After exploring the melodic side of Drum&Bass in Sweet Headache 003: Snowball Fight , I wanted to record a darker and harder DnB-mix. It’s still kinda playful, so it shouldn’t really be rocket science to enjoy this mix. A glass of jet fuel might be a good drink along with this.

Tracklist:

1. Sub Focus – Rock It
2. Rob Sparks – Disintegration
3. Jade – Pulp Friction
4. Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank (Mulder’s Urban Takeover Remix)
5. Enea – Kill
6. Sub Focus – Timewarp
7. Enter Shikaru – Juggernauts (Nero Remix)
8. Gimbal&Sinan – Take Off (Dreadmaul Remix)
9. Bennie G. & Zeven – Anthem
10. Santogold – Unstoppable (Calculon and Eric Yo! Remix)
11. Dieselboy & Kaos – Barrier Break
12. Psidream & MC Mecha – Atomsmash
13. Concord Dawn – Raining Blood

Nerditional Information: It took me a while to remember why the vocal sample in Enea’s “Kill” sounded familiar: “HAL, despite your enormous intellect, are you ever frustrated by your dependence on people to carry out actions?” – “Not in the slightest bit. I enjoy working with people.” This is a quote from Stanley Kubrick’s classic “2001″ – and using this quote in a track called “Kill” can certainly be interpreted as dark irony.

Sub Focus are one of my favorite Drum&Bass acts in recent times. Their last album includes both straight, high-quality DnB-smashers as well as some good and unusual House tunes. I believe that it’s often a good thing if an artist takes a shot at a different genre, so kudos to them! If you haven’t seen it, check out the video for Sub Focus’ “Rock It”!

The last track (“Raining Blood”) is based on a Heavy Metal song (Slayer’s “Raining Blood”). I used to listen to Metal for a while, so may that’s why Concord Dawn’s rework resonates with me. The original is quite different though…

Thanks to Nils for recommending Diesel Boy!

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/2397259329/ // CC

I recently heard DJ Sven Mergener at one of his Resolution Lounge events, and his melodic Techno sound clearly stood out from what you usually hear in bars and clubs around here. I asked him if he’d be willing to do a feature for Sweet Headache, and he said yes!

First of all, he gave me a DJ set to share with you:

Tracklist:

1. Paul Kalkbrenner -  Steinbeisser (Wighnomy Brothers Remix)
2. Coma – Brown – Dogtown
3. Sarah Goldfarb – 200 (Breaking down remix)
4. Chordian – The End is Night
5. Bukaddor & Fishbeck – Riffpunk
6. Chordian – Closed Eyes – Soniculture
7. Paul Kalkbrenner – Torted
8. m2 – 01.01-00.07.30h
9. Gui Boratto & Martin Eyrer – The Island
10. Gui Boratto – No Turning Back
11. Robert Babicz – Astor
12. Rodriguez jr. – Lila
13. white label
14. Matt K. & boy toy – Kultur

I also asked him to do a real interview, so a few weeks later, we meet at his studio in an old industrial building.

“The purpose of this studio is to kick my own ass.” Sven explains.
“I am serious about music, and I have my goals, so I rented this studio. I just needed a place for my music.”

What struck me about Sven’s sound was that it is very melodic, but still has a strong beat. He tells me that what matters most in a track is “Deepness” by which he means “a sound that comes from below and slowly builds up. Melodies are very important, too. Just rhythm isn’t enough.”

Being a trained event technician by education, Sven certainly knows a thing or two about sound. A great soundsystem is something he describes as necessary to “become one with the music” and to truly enjoy a party.This is also one of the things he misses at most parties:

“Many event organizers just don’t try hard enough when it comes to sound. For my Resolution parties, I definitely want to raise the bar here. I just know how a good sound system is supposed to sound like. For example, the system in Berlin’s Berghain club is fantastic!”

After mentioning the Berlin club scene, it is not surprising that he names Paul Kalkbrenner as one of his favorite artists right now. Paul Kalkbrenner has been getting a lot of attention lately by being the lead actor in the movie “Berlin Calling” where he plays a DJ struggling with his drug problem and a series of other issues. However, Sven Mergener does not attribute the current hype around the movie for naming Paul Kalkbrenner:“He is just a very good musician, and I have known and loved his music years before the movie came out. It’s kinda strange that he gets so much attention lately, but in a way, this is also a good thing since it promotes some very good music.”

For the near future, Sven has two main goals: Apart from establishing his Resolution parties as regular events, he is also eager to be a producing artist, not just a DJ. “I definitely want to have my first release out in the next year. What I absolutely want to use is lots of analogue synthesizers. Digital technology is fine for recording and controlling purposes, but there is something about the warm sound of analogue synthesizers that digital technology just can’t reproduce. Analogue sound is not that polished, and that’s just what I like.”

