Emerging from the Bavarian wilds via the Berlin based Plagent imprint, we bring you the deep and cryptic field sounds of Recondite the alias of German artist Lorenz Brunner. A relative newcomer to production, Brunner began releasing a steady stream of singles in 2011 via his own Plangent Records imprint, before releasing 2012′s On Acid on, rather fittingly, Absurd recordings sub-label Acid Test.
Following short-form releases on Dystopian, Midnight Shift and Trolldans, his debut LP for Ghostly International, ‘Hinterland‘, has literally just landed, the latest worthy and weighty release in the label’s already impressive catalogue.
His lean but intricate and melodic techno comes from a rural heart, filled with emotions both light and dark and a live set of beautiful and mesmerising electronic music beckons with Harri and Dominic presiding.
WE MANAGED TO CATCH UP WITH LORENZ TO CHAT OVER HIS INFLUENCES AND HIS LOVE-AFFAIR WITH NATURE AND HIS HOMELAND HINTERLAND
Tell us about where your inspiration came from for your latest album and also what influences the live techno set?
The main inspirational source for creating the LP was obviously the nature and it’s diverse atmospheres. To be more specific, my place of birth – the Bavarian Hinterland and it s many shades were interpreted. As much as this kind of holds a certain concept, which is nice for a project like an LP – I wouldn’t want to narrow down my live set to the moods displayed on this album.
In my live set I am able to go very deep for 90 minutes but I also can progress to harder, more functional stuff which was not intended to be on ‘Hinterland‘. The album is more electronica, but for Sub Club (and the crazy Scottish crowd) I will push this live set to a techno set…
***Above is a recording of his amazing and ground breaking set, which he played at the Les Enfants Terribles party in TrouwAmsterdam on Saturday 29.12.2012.***
On the topic of your homeland in Lower Bavaria, what were your top five memories of childhood/earlier years there? Were there any musical influences from this stage in your life?
What comes to mind is this: When i was 6 years old, my parents moved to a very remote house. Before we lived in a 200 inhabitants village so it was not a big change, but the new house was just really remote. There is a little forest next to the house, which belongs to the neighbour (who was almost 1KM away) and he allowed me to play there and do whatever I wanted basically. So almost everyday after school I had dinner, mostly while watching some bullshit on TV, after deciding to make homework later (or not at all) I went outside, alone. usually just strolling around in the woods, acting like some kind of hunter or survivor equipped with bow and arrow…
This one day – without a real intention to hunt – this deer appeared 15 m. in front of me and apparently did not notice me. I pulled my bow and aimed, but did not shoot. Of course my shitty bow and arrow wouldn’t have done anything to that dear, but still I just wasn’t able to shoot and act like I wanted to kill that beautiful animal.
Having said that my father is a hunter and I’m aware of certain important roles a hunter plays in the human influenced wildlife of lower Bavaria, but on that day I decided not to become a hunter, as with or without pragmatic and objective reasons, I just would not want to kill mammals unless my life would depend on it.
I know – thats no too much, but at least a little story ;)
A career in music was a much better choice ;)
From you story above and the album you clearly have a passionate interest in nature and its beauties. We also noticed some remarkable photography on your pages. Have you got any particular favourite pictures of nature , landscapes, touring (ibiza, ADE etc?) Can you share these with us?
This picture was taken in Taiwan on the west coast. there was a festival going on in May called ORGANIK and this was by far the most beautiful spot i have ever played at. the dj booth was not very far away from where i took this pic…
The next one is very close to the area of FUSION Festival. On our way home we stopped near a forest on our way back to Berlin and discovered this beautiful moor…
We would like to thank Lorenz for this remarkable insight into his creative inspiration and his own Bavarian wilderness.
The Sub Club is delighted to be joining Red Bull Music Academy next Thursday, 14th November, for one of the biggest ever celebrations of UK club culture as they mark the 15th anniversary of RMBA with Red Bull Revolutions in Sound onboard the EDF Energy London Eye.
Taking over one of the capital’s most iconic landmarks, Red Bull is bringing thirty of the UK’s most legendary clubs and club nights, past and present, together for one night, each hosting their own capsule for a 360 degree homage to the most important players in the British club landscape over the past 30 years.
