Dope Generator!
KINK - CLOUD GENERATOR
One of 2015's strongest releases was delivered by producer Strahil Velchev, hailing from the Bulgaria's capital, Sofia. Currently, he is considered one of the top live acts, a fact which is not strange for a synth and machine aficionado. However, his road to glory was not an easy one...
Mr. Velchev's musical background was shaped by the explosion of house & techno music of the early 90s, supported by pirate cassette tapes that circulated the country after the collapse of communism. His first attempt on music production started in 1999, performed on a simple computer system due to weak financial viability for more sophisticated hardware.
In 2001, he teamed up will fellow Bulgarians KEi, SuB & Ogonek, in order to create pBPM (porno bpm), aiming to push the boundaries of club culture and to promote the different genres of electronic dance music. One year later, a promo CD was released in Bulgaria, consisting of the first works of the group members.
The first production years (until 2005) were not fruitful for Strahil, since no label was interested in signing his tracks. This inactivity caused him to feel isolated from the wider techno culture, but it also fueled him for a more creative output in his future works.
In 2006, KiNK discovered that UK DJ and producer Neville Watson had included his track Same Old Thing in his DJ sets. As a result, the two guys communicated and exchanged tracks via social media, since they shared the same taste in music. Two years later, their first collaborative work Inside Out appeared in Hour House Is Your Rush Records. The funny thing about this story is that they did not actually met each other until 2010, in order to perform as a DJ duo in an electronic music event.
KiNK's greatest success to date is the today's post; Cloud Generator was created in an indeliberate manner during a rehearsal for a live show. The combination of a turntable loop and a bassline forged a strong techno track, which led to an EP release by German label Running Back in 2015. Needless to say that the influence from Laurent Garnier's trademark sound is evident throughout the track. Supported by notable DJs around the world (Laurent Garnier, Dixon, Andrew Weatherall & John Digweed to name a few), KiNK's sound has made its mark to the club scene. Besides Cloud Generator, the homonymous EP is worth listening, especially for the arpeggio of Pocket Piano's two versions, which creates a nostalgic tone.
A side-project of Strahil Velchev is Cyrillic (or Kirilik), which is more techno-oriented and limited in terms of gear; while KiNK live sets involves various digital, analog and DJ equipment, Cyrillic sound is based on a standard DJ setup. Hopefully, the current year will find the first release of his other alias!
Δευτέρα 26 Φεβρουαρίου 2018
Τρίτη 23 Ιανουαρίου 2018
Tune #86: Kohib - One Hundred Of Them
Exploring further the Norwegian electronic sound of the 90's, traces can be found in Tromsø, the innovative city regarding the house & techno scene of Norway (also know for its proximity to the Aurora Borealis!). Several important artists lived in that area, such as Geir Jenssen (Biosphere), Bjørn Torske (Ismistik), Per Martinsen (Metal Overdrive), Rune Lindbæk and Ole Mjøs. Even Röyksopp, known for their works here in Greece, started their career in Tromsø!
The connecting point for all these artists originated from a local student radio station and a show called Beatservice, curated by Vidar Hanssen (along with Nick Johannessen in the first years). The radio show introduced the listeners to various styles of electronic music. Year 1994 marked the 10th anniversary of the show, celebrated with the compilation TOS.CD - Tromsø Techno 1994. The comp CD included prominent acts of the city (the ones mentioned above), along with emerging artists like Aedena Cycle, Electrip-C and Information.
What initially started as an one-off project resulted to the launch of label Beatservice Records, which continues to exist till this very day (mostly in digital format). Today's track is part of Beatservice's legacy:
KOHIB - ONE HUNDRED OF THEM
Kohib is an alias of Øivind Sjøvoll, a Norwegian artist from Sortland. His first step in music was DJing in 1997, moving on with organizing club events in Tromsø. In 2001 he performed his first compositions as Parliavox (teaming up with his friend Torbjørn Ingvaldsen), fusing funk and jazz with house elements. Since 2003, he started to produce solo works, resulting to the debut of the Kohib alias with track Truger in the Prima Norsk 3 compilation in 2005.
The majority of Kohib's output has been released by Beatservice Records, oriented on leftfield dub house tracks. In 2012, a collaboration of Sjøvoll with Sami singer Mari Boine surfaced via the EP Tirakan. Mari Boine is a famous world music singer of Sami heritage (her parents lived in Sápmi region, located in the northern parts of Scandinavia and inhabited by indigenous people of the Sami tribe, also known as Lapps). She enjoyed international success with the Gula Gula album, released in 1989. It seems that Kohib was a great admirer of Mari's work, since he provided a remix of her song The Shadow in 2007. Regarding the Tirakan EP, Øivind and Mari had a studio session, leading to the creation of two tracks: the homonymous track and One Hundred Of Them.
My first encounter with One Hundred Of Them was during the listening experience of "A Love From Outer Space" set by Andrew Weatherall and Sean Johnston, notorious for their obscure track selections, blending slow motion grooves with cosmic disco and leftfield techno. The track is a great choice to include in an experimental dance set, since Mari's tremulous and ethereal vocals generate an outlandish feeling!
What initially started as an one-off project resulted to the launch of label Beatservice Records, which continues to exist till this very day (mostly in digital format). Today's track is part of Beatservice's legacy:
KOHIB - ONE HUNDRED OF THEM
Kohib is an alias of Øivind Sjøvoll, a Norwegian artist from Sortland. His first step in music was DJing in 1997, moving on with organizing club events in Tromsø. In 2001 he performed his first compositions as Parliavox (teaming up with his friend Torbjørn Ingvaldsen), fusing funk and jazz with house elements. Since 2003, he started to produce solo works, resulting to the debut of the Kohib alias with track Truger in the Prima Norsk 3 compilation in 2005.
