Recording of Vladimir Ivkovic & Ivan Smagghe's set at Lente Kabinet Festival 2023.

Lente Kabinet Festival 2023

Vladimir Ivkovic & Ivan Smagghe at Lente Kabinet Festival 2023

November 10 2023
Limited Edition in Portland.
Home on the fringe of night life, family, goodness. 
Gathering No. 70.
If you know you know.

Live at Limited Edition

Vladimir Ivkovic All Night Long at 70th Limited Edition Portland

Apiento, a.k.a Paul Byrne runs the invaluable Test Pressing blog and releases music on World Building, World Unknown and more. His show has that esoteric techno thing and whatever suits the mood…
 
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/test-pressing/episodes/test-pressing-24th-august-2024

Test Pressing 240824

Paul aka Apiento runs Test Pressing, (slowly) makes music and likes floaty bangers.

Here’s a mix inspired by the chill out room ✌️

Sound Metaphors Mix Series 28 : Apiento

The Lot Radio Stage at Making Time ♾️ 2024

FULL CIRCLE @ MAKING TIME ♾️ 2024

Intergalactic Gary @ Public Records | 13.09.2024

H.A.N.D. MIX 063 : Alexander Arpeggio PART II

Live mix recorded the 16/11/2024 at Karmakoma, by Italian newcomer's Joseph Tagliabue.
Spectacular extended set that blow the mind of the crowd...

Joseph Tagliabue @ Karmakoma (extended set) 16.11.2024

Glow Up (Bright Lights Remix)

Broadcast live on WNYU 89.1FM in New York City on October 11th, 2016. 
https://soundcloud.com/andrew-weatherall
http://www.beatsinspace.net/playlists/855
http://www.facebook.com/bisradio
http://beatsinspace.bandcamp.com

www.beatsinspace.net

Beats In Space

BIS Radio Show #855 with Andrew Weatherall

This Was Belgium 1987-89 - 2 hours of New Beat favourites

New Beat was born and initially exploded in 1987, went supernova (in Belgium) in 1988 and then the formula morphed a bit and was declared dead in 1989. It was slow and initially all about the atmosphere with industrial strength beats - the main form of rhythmic propulsion being the pounding kick and heavy snare. It was often mainly instrumental and when there was lyrical content it often became more about slogans and giving commands - "Move Your Ass And Feel The Beat!", "Let There Be Brightness!", "Shout Out Loud!". While not really New Beat, it's no surprise Technotronic's "Pump Up Jam" was produced by a crew who had produced a ton of New Beat gems.

In 1989 one of New Beat's founders, Marc Grouls said "New Beat is atmosphere, beats, no lyrics, and sure as hell not commercial!!!!!" But, it was already too late. A zillion bandwagon jumpers had diluted the music and flooded the market with too many sub standard 12" singles. New Beat temple, the legendary Boccaccio nightclub, in Destelbergen, near Ghent, had been closed down and it looked like it was all over, but really, it was just the beginning. New Beat morphed into Hard Beat (many of the tracks on this mix are from the Hard Beat era) which quickly morphed into Belgian Rave, which was huge and hugely influential in the UK and is an often overlooked part of the DNA of UK Hardcore, and all that came after. Then from Ghent, R&S Records established itself as thee European Techno label and a huge wave of incredible Techno records emanated from it and many other mighty Belgian labels, but that is another story. 

New Beat arrived just as I first started DJing and I played a lot of it in my DJ sets and built up connections with several of the leading Belgian labels who would send me 12" singles so I had records nobody else here had any idea even existed. I would compile New Beat charts for the music paper The NME which may have given the impression there was a thriving New Beat scene in Scotland. The reality was very different; people here, many of whom would embrace the rave just a little while later never really took to it in a big way.

This mix is comprised of many of my personal favourites that I have loved since they came out (and two I missed at the time and only heard later). I think the tracks have aged like a fine wine, often sounding as good if not better today as they did then. There is definitely a faint whiff of fromage and a big dollop of stoopid in several of these tracks. Of course, it is not all about the cheese and many of these adhere to the "atmosphere, beats, no lyrics, and sure as hell not commercial" rule mentioned above. Some of the best programmed 303 Acid basslines ever made can be heard here along with transcendental hypno synths and those Belgian beats going on and on....! Slow and low, from under 100bpm up to 116, New Beat doesn't chug, it swings in a very distinct way. If you get to see any videos of Belgian clubs of the era, the way people moved to this music is incredible and so different to any dancing we see today.

Many of these tracks are made by the same people under various aliases, which will perhaps be audibly evident. Most of the names have been forgotten, if they were ever even known outside their native Belgium at all, but all are legends to me. 

This mix isn't any kind of attempt to tell the story of New Beat but rather a mix 33 of my favourite 12" singles from that era showing many of the various strains of the New Beat and Hard Beat sound. A lot of love went into this and I hope someone somewhere discovers this music for the first time and falls in love with it as I did way back when. This was Belgium!

This Was Belgium 1987-89 - 2 hours of New Beat favourites

I started DJ'ing in 1987, am 50% of Optimo (Espacio) and I also run the Optimo Music record label.


“We are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is.”
Mark Vonnegut

Email - kmcivor@me.com

Optimo Music Soundcloud here - https://soundcloud.com/optimo-music

DJ bookings (worldwide) - caroline@spunoutagency.com



Press - optimopr@mac.com


Discography - http://www.optimo.co.uk/discography/

This Was Belgium 1987-89 - 2 hours of New Beat favourites

JD Twitch