Den Haan are a live synthesised dance act – the conceptual disco duo of Matthew Aldworth and Andy Gardiner. Previous releases have brought the group critical acclaim and firm dj support from the likes of Optimo, Cosmo Vitelli, Headman, Ivan Smagghe and Mylo. Their debut album “Gods From Outer Space” will be released on Alworth’s Courier Of Death imprint today, March 4th 2011.

Den Haan are built for the rhythms of the night. Their releases are the spirit of seedy 70’s basement dives, a deco-greco roman blur of glistening bodies and dazzling lights, Criso on the wrists, spunk in the dark corners and sweat condensed on every surface while machine-made rhythms from some far-away disco planet send shockwaves of ecstasy across the dancefloor. Den Haan’s sound is knowing-humour with a hand-on-the-cock sexual swagger. They GET the cheap pop aesthetic built into italo and especially hi-NRG. The rhythms are dark, electronic, tribal, with vocals hewn from Anvil or Van Halen rather than from Donna Summer. They are popper-soaked macho guys barking out tales of stalking the night cruising for kicks, all backed by a chorus of booming sado-cybernetic vocoders. And there ain’t no Diva’s in the Den Haan sound – save maybe for a terrifying 26 stone dog-s**t eating drag colossal know as Divine.

Aldworth and Gardiner first met when they ended up djing together by chance, and soon bonded strongly over their passion for sounds born during a short period in the evolution of soul and funk at the end of the 1970’s when producers and artists were breaking ground in new forms of disco production. Den Haan’s compositions pay homage to these producers, writers and musicians, not with a lazy ironic shrug but with a genuine admiration for their skewed creativity, their imagination and ingenuity in adapting and experimenting with technology. That ability to create something slightly un-hinged – perhaps not the most polished of effort – but something with a killer synth hook that never the less makes you scream and throw yourself around the dancefloor.

Den Haan study their favourite productions and producers in forensic detail: Celso Valli (Azoto and Tantra), Franco Rago & Gigi Farina (behind the ‘Lectric Workers releases), the experimental excursions of Vangelis, the homo-disco cybernetics of Patrick Cowley and the atonal alienation programmed into the soundtracks of Claudio Somonetti and John Carpenter. Sourcing original instruments and production equipment the duo sweat it out in the studio striving to re-create as close to a version of this original approach to sound creation as possible, their only contemporary indulgence being a bang up-to-date studio mastering conducted by Austrian based producer Patrick Pulsinger of electronic label Cheap Recordings. This commitment to process brings not only an authenticity to the productions but also to their explosive live performances. As Optimo’s JD Twitch commented after seeing them on stage – “fuck, the sound is way better than an actual club”!

“Gods From Outer Space” has been designed to work as a complete listening experience, a journey through Den Haan’s fictitious universe;- titles like “Release The Beast” and “Nightshift” conjure up the sweaty nightclub scenes from “Cruising” all hyper-macho swagger and pungent sexuality, “Gods From Outerspace” recalls the endless cheap laser blasts of 80’s sci-fi also-rans, the pompous faux religiosity of concept prog synth albums, while interludes like “The Arrival” and “The End” give a sort breath of contemplation – BBC Radiophonic workshop interludes reflecting the dichotomous dystopian/utopian divide in their film soundtrack influences – before you are propelled back into an exhilarating votex of flesh and fantasy. The music may seem to have a parodic quality, an in-built “cheese” factor – but that is resolutely not its intention. Den Haan are deadly serious in celebrating their musical influences. Its camp undoubtedly, but HIGH camp – homage and ambiguity as opposed to parody and pastiche. Theirs is an aesthetic hip enough to appreciate trashy genius whilst simultaneously in awe of the craft and imagination that was employed to create it. This isn’t a just a game, it’s a ridiculous reality. They’re not afraid to get crazy and let their balls hang right out there. Thats what they are about.

They will play an official album launch show at Stereo tonight, Friday the 11th March, with dj support from RPZ, Wrong Island and David Barbarossa.

NIGHT SHIFT by DenHaan

I introduced my Chilean friend, Francisco Saavedra to a few nice tracks recently. Being the skilled man he is, when it comes to mixing, he wrapped them up in a tidy little mixtape for WCNS and all you lovely people. I find it pretty accessible, we listened to this last friday before heading to Julio Bashmore at the GSA and it put us in the mood, but you can play it when your just chilling. Tracklist for Mixed Up Afternoon is below. Please enjoy our third release in the series of invited DJs, you can listen to previous offerings here.

XXXY – Ordinary Things
Julio Bashmore – Ask Yourself
Logo – La Vie Moderne (French Fries and Tony Senghore remix feat PiuPiu)
Julio Bashmore – Battle For Middle You
Galen & Justin Martin – Dust Devil (Original Mix)
Julio Bashmore – Around
Untold – Come Follow Me
Sepalcure – No Think

Mixed Up Afternoon by We Can Never Stop

Fed up with the rinsed market of dubstep remixes, White Elephant Guise was inspired to create these two new tracks. Good to hear a refreshing take on ambient dubstep which hasn’t sampled Florence & The Machine or the next top name in pop. Smooth, ambient and with an unusual approach of happy harcore-esque lyrics within dubstep, he’s created some pretty good work. Really love that drop at 3:07 on If You’ve Given Up.

If You’ve Given Up by White Elephant Guise

Need You by White Elephant Guise

Photo: Mateusz Sleczka

Koreless is a humble lad. At only 19 this young DJ has started to make a name for himself by sticking true to his intentions with music production by keeping it original. “To me, music is art, more of a personal thing, copying what everyone else is doing is just pointless”. His dark, muffled, refined drum beats coupled with the soothing and gaze like synths with the occasional addition of yearning wholesome female lyrics come together in such a fine way. A welcome change from the current trend of dark and gritty R&B which seems to be everywhere. Already he has received a respectful nod and play from Gilles Peterson at Radio 1 and put in the same league as other heavy hitters after he commented “Koreless, James Blake, Jamie Woon and Ramadaman – remember where you heard them first”.

