ali b

I’m really loving the fact that a number of breaks artists are embracing the Nu-Funk genre at the moment. I can’t help thinking that breaks owes its very existence to funk, and so it deserves to be revisited and appreciated. Ali B paves the way in the Nu-Funk game with his weekly Saturday sessions at The Paradise in Kensal Green, and we featured an extraordinary Nu-Funk mix by him back in the summer. Thankfully, he’s back with Volume 2, and it’s a ray of sunshine to keep us going in a particularly grey Glasgow week. Superbly compiled and passionately mixed, it features original classic tracks and re-edits of some of the best in funk, soul, 60s, dub, disco and tons more. Try and spot a particularly well-established 80s/90s TV show theme tune here (inspired). If, like me, your ipod is full of bass-heavy bangers and lacking in some soul, you should get this and give yourself (and your neighbours) some down-time. Get on the download people!

Ali B – Oh Shit! (Paradise) Vol. 2.mp3

1. Lou Reed – Walk On The Wild Side
2. Super Cat – Don Dada Vs Can I Kick It?
3. Steve Miller Band – The Joker (Dj Czech Edit)
4. Johnny Cash – Get Rhythm (Breaks Mix)
5. Wilson Pickett – Mustang Sally (Greg J Edit)
6. Justin Timberlake – Damn Girl
7. Featurecast – Whoah
8. Kool & The Gang – Jungle Boogie (Nick Thayer Edit)
9. Stevie Wonder – For Once In My Life (Breaks Mix)
10. Stretch – Why Did You Do It? (Different Strokes Edit)
11. The Temptations – Papa Was A Rolling Stone (Cosmo Baker Edit)
12. The Mccoys – Hang On Sloopy (Mat The Alien Edit)
13. Lil’ Mama Vs The Champs – Tequila Flavoured Lip Gloss (Smalltown Djs Edit)
14. Beat Conductor – Crazy In Kingston
15. De La Soul Ft Chaka Khan – All Good (Aldo Vanucci Edit)
16. Prince Fatty – Shimmy Shimmy Ya
17. The Specials – A Message To You Rudy (Fort Knox Five Edit)
18. Mark Ronson – Toxic (Paul Nice Remix)
19. Basement Freaks – Start Your Feet Like Dis
20. Jay Z Vs Led Zepplin – I Just Wanna Whole Lotta Love (Discotech Edit)
21. John Cougar Mellancamp – Jack And Diane (Dj Danny Diggz Edit)
22. Audited Beats – Blues Banger
23. Jamie Foxx – I Got A Woman (Bad Boy Crew Edit)
24. Sublime – What I Got (Dj Danny Diggz Edit)
25. The Dixie Cups – Iko Iko (U-Tern Edit)
26. Jackson 5 – I Want You Back (Dj Spinna Edit)
27. Bill Withers – Lovely Day (Dj Eleven Edit)
28. Vicki Anderson – Wide Awake In A Dream
29. Israel Kamakawiwo’ole – Somewhere Over The Rainbow

This entry was written by siren, posted on March 17, 2010 at 10:26 pm, filed under Mixes. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.

win tickets for Az-tech on Friday with MAELSTROM!

3 IS THE MAJIK NUMBER…………

Yes folks, March 12th celebrates the end of Az-Tech’s third full year tearing up The Caves in Edinburgh, and what a thoroughly banging time it’s been. Since March 2007, Az-Tech has tried to push the envelope of Edinburgh clubbing to embrace a whole new dimension of late-night debauchery, bringing you the finest in DJ talent from the length and breadth of Britain and beyond, and boasting one of the best, most up-for-it and most faithful crowds in the city.

Looking back over three legendary years’ worth of artists, it was hard to pick a favourite that would bring all the perfect ingredients for this party. After much debating and happy memoirs, one special set from October 2008 stood out beyond the rest… French master of his craft and Noise Porn favourite Maelstrom’s last set at the Caves was a mind-blowing journey through more styles than you could shake a dusty vinyl at, definitely one of the freshest and most forward-thinking sets we’d heard in a long long while… Performing live, he whipped through an astounding back-catalogue of breaks, beats & bumps, flipping tunes on their heads and barely stopping to catch a breath- those still standing at the end went off the hook…

The past two years have seen Maelstrom launch his own label in his homeland, and bash out a monstrous amount of extra-high-grade tuneage. He’s taken in a tour of the southern hemisphere and is one of the busiest of the continent’s dance artists. Never one to rest on his laurels, Maelstrom has also fashioned an alternative identity for himself, playing and producing up-tempo funk worldwide under the alias of “Misterstrom”… for a sneak peak at both sides of the alter ego, check the two brand-spanking new mixes below.

