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.
A beautiful hybrid drum machine that mixes analogue emulation with digital functionality. Can either be run as a stand alone or integrated with Ableton / Cubase etc. A Really nice feature is the analogue tuning and tweeking of samples due to some super drum modelling technology. Also contains filters, tape oscillation and loopers. More detailed demonstration can be seen here:
Presonus Studio Live Remote for iPad:
Normally I am against the use of the iPad for any sort of controlling of audio software, as i have never seen a app be as responsive or reliable as a physical device in a live environment. However for sound engineers working in at live venues this application could be an indispensable if you HAVE a Studio Live mixing Desk. Excuse the overly excited presenter shouting "You're Awesome"
Novation Launchpad and Bach:
High Brown Optical Bubble Gum - Feel smarter as you listen to classical music and marvel at the pretty lights - Not convinced by the drum and hats though.
Beatport Beta Beatport revamps itself with a new and Apple friendly HTML5 Webpage. First impressions of the site were not that great as it looked fairly standard and uninspired, but the more I poke around the more I like it. There are some really nice additions like the details of BPM and Key for each track you click on, Keyboard shortcuts and the wav image on the player is a definite bonus. Here are a couple of access codes for anyone wishing to check it out: TM7RWWMM & GXUFVFZV
Kicking off let's begin with every bodies favourite supergeek megastar 'Richie Hawtin' talking through the tools and tech he used for the Plastikman Live stage tour:
Amon Tobin 'ISAM' Live:
Next up Amon Tobin takes his stage show to a whole another level using the same technology used for 3D Building Projections: Amon Tobin 'ISAM' Live : Mutek Premiere (Official):
AudioTube:
AudioTube - A random video site I found with a limited selection of ORIGINAL videos from some Bpitch and other Old School artist like Prodigy and Basement Jaxx that are hard to find . Downside is Adele "Chasing Pavements" plays automatically when you open the site (but maybe that is a bonus for some?).
Pioneer DDJ T1:
This review of the new Pioneer DDJ T1 that just drove me mad - How do you review a brand new piece of DJ gadgety designed for Traktor? Get a well know DJ to show you how they use it in the wild? No no, Get some tool who is more interested in the finish of the product than what it does, Then have him badly mix two awful tracks while failing to understand the sync function, talking randomly about whatever is in front of him skipping over any unique features, like the finger slide track skipping. ...Rant over. http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/08/pioneer-ddj-t1-review/ In Fairness the Offical Video is not even that much better: Official DDJ T1 Video
About.me:
Think of this as a Digital Business Card available to everyone showing your Bio and links with a nice custom backdrop.- It gives a pretty slick one stop shop for people to find out about you and is attracting all media types from producers to artist to developers. One of the things I like is the The "Random Profile" Button which can bring up some interesting sights. At the minute they have some link to a printing company where they will offer you 50 free business cards (but you pay the P+P).
The advice talks about pop/rock musicians, but as you probably know, they are UNIVERSAL. check out the part about setting real goals for you everyday and see where you are right now. Questions or need more? just ask :)
Hi to y’all out there starting-up musicians or musician lovers! As nowadays the lines between everything are constantly blurring, I’m sure there are quite a few of both around. Also it's good to remember that music at its roots has always been an amateur occupation, something to fall in love head over heels first and then actually consider the hardships and trials of a long term relationship with it. Damn you foolish heart… This being said, chances are that you are experiencing some form of heartache right now and sometimes really think that this relationship is not quite what you had thought it out to be. Well, guess what, there are more of us than we’d like to admit. That’s why we thought that maybe this is a very good time to bite the bullet and start a bit of relationship counselling if you will. You probably have a couple of questions that may need answer and god knows, we’ve got a few of those lying around. So we got Codekontrol’s very own music biz consigliere, Serge to face the music and get stuck in. This is the first post in, what we hope it will be an interactive series of music bizz discussions, where we all come together and find solutions to common issues.
