By electronicbeats.com

Electronic Beats sat down and had the opportunity to interview a Detroit Techno Pioneer, Derrick May. Derrick speaks about todays Electronic Music scene, how DJ’s come and go, Who’s responsible for todays “Circus”, and how he still active in the Club scene.

“Wherever the music comes from, if there is no focus behind it then it’s just noise” – Derrick May

Derrick recalls when two men confronting him asking “Ya man your into a Dubstep? So happy to see you play this shit man” and let’s them and everyone know he doesn’t stand behind no particular genre. “It’s Music man, i just dig it. I don’t know where the fuck it comes from. It’s just cool shit” and goes on by saying “It’s cool, i like it, i play it. I don’t care where it comes from. Im happy it is part of some particular movement and Im able to jump on board but i didn’t mean to, I just like Music”. [Read More]

By Jose Luis Benavides (Gozamos)

Thanks for your time Antonio. If you don’t mind I’d like to start off by getting to know you. Where you from? How old are you? and what’s one of your first memories of music?
I’m Puerto Rican. Born in “El Barrio”, NYC and raised in the South Bronx.

First memories of music were in my home and from neighbors and the community as a whole.  There was always music playing in my home.  My mother played records while she cooked, cleaned and even when we were just lounging.  She mostly played traditional Puerto Rican music, Classic Salsa, Boleros (Daniel Santo, Los Angeles Negro, etc)  and what I call ‘Jibaro’ music which is played by a guitar called a Cuatro (4 string guitar – I love the sound of it).  In Puerto Rico, back in the day, they’d used these songs to tell stories of events that were happening in other villages.  My brother used to also play all of the cool stuff like Osibisa, War, etc and some Rock including Santana when he first came out.

[Read More]

Check out his Wepa! Party Mix
Wepa!

By ~n2j3

[KDJ]Ok..You got a stool or somethin’?

[GP]Yeah

[GP]Do you feel it important Kenny to sort of cover yourself up and to play records behind screens and..

[KDJ] Yeah yeah yeah , most definitely

[GP]Wear masks and stuff

[KDJ] Yeah yeah yeah…

[GP] Why’s that?

[KDJ] Well people pay too much attention to the damn DJ , you know , the talent is sitting on the turntables , you know. My attitude used to be that so yeah.. I’m not there to put on no little bit of dancing – indecipherable] I’m there to present some talents on the turntable, not , you know, the cat behind the turntable.

[GP] So you’re kinda reluctant celebrity DJ, you’re just a selecta

[KDJ] Maybe take celebrity out..and you pretty much got it right.. You know, I’m doing my thing if you’re looking for a hot DJ I’m probably the wrong person to call. There so many hot dj’s , there’s so much talent out there. I didn’t get into all of this to do all that. But it’s a blessing at the same time, you got the opportunity to share to much with so many people at one time. [Read More]

by Alex R. Mayer - EDGE 

“I never thought of myself as just playing records, but creating atmosphere.” – Nicky Siano

Think of today’s biggest DJs, the ones that everyone watches and listens to; the DJs of DJing if you will. Think about their tricks and techniques, the way they select and mix their records, and the energy and atmosphere they create on their dancefloors. Now, think about the DJs who came before them, such as Frankie Knuckles and Larry Levan. Those DJs who influenced today’s
spinners, were guided musically and philosophically by a man who pioneered the art of mixing on three turntables, who first got audiences to sing records back to the DJ and who made everyone stop dancing and look up at the DJ booth of Studio 54.

