Techno

6 Tracks to Help You Through the Week



Did I tell you guys I love Techno? Of course I have. Within Techno, Analog has a special place in my heart. There’s nothing more exciting for me than to rave in an abandoned factory, dancing to Techno. Mechanical noises have been replaced with Techno, and assembly line employees (that Trump is so worried about) have been replaced by rave subcultures.

That’s why, I’m especially excited about this week in Beirut, which features the industrial sexiness of Detroit, and of Turin. Both are industrial cities, where the abandoned factories have been transformed into the incubators that brought us the 4-kick culture that keeps us going from weekend to weekend.

The first act I’m excited about this week is the Boston 168 analog duo. They’re playing at TeknoAnd’s 1 year anniversary at B018 this Friday!

Oblivion — Boston 168

Black Hole — Boston 168

Acid. Yum!

The second act I’m extremely excited for is Jeff Mills, arguably one of the forefathers of Techno in its nascent Detroit days. This is HUGE, so here are some of my Jeff Mills live performances ❤

Some of his newer stuff

Some magic from the late 80s, when it all started!

Cafe Del Mar — Energy 52

Nina Kraviz dropped this gem in a set recently, and it brought back warm feelings to my heart, so, I’ve included it in this post ❤

https://soundcloud.com/vindicat3d/energy-52-cafe-del-mar-128bpm

Disco Gnome (Tale of Us Remix) — Thugfucker

Thugfucker is in town this weekend too, so I thought to include this classic from a few years ago, remixed by label bosses Tale of Us.

Have an awesome weekend folks ❤

Music for the Weekend



Superior Conjunction — Marvin & Guy

This is my favorite track discovery this week. It was released on Life and Death, which have never, ever disappointed me. The vocal elements with the synths and yummy bassline merge perfectly for quite a surprise of a dreamy track.

Cloudy Monday — Keith Carnal

Come on, you didn’t really think I’d not include a pure Techno track in this list? Please. This track released last month by Keith Carnal on Afterlife. It really does have the Afterlife Tale of Us Vibe, and it’s beautiful. That 4-kick, with the soundscapes and slow build up with subtle transitions. Akh. You will be hearing this in clubs this summer in Beirut ❤

Human Picture (Toki Fuko Remix) — Doyeq

I just picked this awesome Doyeq track up on Shazam somewhere last weekend, but can’t remember where. Instantly fell in love. Solid, mellow track!

https://soundcloud.com/slowdance/doyeq-human-picture-toki-fuko-remix

Venus — Gab Rhome

Here’s a fresh one from Gab Rhome for All Day I Dream, just in time for the summer and the whole ADID vibe!

Eclipse — Mind Against & Aether

I love Mind Against, and the collab with Aether turned out really awesome. Beautifully crafted and layered, with synths that’ll make you enjoy surfing around the kick drum and bassline of this track.

Cidre Circles — Tightshirt

The last track is a bit on the groovy side, and why not during summer? At the beach, sunset coming, and you drop this track with the sound of crashing waves? Yes, please.


6 Tracks To Prep for the Weekend


What a massive weekend coming up in Beirut! With most of the summer venues now open and fully functional, the first weekend of June is looking epic!

Polina (Original Mix) — Agents of Time

I absolutely love Agents of Time! Embedded above is Polina, one of the first tracks I discovered for them and hands-down one of my favorites of theirs. They’re going to be at C U NXT SAT this Saturday, and LIVE, so get ready and see you on the dance floor! To sweeten the deal, you get access to B018 too starting 3:30AM. 12 hour party time again ❤

RSVP Here

Wander To Hell (Locked Groove Remix) — Vaal

I love Vaal so much, that I’m including several tracks and remixes of hers in this post. When someone says “Life and Death”, I immediately think Vaal. The shadowy style of her music beautifully reflect her path in music, choosing to hone her craft and sound for years before ever letting anyone experience, and boy am I glad she did!

