Nick Harris preps third Stoned Immaculate release

Stoned Immaculate, the label run by NRK's Nick Harris, marches on this Summer with it's third release.

Due out on July 16th, the 'Redux EP' features two brand new house cuts from Harris; '(Theme From) Stoned Immaculate' becomes the label's signature tune, an uncomplicated house jam that balances driving tribalism and blissed out chord work, whilst 'Situation' is a full vocal house cut, with it's influences in those classic sounds of Danny Tenaglia's Tribal days.  For those who swerve vocal cuts, there's a very handy 'Dub' of 'Situation' available that plunders Murk territory.

Check out the preview clips on the Stoned Immaculate Soundcloud page.

 

Ed Davenport's Counterchange 02 sampler with Roman Lindau Remix

Ed Davenport's debut album, Counterchange, was released back in March, and seems to have struck a chord with many, picking up rave reviews and new fans from across the electronic community.

This second vinyl album sampler features a new Extended Mix of 'One Last Look' and a great Roman Lindau Remix of 'Somewhere', alongside two album cuts.

Purchase the 12" of Counterchange Sampler 02 on the NRK Shopify 

Paul Woolford - The Lab 04 - limited 12" vinyl sampler

To accompany the brand new Paul Woolford - The Lab 04 compilation release, we've pressed up some very limited clear vinyl 12" samplers featuring 4 cuts taken from Woolford's selection.  Each track appears in it's full length mix, and the sampler includes Chez Damier's classic 'Untitled' (from KMS049) and 3 other cuts from Daniel Wang, Terrence Dixon and a Skudge Remix of Achterbahn D'Amour.

Check out this hot vinyl release on the NRK Shopify 

Nick Harris - Resident Advisor EX.092

Nick Harris talks 15 years of NRK Music, from the early days right up to the present day decision to retire the label.  On this special Resident Advisor Exchange interview, Nick discusses his future plans and new labels, as well as reminiscing over a decade and a half of running one of the world's most consistent deep house labels.

Download the RA Exchange here 

David Durango - '15 Years Of NRK Music' chart

Check out David Durango's '15 Years Of NRK Music' chart by clicking here 

Simon Garcia - '15 Years Of NRK Music' chart

Check out Simon Garcia's '15 Years Of NRK Music' chart by clicking here 

DZeta N' Basile - '15 Years Of NRK Music' chart

Check out DZeta N' Basile's '15 Years Of NRK Music' chart by clicking here

Jordan Peak '15 Years Of NRK Music' chart

Check out Jordan Peak's '15 Years Of NRK Music' chart by clicking here

Laura Jones - 15 Years Of NRK Music chart

Check out Laura Jones '15 Years Of NRK Music' chart for Beatport by clicking here

The Lab continues with Paul Woolford

The Lab compilation series was established in 2009, and has since gone on to host some of the electronic music scene’s most revered DJs. Loco Dice, Steve Bug and Seth Troxler have made the series a ‘must check’ compilation brand, pushing new music, new artists and labels to the fore, and allowing the DJs to experiment and mix up the sounds in The Lab. 

 And so the fourth installment of the series is handed to a British producer/DJ who is not shy of musical experimentation himself. Paul Woolford bit the electronic bug from an early age, searching out the latest new sounds on the radio and in magazines and through the bustling club scene around his native city of Leeds. It was here that he came across the now infamous Back To Basics club night, at which his dedication to the music would land him the resident DJ role within a couple of years. Honing his sound and DJ skills, Woolford quickly elevated to land key DJ spots around the world and a residency at Ibiza’s We Love Space. 

 As a producer, Woolford has built up a vast catalogue of dependable, and at times groundbreaking, music on labels like 2020 Vision, Junior Boys Own, NRK Music and Cocoon, under his own name as well as aliases Bobby Peru, Hip Therapist & more… 

 Never one to lay down into one defined style or genre for too long, Woolford has taken huge strides over the last couple of years to lay down foundations in the deepest areas of the underground music scene, and his love of the electronic sound in its purist form has led to new music on cutting edge labels such as Carl Craig’s Planet E Recordings, Hotflush (Scuba’s label) and Phonica, and it is here that Woolford can be found straddling the barriers of techno, dub, deep house and garage. 

