Clubbing In Boston for Resident Advisor*

It's hard to believe that I haven't visited Boston in nearly a year, though. I lived there from February 2006 - November 2008, and really grew into a new version of myself in New England. I discovered my undying love for the region, and a seed of desire to move back in my later years was planted. I miss many people who are still living there, and the most recent Clubbing In feature on Resident Advisor explores facets that were such an important part of my life during that time.

Grateful to have been a part of it, Forward Management is mentioned towards the end in conjunction with Lauren DeVain and her skilled efforts in Berlin with her own Carousel PR.

You can read the feature in its entirety, posted here: Clubbing in Boston
*Unlike most links posted on THD, I did not write this.

Simon Firth - Unknown Zone EP for Resident Advisor

This is actually the first not-so-positive review I've written for Resident Advisor. I was seeking out a release of an artist that I'd had no prior knowledge of, and this one immediately grabbed me. Over the course of the holidays, I let it digest and play alongside the other tracks that littered my iPod. Over time, I grew bored with it, and wasn't sure if I was disappointed more in the tracks' staminas to impress me or my faulty initial judgment. Is it a waste of time to review a record that isn't good? There's so much on the Internet that you may notice a large amount of blogs and online magazines (RA excluded) focusing solely on what they do like. I can't say that Basstown has ever written about anything it didn't favor.

I have to admit it was a challenge. If a record review is answering the question "Why?" (Why do is this record good/bad? Why do you like it? Why should anyone else like it?), then to do so for tracks that hardly reach out and grab you leaves you feeling stumped (Why are you stumped?). I think I'd embrace another record if it turned out to leave this bland taste in my mouth over time, but I can safely say that doesn't seem to happen all too often - phew!

You can read the review, posted here: Simon Firth - Unknown Zone

Modeselektor - Body Language Vol. 8 for Resident Advisor

Modeselektor are a significant part of my musical dialect, and I've been a fan for many years. It was no surprise, then, that this would be a challenging review for me. The pressure was on before I wrote the first sentence, and I discovered that not being a DJ might prove to be a challenge when writing about mixes.

While my wheels are in constant motion with AOLmusic, the in-depth reviews on electronic music have been more infrequent because I've been focusing on writing bios for producers. That can be tricky - making sure your reviews don't sound like press releases and vice-versa. I won't deny that it has been on my mind in the writing process, but I think the outcome has been successful.

You can read the review, posted here: Modeselektor - Body Language Vol. 8

The Actual Update

I had promised a substantial update after vanishing for the second half of the summer. It should come as no surprise that I've been too busy to update this site, but that's also unfair as lowering the level of urgency to update this "portfolio in progress" goes against its purpose.

The spring was difficult. I held together a worthwhile amount of freelance writing jobs, but the constant struggle to find steady work was taking its toll on me. I was eventually offered a job in fine dining food service on Fire Island, and I couldn't find a reason to say no. The idea of surrounding myself in a routine of manual labor seemed like an incredible break for my spirit and mental health, which were being constantly dragged down by the respective rise and fall of desirable interviews and reluctant rejections. I think everyone hated saying no because it was such a hard time for all of us - the economy, in my opinion, was at its absolute worst and while most of America remained or grew in its unemployment, the relationship between the music industry and the concept of job security was in shambles.

While the experience may not have been exact for everyone, this certainly describes the scenario for myself and many other hardworking artists that I have a personal connection to: editors, DJ/producers, label owners, publicists and [definitely, definitely] writers. By the time my birthday came around in mid-July, I went on official hiatus (if I could even call it that), and ceased to write for about two months.

Terrified of what the freelance world was going to be like when I returned, I am beyond grateful and thrilled to hold two great positions. One is a more involved writing position with NoiseCreep - AOL's metal blog that has been growing like a teenager on steroids - which requires me to be increasingly attached to the happenings in the metal world. Additionally, a very good friend connected me with Forward Management - a booking and management firm that was started by François K and his Wave Music business partner, Aurelie Brambilla. I'm now working part-time alongside Aurelie to book the artists on Forward's roster, which I'm also excited about. Electronic music - like most large and thriving genres - is full of a copious amount of crap, and it's an honor to have the opportunity to work with a particular company that has history, taste and integrity. The few people I've met who are a part of the project are truly genuine, and as far as gut feelings go the green light has been brighter than ever.

There are a few other projects, hopes and ideas on the horizon. I am still writing for Resident Advisor and already have my eye on outlets that I have been waiting for the right time to approach. The time is now!

(P.S. To fellow friends: I discovered the beauty that is Texas Hold 'em this summer, and if you feel like losing some money then bring it on.)

Jeff Mills for Resident Advisor & Fuck The Facts for NoiseCreep

One of my highest priorities is to post my writings right about the time they're published, but from time to time it's difficult to stay on point. I'm still living on a fantasy summer island, but have been keeping myself plugged into my two favorite genres: metal and techno. Before I left for Fire Island, I spent my final, epic weekend with a string of memorable nights. On Wednesday, my friend Mattis and I drove up to Boston for a RBMA Thomas Oberheim workshop and Le Loup at Midweek Techno. Thursday was Raster-Noton at Make It New, and Friday - the day the up button broke on my car stereo's volume - we drove back to Brooklyn with a full car for Bunker, which featured R-N and Insideout (I think Grant is my new hero) and an epic 6hour tagteam between Jan Krueger and Derek Plaslaiko. The following night was Jeff Mills at the Sullivan Room, topped with a Cadenza party on the Bar 13 rooftop the following afternoon. Easily one of the best (and longest) weekends of my life. My review of Mills was a feat - making sense of one night amongst all of that can be difficult when you consider how much one event will blend into another. It was truly a weekend of loving life, and Mills' set (especially when he played "The Bells") was the opposite of a heartbreak.

True love?

Secondly, I'm on the verge of digging into new metal, and I have big plans with NoiseCreep that hit on a very personal level in the near future. Still, we wanted to know what Fuck The Facts couldn't leave home without - aside from, of course, instruments and merch - because they are just an awesome band. Please go see them if they're coming to your town.

You can read the reviews, posted here:
Jeff Mills @ Sullivan Room for Resident Advisor
Fuck the Facts Hit the Road With Five Essential Items

Audion - "Look At The Moon" for Resident Advisor

Audion reviews are sparse on the Internet, and in my world he is a rather big deal. I'm happy to have reviewed the latest single, "Look At The Moon," which I've been hearing often and loving every second. I'm hoping to hear It's Full Of Blinding Light soon - the limited 12" that ran at a mere 50 copies and was only available via the Ghostly store and a small shop in Berlin. I know a lot of people, but I imagine I'll have to do a decent amount of digging just to lay eyes on the vinyl. Nevertheless, I'm always looking forward to more from Audion. "I Am The Car" and "Look At The Moon" are two pieces of what looks like a much larger puzzle, and I think this will be Dear's strongest alias yet.

You can read the review, posted here: Audion - Look At The Moon

GAS @ Miller Theater for Resident Advisor

I've always appreciated ambient music, but my love always rested with IDM. In the earliest part of this decade, Autechre, Squarepusher, Jega and sometimes Funkstorung were in heavy rotation, and Chris Clark's Clarence Park is one of my all-time favorite albums. Ambient music is definitely a cerebral kind, with its most base use being to simply "chill out." Much like other genres, though, there are so many offerings to choose from...many of which suck. On the opposite end of the spectrum sits Wolfgang Voigt, who dominates the ambient realm with his GAS project from the turn of the last decade. I'm still so impressed by his performance at the Miller Theater, which was the closest I was able to get to Mutek this year.

You can read the review, posted here: GAS @ Miller Theater for Resident Advisor

Movement 2009 In Review for Resident Advisor

I've already mentioned several times here how Detroit was an incredibly enriching experience for me. In fact, I called it before I even went, but it was a bit of a give-in. Myself and a handful of other Resident Advisor contributors covered most of the festival, and I was lucky enough to be assigned all of my favorite highlights. I'm most thrilled that Monty Luke was pleased with the Mothership review, as he and everyone else from the San Francisco-based community conscious label had a blast that night. The other major point for me was Cassy, a female DJ who's come blasting through the doors and taken a seat at the table of my favorite DJs. I'd seen her before, but her set at House 'n Home at Oslo is the first thing I've been mentioning when people ask me what I liked the most. I can only hope that dubbing her "the Sophia Loren of DJs" goes viral and she gets properly appointed. Damian Lazarus wins Breakthrough Artist in my own personal awards ceremony, and I still watch YouTube videos of Adam Beyer's set on a regular basis. Viva la Beatport stage!

