Ever since Trash’s KMD introduced us to the exceptional sounds of Birmingham’s Deluka, they’ve been on a hot streak and we’ve been HOOKED! Chances are you may have heard their tune ‘Sleep Is Impossible’ played in your living room over your last round of Grand Theft Auto IV. Beyond car chases, their album ‘Broken Sleeping Patterns’, released mid March on Japanese imprint, Fabtone, features a fine remix of “Flashbacks” by Hooker and De Freitas.

Where were you in 92? It was the year Michael Hooker of Hooker and De Freitas began his music obsession. “Music excites me and has since the first mix tape I was handed in 1992. The rave scene was in full swing and I was far too young to party, but the vibes from this tape was the start of my obsession.” And with that obsession, long time friends Michael Hooker and Elcias De Freitas, also producing under the name JE2, got to work combining their different styles to remix music by Deluka, Trash Money, Atelier Nouveau, Client, and numerous tracks by the gleeful Birmingham band Trash Fashion.

“I love the music scene at the moment,” says Michael, “I do not think that so many different groups of people have crossed into different genres ever.” Working with a plethora of styles is exactly what JE2 and Hooker and De Freitas like to do – mixing electro, breakbeat, house, classic party anthems, and more. Currently the Birmingham-based duo are working on their debut solo material and have completed the follow up to their recent track ‘Start The Beat’, with remixes by Jonze, Uncle Buck, The Hats and C.O.C. The newest track features guest vocals from Jet Storm of Trash Fashion. They’ll be out for digital download, September, on Italian label The Family Records. Meantime, Hooker and De Freitas plan to complete a few bootleg projects for free download and get to work on some old disco and funk tracks. Keep an ear out!

Deluka - Flashbacks (Hooker and De Freitas Remix)

Deluka - Broken Sleeping Patterns - Featuring the Hooker & De Freitas remix of Flashback
Available on Japanese import only (cd)
Zavvi.co.uk
101cd.com

Start The Beat available on Beatport

Yes ladies and gentleman, KMD is a very happy girlie as the delicious duo that is The Presets are heading over to play some spellbinding shows in the UK!

So now after dancing my butt off to their fabulous new album ‘Apocalypso’ I’m very excited that I will actually get to sample these new juicy tracks live.

If you are based in the UK get your tickets now here. Just in case you aren’t sure where they are playing look at the lovely list I put together below:

Tue 1 Jul - Thekla, Bristol
Wed 2 Jul - The 444 Club, The Rainbow, Birmingham
Thu 3 Jul - Scala, London

If you’re off to the Birmingham gig, trashmenagerie fave Deluka are also supporting - see you there.

Oh and if your lucky enough to live in London you can watch the guys in action at an exclusive and very FREE instore at Rough Trade East on Friday July 4, kicking off at 7pm. Very limited tickets are available and can be obtained by dropping by the store to pick one up anytime from now until 10 am next Friday, on a first come first served basis.

Oh if that’s not enough check out this awesome track from ‘Apocalypso‘ - ‘This Boy’s In Love‘. Now go - get the album, rush to the instore and dance dance dance.

The Presets - This Boy’s In Love

Ok Ladies and Gentleman it is official - Bigger Than Barry are on their way to conquering the world! After the success of their recent club nights based in little old Birmingham UK it seems they are now taking the Barry massive to Leeds and Nottingham, oh plus they have a range of filthy things planned for this summer.

I feel that now it is a great time to get a lowdown on Bigger Than Barry and find out who the hell is behind this Barry madness and also which deletable tunes are rockin’ their boats currently.

So here is an interview….

KMD: So tell us the Barry story…how did you guys get it together?

BTB: Barry started in Dec 06 at the Ben Johnson by Bob, Mac & Sam. Originally it was just a free party to get everyone in the mood for christmas for all our friends and friends of friends. We wanted to make it a bit of fun and Barry Austin in the news at the time for being the fattest man in Britain, so we thought lets throw a party that’s Bigger Than Barry… we all pissed ourselves so we thought it was a good idea.

