Archive for August, 2009

Zurich Street Parade

August 24th, 2009 Pam

Street Parade LadyThis year the Zurich street parade took place in Zurich (funnily enough) on Friday and Saturday the 7th and 8th of August. This is the first time i have heard of the Zurich street parade however i have herd of the Belin Love Parade that used to attract a large crowd.

In Zurich the crowd was a massive 850,000 people which is a phenomenal turnout for a dance event. Much like the Love Parade the Dj’s and labels played music on floats moving round the town before playing in parks and arenas around the town. There was far to many events going on for me to comment on them all in a little blog post however looking through a few of the lineups, a lot of the floats, clubs or arenas played a mixture of music and Techno filled the bill. To be honest i am really un-familiar with any of the Techno Dj’s on offer at this event however if it was closer to home with the same lineups then i think it would have been a great event, Lots of people (including myself) get hung up on headliners, ive had some of the best nights out listening to a D’j that ive never heard before or even better didn’t think i would like.

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Sven Väth

August 17th, 2009 Alan

So far in this blogs very short lifespan you will have heard me talk about Sven Väth in almost every post! Sven started Dj’ing before i was even one

http://www.techno-nation.net/wp-admin/media-upload.php?type=image&tab=type&post_id=26#

year old! Like Carl Cox who i have also wrote about Sven has been here from the start. Sven hails from Frankfurt Germany and when he started his career just like many Dj’s of his experience he didn’t play Techno! Sven was in a band and in the mid 80’s he started up some of the very first trance labels, in recent times i don’t think Germany is most known for Trance although it has produced Dj’s like Paul Van Dyk. Sven had two trance labels in the mid 80’s which shows how cutting edge his sound was for the time and i would say its people like Sven that created the trance scene. Bringing it up to today and Sven is still there producing music, he still has record labels but his sound is different, His sound is Techno, now this isn’t a new sound like Trance was in the 80’s with the introduction of electronic music, however his sound is still mostly underground, the majority of youth in the UK and around Europe will know all the big Trance Dj’s but Sven and his sound is still reserved for the people in the know, I don’t like using the phrase Underground because its not, but its one way to explain it.

Bringing it up to date Sven has his record label and nightclub called Cocoon. Cocoon the nightclub is in his hometown of Frankfurt but can be found on tour in other European towns and cities, The club has an ever growing fan base which means the demand if there or the label and the sound, Much like Gatecrasher and Cream became the names of Trance; Cocoon is the name of Techno and its the sound everyone wants to hear.

If you want to experience Cocoon then in the UK you need to keep your eye out for them appearing at festivals, you can also usually find them at the Manchester Based club ‘The Warehouse Project’. If you visit Ibiza then you will be unable to notice the large advertising bill boards advertising the night and if you are part of the lucky few you might even get to party with the Cocoon guys though its not something you choose to do; they choose you!

If you cant go to a club then there is a great range of albums they have released, Celebrating their Ibiza residence they have the sounds of the season CD’s e.g. sounds of the tenth season will be the 2009 release as they have had 10 years in Ibiza.

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Cocoon – Review

August 11th, 2009 Pam

0442455svIve already mentioned these guys in a previous post but Cocoon and are super cool club night currently in the world of Techno. The people behind the helm have worked hard for many years and over the last few years their reputation has spread. The club is originally from Germany but their antics in Ibiza have made people take note, they like to operate on the edge of the law in Ibiza with their secret after parties which unfortunately seem to have either finished or been driven even deeper underground by the recent change in law regarding daytime music.

Moving away from there though Cocoon last year enjoyed the privilege of hosting their own arena at Global Gathering, This might not sound much but it is, I have been to festivals in the past were half way through the night the arenas have had no more than 10 people in them. Its a harsh thing to see but Cocoon didn’t suffer such embarrassment, the tent had its own micro atmosphere which i guess can only be created by the Dj’s playing for Cocoon.

A bit more recently Cocoon took it a step further and held their own one day festival. Cocoon in the park took place in Leeds and with most things to do with Cocoon it went under the radar for a lot of people, This however is not a bad thing, Their are enough lovers of techno and Cocoon to sell out events like this and not have to plaster the event on every bus shelter and bill board, keeping under the radar is a good thing, operating under the radar is how a club gets its name, the people who attend are attending because they love it not because they have heard its popular and want to see whats going on. There is nothing worse than being in a club and seeing people who don’t have a clue what they have bought tickets for and end up just stood there not really knowing what to do and not being immersed in the music.

