Facebook and ScreamQueen

Now you are here, make sure you join our group on networking site Facebook, http://facebook.com/group.php?gid=96540615424&ref=ts/, where you will receive up to the minute notifications of our posts here. Plus, log onto microblooging site ScreamQueen, http://screamqueen.co.uk/, the clubbers version of Twitter, to get news on all our goings on. As they say " why tweet? when you can scream! "

Saturday 30 January 2010

Music Is The Answer - "Blooming Beyond"

















Hey Folks,

Well, our timing couldn’t have been better as we had already pencilled in reviews of the following two D.J’s for this weekend back at the beginning of the year, such is the scale of compilation releases from the scene’s disc meisters already in 2010. But with news just through that mega afterhours club “Beyond” has come top of the 2009 club poll, we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate the clubs success, than focussing on two of its resident jocks & their recent mixes.

First up is Johnny Cermann, otherwise known as D’Johnny, who has been making waves across gAylist/land London for quite a few years now. We first came across this man’s talents at Barcode Soho way back when, playing alongside fellow Swede Per Q.X. and immediately recognised his talents for spinning the sounds & injecting some real enthusiasm into his sets. There was always something really fun about those Saturday mash-up’s when BCS was a single floor operation & the raw feel & vibe was characteristic of Johnny’s music & style. Ever since those heady nights in Soho, Johnny has carved a very successful D.J. career for himself, building a solid reputation across the capital, landing superb residencies at some of London’s biggest gAylist club nights, as well as remembering his Barcode roots, although these days he tends to play out more at Barcode Vauxhall rather than in Soho. However, the man always attracts a great crowd at Lo-Profile, where he is a resident, but it is the clubs where he really gets the chance to stretch his legs, current slots including "SuperMartXe", "A.M.", "Juicy" & yes, you guessed it, "Beyond", where, for us, Johnny has really made the Terrace room his own. His style of hard, tech, & electro house with a healthy dose of funk gives his performances a distinctive flavour and he is perfectly at home playing out to a huge audience in a theatre style operation, or to a small intimate crowd in an underground venue. Born in Gothenburg, Mr Cermann currently splits his life away from the decks between London & Berlin and the hours of air miles he racks up is mind-blowing, but is testament to the fact that he has a globetrotting desire within him, which has seen him & his discs travel & play far & wide. But London still remains his roots for regular residency stints & his is now part of the furniture at the afterhours audaciousness that is "A.M." which Johnny never fails to get excited about. So much so, the man has released a compilation edit from his live set back on 9th January which is available now at http://soundcloud.com/djohnny/am-live-2010-01-09 which is a perfect example of the energetic style that is trademark D’Johnny & a must for your collection. Johnny’s upcoming gigs in London include "Beyond Belief" at Area tomorrow morning (Sun 31st) on the main floor from 6 a.m. & also at "A.M.’s" 9th birthday at Fire next Saturday morning, so make sure you are there as we definitely won’t want to miss those & you shouldn’t either.

Our other focus this week goes to “Hifi” Sean Dickson, for us the master of the mirror-balls & a real source of inspiration for us stepping out of the shroud of conformity & strutting a really independent stride. Since moving to London from his native Glasgow, Sean has made a considerable impact on the clubbing scene across the capital, his talents being recognised early by both The Orange Group & by Suzie Kruger, his residencies at "Juicy" & "Hard On!" still notable in amongst a whole string of appearances at venues & clubs across the scene. Sean has been in the music game for many years & was famed for being part of the band “The Soup Dragons” and this musical talent comes through in his sets which have a really tech infused bounce to them, Mr Hifi often dipping into minimal & progressive then coming out the other side with electro & uplifting funk to keep you very much on your dancing toes. Currently playing regularly for Barcode, both at Vauxhall & in Soho, the latter’s Friday nighter “The Cave” really making waves, which seems to have secured BCS’s 2009 best bar crown, it is Area where we know Sean the best, having entertained us brilliantly at the two "Orange Summer of Love" parties there last year, Mr Dickson very much responsible our return to Fire back in September after an absence of nearly two years, when we checked out & reviewed "Tabloid". But it is "Beyond" where we really enjoy this man’s work the most, whether it be in the Black Box middle room, in the Terrace bar or on the main floor, we often choosing him over other big named residents, as we love his music style that much, plus of course all those mirror-ball antics for which we will always remember Hifi affectionately. But away from the clubs, Sean remains extremely busy in the recordin g studio, chalking up a relentless pace of track remixes & continually adding to his now famed “tech-noir” & “psychedelic house” compilation series of mixes, not to mention special dedications to clubs, his “Beyond Black Box Beats” being an absolute corker of a mix, a-typical Hifi & our tip top choice from his collection, which you can catch (along with all his other work) at http://hifsean.podomatic.com/. As for up-coming appearances, he will be playing it tough at "Hard On!" with Brent Nicholls tonight (Sat 30th), & could not possibly miss "Beyond Belief" tomorrow morning, playing in the main room from 6 till 8., although there is hardly a night or a weekend when you can’t catch this man mashing up the dancefloor & thrilling his audience.

