<p>Tronic supremo Christian Smith and Brazil&#8217;s Wehbba have been busy creating a series of innovative single releases together that will be known as the &#8220;Passion Over Fashion - Trilogy&#8221;. In a perfect storm meeting of musical minds these two maestros have come together in the studio on a creative high after their recent, individual, critically acclaimed artist albums - &#8220;Omakase&#8221; and &#8220;Square Two&#8221;.Given that they have remixed a number of huge, high profile releases together in recent times - Funk D&#8217;Void&#8217;s classic &#8220;Diabla&#8221;; Laurent Garnier&#8217;s &#8220;Flashback&#8221; and Bushwacka&#8217;s &#8220;Westside&#8221; - it seems amazing that this is the first time that they have worked on a series of original tracks together!Has the wait been worth it? You bet! Across the releases, Christian Smith and Wehbba explore and innovate to an exceptionally high standard, creating 6 huge dancefloor moments that respectfully touch base with influences drawn from the likes of Detroit Techno, Chicago Acid House and 80&#8217;s Hi-Nrg. The first release will be:Christian Smith &amp; WehbbaPassion Over Fashion 1/31. Second Life2. Centauri(Tronic) TR114"Second Life&#8221; is pure peak-time techno of the highest order that channels the soulful brilliance of the best of Detroit into a huge ball of positive, euphoric energy. &#8220;Centauri&#8221; focuses on the E-Dancer style bassline techno with equal gusto, exposing deeper creative streak from this partnership.Pt.1 is released July 15th Passion Over Fashion Pt. 2 and Pt. 3 will follow in two month intervals.</p>

Christian Smith & Wehbba - Second Life (Original Mix) [Tronic]

Irish techno duo Loco & Jam return to MB Elektronics with their powerful 3-tracker ''A Pinch of Spice EP''. The boys are no strangers to top notch techno and they prove it once again. Another storming EP showcasing 3 spicy diamonds, ready to siege every dancefloor's corner with endless amounts of energy. You have been warned.

A Pinch Of Spice EP

Loco & Jam - A Pinch Of Spice (Original Mix)

Pig&Dan - On A Train Update (Update Mix)
LABEL: ELEVATE

Pig&amp;Dan - On A Train Update (Update Mix)

Foremost international techno outlet Drumcode is delighted to announce the release of its next full-length album, ‘Satellite’, by enduring Italian techno talent Sam Paganini.

Though he has been active since the mid nineties, recent years have been hugely successful for Sam, with searing techno EPs coming on revered labels such as Riche Hawtin’s Plus8, Sven Vath’s Cocoon and of course, Adam Beyer’s Drumcode. In his time he has been responsible for underground hits like ‘Zoe’, ‘Polyester’ and ‘Fire In My Arms’, all of which demonstrate his dynamic understanding of sexy, dark and hypnotic techno grooves and at the same time have earned him plenty of great Beatport chart positions as well as respect from the best in the game.

Incredibly, ‘Satellite’ is Sam’s first full-length album. Informed by his DJ gigs at legendary places like Berghain in Berlin and Cielo in New York, the album starts with a dystopian bit of sonic scene setting, as if a space ship is charging up ready to take off.

From there it’s a case of getting straight down to business. ‘Another Chance’ is a spacey bit of cantering techno and ‘White’ is rooted in devastating kick drums and is riddled with serrated synth lines that build lots of great techno pressure. ‘Down’ is an undulating bit of funky techno complete with choice vocal flourishes and tracks like ‘Lotus’ are prime offerings from the deeper end of the scale.

No two tracks sound the same on Satellite: Sam is always teasing out a new bit of texture, nailing a slightly different vibe or exploring different amounts of light and dark throughout the course of this most excellent album. This is evidenced by diverse cuts like ‘Dusty’, ‘Toxic’ and ‘Rave’.

Despite ‘Satellite’ being Sam’s debut album, it showcases his seductive style in all its glory across 12 fantastic tracks that will leave you begging for more.

Sam Paganini - Another Chance - Drumcode - DCCD10

It takes a lot to achieve the status of ‘legendary’ or ‘era-defining’ in dance music, it’s sands shift so quickly artists, genres and labels have often come and gone before you realise. So it’s with some pride and deserved justification that Yoshitoshi marks its 20th anniversary with celebratory remix packages of its most iconic tracks. Already riding high in the Beatport charts with the success of the Uto Karem and Robosonic mixes of Eddie Amador’s ‘House Music’, the latter of which has spent the past month in the overall top 5, the label now plans a one, two punch with the follow-up: Alcatraz’ seminal ‘Giv Me Luv’.

“We thought long and hard about how we scheduled this 20th anniversary project,” says label boss Sharam, “little point launching big and then following up with a whimper so we deliberately chose Alcatraz for this difficult task. But the challenge didn’t end there; a massive record still deserves a massive remix and I think it’s safe to say we found the perfect woman for the job...”

Step forward undisputed techno titan Nicole Moudaber who leapt at the opportunity to remix the track. “I’ve got so many fond memories of ‘Giv Me Luv’, it was one of my favourite tunes from my formative clubbing days,” recalls Nicole happily, “so, when Yoshi mentioned the idea of me remix-ing it I just couldn’t say no. In fact I was so familiar with Alcatraz I was already awash with ideas of what I could, or should, do with it. As I got into the mix one of those ideas just grew and grew, namely an extended breakdown that constantly builds; layering the memorable vocal to an intense pay-off and (hopeful) moment of real dancefloor drama.” 

Nicole’s humble description doesn’t quite do the end result justice, which is a modern, masterful take on the classic. Her iconic techno beats, dark twisted stabs and arrangement of ‘that’ bassline drive toward the mentioned break, which will undoubtedly rival the fireworks of any impending NYE celebrations. In fact, expect this track to be THE soundtrack to many a dance floor come the all important hand-over to 2015.

And, just in case that weren’t enough, Yoshi has also secured the skills of Tent Cantrelle to deliver the perfect deep house foil to Nicole’s techno ferocity as Sharam concludes, “We wanted a real slice of contemporary funk from the companion mix. Yoshi is synonymous with exploring the line between deep house and techno, perhaps no more so than during its formative years, so this re-mix completes the package perfectly.” 

Alcatraz - Giv Me Luv is OUT NOW exclusively on Beatport, then 29th December all other outlets, iTunes etc


Pig&amp;Dan - On A Train Update (Update Mix)

Mathijs Visée

Pig&Dan - On A Train Update (Update Mix)