Anyway that party was a mad success & the mix of music we played was well received, so we thought we would do another one in February. We started to charge £2 to cover the dj’s we were playing and it turned out a bigger success than the one before. A real nice buzz developed, so we really started to get into it and signed up Scott’e Bleepz to the team (Birmingham’s renowned electro DJ).

Scott fitted into the gang instantly and we started to throw monthly parties, which just got massive! Our best so far was at the Ben Johnston (Pikey Rave Mark 1) - it was the first time we threw a proper themed party and it was mental! Everyone got involved the vibe inside was pumping, we had big problems with capacity though we were packed twice over, at that point we decided to move things to The Rainbow because it was bigger. Our biggest gig to date was our 1st birthday party at the warehouse in Dec with 900+ people, it was crazy, we had live art in the second room from Trav and his crew in the main room, the place was jumping.

Our biggest this year was held at subway (800+) and we put on Dexplicit, Food Soundsystem, Tombcrew.

KMD: What is the ‘Barry’ philosphy?

BTB: Party raves and fun. The whole name is tongue in cheek and with our themes we try to get people to relax and go with the flow. Everyone loves a theme

KMD: Whose in the Barry massive?

BTB: The Barry massive is everyone involved with Barry, big props to Lucy Yeah, Tombcrew, Vinyl Is, Tapedeck, Desh 1, Trav and everyone else who has spread the word. A lot of people have helped us and that kinda of thing is never forgotten. ‘Barry massive’ is basically everyone involved and comes to the night

KMD: What do you think makes your nights so popular?

BTB: We reckon because its all fun and we put on some badboy dj’s and keep the kids dancing. Our crowd is diverse & it’s always a good vibe

KMD: What tunes currently float your boat?
Macca : Lady in red
Scott: Hideaway - Mystery Jets (Switch mix)
Sam: Zomby - spliff dub
Bob: South Rakkas crew poison dart

KMD: Any plans for barry merch?

BTB: Yeah people keep sending us amazing designs, so we are gonna hopefully put out some t shirts, well when Sam can be arsed.

KMD: Your based in Birmingham England - so what would you recommend a girl or guy to do when visiting? Any places to check out or local bands?

BTB: Birmingham is definitely worth a visit: there’s some good shops like Candystore & ATOO for the fellas, and all the chicas seem to be hittin the big yellow vintage shop, Macca got some real tight Addidas shorts there the other day! As far as music, there’s definitely a buzz in Brum right now; The Scarlet Harlots have got a big sound, as have bands like Mirror Mirror, Johnny Foreigner and Mayday. The live scene is perhaps in need of a little love however. There are too many older people running venues who don’t really care, and the venues are a bit boring, well besides The Rainbow

KMD: What does the future hold for ‘Bigger Than Barry’

BTB: Big tings! Now that we’ve been promoting the night for well over a year & have built up our contacts, we feel its time to step things up for our Baz. We intend to put on bigger & bigger acts each time & seek out new & unusual venues. We believe in moving Barry around location wise to keep it as fresh as possible. We’re (more…)

Well, looky what we’ve got here. Birmingham bass prodigy, Raffertie, has come back to us this time with a fistfull of bottom heavy, wobblers. We’ve written about this kid a couple of times now (here, here and here) and he seems to be be getting better each time. “Stompin Ground” is my personal favorite with it’s subdued throbbing bassline, but “Boy Better Know” is great too with a straight-forward, bouncing, heavy bass sound.

“Boy Better Know” and “Do That” are due for release at the end of July on ‘On The Brink Recordings‘, home to artists such as Hijack, Detboi, Affie Yusuf, Full Phat, The Bulgarian, Dj Mayhem and Crookers. Keep an ear out for Raffertie’s upcoming remix of AC Slater’s “Party Like Us (Raffertie’s Ladies Remix)“.

