www.richardnorris.bandcamp.com
Richard Norris is a musician and producer based in London, currently working on a series of ambient/deep listening/experimental releases on the Group Mind label. He showcased this music at Nile Rodgers' Meltdown Festival on the Southbank, London, on August 7th supporting Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, playing the music from Stranger Things.
His work includes co-producing the 1988 album 'Jack the Tab' one of the first UK acid house records, which resulted in an appearance on the cover of NME. A record deal with Warners as the Grid followed, with Soft Cell's Dave Ball. The Grid produced 10 hit singles and 3 albums, including the million selling 'Swamp Thing'.  Norris subsequently collaborated with a number of artists, including Joe Strummer and Robert Fripp. His work with Erol Alkan as Beyond The Wizards Sleeve resulted in many well regarded edits and remixes. The BTWS album 'The Soft Bounce' was a Rough Trade record of the year.
He has also produced albums and mixes as solo psych project The Time and Space Machine, remixing many artists including Warpaint, Tame Impala, Brian Eno, Noel Gallagher and Erasure. His Group Mind label has regular releases via Bandcamp, streaming and independent record shops, and a Bandcamp subscription service with regular vinyl, CD and download releases.
The Grid have recently signed to BMG and will be releasing new music and playing live dates in 2024. His memoir 'Strange Things Are Happening' is published by White Rabbit on 21st March 2024.

contact - rgtnorris@gmail.com

Hailing from Houston, Megan Thee Stallion is a three-time GRAMMY-winning recording artist, actor, philanthropist and entrepreneur. From earning two Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits with the “Savage (Remix)” featuring Beyoncé, and “WAP” with Cardi B to releasing her dynamic album “Traumazine,” Megan has proven unstoppable.  

 

Megan has been recognized for her musical achievements, including three GRAMMY wins, nine BET Awards and back-to-back Billboard Music Awards for “Top Rap Female Artist.” Additionally, she has been honored for her advocacy efforts, having received the 2022 Special Achievement Award at The Webby Awards and the Trailblazer Award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.  

 

Most recently, Megan made history in Nov. 2022, becoming the first Black woman to appear on the cover of Forbes’ prestigious Under 30 issue. She was previously recognized as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020 after publishing her monumental “Why I Speak Up For Black Women” op-ed for The New York Times.

Music describes exactly what words can never achieve. The exploration of sound and the emotion of music characterise exactly what Pete Oak is all about. A simple desire to let his music speak a thousand words. Starting out his career with soft and emotional productions, Pete has moved forward and progressed his style into an underground oriented sound that revolves around hypnotic melodies and driving grooves. Getting lost in the atmosphere of sound and music is the main philosophy behind his productions.

Pete has released originals as well as remixes on respected labels such as Stil Vor Talent, Toolroom, Sincopat, Eskimo Recordings, Steyoyoke etc. Pete's tracks has also frequently been aired by Pete Tong on BBC radio 1 and gained massive support from some of the biggest artist in the underground scene. 
From Pete's first release in late 2012 things has progressed really fast. He has already been dj'ing all over the world. New York, Miami, Johannesburg, London, Amsterdam, Berlin and Moscow are just a few of the cities Pete has been playing in over the past two years. 

Recently Pete has started his own label, Blindfold Recordings, with the agenda of releasing music that defines his own personal taste. His label will not be defined by the number of famous producers. The sole purpose is to bring good underground music to the surface from all around the world. 

Let the music speak for it self!’

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Soft Option is a Seattle house music monthly produced by Karl Kamakahi & Michelle Ferris of De La Creme Soundsystem. Since 2013, every first Saturday at Monkey Loft, local house music DJs get featured and promoted at this ever-popular night.

HEAR OUR SOUNDS:
Hearth.Is: https://hearthis.at/softoption/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/softoption
Mixcloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/softoption/

JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST:
http://eepurl.com/bXz1Uf

CONNECT WITH US ON FACEBOOK:
Soft Option: https://www.facebook.com/groups/softoption/
De La Creme: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DLCSoundsystem/

vi•sion quest (noun): a search for personal communication with the spirit world. 

Every mystical journey eventually comes to a fork in the road. The seeker of life’s destiny has two options: remain satisfied with whatever level of consciousness he has already attained, or push forward into ever-new domains of promise and possibility. 2014 sees dance music’s best-known spiritual pilgrims, the Visionquest trio of Ryan Crosson, Lee Curtiss, and Shaun Reeves, bravely embarking upon that wondrous journey. Each member of this celebrated DJing and production team contributes a distinct yet interlocking vision that together forms a seamless, organic whole. Just think of Crosson’s enthusiastic shuffle, Lee’s soulful stare, Shaun’s soft touch. Everything they craft has the same unmistakable flair: slow-burning, shape-shifting, expansive techno and house marked by compositional elegance and unabashed pop hooks.