Today we live in strange times; there’s more music being made and enjoyed today than ever before in all of human history. It is the easiest it’s ever been to pick up an instrument and dabble in sound experimentation. Ironically, there’s less and less of an opportunity than ever before to make a living from music. Recorded music that is…
As it has already happened so many times before in the music industry’s timeline, technology has changed the game. And just when you thought that CDs will replace vinyl and cassette, making it a ty bit cheaper and easier for the little guy to put out music, surprise: CDs are now becoming obsolete, replaced by freely available music. Now that surely is not a sustainable business model…or is it?
Welcome to the digital age; the age of instant and constant availability of (free) content. People are enjoying more content than ever before, but are not accustomed to paying for it. This in turn has started a chain reaction affecting everyone from the starting-up dj producer to the CEO of any of “The Big Four”. Ok, maybe the later will have to be thankful only with a Ferrari instead of a Buggatti. A little while ago I’ve bumped into a very good observation on this chain-reaction we’ve just mentioned. I think it is quite a well informed and a thorough one, so I’m going to strongly recommend you check it out as well here. So the digitalization of sound has undoubtedly changed things. Indeed it has levelled out access to production, some distribution and promotion, but the level is now “zero”, zilch, nada, free! And zero is a level that anyone can access.
The cat is now out of the bag and we cannot go back to how the things were. And for one, I think we shouldn’t. For all the romanticising about how things used to be, we are now here and we can do a lot more with a lot less! We should make the most of it. After all to quote someone I’ve read don’t remember where exactly: ” the biggest tragedy of a musician is not giving away his music for free, it is in his music not being heard by new fans every day.” No matter your views on free music, you know deep inside that is quite the truth. So what exactly does this mean for a starting-up musician really craving for the moment when he’ll give up the day job and make only music for living?
Ironically, the cure, as the cause, may lie within the 1s and 0s that bear your signature online. The internet is a very complex and extensive ecosystem. This is also what makes it very very powerful. Don’t treat this as just another channel. Treat it as THE channel! You know, the internet is the very first medium capable of supporting every other ones already existing and more…loads more. Online you can now read, write, talk, publish, distribute, promote, sell, view, review, recommend, do radio, do TV, do journalism. And the list adds new stuff to it every day. A lovely and somewhat mad man who goes by the name of Kevin Kelly had seen things going in this direction for some years now. But, of course he’s a little mad and the majority of sane thinking peeps have chosen to not take him too seriously. Check out this video for what exactly he’s on about. (Ooooh, and please do check the stranded looks on the faces of his audience :)
Music and artists are now at the centre of what people do online. Used to be only porn, but now it's social media and music. Always remember this; it’s pretty powerful I’d say. People now want and should have a direct channel to any artist they really love. They are looking for engagement not one way discourses, pulling in and NOT pushing! Everywhere you go, every conversation you engage in, will say more about who you are as an artist that your tracks do. Just remember the last time you used facebook to engage with one of your favourite producers. And they never replied to your message…What does that say about him/her? Would you still feel like saying he/she’s the greatest dude/chick?!
As a musician you are by definition an entertainer. So you need to entertain! That starts from within continues through your music and then comes right back at ya from people through word of mouth. Don’t think British variety show 1940’s, just think Kraftwerk, David Bowie, Sven Vath or Daft Punk. Their music has touched millions of people generation after generation. And will continue to do so. But take a step back and look at the whole picture. Can you really, honestly say it’s only about the music they’ve made…?
You, as an artist are there to offer people an escape from the routine of every day existence. Their every day existence is already filled with a multichannel, multisensory assault of sales pitches. You cannot afford to be another one of these. You don’t stand a chance! You know, just a trip down to my local sainsbury’s to buy food, and I’m already being bombarded with floor high billboards and buses carrying either the JLS new album, the new JLS branded soap or the new JLS chewing gum...opps. I meant condoms. I’M NEVER GOING TO EVEN LOOK AT A YOUTUBE CLIP OF JLS!!! So help me God! And let’s not even mention the pretentious, Madonna inspired campaigns of little miss gaga.
For all their disputable artistic value, these guys and all those like them own this type of one way communication. You cannot compete with them on their playground. And shouldn’t. There is no real fan connection in this. Cut out the repetition for a while and watch them fade away faster than you can say “What ever happened to X?!?” (see Amy Winehouse example).
