Saved by the rave: British youth and UK free parties in the pandemic

A look at the UK free party scene from the perspective of the kids going to them in the face of the global pandemic.

Published December 2020 at Document Journal.

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Matmos on Boguslaw Schaeffer and the PRES

A look at the pioneering Polish electroacoustic composer, as told by Matmos who have sampled his work from the Polish Radio Experimental Studio in the ’60s and ’70s. 

Published December 2020 at Ableton.

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Systems Overload: Britcore and the UK underground

Digging into the story of Britcore, an overlooked corner of British music history where the first waves of UK rap took an unexpectedly sped up and punk-y turn that prefigured the emergence of breakbeat hardcore in the early ’90s. 

Published November 2020 at International Orange.

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Need For Speed: The resurgence of fast dance music

Taking stock of the increasing creativity and interest orbiting the 150+ BPM mark in global dance music culture, with input from SHERELLE, Darwin, Miss Jay, upsammy, Aquarian and Djrum.

Published March 2020 at Dekmantel.

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Let Us Be Your Fantasy: How Fantazia brought UK rave to the masses

Digging into the early years of one of the seminal promoters of massive legal raves in the 1990s, with input from founder James Perkins, hardcore veterans Slipmatt and Ratpack, journalist Claire Henderson and MC Joe Peng. 

Published January 2020 in DJ Mag.

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Label of the month: Source Records

A trip to Heidelberg to profile Move D and Jonas Grossmann’s seminal but overlooked ’90s electronica label, which carried incredible music from the likes of Jan Jelinek, Baby Ford, Gescom, Roman Flügel, Alex Cortex and a whole heap of names you haven’t heard. 

Published December 2019 at Resident Advisor.

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The DIY tape scene in 1980s Frankfurt.

An in-depth look at the lo-fi experimentation that laid the groundwork for the German city’s 90s techno boom, with contributions from James Dean Brown, Tobias., Atom Heart, Lars Müller and more. 

Published October 2019 at Electronic Beats.

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Closing Ranks – Bristol clubs and community resistance.

A look at the issues of venue closures and property development through the lens of Bristol’s nightlife. 

Published August 2019 at Boiler Room.

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Label of the month: Rephlex.

Chronicling the mammoth catalogue and wild sonics of one of the most important electronica labels of all time, with a little help from Aphex Twin, DMX Krew, Leila, The Bug and more. 

Published August 2019 at Resident Advisor.

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What Is House Music?

A simple overview of the perennial dance music genre, aimed at lighting the way in for the uninitiated. 

Published February 2019 at Red Bull.

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Nightclubbing: House Of God

A tell-all trip through the long and winding history of a true UK techno institution, featuring memories and comments from Surgeon, Jerome Hill, Neil Landstrumm, Paula Temple and many more. 

Published January 2019 at Red Bull Music Academy.

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Sound Design – MasterSounds.

A profile of the company making beautiful rotary mixers and other such audiophile delights for the DJ community, including some contributions from famed mixer designer Andy Rigby-Jones.

Published January 2019 at The Vinyl Factory.

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In celebration of Drukqs.

A chance to wax lyrical about why the critically-slated album by Aphex Twin in fact ranks amongst his best work. 

Published December 2018 at Crack Magazine.

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The story of Timedance in 10 tracks.

An overview of one of the most innovative labels in Bristol’s electronic music scene. 

Published September 2018 at Red Bull.

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The History of Propaganda.

Going deep on the evolution of one of Moscow’s most renowned house and techno clubs.

Published July 2018 at Electronic Beats.

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Rodion GA, Future Nuggets and Romania’s psychedelic underground.

The story of an unlikely psych pioneer against all odds in Romania, and his links to a new generation of adventurous artists looking to their cultural context for new ways forwards in sound.

Published July 2018 at The Vinyl Factory.

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An introduction to LTJ Bukem in 10 records.

An overview of one of the leading pioneers in the evolution of drum & bass. 

Published June 2018 at The Vinyl Factory.

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Plastikman – Consumed

A retrospective look back at one of the finest moments in Richie Hawtin’s career, when experimentation was central to his working practice and the new frontiers of minimal techno were yielding unexpected delights.

Published May 2018 at Crack Magazine.

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Anthems from Superbleep3000

A trip back in time with the Wiesbaden party helmed by S-Max, Losoul and more. 

Published May 2018 at Electronic Beats.

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Label of the Month: Latency

Time spent in the French capital with one of its finest labels, orbiting a wonderful night spent dancing at much-missed club Concrete.