Raffertie - Stompin Ground

Raffertie - Boy Better Know

Ok so I have news that has actually caused me to salivate profusely! Yes hipsters it’s true this news caused enough drool to rival Homer Simpson’s when he sees a doughnut!

What’s the news I hear you cry?

Well, Trash Fave - Glamour Soundsystem & partner in crime Lillica Libertine combined their excessive bundle of talents to create Stylenoir - an exciting media company set to blow your newest and most fabulous Marc Jacobs bag straight off your dainty arm with excitement!

Seriously, after witnessing a drunk Kelly Osbourne attempt to present the Birmingham Style Show last weekend the news that Stylenoir are publishing a bi-annual book entitled ‘The Black Book of Art and Fashion’ was welcomed as a well timed vodka shot to put me out my fashion misery. The book will primarily showcase the works of up-coming fashion designers, photographers and artists, but beware it will only be stocked in London, Paris, Milan and New York City – exclusive or what?

This fabulous book will be jam packed with plenty of fashion-based delights from designers such as Charles of London, Ioannis Dimitrousis, and Pavla Kopecna (Vogue Italy, Dazed & Confused, Tank magazine) as well as many of the usual desirable suspects.

A Stylenoir website will be launched to provide fashionistas with a new portal to keep them up-to-date with fashion news across the spectrum from the alternative fashion all the way up to Karl Lagerfeld’s latest move.

Last but definitely not least, there will be a dazzling launch party for Stylenoir on 11th of May at London hipster venue - Hoxton bar. This sophisticated shindig will be hosted by Matt Horne (who hosted the NME awards), and will also host performances from Tapedeck and one of my personal favourites - The Real Heat, oh and don’t forget a catwalk show from Charles of London!

So there you have it - check out Stylenoir online, buy the book and blag your way into the party - just don’t forget to arrive fashionably late!

It’s hard to believe that it has been 3 whole years since fidget house was bestowed upon us and “This is Sick” by Solid Groove aka Switch aka Dave Taylor (all the same guy), first came out. When I first heard this track, it was an immediate uproar inside my head. With an infectious bassline, lots of cut outs, ghost like samples, and the vocal sample “This is Sick” taken from Janet Jackson’s “All Nite (Don’t Stop)”, this track was destined for serious anthem status.

Fast forward, 2008, “This is Sick” is still working it out on the dancefloor, tweaked and twisted by some speed (no, not the drug) loving Dj’s such as Sweden’s Yeah! Woho! and Birmingham’s Raffertie. We’ve mentioned this bassline commander on 2 occasions, At the Speed of Rafferie, Raffertie’s NLLR Mix and this is definitely not the last mention!! (If you’ve missed either, go to them now for Raffertie’s mixes and remixes!) He’s sped up Yeah! Woho!’s remix of “This is Sick”, dropped a Sarah Saville vocal in and chopped it up. Love the speed.

Within the past few months Raffertie has played alongside the likes of Dexplicit, Pirate Soundsystem, Tomb Crew, (heavyyyyy bassss) OneMan and Cadgedbaby. And as of recent, became a resident of London based night, Hold Tight, the next of which will be held on the 26th of April ‘08. (check the lineup above) He has also just completed a promotional mix for local Birmingham promoters Bigger Than Barry. So basically, big things are happening for Benjamin aka Raffertie!! Oh and huge thanks for the special re-edit Ben! x

Solid Groove - This Is Sick (Yeah! Woho! Remix) (Raffertie’s Wideboy Edit)

The Bang!Bang! sound is something you may be familiar with if you were a regular attendee to such Birmingham based nights as Panic at the Sanctuary and Chick Dig Jerks Party’s, Bang!Bang! have provided many a soundtrack to my nights out in the past..and yes they have been messy!

If like me you have missed their formidable dj sets alot you will be pleased to know that from now on there will be alot more ‘banging’ going on in Birmingham, UK which therefore equals alot more dancing (hurrah) and debauched evenings no doubt….hell yeah!

On April 19th Bang!Bang! will be hosting a monster of a party at Rooty’s located in Digbeth Birmingham. This party will be more monster than that shitty monster in Cloverfield, the boogie man or even Godzilla! Seriously with a bad ass set from Duke Dumont who will be surely cranking up the ghetto house vibe, and Trash favourite Lillica Libertine this party will make you shit your pants or even cause your eye balls to pop out as it will be that scarily good!

If that ain’t enough to convince you (jeez who are you kiddin’) there will be sets from Pete Death, STDJ’s, Opticks and obviously the Bang!Bang! boys themselves.

If you miss this party I may even slap you myself. Now go - get your tickets and prepare physically & mentally for what will be one of the party’s of the year.

The party starts at 10pm and tickets are a mere £10 (in advance) - for more information click here.

Hello Trash Menagerie readers! Welcome to my first post, in a series I’ll be calling, “THE MORE TRASH YOU KNOW“. I’m kicking things off with 80’s British Pop sensation, Dexys Midnight Runners.

Last week, I received an email from my friends at Buffet Libre asking me for a song suggestion for the next mix they were compiling, “Verbena Rewind 2 - Double Portion” (you can hear it on our mix page). They wanted a retro song, something from the 80’s, “totally awesome idea, like, oh my god!” I was all about it. Dexys Midnight Runners instantly popped into my head. I chose the band and their song, “Come On Eileen” for a few reasons. One - *where Dexys derived their name from, two - it was a big hit, and mainly, and most important - I LOVE their song and video for “Come On Eileen“. I posted a bit about them back in January - Monday’s - Blue, Happy, and Despised, where I was reflecting back to being a kid, what I went through to get tickets to go to my first concert (Duran Duran), how I discovered and was turned on to new music, and how I used to rip music off MTV using my “boombox.

“Come On Eileen” - Dexys Midnight Runners

Enter - “THE MORE TRASH YOU KNOW” . . .

Dexys Midnight Runners were formed in 1978 in Birmingham, England, naming the band after Dexedrine, a brand of dextroamphetamine popularly used as a recreational drug among Northern Soul fans at the time. * The midnight runners referred to the energy the Dexedrine gave, enabling one to dance all night. Their first single, “Dance Stance” was released on the independent Oddball Records and reached number 40 in the British charts, but the next single, “Geno” – about Geno Washington, released on EMI – was a British Number One in 1980.

Their debut LP - “Searching for the Young Soul Rebels“, was released in 1980 and became a massive success. Their follow up LP, “Too-Rye-Ay” was released in 1982. The first single, “The Celtic Soul Brothers“, was mildly successful, but “Come on Eileen” followed and became a number one hit, in both the UK and the US. Subsequently, “Come on Eileen“, went on to be the biggest-selling single of 1982, and in 1983, Dexys took home the award for “Best British Single” for the song at the BRIT Awards.

Their follow-up “Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile)“, (Van Morrison cover) reached the top 5 in the UK singles chart. They performed the song on the UK cult comedy show - The Young Ones, (great freaking show) as well as BBC’s, Top Of The Pops. The Top Of The Pops performance, went down as infamous, as it’s broadcast live, and as a prank, one of the show engineers, put up a image of Jocky Wilson, a Scottish darts player, instead of U.S. soul singer, Jackie Wilson.

In 2005, Dexys said they were going back into the studio to make another album. And just as Homer Simpson predicted, in an episode of the Simpson’s, after beating them out and winning the Grammy, “You haven’t hear the last of them!” They’ve recently posted a new track on their myspace.

So folks, that wraps up my first “THE MORE TRASH YOU KNOW“, featuring Dexys Midnight Runners. If anyone out there wants to make me a graphic incorporating “Trash“, into the ““More You Know” bit posted above, I’ll send you something nice in the mail. You can send it to me via our Trash Menagerie Drop Box, attention: AUDIO PIMPSTRESS.

Now I’m off to pack for WMC and while doing so, I’m going to blast “Come On Eileen”. I hope you can hear it loud and clear, coming out of the speakers of my flat, where ever it is that you may be. (Or you can just listen and watch the video above, eh?

To LEARN MORE about Dexys Midnight Runners, visit some linkage:
Dexys.org
Dexys.co.uk

Oh man! A DJ/Producer who goes by the name of Raffertie just sent us the most amazing mix called Baaaaaaaaaassline. The title is apt to say the least. He’s managed to take all the bassheavy subgenres and play them at 145bpm. There’s some breakstep, a buncha speed garage, ‘ardcore, some house and some electro all totally bassed out and banging. Raffertie hails from Birmingham and is a resident at a new night called “Oh My Gosh” at King Edward Inn over by The Q Club in Birmingham. As far as I can tell, he’s made entirely out of plaid and his production is quite unique. It incorporates all the elements that are found in his mix but without getting too messy like some cross-genre pollination can be. Lotsa bass, of course and honestly, it resembles Burial’s subdued, bassy style in the same way that TS7 resembles MJ Cole in that, its certainly not as well produced as the latter but it sticks to the same theme, it hits hard and will work on the floor. Anyways, without further ado, the mix followed by a pair of tracks.

Raffertie - Baaaaaaaaassline

01. kanji kinetic - the buffalo (intro)
02. dubchild - lethal riddim
03. lockdown - gunman (twocker remix)
04. klaxons - atlantis to interzone (destroy disco remix)
05. paleface - lady like (dj dandg vs. dezz jones remix)
06. destroy disco - fly or bounce
07. wideboys - dis station (rule da nation)
08. snap! - the power (kanji kinetic remix)
09. limewax - one of them (kanji kinetic vegeburger bootleg)
10. delerium - silence (raffertie’s garage revamp)
11. ja rule - always on time (agent x remix)
12. tapedeck - destiny (stdjs remix)
13. dexplicit - good for me
14. wideboys - west side (up norf 06 mix)
15. rip lash, sus and juicy joints - how we do
16. raffertie - back to the underground
17. kylie minogue - 2 hearts (destroy disco remix)

Lady Tigra - Bass On The Bottom (Raffertie’s Siiiiiiick rmx)

Chaka Kahn - Ain’t Nobody (Raffertie’s rmx)

If you are based in Birmingham, UK there is no way on this earth that you have not heard of the fabulous parties promoters Chicks Dig Jerks are putting on.

In the past this inspiring collective have bought the likes of Klaxons, The Gossip, NiYi, Get Shakes, Shy Child, and Goose to Birmingham showcasing them all before the ‘industry’ got their grubby mits on them!!

With nights like ‘Tight Fit’, ‘Hott Date’, and the newly hott ‘FLEX’, they definitely have their fingers on the pulse.

The last ‘Flex’ on 23rd November at The Custard Factory, Birmingham had a line-up so good that we nearly past out! With delicious sets from Miss Odd Kid, Filthy Dukes, New Best Mate, and Autokratz just to mention a few - everyone was hot under the collar so say the least!

Chicks Dig Jerks host their first Warehouse Party at The Rainbow Warehouse, Birmingham on December 1st with Chromeo, PartyShank and Man Like Me, you better get those tickets now as they are selling like hot cakes!

Keep up to date with what the Chicks are up to by clicking on their myspace page sharpish.

Deep in the heart of the West Midlands in the UK there is a band by the name of Deluka tearing it up on the live scene. With their perfectly time electro blips, squeaks and erratic beats, intermixed with the seductive tones of lead singer Ellie Innocenti, they are sure to melt your soul.

Fresh from touring the breadth of the UK and stopping off in Romania, Paris and Berlin for one-off special gigs this foursome are hungry for more success. Praised by the UK press including NME, Radio 1, Fused Magazine and Dazed & Confused they are certainly on the right track.

With an album currently under construction as we speak and requests for gigs reaching an alarming rate you should hot foot it to itunes and purchase their singles ‘I’ll Wait’ and ‘Stop, Stop’ before they disappear.

To give you a taster of what this Birmingham based four piece are about we have ‘Sleep Is Impossible’ and ‘Flashbacks’ for you to have a listen to.

Deluka - Flashbacks

Deluka - Sleep Is Impossible

Ed from Toilet Disco, photo courtesy of Rodolphe Olivier

On Thursday 20th September, I took the Eurostar over to Lille for the opening night of Le Name Festival, an electronic music and multimedia showcase, organised by Art Point M and funded by Conseil General Departement du Nord. Before I left, I’d been warned, “Oh you don’t want to party with the French — they’re too cool for school!” However, I felt confident as I went into the rabbit hole of the English Channel that my travels would bring me rich and unique treasures.

For a start, I came across the little heard of Le Name by chance, stumbling upon the festival brochure in 2005 while I was at the Be Queer Festival, which took place on board the Stubnitz ship in Dunkerque. The bright yellow art-fuelled brochure displayed an awesomely inspiring line up of electro and minimalist DJs (largely from Germany), vj artists from all over the world and film showcases. I kicked myself for two years for missing the boat that year.

This year’s line up was promising and plentiful, although largely French, and I looked forward to seeing larger-than-life legends such as Andrew Weatherall, The Orb, and Ivan Smagghe, along with Alter Ego, Alex Smoke, Radio Slave, Magda, and many other artists I was less familiar with. This season also featured a preview of “Lagerfeld Confidentiel” (documentary on iconic fashion designer Karl Lagerfield by Rodolphe Marconi), a round table debate with philosopher Yves Michaud on modern art technology, masterclasses on Ableton Live and Logic and a DJ/VJ contest. Unlike UK festivals, it was largely classed as a cultural event, with less emphasis on appealing to other countries as a commercial venture and more focused on providing an experience for local people.

Wet ‘n’ wild in Toilet Disco, photo courtesy of Rodolphe Olivier

The opening night, Thursday, was by invite only (but free) and took place in La Condition Publique, a multi-warehouse art space in the neighboring suburb of Roubaix. I forgot my French dictionary at home, so I ended up walking for about 45 minutes through the commercial section of Roubaix, following the snaking tram lines in the fresh night. My first impression when I arrived at La Condition Publique was space. It was a great space, two buildings separated by an indoor courtyard, very similar to the Custard Factory in Birmingham. Only Salle Odette was open (Salle Lucette was used for screening the Lagerfeld documentary). It was an enormous warehouse, each wall hung with several 15 foot screens, flooded by quirky streams of visuals.

Music-wise, Thursday featured sCrAmBlEd?HaCkZ! from Germany, Fhex from Belgium, Pan Sonic from Finland and Damian Lazarus. When I arrived in Salle Odette, I found people sitting cross-legged on the floor, and this unfortunately was the running theme for the evening. Most of the acts were interestingly experimental, but all ambient and too similar, and it made me question the thinking behind the programming. However, two DJs saved me that night.

Mariano from Toilet Disco, photo courtesy of Jag Hunjan

Toilet Disco are Spanish DJ and musician Mariano Robles and French DJ Edouard Rostand. Mariano and Ed met in the summer of 2005 at Calvi on the Rocks (Ed’s festival) and have been inseparable since. Their act is a combination of DJing (dipping into every genre possible), fancy dress, cabaret, and sheer inane nonsense. The duo have entertained the rich and decadent at exclusive parties such as the Europe Music Awards and the MTV at the Movies party in Cannes. Toilet Disco held court (more…)