I don’t usually do this, but I felt strangely compelled…

If the dates on this blog are to be trusted, (and I am reasonably sure that they are) then it appears I have not written anything on here for over three months. So what’s going on?

Production on our short film; Flutter is going well, we’re shooting this weekend has it happens, which is very exciting, if slightly scary considering the amount of work it’s going to take to get the house in shape. The battle we’ve been through with actors was finally won yesterday, as we found our leading man, so from here onwards, it’s just a case of getting the job done.

Holy Fuck it’s time to go to work, I’ll finish you on my lunch break.

Lunch break eh? I make that four days ago, Bloody typical.

Filming has been going well, on it again tomorrow for the last day. No doubt things will be slightly hectic, trying to get everything finished in time, but I’m pretty confident we’ll get it all done.

In other news, I’m taking over Ollspin’s Sunday Roast show on Brap.FM next Sunday. From 6pm – 8pm I will be playing a fine selection of music, focusing mainly on the dancier end of my spectrum, Breaks, Techno, Dubstep and Electro, along with all the things that fill in the gaps between those. I was originally just going to be doing an hour guest mix, but he has kindly offered me the whole show. Win.

Other musical happenening in my world include the release of St. Vincent’s wonderful album; Actor, and the rapidly approaching release of Grizzly Bear’s Veckatimest. The former was a relatively random purchase, and my first encounter with Annie Clark aka St.Vincent. Oh how I’ve been missing out. Actor is a really beautiful album from start to finish; it blends pop, folk and electronica with big helpings of baroque and avant-garde in a way that sounds both vintage and cutting edge at the same time. What really shines through on this album is personality, which oozes out of every little detail. Fans of Laura Marling, Imogen Heap and Grizzly Bear should love this, I know I do.

As you can see, my last post on here, all those months ago, was heralding the release of Grizzly Bear’s Veckatimest. The wait is nearly over I exclaimed, somewhat inaccurately.  Now, on 24th May, the wait really is nearly over! My pre-order version should be with me by Friday at the latest, and I’m getting rather excited about that prospect. I’ve exercised a massive amount of self control and not taken up any of the leaks offered to me, partly out of respect for the band, but mainly because I don’t want to compromise the enjoyment of opening the CD case and listening to the album for the first time. The tracks I’ve heard so far have been nothing short of stunning, the lead off single Two Weeks is a beautiful pop song, more accessible than anything from Yellow House, but retaining all of the magic. A few people have been disappointing me massively by telling me that Two Weeks is the best track (it’s never nice to know you’ve already heard the best, means it’s all downhill from there), but I’ll have to wait and see. In a rather impulsive move, I purchased a ticket to see the Bear at KOKO in August. At the moment I’m the only person I know with a ticket, which would be a slightly annoying situation to remain in, but I couldn’t live with myself missing the opportunity to see them headlining a club like KOKO, even if I will be seeing them play Green Man Festival later that week. I’m going to be Grizzled out.

I think I’d better leave it at that to be honest, I’ve got lots of work to do in preparation for tomorrows filming.

Let’s see if I can make another post before August eh…

The wait is nearly over.

Today I am a very happy boy.

I have just found out that Grizzly Bear’s new album Veckatimest is due for release on May 26th. Anyone who knows me will know how excited about this I have been,  and now with a date in sight I can really start to get myself worked up.

If you’re not familar with Grizzly Bear, get familiar. Their 2006 album Yellow House is one of my all time favourites, a truely amazing piece of music, combining elements of Folk, Pop, Baroque and Prog Rock to create a masterfully original sound. From the sound of the two new tracks they’ve put up on their myspace, the new album will be slighty more on the poppy side of things, but that is no bad thing. Anyhow, my description will never really do the music justice, so check them out for yourself.

www.myspace.com/grizzlybear

www.grizzly-bear.net

[Chart] Mr Minimax’s January 2009 Chart

I don’t do these all that often, partly because I find it near impossible to pick favourites out of all the tunes I play, and partly because I don’t buy all that much “new” music.

I have now managed to put together 10 tracks that have been making me smile more than most recently.

I’m going to try knock one of these up every month from now on. They won’t necessarily feature “new” music, and they’ll usually have tracks from a wide range of genre’s, but they’ll always be a good indication of what I’m listening to, and kind of thing you can expect from a Mr Minimax DJ set.

Here we go.