Revolutionaries in their own right, Subculture’s HARRI AND DOMENIC along with long-term friend and Subculture favourite DERRICK CARTER are among the artists set to perform.
After the main event, we will be heading to Corsica Studios for the official AFTERPARTY where Harri, Domenic & Derrick Carter will take us through into the small hours of Friday morning along with Corsica Studio’s Trouble Vision & Tief residents.
Subculture is the world’s longest running underground weekly house night with Harri and Domenic knocking out just short of 20 years of their seminal, week in, week out Saturday night residency, which in itself may well be a world record!
As a RBMA EXCLUSIVE in anticipation of their Revolutions in Sound appearance on the London Eye, Harri & Domenic recorded this HOUR LONG LIVE MIX during one of their “Get Down with the Residents Parties” earlier in October.
We hope you enjoy this Subculture taster ahead of what is shaping up to be one of the biggest events of the year.
If you are unable to join us in London town, all thirty capsules will be broadcast simultaneously on Channel4.com in the Uk in partnership with Channel 4, and globally on Red Bull’s You Tube channel, so fans across the globe can participate in this unique celebration of club music.
*** KEEP AN EYE OUT ON THE SUB CLUB BLOG FOR MORE EXCLUSIVE SUBCULTURE CONTENT AND ALSO SOME TREATS FROM SPECIAL GUEST, CHICAGO HOUSE LEGEND DERRICK CARTER****
In advance of their appearance in front of millions worldwide via the web on Thursday 14th November, you can catch Harri & Domenic in the flesh this Saturday night, in the intimate setting of Subcultureat the Sub Club.
Ahead of their Subculture appearance on Saturday the 2nd of November Jasper James and Joshua put together this Subculture mix.
Already burgeoning new music makers and record breakers in their own right, Jasper and Josh have the good genes to join any generation gap and a whole heap of House heritage to exploit.
These two are good friends of our’s here at Sub Club but can usually be found plying their trade as the head henchmen of one of our favourite nights in Glasgow, Stay Fresh.
Apart from causin’ it in their native city they have been making appearances further afield of late, both of these guys are more than accomplished tunesmiths around and about ensuring an accomplished evening of electric and eclectic sounds is on the menu.
Advance tickets for the event are available from Resident Advisor
Beta & Kappa are excited to have John Heckle join them for their second Halloween dance. Each year they’ve had a different slant on the seasonal party having never been blessed with the Hallowed date itself. Feel free to come as you wish, be extravagant or come in normal dress; Tuesday is about the music first and foremost. Simply, Heckle is the man, his live set’s are not to be missed.
All Hallows (2011): All Hallows
2011 saw us present every reveller with a plain white mask, giving a unique atmosphere where anonymity reigned.
The Monster Curiosity Ball (2012)
2012 was heavy on the production for us, live actors and lots of props. Big thanks to Andrew Campbell and his team for programming the theatrics.
John Heckle Halloween (2013)
This year a night of lysergic house and techno is to be expected. Backed up by a deep dark selection from Beta & Kappa.
John Heckle (live) Boiler Room…
Beta & Kappa on a walk through wretched Woodlands…
Advance tickets are available here for tomorrow’s event…
Having just touched down from Amsterdam, where he featured in the ADE Wolf Showcase, Sub Rosa caught up with Medlar for a quick chat about Autumn. Catch him down at Sub Club tonight for his SLEEP LP Launch Party. Here’s to the bounce!
Sarf Lahndaner, Medlar first hit the scene with his widely lauded 2011 track “Terrell” which fully affirmed him as a dj’s favourite, moving forward as one of the three WOLF resident producers. This year has been momentous for Med with his highly anticipated debut LP SLEEP getting ready to drop on WOLF this month and, in our humble opinion, one of the best remixes to come out this year…his take of Tensnake’s “See Right Through.”
Here he has picked is top five seasonal beats…
Greymatter Only To Fall
I was reminded of how well this track works when KRL played it at the Party For The People / Wolf Music event in Sheffield at the weekend. Really makes sense as an autumn/winter track to me.
Roy Ayers – What You Won’t Do For Love
Only because today I picked up the LP, ‘No Stranger To Love’, which features this and I’d only heard Bobby Caldwell’s original version previously.
