Codekontrol World blog is...with every post we'll try and give you a few uncensored and open hearted lines about what's going on in the Codekontrol Universe: first and foremost as a collective of real people; some of us artists, some promoters or some just clubbers all united by a common lust for good electronic music and clubbing. We're learning how to write this journal as we go along so please try to be patient and critical with us at the same time. We want to put everything on the table, and try to keep it real! No bull and no sales pitch. Just real one-to-one conversation. So help us God!(the electronic version :)
At the fist slight feel of bull, please be ruthless and open fire! It's all good and very welcome. It will also make you feel better.
Happy Easter everyone! Yeap that means you too. God saves all! no exceptions!
Alright, so let’s make one thing clear from the go: this post isn’t going to be a masked attempt to convert your sinful party animal soul back to the good Christian way of life. Nor is it going to be any supersmart blog stunt to get 1,000,000,0000 clicks from people Googling for for Easter wishes. It’s just about simply wanting to wish you all a Good and Happy Easter!...and the loudest nights yet this year >:)
As legend has it, wherever you may be in the next few days, having loved ones around you helps.
But as you’ve been planning to hit LaLa Land over the weekend, some good partners in crime is probably of more what you need. A traditional…but slightly hyper visit to family HQs to get your share of seasonal food and parental design for life ideas awaits you on Sunday. But take your time, it’s barely Friday now :)
London defo’ has no shortage of good times starting this very Good Friday: http://www.residentadvisor.net/events.aspx?ai=13 And as next Monday seems to have done a drag transformation into Sunday, there is PLENTY to do on Sunday the 24th, which will actually become Saturday….so that makes today Thursday?!? WTF, I digress :))
Ok, so if that’s not you cup of tea…than dear friend, you are surely a little weird and may not be the easiest to please…oooh wait, that’s us...
As we all live and breathe on British soil, we have a reasonably good idea of how resourceful the British press can get, especially on such extraordinarily, once-a-year, get really silly moments. Here’s what The Telegraph have to propose to you after some very strict editors have approved the list: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/3355893/50-things-to-do-this-Easter-weekend.html …personal favourite is surely number 4. No wait, it’s 8! …Ooooh, 15’s pretty damn good as well! And if 50 things are not enough, than you might have a better chance with 101..? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3663817/101-things-to-do-this-Easter.html Slightly more options…Egg-cellent!
Did you feel it? This past Sunday officially marked the first day of the British summer. Sun shining, birds chirping, kids running about literary everywhere, London could’ve been easily mistaken as the peaceful family town that so isn’t. All your weird and never before seen together neighbours out in the park; all smiley and friendly, slightly worried though as soon as you’d gotten closer to their precious kites...like they weren’t totally at ease with you handling this “hi-tech” and very sensitive flying apparel with a rollie dangling from your lower lip; or maybe those mat black sunglasses you were wearing to hide the visible traces of the last 24 and something hours of sleep deprivation must’ve done the trick.
If that’s the case, than you probably have a good idea what Jaded is and what it does to you on a Sunday morning, right when you should probably still be asleep...if you were to be your neighbours. But you’re not and that means you know that Jaded is, without a doubt, THE London afterparty on a Sunday morning.
Now let’s see how we’ve reached this conclusion here... Two weeks ago Codekontrol had the massive honour of bringing over on the London shores Shlomi Aber For those of you who haven’t yet danced their worries away to any of Shlomi’s massive tracks released on Ovum, Cocoon or his own imprint Be As One, this guy is Israel’s version of the “techno prodigy” concept.
A very talented Dj and producing his trademark seductive tech sound, Shlomi Aber has got the dance world buzzing about his tracks and live performances; be it Sven Vath, Carl Craig, Pete Tong or Francois K. Charisma, energy and soul are what Shlomi Aber’s music brings to the table.
But let’s get back to our little story. As the day started with a veritable good feel, we had all hoped for the night to turn out into the mega way it deserved to. Unfortunately the Gods didn’t smile on us this time... many unexpected things happened at the last minute, like a certain Chilean God arriving in London on the same night (much respect!) and a few other massive techno asteroids blowing up very close to where we had set up our little camp. But what can you do; as a promoter, things like this will happen, many times beyond anyone’s control. We learn from mistakes and never repeat them again, move on and work on. But also unexpectedly good things can happen...very good things!
