You Are We @ The light Bar April 8th 2012

LOUIE FRESCO (MEXA/No.19) SANDEMAN & MR.DICKIE (YOU ARE WE) PLAYSET (TOM ROBERTS/ASHLEY WILD (YOU ARE WE) BANK HOLIDAY SUNDAY APRIL 8TH 2pm-12 Midnight YOU ARE WE ***PLEASE NOTE DUE TO UNFORSEEN LICENSING ISSUES AT CORBET PLACE THE VENUE FOR APRIL 8th HAS CHANGED TO THE LIGHT BAR, 233 SHOREDITCH HIGH STREET, E1*** It's a massive shame that we can't go back to Corbet Place but it seems the powers that be have stuck their oar in at the last minuet. Instead we present You Are We at The Light Bar...panic over :) x This time round we welcome man of the moment LOUIE FRESCO, MEXA label boss, signed to Johnny White’s No.19 imprint and good friend to You Are We. His style takes in many influences with a distinct funk-laden, groove infected 4-4 beat feel to his sets and production. His release 'So Good' for example aims straight for the heart, creating deep emotional hooks alongside fat, well-rounded bass lines. London awaits.... Joining Louie YOU ARE WE residents PLAYSET (Tom Roberts & Ashley Wild) and SANDEMAN & MR.DICKIE complete the line up. Our residents are achieving big things right now with their tracks being signed to many of the finest imprints around. Ashley Wild’s debut “Riding in the Red” on Hot Waves was one of the standout tracks of last Summer and with further releases out on MEXA coming soon he’s definitely a big name to watch in 2012. Tom Roberts impressive catalogue of tracks are already tearing up dance floors across london and promise to raise the Playset profile even further in 2012. Sandeman & Mr. Dickie’s Wildkats project (along with Corey Baker) have released on labels including Lower East & Hot Creations to much accalim, with tracks like “Perpetrating” typifiying their sound. If 2011 wasn’t already huge for the boys 2012 is set to take them to new heights. With the line up in place we look forward to welcoming our nearest and dearest on the 8th of April. £5 before 4pm / More after x YOU ARE WE Quick links: http://www.facebook.com/Youarewemusic https://twitter.com/#!/youarewe http://www.residentadvisor.net/profile/aliyouarewe http://soundcloud.com/youarewe-podcast http://www.youarewemusic.blogspot.com/ http://www.youarewe.co.uk/ info@youarewe.co.uk

FEATURED ARTIST INTERVIEW

LOUIE FRESCO (Mexa / No.19)

We catch up with Louie Fresco to talk Mexico, Mexa, and Magical Elves ahead of his set at You Are We @ The Light Bar, Shoreditch, April 8th Bank Holiday... 

You’re from a small town called Mexicali – can you tell us a bit about it and what goes on there party wise?

Mexicali: capital of Baja California. Population of 936,826 according to the 2010 census. In 1997, Mexicali experienced a heat wave, the temperature reached up to 54 °C (130 °F), it was so hot that day that most of the trees and vegetation in the area dried up. - Yeah, I took all of that from Wikipedia!

But on a serious note, our climate is so drastic it's not even funny. We held the Guinness world record (I tell this to almost everyone I meet) for the Hottest Place on Earth for a few years! But don't panic, most of the time it's all cool and breezy, but don't ever go there in the summer. The dance music scene in Mxl is one of the greatest in Mexico. The reason is that we adopted some of the best cultures (we're next to California, we have a lot of that friendly Nu Hippy attitude), we got some really good promoters, and it's super safe to live there. It gets boring during the weekdays but you'll find at least one or two proper parties on the weekends.

  

Mexico hosts the BPM festival which we are hearing good things about here in London. The festival featured some great names this year such as Jamie Jones, Droog, DJ Sneak, Art Department and You Are We favorites Pillow Talk. You played there this year, tell us about your experience - how did the No.19 Party go down? I can't tell you about the full experience cause I'm not sure if any kids will read this, but I can tell you this: it has been one of my favorite parties, and the that day (which was also my bday) went to an epic after party by Matt (rebel agency) and the guys from robot heart. It was literally a life changing moment.

Here in the UK we have a rich tradition for hosting summer festivals. Are there any that you would particularly like to play at?

