Archive for October, 2008

So, Wednesday night saw the annual DJMag Top 100 Poll winners party @ MOS. Every year this poll receives huge coverage on every forum that discusses dance music. Many hate it, many can’t understand how some people manage to get in the top 100 but what we do know is that it is destined to cause controversy.

We turned up @ MOS just before 10 and the queue was 1/4 mile long, no joke! The guestlist queue was nearly as long too! For only £5 (which went to charity – nice one dj mag) you had a who’s who of the dj world playing. Deadmau5 (No.11 – highest new entry EVER), Laidback Luke, Mark Knight, David Guetta and the No.1 DJ in the world – ARMIN VAN BUUREN.

But the highlight of the evening for me had to be the host extraodinare – the one and only BEARDYMAN. He was using two EFX1000′s to beatbox to the extreme – if you’ve never seen him before you really should check him out.

Genius!

Every now again I’d like to think we can dip into other areas of the entertainment industry – especially when a topic sparks such debate. I think it was last week, comedian Russell Brand and TV presenter Jonathan Ross got a bit out of hand during a BBC Radio 2 show. On the night, it was reported two complaints were received. The things is… in this new media savvy world… anything of interest, especially when controversial, will burn around the globe like wildfire. So here we are, a week later…Ofcom got involved, and I think they’ve now had more than 34,000 complaints, leading to the resignation of Brand (see video below), and Mr Ross receiving a very beefy fine.

Over 50 comments on this video – I reckon 80% can’t see what the fuss is about.

But how do these lads carry on from now….? The Telegraph quoted PR genius Max Clifford talking about the implications for Brand:

“He’s known to be controversial and, if anything, it will make him more popular amongst his fans, who will have thought this was hilarious. They won’t see anything wrong in what he did. It is a big PR success for him. He will have no problem with his career.”

He added: “It could increase his comedy club bookings, or he could be snapped up by another radio station who want to appeal to listeners with his sense of outrageousness.”

The piece also stated: “that the DVD rental service Lovefilm.com reported sales of Brand’s stand-up comedy DVDs up 133 per cent this week.”

But what about Ross…? Has he crossed a line that will see a major shift in his fan-base…? Would it be so bad if he lost the respect of some ‘old-skool’ viewers, at the same time boosting his credibility amongst a younger audience? Maybe the whole thing was a just a massive PR stunt…. stranger things have happened….who knows…maybe it’ll be Ross presenting the next MTV awards ceremony alongside Jay Z… 

I think aside from the right or wrong, rude or controversially funny debates, the sad fact is the resignation of BBC Radio 2 controller Lesley Douglas – who by the looks of it was a much respected character. Anyway, what’s done is done – let’s move on. 

Our Italian friend, DJ and producer has jumped into the studio to give us more than sixty minutes of solid house music. After having a listen this morning, I would best describe it as a hats off to the summer of 2008. You’ve got most of the hits released on Rising Music as well as a few real treats.. for me it was Inkognito’s take on Cassius “My feeling for you“… great tune.

I reckon this mix comes at something of a happy time for our friend. Two days ago he was told his summer track “Speechless” is featured on the Ministry of Sound Annual 2009.. well done mate.   

Chris would probably like me to mention ‘Only One’ has also been selected by the compilation staff at MOS – HAPPY DAYS!

Anyway, I think it’s a nice treat for the weekend. So download it and bang on it loud while you’re getting ready to hit the clubs.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE – and the track-listing is on the discussion board at www.facebook.com/chrislake. 

Have good weekends everyone!

UPDATE: Hi folks – we had a bit of a fuck-up with the download link for the guest mix… we should however be back on track. Download away!

As an industry, it seems the dance scene is developing faster than ever. New technologies for both live shows and studios are now allowing Djs and producers to push the boundaries of the impossible. I hear that some time ago James Zabiela was actually flown over to the Far East to show the top dogs at Pioneer just how much he can push the equipment, taking it to places they had no idea were possible. 

On the business side things are changing quickly too – it’s not just about traditional press agencies and radio shows, DJs and Producers alike are starting to use new channels of communication for spreading music and engaging with fans.. this we believe ourselves is the future. Keep the original methods, but bring in the new stuff too.

So for those who wish to attend conferences and talk business, there are a few options, although as with many things once word gets out about a successful event, the sponsors soon start sniffing about, and lectures turn into lunch time pool parties… ummm…. “Welcome to Miami!” Last year Pete Tong and Co launched the International Music Summit which they say “will continue to be the G8 of music conferences.” Guess it was a success as delegate numbers have increased by 400%. 

