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Features
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| Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! | | Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! | | N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood! | | Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna | | A Catch Up with John Phantasm ahead of his upcoming set at the Tribal Village 4 Day Outdoor Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! |
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Knowwhere get down with The Disco Brothers
Reported by minimoo
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Submitted 30-11-05 18:13
The Disco Brothers have really been shaking things up throughout 2005 with their unmistakable DJ sets and energetic productions combining techno, trance and break beat. Part of Armin Van Buuren’s trendsetting Captivating Sounds label and now with their own label to showcase their unique sound, The Disco Brothers are conquering clubland with their love of music that comes through in everything they do. This week sees London dance event Knowwhere play host to The Disco Brothers so HarderFaster’s own minimoo took some time to chat to the boys and dig a little deeper into what makes them tick.
Hey guys, hope you’re ok, don’t worry I’ll be gentle. How did you meet, and how long have you been working together?
We went to school together and have been DJ’ing for the last 12 years. We’ve been best mates for 17 years!
How did you get into the dance scene and how does your working relationship work?
Our roots are in the Kent area and we got our first taste of the scene back where it all started in the early 90s. We were close to where a lot of the original raves were held around the M25 and cut our teeth going to events such as Raindance. As the big rave scene developed it spawned a number of smaller sound system outfits in the area putting on parties, one of which was ours, Aubergine. We were also associated with other outfits such as Aphrodisiac, TVC, and Spiral Tribe and we spent three years putting on outdoor and warehouse parties in the Kent area. In 1995 we both moved to Bristol to go to University and with the onset of the Criminal Justice Act, the outdoor free party scene was very much finished. At this point we took Aubergine indoors and built it up to be one of the biggest club nights in the South West, running regular events in Bristol and Club Loco, Lakota and Café Blue. It was this that we used as a platform to push The Disco Brothers to the next level and here we are now!!!
With regards to our working relationship, we are a very hard working partnership — each bringing different things to the table to achieve the end result…. And it’s a formula that will always stand us in good stead and keep us strong.
You usually play back to back, but do you ever gig on you own?
No, we never have done and never will. Our partnership as DJs and the way we work is based around our understanding of each other from a musical point of view and is what makes us versatile. We both have slightly different tastes in the music we play and the tracks we choose as we build a set, and over the years we have learned to use this instinctively and create the sound that we’re known for. It is also our stage presence and persona that is so important to make us stand out as performers amongst the competition. This is another aspect of us that is so important, so if just one of us were up there on the decks, it would not be the same.
You guys have played all around the world, what’s the best country you’ve performed in, which country has the most up for it crowd and why?
One of our finest memories is performing at the Switzerland Love Parade — it was the hottest day of the year and there were 1 million people on the streets of Zurich. First we played on the Sirup records float as part of the procession around Zurich harbour alongside Tatana and Dj Energy and the place was going mental. We then went on and played at the Energy Event at the Hallenstadion Arena alongside Paul Van Dyk and Marco V. The main room had 23,000 people in it and that was quite an experience to DJ to. The scene in Switzerland musically is quite hard edged trance, there is a very tight knit group of producers and DJs and it was an honour to be accepted from the UK to be part of that group. The crowds over there are very open-minded and up for it which suits us because our style in itself is pretty unique.
Also, we can’t answer this question without mentioning Australia. Any DJ doing international tours will have special memories of Australia, and the best for us was playing the Gas Club in Sydney on New Years Eve 2002. The atmosphere out on the streets was incredible and this was carried into the clubs…. All the Aussie cities we have visited are amazing in their own way… what a place!!!!
Have you always played trance or did you start off playing another style?
The first style of music we actually played was house back in the early 90s. We also went to a lot of techno events such as Final Frontier at Club UK and Lost in London which is where the techy part of our sound is influenced from. Over the years we have been influenced by and incorporated a number of different styles in our DJ sound — that is how we work. We have never been associated purely with one form of music; it is more of a creative challenge to blends styles in one set. However over the past four or five years our predominant sound has been a blend of trance and techno — which is reflected directly in our productions. At our gigs we play a careful blend of the two, or depending on the gig we will lean more one way than the other, it depends what the promoter and the crowds want. Keeping ourselves versatile like this means we don’t limit our options of the clubs we can play at. With trance, however, we fell in love with trance as it developed into what it is now, and it is a major part of what we do.