In the early hours of Sunday morning of the same weekend, the lovely peeps at Jaded were just about to open their gates to welcome the growing funky mob of ravers growing outside at Cable, just around the corner from our tent. Stopping by to say hello, Krista and Raymundo, the head honchos at Jaded, made an offer we just couldn’t refuse: us all from Jack’s over to Cable for the afterparty. Must say Shlomi did take the lead and skilfully lead us all into temptation. What followed was a 7 hours feast of house beats and loooooooads of drinks ....and an unexpected Shlomi Aber 3 hour impromptu Jaded set!!! The crowd at Jaded went simply MAD for it!
It was so good to see a club packed with lovely people smiling, embracing each other, together tasting every beat coming through the speakers. Bliss! If you haven’t done it already make sure you get Jaded as soon as possible as they are truly the place you want to be on a Sunday morning. That or the bed, if you were to be your neighbours...:) https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jaded/11164733282?ref=ts
The next one is... you’ve guessed it, this coming Sunday and it probably will be a very good one. On the line-up: Room One: Jonas Kopp / Gareth Wild / Raymundo Rodriguez / VJs Oblivious Artefacts Room Two: ViVa Music presents Harlem Nights Afterparty Bearweasel / Nyra / John Barber Check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=137511042980962 Peace!
It’s been a while...I know, a very loooooooooooooong while. Not one to find excuses, I can really say it’s been a tumoltuos last couple of months with ups and downs of unexpected magnitudes; just like any heart accelerating, nerve stretching rollercoaster should be. You take the good, learn from the bad and move on, that’s what you do.
In Codekontrol’s case, moving on means getting on with organising events with headliners that make going out something to live for during the week. It surelly makes us, all here at Codekontrol HQ forget about the troubles and tribulations of promotion and put a really big smile on those faces with visible signs of sleep deprivation.
But first thing’s first: We want to wish you all a wonderful spring...best one you’ve had so far! With much love and loads of joy! Life’s beautiful no matter the season, but spring just makes it all the more damn sweet, wouldn’t you agree? Sun has been shining daily over London, trees are now in bloom, and as usual everyone on the street just seems a little bit different in the best way possible. So why don’t we do our part and give you something pretty amazing: An exclusive Shlomi Aber London Performance right here at your doorstep (London Bridge) and right now (Saturday, the 12th)!!!
Yes, none other than Israel’s most valuable techno export, a charismatic and very talented Dj and producer, a pioneer in every sense of the word. With a trademark seductive and exciting sound, Shlomi Aber is well known and loved for charting releses on his own successful imprint, Be As One, but also on Josh Wink’s seminal Ovum.
The dance world has been buzzing about Shlomi for a while now; be it Sven Vath, Carl Craig, Pete Tong, John Digweed, Richie Hawtin or Francois K, all championing this techno prodigy;
We have had the pleasure of spending the NYE this year with Shlomi in Romania where he headlined at our FATE party there in front of about 1,500 people. We all had the best time rocking into the early afternoon of 1st of January 2011. A realy cool guy and a party animal, one of those people you see enjoying every minute of his crowd. A self confessed „DJ before everything else”, hooked to the adrenaline rush he gets when performing, Shlomi Aber playes techno music „with soul”, music that connects instantly to everyone with a heart. Whatever he’s doing, it’s really working and he’s got our full attention and also of guys like Pete Tong, who’s a big fan of Shlomi’s productions that most of the time he’s playing firsthand.
Frankly, we felt that Shlomi hasn’t been exposed to the London scene as much as he deserves and so we decided to do something about it!
We’ve teamed up on this with the great peeps at Brickbeat London, good friends and team mates we could say, these guys have been forging their constant presence onto the London scene for a long time. Without their help and support, this gig wouldn’t have really happened. Arianna & co: You rock!
We caught up with Shlomi Aber just ahead of his comeback on British shores to ask a few questions :
1.How is Shlomi Aber feeling about 2011 three months into the year?
Very good! I’m quite excited about 2011 as we have some great things lined up and some very interesting projects. You can expect a lot of exciting stuff from me, including a remixes album on Ovum Recordings with new remixes from Josh Wink, Chris Liebing, Steve Lawler, Nic Fanciulli, Marcel Deetman, Kenny Dope ( MAW), Timo Mass and more ….
2.How do you see the techno scene evolving worldwide at the moment? Do you think it is changing and adapting to the times or have the clubbers embraced techno as the soundtrack of their lives?
I think both in a way, the scene is always in movement and new things happening, it’s not a secret that the economic crises hurt some of the clubs around the world quite hard, but I’m happy to see that people all over still want to go out, dance and listen to underground music.
