Dekmantel

Vancouver based Cloudface has emerged in the last couple of years as someone who is reinvigorating house music with a serene sense of mood. As well as links to Future Times and Black Opal, he has released a hugely sought after 12” on acclaimed Canadian label Mood Hut and works with Max Ravitz as DSR.MR. Born David Reynolds, Cloudface’s music is raw and prickly, yet comes doused in ambient beauty, with emotive pads and tumbling drums countering each other in compelling and comforting ways. 

For his Dekmantel mix, he serves up a sizzling 77 minute selection of own unreleased tracks, some live recordings and special studio jams. It is a great insight into his musical mind and processes that starts in a heavenly, blissful place before slowly drifting into lazy grooves, dubbed out analogue grooves and frosty yet always soul infused beats. The result is a truly wintery yet heart warming listen. 

Dekmantel Podcast 050 - Cloudface

Dekmantel Soundsystem @ Westergastheater, Amsterdam (19 December 2015) (Part 2)

Dekmantel Soundsystem @ Westergastheater, Amsterdam (19 December 2015) (Part 1)

There is no one quite like Jamal Moss aka Hieroglyphic Being in today’s electronic music scene. A Chicago native who runs the Mathematics label and releases on Rvng Intl, Soul Jazz and Ninja Tune, he is a raw, uncompromising and experimental live act and producer who operates right on the fringes of house, acid and techno. As such, he very much embodies the contemporary Windy City sound having first been taken under the wing of Adonis way back when. The charismatic Moss has put out music on Creme Organization, Further and Planet Mu, is a notoriously analogue centric artist and releases an awful lot of essential music on a regular basis.

And a lot of it is showcased in this podcast, which was a live and fully improvised three hour session recorded on a Friday night at Secret Service on November 20th 2015 in Minneapolis. The raw, expressive set really showcases the breadth and depth of Moss’s sound. Ranging from prickly and abstract to melodically inventive, acid laced and dark, it is a truly textural affair that never stops evolving from start to finish. 

Dekmantel Podcast 052 - Hieroglyphic Being

Bill Kouligas is the Berlin based Greek who runs the PAN label. It is a place where underground dance, conceptual art and experimental electronic music have been colliding in captivating ways since 2008. Although he himself releases infrequently (but keep your eyes peeled) the label has become a go to outlet for forward thinking sounds that range from jungle to dark ambient thanks to artists like Lee Gamble, African Sciences, Objekt and many more. The design of each release is done by Bill, who has a background in graphic design, and is what ties the whole ever evolving project together. Expect a podcast consisting of old and current favourites and of course a fair share of unreleased PAN material.


Dekmantel Podcast 053 - Bill Kouligas

Although he has had a fair amount of success as a producer on We Play House (most famously as part of FCL) San Soda is still a DJ first and foremost. The Belgian is a renowned vinyl hoarder who spends most of the time between gigs in places like Chicago, Shanghai and Sydney digging for new beats. Those beats can be anything from afro to funk, disco to deep house, and he threads them together with very little reliance on FX and tricks, instead he prises sequencing and selection over all and can ether hypnotise dancers in elongated groves or switch up the mood with every new track. 

The mix he has put together for us here is over two hours of seriously feel good stuff that will keep the vibe of summer alive all through winter: lots of funky songs, dazzling disco delights and authentic old school jams get stitched together in effortless ways. Colour and charm, good vibes and unpredictable selection characterise the whole thing and confirm San Soda to be a party starting DJ with slick skills to match his sick selections. 

Dekmantel Podcast 054 - San Soda

We keep it local with our next podcast, a long time Dekmantel friend. Yuri Boselie is an occasional producer of deep and moody sounds but is foremost a DJ extra-ordinaire. He was a resident at the sorely missed Trouw and is the sort of DJ who defies categorisation. From major festivals to Boiler Room gigs, intimate basements to open air sessions, he knows exactly what to draw for and when to draw for it. House, garage, techno and plenty in between are all fair game for the man who has also collaborated with Tom Trago, and who is responsible for the Beat Dimension compilations that kickstarted the growth of the beats scene in Europe. 

The podcast he puts together is 70 minutes of smooth, feel house and playful grooves. There are trips into acid, tracks from yesterday year and pure party vibes all neatly melted together into the sort of bouncy session that is deceptively effortless. 

