Wednesday 29 February 2012

Trance Today: Similar + Different from Trance Yesterday - Esbii

So after playing a very recent produced track from a very well known trance group to Harley/MasterSys the other day, he raised an extremely good point to me that has always been in front of me, but never manage to set it self in stone within my head; that being "Trance used to solely rely on it's melody, it would drop, be epic, then add a bass line and that's the track. From what it seems from this track, trance is going other places, not just making or breaking it with a good melody" . You may remember me posting Lange - This Is New York (vs. Gareth Emery) (Heatbeat Remix) and mentioning that merged the sounds of old melodies but with modern techy sounding basslines that differ a lot from the melody. That is trance today (imo).


Cosmic Gate - The Theme



Previously mentioned/talked about track was Cosmic Gate - The Theme. Wow, what can I say about these guys? Since 1999, they were big in the name of the harder edge of trance with "The Drums" and their most well known track "Exploration of Space". Both tracks I used to hear played week after week many years even after their initial releases and still today, those two classic tracks are still getting recognition within the newer generation.

Anyway, heard this particular track many times while out before finding it on Jochen Miller's "Stay Connected" monthly podcast and to be quite honest, a little suprised that this is a Cosmic Gate production. Lately imo, I find their work to be more aimed for a progressive/vocal trance audience rather than what they were first known for (I'm aware many artists change direction/style every now and again, don't hate)and to hear classic epic melodies created by them again did indeed make me keen for their show in Melbourne @ Festival Hall in April.

(P.s would also just like to add Knife Party had this in their essential mix set a month back lololololol)

But yeah, that wraps up this week, just like to add I got a set @ 3D Nighclub this friday and will mix up a storm of hard dance and hardstyle ;)

- Esbii Out



'

Monday 27 February 2012

Goodbye Summer - MasterSys.

Monday... ohh Monday that day has come, Monday, the asshole day out of the weekly crew, the day that keeps hanging around even though you don't want it too and the ultimate buzzkill of the weekend. To top off this momentus Monday we've been slapped with rain all day, yet again that 4 Seasonal change is hitting Melbourne in full effect during the last days of summer.


Summer 2012 returned to that form not seen from 2011's rendition, we were blessed by actual Beach days that didn't last for a day or so, Melbourne Heart giving it to its older stuck up brother Melbourne Victory in the derby and yet another round of that " Festival Season " ( overpriced cash grab ) that pops up during this time. And what a way to send off 2012's summer with a few releases that have come in during the last month.


First off we've got a release by the insanely underrated Italian maestro NT89 ( Fools Gold & Turbo ) with new his EP " Voices " ( Out now on iTunes and Beatport )


NT89 has been producing nothing but quality over the years, gaining momentum with support from big names such as Tiga, Boys Noize & A-Trak as well as touring worldwide ( I missed his gig at Roxanne Parlour last year, will not make the mistake the next time he drops by ). I just don't get how such a producer isn't getting the recognition that his tracks show and the Voices EP explains this with grace, from the absolute stomper that is "Decoder" and the crazy/eerie/Gesafflestein like voice samples that is on "Hot Signal", accompanied by a slick kickbeat.





And to top this off, the Maestro himself released a very awesome mixtape to coincide with the release of Voices.



Another release that landed in February comes from a favourite new artist of mine, Maelstrom. After having a solid debut year in 2011 with releases on labels such as BNR Trax and Dirtybird, the young Frenchman is already making waves in the scene, and is bound to turn those waves into a tsunami-like state with his new EP release "USSR" ( Out now on Beatport ) on the brilliance of a label known as Sound Pelligrino.


"USSR" is a great example of the recent Old School revival that's been happening recently, the use of 80's samples, sythnthesizers and drum machines mixed in with that modern touch to keep it fresh. I'm a big fan of this movement at the moment, from my years of listening to old Acid House and Techno, its just neat to see Artists giving a nod to that era.

The track "USSR" manages to capture that classic Acid sound with the trademark Handclap samples that ran wild throughout the 80's with a tinge of soul on the side. " House " captures so much of that Detroit sound that dominated the House scene in the Late 80's with a touch of Maelstrom's excellent producing skills.





