With his debut album "Dawn" - to come on Serenades - the finnish top producer Roberto Rodriguez aka Manolo presents the pefect soundtrack for the coming summer. The album offers an über-abundance of lush, classy, yet classic, positive real House grooves and songs in a super slick production that lets the sun shine through every single note. Influenced by the Detroit Black Music movement and the European Summer of Love on Ibiza "Dawn" is just the perfect "classic" modern House album. Highlights include the vocal tracks, "Tell Me" feat. Kholi, "Lies" feat Max C. and "Song For You" feat. Devon Dun-away.

www.serenades.fi
www.facebook.com/pages/Roberto-Rodriguez/6171688554

pre order digital / itunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/preorder/dawn/id517387108

pre order cd / amazon:
Germany http://amzn.to/I4yhIU
UK http://amzn.to/Iz0fbO
France http://amzn.to/Iz0iEB

When it comes to house music there’s been something of a renaissance in New York City these past few years, and one of its main advocates is Levon Vincent. Born in Houston, Texas and raised on the East Coast; he now calls Berlin his home. As a club-goer, he cut his teeth during the pre-Giuliani New York heyday, where a vibrant scene was helping to push the elegant sound that would become known as NY house forward - and Levon witnessed it all first-hand. Working his way up through landmarks like Sugar Reef (of Sugar Babies fame) or Pat Field’s Boutique, and record stores such as Kim's, Tower, and Music Exchange, Levon joined a long, proud lineage of fringe arts based around New York's downtown culture. Ten years later, in 2001, he began to work at the legendary Halcyon record shop in Brooklyn. Halcyon, which doubled as a café, was more than just a record store - it was a place where music aficionados could sit and exchange ideas while listening to the music they love. With a meaty sound-system and their friendly and open policy, the shop soon became a hub for NY's most passionate dance enthusiasts. It was here that Levon met his future Deconstruct label partner Anthony Parasole, as well as DJ Jus-Ed; who subsequently went on to start the Underground Quality label - the label that has done so much to introduce their homegrown sounds to a global audience. Even artists from further a-field like Nina Kraviz or Anton Zap have UQ to thank for first promoting them. By 2008, Levon began his own label, Novel Sound. He started with a bang: a certified hit in the form of the label’s first release, ‘These Games’ EP. It’s a 4-track EP and the release featured a song by Jus-Ed as well. Levon repaid the swap on Ed’s own label, with one of 2009’s biggest tracks, ‘Games Dub’. With his industrial clanging beats, Levon’s dubbed-out sound quickly found him supporters from scene veterans like Craig Richards and Berghain’s Marcel Dettmann. Soon after, Levon was invited to play at fabric, Rex, Berghain, and of course the infamous Underground Quality party series at the now defunct Tape Club. As a producer, his immense focus and concentration come to a head in tracks that have attained anthemic status - the Ostgut Ton release ‘Late Night Jam’, with its driving chord-stabs, sits as comfortably in a percussive UK bass set as it does in any pumping techno set – as demonstrated by Pearson Sound on last year’s massive FABRICLIVE 56.

"In the 80s, I had some VCRs, a record player and a dual cassette deck. I had a group of friends at that time and we were really interested in DJing and making beats, we would combine various songs and recordings to make new songs and then combine those to make new mixes; stuff like, recording a spoken word track playing over Mr. Fingers or add movie dialogue to another record. We loved the dirty version of I'll House You, ‘I'll Hump You’. I remember us all agreeing on that record. Soul II Soul had a big impact, too. I regularly slip-up and refer to podcasts as "mix tapes", maybe because it's nostalgic or something. It still sounds right to me. Mix tapes are one of the very coolest things to come from Generation-X. After hearing or maybe reading about how Nitzer Ebb were doing their music I remember asking my mom to bring me to the Sam Ash store on 48th to get a sampler, not knowing the price of the things! Upwards of $10k! A few years later I did eventually get a used Ensoniq EPS-1, which was a more affordable semi-pro sampler. I think it was a popular piece of equipment, it was certainly a step up from my Casio SK-1... Many producers probably remember using the EPS-1 fondly."

Levon Vincent

Buy fabric 63 by Levon Vincent direct from the fabric store > http://goo.gl/cu94M

samurai.fm introduces iCrates session number 13 and a new mix from the Venetian disco mastermind Bottin.

Bottin has been on something of a roll when it comes to his own releases and the quality of his mixes which makes even the lousiest dancer look pretty slick.