Maelstrom – No Prisoners Mix 2010.mp3

Mr. Strom’s Nu-Funk Mix 2010.mp3

For discounted entry on Friday and free lifetime membership to Az-Tech, drop an email with your full name to az-techbreaks@hotmail.co.uk.

COMPETITION:

Az-Tech are giving away two guestlist places to Friday’s event especially for Noiseporn. To enter, please reply to the above email address with the subject line NOISEPORN COMP and the answer to this question:

What year did Az-Tech launch at the Caves?

Answers in by 10pm on Wednesday 10th March and we’ll notify the winner by email on Thursday. Good luck!

This entry was written by siren, posted on March 8, 2010 at 4:11 pm, filed under Competitions, Mixes, Noise Porn Nights. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.

free baobinga and i.d. album out now!

Before I say anything about the album, I’ve got to hand out some massive props to Baobinga and I.D. for this incredibly cool project. Since the end of January, Bass Music blog has been featuring their Diary of a Free Album, a week-by-week account of the ins and outs of releasing a free album in today’s digital music industry, which as they highlight, can have many useful inroads for artists but can also be pretty unforgiving at times. The whole thing was done really as an experiment, and a way of learning more about the process of releasing and promoting an album digitally for free, and doing it properly. It’s a fascinating read, and I.D.’s commentaries are entertaining and well-detailed, throwing some useful light on many aspects of the digital industry. New producers and anyone involved in pushing music online should definitely give it a browse.

Now onto the good stuff. The album itself, called Bass Music Sessions, is a brilliant summary of the duo’s style – it’s a multi-genre collection of eight tracks, with lots of hip-hop, dubstep, two-step and broken beat influences. Many of the soundscapes are stripped-back and futuristic, and, noticeably, the tracks are really well-polished for the dancefloor; they’ve done a superb job on the mastering front, a topic that was broached in the discussion leading up to the release. The one drum & bass track “The King” is a standout for me, soulful and deep with nice tough breaks driving the track. Loving it. “Hush Up Riddim” is my favourite dubstep track on the album, with twisted synths and a fat pulsating bass, and the housey crowd are sure to love the bouncy kuduru-style beats of “Man Down”, featured previously on Noise Porn.

It’s had a lot of DJ support on various fronts, and there’s definitely something for everyone here. You can download it for free or for a donation: Proceeds will go to Dove House Hospice in Hull, UK. Obviously with so much hard work put in, the boys would love your feedback, so let us know your thoughts or check in with them over at Bass Music.

DOWNLOAD THE ALBUM HERE

BONUS:

We’ve also got a brand new DJ mix from I.D. for This is Breaks, with a focus on breaks, dubstep and everything in between. I.D. says, “…it’s my take on where next for ‘breaks’ music  – i.e. incorporating loads of funky, 2-step, ragga, dubstep and everything else that’s got funk and interesting beats.” Take a look below.

I.D. – This is Breaks Mix 2010.mp3

Tracklist:

1. Altered Natives – Bullet Blade Knuckle Slap (Fresh Minute Music)
2. Seiji – Hohoho (seiji.co.uk)
3. Baobinga ft Rubidan – Raggipahop (dub)
4. Martyn – Megadrive Generation (Hyperdub)
5. Toddla T ft Herve & Serocee – Shake Ya Body (DJ Sega remix)
6. Redux – Acidbomb (601 remix) (Trickery Collective dub)
7. Ghislain Poirier ft MC Zulu – Gyal Secret Potion (Baobinga remix) (Ninja Tune dub)
8. Geeneus – Raggoo (Rinse FM)
9. South Rakkas Crew ft MC Gi & Mr Dockery – Hands Up Brazil (Mad Decent)
10. South Rakkas Crew & Killa Queenz ft Lady Chan – Double Up (Mad Decent)
11. Flore & Shunda K – Feel Me (Peo de Pitte remix) (Botchit & Scarper)
12. Snide – Cot Damn (dub)
13. Freestyle DJs – Back To The Old Jack (Rektchordz remix) (Ape dub)
14. Martsman & John Gloss – Wrecking Girlcore (dub)
15. Pocz & Pacheko – Zarbak (Mr Gasparov remix) (Senseless Records)
16. DJ Madd – Bass Come Down (Subway dub)
17. Sully – In Some Pattern (Keysound)
18. I.D. vs Skinnz – Shimmy (Double Science dub)
19. Brackles – Rawkus (Planet Mu)
20. I.D. & Baobinga – Inland (Bass Music dub)
21. Untold – Gonna Work Out Fine (Hemlock)
22. I.D. – Once Again (Passenger dub)
23. Redlight – Pick Up The Phone (Lobster Boy)
24. Baobinga & I.D. – Tongue Riddim (Build)
25. I.D. – Mustang (Sub Slayers dub)
26. Afghan Headspin – Cocaine (Gella’s Rather Have A Tablet remix)(Valium)
27. D1 – Jus Business (Dub Police)
28. Vipercorps – Overclocked (I.D. remix) (Lucky Break)
29. Si Begg – Brain Activity (Wascal remix) (Noodles)
30. I.D. – Handbagger (Baobinga remix) (Passenger dub)

Thanks for all the new material guys, and a hefty big up from us at Noise Porn for the effort!

