Missing on I Love Techno...but soon elsewhere in Belgium?

OK, this year we've already seen Justice. And Digitalism. And even Crookers. And Bloody Beetroots. And Dr. Lektroluv. And Tocadisco. And SebastiAn. And Boys Noize. 

They 're all at I Love Techno. Great, but...I would suggest some fresh cool guys that make banging music.

1. Danger

He's not expensive, very unknown here, but rocking the place (only 50min show I recall, but still worth it). Somebody book him, please!

Check him out: http://www.myspace.com/2emedanger

2. The Proxy

From Russia with love, and already owns a collection of great tracks.

Raven, 40 Seconds, Dance In The Dark (you should know that one), 

http://www.myspace.com/useproxy

3. Toxic Avenger

Still haven't seen him live. But he's on the iHeartcomix payroll with Franki Chan I guess. A lot of tours in the US. I love his Escape, Saloperie de Minimal, Poker Face, Superheroes,..man I could go on for hours, he's got a lot of great bangin' shit that needs to get out there soon.

He used to be a masked hero ;-) maybe that's why I like him :)

4.  Rambrandt

Honestly I know nothing about this guy, but his track 'Alarm!' has been in my setlist for months now...and is my favourite song of 2008. 

Great tune, the Atari is near, and so are the Germans. Must be good! :-)

I have no real video, but this will give you an impression. 

More info about him is welcome!

There's a post on Data Sapiens, but it looks like chinese to me:

http://blog.datasapiens.net/2008/08/alarm-rambrandt/

5. Dmitry Fyodorov

He's got a name like a Russian ice hockey player but drops toxic synths and trashy beats like an italian mobster in Naples.

http://www.myspace.com/dmitryfyodorov

Ps: this is him behind the decks, but the song is a Britney Spears - Outrageous remix by Felix Cartal (I had it somewhere in my Bompax mix (posted Feb 4 '08)
http://phantombynight.blogspot.com/2008/02/honestly-i-prefer-mirador-penthouse-set.html

Voila, that's it for today. See you on I Love Techno 2008?

Dead or alive.

We have been looking for Phantom. Well, he's gone it seems. Spotted on Club Noord.be, then again somewhere in Leuven (Who Cares?), and now appearing again in Colombian promos of the Cartaghenian beach club 'Bompax'.

But let's hang in there, he's been busy. Working, moving, also mixing & experimenting.

New stuff will be posted, including mixes. But not in November, so take a break, and come back in December for more. (Don't miss out I Love Techno this year!)

Meanwhile: 

12th December @ 22h00
Beat It Club
@ Alegria, (Esperanza) Leuven
D!rty Electro
No fee, just beats, babes and bedroom DJs!

2008: I Love Techno = I Love Electro

Sweet revenge.

Check the line-up. Where are the people who told me that electro is passé? That it had its breakthrough since Daft Punk, and then only got worse? Well, the revival is here, and it's here to stay. The old techno (sorry Underworld & Dave Clarke) is getting very...boring, by the way. Although Dusty Kid is leading the way for a new techno era...and he'll be 16 years old at ILT2008! (at least he looks that age ;-) Watch and learn, you Ableton controllerists ;-)

The official and complete I Love Techno 2008 line-up:

Check the offical site for more details: www.ilovetechno.be

RED ROOM – WHITE NOISE
“Tonight you've turned this pyramid stage into the main stage”, said Karl Hyde after a fantastic concert at Rock Werchter and who are we to contradict that? Last summer Underworld has proved to still be one of the best live acts in the genre, and they come to I Love Techno to largely make up for last year’s cancellation due to illness. Other leading figures of techno in this hall are Dave Clarke – still one of the world’s best techno DJs who will, just like last year, broadcast his radio show “White Noise” live from I Love Techno and who is believed to be soon starting his own record label – and Robert Hood, one of the founders of the legendary Underground Resistance who has exercised an enormous influence on what would later be known as minimal techno. Dusty Kid is our techno tip for the future, a young Italian who has already been allowed to release records on among others Ellen Alien’s Bpitch label and has gotten remix assignments from among others Moby, Robyn and Armand Van Helden. Also for the first time at I Love Techno is Marcel Dettmann. This resident DJ of the Berlin Berghain club is currently being praised everywhere as being one of the most fresh and relevant techno producers and DJs for his mix of Detroit techno with dub and EBM influences. Our national colours are being defended by Pierre, the man behind the Less Iz More evenings and releases. Follow our newsletter and website because in addition, the opening spot in this hall can soon be won!

BLUE ROOM – BODY TO BODY
In the year 2008 dance and indie-rock seem to smoothly melt into one another, 3 examples. Hot Chip provided one of last year’s most beautiful crossovers between pop music and dance with their album “Made In The Dark” and the single “Ready For The Floor”. Digitalism already established the bridge between post-punk and electro last year with their album “Idealism” and comes to prove on November 15th what they have to offer as DJs. Also from Germany is Booka Shade who come and present their long-awaited new CD “The Sun And The Neon Light” (a more song-oriented approach of trance, techno, electro and house). Behind the turning tables there is also room for three big names. With his mix of electro and techno, Boys Noize is without a doubt one of the hottest DJs of the moment and we are therefore proud that he wanted to take on the mix for the I Love Techno compilation. Tocadisco scored big club hits with “Morumbi” and “Streetgirls” and surprised with his debut CD “Solo”. Dr.Lektroluv needs no more introduction in Belgium and is starting to break through far beyond our borders. As a newcomer there is LA Riots from Australia, who were signed by Kanye West DJ A-Trak on his Fools Gold label and have already been allowed to work with tracks by among others Justice, Hot Chip and The Ting Tings.

YELLOW ROOM – MINUS PRESENTS CONTAKT
Richie Hawtin is known for his urge for innovation – he evolved from techno and acid superstar under the alias Plastikman to one of the advocates of the minimal techno movement – and comes to this year’s I Love Techno with a very special event. “Contakt” takes place in a very limited number of places in the world and this as part of the tenth birthday of his label Minus. Expect a 6-hour long improvisation session in which at all times minimum 2 artists will share the stage. Besides the Don himself, Marc Houle, Troy Pierce, Heartthrob – whose recently released debut CD “Dear Painter, Paint Me” stands a chance of winning minimal CD of the year – , leading lady Magda and to conclude Gaiser will participate. And as if this is not enough, there is also the “Cube”. A LED installation with which the audience can not only download exclusive content to their phones through Bluetooth, but which will also create a live interaction between the audience, the music on stage and Ali Demirel’s visuals. How this works exactly, you will soon be able to read on our website. Before the Contakt event starts, there are a number of other performances by Minus related acts. Audion is, besides False and Jabberjaw, one of the many alter egos of one of the most talented techno producers of the moment: Matthew Dear. Marco Carola has been around for more then 10 years and we know him from his releases on Plus 8 and his own Minus sublabel 2M. Warming up is done by Kabale Und Liebe, the Dutchman Liron Van Daalen whose “Mumbling Yeah” was chosen as best track of 2007 by the prominent Resident Advisor.
ORANGE ROOM – ED BANGER (yes baby!)
We already indicated it. With labels such as Kitsuné and Institubes, Paris took over the torch from Berlin as centre of the dance scene. And with not forgetting Ed Banger: the brainchild of Pedro Winter, Daft Punk’s ex-manager who will give a DJ set as Busy P and bring a lot of good people to Gent. Showpiece is no doubt Justice who have revealed themselves as dance act of the moment thanks to their CD “†” and the singles “D.A.N.C.E”, “Never Be Alone”, “Phantom” and “DVNO” and will this time entertain with a DJ set at the festival. That same distortion sound can be found in Sebastian, who has already been named as the next big thing and has entered the public eye with his remake of Rage Against The Machine’s “Killing In The Name Of”. Top DJ Feadz, rapster Uffie and DJ Mehdi – definable as 21st century break-dance music – on the other hand, represent the label’s more hip hop and electro influences. And there are no less then 2 special guests in the Ed Banger Room! Birdy Nam Nam is a 4-headed collective that links spectacular turntablism to electro beats. Their new CD – with collaboration of among others Justice – will be released on the day of I Love Techno. About Crookers, they are the hottest remixers of the moment, because names like The Chemical Brothers and Chromeo have come knocking at these Italians’ doors.

GREEN ROOM
Techno and dance are more then ever a worldwide event. I Love Techno favourite Umek and upcoming talent Matthew Hoag are both Slovenian. In Germany the most important dance magazine Raveline voted Felix Kröcher best DJ of the country before Sven Väth and Paul Van Dyk, while in Brazil DJ Murphy can be called the Ronaldo of DJs. The later in the evening, the more the pitch goes up in the green room. DJ Rush is still the king of hard techno. He recently signed Frank Kvitta to his Kne’Deep label and immediately brings him along to Gent. From the same family originates Pet Duo, who will perform their only live set this year on I Love Techno and will maybe even record a live DVD.

SWITCH ROOM (njammie as well!)
Just like in the previous two edition there will be a Switch Room to guarantee optimal convenience to the audience. In this round room with large video screens, the sets of different headliners can be followed through live streaming. But in the Switch Room we also like to give a chance to our tips for the future. Bloody Beetroots are just like Crookers and The Count & Sinden the billboard of the latest dance floor craze fidget house, a nervous mishmash of rave, garage and hiphouse. Again from France are Brodinski and Surkin. Brodinski debut “Bad Runner” that he made with Yuksek, quickly found itself in the record cases of people like Erol Alkan and 2ManyDJs. A new EP on Tiga’s Turbo Label and a remix for among others Mixhell are on the way. Surkin originates from the Institubes camp and intertwines his electro and techno productions with warm filterhouse sounds.

10 times Justice live, can you B.E.A.T. it?

Hello there!

I see you liked my post about the Daft Punk Pyramid...but what about that new Paris duo everybody is talking about...they're still far from what Daft Punk did although they're on their way to become the new electro legends: Justice.

All together, and including the show at Rock Werchter a few weeks ago, this was the 10th time I saw the chou-chous of Pedro Winter and cash cows of Ed Banger Records perform.

An overview...

Early 2006: I received a vinyl..."Waters of Nazareth"...and was immediately blown away. "What is this? How do you call this kind of music?" Damn, this sounded like hard rock, metal but with a beat and a lot of distortion. A new world order! (afterwards I discovered that Justice already had that club hit remix of Simian Mobile Disco "We are you're friends")

The white Justice sampler ends up in my cd player...it's a collector's item now. Damn good productions with remixes from Death From Above, Franz Ferdinand, Mr. Oizo, Daft Punk,etc.!

2006 Pukkelpop, Kiewit: the first show...Justice plays the Dancehall (if I'm not mistaken), anyway...check the videos! It is still an unforgettable moment. The hall was half empty in the beginning and packed by the end of the set. Ed Banger takes over the (big) Belgian festivals...and it started here.

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=3FvxVisxb5k ("We are your friends")

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=Up22oaeAk4A ("Roxanne")

2006 I Love Techno, Gent: Again Justice, invited by Soulwax/2 Many DJs, joining Boys Noize, Tiga, Ellen Allien & Apparat, ...great night, but not the very best DJ set by Justice. (they were spinning vinyl)

Or at least Xavier was. I never understood what Gaspard was doing during the sets. :-)

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=eBVW_PqJCvI

2007 Body to Body, Culture Club, Gent: Justice spins the Pioneer decks (3 of them) together with Ed & Kim, Dr. Lektroluv & Cajuan. Un-fu-***-ing be-lie-ve-ble night. Ok, just for the fun of it, we dressed up...or something. No comment. You were not there, so shut up, and stop laughing ;-)

2007 Les Nuits Botaniques, Brussels: Justice, flanked by Goose & Joakim. First time I saw Goose live...damn they are good too. And Justice plays a party set like Busy P woud do. The popular tunes, ending with RATM...and Meet her at the love parade - Da Hool (jeezes). I was quite dissappointed 'cause I didn't hear a lot of their own remixes and too much commercial crap. http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=TwfAX862l3Y (We are Your Friends vs Klaxons)

2007 Dour, Eastpak Core Stage: It's Erol teaching Xavier some tricks, and I have the impression that the China Man doesn't even understand what Erol is doing or saying. But it's a bomb! Mehdi, Feadz, Uffie, Sebastian, Busy P, yes, it's Ed Banger Label night! Only that damn smell at Dour...I'm sure they do it on purpose!

2007 Pukkelpop, Kiewit: another Justice party, this time the place is on fire, Justice starts to get a grip on all young kids, including the little bit older Peter Pan boys, like me. Oh, important...Justice now plays "(LIVE)" these days and says goodbye to the party DJ-sets. They have the Marshall amp wall, the huge Cross, and an impressive monster computer + lightshow...(but we'll get back to those things in my next post - grin). It's a good show, a bit slow, too many breaks, but all by all worth the money. It's certainly the commercial breakthrough. Justice goes mainstream with uncatholic music, it's a fact, some people still tell me their music is so 'underground', 'uncommercial', 'hard to reach', blahblahblah...

Stupid excuses. Go listen to 50 Cent then, and please get lost, will ya.

But I rest my case. I'm a fan and I love it. I admit.

2007 I Love Techno, Gent: Again Justice with the live show, they improved a lot since Pukkelpop, and we still can't see what they are doing behind that dark wall of theirs. But it's damn loud and surprisingly good. Some promo flyers + Cross stickers I had were grabbed, almost ripped out of my hands in a few minutes. Amazing!

(Yes, I missed out SoulwaxMas in December...but check my "Colombia" posts and you'll see I had a good time as well. Even without Justice...)

2008 Ancienne Belgique, Brussels. This hall is known for its incredible sound quality, good atmosphere, so this must be good. No mass hysteria, but a qualitative show...and yes...that's what it is. You've read all about it. They have an act now, holding their breath 30 sec after the we are you friends acapella, cool idea. Some nice mix-tricks & metal mash-ups. The rest can be found in previous posts.

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=-S-o0GmU42s

2008 Pinkpop, NL: The same gimmicks as during the AB show, but they are here to stay. Even on the big festivals in Holland they seem to succeed. And Dutchies don't speak that much French, so it's rather new for them. "It only gets better!", is what I write down. Every time. And the people love Justice.

2008 Rock Werchter, Pyramid Marquee (not yet on mainstage :-)

Great show, I was bouncing, and raving with the other kids - although they seem to be younger? :-). Had to recover for 2 days, cramps in my legs everywhere. It was top-notch.

But some say it was soo-oo loud.

Well, "If it's too loud, you're too old" (thx So Me, nice quote).

And then there is that special 1 time. That's somewhere when we had diner and a conversation together: Justice, Kavinsky & So Me; we drank wine, talked about a Prodigy remix, smoked something and exchanged Justice remix ringtones. I gave them my ringtone remix, Gas & So Me should still have it...somewhere.

Next time, I'll post some info on their live show.

I Love Techno 2007: a must

My planning for I Love Techno!


Make your own plan on http://www.ilovetechno.be/

Still not convinced?

I Love Techno 2007: UNDERWORLD

Remember Trainspotting...? UNDERWORLD confirmed!
Meer info op www.ilovetechno.be

More news soon.

- Phantom