Talkin shit: John Johr in Austin

 John Johr explains Detroit’s scene in a nutshell, what he thinks the future holds for edm artists, and how Germans dance to techno in lederhosen.

     John Johr says Detroit is shady as hell. And he would know. The Detroit-based DJ has ten years of spinning records under his belt, and just a little less pushing them at Detroit’s Record Time and promoting parties as a Paxahau resident. This year, he will spin at the ten year anniversary Movement festival in May and release his first record, Baby, as part of a Left’d compilation.  

After opening for Hole during SXSW, but before his set at UFunktion V.06, where the DJ headlined alongside Dallas-based, Detroit/Berlin-inspired Convextion, Planet East label boss Alexander East, and San Francisco Kontrol DJ Craig Kuna, Johr turned up for a chat.

 

     He talked about his connection with UFunktion, which hosted Johr for it’s first party in 2008, his new track, his European tour, and paying his dues in the scene. 

 

How do you [and Jon, UFunktion] know each other? Just from Detroit?

Yeah, it was really funny. The story of Jonny Nikowski and I is awesome. Like, somehow we made friends. We had a mutual friend – this guy I went to high school with named Al. He was actually a total weirdo. He introduced us and I was like, what, 18? And I had just started DJing. I had just got turntables and I has just got involved in the dance music scene and Jon had been DJing for a while and was kind of slightly established in Detroit. It was ten years ago, so I was 18 and Jon was doing these house parties in his basement, these really cool house parties and he had a lot of really awesome DJs down there. Guys like Mike Huckaby, Traxx from Chicago. And there were a crew of us. And I basically learned to DJ in his basement.

More after the jump.

Talkin shit: Jeff Only

Jeff Only talks about Subforce, sub-genres and going from “computer-dumb” to computer-wiz.

     Ah, the ups and downs or being “underground.” Austin’s techno scene is sometimes so typically off the radar that it seems non-existent. Following the closure of the Burleson Warehouse, the few techno promoters doing anything techno asked for their parties to NOT be publicized, NOT be blogged about, promoted or hyped. In a return to the clandestine party planning of the old days, locations for techno parties in this city are being disclosed just a day before scheduled parties, often to be visited by police anyway.

     But techno is alive, and Austin has the producers here to prove it. Jeff A. Ferguson, known as Jeff Only, will play a live set as Subforce with long-time friend and new production partner Rex Bruton, or Steel Grooves, at Austin’s Official Movement Warm-Up Event during SXSW on March 20th. Describing his style as “funky techno,” Jeff has only been releasing music for a few years on labels like Guilhotina, Glowstam and Valvula, but has more in the works from his solo and collaboration project. In an e-interview he let us in on his longer involvement in techno as a raver, what it’s like to work with his idol Mike Humphries, and what we can expect from Subforce.

Check out a mix, and read the entire interview after the jump.

You’ve only been releasing music for the past two years.  How and when did you get into production?

I started almost four years ago. It’s crazy and don’t laugh, but I honestly was computer-dumb. Completely. Didn’t even know how to turn one on. I just got really tired of feeling scared to do it because R.J. had already gotten pretty far in it and was already doing sound school. Then one day I woke up and said “I’m buying a laptop and I’m learning audio production.” It was a lot of trial and error. A lot of PC troubles as well, so I went full throttle to learning all and just about everything about both at the same time. I went from computer illiterate to building audio machines and providing  tech services to those in need in just about every way possible.  I dedicated all my time to learning. Books, videos, forums -you name it, I was involved. I’ve been a musician most of my life and ideas for sound have always come to me naturally, so once I got the hang of things with the software it was all down hill from there. Granted, I am still very young in all this and have so much to learn. I learn so much everyday . It just blows me away the things I obtain from others around the world doing the same thing.

Read more after the jump.

NightCulture announces their 2nd EDM Fest in Austin

The Austin NightCulture crew has released details of their 2nd EDM festival in Austin. If you were around for the first one in 2009, then you were treated to the sounds of Claude von Stroke and Kaskade, among others. This year’s festival aligns itself to the dance-floor dominate sounds of electro and dubstep, and includes many familiar faces to Austin residents who may have seen the this year’s fest DJs spinning in town this past year already. NightCulture’s fest promises a night of jocks from  Fool’s Gold Records, a showcase presented by BBC Radio 1′s Annie Mac, The Glitch Mob, and Kaskade (again).

Individual day passes and four day passes are available at Fla.vor.us.

NightCulture's 2nd EDM Fest

Lars Behrenroth at SXSW

Lars Behrenroth will visit Austin during SXSW for Sunset Sessions at Lanai.

Fans of the deep house dj, producer and host of “Deeper Shades of House” radio show should head out to Lanai’s rooftop lounge on Wednesday, March 17 for his guest appearance at an event hosted by the purveyors of funky, soulful, retro dance music behind Austin’s Hump dance parties.

A Hamburg, Germany to Los Angeles transplant, Behrenroth, established himself as a “deep house addict” over two decades as a DJ and producer, will make a rare stop in Texas for this un-official SXSW event.

More event details are forthcoming. In the meantime, check out some Behrenroth grooves.

Update: Oveous Maximus, who describes his style as “electro-spaceship-caribbean-hip hop-rap wit a dash of R&B” has been added to the line-up. Support will come from Austin-based Paco, Tarek, and live musicians Ilya Janos on percussion and Reverend Pain on saxaphone.

EDM To Do: the Punisher in ATX

After venue closures and a subsequent search for a new location, UFunktion has teamed up with Ram Z and Discotronix to present the Punisher on Dec. 12, 2009 at Plush.

Check out this interview with the Detroit techno dj and producer behind Hej Records here if it doesn’t appear below:

AtXeDm Doin Big Thangs: Cortinas & Wade

Cortinas & Wade are defining “epic funk” the way only they can. If you caught their 5 a.m. 2X4 at Mega Buzz you heard their Epic Funk Remix of the U.K.’s Alien Six track, Afraid of Something.

If you missed that R**e, check the track out on C&W’s MySpace, then make sure you snap it up! These guys have plenty where that came from. Their production can already be found online at major outlets, and they have 2010 releases (Cortinas & Wade Remix of Dj Exodus ft. Shannon’s Give Me Tonight) in the works.

C&W at Mega Buzz + space dude

Austin’s Ableton/Dubspot Weekend

This past weekend’s Ableton invasion included two days of classes by Dubspot instructors and a FunkAid for Africa Benefit party. Highlights?

• Being around ppl who aren’t afraid that Ableton will lead to the end of modern civilization
• Hobotech and eating hog eyes
• Francis Preve
• DJ Obah and Akina Adderley & The Vintage Playboys at the Independent

Read more after the jump.

Event Review: Jim Rivers in ATX

I wrote a review in the style of a print reporter working for a crusty old newspaper, published it here, and then wondered why. Below is my revised review of Jim Rivers in ATX.  Enjoy.

Who the hell is Jim Rivers? Besides being the latest selecta behind the Global Undergroud Nu Breed Series, party people in town on Friday November 13, 2009 asked themselves the same question as they paid the $5-15 cover charge and walked into Republic Live to hear him play at a Resurgence and Real Music event. That cover charge started high and went low as the night went on, for the record.

DJ Rivers was a gamble on Friday the 13th. His glitchy, progressive production, released on labels such as Saw, Renaissance and his own Misfit Records imprint were well known and loved by plenty of party people at Republic, and one out of every twenty people from Houston or San Antonio claimed to actually know Rivers personally, but just what would he play? And would anyone show up? The dj circuit in Texas is well worn by the likes of Kaskade and even Keoki, but someone so fresh? Austin heads know that throwing a successful event without some trance or seriously commercial artists involved can be tricky.

Read more after the jump.

Crowd at Jim Rivers

11.18.09 Tonight in Austin

Ernest Gonzalez, aka Mexicans w/ Guns, will play some new music from Been Meaning to Tell You, at the Mohawk alongside Deastro and Max Tundra. The BMTTY EP will be out on Friends of Friends in early 2010.

Friends of Friends

Miguel Douglas and L. Boogie will play Hookah Tech Wednesdays at Redline Hookah. If you haven’t been to this hookah lounge you should. No cover. Hookah specials before 10 p.m.

J.A.M.O.N. will spin at Barcelona for F.I.S.T. No cover.

Pete Tong likes William A

Here’s a bit of not so new news: Austin’s William A rocks the dancefloor. Don’t take my word for it, take Pete Tong‘s.  Pete Tong mentioned William A in his Beatportal tour diary after he got to hear William’s opening set when he played at Phoenix.

Keep your ears open for William. The word on the street (read, the Ableton workshop I got to drop in on for a bit this weekend) is that William A has a release due out very soon on Josh Gabriel‘s label, Different Pieces.

Nice one, William!

William A