Published April 2018 at Resident Advisor.

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Hong Kong – Culture in an Art Desert

Examining some of the challenges that face electronic music producers, DJs and promoters in Hong Kong, featuring Ocean Lam and Jo.D.

Published March 2018 at Norient.

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Dubbing Is A Must – the labels and artists pushing the boundaries of dubwise culture 

An in-depth look at a loosely connected network of global labels including Zam Zam Sounds, Bokeh Versions, Boomarm Nation, No Corner and Jahtari. 

Published January 2018 at Fact Magazine.

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Is YouTube determining vinyl reissue culture?

An exploration of the phenomenon around YouTube algorithms shaping the demand for obscure music, and the subsequent reissues that arise around them. 

Published December 2017 at The Vinyl Factory.

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Anthems from Club XS

A dive into the heady early 90s world of a cult Frankfurt club where the ambient nights were the stuff of legend and the whiff of psychedelia was in the air. 

Published September 2017 at Electronic Beats.

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Meet the studios keeping dubplate culture alive

A piece profiling two separate dub-cutting studios, Peckham Cuts in London and Dubstudio in Bristol, and exploring the current state of dubplate culture.

Published August 2017 at The Vinyl Factory.

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Nightclubbing – Kabal

Going deep on a Sheffield institution, where broken beat, dancehall, dub, grime, soul, garage and more collided in illicit spaces across the city. 

Published August 2017 at Red Bull Music Academy Daily.

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An introduction to Richard H.Kirk in 10 records

Take a whistle-stop tour through the career of one of Britain’s finest electronic experimentalists, from the Cabaret Voltaire days via Sandoz and right up to the present day. 

Published August 2017 at The Vinyl Factory.

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Nightclubbing – Oscillate

An in-depth piece telling the story of Oscillate, a seminal Birmingham-based electronica night that ran through the mid-90s, gave the likes of Autechre their first live gigs and brought a hippy sensitivity to burgeoning rave culture. 

Published June 2017 at Red Bull Music Academy Daily.

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How to remake a bleep techno classic

An interview with Chris Smith from CPU Records about the painstaking process he went through to faithfully re-build cult 90s Sheffield bleep techno tracks by Detromental.

Published May 2017 at Fact Magazine.

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The sample legacy of Kraftwerk’s Computer World

10 records that made great use of the pioneering work of the funkiest German robots in all of human history. 

Published May 2017 at The Vinyl Factory.

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Vinyl Fantasy: is the vinyl boom bad for new music?

Examining the resurgence of the vinyl format and whether it helps or hinders the development of new music.

Published April 2017 at Fact Magazine.

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Attack Of The Synth Clones

An investigation into Behringer’s plans to clone classic synthesisers and make them more affordable.

Published April 2017 at Fact Magazine.

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A guide to the artwork of Antinote Records

Discussing some of the key visual themes that run through the beautifully presented Parisian label with chief designer Nico Motte.

Published March 2017 at The Vinyl Factory.

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An introduction to Bill Laswell in 10 records

A potted history of some of the NYC producer / musician’s most dazzling moments.

Published January 2017 at The Vinyl Factory.

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Life beyond the superclub

A feature exploring the impact of Fabric’s threatened closure, and the evidence that there is still a thriving club culture in the UK away from high-end, big capacity venues. 

Published December 2016 at Fact Magazine.

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Abigail Adams & Movin’ Records

The story of the birth of New Jersey house, and one woman in particular who was instrumental in giving the scene a focal point both with her shop and her record label.

Published November 2016 at The Vinyl Factory.

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Bruce Haack’s Electric Lucifer Trilogy

A personal account from Chris Kachulis, life-long friend of Canadian synth pioneer Bruce Haack. Focusing on Haack’s seminal concept album Electric Lucifer and its sequels, Kachulis recalls time spent working and hanging out with a unique character within the annals of synthesizer history. 

Published October 2016 at The Vinyl Factory.

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The Genius Of Don Buchla

A heartfelt tribute to the late synthesiser pioneer, primarily told through the words of some of those who were close to him and used his instruments: Morton Subotnick, Suzanne Ciani, Alessandro Cortini, Surgeon and Clemens Hourriere.

Published September 2016 at Fact.

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Eclipse Rave: Chile’s groundbreaking techno party. 

In 1994 an unlikely crew formed to try and throw a rave in the desert of North Chile. With anecdotes from Ricardo Villalobos, Dandy Jack, Tobias Freund, Luciano and many more, this is the story of the Eclipse Rave.

