The Pondering Blonde

Pulse Radio Interview with Luna City Express

On the back of year which saw Luna City Express launch their artist album and generally rock dancefloors across Europe into a state with their infectious house sound, Marco Resmann; one half of LCE, stream rolls into Australia this week to give the club kids down under a bit of a techno tickle. Here he is on house and techno finally making friends, his record label, Upon You’s first album release and being nicknamed ‘the silent wizard’ –Careful, that could catch on!

Tell us a bit about your label [Upon You] with Marcus and Hawks, what is the concept behind the name and the sound vision?

Upon You is a personal platform for our own music as well as befriended producers and exiting newcomers. The idea behind the name is that we’re taking care of the music and the rest is up to the audience, the DJs and the users. “It depends upon you. Said and done.”  We started the label in February 2007 with my ‘VUT & VAT’ EP. Since then we’re releasing almost every month. Last year we released a straight digital platform, available in all important stores worldwide.

Furthermore we launched a physical sub-label called Upon You Sweet & Sour Series. You could superficially call the Upon You profile Tech-House but with every release a new nuance of ambitious and functional club sound is being absorbed. You will find some Deep House Tunes as well as Techno tunes in our label repertoire. Basically the Upon You label-sound depends always on the sound of each single artist.    

As Luna City Express, yourself and Norman have a unique and refreshingly housey sound, and your solo sets have a funky techno vibe-do you enjoy playing up a variety of sounds?

My heart never stops beating for House Music but I’ve always had a small affinity for Techno too. You can hear it in my productions and DJ sets as well. Regarding my DJ sets it depends on the club, the crowd and of course the playtime. On one hand I love to open a night with slow and deep tracks and on the other hand I really like to play funky Techno or prime time tunes. Everything inbetween is possible.

I’m always open-minded and discover new sounds. Projects like Pan-Pot or Phage & Daniel Dreier introduced me into the world of minimal techno 5 years ago. Daniel was the one who lead me (and influenced) me the most to this typical Berlin after hour sound. But when I’m playing my sets or do my productions, I never forget my roots.

Over the last 2 years, the techno/house sound has lightened up, become quite tribal, quirky and generally a lot more fun, did you know this ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ was coming?

To tell you the truth, no! But I’m glad about this development. Of course nowadays the pressure is much stronger, it seems like almost everyone is producing House tunes at the moment, even producers which had never been into House. The good aspect is that everything fuses together, the gap between Techno and House is not that big anymore. I’m feeling very comfortable with playing Techno and House in one DJ set. As Luna City Express we’re playing House Music since Norman moved to Berlin in 2000. House Music and Berlin weren’t the best couple, but we’ve had enough DJs and crowd, who were keeping House alive.

Luna City Express seems to have a lot of fun with their music; how do you and Norman come together in production? Is one of you is the creative crazy, and which one more sensible and controlled?

Working in the studio is for us like cooking a meal, also with the ambition to create maybe something new, or to break out. We collect many ingredients and put them into all our pots. To be honest, we never have a certain recipe. We both are always sharing creativity in our kitchen, which is more than essential to get a good result.

You’re almost right with your second question. One of us is crazier than the other who is more sensible and controlled. A couple of years ago we had a vocalist in the studio and this guy had called Norman the comedian and me the silent wizard. I think that statement answers your question best. Generally I’m taking care of all that technical stuff and create the base. We do the final arrangement together, which is always like a back-to-back session.

Which has been your favourite Luna City Express release?

Our album ‘Hello From Planet Earth’ on Moon Harbour!

‘Hello From Planet Earth’ your recent debut album was a great success, can you tell us about how the album came together?

Oh thanks for the compliment! The whole process started with a big listening session to figure some suitable tracks out. We took some I had originally produced for my own album and produced the rest step by step. The idea for the album was to collaborate with musicians and we invited therefore 2 vocalists, a saxophonist and a pianist. The results were very satisfying! Altogether we’ve spent less than one year on the album-production. Matthias Tanzmann was satisfied with each finished track and in the end we didn’t have to make any big compromises.

Are there any plans yet for the next album yet?

Yes we’re really motivated to do a Trip Hop / Down Beat album.

You’ve been involved with Mobilee’s Pan-Pot, how did you add to this project musically, and how has it been watching them and their sound evolve?