Dekmantel Podcast 056 - Cinnaman

The undisputed talent of Miami-based Greg Beato graced its way to two of the most unique souls in electronic music. Both Ron Morelli (L.I.E.S.) and FunkinEven (Apron Records) signed his distinctive, tripped out dancefloor material that majestically sits in a class of its own. As a DJ, Beato is spinning into prosperous future as well, playing at the worlds clubs and festivals alike. His Podcast is a live recording from a night in Cologne somewhere late 2015 and has the signature Beato vibe all over it.

Dekmantel Podcast 057 - Greg Beato

German Daniel Ansorge, aka Barnt, is a DJ and producer who, in his own way, sticks to the Bauhaus principle: he makes music that has nothing in it that isn’t totally necessary or functional. With this rough blueprint, he has conjured up some unsettling techno on his own Magazine label as well as Matias Aguayo’s Cómeme. Mule and Hinge Finger have also come calling for his works, and despite their minimalist approach, they are textured and hypnotic, strange and subversive. Last year he toured the US for the first time, and he's already a very welcome guest at Europe's forward thinking clubs. So after years of quiet toil, he is now getting the recognition he deserves around the world.  

The fascinating mix he serves up is suitably spooky and chilling to start, with ambient drones, soft drums and haunting pads all operating on a bleak horizontal plane. Later on some sleek metal grooves and post apocalyptic techno gets you on your toes before everything decays back to a dystopian nothingness. It makes for quite the trip and offers a snapshot of the sort of thing you can expect from the man when working in either the DJ booth or home studio. 

Dekmantel Podcast 058 - Barnt

As you would expect of someone called Lovefingers, American DJ and producer Andrew Hogge has a very special touch when it comes to making, playing and releasing emotionally involving, blissed out music. Hailing from LA, he runs the magical ESP Institute label and is also half of The Stallions as well as being a self-proclaimed hippie. That always comes through in the organic, loved up music he works with, and visual aesthetics always seem just as important to him as musical ones. 

The romantic and intoxicating mix he serves up is dedicated to Red Light Records owner Tako Reyenga and Mule Musiq affiliate Kuniyuki Takahashi. It is a loose-limbed, love-fuelled and fully horizontal delight made up of underlapping grooves, oriental motifs and gluey pads. The second half touches on more physical drums but also offers up yet more heavenly ambiance, bird song and jumbled percussion that will have you reaching for your shades and dreaming of summer. 


Dekmantel Podcast 061 - Lovefingers

Gerd Janson is the influential label boss, journalist, DJ and producer behind the Running Back imprint an doesn't need any introduction nowadays. With a fine ear for unearthing new artists and developing them on his label, Gerd has a very busy schedule and puts out a dizzying amount of music from ambient to disco, house to techno. As a DJ, he has no identifiable style but is a master of many and is someone who can play to just about any crowd and make them move. As if that wasn't enough, as one half of Tuff City Kids he kicks out the club-ready jams that keep kids dancing. 

Back on New Year’s Eve 2015, he played back-to-back with Irishman Krystal Klear, who is at the heart of the modern house scene in his hometown Manchester. His fresh take on a classic sound has seen him win plenty of favour with the youth of the day, as well as getting him signed to Kerri Chandler’s MadTech label. Only active for six years, he has already become a regular on the global circuit and now heads up his own Cold Tonic label as well as hosting an influential show on Rinse FM. With a great sense of humour that always permeates his music, former Hoya: Hoya resident Krystal Klear has a passion for a wide range of sounds. 

Our latest mix is taken from the five hour b2b the pair played that NYE. As such it really found them stretching their legs and playing across the board. From slow disco to playful r&b grooves, 80s synths to classic house, it is a truly playful set that is chock full of jams, all carefully mixed into one explosive and loved-up whole. 

Dekmantel Podcast 062 - Gerd Janson X Krystal Klear

Vakula is a prolific Ukranian producer, DJ and outspoken artist who very much has his own sound and is a Dekmantel family member for a long time now. Releasing a vast amount of house and techno that touches on everything from super sweet and deep to melodically off kilter, stripped back and ornate to magically cosmic. Before now the Leleka boss has released a number of conceptually strong LPs and plenty of EPs as well as an album of psychedelic rock and spoken word. His album 'You've Never Been To Konotop' is a modern classic. He takes risks and isn’t afraid to buck trends, basically, and for that reason has a cult following around the world. 

Proof that Vakula does things his own way is this mix (released on his birthday) which focusses completely on techno. At around two and a half hours, it really allows him to stretch his legs into a weird and spaced out techno world. From Detroit and Millsian to old school and jacking, many different moods and grooves are explored here but never do energy levels dip below full on sweaty. 