Along with another signature " That sounds like Maelstrom " track and some great remixes, USSR is definately an EP worth buying.

I leave now with a truly well done remix conceived by BNR's "Kid" SCNTST, remixing Das Glow's track Concrete that has also just come out recently on the Marble label. It just baffles me at how good this kid really is, at 17 years of age, and with a massive library of his own unreleased tunes he has a really really bright future ahead of him.



So long for now, I look forward to another Monday and Goodbye Summer! I'll be waiting with open arms next time you visit.

Sunday 26 February 2012

Harder and harder - Jungle Jim

First up this week is a tune by a local producer I recently discovered , Daniel Turner. I was immidiately struck by his style of music making. Deep heavy basslines, dark melodies, hard hitting beats.

'Double Black' definately comes under the categories listed above; heavy beat with a slightly off pitch melody that packs a punch.

Daniel Turner - Double Black (Original Mix)



Another tune of his that has caught my attention is his remix of Holly-J's Bubbah. Another deep, powerful tune that has a style of it's own.

Check out all of Daniel Turners tunes, here.





The 2nd tune I am putting up this week is from a producer who I used to DJ for at Code Red (Platform 1), Hands High. While im not a big fan of the name, his remix of Shake Baby Shake by Drop The Lime is a very cool tune. The rolling melody has a cheeky vibe to it and I think if he can keep making tunes like this, he will do very well as a producer. Released through One Love records 2 months ago it is available to pick up from Beatport.








Drop The Lime - Shake Baby Shake (Hands High Remix)



To check out Hands Highs tunes, click here.


The last tune I will post is from another local artist, Petrou. 'Qua' is a tune that blew me away when i first heard it. This minimal tune works so well with the lyrics and melody as they both complement each other effortlessly.

With a similar style to Daniel Turner's dark bass-heavy beats, you dont have to look far to find local talent that is up there with the best. 'Qua' is avaiable from Beatport.


Petrou - Qua (Original Mix)



Peace!

Thursday 23 February 2012

Freakin' Weekend - Horse

Been a long and painful week, but lets move on to the weekend and play music non-stop, preferably with beer in hand.



Although these guys seem to release a new track what seems like almost weekly, This one stands out from the others. Following up from the tracks 'Rattle' and 'Mode' comes L'amour. Using samples from Daft Punks Robot Rock while building up before cutting into a tasty rolling beat creates a great dancefloor track. Rattle and Mode are very enjoyable tracks, but once spun by every jock around town and heard 4-5 times on a night out- its not too long before they lose their lustre.


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This track comes out of Dim mak from Felix Cartel. This track combines a soothing melody with a, what can be described as, jittery bassline. His last track 'Don't Turn on the Light' was a favourite of mine getting plenty of play time on the decks.

Also check out the Etienne De Crecy remix for a bit of grunge complementing the original track. The Pierce Fulton remix goes a bit underground, but still delivers the element of suprise on the drop.

A good night to go out is when it's a good night to wear shorts - Esbii

Only once in a blue moon do you ever see an artist bring a complete revolution to his/her's respective genre; in my opinion for hard dance, that artist is Kidd Kaos. in the last blue moon. Even though I saw him play along side Alex Kidd at Kiddfectious Melbourne 2010, I'm just keen to see him play this friday night equal to the first time around.

Been taken under the wing of the great Alex Kidd and working with other greats in hard dance such as Phil York, Organ Donors and Scot Project, he was awarded "Best New Artist" at the Hard Dance Awards 2009 and was also given the right to set his name as a legend across all dance music by doing a set for the internationally recognized BBC Essential mix radio show. His own record label, K405 Records, is one of the biggest labels out there for quality hard dance tunes and all artists signed are the ones who do not disappoint.

Amber D - Amber's Theme (Alex Kidd vs. Kidd Kaos Remix)



It took longer than writing this post itself to decide which Kidd Kaos track I would make the "one to post about". There were many other choices that would are post-about-worthy ( Devestating , I Am Digital and Closer ), but this remix of Amber's Theme in particular captivates my point on how a "revolution" happened with Kidd Kaos. Hard, clean and loud bass, fresh sawtooth like sounds and a unique track structure just bring pleasure to ears. Some may say this track has been overplayed, but I, for one, still go ape shit when I hear it out.

Hope the weekend treats you as well as mine

- Esbii out

Sunday 19 February 2012

Melbourne Blogging - Jungle Jim

First up are a couple of tunes from JDG(Melb) & Jayy Fresh(US). The first song is called 'Make Some Noise,' which will be released through Club Cartel Records on the 27th of Feb. This tune delivers a high energy Dutch House sound, in which the synth line rolls together so smoothly with the vocal sample. I'm trying to find another word to describe the song without saying 'boppy,' but it does have that kind of fun, boppy feel to the beat. I will definately buy this tune when it's released on the 27th.

The 2nd tune is called 'Check My Swagger' (also being released on the 27th). No doubt the song title has had influence from the US, as no-one in melbourne who isn't a rapper would call their song 'Check My Swagger.'
Anyway, to the song. The bassline that hits on the drop is the type of full-sounding bassline that I love. While it is a bassline, it does give a balance of frequencys as there is a lot of high range in it as well, giving a really thick, full sound, adding a lot of impact on the drop. The only problem with that type of bassline is it's difficult to add anything after that, that doesnt clash with the sound, as there is no frequency range to work with. JDG does this by shifting the bassline up an octave so the song doesn't go stale and keeps moving forward. Great tune from JDG & Jayy Fresh that continues to raise the profile of house music in Melbourne.

JDG & Jayy Fresh - Make Some Noise




JDG & JayyFresh - Check My Swagger



You can check out all of JDG's tunes, here.
And Jayy Fresh's, here.


The 3rd song I'm posting about is a Slice N Dice tune. Usually I wouldn't put a Slice N Dice tune up as I think as artists they have achieved double the fame of some other local melbourne artists with about half the talent. They have achieved a big following through gimmicking themselves by wearing masks and handing out free shit at gigs while their music, on the other hand, lacks detail and smacks of half-heartedness. The sounds they use are basic and I feel, while they have improved, they lack the music ability to really make it big. HOWEVER, this tune caught my attention, not because they have become more talented over night, but because if I was out and heard this tune, I would loose my shit to the drop. Very hard hitting tune.

Slice N Dice - Damn (Original Mix)



Check out Slice N Dice's tunes, here.

Friday 17 February 2012

Highway Bloggery- Horse

Freshly signed to Owsla record label Nick Thayer comes out with a very fresh ep, Skrillex, founder of the label, discovered his talent at "this crazy club in Melbourne" known as Revolver while touring as part of Creamfields 2011 festivities (http://soundcloud.com/austinkramer/skrillex-owsla-crew-on-nick). I've got a lot of respect for Nick, not only for his impressive production value and innovative tunes, but also in years past seeing him spin at Revolver and seamlessly mixing genres from moombahton to Dnb, some electro then some hip hop...absolute maestro. Stand-outs are his own remix of Like Boom- creating a funky banger as well as Totalitaria having some well constructed sounds coming at you.



Swede Tony Senghore is another producer always seems to astound me, he puts sounds where there shouldnt be sounds and makes some truly experimental electro tunage. Been liking this track alot recently even though its a couple of years old


crazy confusion?


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Jungle Jim and Mastersys bopping to Miami Horror DJs at St Kilda Festival

Tuesday 14 February 2012

I've been ready for the weekend since Monday - Esbii

So this coming Saturday night I'm heading to DNA @ Inflation to check out Melbourne's finest hardstyle/hard dance producers showcase their talent and indeed I am keen for what should be a dance floor breaking night!

One artist that will be playing on the night that I'm very excited to see play is K*N*G/King. His music and name is widely known and well respect in the Melbourne rave scene but it doesn't stop just there as his work has also been internationally supported by big names such as Kidd Kaos and Swankie & Kashi. It was 2009 when I first heard "Hey Hey" , I just couldn't get enough of that harsh underground raw scratch sound as well as that thumping reverse bass (this track is also responsible for my love of reverse bass hardstyle) and increased my interest of any event that had him included in the line up.

Jibberish - K*N*G



"Jibberish" earned a solid top 20 spot on the trackitdown.net charts within a month and also a place in my heart within seconds of hearing it. I feel this track offers so much variety in it's structure; just so many different levels of hard and god damn does that change up at 2:34 just get you stomping the floor even more so.

Cirez D - On Off (Sebastien Leger Remix)



Cirez D aka Eric Prydz's original mix of this track had a lot of class, energy and a fresh sound; Sebastien Leger takes those points, wrestles with it in mud and turns it in complete dirty filth. I was convinced after hearing the original close to 2 years ago, no remix could do any justice to what justice the original is, but damn was I wrong when I found this remix a month ago and got a hold of that hard hitting bassline.


Anyway, that's this week wrapped up! Please keep checking in for more fresh tunes posted up by us!

Saturday 11 February 2012

Sweet Sunday Hangover - Jungle Jim

This first track up is one from my favourite local DJ, Mickey Nox. Mickey has a distinct sound to his music, you can hear one of his tunes out without knowing it and be able to tell it's one of his. What occasionally frustrates me about his music is also what is so appealing about it. He makes raw music. While his structuring doesn't follow the standard house guidlines it gives his hard hitting, bass heavy drops all the more impact. His music represents who he is as an artist. An artist who doesnt give a shit and just wants to make you stomp your feet and bang your head against the wall.


He has also made this song downloadable from his soundcloud account!


Mickey Nox - We Should Of Had Shotguns





Next up is another tune made in Melbourne by Scotty Lee & Nick B. It has that distinctive melbourne house sound and follows the common method of remixing hip hop tunes. The song is very well put together and has an incredibly smooth sound to it.

Scotty Lee is a relatively new-comer to the melbourne house scene, being taught at Van-G's Music Production and Tuition Academy.

Xzibit - Concentrate (Scotty Lee & Nick B Remix)




To round things off I have one last tune for you, keeping it local with an old favourite, T-Rek.

Using his talent for the guitar he has moulded rock and house once again into a "Club Rock" tune, 'New Strange'. After his smash hit 'Out My Bitch' a few years ago T-Rek hasn't really made waves since then. He has tried some alternate genres of music, but it's good to see him back where he belongs! Rocking out clubs.

T-Rek - New Strange

Friday 10 February 2012

Show me the music- Horse

Hey guys, end of the week means some more Horse...get it in you!

This is a new EP from Modek of Belgium released on lectroluv records. Both Willow and Dust deliver a hard hitting beat backed by a distinctive Modek sound convulsing for a slice of techno genius.
Modek and Ado are playing a gig in Sydney on the 11th February with nothing going on in Melbourne, very dissapointed to miss out on these acts. But its certainly not the first time this has happened. Just in recent months acts such as Peacetreaty, Mr Skeleton, Porter Robinson and Lucky Date have toured other capital cities but no love for Melbourne. Leaves electronic music loving Melbournites wondering what is going on? Why can't we see such elite acts? Fellow GBI DJ Mastersys even suggested a conspiracy. For now ill put it down to some high-end BS politics, but we in Melbourne should be able to see great touring acts more often rather than just when a festival rolls into town.



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I've been a fan of this guy since I heard his Avicci- Levels remix,
and despite hearing close to 2 million other remixes, his takes the cake (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9Z5fH0M0mo).
He has only just turned 21 as of a few days ago and has released this big room bootleg for free download.
Large things to come...

Sabotoge (Clockwork 2012 Bootleg)- Beastie Boys ***LIKE MY FACEBOOK PAGE FOR A FREE DOWNLOAD*** by ClockworkMusic


Aussie act Light Year have released a new EP also. Different from their previous high energy releases yet delivers a delicious, groovy sound. Had the pleasure of seeing them supporting Danger last year where the crowd went so off chops their were even patrons head-butting each other...crazyness... their promo video highlights some great 90s ravers aswell :)




MODERATION EP by
Light Year

Tuesday 7 February 2012

Who likes spending the night out sitting down anyway? - Esbii

Hey guys, Esbii here to share you some of the tracks that have been dominating my playlist in the last week!




Lange - This Is New York (vs. Gareth Emery) (Heatbeat Remix)



Heatbeat gives us this brilliant trance banger that merges the current and past sounds of trance. From the very start, this track does not mess around when it comes to that heavy techy bass and then one of the greatest uses of a classic trance sound heard @ 3:34 that will put the biggest smile on your face ;)

Sied van Riel ft Fenja - The Game (Original Mix)



I, for one, am a huge fan of Sied van Riel's work and can't absolutely wait to see him at Creamfields later this year in March (the trance shed will go completely off with that line up omfg ^^). I found this track on his podcast "Rielism 068" while I was allowed to play my own music at work through the speakers; @ 1:57 when the piano breakdown is dropped, I stopped what I was doing and paid attention so I could appreciate what art I felt it was and it was then followed by beautiful brain tingling vocals from Fenja that really do put you in that state of trance (lololol ASOT ;) ). Despite so far how I have described this track, by no means at all is this a slow track, still heaps of jumping-up-and-down energy behind it!

Internet Friends - Knife Party



Knife Party has been described to me as "dubstep sounds at house speeds"; that was definitely not the reason why I decided to sample some of there work, it was when Horse gave me his opinion of them as "they are hectic" (GBI Rule #231 - Always trust Nic's decision when it comes to good tunes). I'll admit this track has had good reception and has certainly established itself already, but it was only just recently I discovered it and felt it was neccessary to share to those who have not yet enjoyed this floor smacking tune.


That wraps up this week, will let you all know what I've been playing next Wednesday and take care!

- Esbii out

Monday 6 February 2012

It's all about the Trax - MasterSys

A new release has landed from Alex Rihda's ( Boys Noize ) sub label, BNR Trax as of yesterday. The 11th release features tracks 3 tracks from fellow BNR ( Boys Noize Records ) crew member, Djedjotronic.



Walk with Me


Flange



Get it at Beatport

Following the release, BNR has decided to release a compilation of tracks from the last 10 Trax releases ( out Feb 20th ), featuring a great selection from the library.



Pre-Order/Preview

What I find so great about this sub label ( and the main label aswell ) is its willingness to allow the artists to experiment, to try out new sounds, and to also revive classic sounds such as late 80's Acid or Techno. There's no pressure on the artists to release another " safe generic banger ", this is creative freedom at its best.

Be on the lookout for BNR's latest release by Handbraeks ( Boys Noize and Ed Banger's own Mr Oizo ) EP "#1" and the upcoming album Miami Noize 3, which features all new tracks from the BNR crew and a few special guests.

Official website: www.boysnoize.com

Saturday 4 February 2012

New Releases - Jungle Jim

First up is a high-energy tune released this month from the Mightyfools. As usual they bring fresh sounds and massive drops to their beats and they haven't dissapointed here.


The reason I like this tune so much is it is the dubstep sound of old. No female lyrics, no piling the high range and taking the wobble out. This song was only released a day ago, but it brings the sounds that made dubstep unique.


And to finish off a local tune by Juicy which I am a big fan of. It remixes a classic and drives hard with the bassline.

Thursday 2 February 2012

heyHEYhey- Horse

Made a set yesterday which may be worth a look, just some beats ive been digging lately



Tracklist available on soundcloud- http://soundcloud.com/horsegbi/february-mix

Some tracks-->
Been liking this tune, sexy lyrics mixed with 110 bpm of hectic sounds


This is one I heard from the October Climbatize Sessions by home grown talent Loops of Fury


download link-
http://hulkshare.com/sv2ecs8wf3ez

Funky jam with GBI favourite Umek-


Finish off with a bit of powerdub...power!


download link on soundcloud through http://illgates.com/2012/01/free-dl-ill-gates-bassnectar-remix-voodoo/