Hamburg is Bumpin!

S'up s'up y'all and hallo hallo peeps!

This post is the result of a collaborative effort between moi (neonguns) and the esteemed Nextron. Nextron's got some info on Saint Pauli's new EP, I Need Rhythm, plus a hot new track. I've lined up a sweet interview with Ed Nerz, paired with his bumpin dub of Hi Friend. To top it off, we'll throw in some fresh Don Diablo straight from Stephan Oorbeek at Muzikology!

Update: Catch some Flak Attack, Etienne De Crecy, Fischerspooner and Yuksek at the end of the post

Saint Pauli, two crazy Hamburgers who apparently "have disco in their blood, rock in their souls and turn every party into a pressure cooker ready to explode" have come up with a new EP, 'I Need Rhythm' slated for release in March 2009 on etage noir records, Austria. Show a little love and buy some tracks on Beatport, you can also listen to them there. I really like the Toxic Avenger remix, hopefully we can get a copy of it for you guys soon.



I Need Rhythm (Coconut Wireless Remix) - Saint Pauli

Bleep (Saint Pauli Remix) - Dirty Disco Youth

Also, the two young designers Tim Piotrowski and Johannes Haverkamp from Düsseldorf have created a sweet video for 'i need rhythm':




Bonus: Robosonic - Yasmin (Coconut Wireless Remix)


Meet Ed Nerz. Born and raised in Hamburg, Northern Germany he has seen the electronic music scene change and develop for nearly twenty years. Ed’s given us an exclusive mix and an interview too--so check it out. The interview in particular provides a nice perspective on the evolution of the genre and the tools that created it.

Deadmau5 and Mc Flipside – Hi Friend (Ed Nerz Dub)

Interview!

For how long have you been making music?

Quite a while. I got interested in composing in '90 when my dad bought a Commodore Amiga 500. Around that time a lot of new demo groups were founded or migrated from the C64 and I got to know a few people from both scenes who raised my interest in electronic music and the composing possibilities of the Amiga - it only had 4 channels and 22khz 8bit sound triggered by a stepsequencer but for us it was the bomb. So I got myself a sound-digitizer to sample sounds from tapes I got from my buddies who were more into DJ'ing. In '92 I knew my way around Soundtracker and later Protracker pretty well--same sh*t, just more intuitive GUI--so I recorded some homebrew tracks on tape and listened to them with buddies or during private parties. One day I brought a tape to Bastian's (Fukkk Offf) place and he instantly decided he needed an Amiga as well. He bought one a few days later and started composing pretty eagerly. At some point he decided to switch to hardware synths and Atari since the midi support for Amiga was utter crap while the Atari had built-in midi support and Cubase. We always wanted a TB-303 which got overhyped during that time and was unaffordable for two students with no income. Luckily, Roland released the MC-303 in '96, which was very limited in modulation but also offered drums and a stepsequencer, so after saving like crazy we each got one of those. Since we were asked to play at private parties, we grouped up with other buddies and played at several private and later public events/clubs (including the legendary U.N.I.T. in Hamburg in '97). Goa and Psychedelic tracks became more dominant as this was the genre with the most freaked out outdoor parties.

After that period I decided to visit the school of arts and had to work to pay my rent, which left little time for composing. Although a career as musician was surely an option, I opted for media design since I wanted to do something where I could work with both audio and visuals. Bastian always found the time to keep on producing and I’m glad he did because his tracks and remixes are pure gold. I already talked about some cooperation mixes with him or maybe even some live set revival in Paris, where he's been playing frequently. Sadly, my current job, creative director, consumes plenty of time so I have no idea if or when we'll find time for that.


If you had to pick any three songs by other artists that you wish you had made, which ones would they be?

The first one would definitely be one of those stupid Christmas songs they play every year on the radio till your ears bleed--but only for the money of course. But no, seriously—my first one would be a real nice pumping gem from '94: "Emmanuel Top: Turkish Bazar (Original)." The other two are very hard to pick. I wish I were a bit younger and knew fewer songs. Well, Fukkk Offf’s Remix of DJ Dan’s "Seduction" would be a good candidate—that track is pure gold, probably because I loved the original. Finally, I’d pick "Donald Brown - French Kiss" because that is one kick ass remix of the epic classic from Li'l Louis and a good example of a really diverse and stylish remix.


What's one thing you love about the music scene, and one thing you absolutely hate?

Love: The Parties!
Hate: The day after!


People have mixed feelings about internet file sharing, or 'pirating,' where do you stand on the issue?

Luckily for me the software I used in my early (poor) days was freeware and no one cared if you sampled instruments from tapes because they had lousy quality anyway. I don't know many artists who had the cash to buy professional software just to find out if music is their thing. On the other hand, I don't know anyone who didn't buy the software when s/he went commercial. I think there should be a fair use policy for everything: it should be free if you don’t make money with it and use it for educational purposes only but the second you make a cent you go buy it and gain +10 karma. Regarding sharing music –since when is that something new? People have shared music since there was music – that’s the point of music. If the music rocks, you will still either buy the tracks or visit concerts/livesets - only rich greedy musicians are whining about sharing. You won’t find any social class where they don't share or download music and none of them is wearing an eye patch and a parrot.


Since you first became involved, what are the biggest changes you’ve noticed in the electronic music culture, particularly in terms of the music and the scene surrounding it? What do you think sparked these changes?

Well, the most noticeable aspect would be the vast variety of genres –there have always been subgenres, but now every subgenre has other subgenres. "New styles" get new names and I think only a few people on this planet can list ALL the genres and subgenres there are now. Fifteen years ago you had Techno and House. Maybe you could have been more specific than that, but not as detailed as today. "Techno" was everything with a 4/4 Bassdrum and more than 120bpm—luckily that changed to keep out the trash. People are also more experimental with styles today; techno had its stereotypical, immutable style, but now artists mix and mash like crazy. I really like it. Producing has become more popular and affordable, while the internet offers plenty of resources for every sound, so finding a publisher takes only a few clicks. I think we all can profit from the variety of styles we have today. A few years ago I wished people would produce more tracks of a certain style, but there was no genre for it and no one who would take the lead. I think today’s artists aren’t so much into the idol thing anymore. They don’t copy styles they know but instead prefer to produce new sounds or take established genres in creative directions.


If you could have any super power, what would it be?

Like Cartman said "I have the super power to have many super powers." I think immortality would become boring after 300 years and super strength is only good for throwing cars around... pretty useless. I’d pick the ability to fly. You could escape from whatever you want to wherever you want with whomever you want. Sounds good to me.

More about Ed Nerz:

Favorite Styles: Electro <3, AcidJazz, Psychodelic, French House, Progressive, Breakbeat and Experimental

Influenced by: LFO, Da Jormas, Paralax (ZIF <3), Chris Huelsbeck, The Prodigy, Chemical Bros., Planet Ben, Adam Beyer, Takkyu Ishino, Laurent Ho, Ben Sims, Steve Mason, Giorgio Moroder, Li'l Louis, Emanuel Top, Carl Cox, Gary 138 D., Sven Väth, Josh Wing, Stereo MC and too many more.


In my last post I hit you up with two fresh Don Diablo tracks (if you didn't pick 'em up, scroll down) and now I've got two more. If you're not familiar with Don Diablo, he's a dutch producer, artist, songwriter and DJ whose been working since the sweet young age of fifteen. He dropped his first album, 2Faced, in 2004 and has released more than 75 singles in his career. For a full bio check out his webpage. To listen to more tracks go to myspace or buy his work on beatport. Thanks to Don Diablo, Stephan Oorbeek and Muzikology!

Don Diablo - Give More, Expect Less
Tila Tequila - I Love You (Don Diablo Remix)

Also...

I recently had a Flak Attack, Rex the Dog and Don Diablo post removed by blogger. Presumably, my post was deleted due to the Rex the Dog tracks--although I can only guess because those have also been removed from my Mediafire account and the Don Diablo tracks happen to come straight from his manager, Stephan Oorbeek. Unfortunately, Google doesn't actually bother to specify the artist whose rights I'd violated. As such I'm reposting the Don Diablo and Flak Attack below as well as some older stuff that's missing due to a similar incident. Hopefully they'll stay here.

Don Diablo

Don Diablo - Get on the Floor (Don Diablo's Just Begun Edit)
Mason - You Make Wanna Dance (Don Diablo Remix)

Flak Attack

Flak Attack - Jacknife
Flak Attack - Itchiker
Flak Attack - Bang the Beat Out ft. Kid Confuzion

Etienne De Crecy

Mylo - Paris Four Hundred (Etienne De Crecy Remix) MUST HAVE
Etienne De Crecy - Punk (Live)
Etienne De Crecy - Fuck
Philippe Zdar & Etienne De Crecy - Poisoned
Fox'n'Wolf - Youth Alchoholic (Etienne De Crecy Mix)

Fisherspooner

Fisherspooner - L.A. Song
Fisherspooner - Emerge
Fisherspooner - Fucker
Fisherspooner - Turn On
Fisherspooner - Just Let Go
Fisherspooner - Danse en France (DIM Remix) AMAZING!!!

Yuksek

Yuksek - So Far Away from the Sea
Siriusmo - All the Girls (Yuksek Remix)
Yuksek - Sorry

Enjoy the Love,

-Neonguns and Nextron