 His double CD mix for The Lab brings us right up to date with the Woolford philosophy, where genres are completely secondary to good music. The opening of Disc One is a considered segue, deftly mixing disco moods, electro and sophisticated ambient house from artists like Ashley Beedle, Lando Kal, Shed and Daniel Wang, before the familiar stings of Chez Damier’s all time classic ‘Untitled’ (from KMS049) sends Disc One into a lock solid groove. Not for long though, as Woolford expertly guides us through a huge melting pot of sounds and ideas, all the while keeping the mix flowing and listener engaged. Key tracks from Roman Flugel, Dan Ghenacia, Untold and Skudge work their magic and the first mix comes to a crescendo with another classic from the vaults, this time from Carl Craig’s Urban Culture, and the wonderfully epic ‘Wonders Of Wishing’, still sounding as futuristic today as it did on its original 1993 release date. 

 Without delay, Disc Two gets straight into the groove with the dirty funk of Super Collider and continues to forage deep and pacey techno house from STL, Fabio Gianelli and the first of two appearances from Trevino AKA Marcus Intalex. Analogue sounds and drum machines are the components that keep driving the mix forward, and a raft of new talent such as Billy Shane, Skudge, Yasua Sato and Kausto provide some stunning moments here, whilst scene stalwarts like Chateau Flight, DJ Harvey and Dan Curtin keep the energy levels right up there. 

 As Woolford continues to steer his own personal journey through electronic music’s marshlands, via new imprint Special Request, as well as a renewed global club scene to DJ in, The Lab mix stands as the perfect aural snapshot of a producer and DJ not afraid to take the music where many others fear to go, which is a rare thing nowadays when sticking to the formula often brings the successes that artists crave.   

CD01 

1.1 Rafael Anton Irisarri – Blue Tomorrows 

1.2 Detroit Urban Gardening Ensemble - Take Root (Ashley Beedle's Dearborn Heights Rework) 

1.3 Lazor Sword - Batman (Lando Kal remix) 

1.4 Mr Beatnick - Synthetes 

1.5 Shed - The Praetorian 

1.6 Daniel Wang - Berlin Sunrise (die Dammerung) 

1.7 Chez Damier - Untitled 

1.8 Hunee – A Study In Wild 

1.9 Roman Fluegel - The Improvisor 

1.10 Untold - Motion The Dance 

1.11 Zakes Bantwini - Wasting My Time (Dan Ghenacia Remix) 

1.12 Skudge - Convolution (2562 Remix) 

1.13 Urban Culture – Wonders Of Wishing (For You) 

1.14 Rafael Anton Irisarri – Blue Tomorrows   

CD02 

2.1 Super Collider – Darn (Cold Way O’ Lovin’) 

2.2 STL – High Again 

2.3 Fabio Gianelli - Grenouille 

2.4 Trevino - Fred 

2.5 Yasua Sato – Mirage Of The Night Sky 

2.6 Terrence Dixon - Return Of The Speaker People (Kausto's Sudden Aphasia Mix) 

2.7 Château Flight - Baltringue 

2.8 Canyons - See Blind Through (DJ Harvey Mix) 

2.9 Gemini - Movement 2.10 Billy Shane - Fach 

2.11 NB Funky – Riddim Box 

2.12 Trevino - Tweakonomics 

2.13 Dan Curtin – Fly By Night 

2.14 Achterbahn D'Amour - Trance Me Up (Skudge Mix) 

2.15 Aphex Twin – XMD5a

The Lab 04 - Mixed by Paul Woolford, will be available on 2CD Mixed, 2CD Unmixed, limited edition clear vinyl unmixed 12" sampler and digital album bundle.  Release date: June 18th.

www.nrkmusic.com/thelab

15 years of NRK Music at Faith Fanzine

Our dear friends over at www.faithfanzine.com gave us the opportunity to have a good root around the brain cells and pick out fifteen highlights and pivotal moments from 15 years as a record label.

Read the article here 

Forever Underground 3CD out now

NRK's parting shot, the triple CD 'Forever Underground (Artifacts 1997-2012)' is out now.

Not many record labels can lay claim to a 15 year stretch, but NRK Music has been a consistent and trusted source of the finest deep house and tech house music for the last decade and a half. Set up in 1996 in Bristol, UK, NRK Music quickly delivered a hefty slew of releases from the off from artists like Ian Pooley, François K, Dimitri From Paris and Nick Holder, and have never looked back since. Now with over 170 single releases and 45 albums, plus the mix compilation series Back In The Box, The Lab, nite:life and Deep Sensations, NRK prepare to celebrate it's 15th, and final year in the business with “Forever Underground”. 

