Thina Records’ first release of 2019 comes from South African producer T.Siza. Consisting of 3 original productions by the young producer and a lovely rework from label boss Mculo, Thina records follows up their debut release with yet another strong record. Featuring prime cuts of club-ready acid-tinged techno rollers, to laid-back deep house and sweet spots in between, T. Siza caters to the club-goer, the home-listener, peak-hour dancefloor or the hazy warmup alike.

[soundcloud url=”https://soundcloud.com/boltingbits/premiere-tsiza-feat-portable-dont-let-them-bring-you-down/” /]
Our personal favourite and today’s premiere is of the latter kind. With its swung hi-hats, bouncing congas, groovy bass, and the vocal talents of Alan Portable, ’Don’t You Let Them Know’ sounds like something straight out the Canadian riviera. Hazy, open hi-hats drift up and down and lush synths flow through the air like a summer breeze, as all I can do is dream of a distant summer day party. With his sun-kissed production, T. Siza reminds us it’s still summer in South Africa and inspires the rest of us on this side of the equator to dream of summer days to come.

Definitely a must-have record for all the dancers and dreamers, this inspiring EP from the young Thina Records label and new-comer T. Siza promises great things to come of both. Out on the 1st of March, preorder the High Fashion EP here.

Alexander.

Cet article T.Siza (feat. Portable) – Don’t Let Them Know [THINA RECORDS] est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.

Cet article PREMIERE : Mculo – Amandla [Capacity of Color] est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.

Daniel Schey is a Berlin based producer who goes by the name of Mculo (soundcloud). The blossoming talent was raised in London and later relocated to the German capital. Taking his name from the Zulu word for music, it is clear that he has a passion for musical elements rooted in African traditions. This can be heard in both his productions and DJ mixes (MIXED BY/ Mculo), although his own work tends to delve deeper into analog house and techno territory.

Last year, Mculo started his own record label called Roots By The Oder, today is back with his third release Lago Santo EP. The three track EP was inspired by a trip in northern Italy in the summer of 2016. Listen this hypnotizing B2 side “Lago Santo”. This groovy number revolves around an acid lead and a synth line whirls and mesmerizes while aggressive snares and machine-like claps propel the groove. Lago Santo EP is out tomorrow on Juno, don’t sleep!

[soundcloud url=”https://soundcloud.com/boltingbits/mculo-lago-santo”/]

Cet article PREMIERE : Mculo – Lago Santo est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.

Daniel Schey is a Berlin based producer who goes by the name of Mculo (soundcloud). The blossoming talent was raised in London and later relocated to the German capital. Taking his name from the Zulu word for music, it is clear that he has a passion for musical elements rooted in African traditions. This can be heard in both his productions and DJ mixes, although his own work tends to delve deeper into analog house and techno territory. 

Last year, Daniel started his own record label called Roots By The Oder, which he runs alongside one of his best friends and talented visual artist, Alexander James. The concept behind the label is a physical representation of the two artists’ relationship as friends. James is behind the artwork and Schey produces the music. Each release goes back and forth between either the artwork being a visual interpretation of the music or vice versa. In order to clarify this concept a little further and also ask the up-and-coming producer some further questions, we’re happy to have him feature on this installment of our MIXED BY/ series.

[soundcloud url=”https://soundcloud.com/boltingbits/mixed-by-mculo”/]

INTERVIEW

You describe your label as a product of the artistic synergy you have with your friend Alexander, who’s a visual artist. Can you explain your process for creating music inspired by his visuals? Do you take things that sketched out and form them appropriately, or are you creating wholly new tracks based on what your friend paints?
I’m not a big fan of this word as its plastered throughout every interview ever, but it is a really organic process. Fresh, free range… I always start with a blank canvas, so to speak, and then try and interpret what he’s drawn or painted. Ill sit down with a cup of tea and have a stare at it for a while, turn on a drum machine and get going. Obviously the track will change as I go, I rarely end up with the track I had in mind at the start. Thats also a interesting part for me though. As the track progresses and changes, so will my view of the artwork, and i’ll take new interpretations i get from it and try to work them back into the track.

The releases go back and forth between you creating music to visuals and Alexander creating visuals to your music. Have you found that the visuals and music differ greatly from each other in both cases or are you both riding on a similar wavelength?
I think for us it’s pretty spot on. The artwork for the first release was this amazing portrait of an old man’s face that Alex drew using Charcoal, and it came to him when he was just listening to the first track ‘Left Down Louis Botha’ in his studio. He said he saw himself in a jungle and this image just appeared to him. When i listen to the track i can totally see it. Maybe it’s all the peyote…

There’s something special about holding a record with custom artwork on it, is this part of the reason you decided to be a vinyl only imprint?
For sure. One of the things i love about records is that sense of having a real physical piece of art in your hands. We decided to keep the pressings limited to 300 and really take our time so that it feels like we’ve created something real, something more at least than just me awkwardly mashing keys and watching youtube tutorials on waveforms, its a whole package.