2562 – Movern [Tectonic]
A beautiful piece of deep dub techno with a half time snare drum to squeeze a bit of dubstep appeal in there.
Works equally well in the afternoon sun as it does at 4am. Top Stuff

Baobinga & ID – Jump Up Get Hype (Gella’s Hardsteppin’ Remix) [Fat!]
A cracking re-rub of a cracking tune. Virus Syndicate never fail in my opinion, and here, Gella adds a lovely set of  steppy drums, a nice amount of glitch and a new bassline that easily matches the original.

Bassbin Twins – Pig Pen [Cool and Deadly]
Anyone with their finger vaguely on the breakbeat pulse, will have heard Woppa doing the rounds over the last year or two, possibly the most hotly anticipated single ever, but yet when it finally came, I barely touched the original, due to this outstanding piece of breaks-dubstep-techno-I don’t know what. One of the most innovative tunes in recent years, anyone trying to pigeon hole this one is wasting their time!

Drop the Lime – Good Inside [trouble & Bass]
This track is pure hype. No pretence, just a mountain of rave.

Eero Johannes – HAL Manifesto [Planet Mu]
Taken from his debut album “Eero Johannes” this is probably the most DJ friendly track. Slightly bizarre and cheesy electro, with a dash of 80′s. More home listening than dancefloor, but can do brilliantly in both environments if used right.

Kid 606 – Get In The Way [Tigerbeat6]
Another track that just doesn’t want to be defined, switching between dubstep, techno, electro and god only know what else in a matter of bars, this is wonky mayhem at it’s best.

Luke’s Anger – Jerk Chicken [Tigerbeat6]
More wonky as sin techno from the Tigerbeat camp, after a couple of minutes of driving beats, wacked out sound effects, and nicely moderated glitch, it drops down into a delightfully wonky bassline

Si Begg – Are You a Big Boy DJ? [Noodles]
This one is led by the mother of all basslines, the drums stay nicely reserved, just adding a bit of step. I would have to whole-heartedly agree with the lyric: “You can’t be that big if you ent go this in your box”

the wee djs – Base [Touchin Bass]
A bit of an oldie by some people’s standards(2006). Those people are missing out. I’ve been playing the “Fear and Lothian” album to death lately, and it was near impossible to pick a favourite to go in this chart. I went with this because it’s got a deep dirty vibe that mixes perfectly with a lot of the other tracks in this chart.

TRG – Oi! Killa [Cool and Deadly]
And finally a bit of straight up step action. It’s got crunch, dirty sub bass, and a nice set of old skool rave stabs. A brilliant example of just how right Cool and Deadly is getting it at the moment.

I hope these tracks bring you as much joy as they have brought me.

[Mix] Mr Minimax – Mr Toad’s Wild Ride. DOWNLOAD NOW

Another new mix from me. Gosh darn it I’m pumping them out like nobody’s business at the moment!

Large slabs of wonk, crunk, bosh and dut on this one.

CHECKITOUTCHECKITOUTCHECKITOUTCHECKITOUT

Mr Minimax – Intro
British Murder Boys – Splinter (Downwards)
Luke’s Anger – Jerk Chicken
Kid606 – Get In The Way
DJ Slugo – I Ain’t Yo Baby Daddy (Debasser Remix)
Luke’s Anger – Work That Mod
Drop The Lime – Hot Sauce and Grillz
Meat Katie – Cracks
Modeselektor – The Black Bock
Stanny Franssen – Diggin’ the Break
DNCN – Gayrage
The Wee DJs – Base
Radioactive Man – 1/u=Daven’t Nay
Surgeon – Bad Hands Break
Surgeon – Bad Hands pt II (Autechre Remix)
Hijack – Nightmarez
TRG – Oi! Killa
2562 – Movern
Bassbin Twins – Pigpen
Si Begg – Are You a Big Boy DJ
Drop The Lime – Good Inside
British Murder Boys – Splinter (Downwards)
LFO – Freak