First of all I’ve never played a DJ set as Pan-Pot. We did the first releases together in my studio. It was similar to the Luna City Express production process. I was the head of Engineering and have always created the musically base. The project became quickly successful and Thomas and Tassilo were improving their knowledge and producing skills. I was proud to see how they get more and more DJ gigs and how they grew up musically.

Pan-Pot as well as Phage & Daniel Dreier and Luna City Express became effective at the same time. It wasn’t possible for me to keep all 3 projects on the same level. I really needed to put some projects on hold to focus on my own career, but I never even thought about giving up Luna City Express.

Do you still indulge your love of Trip Hop in production? Are you taking any inspiration from the whole dubstep invasion?

If I’ve got some time I do produce Trip Hop or Down Beats. But since I’m running my own label I barely have time for some experiences. I’m not really into that whole Dubstep thing. Even though it’s catching a growing audience. But of course I’ve noticed releases like Ricardo’s remix for Shackleton or the recent hit of Joy Orbison. Maybe I’ll grapple the whole Dubstep thing soon!

Moon Harbour is a label known for its fresh, innovative take on electronic music, what’s it like being part of developing this reputation for many years?

We’re proud to be a part of the Moon Harbour Family. Particularly as we’re using the perfect project name, which wasn’t on purpose! We’re releasing on Moon Harbour since 5 years and we know that we always sound a bit different compared to the other releases.

Tell us about Marco Resmann. As a solo artist – you seem to have a more experimental take on house, what inspires your track releases?

About the Marco Resmann releases…of course it wouldn’t make sense to make the same sound as LCE but I wouldn’t say that I have a more experimental take on house on my own productions. I still haven’t found my own ‘sound’ and sure, on one hand I’m still searching but on the other hand, honestly – I don’t want my sound to be determined.

What are you up to musically during 2010, and any other tours after Australia?

The next special project will be the first Upon You CD release. We’re planning a double CD. On the one hand we have one with exclusive tracks from our core group of artists and from a few guests, on the other hand I will do a mix CD with edits and cuts from the Upon You back stock catalogue. The Luna City Express album-remixes are coming out soon as well. Artists like Martinez, Mathias Kaden, Catz n Dogz and Reboot did some nice interpretations of some of the album-tracks. And of course I’d love to release my own LP sooner or later. That’s my biggest challenge at the moment!

I just came back from a small US tour. I played in Miami, New York and Los Angeles. 2 years ago I toured with Luna City Express trough Brazil. The feedback from there was just amazing. So I’m really up for Middle/South America tour. I’ve got already a few requests from Argentina, Columbia and also from Puerto Rico. Let’s see if it will work out…

If Luna City Express was a game, how would you play it?

Ha ha nice question. I’m not really into the recent games, except FIFA soccer. But I’ve been a big fan of the adventure games in the early 90’s like Indiana Jones or Monkey Island. I’d see Luna City Express as an adventure game. Norman and me as the protagonists, preparing the space shuttle or rather the express to the moon, arranging the crew and the party crowd, flying to the moon and building a space basis. Destination or rather the showdown is the ultimate party on the moon!

Pulse Radio Interview with Jay Haze aka Fuckpony

Jay Haze. You know; the ‘controversial and outspoken American-in-Berlin dj and producer, most famed for that interview- oh how society loves a pariah! My call to Jay one sunny September afternoon is possibly better timed than the interview he did a mere 36 hours after his entire studio went up in flames; capturing the essence of Jay Haze on a very dark day in 2008.

Sitting on a couch at Handle With Care, his record manufacturer in Berlin- ‘a good, sunny day in the city’, he had me know; Jay was in a good mood and had all the time in the world to repeat the now iconic tale about that weekend. Far from being a ‘retribution’ piece; our conversation just became ‘the one that went deep enough’ and as it turns out, there’s a very light side to being Jay Haze.

We’re only a few minutes into our phone conversation when Jay gives me his now jaded account of the day of the fire. ‘I’m walking up to my apartment and see fire trucks and police all over the place, something’s seriously burning. I’m wondering what’s going on, and as I get closer, I realise it’s my studio. They’re blasting water everywhere and I’m told I won’t be able to go inside it for a couple of days. I’m due to leave for a gig at Fabric in London in a few hours- and everything’s gone.’