What equipment do you use in you studio?
We work with a Mac G5 and Logic Pro, Korg Triton and the Access Virus as our main hardware synths as well as the huge array of software that is now available. However, we also still use a lot of outboard for mixing and effects. Even though computers are very powerful these days we still feel the need to work with serious outboard equipment to give our sound its own feel. Otherwise you can generally tell when something has just been written and mixed in a computer, having your own production quality is very important.
Outside of the dance scene which music artist do you most like to listen too?
Mark: Hard Fi, U2, Massive Attack and Faithless. Just amazing bands.
Tim: I’m quite into my hip hop actually!! Eminem, Jay Z, all da boyz!!!
Who are your idols and why?
Mark: PVD at the start then Mauro Picotto when I was running the BXR label at Media. They are both legends and push the boundaries when DJ’ing and in their productions, offering new sounds and experiences.
Tim: It’s got be Carl Cox and Laurent Garnier, purely for what they have done for techno with their productions and DJ’ing performances, perhaps Laurent Garnier more for productions. Each offers something very unique and they were my first DJ idols back in the old days.
This is your first appearance at Knowwhere, what kind of set can we expect to hear from you?
Our sound! Uplifting banging trance with a touch of techno flavourings in the right places. A proper musical journey!!!
Do you have any new tunes and remixes in the pipeline?
We’ve been well busy in the studio this year with a number of different projects under our belt. We have recently re-mixed Ernesto vs Bastian — ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ and Public Domain’s Sunscreem classic ‘Love U More’ alongside the release of our debut single on Nebula ‘Time Still Drifts Away’ featuring Andrea Britton on vocals.
Our release schedule at the moment is based around our work with Nebula and also our own new label that we have just launched, Utopia. In between our Nebula projects we intend to keep a steady flow of Utopia releases on the go to ensure there is a regular output of new material from us in the market.
We launched Utopia in September with the tracks ‘Another World’ and ‘I Cant Stop’. ‘Music is my Weapon’ is the next single due for a January 30th 2006 release and it is already doing some serious business with the DJ fraternity, with strong support from DJs such as Fergie, BK, Anne Savage, Adam White, Anthony Dean, Paul Kershaw and Rob Tissera to name but a few.
Our next Nebula project is also under way, and we hope to get this out around April time next year, so watch this space!!
What did you both do before becoming DJs and what did you want be when you were little boys?
We became DJs while we were at school!! So it’s something we have pursued for as long as we can remember.
You’ve just started a new label. Tell us about that and you thoughts on the state of the vinyl scene at the moment. Where do you see it all in say 5 years?
We decided to launch Utopia to provide our own outlet for our more underground productions. We are now producing major trance projects for Nebula with a slightly more commercial approach, but we felt the need to also stick to our underground roots to provide a balance in the music we are releasing. Running our own label gives us complete creative freedom to do what we want — some of the labels we have worked with in the past have restricted our ability to do this, with our underground tunes we want to be able to go down any route we feel is right at the time and come up with some innovative new sounds and arrangements. The label has launched very well, we had great support in the music press for the debut release, ‘Another World’ as well as massive DJ support and Radio 1 exposure. The next release ‘Music is My Weapon’ promises to further this still — we feel we have come with quite a unique belter with this track — we put a lot of work into our tunes and try and come up with something new each time, as opposed to the safe method taken by many producers of following a formula. DJ support so far has been fantastic and we expect the release of this track at the end of January to really set things up for next year.
With regards to the vinyl market, generally now fewer copies are being sold due to the ever growing popularity and ease of using cds. However, if the track is strong enough it will still hold its own in the market…. There’s still enough traditionalists out there who will continue to use vinyl. In 5 years time? Who knows! The music industry is too unpredictable…
What’s the most bizarre gift you’ve ever received from a fan?
We haven’t had any silly gifts to be honest, unless you can count what the bird in Iceland gave Tim as a gift!!! However, the funniest thing we have seen was a few years back now… we used to have these two ladies who would follow us around to our various gigs, particularly at Sundissential and they had made their own ‘The Disco Brothers’ signs to stick to their arses! Every now and then they would turn around and bend over and wave their arses at us…. Well funny, felt like we had started a new fashion trend.
Part of the package of being a DJ is the feed back and criticism of the clubbers. Do you allow any bad publicity to affect you personally, how do you react to it?