Now, to continue the "Beyond" theme, this week has seen the release of a fabulous double disc compilation of the live back-to-back set performed at their NYD party by none other than main floor masters Steve Pitron & Mikey D and if previous mixes & sets are anything to go by, then you simply have to add these to your collection. Sadly, we missed "Beyond" on 1st January but are pleased as punch we can relive it through these two terrific talents podcasts, which you can too. Steve’s part is available at http://stevepitronsessions.podomatic.com/ & Mikey’s at http://mikeyd.podomatic.com/, but it doesn’t stop there as these boys are doing it all again, playing a stupendous b2b set this Sunday morning at "Beyond Belief" from 8 a.m., which is an absolute must and looks like dragging us out from a planned weekend indoors.

Well, that’s about it for our choices this week, although with news that the team behind "Beyond" are planning a classic party soon, next week we focus on two D.J.’s that were there from the start, Alan X & Brent Nicholls & hopefully by then we will have tapped into Craig Elder for more information on this exciting upcoming event.

In the meantime, don’t forget that http://seenqueen.com/music is a brilliant source for a myriad of musical mixes from the scenes top D.J’s, so is well worth a visit.

We hope you enjoyed our picks this week and if we don’t see you down at Area on Sunday, celebrating "Beyond’s" 2009 club crown, have fun listening to our choices, turn up the volume & let the music play.

xDM

Saturday 23 January 2010

Music Is The Answer - "Magnifico Italiano"

















Hey Folks,

Well, with a real Italian breeze blowing across London this weekend, as “Pervert Gold” takes over Fire, we thought it only appropriate to dedicate our music post to the land of Pasta, focussing on new compilation works from two fellow Sicilian’s and then pick up on some latest project work from Milan’s finest, also giving the link to his “hot off the press” new compilation. Plus, we feel the need to squeeze in a mention of a couple of other prolific mama-mia talents (if we don’t mention one, we may find a horse’s head in our bed!) to polish it all off.

So, first up is the glorious Gabriele Cutrano, who has been delighting us with his music talents ever since we discovered him a couple of years ago, although the man has been crafting his art for much longer than that. Whilst genetically very much Sicilian, his persona is far from the fiery temperament that you may normally come to expect, although his music choices & sets have all the ferocious passion that is trademark Italian and we have been treated to some superb moments on the dancefloor, two big highlights being a magical 2 hour extended moment out on the terrace at MOS this October, when he entertained us brilliantly at “Trade’s 19th Birthday” and an absolutely amazing performance at the “Trade Xmas Day Bender” back in 2008, where he ripped up Egg’s dancefloor with a stunning set, leaving us in complete adoration. And Egg has been a real source of inspiration for Gabriele, the place where you will find this prestigious talent nearly every week, well, that’s when he is not jetting around Europe, having recently returned from his beloved homeland, where his talents are often called upon, especially at “Gorgeous” in Rome. Gabriele has also held down a regular slot on London’s most popular online radio station, Push FM & his “Music Therapy” shows have near iconic status and are a must listen if you get the chance (make the time!). His superb combination of house music genres from progressive through tech & electonica, puts him in similar brackets to many of his compatriots, but that’s where the similarities end, as Gabriele has a sophisticated style about his music that gives a completely unique sound & experience. London highlights, apart from “Trade” & Egg have been & remain “DTPM”, “Hustlaball” & “Lovechild” and it is the latter that has been the source of his latest compilation offering, a live recording from his magnificent set in the Lovechild room at the massive NYD “As One” party which is, without doubt one of the best parties this year, Gabriele playing his part exceptionally well. If, like us, you were privileged to be there, then listening will bring the memories flooding back, but if you weren’t, then take a listen & enter the world of Gabriele Cutrano at the top of his game by going to the music page at http://djgabrielecutrano.com/. 2010 looks like being another busy one for him, his residency at Egg going from strength to strength & he will be returning to Lovechild for their 1st birthday on 13th February, so make sure you are there for that.

Our other focus goes to a D.J. talent whom we have been so lucky so see develop & come through the ranks from his early experiences in London and whilst we are pleased as punch that he has got to where he is, there is much more to come from this energy filled Sicilian. Yes, it is of course Alessandro Londra, who has made an incredible impact on the D.J. landscape in the last 18 months, gaining a reputation on the scene for his distinctive Latin infused tech, funky & progressive sound and from his meek & mild beginnings at Rupert Street in Soho, his appearances at nearly all the Matinee London parties since his emergence are notable successes, especially those where he played in the VIP space at Colosseum which, for us, will remain memorable. With his talents having been spotted around the scene, residencies at Lo-Profile, Barcode & Fitladz followed on from his Matinee triumphs and it was clear that this man was going places. 2009 was a particularly good year for Alessandro, musically wise, as not only were his Matinee compilation mixes receiving warm reviews, but main room appearances were growing in front of our eyes and landing Salvation in May was a big step forward for him, which resulted in a trip to play in Moscow for this global brand phenomenon. We absolutely love this man’s style & charisma and you will not find anyone more passionate & vocal about their music, which shows through time after time in his sets. He played a truly adorable collection of tunes for our birthday soiree at Rupert Street back in December, which for us was Alessandro at his very best & we will remain eternally grateful to him for that night, even fellow D.J.’s Gonzalo Rivas & Oliver M tucking their forelocks in appreciation of a master at work. His appearance at “As One” on NYD was yet another brilliant experience, Alessandro playing out to a packed Lo-Profile room & an indication of even bigger things to come. So, when we heard of new compilation mix, we just had to include it sometime, somewhere and what better place than right here, right now. Entitled “Music Doc”, this is a real insight into the man’s musical choices & yet another superb mix, which you can download at http://mediafire.com/?2xnzjojnyzz, but if that not enough for you then go to his website, http://djalessandrolondra.co.uk/ which has choice compilation’s of his. 2010, having started well, looks like getting better & better for him, with appearances at German giant club “Greenkohm”, “Salvation” out in Sweden & this very weekend at “Pervert Gold", Alessandro being fully deserved of his main room slot.

Now, we have to mention another Italian marvel and probably one of the most meteoric rises in the D.J game we have seen, a man we are privileged to call a friend & another with whom we have been tracking his progress, which, in the short 18 months or so, has seen him become a household name, his reputation up there with the Taito Tikaro’s, the Juanjo Martin’s & the J’Velardi’s of this world. Truly a D.J. in big demand, we will be devoting a full slot to him in February, but with news flooding in, we just had to mention some really exciting studio work of his & a “hot off the press” new release. Who is it? well Danny Verde of course and in preparation for his forthcoming tour of Brazil, he has released a special compilation, aptly named “Danny Goes To Brazil”, which is available to listen to or to download at http://dannyverde.podomatic.com/entry/2010-01-21T15_46_50_08_00. And to add to his 2009 smash remix hits “Let Me See Your Underwear” & “Express Yourself”, he is currently working on a remix of Hector Fonseca’s “I’m So Addictive” as well as collaborating with two artists, first Thomas Anders of 80’s euro-pop sensation “Modern Talking” on his “Stay With Me” track, & then Blake Lewis from the USA, a product of American Idol, on his “Heartbreak On Vinyl” release, which should be out in time for Danny’s trip to California to play in L.A. in March. We hope to bring you exclusive release news of these, so watch this space.