 A 3CD package, “Forever Underground” collects some of the finest moments from the label’s career to date, and showcases the variety of sounds and trends within the house music scene over the last 15 years. CD1 features such hi-lights as Quentin Harris’ epic “Let’s Be Young”, the sensationally deep Charles Webster mix of Shara Nelson’s “Go That Deep”, Blackjoy’s awesome disco jam “Moustache” and Foremost Poet’s legendary call to the dancefloor “Moonraker”, plus truly memorable deep house cuts from Nick Holder, Sirus and Twisted Pair. 

 CD2 continues the delve into the NRK catalogue, opening up with perhaps one of the defining deep house records of our time, François K’s “Time & Space”, swiftly plucking another bomb from the vaults in Tom Middleton’s remix of Kerri Chandler’s “Bar A Thym”. The underground vibes continue with the luscious King Britt remix of “Innocent”, Nick Holder’s classic “Summer Daze” and DJ Q’s pounding and hypnotic “Superclique”. Throughout it’s 15 year tenure, NRK have always reflected the evolving sounds of electronic dance, and the trio of tracks that round off CD2 are some classic, analogue techno sounds from Paul Woolford, Ed Davenport and the legend that is Carl Craig, confirming that NRK has been a label that stands by quality underground music, regardless of the many sub genres out there. 

 CD3 is a bonus mix CD from NRK founder, DJ and producer, Nick Harris. With not an easy task to pick out a CDs worth of 170 releases and upwards to 700 tracks & remixes, Harris deftly programs and mixes some of the standout tracks from over the years along with various Dub Mixes, Bonus Beats and underground goodies from the vaults. And so, along with many of the catalogue favorites, Harris pulls out tracks and remixes from Spencer Parker, Pete Heller, Kings Of Tomorrow, Trackheadz, Joey Negro and Chris Lattner, creating the perfect mix to encapsulate NRK’s forward thinking music policy and ear for an underground dancefloor bomb!

The 3CD is now available from the NRK Shopify here

Digital download album will be available as from Monday 21st May 2012.

Nick Harris interview on Burlington Project

NRK's Nick Harris explains why he's taken the decision to retire the NRK brand after 15 years in the business.

Read the interview here at Burlington Project

Ed Davenport launches 'Counterchange' at Panorama Bar

Ed Davenport launches his recent 'Counterchange' album with a special party in the city of Berlin, where the album was recorded.

Panorama Bar will host a set from Ed Davenport on Saturday 21st April, and will be joined by NRK's Nick Harris, the Hold Tight DJs, Stefan Goldmann and a live set from Henrick Schwarz. The famed venue opens it's doors at midnight and rolls on through the Sunday. With Davenport playing fairly frequently at Panorama Bar and the Berghain, it's the perfect venue for the album to be celebrated with this special event.

'Counterchange' is Ed's debut album, featuring new versions of the singles 'More Red Lights' and 'New Yorkshire' and 10 other brand new compositions. Straddling the lines between classic house and techno sounds, ambient soundscapes and the forward thinking bass music edge, 'Counterchange' has picked up a raft of great reviews in Mixmag, DJ Magazine, Groove and many more.

'Counterchange' on Beatport

'Counterchange' on Whatpeopleplay

'Counterchange' CD on NRK webshop

Nick Harris - Mixmag Mix Of The Week

Nick Harris has exclusively mixed a new 60 minute mix for the legendary dance publication, Mixmag. Non stop house pressure from NRK's headhoncho!

Tracklist

Kerri Chandler - So It Begins Again (Dark Mix) (Madhouse)

The Martinez Brothers - The Causeway (Objektivity)

Ethyl & Flori - Shelter (Rolando Remix) (Secretsundaze)

Reelsoul & Alix Alvarez - BOM! (Alix Alvarez Dub) (Sole Channel)

Levon Vincent - Air Raid (Ovum)

BT - Remember (Mood II Swing Dub Mix) (Warner Music)

Re-UP - Wanna Get (Safari Electronique)

Terrence Dixon - Return Of The Speaker People (Kautso's Sudden Aphasia Mix) (Shanti)

Lil Tony - Checkpoint Charlie (Moodmusic)

Shonky & Jennifer Cardini - Tuesday Paranoia (Dub Mix) (Crosstown Rebels)

DBX - Losing Control (Peacefrog)

Nick Harris - Surfing With Kilgore (Stoned Immaculate)

KINK - Don't Stop (Ponton)

Nick Harris - Bucket Bong (Stoned Immaculate)

Dan Curtin's 'Stolen' EP out on Leviathan Sounds

Bristol’s Leviathan Sounds returns with a superb new single from scene stalwart Dan Curtin who offers up two new slabs of dark, twisted & funky grooves...