Yes, there's one I think it's called You Are W.. Oh, wait minute.. I wanna play anywhere that there's good people and floor level Dj booths. I got sick of really big stages and festivals. See, I used to have another project and we were doing pretty good so we used to Dj on these really big stages but I got tired of just seeing massive crowds and not connecting with anyone and having to play "festival music" (the one that's really "loopy" and no matter how much bass it has, the frequencies won't go beyond a few rows) and not play what I really loved playing. So anywhere but big festivals it's fine by me ;-)

Your record label Mexa that you founded with Jay Blakk – one half of the Climbers – how are things going with that project? We get the feeling you guys have some tasty tracks coming our way?

Thing's got stuck for a minute but we're back right up and probably releasing our first EP (Lee Foss + Richy Ahmed) the day after or a week after YAW, so we're pretty excited about it, plus we have some other amazing EPs by Lee M Kelsall, Matt Fear, Corey Baker, Rebel, and many new signigns from all over Mexico and Las Vegas. And then we have many MEXA records showcases all around the world: Mexico, Guadalajara, Mexicali, UK, Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Australia, and Barcelona (off Sonar) with my brothers Puente and Rosch's label Digital Delight.

Can we look forward to some new Fresco Bombs dropping this summer? Will you be dropping some at YAW? Yeah, I think I might drop 2 or 3. I might drop "No Hateration" (Kolombo rmx or Russ Yallop's version, which will probably come out on MEXA) and I'm gonna try and tackle a remix for Strictly Rhythm of a really old school house track by Erick Morillo, if I finish it i might test it out. I also have a couple tracks I'm working on with some cool vocals by my friend Matt from Human Life, the other one I'm still waiting for the vocal track from Cari Golden (if u read this, SEND 'EM TO ME! xoxo)

You’ve produced some remixes that have definitely hit the right spot, such as Modern Amusement’s ‘Cold as Ice’ and our amigos Wildkats and Tboy’s ‘To Be’ - How do you go about approaching a remix? What’s your secret? I have magical elf buddies who are very musically talented and I pay them with oatmeal cookies and cigarettes for each remix "I do".. Joking!! (no, i'm not..) It's a different approach each time.. The cold as ice rmx was done in a bit more than 3 hours (Cold As Ice, Louie Fresco Remix), while "To Be" took me at least a couple of months..I loved that track so much I wanted the remix to be perfect! I did sooo many versions I ended up hating those vocals. (which now I love again cause I stopped listening to it for a while) I think I sent them 4 totally different versions and told them to pick one, they said they liked them all but it was gonna be kind of odd to have 4 LF remixes on the EP so they decided to take the White version and the 3rd strike remix. I ended up with 2 extra originals and everybody is happy now :-) Btw, I think I danced out of excitement when I found out I was gonna remix that tune, which I had been looking for almost 3 months. 

How often do you make it to our ‘next of the woods’? Rumor has it you maybe planning on moving here? What do you love about London?

Everything! My only concern is the high cost of living, but hopefully I'll be able to afford it really soon.

I'm planning to come live here in the UK or maybe Barcelona in the next few months, maybe after all the Sonar/Ibiza madness. This is the 2nd tour I've done in Europe, but the first time I come to London so I'm really excited about it.

Can we just say it’s a pleasure to have you visit us, what can we expect from your bank holiday set at You Are We? A really good effin' time! It's a pleasure to finally be here and well again! (after losing 3 flights, getting stranded at the train station, and almost dying of excessive vomit, jet lag, hangover, stomachache, anxiety, and almost no sleep and no food + way too much alcohol and stuff in 4 days!)

Are there any particular tracks over the last few years that have inspired you and still keep a place in your record bag? Of course, I always tell everybody Deniz Kurtel's yeah inspired me to do the Cold As Ice remix, and there's a lot of tracks that have inspired me to make some some of my music, Art Department's "Without You", Michael & Mattis' "Holy Moly", and Russ Yallop's "I Can't Wait".

Back to the studio – If you had to pick one person alive or dead to work with who would that be and why? It would definitely be The king of pop himself, Michael Jackson hands down. Who wouldn't want to work with him?

You Are We contributor : Rudi Morgan 

You Are We Easter Bank Holiday Party, 8th April

FEATURED ARTIST INTERVIEW

DEATH ON THE BALCONY 

So how did it all begin, no one actually died on a balcony did they? Paul: Not exactly no! Our name came from the working title we gave to our 1^st studio session, it was held on my balcony of my flat at the time…Mark:  We were having a break from the beats and a smoke and got into a fairly deep conversation about life & death – on the balcony.. there you have it!