Right, where were we with that horse’s head? oh yes, we couldn’t complete our magnifico Italiano report without mentioning the one & only Pagano, who we slightly overlooked in our 2009 music round up (we can hear the mafia coming!) but with a resoundingly impeccable performance at “As One” on NYD, he is firmly back on our radar & so he should be, as this man is a massive name across the globe, having taken New York by storm just last week & with a whole host of gigs around Europe in the next few weeks, is probably the busiest & most sort after D.J.’s on the scene. However, we are sure he will fit some studio work in between it all, but if his 2009 releases “Loca”, “Back To The Future” & “Trapped” haven’t found their way into your music collection yet, then you can grab all three via http://masterbeat.com/#chart/ye2009_pa, where you can find his top ten of the year. It’s also worth checking out the website of this mega Italian stallion superstar, which is http://djpagano.com/, where you can get details of his “Trade remix” of Steven Redant’s “Discotheque” track which you can also download at beatport.com and we will be featuring Francesco in full, alongside Danny Verde, in February, so don’t miss that.

A quick mention also goes to another Italian, Micky Galliano, who is on the cusp of a new compilation mix release, which should be a corker, so keep your eyes peeled at http://mickygalliano.com/.

Well, that’s it for our special post, flying the bandiera d’Italia (yes, we know we need to learn more Italian!) and hopefully that horse’s head & a brush with the mafia is now averted. Plus, we also hope that all the mixes mentioned here really whet your appetite for “Pervert Gold” at Fire, where both Pagano & Alessandro will feature. We are certainly ready for it, having got in the mood with re-runs of the classic film “The Italian Job” and are sure that both of them will “blow the bloody doors off” of Fire later.

Now, let the music play!

xDM

Monday 18 January 2010

Music Is The Answer - "Luscious Lovechilder's"













Hey Folks,

Well, there is no doubt that some of the scene’s favourite D.J.’s have not let the dust settle on their mixing decks, as the New Year has already brought a myriad of releases that have left us floundering in an attempt to keep up, not helped by being laid low for the last few days.

Anyway, now back on track, we get ourselves up to speed, focussing on two talents that are new to our posts, but nevertheless deserve their place, as not only are they superb D.J’s but each have made an impact across gAylist London and beyond, also both having produced new compilations of their live New Year’s Day sets.

First up is the supremely talented & gorge looking to boot, Mattias, who first grabbed our attention at Lovechild’s London launch last year, although he has been skimming our radar for a while before that. A product of Sweden but with definite afro-scandinavian blood in his making (a beautiful combination), Mattias has been playing with music since he was a 5 year old and it was this early interest that saw his parents encourage a spurning talent, securing all the musical education he needed in his homeland. It was inevitable that the draw of the Swedish nightlife & clubbing scene would attract a post graduate Mattias, although it was a trip to London’s iconic club “Trade” in 1994 that changed his life, when he met the then co-promoter of global brand “Salvation”, Alex Erfan, who brought him into the fold, recognising his eye for the D.J’ing game. Mattias’s “Salvation” residencies & tours spurned appearances in clubs across Europe including Antwerp’s “Red & Blue”, Paris’s “Queen”, Malmo’s “Wonk” and “Heaven” in Ibiza and again it was Salvation in London that got him spotted & resulted in guest appearances at club events across the capital, securing his reputation for filling out the dancefloor with his funky, electro, progressive and Latin tainted house, always being capable of reacting superbly to his audience. Bang up to date & Mattias regularly appears at Barcode Vauxhall, at many events at Fire, continues to play for Alex Erfan, being in the thick of it at Hustlaball last May and intrinsically linked to Lovechild since its inception in the capital. We have been privileged to enjoy some scintillating sets of his, which included a fabulous performance in the Lovechild room at “As One” on NYD, which he recorded for posterity via his self designed special D.J. computer. If you were there to savour his set, what better way to be reminded than going to http://djmattias.podomatic.com/ and clicking on the “Lovechild @ As One NYD 2010 Live” mix and for those that weren’t, you can experience the magic that is Mattias, not to mention previous mixes of his, many including his remixing & rehashing of popular dance floor hits. 2010 looks like being another busy year for maestro Mattias and you simply cannot miss him at “Lovechild’s” first birthday on 13th February.

Our other delectable devotion goes to Tony English, the larger than life D.J./Producer & radio presenter, who certainly knows how to live his life to the full and never seems to stop. Music is central to Tony’s existence and he thrives in and around the social circles it creates, spreading his enthusiasm and extrovert yet endearing charm wherever he goes. And he does go some, globetrotting whenever he can, whether it be work, with top clubbing brands “Puscha” & “Bora Bora” with their world tour, or visiting his beloved Spain & of course the white isle, Ibiza. But, back home, Tony’s real passion is his radio show on Push FM, which goes out every Saturday evening. Push is, without doubt, THE radio show for D.J’s and Mr English’s skills in networking have brought some of the world’s biggest talents in house music to his show, the list being huge but includes Roger Sanchez, Bob Sinclair, Frankie Knuckles, Robbie Rivera & Seamus Haji, as well as recent big hit names that have had an impact of the gAylist scene in the capital, J Velarde, Juanjo Martin, & Danny Verde. So, you can imagine that the music through the show is absolutely top notch and in his own words is “a medium for up to the minute information on global club land events and the most cutting house music”, so is a must listen, which you can do by simply logging into http://pushfm.com/ & clicking on the “play” icon under listen live on the home page (don’t forget....6 p.m. every Sat). Tony also works with some of London’s biggest club venues, Matter, Fabric & MOS, through his show, with free ticket offers & more, so by now should have a picture of this influential & evervescent character, although, away from the limelight he is a very private person & no amount of research & digging has deluded us to his home life or origins. But, we know Tony best for his appearances at super gAylisting clubs “Lovechild” & “SuperMartXe”, he having really got the party going at “Lovechild’s” inaugural London event as well as at Alex Erfan’s latest sexy outing, at Fire back in December. Logan Schmitz has also seen the talent in Mr English, particularly his slant towards the Spanish sound, so “SuperMartXe” is part of Tony’s biograph and his appearance at the NYD party “Alice In Wonderland” is what we concentrate on, with his latest compilation, an extract of his set, which you can grab now at http://djtonyenglish.com/ a real flavour of this man’s music & a worthy addition to any collection. Tony’s hectic 2010 schedule includes a return to “Lovechild”, D.J’ing alongside Mattias at the 1st Birthday in February.

Now, just a quick mention goes to another Swede & one of our favourite D.J.’s, Per Q.X., whose talent has been picked up by worldwide magazine “Time Out” and has produced an exclusive mix which we absolutely love, which has been released under Per’s “Nasty Habits” label. Catch the mix at http://soundcould.com/nastyhabits/per-qx-dj-mix-jan-2010-for-time-out. Plus, keep your eyes peeled for some fresh track remixes as Per is (as always) busy in the studio.

Well that’s about it for this time, but we have a very special Italiano tinted music post due out this weekend, in celebration of Milan club “Pervert” coming to London, showcasing new compilations from Scilly’s finest Gabriele Cutrano & Alessandro Londra, as well as looking at the studio works of another Sicilian, one Francesco Pagano and Milan’s best & the biggest emerging talent we have seen in a long time, Danny Verde.

But if your insatiable appetite for music needs more feeding right now, why not go to http://seenqueen.com/music, which has links to some of the best & latest compilations (great minds think alike) as well as their very own top ten tunes.

So, we hope you enjoy our music choices here and if so, it’s time to turn up the volume, treat the neighbours to some super sounds & let the music play!

xDM

Saturday 9 January 2010

Music Is The Answer - "New Year Boys"













Hey Folks,

Well, with our music review of 2009 still receiving plenty of attention, we return to our regular format, focussing on two talents, but with both the compilations firmly pointing into 2010 with a real New Year’s feel.