The main man of Cocoon is Sven Vath, he is worshiped amongst his followers and he is the face you want to see being the decks. He has a special ring of friends which also make the events what they are, these include Richy Hawtin and Luciano and other massive names in Techno, Together the lineups keep smashing the clubs around Europe, the under the radar club is getting bigger,  hopefully it doesn’t burst a bubble as that would be a sad day.

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Carl Cox

August 5th, 2009 Alan

carlIm not really sure were to start with the Techno genius! Born in Oldham; Manchester Carl. He started Dj’ing in the mid 80’s and in a relatively short time had played for all the main players on the club scene including the Hacienda and the legendary Fantazia raves. By the end of the 80’s he had started a trait h would become well known for and he played on 3 turntables.

Carl Cox is a dynamite behind the decks, his energy is infectious and anybody that has seen him will know what is meant. His head bobs he gets the crowd going on the mic and he sweats, oh boy does he sweat, its a sign of the effort dedication and pure brilliance of execution that Carl Cox delivers every time he performs behind the decks.

Mr Cox however is more than just a Dj, he has two of his own record labels in Intec Records and 23rd Century Records. As well as his labels he has his extremely popular radio show, you can hear the show every week on di.fm.

Carl’s energetic music is loved the world over, although he hails from Manchester in the last few years he has very rarely played in the UK. The popularity of such a legend amounts to never having to play in the same venue twice and still never being out of work. A sign of a mega Dj however is the ability to host your own night and be your own boss. Carl has manged to achieve this for a long time now and with his night labeled Carl Cox and friends Carl has just that.

As with any DJ however the ultimate goal, the Mecca is Ibiza. Has Carl Cox broken the Ibizan market?.. only with a sledge hammer!! Carl has with everything else in his life been a pioneer in the Ibiza music scene, his popularity today is as strong as it always has been. In Ibiza space is his home, he has for the last few years had his residency of Carl Cox and friends in the club were he regularly played two sets in a night, One set on the legendary terrace were he will have started of his fledgling career on the island and he finishes of the night in the main room were his music gets that bit darker!

Im not sure i can really big up the man any more than i already have done. so i will leave it there. If you like what ypu read about the man and the legend then go and see him play, If you don’t think you would like his style then go and see him anyway as he will prove you wrong. Ive had the pleasure of seeing him in Ibiza many times before so if you are every on the white isle then it is a night you have to go to as Carl Cox creates history and if you can you want to be able to turn roud and say ‘I was there’

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DJ Profiles

August 4th, 2009 Carly

As part of my work on this blog i am planning to to build a catalogue of Dj profiles, he Dj’s are the people who make it happen, the Dj’s are the people who build the anticipation before an event or a night out, its the Dj’s that attract the 1000’s of people and get them to part with their hard earned money! The Dj’s are looked upon like a god of the Techno religion and the decks are the alter. Because of that im going to present to you here my pick of the most noteable Dj’s that are currently playing.

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What Is Techno

August 3rd, 2009 Alan

Techno originated in America in the 1980’s; its roots can be traced back to all sorts of different genres in America but hay, this blog isn’t really focused on old school America its more focused on Modern day Europe!

As wikipedia rightly points out Techno is a specific genre of music, many people who don’t really know what they are talking about will call all types of dance music ‘Techno’. Techno is electronic dance music, it would very rarely have vocals in it and it is not created using instruments. Techno is more a collection of electronic sounds that are compiled with loops and baselines to create tracks.

The early adopters of the Techno sound were orbital, Underworld, Carl Cox and Jeff Mills, these guys are still playing music and still have a massive following and fan base. They have between them been part of the industry since the 90’s when Techno made it across the pond and onto main land Europe and they have also been responsible for the UK crowd falling in love with Techno.

The latest progression in Techno is to perform ‘Live!’ sets. ‘Live!’ sets are when the Dj turns up with nothing more than what i would describe as an effects console. The music they play is all created on the fly, there are no pre made tracks that are played the dj doesn’t simply mix records. Dj’s that do this include Riccardo Ferri who i have had the pleasure of seeing. These hi energy sets are created by playing sounds, samples and loops all on the fly.

The UK, and especially Germany love Techno! one of the most popular Techno clubs is a German club named Cocoon. The leading Dj’s in the industry at the moment are people like Sven Vath and Richy Hawtin.

Other notable Dj’s some old and some new that are making waves for the genra include Adam Beyer, Darren Emerson, Dave Clarke, Chris Liebing and Umek.

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