3.Your ascension to the higher ranks of worldwide techno is well known and documented. How had it all begun? What made you want to become a dj?
The funny thing is that it was too early to remember. I’m into electronic music since I was 12-13 years old; it’s just something that has always been part from my life.
4.What was your big break?
I’ve been doing music for a long time, but the big break was only 6 years ago with tracks like “Tel Aviv Garden”, “Freakside” and “Sea of Sand”
5.How do you see yourself more: as a dj or producer?
Firstly a Dj, no doubt! I love the studio but playing in front of a crowd is the only thing that can make me orgasm... besides sex… :)
6.Jazz is one of the sounds that “haunt” all your productions. It is also regarded as the truest expression of the human soul. How does that fit with making music electronically?
As much as my music may be classified as techno or house, I still see it full of soul and feelings. Jazz is a soul music and I’m a big fan of everything with soul in it.
7.Pete Tong’s been playing some of your new material on Radio One lately. What is it? Should we expect a new Shlomi Aber EP/album coming out?
Yes, Pete’s been playing my new track that has just been released on the great "Objectivity" label; Pete is a close friend so he is always getting most of my stuff before the rest.
Also very soon you can expect my new single on "Be As One" alongside Dj Sneak.
For the very first time in London this year, and for the very first time in a warehouse-type event, Shlomi Aber (Ovum // Cocoon // Be As One // Renaissance) islanding in London this Saturday to blow our minds. Ifyou haven’t got your tickets yet...DO IT! It is going to be massive, and it is going to be a sell out!
The warm up beats on the night will be provided by Alpha Channel [Minimal Force// Solid Tracks], Gabbi Lopez [Release Sustain//Wavetec//Archipel], Altino aka Kid AM [Release Sustain//Brickbeat] and Krikerz [Codekontrol].
Do you want more??!?! We’ll give you more: Official Afterparty by the best afterhours crew in London::::::Jaded @ Cable, just around the corner from Jack’s, with us & Brickbeat London plus Jaded resident and London’s afterparties darling Mark Henning, Antonio De Angelis and Raymundo Rodriguez headlining and Codekontrol & Brickbeat resident
All our expectations were obviously right. At full capacity, the crowd spread up into the three rooms in a nice and sleazy way.Even though the atmosphere was very warm everywhere, Room 2 was especially vivid.Steexon and Mario Reder cooked the perfect built up for the tech-bomb that was Alex Bau. After him, everything else wave down in gravity as it was meant to.Frino, Boozanthesheep, Pezella and Krikerz just had it on the table already but they followed up the line intelligently. Hooray! For the whole dj crew and the dancers in the sound space who made it unforgettable.
Room one was delicatessen. Luca Genco opened the night with a housey oriented set with Mediterranean touches.Driven warm up spot on, Genco bounced the danced floor away and made everyone ready to go.Fra P and Claudio PRC made it hot for the Highgrade guys, who did not make anyone disappointed. Jens Bond was original and organic, and Daniel Dreier showed us why He’s known as one of the best djs in the electronic scene. His polished technique together with his music choice were bound to be a success.And so it was.Highgrade’s brain, Tom Clark and his back catalogue constituted one of the strongest build ups ever, to finally drop the sound bloom in the hottest moment of the night. Wordless. Our own and loved Etain, was encharged of taking control afterwards.She did the job big time.
Room three kept up the quality on the techno side. Opening was Classic, followed by Alpha Channel who created the perfect audio spectrum for what it was coming later.Ahmet Sendil did not break the development up either, driving the night to the final point. Serious minimal techno coming from the Sub Secret guys sound palette, was the climax that brought the night up to the end.
Gardenwise, the Highgrade crew came into the decks once again in order to complete the after hour delight. Picknik founders Monchhichi Boys were meant to close up the party, but due to unforeseen circumstances the outdoor area needed to be closed.Vey shameful, because this guys had a lot to offer to the dancefloor.
One of the best parties of the year so far. Stay tuned. Stay Codekontrol.
PKEP004 - MIKOLAI - Sexual Quality Ep Picknik Recordings
Nowadays there’s an overload of new producers that work hard (or not necessarily) to get a good spot on the electronic scene. After djing all around London and Paris and having shared the booth with super sized talents (Oxia and Sarah Goldfarb amongst others, Mikolai is definitely entitled to get one of those premium spots. It was two years ago when Mikolai started his production adventure, and soon after he got released in both of the Argentinian labels Mischevious Music and Miniatura. He explores house, techno and deep in a way that no many artists do and remains dramatically unique. Constantly avant-garde, Mikolai’s view on electronic music blooms vibrating and feeding the crowd.
