~ Artists ~
Beppe Loda
- Italian DJ Beppe Loda, pioneer of DJ culture and resident at Brescia's Typhoon club from 1980 to 1987, has been searching for sounds off the beaten path since his first gig in 1973. Playing to as many as 7,000 people a night, producing in excess of 200 mix tapes and pioneering the 'italo synth' sound with his MC1 project (just reissued on Synthonic), he has just about done it all. His 'Afro' style (also called 'Cosmic' or 'Cosmic Afro') is as disorienting, funky and inspiring now as it was then.
http://www.myspace.com/beppeloda
https://www.facebook.com/pages/BEPPE-LODA-DJ-OFFICIAL-FANS-CLUB/106972439351061?ref=ts
Billy Bogus
- Billy Bogus is the proud founder of Pizzico Records: experimental, cosmic, disco, electronic (call it how you prefer) brand since 2006!
In a time when many people seem to not understand what is exactly underground music, the research in music becomes vital!
In 2007 Billy Bogus joined Yess! collective giving life to several parties based on underground music latest directions.
D.J., producer musician since early 90's Billy Bogus set is a puissant mixture of Italo Disco, Slo Motion, Electro sounds, from dopest moods to deepest groove.
http://www.billybogus.tumblr.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Billy-Bogus/201406203868
Ebbro
- Ebbro is a project of D.J. Gianluca Pandullo aka I-Robots (Ornaments/Opilec Music, Irma/Elettrica, Boysnoize) & Nemesi (Relish); Pandullo's partner on the Ebbro project is the D.J. and producer Patrick Di Stefano who is part of the Turin based collective General Elektrik and Torino Disco Cross. Some of his tracks were released on vinyl by the Nachtfrequent label, Heimatmelodie Label, BYSM ,Thisorder Records; Patrick is also a driving figure behind tonimusic.com, one of the first minimal net labels in Italy.
Ebbro takes the musical discourse that began with Nemesi one step forward. It starts from the I-Robots foundations, and moves along the lines of a contemporary techno & housey sounds, fit for the dancefloor but deeply rooted in the sophisticated german electronic, dating back to the 70's and the seminal Krautrock period
http://www.myspace.com/ebbrotorino
Federico Gandin
- It's 1989 when at 16 years of age Federico Gandin buys his first two turntables...
since then his passion for electronic music won't ever desert him.
His dj activity expands in time going from acid-house to his first techno record purchased in 1992.
He takes part in various raves and in 1994 he opens a dj shop "Deep zone"
with the aim of importing records and develop a local market totally isolated from the rest of Europe.
Beyond his passion for electronic music, Federico is also a collector of jazz, 60's rock and bossanova
records. He work as dj alongside hundreds of international artists from every part of the world
in these years like Derrick May, Los Hermanos, Larry Heard, Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson,
Robert Hood, Laurent Garnier, Moodymann, Funk D'Void, Slam, Deetron and many many others....
He is the artistic director of Iamfromdetroit in 2007 and Iam festival in 2008.
The sound of Detroit and his deep electronic approach are the main influences for his sets where
the mixing tecniques and the eclectic choice of the tracks are the way to intend techno and house
not only as musical genre but also as a contemporary art project expressing itself in many forms
and variations.
http://www.myspace.com/federicogandin
http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/federicogandin
I-Robots
- “I-Robots aka Gianluca Pandullo” began his career in the early '80s playing the various genres of black music that included funk, disco, and afro rhythms, with a personal interest in electronic & cosmic music and theese roots are still evident in his musical selections techno and house oriented now.
Over the years he has promoted many musical styles; he has played d.j. sets that included the rhythms of soul, jazz, funk, and latin, as well as everything that has derived from them: hip-hop, house, acid-jazz, trip-hop and drum'n'bass. Gianluca Pandullo is also an avid collector and trader of vinyl.
He was a journalist, reviewer and also an active promoter workin’ with the biggest and best-known names in every musical scene.
His skills and experience in every musical environment allow him to create a truly original and alternative d.j. set, with influences that find inspiration in the various styles of House & Techno Music, incorporating traces of freestyle, electro, deep, afro, dub and jazzy; all of it meshes perfectly with his innate ability to read the crowd and create an instant mood.
Italians do it better...I-ROBOTS IS SYSTEMATIC !!!
http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/i-robots
http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-ROBOTS/51899406997
http://soundcloud.com/i-robots
http://soundcloud.com/i-robots-xxx
http://soundcloud.com/i-robotsdjset
Macro
- Macro, stage name of Mario Gardini, discovered the passion for disk jockeying in 1979, when he started mixing at the "Gatto Nero", a small club in his hometown of Ascoli Piceno;at first, mixing seemed to be to much of a hard task. Sweaty hands, spiking heartbeats and ups and downs in the first mixing experiments were never a problem for Macro.
Instead, they inspired him to follow his passion: two record players, a mixer and a crowd to rock.
Nothing else mattered. Those days were a memorable experience, filled with genuine fun and true cultural music.
Galvanized by his unconditional passion for music, Mario "Macro" decided to explore and mingle different genres, constantly inspired by the historical clubs dominating the Italian music scene, like the Typhoon, the Cosmic, the Baia degli Angeli and many others. He was the first to bring those sets in his hometown, while performing in various music events.
Nowadays, Macro's passion remains untouched. He is now expanding his music offer to include his own pieces,
mixing unconventional tracks to obtain original melodies: all of this, always with his curious style, that brings dance and ambient together.
http://www.myspace.com/macrodj
Motel Connection
- Born on the very beginning of the new millennium, Motel Connection made waves alongside the Italian dance scene throughout all this years. Ask why? Well… They’re special, they’re different. It all started as a part time project combining Pisti, vibrant house dj, Samuel, gifted vocalist of one the most successful Italian acts of the last decade, Subsonica, and Pierfunk, ultra-skilled bass player truly aware of what the word “funk” means. A three-piece collective devoted to designing sound and creating atmospheres in special environments for special events, down there in Turin, their hometown, that’s it. It’s not a surprise that the word started spreading and things got serious, and in 2001 film director Marco Ponti asked them to create the soundtrack for his “Santa Maradona” movie, which happened to be a brilliant and surprising success, with its continual search for humour, new styles, passion, melancholy. …all ingredients that Motel Connection sincerely know. Next year, 2002, it was the time for “Give Me A Good Reason To Wake Up”, their debut album, warmly received by the critics just as by the audience. 2004: once again Marco Ponti is looking for Motel Connection’s touch, asking them to take care of the soundtrack of his following film, “A/R”, and our three guys were able to manage (and had fun in doing that!) an intricate path that combined four-to-the¬-floor house joints with intense indie-rock tracks, all created and played inviting the truly best names of the Italian indie-rock scene. There we go… Who are Motel Connection? What are they doing? You can say it’s house music. You can say that it’s something that deals with the so-called club culture (especially if you know about Krakatoa, their very own club night that in a few years has become a myth alongside the Italian club scene, with a weekly residency in Turin hosting guests like Josh Wink, Alex Smoke, Felix Da Housecat and Marco Carola, and many visits outside their hometown). But, well, perhaps we’ve got here something that’s a little bit a more, ain’t we? We’ve got a dj on stage, but we’ve also got a bass player funky-as-hell, and a singer who can also indifferently play the guitar or spin the vinyl. We’ve got a constant longing to communicate with people in front of them, introducing some of them for the first to the spirit of house music and club culture, but also fulfilling the needs of those aware of what happened in Chicago 20 years ago or in Detroit 15 years, or New York and Berlin now. Don’t be surprised it you see Motel Connection rocking the crowd with house anthems just as with their own particular reinterpretations of New Order or Frankie Goes To Hollywood tracks. Don’t be surprised if they use the raw power of spinning the vinyls or they offer intense interactions with experimental visuals. They’re moving. They’re running through different paths at the same time. What about the next step, then? Its name is “Do I Have A Life?”, their second studio lp, released in 2006. Motel Connection’s recipe gets sharper and sharper, it focuses and the essence of rhythm&sound, capturing Richie Hawtin’s and UR’s lesson, and combining it with their own touch. Years and years of evolution, of clubbing, of artistical growth, of a constant aim to improve skills and attitude are there: it’s all in eleven, essential tracks, it’s all in an album that is a perfect tale for modern (night)times.
http://www.motelconnection.net
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Motel-Connection/22178101521
Nemesi
Orlando Voorn
- For more than two decades Orlando Voorn has been one of the major contributors to the electronic music scene. As one of the first Dutch musicians to establish a vital connection between Detroit and Amsterdam, Orlando Voorn has long been recognized as one of the Netherlands most original and inventive producers in the world of electronic dance music.Before he began producing techno, however, he spun hip-hop, electro, and underground disco records in the late '80s. Orlando began working with a Roland W30 sequencer/ sampler along with Oberheim matrix 1000 module, including a Yamaha DX100, next he began producing dance floor tracks that are now noted as being classic’s in today techno scene. Orlando is famously known for “Fix-Flash, Format #1-Solid Session, Infiniti-Game One w/Juan Atkins, Nighttripper-Tone Explotation, Playboy-In Da Jungle, Frequency-Kiss the Sky and many more. You can find more music on Orlando Voorn through Discog.com. His first releases came in 1988 as Fix-O-Matic and Xit; two years later, in 1990, he returned as Trigger, before releasing several tracks as Frequency for Lower East Side Records. These Frequency productions were his taste of success, leading to a relationship with several Detroit techno artists: he collaborated with Juan Atkins and Blake Baxter, and Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson.