This entry was written by siren, posted on March 3, 2010 at 1:16 pm, filed under Mixes, News, Video. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.

mr no hands

Unforgettable for his animations featuring a cute little guy atop his beloved BMX, Mr No Hands continues to make big noises in the breaks scene, with some tasty releases on Air and Dusted Breaks. Been hanging on to this one for a while and now finally have got round to posting it – it’s his killer remix of the Plump DJs “System Addict”. No Hands chops and twists the bassline, and in my opinion, blows the original out of the water. Fortune has meant that this escaped release and is now available as a free 320. Dig in!

Plump DJs – System Addict (Mr No Hands Exo-Funk Re-Edit).mp3

This entry was written by siren, posted on February 13, 2010 at 7:10 am, filed under MP3. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.

phonat

Glad to have a chance to write about this guy as he’s been occupying my player a lot recently. Bought a vinyl of his years back and it’s great to see how far he’s come in terms of production. The man in question is Phonat, he’s got a new album out, and while still a relative newcomer to the electro scene, I’d definitely consider him one of the finest producers out there at the moment. His style is an infectiously catchy mix of French House and chopped-up melodic electro, and he’s been dabbling in drum & bass too, with excellent results. “Love Hits the Fan” is the second release from the self-titled album, which you can listen to in full on Beatport. It’s out on official release, along with a sweet remix package, in about 10 weeks, in the meantime, get a load of this epic promo video! Also, if you’ll forgive me a cheeky re-host (thank you Penned Madness), you can grab a wicked re-edit of his the first release from the album,”Set Me Free”, in full mp3 quality, below.

Phonat – Set Me Free (Tasmanian Disco Stampede Mix).mp3

This entry was written by siren, posted on February 5, 2010 at 4:48 am, filed under Video. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.

modifier

Allow me to divert your attention, then, back to the tunes, and towards a couple of uber-talented guys from Glasgow named Modifier. I first heard their stuff in a tiny little club under one of the bridges in Edinburgh, and the live show they put on was awe-inspiring, with both bent over laptops and controllers, working so well in tandem that it seemed as though they were being controlled by one central machine. Their style is a melodic, emotive kind of electronica, often driven by a darker element. In this case, a stripped back, relaxed house vibe combines with lush synthwork and a warm low-frequency resonance. An amazing remix from the Scottish producers, and it’s available to buy here at Beatport!

This entry was written by siren, posted on February 2, 2010 at 5:50 am, filed under Video. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.

Sam Hell @ Az-Tech

Got a brand new mix here for you from a phenomenal talent in breaks that is gracing our Scottish shores next weekend for a mammoth party at Edinburgh’s Caves. Having taken a three-month Christmas holiday (yes, we’ve milked it somewhat), Az-Tech is back and proud to present Sam Hell, who’s been picked up by the likes of Annie Nightingale and Far Too Loud as one of the top names producing breaks at the moment. Saying this, the mysterious Mr. Hell has more than one string to his bow in the way of production. Sam is the man behind the massive new Electro-House sample pack for Zero-G, you can browse and/or purchase at their website.

But for now, get a load of this minimix below, it’s 30 minutes of gargantuan basslines and driving beats, breaks meeting the heavier end of electro-house for the perfect Thursday lunchtime treat! And, if you like what you hear, make sure you make your way down to the Caves next Friday for a belter of a party to see in the new season for Az-Tech!

Sam Hell – Aztech Minimix.mp3

Tracklisting:

1. Zodiac Cartel – Stay On Top
2. Sam Hell – Logjammin
3. Fake Blood – Dozens
4. Sam Hell – Mothership (Rektchordz Remix)
5. Neurodriver – What You Gonna Do Now
6. Sam Hell – Mothership
7. UNKLE – Heavy Drug

THE ESSENTIALS:

Az-Tech presents SAM HELL

AL MAJIK
SIREN
RE:TOX

Live artwork – freebies – love – lollipops

Entry: £7 // £6 members

Doors: 10:30pm – 3:00am

FRIDAY 5TH FEBRUARY 2010

THE CAVES, Niddry Street South, Edinburgh

This entry was written by siren, posted on January 28, 2010 at 9:22 pm, filed under Mixes, Noise Porn Nights. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.

hexadecimal vs flight of the concords

This entry was written by siren, posted on January 22, 2010 at 6:31 am, filed under Video. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.