Abacus – Relics One
I’m hoping this arrives in the post before I leave for Sub Club ! Have just discovered this and I am totally in love with it. Synths always start to appeal to me a lot more when the weather gets colder. Beautiful track!
Metro Area – Let’s Get
If this doesn’t end up on the end credits of a film it’s a crime! I’ve always thought that it would be absolutely perfect for it! It has a sense of nostalgia about it, and manages to be so emotive with no words, much like the Abacus tune.
Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works 85-92
I was finding it hard picking a track but luckily the whole thing’s on youtube. Every November I’ll start listening to Selected Ambient Works again, and it’ll be on repeat until spring sets in. The whole record has a rarely achieved level of consistency and it all really suits the colder months. Never leaves my snowmobile glovebox.
At Sensu HQ today we were reflecting on some memorable moments from the past 9 years.
Here’s how this all came about…
Kicking things off back in the Q club in 2004 we moved onwards and upwards to the long winding steps of the Liquid Lounge. However, our aspiration was always to host Sensu in our favourite place in the world, Sub Club. Luckily we were given that chance! For the first one in the Sub we booked Lawrence & Mr C, everything went better than we could of imagined and since then we have tried to bring a sound to Glasgow that excites us and hopefully everyone who has supported us in the past 9 years.
As well as the Sub Club we’ve always enjoyed taking our music & parties out of the club environment. This has led to Summer boat parties on the River Clyde, Secret Parties in Restaurants, Swimming Baths, Town Halls and afterparties all over Glasgow. Further afield on beaches, boats and rooftops at our favourite places, Barcelona and Croatia. As well as closer to home joining the Sub Club SoundSystem at RockNess and T in the Park.
This year we start our own record label…have a listen and hope you enjoy!
Here’s some moments and music from everyone involved.
JUNIOR:
“My fondest memory from over the past nine years was probably our first ever night at Sub Club. My mum had said to me jokingly at dinner the night before that she was planning on popping down to make sure everything was running smoothly. I laughed it off. Obviously at 56 and being a Rod Stewart fan she was on the wind up. I had totally forgotten about her comment until I saw a crowd beginning to gather round the dance floor, not unlike a circle you would see form in a school yard as two people were about to come ahead. Seeing as I’m a 23 year old responsible club promoter now obviously I had to see what dafuk what happening. Low and behold ALL my friends were round my mum and her friends having a wee boogie.
In short she was well looked after, door staff welcomed her with open arms when she told them she was down to “surprise her boys” and she caught more of my brothers warm up that I did. We Didn’t really appreciate at the time that she was down to support her boys and see why she had been listening to a continuous beat in the house for the last 10 years, I now look back with a fond smile.
Iggie played this for the warm up. Perfection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS0yS2102gM
She left the club an hour later happy as Larry and just before things got a little bit lively.
Your mum, techno and sub club. The three things that make life wonderful! ”
Favourite Tune: Afrilounge – Lux Dementia
It really never gets old. It’s probably the track I’ve played most over the years and people always ask what it is. The first time I played it was with Barry at NYE in the Classic Grand before Matthew Jonson and most recently just last month as my last track before Tale Of Us. I really need to stop playing it. But can’t.
BARRY PRICE:
There have been loads of moments, parties & amazing music but to break it down I think one of my favourite parties outside of Sub Club was when we took over Govan Town Hall with good pals Sunday Circus for Halloween in 2010. Actors were hired in, we built 4 poster beds etc, raided the BBC prop departments, brought in visual artists and tried to transform the town hall into a full on experience.
Hopefully it worked and people can still piece together some happy memories of it through the mental-ness of the night.
Bear in mind this video is when the lights came on before everyone got back to Sub Club :-)
A better quality version of that belter of a tune can be heard below. I think it was Junior playing it but you can’t see him as he’s wearing a Balaclava.
And for another moment..
When Seth Troxler played for us at Sub Club for the first and only time so far and was absolutely brilliant.
https://vimeo.com/41132326
The cleaning lights were on and we all thought the night was done…Then a flick of the lights by Ross the doorman, back to darkness and then Troxler played this one last tune. It just worked!