In "Disco for the Family" he takes us out to the deeper roots of Italian disco of the late Seventies til the early Eighties starting of with Gianni Morandi passing along classics like "The Ring" with their powerful "Savage Lover" and such hard hitters as "Paul Sabu“ with the instrumental b-side of is 12 inch shotgun release from 1983 to end finally typical italian with "La Famiglia" and their 1979 release "Musicosanostra".

Bottin, keep it comin...

www.icrates.org

If we talk about Julien Sandre, we can't fail to mention the legendary "French Touch" rooted in his "artistic soul". But we can't so trivially limit the considerable musical background which draws inspiration from different musical genres.Always diligent hearer and lover of Funkadelic, MJ's "Off The Wall" and Jamiroquai "funky" music, he approaches to electronic music, struck by listening to mythological Daft Punk that opens a whole new world.The exploration of the big world of "da club" music leads Julien to the House music that is perfectly in tune with his love for the Funk. Frankie Knuckles, Marshall Jefferson, the MAW, Todd Terry and Paul Johnson are just some of "superstars" which influence and charm will bring the young Julien to buy record players and vinyls and enter the world of djing. The variety of musical influences that characterize his "background" is translated into an eclectic set, never dull with a great charge perceived and loved by floor. The natural path of musical development leads him to a challenge taken from just two years: his figure evolves in that so widespread of "dj/producer".The desire to fully express his ideas and to emerge into the world of clubbing finds full vent in the new producer activities that give a certain resonance to his name and his musical ideas. His first track "Satisfaction" is published on one of the world's coolest underground labels, "Dynamic" of a certain Mladen Solomun, obtains full approval and is played by the greatest djs of the international panorama; it also reaches the top 10 on Beatport and the top 50 on Resident Advisor. Such a good start is confirmed in his later works and so Julien collaborates with some of the strongest labels of the moment as One Records, Tsuba and Morris Audio. Julien is the recently entry in Hot Creations family of top DJs Jamie Jones & Lee Foss who appreciate and continuously play his music made together with Julien's dear friend Max Chapman. Well what to say? Julien's path is just begun, but the potential of this young artist, together with a great enthusiasm and a huge passion, portends a future of great satisfactions!

As the world catches on to the music and live performances of Klartraum duo Nadja Lind & Helmut Ebritsch, the pair look to the release of their deep yet wonderfully eclectic second album ‘Secret moon’… To celebrate we present you with this awesome 90 minute mix from Nadja.

Berlin based Nadja Lind & Helmut Ebritsch have been working together for over five years now, but it is in the last twelve months that the duo’s Klartraum project has really come to prominence. Both Nadja & Helmut have a solid musical history recording for the likes of Darkroom Dubs, Soma & Morris Audio yet it is through their shared musical output that they have really captured the imagination, producing deep and moving electronic music that fuses elements of techno, house and electronica.

Out of the studio the duo have taken their sound on the road, performing as Klartraum live at London’s Fabric, the infamous Ukrainian festival Kazantip and Goa’s renowned Shanti club to rave reviews and rapturous response. In the coming months they will also be appearing at dates in Australia and across Europe.

‘Secret Moon’ is a rich and diverse collection of tracks that reflect Klartraum’s journey since the release of their debut LP, ‘Evolution’ in 2011. From the opening atmospheric ambient recording of ‘Berlin Intro’ it’s clear that this is not to be a straight-laced ‘club’ album but rather a body of work that ebbs and flows through styles and sounds with little regard for genre. Downtempo cuts such as the breakbeat based ‘Something Wrong’ or the off kilter ‘Universe’ add a depth and variety to the mix yet Klartraum’s production skill and musical sensibilities work to make the album work as a whole. There is a deep hypnotizing feel to this whole album, keeping you locked into the experience as the album progresses. Tracks such as the epic ‘Secret Moon’ and the sublime ‘Sell Your Soul’ have an almost cinematic feel to them; drawn out, spacious and mesmerizing. Klartraum’s 2011 debut was a real achievement but ‘Secret Moon’ takes things to the next level with a strength and energy that is tempered with an audible maturity of production.

Nadja Lind & Helmut Ebritsch have their own way of creating music, making much of both their spiritual leanings and their hands of approach to ‘jamming’ out tracks live. Whatever it is that drives them it certainly works, for Klartraum are rapidly becoming an act that cannot ignored, making great music and taking it to the world via their passionate live performance. Long may it last!

Klartraum

Secret Moon

Lucidflow

Release Date: 22-05-2012

www.facebook.com/nadjalind

www.klartraum.name