‘What am I gona do, sit at home and cry about it? So I get on the plane and flew to London without my records, nothing, to do this gig. I meet up with Ricardo (Villalobos) – we’ve been friends for like 11 years- and he just knew. He was like ‘Come, let’s play.’ After my set we went to room 3 and played together. We played for hours, jamming for just hours…’ It was one of the most amazing nights of my life.’

No doubt, time has made the incident burn a whole lots less, made Jay romanticise it even, but that’s because indeed, if anyone knows, he does; everything happens for a reason. Whatever the purpose of Jay’s ‘Fire Hazardous’ day, he’s figured it out and made peace with it; he’s moved on. On the now infamous interview he did for Resident Advisor where he slagged off M-nus and their ‘boring’ parties and spoke brazenly about an abusive family life, being homeless and selling drugs, he says. ‘They caught me on a bad day, what can I say?’

Jay Haze is a man who thinks deeply and speaks off the cuff. A fire ripping through his studio is only the cherry on top of a story that defines how far he has come. All the way from a coal mining town in Philadelphia, USA, in fact. Dubbed ‘Philly’s Lost Son’ – whether affectionately or not I can’t say- but Jay’s story wins him a mentalist medal of honour,  because he hasn’t let it define him, he’s only told it like it is and persevered in reaction to it.

So, who really is Jay Haze, aka reverent producer, Fuckpony? The man behind the Turningspork and Contexterrior Record Labels- and credited with discovering the fresh talents of Troy Pierce and Samim- contrary to reputation, isn’t fussed about ‘hype’ and being a scene personality. Haze is most notably an artist. When it comes to music, Jay indulges a creative spirit and makes what he feels. ‘Some days I wake up and I want to make Hip Hop, the next day I might think of something and go, yeah, there’s a groove there- and come out with a soulful Chicago house track.’

Haze was influenced by all sorts of music growing up; ‘Prince, Bob Marley, Al Green, The Police and Talking Heads. ‘Oh, and my favourite track of all time is probably Family Affair by Sly and The Family Stone! Philadelphia has a really rich music culture. There was a real ‘live’ element in the 60’s and 70’s lots of soul, reggae- I grew up with that. In the 90’s House parties started, and it was hard for people to get at first, there’s a big black culture in Philly, and at first everyone said House was white, gay people’s music.’

An instrumentalist, Jay plays the Bass Violin and the Piano, and his tracks are renowned for long instrumental breaks and piano riffs. His ethos is ‘functional yet artful dance music’. ‘Music for me is and always has been an expression. I don’t want to be put into a box- oh he makes this or he makes that- I just make it if I feel it.’

His refreshing perspective towards music as an art form saw him release his triple album, Love and Beyond, for free on his website last year. ‘Music is about connecting people, it’s for sharing. It’s not about the money, I made this music and worked so hard on it, I wanted everyone to be able to hear it. I don’t want to worry about sales and credit cards, I don’t care about wealth. That’s something I’ve always stuck by.’

Which brings us to Jay’s humanitarian efforts; the global movement DJ’s for DRC, which rally’s dj’s, performers and even party people around the world to donate money to relief groups in the Democratic of Congo. ‘It’s a small effort really, but I believe if we come together and all offer a little bit we can have a profound impact and make big changes. The plan is to get as many dj’s and performers in the electronic music scene to donate half their fee from one gig, from September to the end of the year.’

Some of the biggest artists like Tiefschwartz, Loco Dice and Luke Solomon have done their part. ‘The situation in the DRC is one to spend a little time and reflect on, that country is affected in every way- child slavery, sexual abuse on women, starvation, water poisoning… it’s so sad!’ Jay plans to travel to DRC himself in 2010 to actively see his efforts are put to good use. ‘I’ve been homeless. A lot of people don’t understand that… But when you get out of a hole like that, and you actually get something, you want nothing more than to help other people.’

Jay’s new Fuckpony album Let the Love Flow; a really sexy melodic love affair, playing homage to his house head, is out in late October. ‘It’s not like anything I’ve done before. I played the piano and programmed the whole album with a great feeling and vibration. It was a naturally flowing album that was pure feeling and emotion.’ You’ve got to give it to the guy for being one of the most genuinely hard working guys in the business. It’s all about the bigger picture; spreading good energy and letting the love flow- nothing dark about that.

Pulse Radio Interview with Geddes

Geddes has been making party people across London mulletover and over for 5 years and counting, and has set the precedent for underground clubbing with its understated-cool crowd and aural-driven atmosphere.  With the release of his latest track, Paperweight with Alex Jones, his label Murmur plotting releases like electronic landfill and his events success spilling into the festival circuit and abroad, Geddes is far from toeing the line. We cornered Geddes to find out a little bit of this and that ahead of Mulletovers 2^nd affair at the Eastern Electrics festival this bank holiday weekend.

mulletover stands strong as one of London’s best underground event brands- how did it come about?

I wanted to do a night and originally started mulletover with a guy called Jafar.  We were due to do our first party but the venue we were using got closed down and Jafar knew Rob who coincidently was doing a party on the same night, he had a spare room upstairs and the party went ahead.  We did another party together after that and decided we’d work under the same banner and here we are five years down the line.

The event has stretched its legs to festivals and one-off parties abroad. Tell us about mulletovers journey…

We first started doing parties in Ibiza, then Croatia.  Festival wise we were part of TDK Festival in London, Lovebox in Victoria Park last year and now Eastern Electrics with Resident Advisor.  This year is the first time we’ve been invited to do Glade Festival, which was wicked.

Glade Festival is said to be the subversive alternative to the other hyped UK festivals, how was it to have mulletover being part of it?

‘The thing about Glade is, it spurned from grassroots and they hardly have any sponsorship to help them along, it makes the difference to the festival and the people who go- it’s definitely special. We had Mr C, Adultnapper and Jamie Jones play for mulletover in the club tent and it rocked from start to finish, we had a great time!’

You’ve apparently managed to miss a few of the Mulletover parties- how does that happen- do you get lost trying to find the secret location?

I missed three parties and all of them being in Ibiza.  Moral of the story is not to put you passport through the washing machine J

How did you find yourself in the music industry and what initially guided your organic sound?

I was surrounded by music at an early age, it was quite an important part of my family’s socializing, and we’d spend hours dancing in the living room to Frank Sinatra, Grace Jones and Barry White.  Then my sister got a job with universal records and was product manager for Twisted Records, which was home to Danny Tenaglia and Murk, from then on I knew what I wanted to do.

You’ve played witness to the London scene over the last decade- what have you seen and learnt from it?

Trends move quickly, one minute minimal is the in thing then house is back.  Be true to your school!

You also produce under the guise Rekleiner with Anthony Middleton and Luca Saporito- how do you three come together to create this intricate and melodic sound?

I knew Luca from West London and he was hassling me to play at mulletover, through his persistence we became friends and started working in the studio together. The rest is history though however the guys are now in Barcelona so it’s hard for us to get together and make music now.

What has been one of your favourite gig experiences to date?

Robert Johnson in Frankfurt is the most amazing place to play, good sound system, small room and nothing else is needed.

Your track Paper Weight with Alex Jones is your first EP on Murmur and was released in July- what is the response so far?

Yeah it had a really good response from the promo we did, both Alex and I are very happy!

Murmur launched in 2008 and is cutting the edge with great track releases from great artists- what can we look forward to next?

We have a great EP from Tom Demac we’re very excited about, something else from BLM who’s a London-based artist, M.in from Frankfurt, Mic Newmann from Australia and hopefully something from Meat.  Release schedule is full now till next year.

If there was one sound you could remove from the earth and never have to hear it again- what would it be?

The noise of buses going past my window late at night, they are so noisy I can’t open my window and in this hot weather that’s not ideal.

Eastern Electrics Bank Holiday takes place on August 31^st 2009, with Anja Schneider, Damian Lazarus, Glimpse and Geddes playing the Mulletover room. Tickets available from Resident Advisor.

Pulse Radio Interview with Hernan Cattaneo

Credited with inspiring the term ‘superclub’, Renaissance is one of those labels that took the top shelf early on and refused to budge. In its 15 years it has become one of the most influential record labels with legendary club nights in Britain which set the precedent in nightlife clubbing antics after the ‘rave era’ ran aground, and has, to dates sold a close-on incredible 1 million albums through its various Renaissance mix and artist album compilations. Renaissance has done all this while honing a stylishly understated and underground ethos all the way- although, you can buy the t-shirt! Might not be such a bad idea considering the label has just reached a record milestone with the release of the 50^th Master Series album!