Dekmantel Podcast 063 - Vakula

Quentin Vandewalle is probably better known to you as Zaltan. The French DJ is head of the Antinote label; a homebase for many upcoming artists such as Syracuse (catch them on this year’s Lente Kabinet), D.K, Dominique Dumont and Geena. It is the place where horizontal ambient, gently Balearic sounds and nostalgic house all rub up with retro design attached to it. Each EP and LP is a lovingly crafted and memorable affair that will sooth any busy brain or tired soul, and that is the case with his journeying mix for Dekmantel. 

Over the course of an hour, it will ensure you to forget your woes and drift to a sunnier place before getting down to some dancing action. Vocal ditties, dusty breakbeats and crunchy DIY beats get blended and fused into a set that is expertly slow to start, then decidedly direct later on. Listen and learn from a master of balancing beats with blissfulness.

Dekmantel Podcast 064 - Zaltan

Recording of our weekly Dekmantel Radio show at @redlightradio.

First hour: Rik Payne
Second hour: Rahaan

Dekmantel Radio w/ Rahaan & Rik Payne (01/04/2016)

Recording of our weekly Dekmantel Radio show at @redlightradio.

First hour: Volcov
Second hour: Enrique's Groove

Dekmantel Radio w/ Volcov & Enrique's Groove (08/04/2016)

Just like Larry Levan was Paradise Garage, Tony Humphries was Club Zanzibar. With his inimitable take on house and garage, the US-DJ was able to command audiences for hours, taking them up and down, round and round with a dizzyingly eclectic mix of soul, tribal and gospel styles. Kerri Chandler has said before how much of an influence Tony was on him during those early days in New Jersey, and this August he will offer a very real link to that past with a set at Melkweg under the title 'A Tribute To Zanzibar'. 

Ahead of that, Tony has served up a ninety minute mix for us that showcases the skills he has been honing for more than 35 years. It is a party starting selection that touches on every facet of house music in feel good fashion. Quick and slick and always smooth, more than the odd history lesson is included along the way but the results never feel less than timeless. 

Dekmantel Podcast 065 - Tony Humphries

Recording of our weekly Dekmantel Radio show at @redlightradio.

First hour: Suzanne Kraft
Second hour: Mike Servito

Dekmantel Radio w/ Mike Servito & Suzanne Kraft (15/04/2016)

Until he launched his own Radio Matrix label with a clever and conceptual series of EPs in 2014, Delta Funktionen was exclusively tied to Dutch stable Delsin and its sub labels. It is there that he has roamed from techno to electro to dub, and there that he has put out a string of EPs and coherent full length over the last decade. Unlike many of his underground peers, Delta isn’t too serious and likes to have fun when DJing, so can go hard and fast or deep and warm according to the context. He often marries analogue and digital techniques in his work, takes cues from traditional hotbeds like Detroit and Chicago, but always comes correct with his own unique perspectives.  

Across the course of 75 absorbingly sci-fi minutes, the Dutchman cooks up a cinematic ride through deep space atmospherics, electronic funk and slick electro. The latter half grows more disturbed and dystopian, but there is always a very real and metallic aesthetic to the seamlessly segued sounds that ties the whole thing together with real narrative. 

Dekmantel Podcast 066 - Delta Funktionen

Recording of our weekly Dekmantel Radio show at @redlightradio.

First hour: Casper Tielrooij
Second hour: Eelco Couvreur

Dekmantel Radio w/ Casper Tielrooij & Eelco Couvreur (22/04/2016)

There is no one quite like Dave Huismans, aka A Made Up Sound. The Dutchman, who's of course also known as 2562, has been in a musical world of his own ever since he first turned heads with his debut in 2006. As of that decade, he has continued to confound expectation and operate away from any prevailing trends, mostly on his own self titled label, but also for other cult outlets like Clone, Trilogy Tapes, and Delsin, where he just dropped his newest release. His music toys with convention, finds rhythm in unknown places and cooks up textures you didn’t think were possible. Broken and abstract yet absorbing and emotive; his sound is a left-field marriage of techno, bass and electro that has proven impossible to imitate. 

Over the course of ninety minutes, The Hague man showcases his penchant for kinked grooves and for high pressure drums. He manages to be maximalist and in your face one moment, then subtle and subversive at others. From disco to electro and techno, it’s all here. It all creates a rugged, seat-of-your-pants ride that throws up plenty of curveballs along the way. 

Dekmantel

Ziv Narkis