Mikolai is now releasing this Sexual Quality Ep as a fourth instalment on the London based digital label Picknik recordings, with three cuts that give a challenge to gravity. He breaks down the melodies and sounds into thousands of small pieces and creates a beautifully chaotic soundscape. Genuine, fresh and simple, ideally spring oriented, Sexual Quality is a warm experience for your ears.
The first track, I just wanna say that is a fresh and surprising approach to organic house, dressed with jazzy trumpets and groovie vocals that finally result in a genius deconstruction. Old school vocal explosions fill the track all the way up to the end, waving percussions and colourful kicks.
Tum Koné comes next in the row. By means of adding infinity of variably traced bass lines and keyboards, this time Mikolai develops his track towards acid house reminiscences at the final break down. Gentle and ductile, Tum Koné is the perfect soundtrack for an after hour movie.
Last but not least, we come to Sweaty bitch, the cut that closes up the release. Mikolai brings out his cosmic weapons this time to build up the perfect ending for this Sexual Quality Ep. Disco touches and background keyboards that draw a final picture for what is a great job coming from a new electronic promise: Mikolai.
Tracklist:
1. I just wanna say that 2. Tum Koné 3. Sweaty Bitch
People who live in London are used to have big parties on a bank holiday. However, that does not necessarily imply “quality”. I have experienced some dramas by getting excited about a massive bank holiday Saturday night and therefore get really disappointed by: a commercial line up for a touristy crowd and a weird atmosphere. Luckily this time we are gonna be able to enjoy one of the best parties of the year with a massive line up, some “music connoisseur” crowd and a wicked soundsystem. Ready Made is coming from the hands of Codekontrol, one of the most awake promotors in town. Featuring Highgrade records, top label in the electronic scene celebrating its 10th anniversary tour, Ready Made counts on Codekontrol own djs as well to make from this night a very unforgettable one. Heading the line up are the Highgrade main brain and owner Tom Clark and the well renowned Daniel Dreier, who is apparently one of the best djs in the Planet Earth. Jens Bond will be also joining the night, togheter with the Codekontrol crew djs: Etain, Monchhichi Boys, Luca Genco and many more…
The infamous Egg in Kings Cross is the chosen place to host such a superb installation.
As I suppose you don’t wanna miss a night like this, I recommend to get there early in order to get some goodies (doors open at 10 p.m) because is looking very busy in all the networks already and at least two thousand people is expected. For the fair deal of £15 on pre-sale you can enjoy one of the best dance experiences of the year. No disappointment. For real.
Originally from Naples, Mario Reader grew up playing piano and discovered electronic music when he was 16. He set up a small analog studio and moved to London in 2004, when he started playing at several parties around the city that never sleeps. In August 2009 Mario released “Frederik”, his first EP on the label Menomale records and In October 2009 He Releases Opposite Forces EP on Minimal Force Records . Now Reder is on the talk again because of his recently released “Cutty Sark Ep” on the London based label Mind Ability records.
“Cutty Sark Ep” is a very serious piece of work which at the same time contains a big dose of humor. Mario Reder has the gift of creating versatile sounds and orquestrated atmospheres. The magnificence of his tunes balances with the funkyness of his rhythm, and for sure is bound to be a big “YES” on the dance floor this summer. The EP contains the original track from Mario Reder plus two other reamixes from Alex Kenji and Roby Mannarini.
The original Master and Commander is a straight to the businnes track: made for big dance floors the sound gets expanded around and fill up the space with strong beats. Perfectly able to work as a bomb in the after hours set or peak time, Master and Commander sounds like a classic tech house hype already!
Next to follow is the Alex Kenji remix. Keeping the same groove but taking away some of the vocals, Kenji makes a slightly retro approach to the original one. Horns and orquestra sounds seem to take us out for a trip on the Balkan countryside. The synths compress themselves into accordion movements, which give a very dynamic texture to the track.
In contrast to Alex Kinji, Roby goes a very different way by slowing up the tempo and adding out of the blue bass lines that makes you feel warm and tingly inside. It works. Percussions sound much more powerful and sexy, the atmospheric vocals and the synths love each other in harmony… Bravo Mannarini!