It’s not only the synthesizers where he scoffs at digital technology. When it comes to DJing, he is strongly convinced of vinyl records being supreme to digital DJ tools. “DJ software just makes it too easy. You don’t need to know how to mix, and many DJs actually don’t really know how to mix any more. For me, this would take the whole fun out of DJing.”

If you would like to hear Sven Mergener live, there will be a chance next Saturday.
His Resolution party will be at Feb.27, 9 pm at the Kolbhalle in Cologne:

Lineup:

• Tandem
• Dirk Middeldorf
• Sven Mergener
• O’Jansen
• Thomas Lachmann
• Sersch&Sanei
• Solanace
• Plus an “Anarcho-Burlesque Show by the Pepperellas“

Sven also hosts regular Resolution Lounge events in the Stadt Venlo.

Fotos by Birgit Schiffer // www.pfirsichfarben.de

Inspired by a hilarious video (see above), I wanted to create a mix that showed some Techno cliché. Obviously, I disagree with the statements in the video, but I certainly know what he means. Don’t we all?

However, if you take this mix without any irony, you can still enjoy it as a solid Tech-House mix.

Tracklist:

Nerditional Information: The Techno Viking is an internet phenomenon that grew from a video of a long-haired guy who was filmed dancing on a techno parade. I don’t really know how the original video got popular, but you can find dozens of references and mashups on that – including the video shown above.

There are a couple of older tracks in this mix, including Yoshimotos 2006 hit “Do What U Do” and one of the gazillion remixes of Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”. I included it because I think Deadmau5 is a great producer and remixer and he always manages to put something special and non-obvious into a remix.

The track “Social Anxiety” is a release from Jetlag Digital, one of my 2009 favories . I hesitated for a minute if I should really include this here: To me, this track has a somewhat different atmosphere and less Techno cliché than the other tracks, but it still is a great, straight and deep dance track.

Oh, and check out Swen Weber! I only know a few of his productions, but all of those rock.

Did you know that a track doesn’t have to be fast to kick ass? For quite a while, I thought that you needed a certain BPM count to make a good dance track. Then Dubstep came along, a fresh and different style from the UK. Dubstep is slow. Really slow. But with its intense basslines and fat beats, it somehow kept me interested – not enthusiastic, but it was enough to have me keep an eye on it.

However, what I didn’t like about many Dubstep productions is their exaggerated focus on wobbly basslines. I don’t mind a good, strong low frequency part in a track, but this alone isn’t enough to keep my interested.

Nevertheless, Dubstep matured over the last few years, and I have heard enough great productions that I decided to put ‘em all together in a mix and share the result with you.

This is not your typical Dubstep mix as it comes with a lot of melodies, vocals and different moods. If you are like me and you find Dubstep only interesting (in the same sense as you would call exotic, yucky food “interesting”), then this might be something for you.

1. Little Boots – Remedy (Rusko’s Big Trainers Remix)
2. Joker – Do It (The Rap Pack Remix)
3. Indijinouz – Ayo Technology (bolly.Hood In.STRUMENTAL)
4. Justin Timberlake – My Love (Ruf Remix)
5. Rob Sparx – Independent Life
6. Dubblestandart feat. Lee Scratch Perry  – Chase The Devil
7. José James – Blackmagic (Joy Orbison’s Remix)
8. Pinch feat. Ruday Lee – Step 2 It
9. Simian Mobile Disco – Cruel Intentions (Joker Remix)
10. Dub & Run – Young Folks
11. Don Goliath – Mrs. U (Remixed by Surje)
12. Boy Crisis – Dressed To Digress (Nero Remix)

“Ayo Technology” is also not really a Dubstep track, but rather a HipHop instrumental that just fit so nicely in here so that I decided to use it.

I also included a remix by Joy Orbison for José James. I somehow got a feeling that Joy Orbison have a lot of potential and we might hear a lot more from them and their newly-founded Doldrums label in the near future.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattohara/ / CC-by-nc

Here’s a little warm-up for the weekend: A pumpin’, pushin’ and ass-kickin’ mix full of House music. I included both remixes of classics as well as a few fresh tracks. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

1. Strip Steve – Breakin’
2. Olaf Basoski – NGOM
3. 45th Street – Adrenalin
4. Gimbal&Sinan – Take Off
5. Roger Prinz – Freak Like (Ron Paul Mix)
6. Urban Shakedown & Micky Finn – Some Justice (Super Mal Remix)
7. Soul Of Man – Dirty Waltzer (Trouble Soup!! Remix)
8. Slyde – We Love It
9. The Ting Tings – That’s Not My Name (Soul Seekerz Dirty Dub Vox Mix)
10. Mihell – Don’t Mean Shit
11. Powers That Be – Planet Rock

Then there’s “Some Justice” by Urban Shakedown & Mickey Finn. If you listen to the original, it might be a little hard to understand what’s so great about this track. However, this particular style (Breakbeat House / early UK Hardcore / Oldschool Breaks) was pretty popular in the early 90s and also got me hooked to electronic music. I am still glad that there is a more recent remix though – I guess it’s a “you had to be there”-thing.

There are also a few fresh tracks in here, such as the awesome “Dancin’” by Strip Steve or “Take Off” by a fabulous newcomer duo called Gimbal&Sinan . I really like their productions for being very playful and well-produced, and I think they have a lot of potential.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paxsimius/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

As I already mentioned in my last post, I re-discovered Drum&Bass last year. I was always a fan of broken beats, but for a while, I had the impression that not much was happening in Drum&Bass any more. I was wrong, and I discovered a few really great tracks last year that I just had to make a mix of.

There is also quite a bit of snow here in Cologne right now. If it’s the same wherever you are, this might actually make a perfect soundtrack for your own snowball fight.

Tracklist:

1. Hilltribe vs. Staple Singers – Going Away (Hilltribe Mix)
2. Mathematics – Get Up
3. Icicle – That Tune
4. DJ Marky, Jenna G, M.I.S.T. & XRS – Sunshine (Touch Me)
5. Phoneheads – Roll That Stone
6. Lynx – Heat Haze
7. Stakka Bo – Here We Go (Gimbal & Sinan Remix)
8. Brookes Brothers – Tear You Down
9. DJ Fresh – Hypercaine
10. Calvin Harris – Ready For The Weekend (High Contrast Remix)
11. M.I.A. – Paper Planes (Calculon Remix)
12. Snow – Informer (Gimbal & Sinan Remix)
13. Kawan – Bikram Singh & Gunjan (Drum&Bass Remix)

Nerditional Information:
There are two tracks in that mix that were big hits in my early teenage years: Snow’s “Informer” and “Here We Go” by Stakka Bo. While I cannot listen to most tracks from that time without suffering, those two were actually some of the better ones. As both were remixed by Gimbal&Sinan, I assume that those guys feel the same way.

I also included “Roll That Stone“, an older track by the German Drum&Bass legends known as Phonehads. I only mention that they are from Germany because Drum&Bass is so UK-centered that it’s remarkable when there are successful acts outside of the UK.

Talking about the UK: If you haven’t seen it yet, don’t miss the awesome dance video to DJ Fresh’s “Hypercaine”! And if you like this style, check out one of UK’s finest DnB labels Breakbeat Kaos, home to a few of my favorite DnB-artists right now.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jickel/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

This mix is all about electronic music with a rock attitude. Expect headbanging tunes with a dancefloor appeal!

Tracklist:

1. Make The Girl Dance – Baby Baby Baby
2. The Qemists feat. Mike Patton – Lost Weekend (Killer on the Dancefloor)
3. Mando Diao – Down In The Past (Moonbootica Remix)
4. Bloc Party – One Month Off (Filthy Dukes Remix)
5. Cassius – Youth Speed Trouble Cigarettes (Cassius Reset Trouble Remix)
6. Moguai – Tonight
7. Klaxons – Golden Skans to Interzone (So Me Remix)
8. Goose – British Mode (Jester Remix)
9. Nu Coalition – Born For The Nightlife (Aston Shuffle Remix)
10. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Head Will Roll (A-Trak Remix)
11. S’Express – Stupid Little Girls (Eon’s Blacklist Remix)
12. Justice – D.A.N.C.E. (MSTRKRFT Remix)

Nerditional Information: Do you remember S’Express? Yes, that is the dance music act that had a major hit with “Theme From S’Express” in 1988. I didn’t even know they were still active, but apparently they released a single called “Stupid Little Girls” on Kitsuné in 2007 – and that one’s actually pretty good!

Another artist that I hadn’t heard from in a while is Mike Patton, former singer of Faith No More. After leaving Faith No More, he released a couple of interesting, but also very strange records from Mr Bungle, Phantomas and other obscure projects. Nevertheless, he is a truly great vocalist, and I was happy to hear his cooperation with the truly talented Qemists .

Oh, and there is also a very interesting….errr…..”social experiment” by Make The Girl Dance that was “documented” in video form (NSFW!).

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29051967@N03/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Tracklist: