Silk Music Showcase Silk Music Showcase is the weekly radio show by international label Silk Music (http://www.silk-music.com), featuring emotive and intelligent house, progressive, trance, & chillout. Label Director Jacob Henry and residents Tom Fall,... (Read More & Visit Show Page)
A new venture for both Proton Music and regular contributor, Scotty.A, the "Transatlantic" EP featuring and curated by the UK resident himself, was a landmark moment for the label in November 2015. Now, Scotty.A returns once more to "Transatlantic, Vol. 2" with a quartet of tracks from Europe and the US including a pair of contributions from our esteemed host.
A man on a mission to reinvigorate the deep house and techno genres with a combination of hard work, determination and no inconsiderable talent, Norwich based artist, Scotty.A, has seen a career littered with highlights, from DJ performances at John Digweed's famous Bedrock nights and Sasha's Last Night on Earth, to global performances in South America and mainland Europe, a production career that saw a significant breakthrough after winning the Denis A remix competition for "Heroin" on DAR, supported by Hernan Cattaneo and Nick Warren, has gone on to see a raft of high-profile releases on the likes of Paper Jet, Tulipa and Manual Music. Add in over 30 production credits for Proton Music, and it is not difficult to see why Scotty has gained so many admirers over the course of his DJ and production career.
Opening proceedings with the superlative "Tucumán", Scotty.A hits his stride from the off with a groove-oriented offering that shimmers effortlessly through deep house chord progressions and thumping kick. Intricate percussive rhythms add further weight to the overall air as an expertly crafted track rises and falls with consummate ease, building elegantly throughout.
Dutch producer, Frank Maris, is an artist who has risen to prominence over the past 12 months. A regular on the Axon imprint since 2013's debut, a clutch of original and remix material for the label has seen success via the "Neon Waterfall" and "Dirwisj/Golden Shower" EPs. Already featuring on the first "Transatlantic", Maris' "Aleph" was a notable highlight, becoming the Dutchman's best-selling Beatport track since its release. Now returning to the series with a new offering, "Bhagavad Gita" is a deep, rich work that revels in lounge melodies that evolve delicately within a smooth deep house groove that is enriched by tightly woven bass line and additional motifs capturing the ear through impressive production values. Remixed by Scotty.A, a slightly up-tempo variation is immediately audible from the outset before a nuanced reworking of Maris' melodic components are brought to the fore by Scotty's intelligent use. A raft of original production material is further added to create subtle variations on a theme that adds another layer of intrigue to "Bhagavad Gita".
A final contribution, sees Marcus Gonzalez make a very welcome debut via his Pasiphaë Group moniker. Hailing from San Antonio, Texas resident Gonzalez, has a mission statement based upon a "deep electronic transmission of pure love." Making his production debut, the Pasiphaë Group contribution to "Transatlantic, Vol. 2" comes via "Control". A typically rigid techno beat and rhythm find their mark in the early stages as a delightful and unexpected melodic component of richly textured pads soon comes to the fore before a series of ambient effect make their presence felt in intelligently cadenced fashion. Evolving in hypnotic fashion throughout its voyage, "Control" is an impressive debut for the young American.
A quartet of new tracks from Scotty.A, Frank Maris and Pasiphaë Group, have demonstrated international cooperation is still very much in progress across "Transatlantic" borders.
Directed by Jay Epoch
A&R; by James Warren
Mastered by Cid Inc.
Design by Ben Mautner
Text by James Warren
08/12 Beat Maniacs - Gravitas
From the Belgrade capital, Serbian duo Petar Bogojevic and Nikola Radivojevic have led an illustrious assault on the underground dance industry through their Beat Maniacs production soubriquet. Now Particles welcomes back the duo with their debut original EP in the shape of "Gravitas".
Both fully committed to their craft, Petar's accomplished guitar playing led him to develop a deep understanding and appreciation for electronic music, while Nikola's father introduced him to electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk and Jean-Michel Jarre which would form a cornerstone and benchmark for subsequent musical tastes. Regular DJ performances together as part of the Belgrade's "Sensation" party in 2011 and 2012, ultimately saw Beat Maniacs become part of the "Wicked DJs" concept, in turn helping Petar and Nikola shape an understanding of what worked on the dancefloors as the Beat Maniacs team began to write their own music to unleash on an awaiting public.
Thus, with over a century-and-a-half production credits to their name, Beat Manaics have created a strong fan base for their work. A 2010 debut on Quebolarecords soon paved the way for a raft of original and remix material to find its way on to such celebrated imprints as Stellar Fountain, Lowbit and Balkan Connection as the duo found themselves working alongside Matt Darey on July 2015's "Let It Go", for the legend's own Nocturnal Nouveau.
