00Deep - A Review Of The Decade - 2009

2009 was a testing time for NRK, with the label having to downsize and restructure itself, and so the year started slowley, with those involved taking some time to reorganise and evaluate the future of the label. However, you can't keep an old dog down for too long, and the label fired out a serious contender for "compilation of the year".

Planned in 2008 and finally released in April 09, Loco Dice, the infamous DC10 resident and doyen of deep grooves, compiled and mixed the first in NRK's new mix CD series, The Lab. Designed to let the selector experiment with music, the Lab 01 found Loco Dice rejuvinate his love of pure deep house, and so his double CD spanned the more techno orientated sounds that he is know for as well as some classic deep house sounds from the likes of Nick Holder, 95 North, Tyree Cooper and many more. The Lab 01 was a great success, Loco Dice scooping the front cover of British dance bible iDJ, and the album appearing in the Resident Advisor Top 20 compilations of 2009.



September of this year saw The Lab reappear, this time with fellow German-based DJ/producer Steve Bug at the helm. Notorious for his labels Poker Flat and Dessous, Bug mixed up a double CD delight for The Lab, again pushing the sound towards the deeper end of the spectrum, as Loco Dice did. Choice cuts from MCDE, DJ Koze, H.O.S.H, Ben Klock and Joris Voorn made this compilation a must have for lovers of the deep tech groove.

Back In The Box also carried the torch for retrospective compilations, this time it was Chi-town legend DJ Sneak who got to ransack his record collection, all in the name of creating a mix that will drag you down memory lane to some of house music's most memorable years. Sneak literally slayed the turntables on this double mix, including blinding tunes from the likes of Daft Punk, Ian Pooley, Cajmere, Bob Sinclar, Cricco Castelli and Global Communications. Sneak showed us a masterclass in jackin, boompety house, with flawless mixing and tune selection.



And Belgium's Spirit Catcher offered us a brilliant mix in (the last of) the Coast2Coast series. A superb, contemporary mix of great electronic dance, Spirit Catcher selected great music from the likes of Carl Craig, Johnny D, Jerome Sydenham, Matthias Tanzmann and Motorcitysoul.



NRK got back on the singles racks in September of 09, after an absence of a year, with new singles by Scope (including a massive Kruse & Nuernberg remix), David Durango (with Tony Lionni and NRK's Nick Harris on the mix), Spencer Parker and a new single from Detroit's Kris Wadsworth (enlisting David Alvarado and Nick Harris for remix duties).

Steve Bug's "The Lab 02" out this week

This week sees the release of Steve Bug's "The Lab 02" mix compilation project. Already picking up rave music in the dance music press, Bug follows in the footsteps of Loco Dice by compiling and mixing for NRK's newest series.

The album is available as a mixed 2CD and also as highly popular unmixed 2CD, featuring selected tracks in their entirety. We have also issued three seperate 12" samplers for those that still play and cherish the vinyl format!

And so to The Lab, a double disc treat from Bug that does not disappoint. Over the two discs, Steve shows his depth of DJ style, encompassing more deeper house sounds on disc one, and heady “tech” flavoured grooves on disc two. Showcasing many “leaders of the new school”, from the likes of Motor City Drum Ensemble (MCDE), DJ Koze, Ben Klock, Audiofly, Markus Worgull and Chateau Flight, alongside established artists such as Peace Division, Cobblestone Jazz and Trentmoller, Bug dedicates this Lab mix to those house music producers with an edge and flair for innovative and futuristic sounds. Bug’s “The Lab” mix perhaps sets the trend away from the minimal-by-numbers music from the last couple of years, and pushes the sound to more interesting and deeper territories. The mixes are the sound of now, from the terraces of Ibiza to the beach parties of Croatia, from the underground clubs of Berlin to the sweat soaked warehouses of London and beyond.

Click on the tracks below for audio previews

CD01 (mixed by Steve Bug)
01. Nick Höeppner - Makeover
02. Kevin Griffiths – Cantona Kung Fu
03. Kai Alce feat. Azulu Phantom – Power Thru Pt 3 (Mush Remix)
04. Alex Flitsch & Audiofly – Long Way To Go
05. Rocco – Da Men (Dub)
06. Dplay – Huub Sand
07. Claire Ripley - Kismet
08. Henry L – The Other Day At The Basement (Marcus Worgull's Flugskompensator Dub)
09. David Durango – Perfect Day
10. Sideshow ft. Paul St. Hilaire – If Alone (Chateau Flight Remix)
11. Dan Berkson & James What - Cycles
12. Jay Tripwire – Save Each Other
13. Stl – Silent State
14. Nick Solé – Simple Things
15. Kiki – Good Voodoo

CD02 (mixed by Steve Bug)
01. Craig Smith & The Revenge - The Soul Part 2
02. Outmode - The Examiner (Tom Taylor Remix)
03. Blagger - Strange Behaviour (DJ Koze AKA Swahimi Remix)
04. Channel X - Ticket
05. Jay Tripwire presents 8 Channels - Control
06. Andrade - Fingers (Dirk Lamprecht Remix)
07. Ben Klock - Subzero
08. H.O.S.H. - Better And Sweet (Audiofly Remix)
09. Steve Bug - Swallowed Too Much Bass (feat. Paris The Black Fu) (Joris Voorn Remix)
10. Art Of Tones feat. Jaw - Call The Shots (Motor City Drum Ensemble Remix)
11. DOP - 36500 Days
12. Cobblestone Jazz - Traffic Jam
13. Peace Division - Eh Oh Um
14. Trentemøller Vs DJ Lab – Rauta (Girls Mix)
15. Re-Up - Inside Us
16. Newworldaquarium - Trespassers (Redshape Remix)

Steve Bug - The Lab 02 (2CD Mixed)
Steve Bug - The Lab 02 (2CD Unmixed)
Steve Bug - The Lab 02 (12" vinyl sampler 01)
Digital album on Beatport

Loco Dice experiments in The Lab

Tunisian born, Dusseldorf raised, Loco Dice has firmly established himself as a major player in the electronic techno house field with an incredible reputation as both DJ and producer. Beginning his career as a hip-hop MC and Urban DJ, supporting the likes of Snoop Dog, Ice Cube and Jamiroquai all over Germany in the early 90s, Dice made the switch to more house orientated beats in the latter part of the decade, spinning at legendary German clubs such as La Rocca and Tribehouse.

Perhaps the style that has elevated Loco Dice to A list DJ status has been the minimal techno explosion over the last few years, but quite simply, Loco Dice plays house music, “deep, groovy, chunky, driving, 123 Music for the terrace” as he describes it. A residency at the now legendary DC10 in Ibiza and an association with fellow German DJ/producer, Timo Maas, propelled Loco Dice to the fore, with hot productions on labels such as 4:20. Ovum Recordings, Cocoon, M_nus and Cadenza Records. And let’s not forget his own label, Desolat, an imprint that has fired out a select bunch of records that all hit the spot.

And so to The Lab, a new series of DJ mix compilations launched by undisputed Kings Of House, NRK Music. Each mix in The Lab series will be a double CD of forward thinking electronic dance music, a platform for the selector to experiment with sound and rhythm, and create a 2 hour + mix that folk are gonna talk about! And Loco Dice does not disappoint; just shy of 30 tracks over two discs, with a mixture of all the styles that make up the Loco Dice sound. Disc One concentrates on the darker club moments, otherworldly and hypnotic grooves from the likes of Terrence Dixon, Kerri Chandler, Second Hand Satellites, Robert Dietz, and other leaders of the nu school sound….intelligent minimal dance but with a great groove and swing….. Disc Two ploughs a deeper house path, winding things down a little from Disc One’s upfront and urgent selection. Many familiar names make up this second mix; dance veterans such as Nick Holder, 95 North, Audio Soul Project, Tyree Cooper and Terry Lee Brown Jr mix it up with Franck Roger and Alix Alvarez beats, and contemporary deepness from Sascha Dive and Daso & Pawas. Mightily impressive stuff from Loco Dice, who is set to have a huge year in 2009, and a great start to NRK’s latest series, The Lab.

The Lab 01, compiled & mixed by loco Dice, will be released on March 16th on 2CD (Mixed), 2CD (Unmixed), two 12" vinyl samplers and a ful digital album release.