Roots By The Oder seems to be the only avenue for your music to reach the world, do you plan on branching out to other labels or are you keeping your releases exclusive to your label for the time being?
I wouldn’t say that I’m keeping myself exclusive to Roots but i’m definitely not actively searching to release on other labels. However, if a label that i really liked and respected hit me up and wanted to do something then yea, thats a different story. Funnily enough though, today, I’ve just seen i’ve actually got another record coming out around the 16th of December. Its on a label from two good Scottish blokes in Glasgow which i made maybe 4 years ago. I actually just thought it wasn’t happening anymore but it popped up online when i was searching through pre-order stuff.

Mculo translates to “music” in Zulu. What made you decide to release your productions under that name?
I was sitting under this tree in Johannesburg one day, just contemplating what it would be like if David Attenborough was my grandpa, and this old man came up to me and proclaimed that hence forth i should share my melodic vibrations with the world under a name that would let people know where my family was from. Or, alternatively, i was just sat in London struggling to think of a name to make tracks under and asked google what music was in Zulu.

Have you found your move to Berlin to have stirred up any change in direction in your musical taste or approach to production?
Of course, i think that’s bound to happen wherever you go. When i first moved here i definitely got sucked into the whole party scene and spent far too much of my time in Panorama Bar, which obviously made me try and make more music suited for that environment. To be honest though, i struggle making pure dance floor stuff, it doesn’t quite work, and so i spent a lot of time making music that wasn’t really true to myself. Now, two and half years later, I’m a little less nocturnally active so my output has changed and I’ve been able to take elements from all these experiences I’ve had out here and fuse it all together into what works for me. My musical taste has also changed since I’ve been here, but thats inevitable. Everyone always goes through phases, but right now I’m pretty dead set on the kind of music i like, so it’s really about Sherlock Holmes’ing the shit out of it.


While we’re on the topic of your approach to production, can you tell us what you’re working with in the studio?

I have 5 bits of gear that will pretty much feature in every track i make. The Roland JD800 is my baby, my big bastard of a keyboard that makes me feel like I’m controlling a spaceship. I’ve been using the Jomox Xbase 09 for the last year or so, thats on loan from a friend. I use it on every track, i love that thing. Then theres the ol trusty MicroKorg which was the first thing i bought, the Volca Bass and Beats and a Dave Smith Evolver, which once again, is on loan from the same pal (cheers mate).

Finally, can you tell us a little bit about the mix you’ve recorded for us? Any particular inspiration for it?
The only real idea i had in mind for this mix was to make it more four to the god damn floor than i usually do, “doof” it out for you kind souls. I never really plan mixes though, i just have a starting track in mind and go from there, like i would if i was playing out.

Igor/Martin

Cet article MIXED BY/ Mculo est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.

Roots By The Oder est un tout nouveau label, dont le jeune Mculo (alias Daniel Schey, sud-africain expatrié quelque part entre Londres et Berlin) est le co-fondateur. Déjà remarqué avec son “Motor City Day Dreams“, qui était présent sur la compilation Transfer Tracks aux côtés de favoris Bolting Bits tels que Medlar ou Frits Wentink, le voici qui revient à l’attaque avec l’EP Bunzlau Tape, disque inaugural du label, qui donne le La quelque part entre le côté le plus sombre de la House, et le plus planant de la Techno.

Une esthétique saturée aux tons paranoïdes, qui n’est pas sans rappeler les moments les plus sobres de Lobster Theremin, un groove assuré, force est de constater que les trois morceaux constituant ce premier disque ont une identité particulière, clivante, mais qui saura plaire après plusieurs écoutes même aux oreilles les plus réticentes.

On commence sur “Left Down Louis Botha” avec au menu: kick frénétique, clap réverbéré au maximum, percussions sèches et sonorités sci-fi entrecoupées de tam-tams épars. Vient ensuite l’éponyme “Bunzlau Tape” dont les mélodies bucoliques et légères fleurent bon la nostalgie, portées par des hi-hats dont la construction forme la trame principale du morceau, donnant une direction à l’ensemble, sur fond de snares saccadés et d’un combo kick/clap saturé à souhait. Pour finir, “CC Juno” offre un contraste appréciable, avec sa basse incessante et aggressive sur un tempo plus rapide que les morceaux précédents, des cymbales incessantes et des harmonies naïves autant que mélancoliques, une opposition qui donne envie de se perdre avec toute l’énergie du désespoir qu’évoque l’ensemble. Le disque laisse une impression pas très joyeuse, mais qui se trouve bienvenue en cette fin d’été, et laisse présager du bon pour l’avenir de ce jeune producteur qu’il s’agira de surveiller de près.

Disponible en écoute partielle ci-dessous, ou chez de nombreux disquaires en ligne à partir du 15 Septembre : OYE records, Piccadilly records ou encore Red eye records.

Écrit par : Sébastien Lulin

Cet article Mculo – Bunzlau Tape EP est apparu en premier sur Bolting Bits.