Grooverider released from Dubai prison

BBC is reporting that drum'n'bass legend, Radio 1 DJ and notorious troublemaker Grooverider (aka Raymond Bingham) has been pardoned by the Dubai Royal Family and released from prison after serving half of a four year sentence for drug possession charges.

According to Guardian, on November 23 last year Bingham was arrested at Dubai International Airport after police found a small transparent bag containing 2.16 grams of cannabis and a pornographic DVD in his luggage, hours before a sold-out show at a local superclub The Lodge.

Grooverider released from prison [BBC]

Filter27 Playlist - July/August 2008

Here's the list of top 15 tracks that rocked Filter27 HQ in July and August. All listed in no particular order:

Redshape - Robot / Neon // Music Man
Osunlade - Momma's Groove (Jimpster Remixes) // Strictly Rhythm
Pulshar - Nospheratu // PhonoBox
Arne Weinberg pres. Onmutu Mechanicks - Hypophysica // Echocord Colour
Tadeo - Reflection Nebula 56n (Substance Remix) // Apnea
Peter Visti - Tokyo By Night // Eskimo
Benjamin Brunn - Untitled A1 // Workshop
Mental Overdrive - Run To The Hills // Smalltown Supersound
Ziggy Kinder - Flipflop Crash (Pier Bucci Remix) // Souvenir
Brennan Green - Escape From Chinatown (Version by Studio) // Information
Frivolous - Island Of Sanctity // ~scape
Stimming - Una Pena (Argy's Nights Of The Deep Tech Mix) // Diynamic
Oracy - Hold Me // Mojuba
Vladislav Delay - Recovery IDea (Andy Stott Remix) // Semantica
Dølle Jølle - Balearic Incarnation (Todd Terje's Extra Døll Mix) // Permanent Vacation

Dave Clarke - Back In The Box

I'm pretty excited about the latest installment in the Back In The Box retrospective series from NRK, compiled and mixed by UK-based techno bad boy Dave Clarke.

Clarke's track selection is built predominantly around the sound of late 80's Chicago house with a hint of old school Detroit techno and a few classic cuts from the UK's emerging house scene. Expertly programmed and mastered, the mix features tracks from the likes of Blake Baxter, Foremost Poets, Bam Bam and Ralphi Rosario.

The compilation is set to drop in October and honestly, I'm yet to hear a better mix-CD this year. Awesome, awesome stuff!

Read more >

Download: Dave Angel - BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix (1999-03-21)

Here's a classic two hour Essential Mix from techno legend Dave Angel back from 1999 for your listening pleasure. Nice, latino feel and bangin' stuff all along...

Download: Uploaded.to [192kbps MP3, ~170 MB]

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Sasha - Invol2ver

Sasha's highly anticipated follow up to his inaugural Involver mix-CD, Invol2ver, is now up on iTunes. Go ahead and check it out (if you don't mind the DRM). Both standard and limited CD versions are due September 8 (Sep. 9 in the US).

Tracklist:

01. Badger - Intro
02. Telefon Tel Aviv - You Are The Worst Thing In The World (Invol2ver Remix)
03. Rone - Flesh (Invol2ver Remix)
04. Sasha vs. Ray LaMontagne - Eclipse (Ray LaMontagne Vocal Version)
05. Sasha vs. Adam Parker - Lowlife (Adam Parker Vocal Sample)
06. Charlie May - Midnight (Adam Parker Vocal Sample)
07. Apparat - Arcadia (Invol2ver Remix)
08. Home Video - That You Might (Invol2ver Remix)
09. Ladytron - Destroy Everything You Touch (Invol2ver Remix)
10. M83 - Couleurs (Invol2ver Remix)
11. Thom Yorke - The Eraser (Invol2ver Remix)
12. Sasha - 3 Little Piggys
13. Engineers - Sometimes I Realise (Invol2ver Remix)

CD 2 (Special Edition 2CD version ONLY):

Thom Yorke - The Eraser (Sasha Club Remix)
Girls In Hawaii - Flavor (Sasha Invol2ver Remix)
Lostep - Burma (Invol2ver Dub Mix)
Home Video - Gas Tank (Sasha Invol2ver Remix)
Charlie May - Midnight (Full Version)
Sasha vs. Ray LaMontagne - Eclipse (CM Dub Mix)

Quote: James Holden

The change in dance music is that now everyone has a laptop and everyone can get a cracked copy of Ableton, so suddenly everyone is making what I call 'Ableton techno', and you get all these pedestrian records that just use the default sounds. When something is so common and easy to make, it has no value any more. I have to be careful as I always end up pissing people off who like that kind of thing, but I could be grumpy about it for hours!

Border Community head honcho James Holden discusses the current state of dance music in a recent interview with EndClub.com.

James Holden Interview [EndClub.com]

Study: Dance music can boost your immune system

Via Telegraph:

Scientists found that after listening to just 50 minutes of uplifting dance music, the levels of antibodies in volunteers' bodies increased. They also found that stress hormone levels, which can weaken the immune system, decreased after being exposed to the music. [...] The researchers tested 300 people, asking them to listen to 50 minutes of happy, joyful dance music or to a random collection of tones. They found that levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, decreased significantly in those listening to the dance music compared to the control group.

Music can boost your immune system [Telegraph.co.uk]

Brooklyn's Studio B shut down

The Brooklyn Paper reports that Brooklyn's Studio B has been shut down by the Department of Buildings. According to the paper, city documents did not reveal the specific offenses that caused Studio B's closure, however the DOB did on July 31 revoke the club's license to host large crowds indoors, effectively shutting down the venue. The paper is also reporting that as a result of the closure, all events between July 31 and at least August 19 have been relocated to different venues (locations remain TBA). Well.. it looks like Studio B's pissed off neighbors are finally getting things their way.

'Nuisance' bar closed! It’s the last dance for Studio B [The Brooklyn Paper]

Video: The story behind Ghostly International

Current TV is hosting this awesome video documenting the story behind Ghostly International, one of America's premier labels for forward-thinking music. Sam Valenti, the owner of the label talks about how they started, the concept and their music philosophy. The video also features interviews with Spectral Sound's first lady Kate Simko, Todd Osborn, and Scott Hansen.

Ghosts of Techno [Current TV]

The future of DJing

I stumbled upon this ongoing discussion over at 4four regarding to the future of DJing. This post from one of the members caught my eye instantly:

"It's funny. I just went through almost 3 straight years of buying digital for the most part, but I've been buying mainly vinyl since about March... I just love playing vinyl - end of. As far as the future of DJing, I don't know what more you could do to 'push DJing forward' without making it not DJing anymore. [...] Funnily enough, it seems the more a 'DJ' adds to his or her technical repetoire, the less solid the performance gets, in most cases anyway."

Here's the money line:

"Anytime I've seen a DJ absolutely kill it lately, it's been using 2 decks and a mixer..."

Don't you agree?