Renaissance veteran, Hernan Cattaneo fittingly returns, having mixed the second ever Master Series album- and a couple in between- to take the sound Renaissance series to the next level with the 50^th Master Series release. When I call him, the Argentinean is in Barcelona and by the sounds of it, is right in the midst of the mid week hustle and bustle. I can picture him, sipping on a quiet espresso in the sun, his curly brown locks lapping up the breeze- life is good pretty good and luckily for me, Hernan is all good to get chatty!

He’s recently returned from a double shift in Australia- where he started off the album tour with gigs in Melbourne and Sydney. ‘Australia was great- the audience is really open minded and it seems more and more people are supporting the dance scene there.’ He says. His tour now takes him to Amsterdam, Jakarta and Singapore, followed by a few stops at Amnesia in Ibiza and out again to Barcelona, the UK and Greece. Then, he’s planning a time out. ‘I’m going on maternity leave- is that correct?’ He asks. Paternity leave I confirm- now there’s one for dj books!

We get into some musical banter and he tells me the Master Series album took him 4 months to put together. It’s his 5^th album for the label and he spent much time making the 12 original tracks, exclusively for the double disc, and in the process blurred the line between artist album and compilation. ‘It’s the product of many sleepless nights, hours in the studio and a lot of care. I hope this comes across with the album, I wanted it to be really special and I’m really proud of the original tracks on it.’

Hernan worked with close friends and producers from around the world, and got them contributing their own original and exclusive tracks to mark the 50^th album occasion. ‘It would have been spoilt if people had already heard some of the tracks before the album came out’. He says diplomatically and adding points to the ‘why buy this’ list. He mentions the likes of Danny Howells, James Zabiela, Guy Gerber, Henry Saiz and Timo Maas on the track list- guys who, it goes without saying, are some of the brightest luminaries on the scene at the moment.

‘It was great to get so many great artists involved with me and they were all really enthusiastic and dedicated to the project.’ The result is a truly epic exploration of to-the-minute electronic music, segued by Hernan’s flawless mixing style and stands as another timeless addition to his body of work and the Master Series. ‘You’ve got to distinguish a compilation in this digital age,’ he says, ‘It’s important fans and listeners feel they’re getting a unique mix, elevated beyond a standard club set.’

Hernan’s career spans 20 years to date and he’s fortunate to be one of those artists with a really cross-over, global sound which sees him moving non-stop to play gigs from Bahrain to Belfast, Singapore to San Diego. He loves travelling and absorbing new sounds, culture and influences. ‘It is really great to play in all these different countries, to meet different people, living different lives and all dancing to the same music. It’s incredible.’ His baby-bearing hiatus will no doubt be short-lived- he’s already planning his end of year travels sometime after the momentous occasion and given Hernan’s immense production habits, he’ll no doubt be moved to turn it into music! For now- catch him in one of his finest Master Sessions yet; it drops worldwide this week!

Pulse Radio Interview with Anja Schneider

Anja’s Schneider originally moved to Berlin chasing a career in radio but jumped on the switch when she found herself spending much time behind the decks in clubs in between shows on Fritz radio. Anja took her bubbly lease on life and intrinsic ear for techno to the dancefloor, and entered the production scene in 2004 undeterred by the male-dominated scene; setting a precedent in female artists being taken seriously in the music making business. Nicknamed the Techno Queen of Berlin, Anja’s string of incredible productions and record label, mobilee, with fellow dj Ralf Kollmann, have her spawning an unsubtle sound-force in the electronic dance music industry.

Having recently celebrated mobilee’s 50^th release; a slick collaboration with undercover man of the moment, Lee Van Dowski, I ask about her next release and who we can look forward to her working with in the near future. ‘Parrell Williams!’ She jokes- at least, I think she’s joking, then adds, ‘No seriously, no plans as yet.’ Fine, she’s not giving anything away here, but recently did reveal there would be an artist album and compilation mix on mobilee later in 2009. Hmm…! I squeeze for more about music juice; what’s she liking and loving at the moment? ‘I think the Mannheim sound being pioneered by people such as Johnny D is quite interesting; I’m also a big fan of newer talents like Seth Troxler and Jamie Jones.’

