For many techno and electro listeners, producers, DJs and label owners Detroit is a special place; that infectious sound, distinctive underground attitude and seemingly endless line of innovative producers it has generated. 

W1b0 is no exception in this, his visit to Detroit fueled his creative fire. This release is the smoke this fire created....dance floor friendly but still with depth, fast but still graceful and infectious strong grooves await in 'Sleek' and 'Spatial Perception' whilst 'Track For My Father' speaks for itself; the audio product of another significant event in w1b0's life. 

On remix duty, two very different artists approach Sleek from two angles. Firstly, Detroit's adopted son Romanian Andrew Red Hand strips it back and adds a big room vibe to the track whilst UK techno/electro artist and DJ Darkmode delivers a quality soulful techno rendition. 

All combined and you'll find yourself shaking from the bass, imagining yourself At The Corner of Gratiot And Riopelle in Detroit with goosebumps and feeling, for a few minutes at least, like you've made a connection... 

At The Corner Of Gratiot And Riopelle [Bass Agenda BA-020]

These last few months have been really hectic. My father passed away, I became sick, and just 2 weeks ago our son was born. Quite the rollercoaster.

Somewhere in between i saw myself in my studio making a track. Just to get my mind on something else. Somewhere else. 

An album which has been of great comfort and inspiration these last few years is Aril Brikha's "Deeparture In Time". The depth and atmosphere of this album is still very much unparalleled, even though it's 15 years old. 

On this album there is this track, sorry don't know the name, which to me is the perfect hybrid of electro and (detroit) techno. Electro rhythms combined with the deep Brikha-ish sounds. I can play this over and over again. 

Somewhat inspired by this track I started "Sleek".  But I can not get it to finish.

For the last week now, I have tried to take this track to the next level. To get something to happen at 2/3 of the track. A new sound, a "rhythm-thing", a new layer. Nothing helps. Nothing works. I think the break with the straight kicks is a pretty strong moment, but other than that I really do not know what to do. And it is blocking my other attempts to do a track. It has been at the back of my head for some time now.

This track is, in my opinion, 85% finished. It is beyond a sketch or a loop. I hardly ever put unfinished material on SoundCloud. But I need to close this chapter. And I think putting it online is the way to do that. Time to move on.

So here it is. "Sleek V0.5". This version is the one from mid february, all the other versions suck, believe me. Grab it while you can. And if you like it and want to tell me what you think about it, I would really appreciate that.

Like it? Like it!

Broadcast/Support:
*Mike Stern Electronic Propaganda #36
*The Bass Agenda Hangover Cure 2015
*Elektrodos 19/1/2015

Out now on Bass Agenda Recordings.

[ BUY ]

Sleek [Bass Agenda BA-020]

Out now on Bass Agenda: "At The Corner Of Gratiot And Riopelle"

Spatial Perception [Bass Agenda BA-020]

"My dad was first diagnosed with cancer in April 2001, but probably had been sick for quite a while without even knowing it. 

At first, they operated him and tried all sorts of hormone therapies. With mixed results. It took these hormones quite a while to adjust to his body, and were effective for a short amount of time, leaving him weaker and sicker than before. 

Around 2009 there were no more hormones to treat him with. So they turned to chemo and radiation therapy. With the chemo some sort of pattern emerged.  With every round he got sicker and weaker, until his body had adjusted to the chemo, and then he would bounce back again. But never as strong as he was before he started the chemo. 

He never lost hope. He always spoke about his illness as his "little problem", which was a real understatement. He always remained very positive, until the very end. 

His death came to us as a total surprise. And to him. He had just started a new round of chemo again. He was sure he would bounce back again. He had plans. But his body decided otherwise. It all went really fast. We had fun and talks on Tuesday night, he fell into a coma on Thursday night, and he died on Saturday. 

He never got to see my second-born son, he barely got to be the grandfather to my first-born son.

This track is my representation of him. I am not sure how this track started. The beat-section was done quite a while earlier, and one night I was messing around with these beats and my then new SH-201 synth. When I finally had the moody bit, it all came together very quickly. 

The moody progression represents the ever-continuing cycle of him taking the hormones and the chemo, getting sicker, the blood results showing slight improvement and him starting to feel a bit better again, but then losing effect way to soon.

When I listen to the track, I feel there is hope in there too, until the very end. 

Due to the hormones he could be very grumpy sometimes. The bassline is him "mopperend or grumpy" about nothing and anything. 

The last bit represents his sudden passing; him fading away... My Dad died on January 18th, 2014. I still miss him to this day.

When Andy Bass Agenda first mentioned this project, later named: "Touched Bass", I immediately said that I want to be part of it. With "Track for My Father".

This is important.

Please help us.

This money can turn cancer tragedies into cancer triumphs.

This music might not be your thing, or maybe you don't even like music. That's OK. Donate anyway. And give the download link to someone else. But please: help us."

https://bassagendarecordings.bandcamp.com/album/touched-bass-for-macmillan-cancer-support

RIP Arno Lammerts 05091946 - 18012014

Broadcast & Support:
* Elektrodos 19/1/2015
* Dave Clarke White Noise

[Buy Touched Bass]

Track For My Father [Bass Agenda BA-020]