electronic directory

We are going to continue to do a series of featured label – Underground Resistance, the new one with Cornelius Harris, who is also known as Atlantis.

About Alter Ego Management & Booking

Alter Ego was founded by Cornelius Harris, a long time participant/sometimes artist in multiple Detroit scenes from hip hop to rock, jazz to funk, techno to even video. Alter Ego Management and Booking was formed to serve both the artists represented and the fans of those artists. Founded in Detroit, there was a commitment to seeing the success of clients in a city that, while loaded with talent, lacked the supporting industries to benefit from that talent. As a jack of all trades, he understood that working in such an environment mandated familiarity with many different people with many different skills in many different places in order for his clients to achieve the types of outcomes they were looking for.

Today Alter Ego boasts a lineup consisting of not only established talent, but up and coming artists as well. Alter Ego has also played a significant role in managing not only artists, but specific projects, from video production to licensing to contract negotiation. So while the clients benefit from the work being done, their Alter Ego operates in the background, making sure that they’re set up for success.

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Soul Designer album, "Evolutionism" is out now and in shops:

• Buy Twelve (part one) from Juno Records for £5.95
• Buy (part one) in 320kbs MP3 format from Juno Download for £5.10
• Buy (part one) in MP3 format from Beatport for $5.96
• Buy Twelve (part two) from Juno Records for £5.95
• Buy (part two) in 320kbs MP3 format from Juno Download for £5.10
• Buy (part two) in MP3 format from Beatport for $7.96
• Buy CD album from Juno Records for £11.91
• Buy album in 320kbs MP3 format from Juno Download for £11.06
• Buy album in MP3 format from Beatport for $11.99

Fabrice Lig returns to Antwerp on August 1st to play at SUB-SCAPE @ Café Capital. Times are 11pm til 7am. Entry is €7 with pre-mail from info@sub-scape.com

He is also touring at the moment, various gigs listed on his MySpace page and at: www.myspace.com/fabricelig

Melodika’s excellent come back release, Pedro Cali – Retrofuturism is available for download now on Juno Download

Juno Download – Belgian-born Pedro Cali brings us the "Retrofuturism EP" from Melodika. Four tracks of electro synth quality. "Crazy Bounce" has an orbital-esque edge, then "My Sweet Angel" brings it down to a progressive level. "I Am As I Am" is a deeper groove, whereas "My Sweet Angel" (exclusive to Juno) is a perfect cinematic end to this great EP.

Get this single here: http://www.junodownload.com/products/1341321-02.htm

Niko Marks – Hueman Density [U2X Productions]

A marriage made in heaven; Niko Marks and Amp Fiddler team up for this fantastic piece of music – full of lovely deep Motown vibes. Stay Or Move On is a real electronic soul gem with a decidedly moody Motown hook. A future classic.

Tracklisting:

• A1. Hueman Density
• B1. West 8 Mile (G Moody mix)
• B2. Stay Or Move On (feat. Amp Fiddler)

Get "Hueman Density" here:

• Buy Twelve from Juno Records for £5.10

Related Links:

• www.myspace.com/nikomarks
• www.myspace.com/ampfiddler

Electronic Directory (re)presents Subject Detroit – featuring interview with Rennie Foster.

Rennie Foster Biography

Rennie "Dubnut" Foster has been a well respected figure in the Canadian music and art community since he was just a teenager. He influenced many as an early pioneer of the Hip-Hop / B-Boy movement and later the House Music and Techno / Rave scene with his uncomprimising underground spirit and dedication to breaking ground with everything he puts his mind to whether he was making music for the local CHUM television network, judging the DMC dj contest or fighting for the right to dance at City Hall. Known for his talent on the dancefloor aswell as with a mic or a can of paint it was behind the turntables and in the studio that Rennie would bring his relentless fusion of Hi-Tech Funk and Soul to a global audience.

After visiting Japan several times to play, Rennie fell in love with the techno oriented Tokyo club scene and has since relocated to Tokyo where he now resides with his 7 year old Japanese twin daughters, the main source of inspiration for this dedicated single father and full time vinyl pilot.

Rennie has been making himself heard the last few years with a well recieved string of vinyl singles and remixes as both a solo artist with labels such as Subject-Detroit, Monoid, Synewave, Rewired, Soiree, F… U ! Com etc. aswell as with partner Kan Shinomura as Futago Technologies. The Japanese word Futago means twins and Kan is also a father of twins, born only hours apart from Rennie’s children… its this kind of fate that has guided the Futago Tech. project to great success so far including the creation of thier own "Futago Traxx" imprint releasing thier original Fusion of Detroit and Tribal influenced sounds alongside artists such as Jamie Anderson, Ben Sims, Mark Williams, Damon Wild, Rue East and Oliver Ho aka Raudive. The Futago Technologies unit has also released on labels like IngomA and Teknotika including the heavily played Samedi remixes championed by Derrick May and so many others.