For one last moment here is Tale Of Us last tune at Sensu in 2012. The atmosphere was really special as they played their weird, Trancey kind of sound, Everyone seemed in the same frame of mind and then then they played this…
IGGIE:
“First time Loco Dice played – The most energy that I’ve ever seen in the Subbie, it was crazy…”
“This is probably the track that I’ve played the most at Sensu, stretching back to 2004, its slow and tough and perfect for a warm up set.”
Los Hermanos – Questzal
“One of the best tracks I’ve ever heard, never get tired of it and the more I listen to it the more I love it. It sounds immense on the Subbie sound system too.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWbC0HR21GE
CRAIG:
One of my favourite and fondest memories of Sensu from the past 9 years is from the party we did in Nanakusa. The party itself was a complete secret. The line up, the venue, everything. We took a Japanese restaurant and transformed it into a space for 200 discerning Glaswegian party goers on a Wednesday night. The buzz about the party in the lead up to it was incredible. People were going crazy to try and get tickets because of the mystery.
When the line up was somehow magically leaked in the couple of days before , and people found out it was in fact Magda and Marc Houle playing alongside our very own maestro Junior, the buzz intensified ten fold and the news spread like wildfire. The Sub Club’s phone started ringing. Nanakusa’s phone started ringing. Barry, Junior and I’s phone kept ringing as people tried like mad to get tickets. To say we were nervous in the hours immediately before this is an understatement. A mixture of nerves and blind excitement I would say. There was a lot on the line. So much could go wrong but more importantly, so much could go so very right.
It could not have gone better. Everyone was unbelievable. The crowd – 200 of Sensu’s very good friends. The Djs – Leigh Myles, Junior, Marc Houle and Magda really outdone themselves. Nanakusa’s staff – bearing in mind they are ordinarily a restaurant and in this instance they had 200 lunatics in their place.
Getting to the point, the best moment of this for me was in fact when my favourite Dj played one of my favourite songs ever. Junior hit everyone with Hall and Oates – I Can’t Go For That…
The place went bananas, and I seem to remember a hands in the air moment from me and my very good friend Brendon Hislop.
“People will still ask when we are doing a party there again. But things like that are best left untouched. Still brings a smile to the face when you go there for dinner and get flashbacks of the night as you order your food. “
“This is my essential Sensu tune of the last 9 years”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRkx0h0l6p4
CESCO:
“It’s a toughie but I’d probably have to pick the first Sensu in the Sub Club. The christmas party with Mr. C and Lawrence. That move to the Subbie felt special. Taking the night to the next level and putting it in a club that it truly belonged in. The work Junior, Barry and others have put in since then to keep it fresh has been a credit to everyone involved!”
A track to accompany it? Lawrence – Place To Be. “I think this is a pretty good representation of what Sensu is all about.”
ALAN BELSHAW:
” First time Villalobos played and he dropped Talk Talk – Its My Life was a special memorable moment. His set that night was already top drawer but when he played that the place went nuts! It was a nice surprise! Good ol Ricardo!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXQYyKzyDaE
“If your looking for any memorable tunes from the last 9 years then Luciano’s mix of Argy’s Love Dose is always one that goes down well.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0sV4HrcRzg
SOBHAN:
HAHAHAHAHA…I didn’t stop laughing for days. You know when you are sitting on a train or something and you think about something that happened at the weekend and you burst out laughing, then you get funny looks from commuters as if “what you laughing at ya weirdo”…well that!
Anyway, one of my favourite Sensu memories is one of those. It was Christmas time and Sensu had both Matt Tolfrey and Guy Gerber playing at the Sub Club. The club was cracking. Both Matt and Guy were amazing. There was an after party just south of the river in a cocktail training academy. The warehouse is class. It’s a favourite with the Sensu regulars.
The after party was brilliant. It’s always good because it usually ends up being with a lot of people you know. Which is also a bad thing as those are the type of folk who are the ones which get you wasted. So aye we basically ended up getting smashed. After some mind warping moments the party was coming to an end and the lights came on. Everyone takes a wee moment to drop back down to some sort of acceptable reality. Just enough to face the world. It was baltic outside. The thing I remember is everyone trying to navigate the ice rink outside. There was like an inch thick layer of ice over the road. Walking at 8am is hard enough at the best of times, but navigating the ice was just a bam up. Honestly watching everyone trying to make their way up the road was hilarious.
Advance tickets for the 9th birthday party with Subb – An & Dj Tennis are available here , or in store at Ticket Scotland.
Head over to Facebook and add your memorable Sensu moments and be in with a shout of winning some guestlist action for Friday!
We were lucky enough to catch up with bumpin’ DJ & producer Huxley ahead of his debut appearance alongside Harri & Domenic at Subculture this week.
With solid releases on 2020 Vision & Hypercolour it came as no surprise that Michael Dodmam creeped into the Subbie’s collective consciousness just at the end of 2012. So much so that we had to get him involved. Following that mighty Sub Club SoundSystem set at RockNess earlier this summer, we knew it wouldn’t be long before he graced the basement of a Saturday evening.
In brief, his love for the old school house sound that gives a sentimental substance to his dj sets and production outputs is where he ticks all the boxes. As well as hitting the top with a trademark UK 90s house and 2 step vibe that is taking the world by storm over the last 18 months, he is also without a doubt one of the most likeable dj’s we have had the pleasure of dealing with recently.
Here is our exclusive interview with him live and direct from his digs at the Amsterdam Dance Event…
Where are you from, where are you based now, how old are you?
I’m 28, I’m based in London but am originally from Tring in Hertfordshire.
Going back to your UKG roots, where did you pick up your interest in the 2-step sound? Who were your influences from that era?
I was into D&B originally – Mickey Finn, SS and people like that. I shifted towards garage purely because the record shop I was buying from started stocking more Garage so my ears were opened to it.
Tuff Jam, Nice ‘n’ Ripe, MJ Cole were inspirations, especially MJ Cole, whose music made me think more seriously about being a producer.
Here is an Old School Garage Mix Huxley recorded for ID Magazine…
What were your first musical experiences – was music a big thing in your house growing up?
Definitely. Everyone in my immediate family had a big interest in music. My dad especially had a big impact always putting on Jackson Brown or Van Morrison or whoever in the house or car or whatever. My mum also sang in local Gilbert & Sullivan productions, which of course helped.
How did you start producing?
My brother helped a lot as well as he was into the production thing before i was. My first experiences were learning what he did on Impulse Tracker. When I was 15 – Garage stuff. I started releasing about a year or so later.
Do you enjoying the travelling aspect of touring -places like Japan, etc. Any particular highlights from last year?
Yes and no. It’s great when you get to spend a few days in a place and experience it (like Japan), but on the most part it’s just in and out. The most you see of the place is the hotel and the airport. Obviously though there are some great places I’ve been to along the way, like Japan last week, New York and also Copenhagen are a few favourites.
How did you rate your experience up at the Sub Club Soundsystem at RockNess? What memories do you have of playing in Glasgow or Scotland in general – any standout moments/good anecdotes? How would you rate the crowds here (clichéd, I know, but you need to ask these things)?
It was the first festival in Scotland I’ve done and it was wicked. The crowds in Scotland on the whole seem like they are one of the most up for it in the UK. The memories i have of playing in Glasgow are brief but great. I’ve only played twice before, but both were really great nights. I can’t remember much of the stand out moments to be honest. I think i had a bit too much Buckfast last time i was up…
If you could pick anyone in the world to remix you, who would it be and which track would you want them to do?
The Prodigy and probably Shower Scene or Walk 2U.
Who are the up and coming artists we should be watching out for in the future?
De Sluwe Vos, Brame, Second City, Route 94 and Three Bar.
How do you think social media has impacted artists? Do you think it’s a good thing to give fans accessibility to you – or do you prefer to have an air of mystique?
Depends on the individual – like anything with the internet there are good sides and bad sides but it is cool for people to be able to reach out via twitter/facebook
What are you working on just now? What do you have planned for the rest of the year and after that? Any new releases/remixes/collabs in the pipeline?
Well, right at this minute I’m preparing for a big weekend of gigs, an ADE demo for Novation and my forthcoming EP for Aus which is due out around December. My collab with Shenoda is out now, too.