Enjizzle

[Review] Sam Hell – Gun Club w/ Remixes (Sinister) SIN035

Sam Hell – Gun Club w/ Remixes (Sinister) SIN035

A. Original
B. Hedflux Remix
C. Badlands Ruffty Buffty Remix
D. Rektchordz Remix

This package sees Sam hell making his third release on Sinister in the last 12 months, with 3 of the scenes brightest new sparks on remix duties.
The original mix is a classic slice of Hell, big chunky drums back up a ferocious bass line, and a variety of squeaks and bleeps flutter across the top, adding a quirky edge to what is otherwise an unrelenting slice of dirt. The production is slick and polished, and everything gels beautifully. Call it breaks, call it house, regardless of genre, this is bound to cause serious damage on a lot of dancefloors.
Next up, psy-breakers Hedflux take the reins and deliver an outstanding remix. Deep and brooding, with more twisted psy attitude than you can shake a hippy at. This is my pick of the bunch, most definitely a classic Sinister track.
Badlands take things in a much housier direction with their effort, making good use of the minimal vocal from the original and turning it into a choppy percussive line. This mix is certain to be a hit with lovers of wonk.
Finally, Rektchordz rounds up the package with a filthy electro version. Sticking closely to the original melody, but twisting things to a much harsher level of filth. Rektchordz seems to be going from strength to strength and this remix is yet more evidence of his skill.
All in all, this is a pretty outstanding package, with something to suit everyone. It’s refreshing to see a release of such high quality, with all the tracks coming from relatively new producers.

Minimax

FOTB Present: Ben & Lex, That Girl DJ, Jung, MrMinimax… Friday 20th June, The Cellar, Oxford

Fresh Out The Box Present:
Friday 20th June 

Ben & Lex
(Functional, Ape, Beatz & Bobz)

That Girl DJ
(Boomslang, Re:Connect)

Jung
(Nsb Radio)

Mr Minimax (DJ Set)
(FOTB, Brap.fm, Myuzyk)

The Cellar

21:00 – 3:00

£4 with Flyer / B4 10pm
£5 after

http://www.wegottickets.com

This Month at FOTB we’ve got breakbeat stalwarts Ben & Lex, up and coming producer That Girl DJ both making their FOTB debuts, as well as neo-blogster Jung returning for his second set in 6 months. Also gracing the booth is our own Mr Minimax, rounding off the night with his blend of Breaks, Techno and Dubstep, sure to have people dancing till the lights come on.

Ben & Lex
The Devonshire duo have been wowing audiences in the South West for over eight years, and now their own vinyl releases have now confirmed them as one of the hottest properties in breakbeat.

Their debut single “Cosa Nostra” was released on Functional Breaks in 2003 and received universal DJ and radio support around the world. Their second release for the label followed soon after, a double ‘A’ sided single “Proper Tasty / Reconsidered” which firmly stamped its mark on the breaks scene with radio play on Radio One, Ministry of Sound FM, Breaks FM, several other international shows and has had DJ support from the likes of Freq Nasty, Krafty Kuts, Skool of Thought, Tayo and Steelzawheelz to name but a few.

As well as continuing to release on Functional Breaks – their tune “Soundgal“, as featured on Freq Nasty’s Breakspoll 2006 compilation, is released as Functional #44 – the boys have been approached by the likes of Big Square for “Floor Burn“, Trusted for “Funky Music” (also a top ten O2 ringtone) and Drum and Breaks for “Raw 2 Da Floor/ Le Chunk” ft MC Spee (Dreadzone).

Their distinctive sound can be heard on their weekly Nuskool Breaks radio show. Ben & Lex have also had an exclusive half-hour mix on Radio 1 for Annie Nightingale and they are residents at the UK’s longest running monthly breakbeat night, Beatz & Bobz, where they regularly support break beat heavyweights such as Rennie Pilgrem, Freq Nasty, Tayo, James Lavelle (Unkle) and The Freestylers as well as giants such as the Wu tang, Afrika Bambaata, Grandmaster Flash, Adam F & Fresh and DJ Zinc.

As well as critically acclaimed sets across the UK, and The Glade and Beautiful Days festivals, they are gaining international kudos with recent appearances at the Miami Winter Music Conference, Dangerous Drums in Berlin, Mission Dance Winter Sessions in Mannheim and the Break Nation festival in Seville where they rocked it to a crowd of over 10,000 Spanish nutters!!

They are now also running their own label Ape Music (with releases & remixes from Will White (Propellorheads), Transformer Man, Entity, Afghan Headspin & more) and with many big remixes already lined up for the rest of this year, these two Westcountry Warriors look like they will be impossible to escape, so go see them and treat yourself to a damn good party!

http://www.benandlex.co.uk

http://www.myspace.com/benandlex

That Girl DJ
Who is That Girl DJ? Starting out under the watchful eye of mentors Vigi and Mr B (Streetwise Recordings / Boomslang), That Girl DJ has been quickly making her way into the scene and moving up the ranks over the past year. Sets at Herbal, Urban Nights and Lockside Lounge in London, Ambush in Nottingham, Future Funk in Sheffield, Gobbstopper in Taunton, Magik Bullet in Plymouth and Spectrum in Leicester have made her a name to watch out for! Add to that her regular appearances at the night she helps run and promote, the Breakspoll award-nominated Boomslang in Cambridge (supporting artists such as Stanton Warriors, Atomic Hooligan, Tayo, Stanton Warriors, Slyde, Soul of Man, Scratch Perverts, Rennie Pilgrem, Plump DJs and many more) and you have a rising star in the breakbeat scene. When she’s not rocking the dancefloor, That Girl DJ hosts the Boomslang Breaks show on NSB Radio, the worlds biggest breaks radio station, playing a fortnightly two-hour selection of her own flavour of breaks, electro and wonky house. Her very first tune is due for release in early June 2008 backed up by wicked remixes from Sam Hell and Australia’s Karl Sav.

http://www.thatgirldj.com
http://www.myspace.com/thatgirldjmusic

Jung
From an introverted five year old with a deep founded love of an early 90’s mixtape found in his dad’s car, to a twenty three year old with residencies and multiple radioshows under his belt, Jung is by no doubt a fast mover.
Whether it be in the booth for his residency at Swindon’s famous (and now defunct) Brunel Rooms nightclub, the spare bedroom for his fortnightly show on NSB Radio or simply smashing the living shit out of various night’s in Oxford, London & Southampton to name but a few.
His style is probably as wild and flamboyant as Kate Moss’ choice in men; talented, dirty and always the inspiration behind a messy weekend. That, coupled with the skill akin to the Dewaele brother’s talents of flirting with a multitude of genres as if the borders between them never existed, Jung expertly flits from House to Electro through Breaks, Techno, Hip Hop, Rock & everything in between.

http://www.muujun.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/jungcantdj

http://www.freshoutthebox.net
http://www.myspace.com/fotbfreshoutthebox
http://www.mrminimax.co.uk

Catch Mr Minimax on Brap.fm every 1st 3rd and 5th Tuesday of the Month 22:00 – 00:00 GMT
AND NOW every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the Month 16:00 – 18:00 GMT
http://www.brap.fm

FOTB xx

[Radio] Squeaky Beats cover…

I filled in for Squeaks on Brap.fm last night, as she was experiencing laptop troubles…

A lot more regular than my usual shows, lots of breaks, house and wonky goodness…

Download..  http://www.archives.brap.fm/details.php?file=779

 

Tracklist:

Justice – Genesis [Ed Banger]
Santiago & Bushido – Head Trick [Potty Mouth]
Calvin Harris – Merrymaking At My Place (Deadmau5 Remix) [Do It Yourself]
Duke Dumont – Lean n Bounce [Pieces of Eight]
LCD Soundsystem – Get Innocuous (Soulwax Remix) [DFA]
Jude Sebastian – Rubber Man (Miles Dyson Remix) [Erase]
Bass Kleph – Coup D’etat (Hook n Sling Remix) [Vacation]
Bart B More – So it Goes [Toolroom]
Burufunk vs. Carbon Community – Community Funk (Deadmau5 Remix) [Shiznit]
Vandal & Blende – Healthy Boy (Re-Edit) [Lot49]
The Bodysnatchers – Freaky Ho (The Beat Monkeys Remix) [Passenger]
Rennie Pilgrem – Drumma (Elite Force Remix) [TCR]
Dopamine – Flapjack [Passenger]
Stupid Fresh – Stupid Theme (Twocker Remix) [Freek]
Jay Lamar – Cuboidal (Tony Thomas Remix) [Cube Digital]
fREW – Shake With It (Bass Kleph) [Vacation]
Static Revenger –Ooh La La (BSOD Remix) [D-Dub]
Trentemoller – Rykketid [Audiomatique]
Vex’d – Canyon [Planet Mu]
Benga – 3 Minutes [Tempa]
Eskmo vs The Antiserum – Monstahs [Full Melt]
30hz – Acid Day [Vertical Sound]
Diverted – Fing [Air]
Mr Minimax – Untitled Demo
Dylan Rhymes – Superstar (Elite Force Remix) [Adrift]
Dopamine – System Error (General Midi Remix) [Title Fight]

 

Enjoy xx

 

Eclectric & FOTB Present: Gregor Tresher 07/03/08

Eclectric & FOTB present…
Friday March 7th
Carling Academy Oxford

GREGOR TRESHER (Great Stuff – Germany)

Ed Steele. Matt Carter. Rich Smith.

Click me for tickets

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more info