Leviathan Sounds is a brand new label for 2012 hailing from the musical hotbed of Bristol in the west of England. The first two EP’s from Admiral & Lewis Boardman have already garnered support from some of the globe’s leading DJs, including Sasha, Ripperton, Laurent Garnier & Anja Schneider and the label is being looked to as a possible leading light for the year ahead.

For the third release, due early April, the imprint has hooked up with US techno heavyweight Dan Curtin, a man who’s musical history runs parallel with the story of modern dance music. Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Curtin has a catalogue of releases spanning almost 20 years and includes music on labels such as Peacefrog, Tuning Spork, Strictly Rhythm & Mobilee to name a just a few.

For his latest release Curtin has teamed up with vocalist The Blacknile for the wonderfully raw ‘Stolen’, a twisted, dark and funky slice of rough house that uses distorted drums, intense synths and rolling bass to underpin the outstanding spoken word vocals. The original mix is simply sublime and instantly conjures up that 7am warehouse feeling, offered alongside this is the ‘Postharmonix mix’ where Mr Curtin takes things down a bleeping and jackin route and provides an alternative that stands tall again the brilliant original.

To close the package we have the wonderfully titled ‘The Night Will Set You Free’ which blends raw drums, hypnotic piano lines and twisted percussion to create and old school workout with a 2012 twist.

Dan Curtin's "Stolen" EP will be out exclusively on Beatport on 8th April, with all other digital sites to follow two weeks later.

NRK celebrate 15 years with Forever Underground

Not many record labels can lay claim to a 15 year stretch, but NRK Music has been a consistent and trusted source of the finest deep house and tech house for the last decade and a half. Set up in 1996 in Bristol, UK, NRK Music quickly delivered a hefty slew of releases from the off from artists like Ian Pooley, François K, Dimitri From Paris and Nick Holder, and have never looked back since. Now with over 170 single releases and 45 albums, plus the mix compilation series Back In The Box, The Lab, nite:life and Deep Sensations, NRK prepare to celebrate 15 years in the business with “Forever Underground”.

A 3CD package, “Forever Underground” collects some of the finest moments from the label’s career to date, and showcases the variety of sounds and trends within the house music scene over the last 15 years. CD1 features such hi-lights as Quentin Harris’ epic “Let’s Be Young”, the sensationally deep Charles Webster mix of Shara Nelson’s “Go That Deep”, Blackjoy’s awesome disco jam “Moustache” and Foremost Poet’s legendary call to the dancefloor “Moonraker”, plus truly memorable deep house cuts from Nick Holder, Sirus and Twisted Pair.

CD2 continues the delve into the NRK catalogue, opening up with perhaps one of the defining deep house records of our time, François K’s “Time & Space”, swiftly plucking another bomb from the vaults in Tom Middleton’s remix of Kerri Chandler’s “Bar A Thym”. The underground vibes continue with the luscious King Britt remix of “Innocent”, Nick Holder’s classic “Summer Daze” and DJ Q’s pounding and hypnotic “Superclique”. Throughout it’s 15 year tenure, NRK have always reflected the evolving sounds of electronic dance, and the trio of tracks that round off CD2 are some classic, analogue techno sounds from Paul Woolford, Ed Davenport and the legend that is Carl Craig, confirming that NRK has been a label that stands by quality underground music, regardless of the many sub genres out there.

CD3 is a bonus mix CD from NRK founder, DJ and producer, Nick Harris. With not an easy task to pick out a CDs worth of 170 releases and upwards to 700 tracks & remixes, Harris deftly programs and mixes some of the standout tracks from over the years along with various Dub Mixes, Bonus Beats and underground goodies from the vaults. And so, along with many of the catalogue favorites, Harris pulls out tracks and remixes from Spencer Parker, Pete Heller, Kings Of Tomorrow, Trackheadz, Joey Negro and Chris Lattner, creating the perfect mix to encapsulate NRK’s forward thinking music policy and ear for an underground dancefloor bomb!

