A rocking Hip House mix from Oli Furness to promote his new EP Death Of A Musicbox out on Recore Records at the end of this month.

Oli Furness - an artist who has been steadily releasing his 90s infused house tracks on various UK labels over the past few years and developed a refined, mature style of production that draws on classic House and Garage tropes.

Furness utilizes drum machines, outboard synths, mixers and effects units to create a warm analogue sound that reflects his involvement in the long running Manchester House scene. Oli has been heavily involved with the Acid House movement over the past decade and subsequently has become a member of the infamous Hacienda Nightclub booking agency.

www.facebook.com/OliFurness

Next up on the EPM Podcast we welcome a man whose techno oozes soul and depth whilst his house has plenty of dirt under its fingernails, South Yorkshire’s finest - Carl Taylor. True to his techno and acid house roots, Carl’s podcast features some of the most exciting names in techno and house around as Mike Dehnert, Shed, Orlando Voorn, Ben Sims, A Made Up Sound, Abe Duque, Detroit Grand Pubahs, Terrence Parker, Redshape, Robert Hood, Paul Johnson, Quince and of course Carl himself get caught up in the Barnsley beat blender! This is straight up booty shaking, floor killer action.

Following July’s single release of ‘Perplexer/Violet’, which featured a remix from Orlando Voorn and November’s second single ‘Only U’ with re-workings provided by Mark Broom and Luis Martinez, Carl Taylor now releases his second studio album ‘True Faith’, this January.

Carl’s previous releases can be found on the likes of Bugged Out, F-Comm, Dust Science, Advanced and F1 Recordings, as well as his Warehouse Trax series, which has built him a reputation for delivering a range of techno from tougher, dirty edged, dancefloor beats to blissfully melodic tracks, yet always feature his signature depth and soulfulness.

http://epm-music.com/epm-music-label/item/155-#14-carl-taylor-true-faith.html


Q&A with Carl Taylor

1. Please give us a quick walk through your selection. Why did you choose these tracks for the mix?

I usually select tracks that say something to me. I like a variety of mood and energy level (as well as style) as I’m a big believer in set dynamics. Also, I'm not afraid to play older tracks along side brand new music. I think the selection reflects this ethos and hopefully people will appreciate the variety.

2. You once stated: “thinking too much often kills the art - which then reduces it to a refinement of over consideration and reflection.” Does this mean that you are always trying to capture the ‘moment’ live in the studio?

Yeah exactly. When I was younger I used to get obsessed with things that didn't matter. Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate attention to detail; but I noticed a positive difference when I went back to Jamming sequences live on the MPC instead of spending ages drawing automation curves and moving dots / blocks around on the computer screen. It was common for me to change elements a ridiculous amount, and then I’d mix a track over and over again… after all that I still wouldn't be happy. A recipe for madness in my book. All I can say is the less I think about what I'm doing, the more I enjoy it. Follow your instinct.

3. Your second studio album has just been released on EPM. Is ‘True Faith’ about your conviction in electronic music or belief in yourself to continue producing music?

There is definitely an element of both. I would define what I do as a labour of love, it’s certainly no 'get rich quick scheme' that’s for sure. Certain sectors of dance music are obsessed with trends; I love new music as much as the next man; but my creative motive is purely musical and nothing else. Music can become polluted by many factors: I guess I'm a hopeless romantic at heart.

4. In a recent studio interview with Music Radar you appear to favour hardware over software in most of your production. Do you find that is because it gives you a spontaneity of purpose that looking at a screen may lack?

Yeah you've hit the nail on the head. Though actually I'm about 50/50 with time spent on either platform. But the one thing I notice is that it’s virtually impossible to get out of analytical mode when using the computer. The visual input stimulates my brain and inhibits my creative flow at times. I can make a full track on the MPC in anything from 30mins to 3/4 hrs. The lack of options on the MPC, and the dedicated interface give it the upper hand in many situations.

My ultimate studio would be fully hardware with one knob / slider per function. Though practicality and realism have to come into the equation. For example: to get a hardware version of Native Instruments 'Massive' synth (with that level of modularity) would take up a ridiculous amount of room and cost a fortune.

Having said all that, there are tasks that the computer is far better at. Editing audio being one of them. Also, when I want to get REALLY geeky, MaxMSP / Reaktor is like a sound designers dream.

5. What plans do you have for your Warehouse Trax series that has already seen a brace of EPs released on Dust Science?

I’ve got around 12 Warehouse Trax ready to go. Also, I plan to keep making them as I love the process. They are the antithesis of my more melodic output: noisy and often nasty.

6. Who would play Carl Taylor in ‘Carl Taylor – The Movie’?

I’ve been compared to Karl Pilkington and even Alan Partridge… so take your pick!

7. What plans do you currently have outside of music production?

I’m finishing a MSc in Music Tech at the moment, and I'm also learning iPhone programming which I really enjoy. Other than that, I’m not sure really... I just make it up as I go along.

8. On your new album is the track ‘Orbit’ a homage to the legendary Leeds techno club?

I’d love to say yes, but I only went a couple of times toward the end of its life. It was probably in my head subconsciously when I named it though.

9. You recently played a live set for your album launch party at Ginglik in London. How did that go?

Yeah I really enjoyed it, nice little club and the crowd and staff were really friendly. It was nice to get the live set on the road. It had been 6 months in the making, and I was pleased to see it go down well.