Although long-time partner and co-conspirator Seth Troxler has stepped aside to pursue other projects, 2013 was the biggest year ever for the four. Inspired by the passing of the Mayan calendar, the group embarked upon Visionquest 13, 13 dates where the boys not only played together the whole night, but curated a true multimedia experience. From London to Buenos Aires, from the American hinterland to the Chilean wilderness, Visionquest 13 was a Freudian trip into the deepest recesses of the Detroit rave unconscious, what Ibiza Voice described as a “collective expedition into the depths of your soul”—but with a sophisticated, modern twist.

Their accomplishments are well-known and too many to list. For starters: a critically acclaimed 2011 Fabric mix; year-defining hit remixes for artists as diverse as Kiki, Wareika, Tracey Thorn, and David Lynch; showcases and dates in the biggest clubs and festivals around the world; and the creation of a now iconic-label that’s played host to dancefloor weaponry from the likes of Benoit & Sergio, Life & Death, Dinky, and Laura Jones—all this while each member maintained significant individual production and DJ careers. But, by definition, no journey dwells in the past. So in 2014 they launched Visionquest Special Editions, a limited-release, vinyl only label. Evoking the experimental sounds of the European techno avant-garde that first inspired the boys back in Detroit, the debut release, remixes of Montreal songwriter Quilla, features a stunning collaboration between Shaun and long-time hero Ricardo Villalobos. With Visionquest Special Editions we see the group at home at a breezy, gentle afterparty, not just igniting the club. As Visionquest winds around the corner into their bright future, they remain open and excited for what lies ahead.

The Autobiography of Howard Thomas Michael *King Of Bass* Jones


also , a music promoter..

As an artist’s I struggle to establish my musical identity, laboriously trying on different musical styles like a piece of clothing, looking to find what fits. Just to find that I love all types of music experimenting with all of it. From that I know I will emerge fully formed, in full command of my craft, my identity and my music. Till the Day I Die, is a captivating and moving debut that will herald the arrival of a gifted and significant new talent, one whose music feels familiar in the best possible way, while striking out on its own territory.)

A Tennessee boy who grew up in Knoxville/Greeneville near Nashville, Howard loved music as a child, but didn’t take music seriously until he was in his early 20’s. He explains, “I started writing songs in my head, and it took my interest in music to another level.” Not being able to play the piano I used the computer to compose music to the ideas I heard in my head. Loving all the greats like, Elvis Presley, Frank Sentra, Bruce Haack; and Mozart, other mainstreamed well-known artist. I listen to all of their music. Almost immediately, I started to remix the music of all the later musicians. I could hear their songs in a different light. They came together as if it had been planned all long.

Recording on his laptop and playing the songs he started to gain the respect of his friends. Now recording in earnest, Howard was gathering skill as a songwriter, taking his influences, like Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, The Band Perry, The Band Killers, Happy Goodman’s and Carmen, and using them to shape his own style. “I grew up with a lot of styles of music,” Howard explains, “My mom used to play soft rock and Christian, Classical music all the time. I naturally gravitate to that kind of sound; there’s a warmth and timelessness to it that I’ve always loved.”


As his name grew in the International area, the pieces began to fall into place for Howard. Entering a contest in Knoxville Tennessee as a singer, Howard won second place and was introduced on television as a person to watch as an up and coming song writer and performer. This gave Howard the courage to do what he had dreamed. Howard went on to create his first CD which was produced by Southern Sound and was listened to by Dolly Parton. “She sent word for him to keep up the good work and keep on singing”
Howard is an artist is just starting out, so there is no recording or touring history to date however, he has been interviewed by Tusculum College as an up and coming to watch. He has been contacted by several other radio hosts and has his music played everywhere.

That freedom allowed Howard to self-produce outstanding albums, as well the space to experiment while making it. He reflects, “There was a lot of trial and error that went into each album. The songwriting is far more detailed, and that was reflected in how I recorded. We recorded twenty-five songs, and I picked ten. I spent months on certain songs, refining them until I thought they were just right.” With Howard recording on all musical instruments makes for a long and detailed day at work.

From the opening notes of Howard’s first album, one hears that combination of melodic irresistibility and lyrical incisiveness that are becoming Howard’s hallmarks. “The songs now inspired by his love of music and all the emotional feelings that he has gone through.

http://solventcity.com

http://facebook.com/solvent

http://discogs.com/artist/Solvent

For over a decade, Jason Amm’s work as Solvent has neatly defied categorization. His music is too sweetly melodic for techno or acid, his compositions too fiendishly detailed for synth-pop. He was too steeped in the sounds of the ‘80s to participate in the incipient IDM scene; he was briefly lumped in with the short-lived electroclash movement, only to outlive it; he’s played “minimal wave” parties and goth clubs, indie-rock shows and techno all-nighters. But even as words fail in the face of Solvent’s music, its pleasures are anything but elusive.