First up is Alan K, who has been the focus of our attention before, but marked the turn of the New Year & the new decade with a superb compilation mix which we wanted to share with you as soon as we could. If you have sampled or enjoyed this man at work, you will realise his style is very upbeat, funky & heavenly house, which is infused with tech, latino & pumping beats, this genre combination working extremely well for the latter stage of Beyond’s main room, where this man is resident virtually week in week out. Alan also has the ability to combine two, sometimes three tracks into one, or by choosing tunes that have that amazing feel, making his sets truly magical. Recorded live at Area during Beyond’s massive NYD party, one of the resounding successes of the first day of 2010, in his own words “making it one of my most memorable sets that will live with me for a long time” this, we think, is his best work yet & it gets a resounding thumbs up from us. Therefore, we think it should be an essential addition to your collection, which you can download at http://djalank.podomatic.com/, where you can also find previous compilations of his. As for Alan’s 2010, well the future looks bright, with continuing residencies at Gravity, A.M. & (naturally) Beyond, but has plenty of international projects to focus on, working with brand “funky4love” which looks like taking him to Hong Kong & Singapore, as well as cementing his relationship with “Pushca”.

Our second choice goes to a man we covered in a special post last month, but has, unsurprisingly, attracted our attention again, Brent Nicholls returning to our music slot with his latest offering, “Back To the Rhythm”, which is a collection of strong progressive, percussive & latino style tracks, nearly all fresh off the shelf, some which look destined to be big dancefloor fillers as the year progresses. Recorded back in December, it does, nevertheless, have a real New Year feel to it, with some big hitting artists included, Richard Gray & Alex Gaudino are there, as are one of our favourite music makers, Soul Avengerz, who appear twice in Brent’s composition and, if you remember, topped our 2009 music choice with their amazing track “Drop The Bomb”, aiming high with their new one “Shame” which kicks the comp off. In choosing the records for this mix, Mr Nicholls explains that “each tune is underpinned by a sexy rhythm aimed at making your hips jack, groove and funk. Many of these tracks will become big hits over the coming winter, creating a preview of what is to come in 2010”. Never have we known an individual to spot the tunes that are due to make it big, way in advance of others & we have lost count of the picks he has made over the years that have done just that. So, what better reason to check out this latest offering from the Nicholls stable, which you can do by going to http://djbrentnicholls.com/music or by watching out for the download offers that Brent releases from time to time. 2010 looks like being another busy year for this multi talented man, with continuing residencies at Industri, Hard On! & Sex on the cards, not to mention a return to Lovechild and being part of the Italian invasion as Pervert Gold hits London. Away from the D.J’ing, Seenqueen will be keeping him very busy & his other passion, Reiki, looks set to form a bigger part of his life, so non-stop as usual.

Now, a quick mention goes to the track “I Want You” by Paul Harris feat. The Eurythmics, a take on the bands classic “Love Is A Stranger” which has been given some serious remix treatment by the team that is Steve Pitron & Max Sanna. This version is gaining popularity by the minute, the latest conquest being part the play list in Pete Tong’s show on Radio 1 & we also suspect it will be out on many a dancefloor this weekend, including Beyond! You can check out the full version at http://soundcloud.com/maxsanna/paul-harris-ft-eurythmics-i-want-you. It’s well worth a listen & looks like being a floor filler extra-ordinaire.

Well, that’s our choices up for this time, but with plenty of new music already on stream, we will be showcasing compilations from Mattias & Tony English, then Alessandro Londra & Gabriele Cutrano, as well as Hi-Fi Sean Dickson & The House Husbands. We will also be looking at remixing work from Danny Verde, Steven Redant & Pagano, all who are busy in the studio right now, as well as some thrilling news on a Guy Williams release.

So, with lots of exciting stuff to come, January looks set to be full of great music. But, if you can’t wait for some of it, you can always go to http://seenqueen.com/music which has a collection of a huge amount of mix compilations from your favourite scene D.J’s.

In the meantime, forget the cold weather, warm yourselves up with some fab music, whether live in the clubs of gAylist/land London, or right here with our choices, saying as we do “let the music play”.

xDM