The 3CD of Forever Underground will be released on 7th May, with an extended digital album bundle available as from 21st May

CD01

01. SIRUS – AN EYE FOR AN EYE (ORIGINAL MIX)

02. NUFREQUENCY FT. SHARA NELSON – GO THAT DEEP (CHARLES WEBSTER REMIX)

03. QUENTIN HARRIS – LET’S BE YOUNG (ORIGINAL MIX)

04. NICK HOLDER – PARADISE (SALT CITY MIX)

05. TERRA DEVA – FRESH START (JOSHUA’S HOUSE MIX)

06. BLACKJOY – MOUSTACHE (LA STACHE)

07. FOREMOST POETS – MOONRAKER (ORIGINAL MIX)

08. TWISTED PAIR – HORNY HUSTLE

09. TRACKHEADZ – OUR MUSIC

10. ROCKET – PEOPLE (JENO’S STORMY WEATHER MIX)

CD02

01. FRANÇOIS K – TIME & SPACE

02. KERRI CHANDLER – BAR A THYM (TOM MIDDLETON’S COSMOS MIX)

03. AKABU FT. LINDA CLIFFORD – RIDE THE STORM (JOEY NEGRO DUB STORM)

04. Q-BURNS ABSTRACT MESSAGE – INNOCENT (KING BRITT’S SCUBA MIX)

05. NICK HOLDER – SUMMER DAZE (RADIO EDIT)

06. DJ Q – SUPERCLIQUE

07. ED DAVENPORT – NEW YORKSHIRE (CLUB MIX)

08. PAUL WOOLFORD – 313 (PART ONE)

09. HOT LIZARD – THE THEME (CARL CRAIG REMIX)

CD03 (MIXED BY NICK HARRIS)

01. AUDIO SOUL PROJECT – COMMUNITY

02. TRACKHEADZ – FEEL (INSTRUMENTAL MIX)

03. KINGS OF TOMORROW – THE SWAY

04. QUENTIN HARRIS – LET’S BE YOUNG (JULIEN JABRE REMIX)

05. TWISTED PAIR – HORNY HUSTLE

06. KERRI CHANDLER – BAR A THYM (ORIGINAL MIX)

07. AKABU FT. LINDA CLIFFORD – RIDE THE STORM (JOEY NEGRO DUB STORM)

08. FRANÇOIS K – TIME & SPACE

09. MATTHIAS HEILBRONN – BROOKLYN SUB (SOULFLOWER DUB BEATS)

10. CHYMERA – WISH (PETER DILDO RAWJUICE RESHAPE)

11. FOREMOST POETS – MOONRAKER (SPENCER PARKER’S A GUN FOR HIRE REMIX)

12. NICK HOLDER FT. SACHA – TIME (SIX SERIES DUBSTRUMENTAL)

13. SIRUS – AN EYE FOR AN EYE (PETE HELLER EDIT)

14. HIPP-E – BROVAS DARKNESS

15. LEWIS BOARDMAN – MIST (CHRIS LATTNER REMIX)

16. BLACKJOY – MOUSTACHE (LA STACHE)

17. ROCKET – PEOPLE (JENO’S STORMY WEATHER MIX)

Second Stoned Immaculate release from Nick Harris

Out now on Beatport, three more straight up house cuts from Nick Harris, on the second Stoned Immaculate release. Following on from the “Dispatches” EP which earned glowing reviews in Mixmag, Resident Advisor and DJ Magazine, Harris sticks to the script with simple, deep and banging club cuts.

'In The Flowers' balances a sweet loopy disco vibe with a hard, slammin beat, clearly inspired by the sounds of classic labels Cajual, Relief etc. Holding up the EP is the piano driven title track, 'Hallucinations', whilst sandwiched in the middle is the cheeky 'Bucket Bong', the origins of which need little introduction!

'Hallucinations EP' on Beatport

Selected DJ comments;

Kate Simko (Spectral Sound) – In The Flowers for me, thanks!

James What (Crosstown Rebels) – Loving Bucket Bong and Hallucinations

Nils Nurnberg (8-Bit) – SI001 was really great, this is even better!

Rocky (X-Press 2) – Superb stuff once again from Harris, definite support from me

Joel Alter (Bass Culture) – Great one! Simple & funky, no need to complicate things, support!

Bubba (Hot Creations) – In The Flowers, nice cut! Bucket Bong will be useful

Laura Jones (Visionquest) – Hallucinations is my fave, love In The Flowers too

Milton Jackson (Freerange) – I really like Hallucinations, old Kenlou vibes for the whole EP actually which is nice

Gavin Herlihy (Crosstown Rebels) – Jam-tastic nineties house business on here, all three cuts sounding cool

Cats ‘n’ Dogz (Dirtybird) – This one is really cool, will play

Severino (Horsemeat Disco) – This is great, I love Nick’s music, all 3 cuts are big!

Kiki (Bpitch) – Great EP! Especially Bucket Bong, a great party tool

Jon McIver (Jet Project) – Yeah, these will work! Big fan of Nick’s stuff

Ricardo Miranda (Rush Hour) – Deep & bangin, love all the subtle change ups, great, great EP

Anja Schneider (Mobilee) – Like this one, thanks!

Iron Curtis (Morris Audio) – Always a pleasure to receive Nick Harris tracks, I’m into In The Flowers!

Jordan Peak (Tsuba) – Full support, love it!

Paul Woolford (Planet E) – I’ll take a Bucket Bong please ;-)

Enzo Siragusa (FUSE) – Nice houset tracks, will support

Terence (Freak n Chic) – Nice house! Love the vibe

Kasper (Esperanza) – Great house record, love Bucket Bong

Emerson Todd (Dirty Bird) – Been playing the first release a lot and I’ll be doing the same with these, great stuff

Scope (Large Music) – enjoying Nick’s sounds right now, Hallucinations is great

Moodymanc (2020 Vision) – Really liking all three of these

Adam Shelton (One Recs) – Hallucinations is really nice, great groove and love the whole feel of the track, looking forward to playing this

Gorge (8-Bit) – Cool release

Jon Woodall (Back To Basics) – Hallucinations is wicked, Bucket Bong is pretty cool too

Ed Davenport - Counterchange CD out now

Ed Davenport's debut album, Counterchange' is released this week on CD. The 46th album in NRK's long running release schedule, 'Counterchange' is a great snapshot of the current state of affairs in the techno, house and bass music communities.

The album has already picked up glowing reviews in DJ Magazine, Mixmag, Groove and De:Bug, with Davenport being marked as a major talent to watch, and this debut long player has all the qualities of an artist in complete control of his sound.

Counterchange features new versions of the singles 'New Yorkshire' and 'More Red Lights', as well as 8 other brand new tracks, all exploring the depths and textures of deep techno, electronica and beyond.

01. Of Light & Shade

02. Counterchange

03. New Yorkshire (Inception Mix)

04. Djungel Alliance

05. Cyanotype

06. More Red Lights (2012)

07. One Last Look

08. A Bridge Mystic

09. Misty Morning Hop

10. Somewhere

The CD album is out now (see link below for purchase info) and digital versions of the album will be released on April 2nd. In the meantime, Davenport can be heard at the following venues over the coming weeks;

Propaganda, Moscow (22nd March), Panorama Bar, Berlin (21st April w/ Nick Harris), Cafe 1001, London (5th May)

Purchase 'Counterchange' CD

Nick Harris - Dispatches EP out now

Most known for being the head honcho of long serving bastion of the British house scene, NRK Music, Nick Harris launches a new label for 2012, and takes the first release slot for himself. Out now on digital download, 'Dispatches' EP, on Stoned Immaculate, has picked up glowing reviews and heavy support from the house fraternity.

'Under Control' slams hard like a slice of Kerri Chandler in a duel with Lil' Louis, 'Surfing With Kilgore' dubs it up Mood II Swing style and 'Feel Like Movin' skips just right with plenty of organ action.

Expect more offerings from Harris soon, with the second Stoned Immaculate release schedules for March.

'Dispatches' EP on Beatport

Resident Advisor review 'Dispatches' EP

'Dispatches' EP preview on Soundcloud

Ed Davenport readies 'Counterchange' album

Berlin based Brit Ed Davenport has announced his debut LP, Counterchange, will be released on NRK on 19th March 2012.

Having slowly but assuredly emerged through the mire of house producers in the last 5 or so years, Ed Davenport now cuts it with the best of them. A steady stream of singles, EPs and remixes have come on labels like liebe*detail, Falkplatz and Pooled Music in recent times, but arguably it’s the Salisbury born man’s work for Bristol’s NRK which has found him really finding his feet. The More Red Lights and New Yorkshire EPs from 2011 are testament to that, both of which explored a well-designed, thick and heavy house and techno sound.

It’s a similar sound explored throughout Counterchange, too, but with plenty of concessions to filmic home listening rather than straight up dancefloor fodder. Notably, breakbeats feature heavily up the spine of the album, as does subtle vocal sampling and plenty of atmospheric tension.

Says Ed: “'Counterchange' is a further development of my vision of electronic music, that sits somewhere between the club and home listening. The title relates to the relationship and contrast between any two opposites. That could simply be harmony, light and shade, viewpoints or opinions. From my background studying as a graphic designer, the use of counterchange in a visual sense can be very effective.”

Starting with the brooding drums and moody voices of “Of Light & Shade” the album unfurls through the barely restrained rave euphoria of the title track, the beautifully re-worked melodies of “New Yorkshire” and “More Red Lights” as well as touching on some sombre downbeat bleakness, bold concrete funk and under-lapping deep techno. The penultimate track, “Somewhere,” is to be the album’s forceful first single: an obvious choice for its deeply hypnotic rhythms and train-track grooves.

Frankly, the album is a real voyage from start to finish, and one that marks Davenport out as someone with plenty to say, as well as the skills to say it.

Check out album clips on Soundcloud

Booking now for NRK's 15th anniversary celebrations

NRK Music celebrates 15 years in the business this year, and plans are afoot for a special triple CD package featuring some of the many hi lights from the last decade and a half. To be released in April, "Forever Underground (Artifacts 1997-2012)" will also include a bonus mix CD from label founder, DJ and producer, Nick Harris.

Bookings are currently being taken by Sweat Lodge Agency for the 15th anniversary tour and events, featuring Nick Harris and guests. A special set at Berlin's Panorama Bar is locked down for April, so all promoters who would like to express interest in the tour please email james@sweatlodgeagency.com

More info at Sweat Lodge Agency

Welcoming Leviathan Sounds to the family

Strobelight Ltd, the parent company of NRK Music, welcomes a new label to the family. Leviathan Sounds is the new imprint from up and coming producer, Admiral, and specialises in some pretty out there tech house sounds and raw club cuts. Admiral opens the label account with his 'Scorpio Rising' EP, already picking up favourable comment from the likes of Laurent Garnier, Dinky, Kris Wadsworth and more.

'Scorpio Rising' EP will be released on Beatport on January 23rd, followed two weeks later on all other digital sites including Whatpeoopleplay, Juno, Traxsource and iTunes.

Admiral - Scorpio Rising E.P. (LEVIATHAN001) by Leviathan Sounds

Ed Davenport to drop debut album in March

Berlin resident and British electronic producer, Ed Davenport, has been a mainstay on NRK over the last 12 months or so, plying his powerful and emotive sounds over a variety of EPs. Davenport has now completed his debut long player, 'Counterchange', and his first album will be released in March.

Crossing the lines between house and techno music, Berlin has obviously been a huge influence on Davenport's sound over the last year, as have the hybrid sounds of dubstep, ambient techno and other inspirational sounds. 'Counterchange' features many moods and textures but runs very coherently and plays out like a perfect snapshot of electronic dance music as we know it today. The album features reworkings of previous singles 'More Red Lights' and 'New Yorkshire', and shows us just why Davenport is fast evolving in his sound and stature.

'Counterchange' will be released in March, and will be preceded by another single, featuring a remix by Roman Lindau.

For a flavour of Ed's sounds, check out this DJ set from Berlin Arena a couple of months back.

Ed Davenport @ Arena 30.09.11 by Ed Davenport

Ibiza Voice interview with Nick Harris

Ibiza Voice gets the lowdown on Stoned Immaculate, the new label launched by Nick Harris.

Read the article here

Nick Harris launches new label for 2012

Most known for being the head honcho of long serving bastion of the British house scene, NRK Music, Nick Harris launches a new label for 2012, and takes the first release slot for himself.

Stoned Immaculate is the label, and will focus on straight up house trax, slightly dubbed around the edges, and always aimed for the dancefloor. And Nick's first release for the new label nails the ethos pretty well, with three new tracks, all cut from simple cloth but with classic house elements doing what they do best.

'Under Control' slams hard like a slice of Kerri Chandler in a duel with Lil' Louis, 'Surfing With Kilgore' dubs it up Mood II Swing style and 'Feel Like Movin' skips just right with plenty of organ action.

'Dispatches' EP by Nick Harris is out on Stoned Immaculate as a digital release only, from 30th January 2012.