You do have a real chance to make online YOUR playground. Be there, be real, be honest, be the different person that you really are inside. The people you want to reach are there already, waiting for you to do so. People want to be entertained man! They want to engage with you and get to really know you as a real or fantastic person before they start buying into you. And believe that they will. There’s a reason why such a high percentage of musicians will invariably be forgotten. They’re all doing the same thing: music, image, personality and more important fan engagement seem to be incredibly similar. A good song says “If everybody looked the same, we would be tired of looking at each other”. For all the good and also the bad of the 21st century music business, now is probably the best time to take your musicianship seriously and start putting yourself out there more. Mix, remix, reach out to like-minded people, seek engagement and connect with your fans. We are all connected. Just think about it.
Who is Ali Nasser? Ali Nasser is “Omul care nu se duce” (the man who does not go) He is also part of the new wave of Romanian techno and house producers that got everyone’s love from Audiofly, Steve Lawler, Dj Sneak, Nick Curly or Mathias Tanzmann. To get one thing straight from the go Ali Nasser is all about the deepest side of house, his mixes a blend of hypnotic beats and open dubby soundscapes. And no, we’re not just saying that in pretty words. Have a listen and see what your heart feels.. Ali Nasser promo mix oct 2010 by Ali Nasser
Ali Nasser is also a very open and friendly guy, probably one of the rarest occurrences in music nowadays. He seems to be deep into the music he makes and totally dedicated to putting on the best performance for his public every time. As he confessed to us over the phone he cares deeply about the songs he plays and can get lost for hours in a row looking for that right groove. He still buys vinyl whenever he gets the chance to and confesses to sometimes getting inspired while riding his bike through the park. With quality releases and remixes for Audiofly’s Supernature, BeCosen or Derivat RecsAli Nasser must be riding his bike a lot these days! He’s part of the Sunrise family and very good friends of the [a:rpia:r] lads, and making new friends with every opportunity
Codekontrol: Hi there! Tell us please who is Ali Nasser and where does he come from? Ali Nasser: Hey, I do not know him? Haven’t met him yet…:)! He is “omul care nu se duce” (the man who does not go)?
Codekontrol: You moved to Romania from the U.E.A. about 20 years ago. How has the Romanian scene change since you first arrived there? Ali Nasser:.... definitely more colorful ... :)
Codekontrol: How and when was Ali Nasser, the electronic artist born? Ali Nasser: The electronic artist? Well…surrelly must’ve been when I first put my hands on an MC 303 ... original! :))).
Codekontrol: What are your influences and inspirations in the music that you create? Ali Nasser: Depends on the mood, I often get inspired by nature, and riding my bicycle ...
Codekontrol: What do you consider to have been the "tipping point" in your career untl now. When did Ali Nasser started becoming a recognized name on the Romanian house music scene? How about on the international one? Ali Nasser: Hard to say, there would be more points on the Romanian angle: Club Web Bucharest, becoming part of the Sunrise agency and also the various productions I have released. And that then lead onto getting released international by Be_Chosen Supernature. These international releases have helped me a lot to advance!
Codekontrol: With all the favorable press gathered in the past few years by Romanian clubs and Romanian artists (Kristal Glam, Midi, RPR, Livio & Roby, Cosmin TRG, Silent Strike) what is the state of the electronic music scene in Romania today? Ali Nasser: The condition is good and favourable...we have so many good artists, Bucharest has now become a kind of Berlin; new, talented people are appearing all the time...
Codekontrol: Do you see a time in the near future house for Rmanian artists being highly appreciated on the global electronic scene? Ali Nasser: Yes, definitely! And not only to house music !
Codekontrol: How do you feel your coming…or should I say you return to London tomorrow, 20th of May at Egg for Technicolour party? Ali Nasser: With a great impatience! Hahaha
Codekontrol: What will be the sound of Ali Nasser tomorrow night at Technicolour? Ali Nasser: I think I'll adopt the same sound I play everywhere… deep DEep dEEp dEeP house
Codekontrol: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us Ali! A final message for us here in London? Ali Nasser: FOR ENGLISH PRESS 1(ONE)
Rosario Internullo is a controversial person. A name that is both consecrated and respected on Romania’s house music scene as one of its innovators, but one that has also been at the centre of controversy and scandal. Looking at his career, where Rosario had started from and how he developed into one of Romania’s most influential house music pioneers, we might consider that the turbulences he’s been through are all part of the game, the life he leads, that of a pioneering artist. Challenging: yes; uncertain: yes; filled with controversy: definitely!
Arriving in a recently post-communist Romania at the end of the 90’s from Sicily, Rosario quickly fell in love with the young and hungry house scene there. The energy, the people’s unprejudiced love for music convinced him to stay and fight for good times. He started organizing the first ever Romanian afterhours in Bucharest at Karma club and many unforgettable events Kudos Beach, Mamaia. Everything was going only up at dizzying speeds for Rosario, but soon followed a period in which scandals, excess and controversy made of Rosario a daily appearance in the news. Media and people started taking sides and for a good few months forgot about the most important thing: the music... Now, in 2011 the situation on the Romanian scene is quite different than what is was back in 1998. Most clubs in the country now resonate of the infamous 4/4 house beat and the people’s ecstasy screams on the dancefloor until the late hours of the morning. Now, in 2011 Rosario Internullo is back on the stage full-throttle, this time for the right reason ... music.
Codekontrol: Hello Rosario, greatly loved yet controversial Romanian house music innovator! How are you already five months in 2011? What began in 2011 for you? Rosario Internullo: Hi and thanks a lot for invitation! thanks ah :)! I feel very good with how 2011 has started for me, from New Year's Eve onwards it has been very good. I have many projects throughout 2011 and most importantly many trips in Europe, which I love!
Codekontrol: Although originally from Sicily, you chose Romania, Eastern Europe as your cradle of music making and life. How did this happen? How were you treated by the audience there along the past over 13 years of music and parties? Rosario Internullo: My move to Romania was a pure coincidence; a friend had brought me to play in a national tour in Romania. I took the chance and I started to know people here which grew into relationships. I fell in love with Romania, with the people’s raw energy and love for music, so I started to do afterhours parties, first of their kind if I remember correctly, at Karma Club in Bucharest. The audience received me very well and I think that was the main reason for which I moved here, energy was so positive and all we needed something new! I think we built something very good together, right? :)
Codekontrol: You are one of the first pioneers of Romania's house scene, and yet today, in 2011, you are still as influential as ever. Tell us a little about how the Romanian house scene evolved from her scanty beginnings in the late '90s until today? A comparison with the global scene? Rosario Internullo: It was all very underground and slow burning until 2000. Then, in 2000, there was a boom, all clubs started to put on house nights. Many parties appeared in Bucharest and at the sea side, at Mamaia, then there were The Mission mega-events and then came the Sunrise ones. After that everything evolved quickly, promoters began to bring world famous DJs to do parties of thousands of people! Today I can say that the scene in Romania is noted for and loved by many, yet I feel a loss in terms of smaller parties with smaller guests and local djs. And it's a real shame because the local djs are actually the ones who nurture and grow the scene. The world now wants top DJs, festivals and dozens of international artists on a single line-up. That in my opinion, is not so good and unless you have a very very rich line-up, your event can go wrong!
Codekontrol: Now with the controversies at the end of 2008 over and done with, how were the last three years for Rosario Internullo the dj and Rosario Internullo the man? Rosario Internullo: That was surely not an easy period for me. Although I was used to public attention, in those moments I was on the lips of everyone, but not for my music. Because of that I lost many friends, I had even times of depression, but slowly yet surely ...I came back, got back to writing music, work on my radio shows and touring. That was my answer to all the bad press I got in those days and eventually it was the right one, and I returned back to normality.
Codekontrol: Your rise of you as a DJ is well documented. But how it all began? What made you want to become a dj? Rosario Internullo: Whn I was still at school, teachers told me I had a musical ear, I loved music and I was buying vinyl and going to the local radio, whose owner was a friend of mine. After a while he gave me a show on the radio. Two years later I made the passage to the club. Since then I have done many things and visited many places, I grew and I became hooked on the house music feeling. And…here we are today!