Now, with the rise in popularity of digital DJ technology and changes in the way music is being played and purchased Rennie has launched another label, "Dirty Works", dedicated to bringing the spirit of vinyl and roots of underground dance music into the digital age. Fusing the refined "minimal" elements of modern club sounds with the R.A.W. (Rock Any Warehouse) vibe of filthy Chicago House, Detroit Techno and early rave records. Dirty Works is truly the NEW WAY TO JACK !!! Rennie is also sponsored by RANE and Serato Scratch Live.

Rennie’s many releases have recieved stellar reviews in magazines and websites such as DJ, XLR8R, Loud, Traxx, Mixer, littledetroit.net, DJ Times, and Mixmag plus get regular charting and support from major figures such as Dave Clarke, Laurent Garnier, Jeff Mills, DJ Bone and Kevin Saunderson. Even if you havn’t yet heard Rennie’s name, chances are you have danced to one of his records. Rennie has showcased his unique and highly technical DJ style in clubs and venues all over North America, Europe and Asia holding his own alongside a diverse range of top players from Frankie Knuckles to Daniel Bell to Grandmaster Flash and a long list of other big names.

All in all Rennie Foster is a hard working purveyor of high quality techno and house based music, a dedicated student of dance music’s rich history and a steadfast believer in the bright future of electronic music.

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Electronic Directory (re)presents Subject Detroit – featuring interview with DJ Trench.

Trench Biography

As an old school house head, Trench had the pleasure of experiencing Detroit’s dance subculture from its infancy.

As a regular attendee of many now legendary hotspots, he experienced the birth of Detroit’s audio subculture firsthand, and his support and dedication to this art form has been relentless. As a DJ his skills are tight and saying flexible in selection is an understatement! He attributes his adventurous nature to his roots; "Back in the day there was no right or wrong, there was just music. You grabbed what you could and gleaned the parts that touched you. I believe in embracing experimentation, we can make our soundscape much more exciting".

Trench brings more than a style to the decks — he brings personality. A genre splicer constantly moving between palettes, he follows no man’s drum but his own, breaking through the expected and slamming down flags in new ground. With his soul deeply rooted beneath the mainstream, his love for the music is embodied by action: an endless source of complex creativity, simply defined by conviction.

As an accomplished designer Trench has provided artwork for many labels and artists: Mike Hukaby, Terrence Parker, Juan Atkins, Brian Gillespie, DEQ, NDR, Beretta Music, Throw Records, Visillusion, Detroit Grand Pubahs, Lumina, Pure Plastic; but home is 100% independent record label Subject Detroit where he serves as visual liaison. The extensive catalog of DJ Bone showcases many of his graphic contributions to the underground movement.

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Friday, August 1, 2008

Café Capital, Antwerpen | Doors open at 11pm | €7 w/mailing list / €9 on door

• FABRICE LIG aka SOUL DESIGNER
• TOMAZ
• WILL O’BRIEN

SUB-SCAPE presents two of Belgium’s leading exponents of techno FABRICE LIG AKA SOUL DESIGNER and TOMAZ on FRIDAY 1 AUGUST at CAFE CAPITAL in Antwerp’s city park.

Fabrice Lig is one of the few European producers to really make good on Detroit techno’s romantic ideals and the release of his second Soul Designer album entitled "Evolutionism" comes at a time when many are predicting a turn back towards Detroit-styled musicality in techno. Containing many musical influences from jazz to p-funk and house, "Evolutionism" is laced with personality, power, and most importantly, a whole bunch of soul. The pristine production shows Lig’s impressive mastery of his machines and confirms his status as one of modern techno’s finest talents.

Tomaz is a stalwart of the techno scene in Belgium, transmitting the most upfront tracks every week through the Switch show on Studio Brussel.

€9 / €7 (mailing / sms list – e-mail: info@sub-scape.com / sms: +32486066709)

Friday, July 25, 2008

La Providence Art Industry, Charleroi | Doors open at 10pm

• FABRICE LIG aka SOUL DESIGNER (live)
• C-DRIK
• GLOBUL

Electronic Directory (re)presents Subject Detroit – the first one with Stephen Brown, here !

Stephen Brown Biography

Stephen was born in Edinburgh in 1972 and has a long history of involvement in electronic music. He started listening to the original electro sound of the early eighties while breakdancing. His inspiration to make music comes from artist like Bobby Orlando, Heaven 17 and early Human League. Then in 1988 Stephen discovered House music at the Hoochie Coochie Club in Edinburgh. Local DJ Yogi Haughton would play anything from jazz to the first early Chicago and Detroit releases. It was these records that converted him from a music listener to a music maker. He started playing live with Roland drum machines and basslines emulating the acid sound of Chicago under the name of MD3 and would continue to do this for another two years.

Stephen recalls when things started to get out of control around the early nineties. A time when real Detroit techno and Chicago house music was hard to find and Rave music was on the increase. After numerous live shows throughout 1989/1991, Stephen retired to his bedroom to make music for the next three years. He spent his time wisely perfecting a sound that is uniquely his. All this paid of in 1995 when Stephen released his first EP on Djax up Beats (Holland). Label owner and DJ Saskia Slegers liked Stephens’s music so much that his first release would be an album. Stephen stayed loyal to the label and covered 8 releases between 1995 to 2000.