Today, Zimbabwe-born Jason Amm lives in Toronto, ON, where he spends his time obsessively grappling with an outsized collection of vintage analog synthesizers, samplers, and sequencers. Solvent first materialized in 1997 with a string of singles and full-lengths (1998’s Solvent, 1999’s Solvently One Listens) on Amm’s own Suction Records, the Toronto-based label he founded with Lowfish’s Gregory DeRocher. The watershed release Solvent City (2001) on Berlin-based Morr Music introduced Amm’s sound to a wider audience, and Apples &amp; Synthesizers (2004) marked Solvent’s move to Ghostly International. Along with notable remixes of artists including Soft Cell, Alter Ego, and Adult., Solvent tracks have appeared on high-profile DJ mixes and seminal compilations.

Solvent’s most recent record on Ghostly International, 2010?s Subject to Shift, marks a turn for the darker as Amm embraces his love of the abrasive sounds of acid and industrial. And while a sinister tone or two now dances among Solvent’s sparkling hooks and bright streaks of synthesizer, and while Amm’s music drifts even further from accepted genre-specific reference points, Solvent’s sound has only deepened. After more than ten years of composing love songs for robots, Amm sounds like nothing more than himself.



So much more important than any of the parties, the interminable travel, magazine covers or cash, every great DJ should begin first and foremost, with one goal: to be the most avid collector. Honing down the multitude of records is his task, through unearthing and treasuring music, new and old; almost as a traveler navigating his way through the ocean of new sounds. It&apos;s this constant drive for sonic exploration that&apos;s responsible for Souvenir, the Berlin label spearheaded by the brothers Ali and Basti Schwarz, better known to the world simply as Tiefschwarz.

With over five years in existence, the label has steadily amassed an impressive roster of artists, forming a closely-knit family of upcoming producers around them, as well as working alongside some of the leading figures in contemporary electronic music. It’s also been a home for most of Tiefschwarz’s own output with the young label’s very first release being the single ‘Hey’ back in 2006, recorded under the brother’s Ichundu alias. Since then they’ve had a ten-year celebratory ‘Best Of’ compilation, an album ‘Chocolate’ and their ‘In The City’ label sampler. With a whole host of artists having released singles along the way, including names like Riton, Phonique and Ziggy Kinder, the label has now become home to a steady group of talented young producers, Re.You, Sante, Chris Wood &amp; Meat and Ruede Hagelstein. Ruede himself recently released his debut album, ‘Soft Pack’ alongside his band The Noblettes, an electro-indie sound with an ethereal, downbeat version of his dancefloor anthem ‘Emergency’. In order to foster up and coming talent, Souvenir launched a digital-only label called Souvenirplus, and with plenty already on the cards for 2012 (including perhaps a much anticipated, new Tiefschwarz album), this small label proves exactly why Berlin really is the world capital for contemporary electronic music.

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Sunday, June 1at 2:00pm - 10:00pm

High Noon Saloon
701 A E. Washington Ave., Madison, Wisconsin 53703
$10 to get in with proceeds benefiting women struggling in or around the Wisconsin prison system.

Door prizes! Silent Auction! Vendors! Art and Artists featuring women's work!

2 PM Welcome to the first annual MadFest! 
Presentation by the Demeter Foundation, event beneficiaries. http://www.thedemeterfoundation.com/

2:30 PM Thistle & Thorns http://www.thistlespace.org/

3:30 PM Dana Perry http://www.reverbnation.com/danaperry

Tweener: Miranda Moon -- Tribal Fusion Belly Dance https://www.facebook.com/MirandaMoonFusionBellyDance

4:30 PM Irene Keenan Jr. http://www.irenekeenanjr.com/

Tweener: Lovemichallalynn - hoop dance

5:30 PM Seasaw http://www.singseasaw.com/

6:30 Holo Mink https://soundcloud.com/christin-light

Tweener: Sophie Spacegypsy - hoop dance

7:30 Beth Kille http://www.bethkille.com/

Tweener: Araceli Esparza - spoken word/urban poetry http://www.araceliesparza.com/

8:30 Mami Wata -- All Women African Drum troupe 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mami-Wata/388250824569133 They will be joined by guest dancers from Wongai Africa!

Closing performance: Terra Incognita - aerial dance 

DJs Steph Stringer from In Her Infinite Variety on WORT 89.9 FM and Kayla Kush, reggae DJ from WSUM 91.7 FM U DUB will spin all afternoon on the patio.

There will be a letter-writing table set up to start penpal relationships with women in prison in Wisconsin. There will also be a donations box for books to prisoners. Bring only soft cover new books to donate.

This event is sponsored by WORT 89.9 FM, the Madison Infoshop , Madison chapter of the Wisconsin National Organization for Women and Sol Escape Healing Arts http://www.solescapehealingarts.com/

Elvin Rosemary is following