Codekontrol: What do you consider to be your "tipping point" as an artist? Rosario Internullo: I think what propelled me to a new level was the song "Sentimente" which was released on Desolat.
Codekontrol: What’s your perspective on the gig happening this Friday at Egg in London? Together with you on Technicolour’s line-up is one of the Romania’s new wave of house pioneers, Ali Nasser? It will be a night of Romanian as on the London sound so the entire line-up next to you two were made up of local names houseului London.
Rosario Internullo: I am very happy you guys invited me to do this gig. I love London, I lived there more than a year when I was 19 years. London was the first time when I had leaved from home in Sicily. In London my tastes changed, and my perspective on life. I think if I had not experienced London, then probably my present would have been very different and we would not be speaking here today. As for Ali, I think he is a very good artist as a producer and as DJ! I'm glad he's with me at Technicolour. We’ve known each other for a long time and we always had fun together :)
Codekontrol: What is the sound of Rosario Internullo at Technicolour? Rosario Internullo: I think I am a spontaneous dj, and this is one of the things people love about me, you'll see there that im live and breathe the world!
Codekontrol: What are your plans in 2011? New releases, remixes? Rosario Internullo: "This Love" EP will be released in Four:Twenty Rec. At the same time working on a project with a female singer voice, something a bit more elegant and classy, and another project is finishing the text for a song sung by me in Romanian.
Codekontrol: Which artists on the Romanian scene gets your attention in particular right now? Who do you see rising rapidly in 2011-2012? That if the world doesn’t end in 2012 :) Rosario Internullo: There are many young talents in Romania but I think that BOg has the best chances at the moment!
Codekontrol: Thanks for taking the time to Rosario! A final message for us here in London? Rosario Internullo: I thank you for the interview! What I can say is: Expect Friday to be a night full of colorful feelings!
Weird, even freaky I might say, is Google’s reaction to what I’ve just put into the translator. The text is a written piece containing the interviews of two of the Romania’s most celebrated and respected house music pioneers: Rosario Internullo and Ali Nasser. The occasion for the interviews is their guest performances at “Technicolour: Cinematographic House Music” on Friday the 20th at Egg. Remember Romania?!? That little bit of country on the Eastern side of town, the one being affectionately named by some as the “the new Ibiza”? It’s quite a name they’ll have to live up to…but we can consider they’re on quite a good path right now. The [ar:pi:ar] crew (Raresh-Pedro-Rhadoo) together with Livio & Roby or Mihai Popovicioiu are only the most resounding names from the Romanian scene, that even when in London or Berlin get a lot of love! Must be the looks…:)As you’d expect the text is written in fully flavored Romanian. But Google detects “Italian”. Google may not be that far off…
Now, Rosario Internullo and Ali Nasser are coming from the same Romanian house and techno upbringing, but most interestingly is the fact that neither of them was actually born there! Rosario Internullo is originally from Sicily relocating to Romania at the end of the 90’s and Ali Nasser moved to Romania when he was only eight years old from U.E.A. Google must be keeping up with the RA feed then. Looking at their achievements and influence, Rosario and Ali are the Romanian definition of a house music pioneer and a young prodigy respectively. Established in Romania in the late '90s, Rosario quickly climbed with dedication and passion on the barricades of what was at then a young Romanian electronic music revolution. Alongside djs like Jay Bliss, Pagal, DJ Vasile, Raoul, Livio, Rhadoo, Rosario Internullo was playing the new mutant sound called house, a sound that Romania had very few ideas for or comparison. Ali Nasser is a name that is increasingly being sought after on line-ups in both Romania and the international house connoisseur circles. With quality releases and remixes for Audiofly’s Supernature, BeCosen or Derivat Recs, Ali Nasser makes deep, spaced out house, the core of Romanian underground electronic music. He’s part of the Sunrise family and very good friends of the [ar:pi:ar] lads, and also one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.