The early 90’s was a productive time for Voorn, as he released tracks under an array of monikers on numerous labels, he later found more success with a series of 12"s as Nighttripper and Format for ESP Records. These tracks were some of the most sought-after techno productions of that era, and Voorn became a well-known producer, recognized as much for his music and for his prolific output. Furthering his career Orlando is known to have aliases to heighten his music vision and creativity.
http://www.myspace.com/orlandovoorn2
http://facebook.com/orlando.voorn
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Orlando-Voorn/58736487332?ref=ts
Playdoughboy
- Since 1997 the name Playdoughboy is being synonymous with house music. Starting out as a producer, Playdoughboy has a reputation of a house music pioneer always pushing the limits and looking ahead. This ability to foresee the history of what’s hot put Playdoughboy on the map as one of the in demand DJs in San Francisco.
At this moment Playdoughboy has over a dozen of releases under his belt on some of the most influential labels including Freaks Culture Records, Mizumo Music, and KGBeats Records to name a few. His original tracks and bootleg remixes can be heard in sets of DJs all over the globe from Ibiza to Berlin.
He performed live and as a DJ at the most prestigious clubs in San Francisco including Ruby Skye, 1015 Folsom, Slide, Mighty, Supperclub, Roe/Prive, Vessel, Temple. Playdoughboy shared the stage with Global Deejays (Austria), Bobina (Russia), Sasha Dith (Germany), Pheek (Canada), Mark Farina (USA), Lee Burridge (UK), Tom Middleton (UK), DJ Grad (Russia), Cybersutra (USA). Guest appearances include SpyBar (Chicago), Ibiza (Seattle), C89.5 FM (Seattle), Maska (Kharkov, Ukraine), El Otro Mundo Sessions on deepmix.FM, Loveparade SF 2004 and 2007, Folsom Street Fair 2006.
Playdoughboy’s collaborations include works with Aier Sauft, John Bourke, Protection, Fat Magic and Rachel Car. 2010 is the year the world will see another Playdoughboy’s project – Nuwax Records.
http://www.playdoughboy.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Playdoughboy/19593069120
The Units
- The liner notes to History of the Units: The Early Years: 1977-1983 begin with “Fuck the guitars” and end with “a synth band that kicks ass!” Those sentiments — along with the music, of course — tell listeners most of what they need to know about this San Francisco collision of new wave band and performance art. However, those notes (which are excerpts of “The Units Traning Manual,” credited to a “Dr. Tex Nology”) provide even more context for their synth punk and its cultural breeding ground. The Units’ core members Scott Ryser and Rachel Webber were inspired not only by the thriving performance art scene in San Francisco in the late ‘70s, but by the city’s legendary counterculture figures like Ken Kesey. They found different ways to express their anger and subvert norms than the hippies did, however: They embraced technology and repetition, painted their equipment gray to prevent brand worship, and made model guitars to smash at their shows. History of the Units: The Early Years: 1977-1983 ends up being as much of time capsule of the San Francisco scene as it is a retrospective of the band’s music, opening with “Dirk Dirksen,” a snippet of the city’s “godfather of punk” introducing the Units at a concert, which is followed by the tongue-in-cheek “The Mission Is Bitchin’” and a dedication to synth punk pioneer Damian Ramsey. Musically, the output collected here — which includes songs from the Units’ first album, Digital Stimulation, and several singles — is tantalizingly hard to pin down. The band rocks as hard, if not harder, as any group with electrified strings on “Cannibals” and “High Pressure Days,” which sport a punk edge even if the only guitars that were smashed were replicas. Meanwhile, interludes and instrumentals such as “Contemporary Emotions,” “Zombo” (the comp’s oldest track, from 1977), and “Cowboy” show the Units had just as much skill at abstract pieces and nod to prog rock, while “Red” and “East West 2”’s use of spoken word and found sounds underscore just how influential performance art was on them. The first official reissue of the band’s work, History of the Units: The Early Years: 1977-1983 is a testament to how exciting and diverse these new wave pioneers still sound.
http://www.synthpunk.org/units/
http://www.myspace.com/warmmovingbodies
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Units/42361273149
Vaghe Stelle
- Vaghe Stelle is the latest project by musician and producer Daniele Mana.
Born in Torino in 1984, he bagan his career with Cristiano Troffei in the Nice Guys duo, winning the Elettrowave Challange and a live performance in Paris venue Le Tryptique for the Missive label.
In 2005 he was selected by RedBull Music Academy and flied to Seattle, for what's the only real academy for upcoming producers.
On the break-up of Nice Guys, Daniele Mana started his solo project The Pure: moody atmospheres, sparse IDM-inspired beats and intense melancholic melodies contribute to the identity of his productions.
During these years, he also starts djing with the Xplosiva crew, with a residency bringing him to play regularly in Torino's club nights, supporting important guests such as Laurent Garnier, James Holden and Skream. He also plays twice at the Club To Club festival, one of which at Loft in Barcelona. He comes back to the Catalan city in another occasion, as a guest d.j. for the Screw-u club at Moog.
This cycle ends in 2009 as he starts yet another project: Vaghe Stelle. Inspired by the 70's krautrock scene, his latest releases are driven by rarefied atmospheres aimed to the center of the dancefloor, thanks to their hypnotic rhythms and psychedelic sounds.
http://www.vaghestelle.net
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vaghe-Stelle/162978910379426