The majority of Kohib's output has been released by Beatservice Records, oriented on leftfield dub house tracks. In 2012, a collaboration of Sjøvoll with Sami singer Mari Boine surfaced via the EP Tirakan. Mari Boine is a famous world music singer of Sami heritage (her parents lived in Sápmi region, located in the northern parts of Scandinavia and inhabited by indigenous people of the Sami tribe, also known as Lapps). She enjoyed international success with the Gula Gula album, released in 1989. It seems that Kohib was a great admirer of Mari's work, since he provided a remix of her song The Shadow in 2007. Regarding the Tirakan EP, Øivind and Mari had a studio session, leading to the creation of two tracks: the homonymous track and One Hundred Of Them.
My first encounter with One Hundred Of Them was during the listening experience of "A Love From Outer Space" set by Andrew Weatherall and Sean Johnston, notorious for their obscure track selections, blending slow motion grooves with cosmic disco and leftfield techno. The track is a great choice to include in an experimental dance set, since Mari's tremulous and ethereal vocals generate an outlandish feeling!
Πέμπτη 28 Δεκεμβρίου 2017
Tune #85: The Jonzun Crew - Pak Man
It is known that Pack Jam from The Jonzun Crew is an electro boogie classic, dated back in the early 80's. What is not known (at least to me) is that the original version of the track was named Pak Man!
THE JONZUN CREW - PAK MAN (LOOK OUT FOR THE OVC)
The Jonzun Crew was originally started as a brothers duo, consisting of Michael Edwin Johnson (Michael Jonzun) and Larry Curtis Johnson (Maurice Starr). Their first production can be traced back to 1978, the funk track Bout Time I Funk U for Maurice.
The introduction of Roland drum machines in early eighties and the burgeoning hip hop parties influenced the brothers to produce Pak Man (Look Out For The OVC). The OVC acronym stands for Outer space Visual Communicator, a made-up term coined by one of Michael's partners, in order to sound futuristic.
Pak Man was released in 1982 by Boston International Records (a label set up by the bros, originally named Johnson Brother Records). A little after in the same year, a distribution deal secured an additional release with the new name (Pack Jam) by Tom Silverman's Tommy Boy Records (the production home for Afrika Bambaataa, too).
Michael Jonzun, who was the head honcho of the group, has stated that Pak Man was recorded in 1980, preceding Afrika Bambaataa's Planet Rock. Personally, I do not know if such claim is truthful (maybe ol' Jonz is too bitter about not receiving the same recognition Bam did). However, the Jonzun Crew was the first electro boogie act to release a LP (Lost In Space) on Tommy Boy. During the time of its release, the group was supported by the third Johnson brother (Soni Jonzun), Steve "Stevo" Thorpe and Gordon "Gordo" Worthy.
After the production of the second studio album Down To Earth (1984), Michael froze the group, in order to create his own work (Money Isn't Everything). A final and unsuccessful revival of the group was made in 1990 through the third album Cosmic Love.
Lost In Space is a notable space-funk album, indicative of how hip hop sounded before Run-DMC. Tracks like We Are The Jonzun Crew, Space Cowboy and Ground Control maintain the spacey feel and show the potential of electro funk.
Back to Pak Man: According to Michael Jonzun, the inspiration for the track originated from an old guy with thyroid cancer. The hole in his throat caused him to speak in a creepy manner, which was reconstructed in the track through the Roland SVC 350 vocoder.
P-A-K. M-A-N. Pak Man!
P.S. Happy New Year!
THE JONZUN CREW - PAK MAN (LOOK OUT FOR THE OVC)
The Jonzun Crew was originally started as a brothers duo, consisting of Michael Edwin Johnson (Michael Jonzun) and Larry Curtis Johnson (Maurice Starr). Their first production can be traced back to 1978, the funk track Bout Time I Funk U for Maurice.
The introduction of Roland drum machines in early eighties and the burgeoning hip hop parties influenced the brothers to produce Pak Man (Look Out For The OVC). The OVC acronym stands for Outer space Visual Communicator, a made-up term coined by one of Michael's partners, in order to sound futuristic.
Pak Man was released in 1982 by Boston International Records (a label set up by the bros, originally named Johnson Brother Records). A little after in the same year, a distribution deal secured an additional release with the new name (Pack Jam) by Tom Silverman's Tommy Boy Records (the production home for Afrika Bambaataa, too).
Michael Jonzun, who was the head honcho of the group, has stated that Pak Man was recorded in 1980, preceding Afrika Bambaataa's Planet Rock. Personally, I do not know if such claim is truthful (maybe ol' Jonz is too bitter about not receiving the same recognition Bam did). However, the Jonzun Crew was the first electro boogie act to release a LP (Lost In Space) on Tommy Boy. During the time of its release, the group was supported by the third Johnson brother (Soni Jonzun), Steve "Stevo" Thorpe and Gordon "Gordo" Worthy.
After the production of the second studio album Down To Earth (1984), Michael froze the group, in order to create his own work (Money Isn't Everything). A final and unsuccessful revival of the group was made in 1990 through the third album Cosmic Love.
Lost In Space is a notable space-funk album, indicative of how hip hop sounded before Run-DMC. Tracks like We Are The Jonzun Crew, Space Cowboy and Ground Control maintain the spacey feel and show the potential of electro funk.
Back to Pak Man: According to Michael Jonzun, the inspiration for the track originated from an old guy with thyroid cancer. The hole in his throat caused him to speak in a creepy manner, which was reconstructed in the track through the Roland SVC 350 vocoder.
P-A-K. M-A-N. Pak Man!
P.S. Happy New Year!
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