electronic directory

Various – Beings Of Sound [Subject Detroit]

Hot on the heels of seven corking singles comes the great compilation single. DJ Bone provides the Detroit Vibe. Trench takes a sci-fi voyage. Stephen Brown turns in another hi-tek soul. Rennie Foster delivers Advanced Black Music. Very strong indeed.

Tracklisting:

• 01. DJ Bone – The Vibe
• 02. Trench – Arrival
• 03. Stephen Brown – MG
• 04. Rennie Foster – Hustle N’ Flow

Get "Beings Of Sound" here:

• Buy Twelve from Juno Records for £4.25
• Buy in 320kbs MP3 format from Juno Download for £4.67

Related Links:

• www.myspace.com/djbonedetroit
• www.myspace.com/djtrench
• www.myspace.com/realtimerecords
• www.myspace.com/renniefoster
• www.myspace.com/subjectdetroit

Nick Solé – Earth [Fine Art]

Fine Art has been a consistently great label in the past couple of years. Hit after hit after hit. This EP is a house classic which reflects his obsession for jazz, downtempo and soul with roots deep in house. Absolutely no need for a remix for this stunning track.

Tracklisting:

• 01. Earth
• 02. Earth (Toby Tobias 3PM remix)
• 03. Earth (Toby Tobias 6AM remix)
• 04. Beautiful Day

Get "Earth" here:

• Buy in 320kbs MP3 format from Juno Download for £3.82
• Buy in MP3 format from Beatport for $7.96

Related Links:

• www.myspace.com/nicksole
• www.myspace.com/tobytobiasmusic
• www.myspace.com/fineartrecords

The Youngsters – Babylon Superstars [20:20 Vision]

For the younger dancers on today’s floors, the standout track ‘Babylon Superstars’ is positively modern minimal and deserving of some kind of Isolée-esque treatment. I prefer ‘Fukuoaka Underground’ here though – deep, emotional French techno with a large dollop of Motor City. An absolute beauty.

Tracklisting:

• 01. Babylon Superstars
• 02. Babylon Superstars (Simon Baker’s Infant mix)
• 03. Fukuoaka Underground

Get "Babylon Superstars" here:

• Buy Twelve from Juno Records for £4.25
• Buy in 320kbs MP3 format from Juno Download for £3.40
• Buy in MP3 format from Beatport for $7.47

Related Links:

• www.myspace.com/therealyoungsters
• www.myspace.com/simonbakerinfantrecords
• www.myspace.com/2020visionrecordings

Our sixth Electronic Directory podcast comes from Subject Detroit head honcho DJ Bone, a project between Subject Detroit/REAL Booking Artist Agency and Electronic Directory.

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DJ Bone – Himbot / Tru Warriors EP / Subjugation [Subject Detroit]

DJ Bone makes Advanced Black Music for the club and it is a journey to the core. His unique style of pulsating tribal enchantment is punctuated with seriously deep chords and primal screams, a thick, potent mix of rhythms are embedded with some spaced out techno soul business.

"Himbot" is a stunning track that fuses fiery electro rhythms and machine funk into a unique listening experience. Keeping the electro feel is the equally excellent "Scully" with its very deep atmosphere and subtle emotional tug.

Tru Warriors EP is the essential spice that DJ Bone adds to the pot for that that extra bite. It’s a mysterious injection of funk and drive that reverberates to the heart of the dancefloor.

"We Control The Beat" is classic DJ Bone – a rolling tribal driven groove is underpinned with sci-fi chants and house vein, this firing cut is sure to please lovers of Bone’s style.

Tracklisting:

Himbot

• A1. Himbot
• A2. Scully
• B1. Himbot 2.0
• B2. Fortress Of Solitude

Tru Warriors EP

• A1. Tru Warriors (Ritual mix)
• A2. Ritual Mask
• B1. Tru Warriors (Spirit mix)
• B2. The Dream

Subjugation

• A1. We Control The Beat
• A2. Ghosts Of Slaves
• B1. Runwitit
• B2. Runwitit v2

Get "Himbot" here:

• Buy Twelve from Juno Records for £5.95
• Buy in 320kbs MP3 format from Juno Download for £4.93

Get "Tru Warriors EP" here:

• Buy Twelve from Juno Records for £5.53
• Buy in 320kbs MP3 format from Juno Download for £4.93

Get "Subjugation" here:

• Buy Twelve from Juno Records for £5.53
• Buy in 320kbs MP3 format from Juno Download for £4.93

Related Links:

• www.myspace.com/djbonedetroit
• www.myspace.com/subjectdetroit

Electronic Directory podcast 5 is the first part of the project between Subject Detroit/REAL Booking Artist Agency and Electronic Directory.

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Electronic Directory (re)presents Subject Detroit – the last one with DJ Bone, here.

The summer edition of our podcast – featuring mixes from Subject Detroit, will be available shortly !

DJ Bone Biography

To some he is the champion of the underground. Others see him for the first time and ask the person dancing like crazy next to them, "Where did THIS guy come from ?"