Their newest projects- artists signed to the mobilee roster; And.id, Dan Curtain and Hector are all worthy sound waves in the industry, what made her listen up? ‘And.id is a primarily live musician who brings this unique live component into his productions.  Dan Curtin is a veteran and a legend. His extensive knowledge of electronic music is really beneficial to mobilee—his combination of the old school tradition with new sounds has created a more “intellectual” version of techno.  Hector, on the other hand, is a young, upcoming talent with a huge heart for house music.’

Add to that mobilee’s forward thinking style of management and it goes without saying that these are boys to watch. ‘We really try to get the best out of every artist by helping them to develop their unique qualities and skills alongside the development of our label’s unique sound.  We are really committed to sticking with our artists along the way and helping them progress as producers and DJs.’ It’s this attitude and ethos that has elevated mobilee in 5 short years to become one of the most watched labels in the industry.

The recent launch of Exercise One’s first artist album on mobilee was a huge success. The duo have launch gigs around the world and have mobilee’s solid support in campaigning the albums exposure. The album release party at Rechenzentrum was a great moment for Anja. When asked about her last favourite in-the-music moment, she tells me this was it. ‘There was so much energy and excitement in the crowd that I had this really special moment where I came to the realization that “this is why I do this.”  That energy has carried over into all my gigs that have happened since then!’

As a touring artist you experience and see many different things in foreign the countries you travel to; one of Anja’s most interesting moments behind the decks was a really big party she played in the Dominican Republic, ‘People started showing up with their parents, grandparents and kids and starting dancing Merengue (a style of Latin American dance) to my music!’ She says, ‘It was really cool, not only because it actually worked with the grooves, but also because it was really neat to see the way in which music and dancing can unite multiple generations!’

Going back to Germany, it’s widely known some of the best night’s and events are taking place right at home, meaning Anja doesn’t have to do too much travelling to get her gigs worth, so where’s the hottest place to party in Berlin? ‘The best parties are always in Berghain and Panorama Bar, but this has a lot more to do with the atmosphere and the club in general than the lineup. And Mobilee parties are also good from time to time!’ If you’re chasing the European sunshine this summer you can get a fix of Anja and the crew at Sonar or later in the season when mobile goes on tour to Ibiza. But first she comes to you, with all intents and purposes to blow you away with her love for sound.

Anja Schneider jets into Australia for the We Love Sounds Festival which begins this weekend. She hit the stage for the second round at the Hordern Pavilion on June 6th.

Pulse Radio- Goldie ‘Kids Are All Riot’ Art Exhibition

Goldie’s ‘Kids Are All Riot’ art exhibition presented a collection of artworks by the infamous Drum ‘n Bass DJ and Soap actor, who originally made fame in the 80’s and 90’s for his work as a graffiti artist. Goldie’s returned to his artistic roots and painterly flair saw him conjure an enticing collection of culturally relevant art pieces in his signature street-inspired creative style.

The launching exhibition ran at the two-floored Maverick Showroom in Shoreditch, East London in April where the studio space was suitably transformed to explore this urban underdog. In its first week of opening the exhibition created quite a stir, with coverage on print, TV, radio, and online media, encouraging art enthusiasts and curious newbie’s alike to get down and take a look.

In an age where art has a dowdy and ostentatious reputation amongst youth culture, Goldie has managed to intrigue and inform through a range of provocative subjects, that run the gamut from sex, drugs and dj whores to crafty political innuendo and electronic music. Possibly described as a modern-day Andy Warhol-meets-Banksy- although he probably wouldn’t like it- he’s captured a state of modern day affairs and used art to create a simple commonality; that is both accepting and educating of popular culture and its flaws.

The message is an irrefutable statement about today’s youth culture and life as we know it, and this is stamped, one almost wants to say, heartlessly, onto the canvas. But while the reality is somewhat harsh; you can’t help but want to keep looking deeper. Goldie’s presentation is all too relative and compassionate; demonstrating, not only his obvious artistic talent, but a bang on connection with the idiosyncrasies of popular culture.

The headlining piece in the ‘Kids Are All Riot’ collection is the visually beguiling ‘Apocalypse Angel’. The life size original print features a young blonde women posing in an unbuttoned army uniform touting peace symbols, while she grips a cigar between her teeth, challenging the viewer with a dominant stare. Several of his pieces poke fun at the ease of contemporary nudity and sexuality, with more than a dozen cheeky nipples on display.

Goldie’s personal favourite piece, a self-portrait aptly entitled ‘Why don’t you just f*** off?’ represents his younger self and attitude. Ideally, his intention with this collection is to encourage the kids of today to indulge their talents and express their individuality and freedom of thought through art. You can’t help but get the impression that, like Warhol’s Marilyn’s and Campbell Soup cans, these images will become positively ingrained in our generation, and represent a powerful statement, and hopefully one that will inspired many more.

Excuse The Mess Interview with Mymy

Mymy formed in 2003 during Berlin’s rebirth as an Electronic Music Mecca.  Originally a collective of 4 aspiring artists, moved by the creative music juices flowing around them at the time, they began experimenting in production. Over the past seven years, Lee Jones and Nick Hoppner, have become highly regarded as the Mymy duo, and their divergent approach to making music has earned them an eclectic and truly hedonistic following- and a string of unique gigs across the globe.

The Mymy cog began to turn when the likes of Richie, Ricardo and Luciano were playing all over Berlin, at classic parties like Beat Street and Bar 25. Long before the term ‘minimal’ became a cliché; the sounds were new and fresh, and the guys found themselves being blown away by the aural assault that met them on their nights on the town.  They got stuck in and it was a good two years of playing with the knobs in studio before they felt their sound was ready to be published and released.

Lee and Nick have merged their skills, and appreciation for different sounds to come up with Mymy’s affecting quality. Lee, the composer and instrumentalist, originally from Essex, England, has an impressive bank of incredible music from his work as Hefner, incorporating his own riffs on guitar and keyboard melodies into their music. “I’m a musician and composer first and foremost, rather than a technician or producer.”

Mymy’s approach to making music is to make art before entertainment- or not to bother at all and it’s this philosophy to make original, honest and personal music that gives their productions an artesian flair that only really well produced music carries and endures. “We knew that this creative approach would be our secret weapon- we couldn’t compete with producers who’ve been using Ableton since version 1.0, building their own synths and filters, and collecting vinyl since they were 12 years old!”

Nick and Lee feel the music itself is the reason to be in it. “We also had to think in terms of concepts and emotions- not plug-ins. We want our tracks to be objects of beauty, rather than technically perfect floor-fillers.” As artists, they find aspects of the industry appalling- the generic production of musicians and their contrived commercialism among it, no doubt- but their experiences with clubs and music that holds the spirit they believe in, gives them the stimulus to carry on.

Mymy originally threw it all into the pot when it came to making sounds, but these days they find their headspace a little more controlled and like to plan a little direction before jumping in. The guys enjoyed a productive past winter, with Nick releasing a new 12” on Ostgut Ton and a remix for David Durango on Meerestief. Lee completed a remix for Marc Romboy on Systematic, as well remixes for Hypercolour, Tartelet, Further Project, and a Felix da Housecat ft Miss Kitten remix on Get Physical. Together, Mymy remixes of Adam Freeland and Ruthit on Four:Twenty are coming soon and they’ve begun working on the second MyMy artist album.

Although exhausting, the duo feel really blessed travelling around the world to showcase their music. With the hype around the original Minimal pioneers having somewhat subdued in the German capital, Mymy is reveling in the new peak of potential they and their friends have now, to really forge their own sound and make their own mark on electronic music- both in Germany and beyond. This summer sees them travel to Japan at the end of July, and headlining an exclusive gig with Excuse The Mess at Corsica Studio’s in early May- possibly the only opportunities to see them live in the UK this summer!

Join Excuse The Mess as they kick-start summer with an Underground German Invasion in the Big Smoke. Excuse The Mess presents Mymy LIVE with support from Ralf Kollmann (Mobilee) and Matthew Styles (Crosstown Rebels) at Corsica Studio’s on 2^nd May 2009. £12 tickets available from Ticketweb and Clubtickets, and £15 at the door on the night.