"Monday Memories" formed a rich and evocative debut for Beat Maniacs as part of the ten-track "Winter Particles 2014" compilation as now Petar and Nikola venture forth with dramatic "Gravitas". The title track itself is a deep, rich offering that pulsates forward menacingly with its subterranean bass line, tempered somewhat by a light airy, fizzing pad and a wondrously glassy lead riff that sprinkles magic like fairy dust across the upper frequencies in its freeform glory. A dominant kick and ticking hi hats make their presence felt as an 808 clap punctures the rhythmic melange in the early movements with its distinctive offbeat character.
Partner track, "Vol Pour Hernano" continues the rich undertones of its predecessor as a crackling vinyl atmosphere pervades the stereo spectrum in warm, comforting familiarity, combined with a strong rhythmic bed and cadenced percussion. A deep melodic bass riff plays a strong role in laying the foundations for a track that oozes quality with its intelligent melodic sequences and hypnotically held arpeggio.
Suitably erudite in its intelligent construction, the "Gravitas" of Beat Maniacs' work is testament to serious producers who continues to make a strong impression.
Directed by Jay Epoch A&R; by Marina Gerardi Mastered by Cid Inc. Design by Ben Mautner Text by James Warren
08/05 Navar - Ava Mea (Stas Drive, Scotty.A Remixes)
An artist with immense respect among his peers, Navar's production work has always garnered high praise. With the three-track "Ava Mea" part of an ever-impressive catalogue, Proton Music now returns to the EP with remixes from the UK and Ukraine's finest, opening up a trilogy of remix EPs for the Dutch master.
An artist whose reputation and success has outward grown rapidly since production work began to hit the virtual shelves in 2012, Stas Drive has been a revelation. However, such success does not account for the huge amount of time invested as a DJ, producer and teacher across his Ukrainian homeland since 2006. A self-taught sound engineer, Stas has brought a distinctive blend of techno and underground progressive sounds to dance floors and his studio that has seen him enrapture audiences wherever he plays.
A star-studded production career has thus seen Stas Drive feature heavily on some of dance music's leading imprints. Sudbeat, microCastle and Hope have all played host to the Ukrainian's work with a collection of original and remix work. Indeed, it was with the track, "Arjuna", that Stas found himself featured on Nick Warren's seminal "Soundgarden" compilation in 2014. A debut contribution to Proton Music via a remix of Soulwerk's "Spiritcatcher" in late 2015 now sees him working his magic on Navar's title track. A compelling piece that captures the soul of the original, the Stas Drive remix turns "Ava Mea" into a pensive yet forceful offering. A deep kick and intricate rhythm session make their presence felt as a grooved bass line and melange of counterpoint synth lines evolve elegantly across a nine-minute journey that provide an exciting new dance floor variation to Navar's work.
UK based producer, Scotty.A, operating out of the East Anglian city of Norwich, needs little introduction to the Proton faithful. A man whose distinctive melodic work has done much to define the underground progressive genre, has seen his sound evolve and mature as he moves seamlessly into the deep house and techno genres with a steely determination. A regular across the clubs of his homeland since the turn of the millennium, Scotty's performances at Pacha, Ministry of Sound and the famous Brixton Academy have lit up London's dance scene with appearances alongside Sasha, John Digweed, Guy J and Jimmy Van M to name but a few.
A dazzling production career has seen a catalogue of high-profile releases on the likes of DAR Digital, Paper Jet and Tulipa, while a plethora of production credits for Proton Music have seen a clutch of original works in the shape of the "Touching the Void", "Tomorrow" and "Natural Senses" EPs, backed by a series of world-class remixes and the impressively curated "Transatlantic" EP. Now returning to Proton, the Scotty.A "Bali Remix" is a delightfully uplifting rework that lifts the vocal phrases out of the distinctive "Sacred Bali Spirit" and places them into a newly worked version of "The Slowbeq Paragraph". A delicate, deep house rhythm and seismic kick interact elegantly with newly grooved melodic phrasings that continue the deep house theme evolving effortlessly from the mid-point onwards with rich textured pads adding further interest.
tschoris, based in Berlin, Germany.
After finding the perfect possibility to express himself with electronic music, playing at lots of parties and clubs in his hometown Marburg, tschoris became member of "Schallplattentanzbetrieb Marburg" and resident DJ of their legendary "Tunnelaprties". Read More...