Soon after the first Djax releases Stephen was recording for other labels such as Soma, T&B, Drought, Scandinavia, to name a few. Stephen released an EP under the name Earl Brown called the cornucopia EP in 1996, the lead track "how I feel" made number 20 in Music magazines top 100 of 1996, where his talent was compared to that of Chicago innovator LIL’ LOUIS. Not a bad achievement for his second release.

Around the same time he contributed a track to Glasgow’s label Soma under the same name Earl Brown for their 50th release. He also collaborated with Envoy for two trax on his album Shoulder to shoulder.

Stephen decided to start his own label in 2000 called Realtime Records. The purpose of this project was to release all his own material that had been rejected from other labels. The reason was because Stephen believed they had missed something. After five very successful releases Stephen decided to put the label on hold.

All his early releases were getting Stephen a lot of attention so he started playing in the clubs again mostly playing live sets. Enjoying playing in Belgium, Germany, France, Copenhagen, and Oslo he would always return to play at his local club PURE in Edinburgh.

Here Stephen’s career would take another turning point when he was playing live before Derrick May one night. As soon as Derrick entered the club he approached Stephen to talk to him about his music. This was the beginning of a friendship that still lasts today. A deal was struck after long negotiations and Stephen released two EPs on the Legendary Detroit label Transmat in 2002.

Recently Stephen approached DJ Bone after purchasing the first release on Subject Detroit and the conversation led to him contributing trax for Bones mix CD. Soon after he was given the opportunity to record an EP called Subject Scotland as part of the Subject Detroit global series.

Stephen’s inspiration lies firmly in Detroit techno, his releases and live performances are proof of this. He chooses to give his music to labels that he respects, rather than make a certain style of music for a particular type of label. "That for me is fashion and music is not fashion Music is Music".

Future projects include a new EP on Transmat. A remix for Mark Williams and to work with Mark on a joint release. Material for Arne Weinberg and Paul Mac should be available this year. To stay loyal to the subject family and release more material through Subject Detroit.

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DJ Mark Flash – Brasilia EP [Underground Resistance]

Mark Flash drops a stomping great piece of Detroit party-funk – mashing a South American groove with the emotive UR chords into an unstoppable whole. It reminds me a bit of Los Hermanos/Ican but it then goes a bit further. Supermassive.

Tracklisting:

• A1. Sao Paulo
• A2. Erzuli
• B1. Cachaca
• B2. Minha Mocambo

Get "Brasilia EP" here:

• Buy Twelve from Juno Records for £6.80

Related Links:

• www.myspace.com/markflash
• www.myspace.com/markflashmusic

Erell Ranson – Sense Of Our Life [MySelf]

Erell Ranson launches his own label with this expansive piece of truly deep techno. I was very surprised by this because it brings me back to the days of ‘Rhythim Is Rhythim’. Your only difficulty is choosing between the shiny original and the Mayday-inflected Arne Weinberg remix.

Tracklisting:

• A1. Sense Of Our Life
• B1. Sense Of Our Life (Arne Weinberg remix)
• B2. Conversations With Myself

Get "Sense Of Our Life" here:

• Buy Twelve from Juno Records for £5.95

Related Links:

• www.myspace.com/erellranson
• www.myspace.com/arne_weinberg
• www.myspace.com/msrecordings

Pedro Cali – Retrofuturism (part one) [Melodika]

Ahh Melodika finally comes back here with this great release from Pedro Cali. ‘Crazy Bounce’ is an interesting, subtle yet strong track with his funky beats and synths that lives up to its name. Both ‘My Sweet Angel’ and ‘I Am As I Am’ are very sweety and emotional tracks with familiar Motor city flavours and particular atmosphere.

Tracklisting:

• 01. Crazy Bounce
• 02. My Sweet Angel
• 03. I Am As I Am
• exclusive on beatport. Walk Away
• exclusive on beatport. My Sweet Angel (Beatless mix)

Get "Retrofuturism (part one)" here:

• Buy in 320kbs MP3 format from Juno Download for £5.10
• Buy in MP3 format from Beatport for $9.96

Related Links:

• www.myspace.com/pedrocali
• www.myspace.com/melodikarecordings

Soul Designer – Evolutionism (part two) [Third Ear]

Sublime. ‘Scaraboogie’ is a pure electronic boogie for all forward-thinking funk citizens. On the flip ‘Children Of Galapagos’ is an epic hi-tech jazz masterpiece that shows Fabrice Lig on top form. This is really really special for me.

Tracklisting:

• A1. Ecosystem
• A2. Scaraboogie
• B1. Molecular Song
• B2. Children Of Galapagos

Get "Evolutionism (part two)" here:

• Buy Twelve from Juno Records for £5.95
• Buy in 320kbs MP3 format from Juno Download for £5.10
• Buy in MP3 format from Beatport for $7.96

Related Links:

• www.myspace.com/fabricelig
• www.myspace.com/souldesignereurope
• www.myspace.com/souldesignerjp
• www.myspace.com/3ear