What stuff are you playing in your sets at the moment?
House is the easiest way to describe what I play!
Finally: How did Michael Dodman become Huxley?
It came about from Aldous Huxley as I was reading Brave New World around the time I had to think of an alias.
Going forward, we expect that there’s more of the faultless same and more than a few surprises on the way from Huxley. There are some EPs, singles, more collaborative projects with the likes of Sam Russo and Ethyl and some carefully selected remixes in the pipeline.
Anyone who has heard recent sets for Rinse FM and Fact Magazine will know will know what to look forward to at Subculture with his on-point DJ sets that span house, garage, techno and beyond.
Advance tickets for Sub Club on Saturday are available HERE or in store at Tickets Scotland, & More on the door.
For the last weekend of September 2013 the Sub Club crew invaded London to squeeze the very last goodness out of the summer. Harri and Domenic were the highlights on the rooftop of South Place for the hotel’s final terrace party of the year.
South Place a brand new 80-bedroom, luxury hotel in the heart of the Financial district, which has been picking up awards left right and centre since opening, including a highly prized Michelin Star for it’s Angler restaurant – a totally remarkable achievement in it’s first year of business! Just a few minutes walk away from Moorgate and Liverpool Street stations, the South Place roof terrace was the ideal setting for Subculture’s last outdoor party of the summer.
With party goers arriving from every corner of London and indeed the UK, as well as a more than healthy smattering of the Glasgow Subbie faithful, the ‘home from home’ feeling was very much the prevailing mood for the day and evening. Arriving there on a quiet Sunday afternoon on the somewhat ghostly and eery streets of The City, you could actually feel the party atmosphere from a couple of blocks away, even before you were in sight of South Place Hotel.
After cleverly selected warm up sets from Miles Simpson (Thunder) & Taps Aff Teamy (Wrong Island), trusted Subculture residents Harri and Dom were there to turn up the burners, dishing out deep and tidy beats and effortlessly cooking their way through their inimitable menu of the tastiest old school house cuts and bang-on-the-money plats du jour!
As a wee taster, here is the first 80 mins recording of what went down in London town…
For anyone who doesn’t already know, Subculture is one of the world’s longest running underground house nights and with Harri and Dom in control week in, week out, it’s easy to see why it has endured for close on two decades.
This was the first of a number of out of town UK gigs lined up for our Subculture heroes over the autumn when there are some very special one-off parties lined up. An outstanding day was had by all, and we would like to thank all the staff at South Place Hotel, our Maitre D’ for the day (all round good-guy hotel boss Bruce), Teamy and his teamsters (the party organisers), the tech team, the DJ’s, but most of all you lot, the party people who joined us on the roof. Hopefully see you all again for more of the same in Summer 2014!
London was ridiculous fun but it’s back to local business this Saturday in the first of the Autumn residents series where our local heroes, the underground troopers and resident Subculture party leaders Harri and Dom, get down to some serious work in the trenches of the Subbie DJ booth!
Advance Tickets are available here or in store at Ticket Scotland.
All record collectors and music lovers are invited to join in our celebration of music with a great selection of record vendors, each of whom will be hosting stalls with house, techno, jazz, latin, soul, northern soul, funk, rock, disco, electronic and much more. Various guest dj`s will be playing on the day and there are several listening stations within the venue for listening to any potential purchases.
As well as more independent vendors trading in assorted old and new electronic music, there will be more labels than before and some special advance releases for sale exclusively at the record fair. This is definitely the best way we can think of to while away a Saturday afternoon. Click here for more details and full list of vendors.
This Saturday’s record fair host Rebecca Vasmant, who is also one of the dj’s appearing on rotation throughout the event, has been collecting music for over ten years as well as producing house, down tempo and jazz based sounds whilst getting out and about as a dj and playing in over twenty five countries worldwide . This is what she had to say about her work and what keeps her motivated and ahead of the game when it comes to making and playing music…
“The reason I do everything I do throughout my life is because of the feeling I get from the emotion that a beautiful piece of music provokes within me. This will never fade and no matter what genre music may fall into, for me this feeling will always be timeless as will the music be. No amount of negativity from the modern day world can take that away from us, and for that we all should be grateful.”