Published June 2016 at Red Bull Music Academy Daily.

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Dusted Down – KMA Productions – ‘Cape Fear’

Telling the story of a classic slice of dark, swinging majesty from the early days of garage.

Published May 2016 at Juno Plus.

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Dancing Room Only – Bristol

A spotlight on some of the finest undercurrents on the Bristol party scene in 2016, featuring Dirty Talk, Rough Draft, Idle Hands and Metro. 

Published April 2016 at Juno Plus.

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Vinylmania – An oral history

The story of a legendary record store that had a lasting impact on dance music in New York, from the era of the Paradise Garage right through the house music explosion and beyond. 

Published February 2016 at Red Bull Music Academy Daily.

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One Night In The Schlachthof: Meakusma in Eupen

A piece capturing some of the scene that orbits around the Meakusma label in Belgium, with a focus on an event organised in a former slaughterhouse in the East of the country. 

Published December 2015 at Juno Plus.

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Chill In The Hour Of Chaos: Interference Festival 1994

A story about a seminal electronic music festival that took place at the Tresor Club in Berlin on the weekend of the infamous Love Parade. The line-up brought together some of the earliest pioneers of ambient and experimental techno, from Spacetime Continuum and Deep Space Network to Mika Vainio, Atom Heart, Plastikman and many more besides.

You can read an extended version of the feature here.

Published November 2015 at Red Bull Music Academy Daily.

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Welcome To The New Age Disco: The untold story of London techno 1989-1997

A lengthy feature documenting the curious niche of UK-born techno that bubbled up around East London in the early 90s, focusing on artists such as The Black Dog, Mark Broom, Baby Ford, B12, Stasis and Kirk Degiorgio. 

Published July 2015 at Red Bull Music Academy Daily.

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Ready For The Record: Preparing tracks for vinyl

A tutorial feature for the Ableton community highlighting what producers should be considering when getting ready to send their tracks off for a vinyl cut.

Published April 2014 at Ableton.

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Far From The Madding Crowds

An overview of electronic music in 2013 as an introduction to five U.K record labels carving out a distinct sonic identity amidst the glut of soundalike labels.

Published September 2013 in Hunger Magazine (January 2014 at Hunger TV.com)

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Label Of The Month – Bosconi Records

Getting to know the world of Florence-based label Bosconi, and its associated artists such as Life’s Track, Fabio Della Torre, The Clover and many more, on the eve of the release of the Bosconi Stallions compilation.

Published July 2013 at Resident Advisor.

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Signal Path: Analogue Solutions

Profiling one of the most distinctive manufacturers of outboard hardware and modular synthesisers

Published July 2013 at Juno Plus

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Virgo Four split revealed after two years

An investigation into the breakdown of the seminal Chicago house outfit, still performing shows against the wishes of one member. 

Published May 2013 at Resident Advisor

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Clubbing In Vilnius

A snapshot of the state of the electronic music scene in Lithuania’s capital city

Published February 2012 at Resident Advisor

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Out Of Thuringia

An in-depth piece documenting the swinging, jazzy house & techno of Jena and the surrounding area.

Published June 2010 in I-DJ Magazine

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Crossing The Pond

An article that looked at the influence of juke and footwork on UK bass music in late 2010.

Published December 2010 in I-DJ Magazine

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L.A. Confidential Part 1: An Introduction

Daedelus and Daddy Kev spill the beans on what Los Angeles means to them as an introduction to my extensive coverage of the scene in the Californian metropolis.

Published October 2010 in I-DJ Magazine

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L.A. Confidential Part 2: Beat The Brains

An overview of what the infamous beat shepherds behind Brainfeeder are all about.

Published October 2010 in I-DJ Magazine

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L.A. Confidential Part 4: Low End Theory

First-person perspectives on the now-legendary midweek beat session.

Published October 2010 in I-DJ Magazine

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L.A. Confidential Part 6: Stones Throw Records

An overview of one of the world’s finest hip hop institutions.

Published October 2010 in I-DJ Magazine

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L.A. Confidential Part 7: Stacks Of Wax

An entertaining record shopping trip with J-Rocc from the Beat Junkies.

Published October 2010 in I-DJ Magazine

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L.A. Confidential Part 8: The Unusual Culprits

Some quality time with the ambassadors of slinky Californian tech-house.

Published October 2010 in I-DJ Magazine

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