You can read the review, posted here: Movement 2009 in review

Voodeux - "The Paranormal" for Resident Advisor

This was an exceptionally challenging review for me. While I've been writing about music for a long time, I can't say that writing about techno is one of my older trades. Facing any genre is difficult, but while I've spent many years as a lover of electronic music I've only been personally invested - and fairly dedicated - to techno for about two years. There's so much more at risk, much like a romantic relationship you truly stand behind because you believe in it.

Mothership is one of my favorite record labels. Resident Advisor is one of my favorite sources of music journalism. Tanner Ross, who comprises one half of Voodeux, is a producer and DJ from the Boston scene, and I've had the pleasure to watch this particular project cook slowly. The end result is the forthcoming release of The Paranormal and Voo's debut live performance, which just kicked off my DEMF experience at the C-Pop Gallery in Detroit. You can imagine there was a lot riding on this - it only helped that after several sit-down meals of ingesting the entirety of the album I found a copious amount of positive reflections to put in order.

I'd only be repeating myself to say more, but I'm particularly proud of this, so I hope you enjoy it. Purchasing the Voodeux album is highly recommended, and they have a pretty sweet deal going on.

You can read the review, posted here: Voodeux - The Paranormal

A New England Recharge + Upcoming Projects

I'm happy to announce that since the review of DJ Hell in Brooklyn went live on Resident Advisor, Hell himself released Teufelswerk on his own International Deejay Gigolos label as of this week. Furthermore, his website got a complete makeover, and the overall design moved away from the N. Y. Muscle theme to something more suited for the new record. The RA review is featured on the front page, and you can imagine the audible gasp of joy when I saw my own name in large font on his website. No matter how long I do this, that sort of recognition never gets old. The man is a legend, and this album just happens to be contending for my favorite of the year. Succinctly put, it's an honor.

In other news, I traveled to Boston last weekend for the first time in quite a while. I saw sQuare Production's Speaking In Code documentary in a proper theater, heard some of my favorite local DJs at Make It New, Solid!, Circus, Bassic and the Basstown monthly residency, which featured Lazer Sword. On the dubstep front, Clouds' DJ Tommy did a beautiful set on Sunday, but I was most impressed by Moldy - a Portland DJ I'd heard about in my time living with Pandai'a as one of the best East coast producers of the genre. It's absolutely true. His presence and his mixing and some of the original tracks he dropped were just perfect. All of the elements were in place, and with the Good Life's soundsystem I left with proper cerebral vibrations.

Being back in my old haunts encouraged all of us at Basstown to light a mighty flame under our collective asses with the website. For weeks, we've been doing a great job of keeping it up to date, but my personal goal is to have more community involvement, more mp3's & album reviews and more news that would be useful to both DJs and intrigued techno lovers. In three weeks, I'll be headed to Detroit with Volvox for our first foray into DEMF and all that Detroit - the closest I can get to Berlin - has to offer, and Resident Advisor will be the outlet for all of my reactions and musings.

Lastly, the wheels are picking up at NoiseCreep, where I'm thrilled to have joined on. You can expect to see more of my words there in the coming weeks, and I hope that everyone enjoys my rambles on metal as much as they do techno. Cheers!

Hell & Heaven @ a secret location for Resident Advisor

Everything that I could possibly say about Hell & Heaven was published in Resident Advisor this week. Rarely do I not enjoy the large variety of live music events that I attend, but this was an exceptionally brilliant night. ReSolute and the promoters with whom they teamed up with ran this warehouse gig so smoothly that I can bravely assume on everyone's behalf that no one noticed any operational issues that might have come up. Also, I was in heels for about 9 hours and am fairly certain I did not sit down at any point. For that, some of my toes are still numb, but I would never complain. Journalist or not, there have been so much monumental live music I've experienced, and this night was definitely one of them. Accompanied by such a great set, I've also praised DJ Hell's forthcoming album, Teufelswerk, which redeems any qualms I had with N Y Muscle and the fashionable electroclash front that Helmut had on for years.

You can read the review, posted here: Hell & Heaven @ a secret location for Resident Advisor