There are always those who wish to criticise, particularly if you become successful — and sometimes that criticism is valid! Our attitude to our work is very down to earth because that is the way we are personally, and we have developed a thick skin to the way the music industry works. As long as we believe in what we do and keep the clubbers smiling, that is all that matters to us…
Thanks a lot for chatting to us and we look forward to seeing at Knowwhere this Friday Dec 2nd at Heaven.
The boys will be playing in the trance room between 3am and 4:30am.
Knowwhere In December
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On:
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Friday 2nd December 2005
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At:
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Heaven [map]
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From:
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10pm to 6am
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Cost:
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£10 members £12 in advance MOTD
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Website:
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www.clubknowwhere.co.uk
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Ticket Info:
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www.ticketweb.co.uk
www.heaven-london.com
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Buy Online:
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Click here to buy tickets
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More:
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Hi Everyone!
Well, here it is again, the most party-tastic month of the year is upon us once more! Yes, December is here, accompanied by all those usual over-indulgences that you love so much as the festive seasons draws near. Well this year it’s even better, because your favourite, friendliest party night, Knowwhere, kicks off December for you, meaning you can spend the whole damn month in party mode!!
On Friday December 2nd at London’s premiere venue HEAVEN, Knowwhere presents the very best Trance, Hard Dance & Funky DJs to be found anywhere!
Hard Dance Room
Headlining Knowwhere’s Hard Dance room for December we are pleased to announce the legendary Tidy Boys will be joining us. Flagship artists and founders of the world famous Tidy label, the Tidy Boys always fill the floor with their banging dance sound, and are possibly the biggest name in Hard Dance in the world today. Amadeus & Andy will be bringing that sound to Knowwhere for the first time, as part of Knowwhere’s new commitment to the Hard Dance Genre the way it always has in the Trance world, with the very best in DJ talent.
Joining the Tidy Boys is another of the Tidy Trax main players, Paul Maddox. Paul has a production list as long as your arm, and has long been a favourite with crowds in the north. His performances on this end of the island have been rarer, so an excellent opportunity to take the pulse of the northern dance scene down in London.
One of Hard Dance’s leading ladies, Cally Gage also joins the Hard room line up. Popular with London crowds, many find it hard to believe Cally has only been playing out since mid 2004. In spite of this, she’s become a regular at London’s biggest Hard Dance events, and looks set to reach new heights as she begins to have more involvement in the production end of the business.
Finally in the Hard Dance room, Knowwhere is pleased to be welcoming London favourite Danny Gilligan to the decks. Twisted, Riot, Twist, Blast, Danny has either had residencies at all the best London Hard parties, or played regularly at them. His Debut at Knowwhere will be a real treat for us all.
Trance Room
Headlining the Trance room on the night is the legendary John Kelly. With over twenty years in the business, and a career that has spanned learning the trade in his own Liverpool venue as he went along, to a seven year stint as resident DJ with Manumission in Ibiza, John has experienced just about everything the industry has to offer. With his Knowwhere debut he presents us with an early xmas present of a set consisting of the very best classic Trance.
John is joined in December by DJ/Production team, The Disco Brothers. Tim & Mark have built an awesome reputation on crowd interaction over the last few years, a policy of really getting into things with the audience and good old fashioned ‘aving it!’ has made their appearances popular all over the globe.
Opening up in the Trance room for December, Knowwhere is proud to welcome Pathfinder & Nordstar. The duo responsible for the awesome ‘Trance On Thames’ beach parties on London’s south bank over the last couple of summers, and veterans of Amsterdam’s Queensday street party scene in recent years, the pair will be bringing their own special outdoor vibe indoors for the Knowwhere crowd.
Of course, how could December’s Trance line-up be complete without Knowwhere’s own amazing residents, Anthony Dean & Adam White, delivering the very best Trance sounds, the way only they can.
Funky Room
Knowwhere’s Funky residents Funk-a-Tronic are this month playing host to our friends from “Steamin’ Boat Party”, an excellent team from down in the Solent. Matt Mallon, Shaun Collins, Tommy Mundell and Tim Cook, make up the Steamin’ crew for the evening.
So loads to get your feet moving at Knowwhere this month, whatever your Dance preferences, make sure you come along on the 2nd of December and….
Get A Bit Of Trance & Hard Dance In Your Life!
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Other Features By minimoo:
Do you Knowwhere it all began?
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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