One of your more recent releases ‘Them 3 Words’ was part of the superbly creative Pet Recordings ‘Friends Will Carry You Home’ compilation – how do you guys get creative? Does it often end with them 3 words being pronounced to each other when you’ve finished a track?

There is a endless ways to be inspired from anything & everyone around you, it regularly starts with one of us bringing an idea, be it a melody, a sample, a vocal hook or whatever and we will then build it together. The important thing about a duo is that you have respect for each other and there is no power struggle. You have confidence in each others ability and also are able to voice your opinions when you don’t like something without the other taking it personally. Obviously no ones perfect you argue sometimes but its all for the good of the track.. most of the time its all about “them 3 words“ but in a purely plutonic brotherly way of course! 

You guys are rather eclectic in regards to style – can you explain how and why?

We don’t always see ourselves as eclectic, but suppose the use of that word is subjective. What’s most important to us is playing music for people to dance to. Whether it is a disco track or a house track we always want to make people dance. We like to draw influences from many different genres across the board bringing them to the dancefloor while maintaining a warmth & soul. The thread throughout our sets that links the music is through a 4x4 beat.. we just feel it makes for entertaining listening & we hope you agree!

Are there any stand out artists that have had a huge influence in your music (apart from Bananarama of course!)? In terms of our sampled work we have many different artists to thank, most of whom had their success in the 70’s/80’s.. A certain side of our production is dedicated to taking fairly obscure samples/tracks perhaps not originally dance/club tracks and bringing those to the club. Half the fun is the guessing part though so wouldn’t want to name our sources here as it would spoil the way you experience the music!

Can you tell us a few tracks/producers that are really doing it for you at the moment? You could really could go on forever. Even if the music industry isn’t making anywhere near the money it used to the one thing it can say is that there is still a hell of a lot of good music out there!! Which is what its all about!

Finally, what can we expect from your ‘Magicbag’ at You Are We?

Some gems from the realms of disco, house & deep techno! We think Data transmission summed it up best recently, “Whether it’s disco inflected fuel or house rhythms, these eclectically deft producers will juxtapose anything they lay their hands upon, mixing the beat of the drum with the melodic buzz of a hazy brain. “We’ll let you decide on the night!

Death on the Balcony (Culprit LA/Pets/Silver Network/One Records)

https://www.facebook.com/dotbmusic

http://soundcloud.com/deathonthebalcony

http://www.splagency.com/dotb

http://www.liaisonartists.com/artist/death-on-the-balcony

http://www.beatport.com/artist/death-on-the-balcony/80454


 You Are We contributor: Rudi Morgan  

FEATURED ARTISTS INTERVIEW

THUGFUCKER 

Firstly, please enlighten us, who or what is a Thugfucker?Two friendly but mischievous trouble makers who travel the world instigating parties. A couple of lovable hedonists who occasionally leave a bit of a mess in their wake.

And a Disco Gnome, is that just a little humanoid garden creature who loves to party?

Yes indeed. He looks almost like a regular Gnome but he's all silver and sparkly like a disco ball. He currently lives in our studio in Brooklyn but he does sneak out sometimes when we're not looking. We sometimes hear stories about parties he's crashed. He's pretty wild. He even makes us look tame.

  

It’s no secret you guys love to party too, what do you enjoy about the London underground scene? How does it compare to your home New York City?

Well we just did the first Life and Death showcase in a Brooklyn warehouse space and it was crazy fun. New York is a smaller underground scene than in London for sure, but it has been growing steadily and feels like it's coming back in a very significant way. Lots of crews doing excellent things. You Are We will be the first underground warehouse party we play in London and we have been hearing very good things and are looking forward to see how it compares to what's happening in NYC right now.. But of course we have a big fondness for London overall and we always try to spend some extra time when we can. Not to mention that the afterparties can last for days.

You’ve started 2012 in some style with the outlandish EP release ‘Step Aside’ on Visionquest alongside Tale of Us – can you tell us a bit about what to expect from you guys production wise this year?

We have a bunch collaborations for coming up, starting with two tracks that we collaborated on with Deniz Kurtzel and Pillowtalk coming out soon-ish on Wolf+Lamb. After that will be some more collaborations with different friends (some we've worked with before and some new) but mum's the word on that stuff for the moment. Though we can say there will definitely be another collaboration with Tale of Us. They're both good friends and as well it seems like whenever we get together in the studio something really special comes out of it. 

Aside from that stuff, we've also done a remix of an upcoming Tennis track for Life and Death that we're really happy with and there's a couple other remixes on the way. And of course a new EP for Life and Death that will come out at some point too. 

We’ve heard Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt’s Oblique strategy cards play a role in your creative process, could you tell us a bit about these? Well a lot of times when we hit a wall in our creative process it helps pull our heads out of our assess and think outside the box.. We don't use them often but in the right moment it can be a nice way to shake things up.

  

You’ve also got a soft spot for German singer Heino, what is it about him that plays with your artist strings? There are really so many things. First, his looks. The man has style, from his styling clothes choices to his killer sunglasses he always looks like a million bucks. Then, his album covers. Truly inspiring. And all of this topped of by his shimmering, deep vocals. He's a man blessed with a voice that feels like a hammer, banging onto the side of Austrian alps which literally make you feel like you're sliding down an avalanche wearing lederhosen with your heart full of Bavarian pride and a mouth full of newly made schnitzel. Just listen to his classic rendition of "Carnival in Rio" and you'll get what we mean by this. 

Your label Life and Death – can you tell us a bit about it and it’s philosophy?

Someone once said that talking about music is like dancing about architecture.. And it's of course true and always difficult to define a sound. But we try to take a wide variety of influences whether it be from slightly psychedelic to post rock, or from freaky disco to old school deep house or something else even and then use that as a starting point. Not to recreate any particular sound but to try and start from there and see if we can't go somewhere new with it. And while maybe it's hard to define, it still feels natural  to us when we hear it. But most of importantly, we try to set the bar high for everything we do. 

We absolutely adore the Life and Death label artwork too – do you guys design it yourselves?

We work with a bunch of different artists but obviously we try to keep a pretty coherent look and feel to things. We have an idea of an aesthetic that resonates with what we're all about but at the same time we don't like to micromanage other people as they do their art. We try and find artists to work with who are good enough at what they do that we can let them be free to create something special. And of course that goes for the producers and DJ's we work with as well.

What other labels/artists are you particularly enjoying at the moment?

There's a lot and we could tend to go on at length with this kind of question… Really into the upcoming Life and Death releases, especially the Tennis EP which is on the way and the new stuff from Tale of Us. But that's probably not a big surprise! The Visionquest crew keep killing it and we're really looking forward to hearing the new Footprintz album that's coming up over there. Wolf+Lamb also have tons of great stuff out right now and we're big fans in addition to being friends. Appolonia, the new label from Dyed Soundorom, Shonky & Dan Ghenacia is also definitely gonna be one to pay attention to and we're really enjoying the first release. We're also really into the Wildkats stuff. Oh man, see, here we go. We could go on forever. We'll stop with that.. oh yeah but also worth mentioning that we've always big been fans of Maurice Fulton, who I think still lives in your fine nation. 

And finally, what can the You Are We faithful expect from your set?

Expect the unexpected and then some.. We like to be prepared for anything so we'll just have to see how it goes. But if the people are ready to party then we will be ready to bring it.

You Are We contributor: Rudi Morgan 

NEXT EVENT : 3RD MARCH @ VILLAGE UNDERGROUND

YOU ARE WE // THUGFUCKER // DEATH ON THE BALCONY// PLAYSET // 

SPECIAL GUEST 

THUGFUCKER : (Life & Death) 

Former international aid worker teams up with Icelandic security specialist and former top model to create an international DJ supergroup. Certainly not what you'd expect from a group called Thugfucker - but then Greg Oreck and Holmar Filipsson often do tend to defy expectations. One a New Yorker transplanted to Europe, the other an Icelander transplanted to New York. Both from a strong musical background with an almost obsessive dedication to the art of wild party instigation. 

Growing up on an Icelandic commune full of some of the country's finest political thinkers, Holmar eschewed his past and all the heady philosophy of his childhood to move to New York and search out more physical and visceral methods of bringing happiness to the masses. Meanwhile Greg was in the midst of a successful (if short-lived) political career in America when he too became disillusioned with the duplicity and self serving interest of those around him. Disturbed by the void he saw in most people's lives, it was in the dark depths of the New York underground club scene that he finally found his true calling. 

Unbeknownst to each other, Holmar and Greg then propelled themselves along similar paths, throwing parties, honing their musical & studio skills and searching out inspiration from a wide variety of musical sources. 

Then one late night, in a cloudy alcohol fueled discussion about the plight of the genetically Rhythm-Blind, Holmar and Greg recognized the depth of their shared passions. Thugfucker was born.

DEATH ON THE BALCONY (Culprit / Pets Recordings) 

For some time now the combined forces of Mark Caramelli and Paul Hargreaves have been causing quite a stir under their guise, Death on the Balcony. Their style fuses a range of influences from Disco & Deep House through to House & Deep Techno depending on the time, space and environment. Years of dedicated musical passion and an appreciation of numerous genres have lead to their sound becoming perfected and receiving popularity across the board. Expect some surprises from the duo’s record bag packing an endless warmth & soul on their journey with you...

Death on the Balcony’s release schedule is continually active with DOTB releasing & remixing with the likes of Culprit LA, Pets Recordings, Silver Network, Illusion Recordings, Akbal Music & Airdrop, with forthcoming releases on One Records, Hissy Fit & Join The Dots. Whether it’s disco inflected fuel or house rhythms, these eclectically deft producers will juxtapose anything they lay their hands upon, mixing the beat of the drum with the melodic buzz of a hazy brain.

As one of the UK’s finest up and coming acts Death on the Balcony will be delivering more productions, remixes and playing world wide gigs as their range of musicality continues to evolve and they deliver a unique, well-timed narrative of the best sounds around. 

EVENT REVIEW : YOU ARE WE @ VILLAGE UNDERGROUND

After another successful summer of Sunday partying on Brick Lane, 2011 saw You Are We spreading its wings, from Favela funkin' in Glastonbury's Shangri-la to bringing the Burn to the Man in Black Rock City. Last Saturday saw their first event since the summer season and a chance to showcase how they've been influenced by their summer antics.

Entering the club at approximately 10.45pm my immediate impressions were of the fitting choice of venue, reminiscent of the large open space and exposed brickwork of Corbert Place.  Ron Basejam's  characteristic set of disco infused deep house made for a busy dance floor early doors. After grabbing a drink and mixing with a few familiar faces Max Chapman took things up a gear dropping deep, bass-heavy beats from a selection of his peers coming through on Hot Creations. His selection sat well with the deep groove I associate with YAW, showcasing the depth of talent amongst the Hot Waves crew, warming the crowd up perfectly for some of the heavy hitters to come later on.

After filling the floor and with a big grin on his face Chapman signed off, releasing Adam Shelton to begin his frenetic journey upwards. Opening with Jamie Jones' "Tourist Trap" Remix, Shelton made his intentions clear from the off, segueing masterfully from Chapman's hot and deep sound into techier territory. Pulling out tracks from his own One Records as well as his productions with fellow Below resident Subb-An, Shelton set about building both the bpm and the energy levels masterfully with the crowd clinging to his every move.  Having made his name warming up for his Below nights in Birmingham, Shelton proved his versatility, rocking the peak time into a frenzy and justifying his growing reputation as one of the most talented DJs in the UK.

Riding the wave of energy from Shelton's set, Laura Jones stepped up, reading the fever pitch of the crowd and responding accordingly with melodic grooves that kept the feet moving and the hips shaking.  By now the night was pumping, as the static visuals swam into lysergic patterns while new lighting combinations flooded the floor.  With Laura bringing flashbacks of her appearance at Corbet place over the summer, the YAW groove was now in full flow. Maintaining the energy levels set by Shelton before her, Jones acquitted her headline status, demonstrating the deep sound that has made her one of the most exciting artists to come through in 2011.

To finish off proceedings Ashley Wild (one half of residents Playset) made his first solo appearance for YAW, leading the crowd on a descent into the depths of his slower, disco-infused sound. As after party flyers were handed out,  Wild showcased a host of his own deep and sultry productions, bringing the pace down while turning the mood up.  With the lights turned low, one of the biggest crowd reactions of the night came as Wild dropped his debut release on Hot Waves, "Riding In The Red", giving the dance floor one final bout of delirium before bringing the night to a close with a pleasing edit of "Lost in Music".While the absence of YAW's other residents (Sandeman & Mr Dickie from Wildkats and Playset's Tom Roberts) gave the night a slightly different vibe to normal, the sophistication of the production showed the effects of a summer of hard work, leaving me considering the possibilities for their next event. After one of the best nights I've had in a long time, I left feeling excited for YAW's future. The message? WE ARE MOVING FORWARD & YOU ARE ALL COMING WITH US!

Written By : Tom Mitchell, You Are We