One event which still manages to maintain a level head during the day is ADE; the Amsterdam Dance Event. Now the Dutch, like the Germans, are and have always been incredibly organised, systematic and professional about the music industry, so it’s of no surprise that Holland’s biggest party city host this event. 

Our lads from Three Six Zero should be doing the rounds as I type – behave yourself boys! In the meantime, I’m going to leave you in capable hands of the lovely Victoria Wickins from Ministry of Sound TV to tell you more:

Every once in a while I do actually congratulate Mr Lake on a damn-right great piece of production. Pretty soon we’re releasing a track that has quite simply blown me away in terms of an actual piece of music – the boy done good! But until then, ironically, we have a situation whereby Chris isn’t 100% happy with his unreleased track ‘Deadline’…

Nevertheless, fans from quite literally every corner of the world have been quizzing us about a release date. Well, whilst Chris carries on reworking the track, the extremely talented Rene Amesz has given his interpretation…

Following that, the fast emerging techno enthusiast Adam Shaw has really done a job on it. I know it’ll mean I burn this E.P out, but right now I couldn’t care less… at times, literally listening to both on repeat! Much respect lads.

As an added treat, we’ve included Rudi Stakker’s remaking of ‘Release’ and Mastiksoul’s tribal remix of ‘Only One’.

Now I had a chat last week with a few lads in the smoke about the debate of ‘the end of the album’. I think because of dance-music’s natural ability to be mixed, artists will continue to release albums/mix compilations for a long time to come, but the reality is that it’s all about singles, especially with pop music. One of the gents put it best when he said: “yeh my daughter’s got the latest NOW comp… thing is she’s made it herself from buying singles on iTunes.”

Music is now being released so quickly and unless brilliant has such a short shelf-life… it has to be about the digital downloads… just to keep up. Don’t get me wrong, in my heart there’ll always be a place for a piece of vinyl or an album that’s simply timeless, but I’m talking about the masses… the quantity of people who globally shape the industry through buyer behaviour.

Whilst maybe I’ve digressed a little here, my point is that this particular Remixed E.P is right up my street… deep, dark, techy and tribal… all the things I love about house music… so never mind what I ‘should’ be saying… this is an honest review and a massive plug! As four individual tracks I think they all compliment each other perfectly and make for a superb E.P. Well done to all involved in putting this together. Very nice work!

Click on each link to take you to a promo of the track:

Chris Lake – Deadline (Rene Amesz remix)

Chris Lake – Deadline (Adam Shaw’s Close To The Deadline Remix)

Chris Lake – Release (Rudi Stakker remix)

Chris Lake – Only One (Mastiksoul remix)

Well well… a few months ago when we decided to get into the blogging community, I thought it would take much longer to get the real debates going on here. But here we are, three months in a we’ve had some right old banter… Mr Lake throwing in the ‘live’ debate, which I think is still getting comments… the morals of illegal digital downloads… and lets not forget our mission to stamp out bullshit online companies trying to make a quick buck…

Well amongst all this fierce debate, I thought I’d throw in this video to remind everyone that whilst we take the industry very seriously, we also know how to have a bloody great night out! Here’s some footage from Cream’s Ibiza closing party and its 16th birthday up in the pool.

As the person who tends to put these films together I have complete creative rights… which usually ends up with me mocking Chris in one way or another… well this time Karma has bitten me back! So Mr SebastiEn Leger… apologies for my typing error… and just for the record… I have been a fan of yours since your Victory E.P… if that redeems me at all.

….So says a report this morning by the BBC based on research conducted by Entertainment Media Research (EMR). I know everyone has an opinion on this, but when we released “Start Again” on Rising Music earlier in the summer, within hours I received a Google Blog Alert with the words “Chris Lake – Free Download here”… my stomach turned a little. When I clicked on the link, it took me to a random blog who was looking to simply share his taste with his readers… I clicked the link ‘download here’ and what followed made me want to shed a tear… 21,000 downloads after less than eight hours… something with that just doesn’t sit right with me. 

People say that something like 69% of all statistics are made up… well I hope this research shows a glimmer of hope for this controversial issue. Here’s a snippet of the piece:

“It is quite evident that an ISP-led strategy has bite, because illegal downloaders are fairly convinced that ISPs are currently monitoring their activities and are more likely to act against them than the courts,” said Russell Hart, chief executive of Entertainment Media Research in a statement.

The research found that younger net users tended to be the most persistent pirates. In the 13-17 age bracket, 58% said they had downloaded illegally. It also found that 61% of those questioned who admitted to being illegal downloaders were convinced that their activities were being monitored by net firms.

Fierce competition among online music stores meant that few needed to illegally download in order to listen to the music they wanted.”

So to summarise; the teenagers are the naughty ones, who probably don’t know, understand or really care that their parents ISP could shut them down; and secondly, everyone is now paranoid that they’re ‘being watched’…. I think that’s quite funny… so people continue to download, but are doing so with guilt on their hands. I guess it’s a step in the right direction.    

So last week just before we set sail for matter, Chris and our mates at Retrofuzz uploaded the third edition of our Chris Lake Podcast series. According to some pretty raw data, the download figures are looking great, which obviously makes us a happy team. Two days ago we made it onto iTunes’ ‘New and Notable’; a strip of podcasts across the top of the ‘music podcast’ page. Consequently we decided to do a little digging to find out just how someone gets featured on the holy pages of iTunes.

The results at this stage seem very positive. I’m sure people are aware that many sites tend to feature material based on advertising costs or high download rates. iTunes claim to be different – its methodology… we think is just great. It gives those who show creativity and consistency a bit of a helping hand. This is what they have to say:

“Being Featured on the iTunes Store Podcast Page.

At iTunes, we’re constantly on the lookout for podcasts that are breaking new ground with this medium, have new or unusual content, or just capture our interest. When we find them, we like to feature them on the Podcasts home page. While there are no sure-fire ways to get your podcast featured (and no, we do not accept payments for promotion), there are some minimum requirements. To be featured by iTunes, podcasts must have:

1. An attractive, original image that does not include the iPod or other Apple-branded content. For image specs, see the iTunes Image section below.
2. A robust and accurate description.
3. Proper language, category, and explicit tagging.

In addition, featured podcasts must be regularly updated with new episodes. We occasionally feature a podcast after its first episode, but we generally like to see podcasts with at least 3 episodes, and we like to see that the most recent episode has been added in the past month. Ideally, the episodes should be released on a regular and predictable basis. More than 100 podcasts are submitted every day, so it is impossible to feature all of the good ones.”

So I have just read with interest a statement made by the supremely talented James Holden with regards to ‘Live’ performances. I say read with interest because his views completely reflect mine in terms of what is now considered a ‘live set’. Recently in dance music, ‘Live’ seems to be the buzz-word given to anyone performing without vinyl or CD decks. Is this really the correct term, when many famous or even not so famous acts are playing their pre-recorded records, and just using effects over the top of them?

To me personally, this is the evolution of the term DJ. Maybe it should be called ALJ, meaning, Ableton Live Jockey? At the end of the day, I understand and agree with Holden’s comment, however I have no problem with there being lazy   and uncreative artists out there. It makes it easier for people with talent to shine above the rest doesn’t it? The thing is… this software is so powerful and so creative that if used to its full potential the results could be mind-blowing. I think some artists are flirting with it now, but I can’t wait to hear how its use will develop sets in the future.    

I read all these discussions on the modern definition of electronica artists going live, as I myself am in the middle of deciding how I would like to take my show on the road in 2009. My inner battle is how to justify using this modern cliché… ‘live’? If I am to do this, I want the show to have substance. I mean, wouldn’t it be great if it had the possibility of completely fucking up in the middle because I did something wrong? Isn’t this one of the great things of real ‘live’? Those mistakes that can create magic! Some of the best moments of my career have been born out of mistakes or mishaps. Like the power going out on a lifeless rooftop party for fifteen minutes; when it came back on, the people were so happy it created one of the best environments I have ever experienced. 

I’m in a pretty decent position as I love using the keyboard, and my wife is actually the vocalist on most of my records. If I go down this route, I can simply perform the tunes and she can sing. There’s absolutely no con in this.

Damn, as I write this I’m realizing the potential of making something of real worth. Once the foundations are cemented, the real challenge will be making a show that’s also visually enjoyable, and technically challenging for me as a performer.

Rant over.

So my voice has gone and I can’t hear too much, but what a night. I’m not a club snob at all, and I expect the usual critics to find something to moan about, but fuck me, I love this venue. Speakers pounding you with musical vibrations from beneath the dance floor, long bars with loads of cool staff and the fact the that during the night both the DJ booth and the adjacent facing live stage were used twice, forcing a mood shift four times. I guess the only issue is the location, but I’m sure people will make the effort for this place. It’s got that slightly ‘new’ feel, which I’m sure will fade with time, but you do feel a sense of ‘industrial’ for want of a better word. 

The other thing I picked up on was the attitude of the crowd. Maybe it was the Deadmau5/Chris Lake line up, or maybe it was because it was a Thursday night, whatever… people were chilled out, generally unpretentious and most importantly, they were bang up for it. So my feelings on matter and how ever many millions went in to it by the people behind Fabric… nice work, and I wish you and the club all the very best.

We did the usual video action, but I really feel that the footage doesn’t come close to the actual experience. Here it is anyway: