Balance Selections Podcast

Armed with unwavering persistence, the idiosyncratic and self-critical Alex Niggemann has had a remarkable career so far, with the future still as bright as ever. Not many artists can attest to suddenly finding themselves sitting on Resident Advisor's 'Top 20 Charted Artists' after a friend submitted some of their work to labels without their approval. But this is exactly what happened to Alex, leading him to release on various labels from Audiofly’s Supernature imprint to Nick Curly‘s 8bit Records, and even establishing his own label, Soulfooled (followed by his second label, AEON, in 2013). Alex's heavy-duty Materium EP, released on Steve Bug's prolific Poker Flat, dominated the charts last year and sat in RA's Top 50 for weeks after it's initial release. Other notable releases of late include the excellent Earth Symphony EP on Sasha's Last Night on Earth, and also the hypnotic single 'Sorrow' on Watergate Recordings. For Alex's Balance Selections podcast you can look forward to some beautiful tracks from labels like Kompakt, Objektivity and Alex's own Soulfooled label en route to more darker cuts from acts like Rødhad and Barnt. It is very clear that what has been a sprawling journey for Alex to date is far from coming to an end. Tracklisting and interview here: http://www.balancemusic.com.au/news/alex-niggemann-balance-podcast/

A child of the London acid-house explosion, British-born DJ and producer Dave Angel has been responsible for an astonishing amount of music over the years. Dave's journey, since his first foray in production with his 'Nightmare Remix' of Eurythmics' 'Sweet Dreams', has been an enviable one. The son of a jazz musician, Angel's roots are in bebop and modern jazz as much as in the Detroit-styled techno he has famously helped to pioneer. His back catalogue is littered with singles, EPs and remixes on some of music’s most esteemed record labels that include Polydor/Love, OuterRythm, Fnac, React Records, Island, R+S and Outrage imprints, and now he finds himself launching a new chapter in his career, releasing tracks on Bedrock and Crosstown Rebels.Responsible for the formation of one of the scene's most important imprints, Rotation Records, not only served as a platform for Dave's own exquisite work but was paramount to the beginnings of many careers: Adam Beyer, Christian Smith, Deetron, Vince Watson, Laidback Luke, The Advent, Jamie Anderson, Bryan Zentz, Steve Rachmad and Misstress Barbara amongst many, all cut their earliest grooves on the label and each helped to define Rotation as both a purveyor for new sounds and new talent. Now, his sights are set on the future, busily crafting a slew of cuts that are set to take this year by storm. And in a very special treat, Dave Angel has mixed the very first Balance Selections podcast for 2015. Tracklisting and interview here: http://www.balancemusic.com.au/news/dave-angel-podcast/

It’s very rare in today's digital age to find an artist that has built a profile for themselves without the backing of any productions. However, for the last 4 years Atish Mehta has been forging a career for himself through only DJing, and a small gig in San Francisco has turned into a musical journey that his seen him play live across the globe. Anyone that has seen Atish live can attest to his natural enthusiasm for music which is only matched by his ability to entertain a dancefloor. His mixes on soundcloud has seen him amass quite a following and the quality of his monthly podcasts has led to his play counters increase from 2000 to around 20 000 plays in no time. Atish’s natural talent and passion for music haven’t gone unnoticed: Lee Burridge asked Atish to play on the legendary Robot Heart bus sound system at Burning Man in 2011, and Atish has been invited back every year since. He’s also been honored to open for and tag with some of the most respected names in dance music including John Digweed, Danny Howells, Guy Gerber, M.A.N.D.Y., and Tyrant. Currently, Atish is on Listed Bookings’ roster, and he is a resident at Listed’s monthly party, Play, at San Francisco’s world-renowned club, The Endup. He‘s also the resident at the long-running quirky monthly event, Tutu Tuesday.. We are very excited to have Atish mix the latest Balance Selections podcast, and with this mix (as Atish acknowledges) he has shown his appreciation for various shades house: “With this Balance mix, I touched on some pretty sounds, some deep ones, lushness, a touch of techiness, and a proggy-influenced finish with a hint of epicness (but hopefully not cheesiness).” It took Atish 2 months to put this podcast together and you can definitely hear his attentive approach towards track selection, and how each track compliments the next. (“Sometimes I’ll spend up to 45 minutes just on a single transition…”). It’s this attention to the finer attributes of the mix that has made Atish a regular visitor to clubs around the world…. Atish soundcloud: soundcloud.com/atish Atish Facebook: facebook.com/atishmusic Tracklisting here: http://www.balancemusic.com.au/news/balance-selections-005-atish/

