Am 
7. Mooder
8. Under the Neath

Press contact: press@marchoule.net

Connect with Marc Houle:
www.marchoule.net/
www.facebook.com/marchoule.official 
www.mixcloud.com/marchoule
www.youtube.com/user/MarcRHoule
www.twitter.com/MarcRHoule
www.residentadvisor.net/dj/marchoule 
www.dj.beatport.com/marchoule 
www.juno.co.uk/artists/Marc+Houle/
www.discogs.com/artist/Marc+Houle 
www.itemsandthings.com


Marc Houle - Hearing | Items & Things | 2012

Marc Houle - Undercover | Items & Things | 2012

Download EP here: http://www.beatport.com/release/undercover/856031

Release date: 27/01/2012

For his new EP, ‘Undercover', Items & Things co-founder Marc Houle jumps in his time machine and heads back in time. Destination Chicago, 1987, and a face to face with Master C&J exploring the mysterious power of plunging basslines and moody synths. On remix duties Berlin based Miro Pajic sneaks in charting a decidedly bleepier course while Bruno Pronsato delivers his signature 'romantic techno' sound.

There’s no way back and Marc launches the fist bars of ‘Undercover’ with just a bouncy kick and a vintage ‘house’ bassline. With reverb in full effect the drums and hi-hats find their own space and time. Then, if the synths that roll in aren’t mysterious enough for you, the pillow talk vocals will be. The end of each line, spoken with a certain sense of agitation, is covered by chords that ride, all night long. The revelation is for your imagination but you might not want to be ‘Under Covers’ with this guy.

Next up, Miro takes the dirty sheets and chucks them in the washing machine for a good old fashioned rinse and spin. This mix creeps along all bubbles, pops, tick tocks and rim shots. Snare rolls glide in and out of time only to snap back for a sub-bass drop or a little heavy breathing. What more can you ask for?

Bruno’s ‘Electric Blanket Dub’ warms things up quite nicely with its intricate, heady take on the original. Bringing a subtle balance to the three mixes with vaguely organic tones, natural rhythms and spontaneous drum fills, Mr. Pronsato comes through in full on a cold Berlin night. 
The final track, ‘Triple E’, is an underground goodie brandishing a relentless kick and enough swing to make Chancellor Merkel do the Jitterbug. Combine sharp snares, a muted bass warble and nonsensical vocal snips panning from side to side and you have the perfect late night jack track or pump priming party starter.

True to the ‘no rules’ vision laid out by Marc, Magda and Troy, this new edition of ‘Items & Things’ is weird and wonderful with more bounce to the ounce.

Tracklist: 
A1: Undercover 
A2: Triple E 
B1: Undercover (Miro Pajic Remix) 
B2: Undercover (Bruno’s Electric Blanket Dub)

Press contact: press@marchoule.net

Connect with Marc Houle:
www.marchoule.net/
www.facebook.com/marchoule.official 
www.mixcloud.com/marchoule
www.youtube.com/user/MarcRHoule
www.twitter.com/MarcRHoule
www.residentadvisor.net/dj/marchoule 
www.dj.beatport.com/marchoule 
www.juno.co.uk/artists/Marc+Houle/
www.discogs.com/artist/Marc+Houle 
www.itemsandthings.com


Important: This file is in LOW QUALITY FILE 96Kbps (ONLY FOR PROMOTION)

Buy on BEATPORT the Hight quality one :
http://www.beatport.com/track/a-dusty-heart-marco-faraone-floorkiller-remix/4325017

Carlo Lio - A Dusty Heart (Marco Faraone Floorkiller Rmx) Sci+Tec (96kbps)

Digital EP (24 May) - itunes.apple.com/gb/album/where-i…ttin/id638765522

A collaboration between Items & Things label boss Marc Houle and Grenoble born techno/electro legend Miss Kittin, IT022 sees the release of “Where is Kittin?” a six track EP featuring two original tracks, as well as remixes from Dubfire, John Foxx & the Maths, and two further edits from Miss Kittin herself.

Building on the disco-not-disco, industrial and new wave influences of Houleʼs recent Items & Things long-player “Undercover”, the two originals on “Where is Kittin?” demonstrate the wide-ranging influences and potent pairing of the production duo: the title track a jagged hybrid of Houleʼs signature style and Kittinʼs deadpan vocal talent. In sharp contrast, A2 track “Black Star” presents an equally driven, yet slightly more ambient affair: its haunting synth lines, detuned claps and granular vocals a poignant reminder of the pairʼs production abilities both on and off the dancefloor.

High profile remix duties come from Sci+Tec Techno mastermind Dubfire, as well as John Foxx & The Maths: a recently formed musical project featuring electronic music pioneers John Foxx and modular synth experimentalist Benge. Dubfire furthers the main room potential of the EPʼs title track, with John Foxx & The Maths bringing the male vocal line to the forefront, turning the track into a roaring techno/electro-pop live hybrid.

With “Where is Kittin?” also acting as a succinct accompaniment to Miss Kittinʼs double album “Calling From the Stars”, out on 22nd of April via wSphere/Wagram, Kittin appropriately rounds off the package with a further two of her own edits, a pair of eloquently stripped-down digitally exclusive versions of the EPʼs two title tracks.

Press contact: press@marchoule.net

Connect with Marc Houle:
www.marchoule.net/
www.facebook.com/marchoule.official 
www.mixcloud.com/marchoule
www.youtube.com/user/MarcRHoule
www.twitter.com/MarcRHoule
www.itemsandthings.com

Marc Houle & Miss Kittin - Where is Kittin? (Original) | Items & Things | 2013

marin@blakksheep.com (Worldwide)
Giacomo Conti: giacomo@liaisonartists.com (USA & LATAM)
Renaud Doye : renaud@no-hour.com (France)
James What: j@arai.agency (Asia & Australia)

Marc Houle has been wowing audiences for over a decade with a live performance that is constantly evolving night after night, in city after city, at clubs and festivals worldwide. The skill and effort that goes into creating these truly 'live' sets is the result of an entire lifetime dedicated to electronic music and a deep love of the machines that make it.
Raised adjacent to Detroit in Windsor, Ontario, in the same fertile music community that spawned Richie Hawtin, Houle’s obsession with electronic sounds goes back to the noise of ’80s video games and vintage synthesizers. And while too many electronic artists use their machines as merely tools of convenience, Houle regards his with a dedication found in few producers.
The results have been extraordinary. A decade-long career of seminal records on Hawtin’s Minus label, as well as his own Items & Things imprint, that not only helped define the beloved minimal sound of the mid-‘00s (“On It”), but had a laugh at its expense (“Techno Vocals”), before transcending the limits of the sub-genre completely by incorporating industrial, disco and new wave influences
(“Undercover”).
A committed live performer, he arrives at each gig equipped six superb albums worth of material, whilst the inception of his new project alongside Octopus Recordings founder Sian sees this number multiply extensively, as the duo weave together hypnotic, warping soundscapes as they deliver Marsian (Live), with their 2018 debut tour which began in Detroit and navigated throughout the Americas setting the tone and vision from the off.
And then there is the steady stream of new music - whether it's material on the likes of Innervisions, where Houle has contributed to the label’s renowned 'Secret Weapons' series as well as delivering his stand out 'Silver Siding' EP, or remixes of classic cuts (like those found on the 10-year anniversary remix of his Restore album by Joris Voorn, Popof, Julian Jeweil and Danny Daze), plus a string of Items & Things remix packages that have welcomed artists such as Chloe and Tobi Neumann to the imprint to date. Not strictly bound to electronic music in the traditional sense, Houle’s work has also led to explorations into film, producing a score of Kurutta Ippeiji’s 1926 original silent film 'A Page of Madness' to critical acclaim.
Add the equation a deeply rooted connection and affinity with the city of Detroit, widely regarding as the birthplace of Techno, and equally as close ties to Houle’s current adopted home of Berlin, exemplified through his creation and development of 2018’s 'Sound of Berlin' documentary soundtrack, and it’s no wonder Houle’s records have found their way into the crates of DJs far-flung from his typical list of peers.

Marc Houle - Hearing | Items & Things | 2012

Marc Houle

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