10. Please give us your top 10 all-time favourite Acid House tracks:
(In no order)

Phuture - 'Acid Trax'
Hardfloor - 'Acperience'
A Guy Called Gerald - 'Voodoo Ray'
LFO - 'Freak'
Andy Vaz - 'Bygone Times' (Trusme Remix)
Adonis - No Way Back
Fast Eddie - 'Acid Thunder (Fast Thunder)'
Steve Poindexter - 'Computer Madness'
DJ Pierre - 'Box Energy'
Sleazy D - 'I’ve Lost Control'

Looking back on the myriad of ways that the genre now known quite loosely as ‘bass music’ has mutated, one of the key figures in its evolution would have to be Bristol’s Rob Ellis, better known simply as Pinch. His fascination with what the outer limits of the dub sound can achieve, has made him a distinct figure within the fluid group of like-minded dubstep musicians that defined the so-called Bristol sound. In 2003, a Kode9 set at London’s seminal FWD>> became the stepping-stone into dubstep that inspired him to start the first pure dubstep night outside of FWD>>, Subloaded, in his hometown. With the city’s love of dub and long musical lineage, plus Pinch’s dedication to the importance of the actual sound, it quickly formed a dedicated community and became a yardstick by which other nascent events were measured. This had all been driven by a key moment in his own musical evolution which as he explains, “I lost interest in D&B and started buying minimal Basic Channel style techno, garage, grime and electronica instead - trying to mix them up together,” pre-empting the dominant sound of 4/4 dub-techno embraced by today’s crop of young producers, like Hessle Audio, who regularly cite the Bristol sound as a big influence. This embrace of a starker, dubbier sound became the seed from where his Tectonic label grew, and by championing artists like 2562, led to his eventual release of work with dub legend and King Tubby apprentice, Scientist. His FABRICLIVE offering comes hot on the heels of mixes from Pearson Sound and an artist with whom he’s just recently released a collaborative album on Honest Jon’s, Shackleton. These are all producers who work in a similar vein, that is, impeccable attention to sound detail, continual experimentation with rhythm whilst always maintaining a definitive ‘sound’ which can be traced throughout all their productions.

The mix itself combines all of Pinch’s loves, a blend of both melodic mood-pieces, driving dub-techno and the odd mid-range bass wobble masterfully planted to maximum effect. This is all peppered through in post-production with little vocal samples, mostly supplied by Bristol MC Jakes, that fully form the mix, like the grain in wood, supplying body, making it more than just a sum of its constituent parts. Pinch kicks things off somewhere through a Distal production, a screwed hip-hop vocal making it sound like a paranoiac’s reimagining of ghetto-tech. This quickly sets the tone - managing to juggle the ominous with the upfront, like the Lynchian strings of ‘In Dreams’ which phase seamlessly into the manic energy of Boddika and Joy O’s recent smash ‘Swims’. The mix really clips along, testament to Pinch’s skill behind the decks, most tracks only playing out for a couple of minutes at most. There’s a nod to the pure dub-techno of Basic Channel, with a cut from Shed’s side-project EQD, mastered at that other altar to all things bass, Berlin’s Hard Wax. This drives into another major influence, with Pinch’s own remix adding some rolling sine-waves to the guttural vocals of Prince Green on Henry & Louis& neo-dub. A sledgehammer wobble both heralds, and ends, the central section of the mix, with Pinch’s collaborative effort with Photek, and Chestplate boss Distance’s weighty ‘Blue Meanie’. This central nub almost functions as a showcase, Pinch demonstrating some of contemporary dubstep’s many flavours: the industrial sounds of Emika, Roska’s clattering drums, Addison Groove’s use of repeating vocals as a rhythmic weapon and the shimmering techy keys of Goth Trad. The final two tracks are supplied by a couple of the most promising young producers to emerge in the past few years, Londoner OM Unit and Tectonic’s own Illum Sphere. ‘Pressure’ certainly doesn’t let up, presenting us with a relentless squiggling synth-line awash in a storm of feedback then changing tack considerably into a steady pulsing beat. Pinch often talks of psychedelic dub, and here Illum Sphere demonstrates it wonderfully, toeing the line between instrumental breakbeats and even deep house, with its ethnic drums, distorted strings and a pitched down warble. This isn’t the true end as the mix is bookended with the rest of Distal’s track in order to achieve a perfect circularity as Pinch explains.

“I am a supporter of the sound of vinyl and the cultural associations I make with this format so it was important to me - even if I do ultimately end up abandoning my beloved format one day - to stick by my guns and record the mix like this. I also made the whole mix start and finish in the same spot - meaning that the entire DJ mix can work as a loop if you put it on repeat. I really like the idea of certain kinds of music existing in its own infinite context and setting up the mix to loop like that was playing entirely into that idea.” - Pinch 2011

Order the full album at the link below

www.fabriclondon.com/store/fabriclive-61.html

Here today, here tomorrow...

Over the last two decades Karotte has worked his way to the top of the internationally acclaimed DJs' list. He has achieved this by purely giving 100% each and every night at clubs all around the globe. His unparalleled blend of electronic music surely already separates him from the rest of the field, but his ability to motivate himself to go to the absolute limit all the time, exemplifies his standing as a truly amazing DJ. His love for music can clearly be heard and seen, no other turntable wizard lives his set the way Karotte does. His gigs are not just a better option for a wild night out in town, each set is special and an experience in itself.

We welcome back our friends at F*** House with a special recording of 2's Company headline set the fantastic Hamswell Festival this year. A solid blend of old and new sounds, deep grooves and spacey anthems ideal for the great outdoors.

Look out for more from these guys in the new year...

http://www.hamswellfestival.com
http://www.fhousemusic.com