As the founding member of Infusion, Jamie Stevens has quite the pedigree. In the early to late 2000's he traveled with the band all around the globe playing the world’s most prestigious clubs and festivals (and we are talking Glastonbury, Coachella and Roskilde among many others) which has given him the opportunity to hone his live performance skills and learn the intricate art of dancefloor mechanics - traits which he meticulously apply to his DJ sets which can range from driving peak time tek to stoned-out warm up slots (check his recent warm up set for Danny Howells in Melbourne). On the production tip Jamie has really propelled himself forward with a characteristic cinematic, percussive and bass-heavy sound that has seen his tracks find a home on labels like Bedrock, Dieb Audio, Chameleon and microCastle (if you’ve not heard Jamie’s recent microCastle track ‘The Wonder of You’ yet, do yourself a favour and listen to it now. Just don’t blame us when you melt away after hearing it). His instantly recognizable remixes created for the likes of Hernan Cattaneo, Booka Shade, D.Ramirez, Cid Inc and Antix amongst a host of others have been no stranger to praise and support from the biggest names in the industry: Sasha, Laurent Garnier, D-Nox, Adam Beyer, Danny Howells and Secret Cinema. We can’t be more excited to have Jamie on board for a Balance Selections podcast and man, did he deliver. One look at the tracklisting below will tell you that he has bought himself the biggest musical spade he could find for some proper crate digging. As Jamie puts it: “I just chose tracks that told a story all together rather than just new tunes or one particular feel: electronica, 50s computer music, berlin techno, Krautrock, progginess... Haha!” That might sound like hyperbole but he is spot on with that description as there is no specific sound happening here (that said, there is an underlying theme connecting all of the tracks). Rather, what you will find here is a collection of interesting tracks that is far more than the sum of its parts - and isn't that the hallmark of all great mixes? Enough already. Familiarise yourself with Jamie though the Q+A below, then switch of the lights, power down your phone, put on the headphones and press play. As the famous line by British actor Geoffrey Sumner goes: "This is a journey into sound!" Tracklisting and interview here: www.balancemusic.com.au/news/balance-selection-004-jamie-stevens/

For the next edition of Balance Selections we head down to Spain for some techno action from Marc Dosem aka Dosem. For over 5 years now Dosem has been dropping big room techno bombs on labels such as Sino, Carl Cox's Intec Recordings, Tronic, Break New Soil, Chameleon and more. To be fair, simply stating that Dosem produces big room techno is doing the producer bit of an injustice - he applies a futuristic “Soul Techno & Hi-Tech Funk” approach to his productions which definitely gives his productions a unique sheen that he can call his own. Releases such as his Bedrock single ‘Trust’ and his Tronic EP ‘From The Edge’ demonstrate this characteristic further and have garnered him wide support across the electronic spectrum from DJs such as Sasha, Carl Cox, John Digweed, Joris Voorn and Laurent Garnier. Tracklisting and interview here: http://www.balancemusic.com.au/news/balance-selections-003-dosem/

The winner of the inaugural Balance Community Series is Joe Miller from Adelaide in South-Australia. Looking at his tracklisting might make you exhausted as it features a whopping 40 tracks that takes in a lot of different artists and styles. He has created something that is akin to a piece of musical art, and you can hear the thought, effort and time that he has put into this mix to get it right. These type of mixes are usually hard to gel together without sounding like there is no narrative to the mix; Joe happily achieves both as this mix is cohesive and engaging. "It’s more of an audio collage than a sequential mix, with many of the tracks edited beyond recognition and cheekily poppng up long after their rightful place" Joe explains. "I’ve taken a lot of time and pleasure in hiding secret treasures along the way for the most anorak-donning of trainspotters, including additional synth lines and thorough reworkings of existing chord-structures (listen out for Caribou’s “Irene” as it glides over “Vehemence of Silence”, “Kodomatchi”, and “Deer and Fox”, while the tiniest hints of “Over” and “Blume der Nacht” cut in an out like the needle of an old grandmother’s sewing machine). The attention to detail in this mix really shines through, and trying to figure out where tracks begin and end is fruitless exercise - just sit back, turn off the lights and enjoy the journey. With Joe taking his first tentative steps into the production world, its only a matter of time before his skills will see him travel outside of Adelaide and Australia. Regardless of profile, this might just be one of the best mixes that we've heard all year. Period. Tracklisting and interview here: http://www.balancemusic.com.au/features/balance-community-001-joe-miller/

Not many artists can say that they have done official mix compilations for the likes of Yoshitoshi, Bedrock and Balance... Luke Fair please stand up. Luke Fair is a name that's been on the scene for over 10 years now plying his trade all over the world, and he first came to our attention with the massive 2002 Kritical/Let U Know 12" on Black Recordings (Let U Know was famously featured on the Satoshi Tomiie Nubreed compilation). Luke went on to establish himself as one of the world's premier selectors to call upon for warming up dancefloors, and he was even asked to be the official warm-up DJ for Sasha on his North American Involver tour. Since then Luke has become an headliner in his own right, playing a deep, almost Balaeric-sounding variant of house that will get the most rigid of bodies grooving. Back in 2007 Luke Fair delivered one of the more housier outings with his Balance 011 effort, and he continues that exploration of house in the second of our Balance Selections series. Tracklisting and interview with Luke Fair here: http://www.balancemusic.com.au/home-page-feature/balance-selections-002-luke-fair/

We are proud to present you with the very first edition of the Balance Selections podcast series with which we'll aim to bring you some of the very best in up and coming, established and outright interesting artists working in the scene today. For the first edition of Balance Selections podcast we head to the Netherlands to feature one of the most promising underground producers to emerge from Europe: Navar. When we recently spoke to Guy J (http://www.balancemusic.com.au/features/guy-j-interview-balance-presents/) -who remixed Navar's 'Phases of Grief' track for his Balance Presents- we asked him who he would select to do a Balance Selections podcast: "I would choose Navar as i find his productions have its very own style and something unique to it. He can do dancefloor friendly tracks or deeper tracks and it will always have his sound on it. He is very talented producer and I have plans for him on my Lost & Found label." Coming from one of the scene's most loved producers that is indeed a glowing endorsement - and we have to say that we agree with him. Navar's production style can fluctuate between grooves that pack a heavy punch ('Verbeeldingskracht') to more restrained and deeper melodic sounds ('Atemzüge'), and for his podcast Navar has delivered a deep and techy workout that sits somewhere in between those tracks. This podcast definitely showcases that there is more to Navar's musical range than what you might think.... Tracklisting can be found here: http://www.balancemusic.com.au/features/balance-selections-001-navar/

In 2006, when the borders of progressive house were starting to blur and music started melting into the digital sphere, Balance 010 arrived with almost monastic ambition. A three-disc journey mixed by Jimmy Van M, the release cut against the pace of its moment: patient, structured, emotionally articulate, and stubbornly uninterested in chasing trends. It didn’t shout for attention. It didn’t try to out-shine the giants of the series. Instead, it built something more durable, a slow-burn statement that critics recognised as one of the era’s most meticulous experiments in long-form storytelling. CD1: Downtempo Mix 01. E. Shibabaw & Bill Laswell – Ethiopia 02. Bill Laswell – Babylon Ghost 03. Future Sound Of London – Study Of Six Guitars 04. Laika – Coming Down Glass 05. Coldcut – Autumn Leaves 06. Union Jack – Water Drums 07. Casino Versus Japan – Slo Bid Bellwave 08. Nathan Fake – Falmer 09. Boards Of Canada – Dayvan Cowboy 10. Anoushka Shankar – Beloved (Thievery Corporation Remix) 11. Wax Poetic Feat. Norah Jones – Angels (Thievery Corporation Remix) 12. Autechre – Nine 13. Boards Of Canada – Everything You Do Is A Balloon 14. Brian Eno & J. Peter Schwalm – Rising Dust 15. Depeche Mode – Halo (Goldfrapp Remix) 16. The Egg – Walking Away 17. Bonobo – Everything You Do Read full feature: https://balancemusic.com.au/the-buried-brilliance-of-balance-10 Follow us: IG: https://www.instagram.com/balance_series FB: facebook.com/balanceseriesmusic

EQ Recordings have done it once again. This time by releasing their brand new album from the Balance series: Balance 003 - Mixed and compiled by Bill Hamel. After the previous two highly successful Balance compilations mixed by Sean Quinn and Kasey Taylor you can only expect the highest of quality from this one. Bill starts this CD off with the massive track 'Darko' remixed by Blackwatch. This is a very impressive dark track and is a perfect way to kickstart this mix before slowly but skillfully blending in the next killer track, which is Lula's - 'The DJ The Music & Me' (vocal remix) by Peace Division. The CD is definitely a work of art by Mr Hamel and his track selection and mixing is absolutely superb. The highlight of the Disc 1 has to be the massively popular 'Gorecki' track fitting in the best of ways. Disc 2 starts by dropping the huge Evolution mix of 'Close'. It's soothing sounds and effects of pure progressive pleasure is a great way to build the mood for this CD. Track 2, Tilt's 'Headstrong' (Maria Naylers volcal remix) is then masterfully mixed into the first track.Towards the end of CD2 Bill drops in the magic track 'Need' which has been masterfully remixed by Satoshi Tomiie, this gem is guaranteed to get your heart pumping. Following this masterpiece by Satoshi, Bill spins us the tune 'Gentle Rain', which gives you the feeling your standing in a gentle shower of raindrops - the perfect end to an impressive album. Tom Pandzic's EQ Recordings sure has come a long way, producing some of the best albums available for purchase, and this gem is no different. Have a listen, but I definitely recommend you purchase your a copy. Disc: 001 01. Darko - Phased [Blackwatch Spanish Harlem Dub] 02. Lula - The DJ,The Music,and Me [Peace Division Freaky Vocal mix] 03. UDG - Give Me Fierce 04. Way Out West - Mindcircus [Tarrentella & Redanka dub] 05. Joeski - Groundfloor ep [Tribalfusion] 06. Hipp-E presents - Primary Function 07. Chris Lum - Big Tool 08. Paco Bugg & D'Amatoria presents Circus Night - Amazonia [Chus & Cellabos Iberican mix] 09. Swain and Snell - Mean What You Say 10. Guy Garber & Saha Z - Kenny's Back 11. Lamb - Gorecki [Hamel's Bootleg mix] 12. Barraka - Song To The Siren [Filterheadz Undercurrent vocal mix] Disc: 002 01. Hamel - Close [Evolution mix] 02. Tilt - Headstrong [Relentless Vocal mix] 03. Quivver - Boz Boz 04. Mike G - Bellslut 0 05. Gardner & Thomas - Control 06. Powerplant ft Machineries Of Heaven - With Or With Out You [Blackwatch Orient Point mix] 07. Little Green Men - Need [Satoshi Tomiie rmx] 08. Blackwatch & Greed - Gentle Rain 09. Simon Noble presents Redback - Closing In

EQ Recordings have done it once again. This time by releasing their brand new album from the Balance series: Balance 003 - Mixed and compiled by Bill Hamel. After the previous two highly successful Balance compilations mixed by Sean Quinn and Kasey Taylor you can only expect the highest of quality from this one. Bill starts this CD off with the massive track 'Darko' remixed by Blackwatch. This is a very impressive dark track and is a perfect way to kickstart this mix before slowly but skillfully blending in the next killer track, which is Lula's - 'The DJ The Music & Me' (vocal remix) by Peace Division. The CD is definitely a work of art by Mr Hamel and his track selection and mixing is absolutely superb. The highlight of the Disc 1 has to be the massively popular 'Gorecki' track fitting in the best of ways. Disc 2 starts by dropping the huge Evolution mix of 'Close'. It's soothing sounds and effects of pure progressive pleasure is a great way to build the mood for this CD. Track 2, Tilt's 'Headstrong' (Maria Naylers volcal remix) is then masterfully mixed into the first track.Towards the end of CD2 Bill drops in the magic track 'Need' which has been masterfully remixed by Satoshi Tomiie, this gem is guaranteed to get your heart pumping. Following this masterpiece by Satoshi, Bill spins us the tune 'Gentle Rain', which gives you the feeling your standing in a gentle shower of raindrops - the perfect end to an impressive album. Tom Pandzic's EQ Recordings sure has come a long way, producing some of the best albums available for purchase, and this gem is no different. Have a listen, but I definitely recommend you purchase your a copy. Disc: 001 01. Darko - Phased [Blackwatch Spanish Harlem Dub] 02. Lula - The DJ,The Music,and Me [Peace Division Freaky Vocal mix] 03. UDG - Give Me Fierce 04. Way Out West - Mindcircus [Tarrentella & Redanka dub] 05. Joeski - Groundfloor ep [Tribalfusion] 06. Hipp-E presents - Primary Function 07. Chris Lum - Big Tool 08. Paco Bugg & D'Amatoria presents Circus Night - Amazonia [Chus & Cellabos Iberican mix] 09. Swain and Snell - Mean What You Say 10. Guy Gerber & Saha Z - Kenny's Back 11. Lamb - Gorecki [Hamel's Bootleg mix] 12. Barraka - Song To The Siren [Filterheadz Undercurrent vocal mix] Disc: 002 01. Hamel - Close [Evolution mix] 02. Tilt - Headstrong [Relentless Vocal mix] 03. Quivver - Boz Boz 04. Mike G - Bellslut 0 05. Gardner & Thomas - Control 06. Powerplant ft Machineries Of Heaven - With Or With Out You [Blackwatch Orient Point mix] 07. Little Green Men - Need [Satoshi Tomiie rmx] 08. Blackwatch & Greed - Gentle Rain 09. Simon Noble presents Redback - Closing In