Nicky Siano heard and saw something in the music and nightlife of the early 1970s that transcended the accepted norms of that time. The dance music community had come together out of a need for expression, and a declaration of their rights. The music reflected the many intense social and political issues of the time, including the Vietnam War and the Stonewall uprising. When people came together to dance, it was a safe haven, if only for the night. It was also a way to communicate collectively, something which DJs such as Siano and David Mancuso realized early on. [Read More]

By Bianca Von Baum- Halcyon

Aaron Davis (aka VDRK) and Joel Fowler (aka Free Magic), the team behind New York’s successful party Discovery, are obsessed with music. Barely two minutes into meeting the duo for a tête-à-tête, they’re already talking shop, dropping names like Chez Damier and M.K., humming tunes and playfully bargaining over a Kerri Chandler record. With this kind of banter going on, you know you’re in the company of good taste. Their shared love for quality Disco and House, combined with their strong bond and passion for DJing are the essential ingredients that have attributed to the party’s success. Currently a monthly affair, Discovery takes place in the Soho basement of Santos Party House where they pack out the place with an enthusiastic, and fun-loving crowd. The event boasts a history of strong headliners, from Detroit’s Deep House maestros, Norm Talley and Scott Grooves to Metro Area, Trus’me and San Soda. With their second anniversary coming up this September, the team is showing no signs of slowing down. Ahead of their monthly hoedown this weekend with headliner Eddie C, we caught up with the team and chatted about Discovery’s early beginnings, party monkeys, and dreaming of Disco palaces. [Read More]

DISCOVERY 2YEAR ANNIVERSARY W/DJHARVEY&KYLE HALL
Discovry Mix
SESSION 1035: EVENT SESSION 08.20.11 DISCOVERY
SESSION 1034: EVENT SESSION 08.20.11 DISCOVERY

By Albert Freeman – Halcyon

While the global view on Detroit within the dance music community retains its emphasis on Techno, Detroit has been one of the most important historical cradles for development of all genres of black urban American music that have enjoyed deep interest and popularity in the city. The city’s influence on Blues, Jazz, Soul, Funk, Disco, House, Hip-Hop, Electro, and Techno stands unchallenged but the global focus on the most avant garde of the city’s electronic artists has always come at some cost to those working in areas that place more emphasis on the continuity of the city’s music culture. House has also been central to the city’s music and been present here almost since its original rise in Chicago, and the transition that led from Disco to House was played out here in nearly equal measure to the nearby Illinois metropolis. Thus figures like Norm Talley and his Beatdown Brotherscrew should be looked upon not as outliers, but as a truly central and essential part of a diverse musical culture. Since the mid 1980s, he and friends Mike “Agent X” Clark and Delano Smith have been pushing a brand of DJing and production that fluidly integrates the Disco, House, and Techno cultures of Motown and has been far too often ignored by the music press at large. In spite of respect earned from people like Eddie Fowlkes, for a long time their profile remained relatively low as the word on Detroit’s unique and diverse House sound was slow to leak out.[Read More]

Click HERE for the Mix by Norm Talley

by Bianca Von Baum – Halcyon

Every disco generation has their hero, and UK’s DJ Harvey is one of today’s most revered musical icons from Honolulu to Sendai. A veteran of the scene for over twenty years, Harvey has taken the worldwide stage by storm from the get-go. Known for being the first to bring NY’s late hero Larry Levan to the UK, Harvey is considered one of the leading figures at the forefront of the country’s Disco revival movement.

Founder of the Sarcastic Disco parties in Hawaii and label boss of the former Black Cock Records edits imprint (serious collectors drop up to $300 on these babies), Harvey is one of today’s most sought-after producers and DJs. His name alone connotes a certain adventurism, interchangeable with words like eclectic, fearless, obscureand open-minded. Not only do these attributes shine through his music but they are what makes Harvey one of the most favored DJs to see play out. Full of energy and positive spirit, Harvey is known for his infectious vigor behind the decks – go hear him play and you’ll find nothing less than a grinning frenzy of head bobbing and body shaking manning the ones and twos. He is the wild child of today’s Disco movement, a genuinely fun-loving DJ with a true love for the craft, wholly dedicated to sharing his music far and wide through multiple collaborations, both musical and charitable. We could go on and on…

Come this weekend, DJ Harvey will be gracing the main stage at this year’s Movement Festival in Detroit – a huge honor indeed. Days ahead of his performance, we reached out to the man, the myth, and the legend and chatted about his band, spreading love in Japan and the Rwanda Ice Cream Project.[Read More]