This is a masterpiece many of you might already know and have danced to before, but if you haven’t, you’re welcome!

Creep (Tale of Us & Vaal Remix) — Vaal

This gem of Vaal’s was remixed by Mind Against, another artist I respect massively

Cine (Mind Against Remix) — Vaal

Excuse My Wildness (Carl Craig Remix) — Audiofly

The boys are coming to The Garten on Saturday! I met Luca and Anthony a few years back at Electric Sundown, and have since bumped into them in several cities across the world. I’m so excited to see them play at the new Garten this Saturday!

RSVP Here

Acid Phase — Emmanuel Top

https://soundcloud.com/emmanueltop/acid-phase

The last track in this week’s selection is one from the early 1990s phase of Techno. If you’re as in love with Techno as I am, you’ll probably know this track or at least Emmanuel Top. This 1994, fast-paced, analog gem makes me wonder what it would’ve have been to rave back then…

Another 6 Tracks for this Weekend


Phantom Studies — Marcel Dettmann, Ben Klock

I was watching the new season of Sense8 on Netflix, and there was one track in the episode’s soundtrack that struck a chord for me. I quickly went back and Shazamed it, only to discover it’s a track by the Temple’s own Ben Klock and Marcel Dettmann. I can’t describe the intensity, euphoria and cult-like mood these two have created for me, especially when I’d catch them in Berghain during my time in Berlin. I’ve seen them in New York, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Garbicz, Paris and of course Berlin. I hope you enjoy this track as much as I did, and Sense8’s new season too!

Critical Distace Pt. 2 — Tom Demac

I’ve been stuck on this track for the past two weeks. I love the wobble sound, but it’s been linked to just Dubstep for the most part the past few years. It’s an absolute masterpiece in this House yumminess. I love it when an artist can incorporate effects usually attributed to different genres, and do so magnificently, keeping the sound fresh and impressing with what he can do to it.

Asfur — Oceanvs Orientalis ft. Oumeima Khalil

Oceanvs Orientalis is coming to C U NXT SAT again, so I thought why not include one of my favorite tracks of his in this week’s post. I can’t help but sing along, quite passionately, to this track.

Chicken Curry — Britta Arnold

Britta is flying in from KaterBlau in Berlin to The Grand Factory this weekend, so naturally, I was gonna include one of her tracks in this post. My favorite time seeing Britta play (other than Beirut of course), is at Bachstelzen during the Fusion Festival in 2017. It was sublime, and featured loops from Bernie Sanders speeches ❤

Another One (Len Faki Remix) — Truncate

Len Faki is in town this Friday with TeknoAnd at B018! I love this artist, and I’m so happy he’s finally coming to Beirut. Apart from his productions, I quite enjoy Len Faki’s remixes and edits, like the one above. It’s a banger of a reminder of why Techno is so fucking sexy.

This is 140 — Jesse Calosso

Back when I was in Brooklyn, Jesse Calosso was a local favorite. Jesse will be at The Garten’s opening this Saturday alongside Jackmaster. So, here’s a little taste of what to expect ❤

Red Bull’s Short Documentary About Beirut’s Dance Music Scene

Everyone featured in this documentary is like family. The times we’ve shared, the nights (and mornings) we’ve spent dancing together, in sadness and in happiness, make this scene in this city something extremely dear to my heart.

I love clubbing. I love Techno. I love The Basement, B 018, The Garten, Uberhaus, The Grand Factory, Reunion and everywhere else featured in this short but sweet documentary.

For me, it all started at The Basement and B 018. Looking back, it’s been almost 10 years of my life where every single weekend, I see these beautiful people and enjoy life away from our daily life for a few hours.

I hope this documentary gives you goosebumps like it gave me, and for everyone who’s been along for the journey, I love you all and you mean the world to me. See you tonight, and tomorrow, and the next weekend, and the weekend after that… ❤

7 Tracks to Play at Your House Parties this Weekend


Since it’s disrespectful to party in public suddenly in some parts of the country tonight, I’m sure many of you will be doing or going to nice house parties to enjoy the long weekend with friends and loved ones.

If you‘re hardcore, you’ll probably have a lineup ready for those parties. But, sometimes it’s just a spontaneous aux-cord kinda thing, so, here are some nice, fresh tracks I’ve wasted most of my Friday finding.

1- A Ruede Hagelstein Remix

I was fortunate enough to meet Ruede Hagelstein last time he was at The Grand Factory in Beirut. He was honestly one of the nicest people to have an informed discussion about current affairs and world politics with. When it’s time to dance though, that stops and a track like the one below drops. I loved this remix of Anton Dhouran’s Osmekha. Goosebump-inducing moments throughout, with a velvety warm melancholic sound throughout. Loved.

https://soundcloud.com/sweetmelodicmusic/premiere-anton-dhouran-osmekha-ruede-hagelstein-remix-family-name

2- Some Lucy Techno

You probably guessed most of my suggestions will be on the Techno spectrum. This is a fresh Lucy original, and the dubby yumminess in this track was a pleasure to listen to.

3- Max Cooper ladies and gents…

What I love most about Max Cooper is how many layers he can beautifully build up and constantly transform. The dreaminess and progginess of this track is perfect, with just enough percussions when you absolutely need them. Always a blast discovering new Max Cooper stuff!

4- Konchord and Traumwelt

This Berlin-Munich collab just sounds beautiful. Solid track.

5- Luca Bacchetti Claps

It’s hard to get the clap just right. Harder still to make it the most interesting element in a track, but Luca Bacchetti always seems to get it right. Loved this stripped-down dub version of Playa Sunrise.

6- Patrice Baumel Remixes Max Cooper. Yes Please.

I just drooled over Max Cooper tracks above, now imagine that being remixed by Patrice Baumel.

7- Some Scuba

This isn’t exactly fresh, but not sure why I’ve been listening to it again a lot this week. Enjoy!

What To Do This Weekend

Photomed Exhibition (5 Locations)

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If you’re a fan of photography, you probably already know the Photomed project, which aims to showcase talented photographers’ work from all around the Mediterranean. From Spain, France, Morrocco and Beirut, several venues and galleries are hosting the 2016 edition of the festival that made its debut here in 2014.

You can check out the dates and venues here, but I definitely recommend you pass by either STATION or The Beirut Exhibition Center before you guys go out to dinner or club tonight. Never hurts to do something more than pre-drink before the weekend starts, so why not take your dates out to a cool photography exhibition instead along with the rest of your weekend plans.

Entrance is free

Friday

Gunnar Stiller at Off & On

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If you’re serious about your Techno and Tech-house, you probably have a set or two of Gunnar Stiller’s in your Soundcloud “Likes” section. The set I have is the one below, from one of my favorite clubs in Berlin, Sisyphos. On a previous occasion, I got to see him at Panorama Bar in Berlin too! Tonight, he’s gonna be spinning in the intimate speakeasy hidden right off Uruguay street, Off & On. Enjoy the set! And see you on the dance floor.

Terry Francis (Fabric) and Ziad Ghosn at B018

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London’s Fabric resident Terry Francis is in Beirut tonight, along with my dearest Ziad Ghosn at b0. I keep getting refused a visa to the UK, where one of the main stuff on the itinerary is clubbing at Fabric, so I’m kinda glad Fabric’s residents are flying over to us.

RSVP here

Saturday

C U NXT SAT: Lee Van Dowski, Sasse, Jade and Tala

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Another Berlin-Beirut kind of night at The Grand Factory, with Lee Van Dowski and Sasse reppin Berlin, and our own Jade and Tala reppin Beirut (and Berlin too!). When you step out of the elevator, you might notice an doorway with streams of light, and maybe not, but what lies behind is fucking awesome and I can’t wait to see how the night goes. Here’s a sample of what’s in store: