Italo disco was the world’s first kind of totally electronic dance music, and emerged in the late 70s and early 80s in Europe. It has a space-age, robot funk sort of sound built up from synths and early drum machines, and often makes fantastic use of vocoders. I first came across Italo when I listened to I-F’s “Mixed up in the Hague” mix, which is a superbly crafted mix of Italo classics and old school electro. At first I couldn’t tell whether I was listening to something 25 years old or something brand new off the Clone label (right click here to download this mix from the Robotdj.net site), and it really blew me away! Especially tracks like Lectric Workers “Robot is systematic” and Mr Flagio “Take a chance”.

Favourites among this mix are “Be thankful for what you’ve got” by Craig Peyton (1983) and “Dance Boy Dance” by Alexander Robotnick (1984), but it’s all good robot disco goodness. Thanks to Pussy Milneaux for introducing me to a lot of the great tunes here too, like “When I let you down” and “Firelight”. Park the spaceship in orbit, teleport over some friends and turn up the hyperstereo..

72 mins. 192 kbps MP3 (99MB).

Click here to download

Tracklist
1. Bad passion – Steel Mind
2. Perfect High – Peppermint Lounge
3. Be thankful for what you’ve got – Craig Peyton
4. Stranger In A Strange Land – N.O.I.A.
5. The Voice of Q (Instrumental) – Q
6. Ikeya-Seki – Kano
7. Void vision – Cyber people
8. When I let you down – M & G
9. Feels Good (Carrots & Beets) – Electra
10. Girls On Me – Amin Peck
11. Take A Chance – Mr Flagio
12. Run away – International music system
13. Firelight – Ghecko
14. Love in motion – 1000 Ohm
15. E=MC2 – Giorgio Moroder
16. Problemes D’Amour (Midnight version) – Alexander Robotnick
17. Catch (Disco Devil Remix) – Sun La Shan
18. Dance Boy Dance – Alexander Robotnick
19. Magic Fly – Kebekelektrik

Linkage
For some genuine italo goodness and to get you boogie-ing around your living room..

Intergalactic FM
http://intergalacticfm.com/

Mister Italo
http://misteritalo.blogspot.com/

Beat Electric
http://beatelectric.blogspot.com/

Italo Deviance
http://space-boogie.blogspot.com/

Next Italo party coming up at The Drome in Second Life on Thu 29th Oct, with guest DJs Frederick Heberle and GW Starsider.. Full details on the Fresh Static website.

Flyer by Mikayla Basevi

On Saturday 10th Oct I played at the opening party for Jimi Cheng’s new club The Century in Second Life. The club is a compact chrome and glass box on the top floor of a tower block with a distinct lean to it, so the dancefloor falls away to one corner! For the opening set, Jimi asked for “warm and sweaty house or techno” so I did my best to pull out some of the warmest basslines and sweatiest grooves I could find! As usual there’s a mix of old and new here. DJ Assassin’s “Face amongst the crowd” is a favourite old house track with a dark and steppin’ flavour. Then there’s lots of newer stuff from Motor City Drum Ensemble, Fred Everything and Scope, while the pick of the bunch for me has to be the playful, upbeat  funkiness of “Last Train Out” by Dave Barker.

Thanks again to Jimi for the invitiation to play and congrats for getting the new club up and running. Big thanks also to everyone who came along and made it a great night!

Photos on the deep house music Flickr feed, click here to view.

Click here for a direct link to The Century in Second Life.

120 mins. 192 kbps MP3 (164 MB)

Click here to download

Tracklist
1. Raw Cuts 1 – Motor City Drum Ensemble
2. Without – Fred Everything
3. Night Reeds – Scope 
4. Tonight – Fred Everything, Olivier Desmet
5. Soul Light – OFS Remix – Oriental Funk Stew
6. Sigh Of Relief – Brett Johnson
7. Vice – Eloi Brunelle
8. Tava – Office Gossip
9. I Forgot You feat. Clyde – Fred Everything remix – Atjazz
10. The Hangover – Office Gossip Remix – Vincenzo
11. Night Shift – Nacho Marco 89 Remix – Sebastian Davidson, Ferdy, Edwin Mulder
12. Stargazer – Eric Kupper, K Scope
13. Vehemence Of Silence – MCDE Remix – Andre Lodemann
14. Divine Being – Tony Lionni
15. Face amongst the crowd – Intellidred mix – DJ Assassin 
16. Down For It feat. Diz – Fred Everything remix – Latenight Society
17. Like I Want To – Fred Everything remix – Lisa Shaw
18. Right Right – Kinky Movement
19. Last Train Out – Dave Barker
20. 5 A.M. – Ian Pooley
21. I Heart Bougie – Ken’s Flip No Flop Mix – Ken From East Coast Boogiemen
22. Wonkypiano – Hiro

Denard Henry and Jana Clemen are dj/producers from opposite sides of the Atlantic who joined forces to develop a fusion of techno, ebm, electro and industrial dance music. Their Sonic Warriors United (SWU) project is a group of producers and djs who are actively exploring and deploying this fusion, and features artists such as Marita Schreck, C-Dex, Floppy and Reade Truth. Their recent tour of Germany and the US included shows at Tresor, Berlin, and the Sommerstart Festival.

Originally from New Jersey in the USA but now based in Germany, Denard Henry aka Sonic Architect is a dj/producer of vivid, textural electronica and techno. The broad and heady range of influences he pours into his music blend into evocative dancefloor slices of alternative electronic worlds and he has released music on labels such as Broque, Monoid and Feis, as well as his own Cipher Records. His DJ and live acts have taken him to many many clubs around Europe and the US, including Ultraschall and SO36 in Germany, plus Limelight and Save the Robots in New York.

Jana Clemen aka Abstract Soul is dj/producer from Germany and has released music on labels such as Hybrid, Planet Rhythm and Phont, as well as her own label Convex Productions. Jana’s music follows many lines, taking minimal techno to an industrial scale and shaking irresistible grooves out of warped electro and house. She has djed extensively around Europe, with appearances at Tresor, Neue Heimat and Ultraschall in Germany, the Loft in Lausanne, and many other clubs around France, Poland, Sweden and elsewhere.

Olaf Quintessa met up with Denard and Jana in Second Life to talk about their roots in electronic music, the SWU project, djing in the virtual world, and parties in the year 2109.

Read the full article on the Fresh Static website .. click here

On Thursday 13 August I was very happy to play at the opening party of a new deep house club in Second Life called Zaza, which is owned and run by the artist Yvonne Bourgoin. The club has a warm and friendly vibe about it and I had a great time playing there. Thanks to everyone who came along and made it a great party! 

There’s a mixture of classic old deep house and some newer techy deep amongst this set, but as always my mantra remains the same: The music’s gotta work on the imagination and take you somewhere, or be so rump-shakingly funky that no imagination is necessary! MidiDropMusic’s “Do Me Something” is a recent favourite amongst this set, while “Maximum Voyage” and “Keep Sexy” are jazzy old classics I’ve never stopped loving. For some rump-shaking action just check out ”Domesticated feat. Derrick Carter” and see if your ass doesn’t wiggle!

Thanks again to Yvonne for inviting me over! Listen out for news of upcoming parties at Zaza on the SL grapevine and go check it out

112 mins. 192kbps MP3 (153 MB).

Click here to download

Tracklist
1. Radial – Manuel Tur
2. Sun’s Departure – Manoo Remix – P’taah
3. Do Me Something – MidiDropMusic
4. A New Life – Manoo, Francois A
5. Domesticated feat. Derrick Carter – Home & Garden
6. What I Got feat. Tim Fuller – Ian Pooley
7. Keep sexy – Car Bomb
8. I Love Deep – Timewriter Remix – Budai, Vic
9. Clear Sky – Manoo & Francois A Remix (Charles Webster Re-Edit) – Kayot
10. The Fugitive – Sei A Mix – Justin Martin
11. Organism – Eric Kupper, K Scope
12. Simply Yes feat. Alexander East – Shur-I-Kan
13. Maximum Voyage – Julius Papp
14. Streamin – Andreas Bender
15. Celebrate – MidiDropMusic Remix – Manuel De La Mare, Matteo Matt
16. Dedication – The Timewriter
17. All Over The World feat. Terra Deva – CW Dub – Furry Phreaks
18. Seedz – Moodymanc
19. Give It Up – The Blacklight Society
20. A Day In December – Manoo, Francois A
21. House Music Is Controllable Desire You Can Own – Terre Thaemlitz, DJ Sprinkles

“INSILICO is a dark futuristic metropolis, slowly floating several thousand meters high above the clouds. It is one of many cities, serving as the last airborne asylums for the small extant human population that has been forced there.” It is the year 2478.

I’ve been exploring INSILICO for quite a while now and it’s one of the marvels of Second Life. It’s a highly immersive virtual city, beautifully constructed with lots of engaging details. Bars, medical labs, shops, apartments, skyscrapers, workshops, a mid-air swimming pool, sewers. It’s the kind of place with stories to tell, which is obviously how it was intended - roleplayers live in the city and breathe life into the INSILICO storyline.

This mix evokes the city of INSILICO and delves into some of its dark corners. Corporate control, high technology, dark warehouses, idle robots, glowing skyscrapers, cybernetics, burnt-out cars, escaped androids.

55 mins. 192 kbps MP3 (75MB).

Mixed by Olaf Quintessa.

Click here to download

Tracklist
1. Untitled #5 – James White
2. The New World – Komarken Electronics
3. Future In Plastic – Claro Intelecto Dub – Vector Lovers
4. Slow Decay – Freezie Freekie
5. Voltaic – Urban Textures
6. Chemotron Worldwide – BMX
7. Cosmic Wonder – Kalson
8. Punished By Machines – MAS 2008
9. Ghost Wires – Silicon Scally
10. Evolucion – Umwelt Remix – Boris Divider
11. In Abyss – Gods of Technology Mix – Signal Type
12. Oscuros Intereses – Dark Vektor
13. The Virtual Place is the Future – Sbles3plex
14. Sonic Sound Of Bass – Dagobert
15. Unlimited Power – TRV
16. Future Visions – Blotnik Brothers

Click here for direct link to INSILICO in Second Life.

Also check out the INSILICO website for more info on roleplay, events, photos, storylines.

Electro music evocative of life in a mining colony in the asteroid belt – Machinery, claustrophobia and isolation, work, paranoia and drunken parties. Inspiration for this mix came from reading Phillip K Dick. I’d like to think this mix could form the soundtrack to one of his stories.

52 mins. 192 kbps MP3 (71 MB).

Click here to download

Tracklist
1. Eutow – Autechre
2. Negative Flash – Transllusion
3. Flatblock 209 – Pal Secam Kids
4. Bridge Of Sighs – Cestrian
5. The Machine – Ra-X
6. I Do Because I Couldn’t Care Less – I-F
7. Dawn Over the City – Heuristic Audio
8. Abstract Orange – Mandroid
9. Science Cant Save You – Komarken Electronics
10. Mindprogramming – MAS 2008
11. Deep Dissolve – Silicon Scally
12. Energy Vampire – I-F
13. I’m your magic man – Luke Eargoggle
14. Get With It – Dynamik Bass System
15. Damnation – Will Web
16. Vidd – Octagon Man
17. Ikon Symbol – Mandroid

(Illustration above by Chris Moore)

Last week Second Life held its 6th birthday celebrations. As part of the festivities the Southern Cross shared a stage with The Underground and threw a few parties. Art and Mik organised a few of us DJs from New Zealand to play at an event called “Under the Cross” which I was very happy to be a part of.

This set is a mixture of old and new deep house, but all of it stirs the heart and the feet. My principle remains this: The music’s got to work on the imagination and take you somewhere, or else it’s got to be so rump-shakingly funky that no imagination is necessary!

Stand out tracks amongst the newer releases included in this set are Lovebirds – Louder and Motor City Drum Ensemble – Raw Cuts 4. Lovely slices of modern deep house with great grooves and lots of heart. Of the older stuff, my fave here is DJ Assassin – Jazz Journey. I was really excited to give this track an airing – Swirling, jazzy deep house with lots of crunch. Enjoy!

95 mins. 192 kbps MP3 (131 MB).

Click here to download

Tracklist
1. Raw Cuts 4 – Motor City Drum Ensemble
2. Streamin – Andreas Bender
3. The Rat – Lovebirds
4. Gripper – Shur-I-Kan
5. Ebers Groove – Hot Toddy
6. Simply Yes – Shur-I-Kan
7. Alone – Grey
8. Get It On – Crazy Penis
9. Life – Jask
10. A Reconstruction of “Mess of Afros” by Q-Burn’s Abstract Message – Glenn Underground
11. Block Party – Bob Sinclar
12. Dusk Till Dawn – Basement Jaxx
13. Dim’s Jazz (Latin’s In the House) – Dimitri from Paris
14. Jazz Journey – DJ Assassin
15. 3 Note Jazz – Thomas Schumacher
16. Jazz Doubt – Capital Swing
17. Back In The Daze – Dimitri From Tokyo
18. Louder! – Lovebirds
19. Summer Daze – Nick Holder
20. Les Enfants Du Bled – Bob Sinclar
21. Lovelee Dae – Beloved Surge Mix – Blaze

Ionic Benton is a DJ/producer from Luxembourg and is one of the foremost names on the Second Life techno scene.

Ionic caught the wave of electronic music that washed over his native Luxembourg in the mid-eighties and has ridden it ever since. From organising acid house parties and DJing, to developing his own live act and touring Europe, Ionic has stayed right at the crest of that wave. His style of tribal-tinged, atmospheric minimal techno has won him a keen following – for several years he composed the official theme for Luxembourg’s e-Lake festival, and he has worked extensively on remixes for other artists.

Olaf Quintessa caught up with Ionic to talk about music, live performances, Second Life, and techno in the year 2109.

Click here to read the full article on the Fresh Static website

We had a monster get together at The Drome on Tuesday, rolling out all manner of electronic tuneage.

First up was Brick Blaisdale (aka Scott Hardy from Brisbane, Aus), with a stompin’ set in his distinctive dancehall techno style. Next came Soundhouse Gloom (aka Larry Cavelle from London, UK) who started out on a chilled electro tip then went journeying towards Detroit techno and house. Finally I rounded off the night with some deep house, tech sounds and electro, beamed in from Wellington, NZ. 

And for once I can present the music from the night in full, as all the DJs were good enough to record their sets! Also, thanks to everyone who came along to The Drome in Second Life - Great seeing you all!

More midweek  Monsta-sessions at The Drome are coming your way soon, hosted by Olaf Quintessa.

Brick Blaisdale at The Drome, 9th June 09

Dancehall grimy techno.

66 mins. 256kbps MP3 (68MB).

Click here to download

Tracklist
1. thomas schumacher – schall (remix) – electrochemie lk
2. miss kittin – requiem for a hit – novamute
3. youngman & lanstrumm – gebucht nach wien – feinwerk
4. unknown – tektrax volume1 – b2
5. panik attak – i hate myself – invasion
6. sharpshooter – bruckenkopf – swop
7. hardcell – possarp – skunkworks
8. pounding grooves – a1 speedbase ep – clr
9. curve pusher – a1 – remains 09
10. the mover – burning universe – tresor
11. dreg – by accident – contact
12. dreg – and that’s 2!! – clr
13. dreg – and that’s 2!! – clr (phased)
14. rauferei – andreas kramer & thomas pogadl – form
15. dreg – up that hill – global ambition
16. ignition technician – worq it – wedufuqawi
17. dj one finger – house fucker – missile

Soundhouse Gloom at The Drome, 9th June 09

Electronica, chilled electro, Detroit techno, house.

85 mins. 320kbps MP3 (195MB).

Click here to download

No tracklist available but this is a very tasty mix indeed!

Olaf Quintessa at The Drome, 9th June 09

Deep house, tech sounds, electro.

90 mins. 192kbps MP3 (122MB).

Click here to download

Tracklist
1. Done – Palm Skin Productions
2. Rush n’Soul – Chris Simmonds
3. face amongst the crowd – intellidred mix – dj assassin
4. Happyness Dub – The Rurals
5. Raw Cuts 4 – Motor City Drum Ensemble
6. Street Lady – Gramophonedzie
7. Bisou Sucre – Bob Sinclar
8. 3 Note Jazz – Thomas Schumacher
9. Parallels – Jazzanova Serial Remix – Atjazz
10. Now Is The Time – Layo & Bushwacka
11. White – Circulation
12. Sandman – Voltaeric
13. Marionette – Adam Beyer Remix – Mathew Jonson, Adam Beyer
14. Impact (The earth is burning) – Orbital
15. Diamondnetta – Satamile
16. Compuphonic Intelligence (Mutated by Jeff Taylor) – Volsoc
17. Future In Plastic – Claro Intelecto Dub – Vector Lovers
18. Science Cant Save You – Komarken Electronics
19. Chemotron Worldwide – BMX
20. Spacer Woman – Charlie
21. World Invaders – Pluton & Humanoids

Deep house mix recorded at the Southern Cross in SL on Thursday, helping to raise funds to keep the sim afloat. A mixture of old and new deep house sounds, with a few classics thrown in like “Mushrooms” and “My Beat”. Ric McClelland’s track “Descanso” sounds especially sweet and I am really getting into the Detroit via Stuttgart grooves of Motor City Drum Ensemble as well. Deep, hypnotic funk!

Click here for direct teleport to the Southern Cross – Beach-style sim with several DJ stages and a friendly, summery vibe. Regular parties, nice crowds, good sounds. Well worth exploring!

110 mins. 192kbps MP3 (152 MB)

Click here to download

Tracklist
1. My Beat (Derrick Carter Remix) – Blaze
2. Catch The Sun – The Shadow Kings
3. Gimmie Sound – Beloved Throwback Mix – Ian Pooley
4. Full Circle – Blakkat
5. I Know – Tim Deluxe
6. Groove Asylum – Julius Papp
7. El Amor – Joeski & DJ Chus
8. 287 – Shur-I-Kan
9. Keep Up – Motor City Drum Ensemble
10. Got To Be Movin’ – Matthew Herbert
11. steppers opm edit – the diggers
12. Dim’s Jazz (Latin’s In the House) – Dimitri from Paris
13. Motivation (Dimitri’s Motivated Respect Mix) – Atmosfear
14. Maximum Voyage – Julius Papp
15. Raw Cuts 4 – Motor City Drum Ensemble
16. Descanso – Scope (Ric McClelland)
17. Thing About You – Danny Marshall
18. Sanctuary – Atlantic Fusion
19. Mushrooms (Timewriter mix) – Marshall Jefferson vs NOOSA HEADS
20. SWEETS & LOVE – SCSI-9
21. Sunday Session – Weekender