Originally from North Wales, he’s studying Naval Architecture in Glasgow. I’m sure the future will hold many interesting opportunities for this young kid and if his boats don’t float, at least his beats will

Jacques Greene – The Look (Koreless Remix) by Koreless

Up Down Up Down by Koreless

Maria by Koreless

I added some Wu Lyf here back in October and it received a large number of interest. Tonight, they play their first UK gig outside of Manchester at the Arches. £8 a ticket including booking fee, get there if you know what’s good for you.

WU LYF-spitting it concrete like the golden sun god from LUCIFER YOUTH FOUNDATION on Vimeo.

Wu Lyf – Such A Sad Puppy Dog
Wu Lyf – Lung Songs
Wu Lyf – Heavy Pop

This playlist reflects today, a mellow laid back Sunday. I’m going to share some new (and old) bands which I’ve recently discovered through the music blog Clumsy & Shy, definitely give it a look. Some nice tracks here, I currently have Lower Dens – Truss Me on repeat as it’s so beautiful. If there’s any bands you’d like to share, feel free to get in touch.

Police Academy 6 – Pills
OFWGKTA – Up Chopped And Screwed
Richard Hawley – Don’t You Cry
Lower Dens – Truss Me
Teams – Sunbells
Deerhunter – He Would Have Laughed
Memoryhouse – To The Lighthouse
Phone Home – Meds
Atlas Sound – ABC Glasgow
Elvis Presley – First In Line

Joe Crogan & Frank Sinatron are mega hunks who just can’t stop being Hunks. Join them as they discuss the premium method of dealing with Meriods (man periods) Being the perfect boyfriend (and staying bf material!) as well as newz, sports, weather and some music too. Lil Wayne, Neu! and Ennio Morricone all join in, while the hunks whistle over the songs, as well as playing their own music LIVE and sometimes not LIVE but still pretty tits.

Tickle your ears here! subcity.org/shows/hunks

hunks hunks hunks…

Wu Lyf. Who are they? A band from Manchester. What else do you know about them? Very little. Does that matter? It shouldn’t.

In these coochie coo days of digital information coziness, it only takes a matter of minutes to learn shed loads about a band, 30 seconds into hearing one of their tracks. Unfortunately due to this, there is very rarely the feeling of elusion and mystique which once came hand in hand with discovering something new.
Wu Lyf (World Unite – Lucifer Youth Foundation) deserve a firm pat on the back for managing to retain that tattered and trampled shroud of secrecy.

They tend to play all in white, their gigs cost a £1, sometimes there’s 5 in the band, sometimes 20 and I do hope they can retain this evasive approach when, or rather, if they choose to get signed.

Wu Lyf – Concrete Gold
Wu Lyf – Calm Down
Wu Lyf – Such A Sad Puppy Dog
Wu Lyf – Lung Songs
Wu Lyf – Heavy Pop

What impresses me most about Vitamins, is the way they are totally bucking the trend for club nights in the city. Time and time again, the same nights come and go, playing the same selection of music in the same selection of venues. Vitamins were tired of that, and decided that after all, is there really anything stopping them pushing the boundaries? They launched 2 months ago with their own interpretation of what a club night should be – a massive party utilising two stripped out west end tenements, crammed full with the dance hungry and a host of top drawer DJs playing well past the bed time. The result, a baptism of gold granting them an enviable, highly impressive first impression, and a list of people craving for more.

Round two, and Vitamins are raising the game once more. This time to a secret location in a beautiful forrest in the Scottish countryside. Tickets are exclusive and extremely limited and the ONLY WAY you can get your merciless mitts on this gold dust, is by emailing vitaminsuk@gmail.com and pray for a call back…

So what’ll be there? They’ve invited some of their favourite Glasgow DJs and VJs to tear the field up. Fortunately, this isn’t some crusty free party with the tunes buzzing out of a selection of guitar amps and speakers from Victor Morris – We’ve got Cheesy and Zambo (soundsystem of choice for Subcity, Big Foots, Sunday Circus and Thunder Disco) in tow with a big rig, plenty of lights and a videowall to match.

The lineup, in true Vitamins style is a multi-genred beast of DJ sets, one off collabs and live performances to last from arrival to departure. Who’s that you cry? This is who:

Bigfoots Tea Party // Point to C // Bones & Money // All Caps // HaHaHa (live) // Shaun fae Solar // Chungo Bungo // Dommm (pest control) // Tarantism // Troutfish // Simon Bryan // Marco // Cheesy & Zambo // Visual AIDS … & other friends

£25 a ticket and that also covers your transport there and back. 21st – 22nd August, bus leaving at 4pm. You may want to bring a tent and sleeping bag (if you’re thinking of sleeping). There are strictly only a handful left and if you need more information, check out their Facebook event page.

To whet your appetite, here’s a lil mix from Bones & Money for Vitamins. Seriously, what are you waiting on?

BONES & MONEY present – IT’S A LOT! by vitaminsuk

Try and find something out about Vondelpark – it’s not going to happen. A very elusive band that don’t have a Myspace let alone a website, but surely, that makes it all the more treasured? I’m loving that woozy, two-step, downtempo melody paired with his strained and somewhat sinister sounding vocals – especially in the track, Start Life.

The debut EP ‘Sauna’ comes out this October.

Vondelpark – Jetlag

Vondelpark – Start Life (Be Side version)

Vondelpark – California Analog Dream

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