Think of Detroit Techno and DJ Bone might not be high on your list of luminaries because he is 100% independent and does things on his terms and on his terms only. He won’t tap dance or bend to fit the "popular" dj mold. Those who recognize Bone know him for his uncompromising and innovative ways.

It’s no accident that two letters always precede Bone’s name whenever he’s on the bill. First and foremost, Bone is a DJ—in the truest sense. When he spins, it’s as if the turntables and the mixer become a physical extension of his body. He employs every possible technique in the disc jockey arsenal masterfully: blending, scratching, backspinning, no monitors or headphones; unrivaled in his use of the fader switch and he incorporates them all into every set. From his standing room only residency performances to after-hours spots, he rocks every show as if it’s his last.

What the general public and far too many DJs don’t realize is that Bone spins as much for his own enjoyment as he does for the audience. It’s a compulsion that only those who live for what they do possess and those who don’t can never understand: Bone lives to spin-it’s a necessary part of his existence. His dedication to the art of dance music and DJing is so untainted and intense that the tales of his confrontational encounters with flashy booking agents and "big name" djs are already the stuff of legend. No hype or trends, just a relentless drive and passion to take the party to another level. That’s why he’s one of the few spin masters other DJs hate to follow.

DJ Bone is one of Detroit’s most coveted underground vinyl technicians. This very talented and highly sought after artist plays events and clubs worldwide, has held a residency at four of Detroit’s top clubs and produces music inspired by the city in which he hales from, Detroit. His record label Subject Detroit is futuristic and unearthly while still displaying the true essence of Detroit’s Techno Soul.

Bone experienced the emotion, passion and energy of Detroit Techno first hand at the infamous Music Institute. What he witnessed there, along with the eclectic mix of music filling Detroit’s airwaves by the legendary Electrifyin’ Mojo and The Wizard, would serve to be Bone’s main influences.

Bone began his DJ career spinning groundbreaking sets weekly at The Love Club (The Shelter). From there he gained a dedicated following which eventually led to him playing at three different clubs five nights a week, as well as several underground parties in Detroit. An invitation to provide fortnightly, live mixes for the Deep Space Radio show on 107.5 in Detroit was also extended.

After hearing Bone in Detroit (1996 Love Club Anniversary Party), Laurent Garnier booked him to headline at the Rex Club in Paris. Soon after word spread and Bone was invited to play events all over Europe.

A lack of electronic music which fit his style led Bone to produce his own original songs to incorporate into his funky and eclectic sets. He took it a step further and started his label Subject Detroit focusing on true Sonic Soul.

In late 1997, Bone began his residency at the Motor Lounge in Hamtramck (bordering Detroit on all sides) pioneering an underground Detroit Techno night. Within a month, the number of Bone’s weekly session attendees topped 1,000 as well as tens of thousands of others tuning in to his live set broadcast on the radio every Friday from midnight until 2 am (87.9 FM). Always looking to expand minds and move bodies, Bone took on the challenge avoided by so many DJs before him familiar with Detroit by name only. For nearly three years, he amazed his crowds, which included out-of-towners from as far as Japan and Australia alongside his Detroit faithful. Unfortunately, due to Motor’s attempt to exploit what Bone had founded and loved, he decided to depart from the club and his residency.

Bone’s observation of the trend to book producers to spin, as opposed to actual DJs, prompted him to go against the grain and establish himself as a DJ first and foremost. He believes that an individual’s talent should speak for itself and not be overshadowed or misconstrued by hype.

DJ Bone describes himself as "an uncompromising, hype hating, 100% independent, real Detroit native come auditory striker and soul controller that cannot be bought".

"If the gig is set-up with the music as the main focus (as it should be), then I have total control over the vibe. That’s my duty. I’m not worried about having a Hollywood production going on or special effects with video images, smoke, etc. Just playing the best possible music as well as I can. I feel the need to constantly progress skill-wise and I feel my 3 deck sets are truly unique. Many DJs have 3 decks in front of them but how often do they actually have 3 records playing all at once (with the levels up) ?" – DJ Bone

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Electronic Directory (re)presents Subject Detroit – featuring interview with Mister X.

Mister X Biography

Mister X has been there from the beginning…

He was there at the music institute.

He was there at the Hip-Hop shop while Em and Royce were rhyming.

He and Bone were at Derrick May’s as he showed them how his production setup worked.

He was at Record-Time, Buy-Rite and Save the Vinyl.

He made beats for Bugz and Proof as they prepared to become D12.

He was on Planet E records until they decided it was safer to shelve him.

He was mentored by the great and mysteriously off-the-radar Ron Estill.

He worked in the studio where KonArtis, Denaun Porter and DJ Butter toiled.

and he was at the first 3 DEMFS lurking in the shadows backstage, camera in hand.

Mister X is not a traditional musician-he is a media manipulator. He makes beats, videos, websites and digital art. He makes music in whatever style and genre he chooses. He forces today’s technology to his whims and makes it do his bidding.

Mister X makes music not as a career choice, but as an aesthetic one because not enough people in the industry make the music he wants to hear while others made compromises to their art to get in the game. He waited…and started investigating the internet as an outlet studying mp3 compression and streaming rates back in 1999 learning how one can survive at this without selling their soul while being unapologetically original and unfiltered.

and now he’s here to change everything-but still he feels his greatest contribution to the world of music was being the man who bought DJ Bone his first turntables…

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DJ Bone – Circus World [Subject Detroit]

Bloody hell. DJ Bone has always had the utmost respect from all corners of the globe. He has the soulful techno sound that I adore and this release is really showing his deeper side. Deep, soulful and highly dramatic to boot – this kind of shit is right up my street.

Tracklisting:

• A1. Circus World
• A2. Circus World (Instrumental)
• B1. One More Tune

Get "Circus World" here:

• Buy Twelve from Juno Records for £5.95
• Buy in 320kbs MP3 format from Juno Download for £3.82

Related Links:

• www.myspace.com/djbonedetroit
• www.myspace.com/subjectdetroit

DJ Bone – The Red Zone [Subject Detroit]

DJ Bone turns in another swingy tribal crowd-pleaser that can’t fail on any sensible dancefloor.

Tracklisting:

• A1. War
• A2. Fight
• A3. Wardance
• B1. Stomp
• B2. That Tree
• B3. Doubt

Get "The Red Zone" here:

• Buy Twelve from Juno Records for £6.80
• Buy in 320kbs MP3 format from Juno Download for £6.37

Related Links:

• www.myspace.com/djbonedetroit
• www.myspace.com/subjectdetroit

Mister X – Unbalanced [Subject Detroit]

Mister X makes sublime motor city moment. The standout track ‘Hazy Bliss’ is an old-school deep house with a wailing vocal from Sunni. Reminiscent of Mr. Fingers’ finer moments and what’s more, it’s a dancefloor shóe-in. Another very good release from Subject Detroit.

Tracklisting:

• A1. Hazy Bliss
• A2. Jefferson Ave. 1989
• A3. M.I. Quickie
• B1. Because
• B2. Cum 4 U (Cum 4 Me)
• B3. Loveclub Quickie
• B4. Meltdown

Get "Unbalanced" here:

• Buy Twelve from Juno Records for £6.80
• Buy in 320kbs MP3 format from Juno Download for £7.23

Related Links:

• www.myspace.com/detroitsmisterx
• www.myspace.com/subjectdetroit

Rennie Foster – Good Time Charlie [Subject Detroit]

More excellent quality stuff from Subject Detroit; GTC itself is a slow-burner and breathes old-school deep house and new-school minimal techno with incredible musicianship and immaculate production. Aux 88 have given it a ludicrous ghetto techno interpretation. DJ Bone’s deep concentration is one to get well and truly lost in only to re-emerge 12 minutes later to wonder where exactly the time went.

Tracklisting:

• A1. GTC – Original
• A2. Aux 88’s Zoom mix
• B1. DJ Bone’s Deep Concentration mix

Get "Good Time Charlie" here:

• Buy Twelve from Juno Records for £5.95
• Buy in 320kbs MP3 format from Juno Download for £4.08

Related Links:

• www.myspace.com/renniefoster
• www.myspace.com/aux88
• www.myspace.com/djbonedetroit
• www.myspace.com/subjectdetroit

Stephen Brown – Subject Scotland 2 [Subject Detroit]

Stephen Brown returns to Subject Detroit with a fantastic four tracker of raw and jacking techno funk music. Absolutely stunning A side – I have been hammering both tracks for a while now. Our Soul has been remade and improved for the dancefloor, deep, emotional techno with a twist of Detroit influenced soul. Keygroups grooves like a mutha ! On the flip both tracks are as nice – delicious yet dark, dubbed out house with Chicago licks, swirling techno synths and relentless driving basslines. All in all this is a great package from a great producer.

Tracklisting:

• A1. Our Soul
• A2. Keygroups
• B1. Music Is
• B2. Jackin’ Off

Get "Subject Scotland 2" here:

• Buy Twelve from Juno Records for £5.95
• Buy in 320kbs MP3 format from Juno Download for £4.93

Related Links:

• www.myspace.com/realtimerecords
• www.myspace.com/subjectdetroit

Trench – Comatose [Subject Detroit]

Subject Detroit with yet another corking release – ‘Comatose’ comes with Donna Black, Aaron-Carl and DJ Bone mixes. The Original Slumber is a great pounding groover with a lurching synth that builds beautifully. It reminds me a little of early Jeff Mills. I can’t choose one of remixes, I love all of them !

Tracklisting:

• A1. The Original Slumber (Trench)
• A2. Can’t Catch Electric Sheep (Aaron-Carl)
• B1. Narcoleptic Nightmare (DJ Bone)
• B2. BlackisBack remix (Donna Black)

Get "Comatose" here:

• Buy Twelve from Juno Records for £5.95
• Buy in 320kbs MP3 format from Juno Download for £4.93

Related Links:

• www.myspace.com/djtrench
• www.myspace.com/aaroncarl
• www.myspace.com/djbonedetroit
• www.myspace.com/donnablackdetroit
• www.myspace.com/subjectdetroit

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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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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