Blog - Music

Were you at Hudson Mohawke last week? What did you think? Many thanks to Tim Ferguson who took these snaps of the gig last week, on a side note, props to Jacques Greene and Redinho also, who were all fantastic! Agreed? Good....

The xx, Count and Sinden and Kele, what do they have in common? They've all been graced by C.R.S.T and their ability to turn around a darn good remix, they're alongside Plump DJ's when they return to XOYO next month to give another night that we'll keep in our intrinsic memory bank for a long time! And to celebrate their grand return, the Welsh natives sent us this dope (close to) 30 minute mix, spare half an hour in your day and get this down you, trust us, it's worth it!

Are you ready for the 21st October? Jack to Jack is coming, get your tickets now!

We had the future/icons come to XOYO last month for our 1st birthday celebrations, one of the icons was Mr.Juan Atkins, who we would all agree was the innovator behind Detroit Techno, after his set he spoke to Minimum Wastage, we suggest you check it out...

We spoke to prominent DJ/Producer/Label Manager Cosmo Vitelli ahead of this Saturday's Branded! From running the very successful I'm a Cliche, rejecting early Tensnake to unleashing the likes of Azari and III, Yuksek and Simian Mobile Disco, Cosmo has been in many circles! Working in cahoots with the Parisian clubbing scene to swap nights for a series of events, we like to call it a more left field nightlife exchange! Anyway over to Cosmo.....


1. Hello Cosmo, so we're branding or shall I say bringing the night club cultures of France over to XOYO on the 15th October, it's going to be a great night! What do you see as the similarities and differences between the two countries with regards to clubbing culture?

There are probably 10 times more clubs in England. Music culture is more important in your country, and you can see it in clubs. Networks for dance music in France are much smaller, there are few clubs in Paris for example. The audience is more specialised, there are less random people in clubs. It's not always a good thing.

2. What's your favourite memory of playing over in the UK?

I remember once I got more than 3 drink tickets! More seriously, the more fun I had was in small places, I remember a party I've played a few times at in Manchester, called Naive Medloy, in an ex chinese restaurant. Great time...

3. It appears artist run labels are becoming increasingly more important, do you feel this running I'm a Cliche? What were your initial hopes for the label?

When I started it, I just wanted it to be a place where I could release some of my side projects, or friend's ones. Soon, I'd find it very exciting to try and build the label's own musical identity, so the activity became much more serious. It was a good thing, as today, with the situation of the music market, it's very important to be able to release your own music. Other labels cannot afford to propose something better than yourself, and you can release the music at the frequency you want, whenever you want, and get the full benefit of it. It's easy to understand why artists themselves want to handle it themselves.

4. Is it a difficult balance between handling the label and being a musician/producer?

I see the label management more as part of a whole package, with being a producer, Dj or musician...It's all about loving music and wanting to share it. Running a label, I have to deal with things I'd rather not have in my life, all the business things for instance but, well, it's part of the game, but I would never have the idea to define myself as label owner.

5. It seems that being at the forefront of discovering new talent is a great trait of yours, especially with Azari and III being such a huge hit this year (having played XOYO in August), what speaks out to you when looking for new talent?

Well, I found the other day a very old mail from Marco/Tensake sending a few tracks for I'm a Cliché and I remembered I wasn't very sure about them...Sometimes my ears are shitty.
But it's just a matter of moment, luck, opportunities. With Azari & III, I had released other singles by Dirty 30 -the "III" in Azari & III- before the band existed, so I was in touch with them quite early. "Hungry for the power" is such a good song, and a potential hit, it was obvious we had to release it.

6. And finally for a bit of fun, name 5 brands, what music do you think they replicate? Be as honest as you want!

I'm not sure of how to understand this question, but I answered with 5 brands wich made me think of musicians, Djs or projetcs

Spontaneously :

Justice : MTV
Boys Noize : KFC
Roman Fluegel : Siemens
Tim Paris : Le Coq Sportif
Nicolas Jaar : Zara

Thanks Cosmo! And check back soon as we have an exclusive Tim Paris mix ahead of this Saturday coming very soon....

So many thanks to those who saw, danced and celebrated our birthday with us, we very much appreciated it! Below is the full birthday video for you all to enjoy, can you spot yourself? What was your highlight?

Big thank you to Daruma Vision who filmed the night!

So here's a little teaser of our 1st birthday and it was quite a weekend! With the likes of Larry Heard aka Mr Fingers and Jamie xx, we're counting down to our second birthday already! The full video will be available soon.



Filmed by Daruma Vision

Cornerstone of Hot Chip and now for a considerable time, solo artist and part of a dynamic bear duo, Joe Goddard in many people's eyes has released his most mature work to date with the highly successful release of his single 'Gabriel', featuring Valentina (pictured with Mr.Goddard). Greco-Roman are holding their 'Gabriel E.P' release party this Saturday with us and it's sure to be a fantastic event! Joe kindly gave us his top 5 YouTube influences, note to music makers, take note, this is bound to be important musical journey.

1. Chemise - She Can't Love You

2. Shannon- Let The Music Play

3. Fern Kinney- Love me Tonight

4. Ed Case ft. Shelley Nelson- something In Your Eyes

5. EMKYU feat. D.D.B- Gabrielle (Qualifide Mix)

Don't forget to get down to XOYO for the Greco-Roman Gabriel E.P party this Saturday night!

We caught up with Party Like Us! Head label honcho AC Slater in in line with his performance with Bart B More and Drop The Lime at XOYO this Friday, maybe we'll get some Dubstep meets Boom Bap/ Hip Hop on Friday!

So AC, a big welcome and thanks for taking the time to talk to us, so you’re performing at XOYO next Friday, alongside Drop The Lime and Bart B More, you’ve just dropped a remix with Bart B, you hyped about the night?

I collaborated on a track with Bart B More and we're putting out an EP together including with a collab Bart did with Drop the Lime. What better way to celebrate than with a big party in London! I'm very excited and i know they are too!

Quote - I teamed up with my bro Xaphoon Jones (one half of Chiddy Bang) on a dubstep meets boom-bap hip hop track, a transformation of genre’s, do you think that’s important in music today?

I think music fans have no boundaries in current times, as a music fan myself im the same way, what a great time to blend genres. Are there even any definite genres anymore?

Party Like Us, your record label, artist run labels, does that creative freedom mean a lot to you? Perhaps to release a Dubstep meets Boom-Bap Hip Hop Track!

Yes totally. I'm releasing a hip hop song next month with a dubstep remix! It's my label I can do whatever i want, haha. I feel like many artists are starting labels and thats a great thing as long as they've got a good ear for what they like.

You’ve got a couple of dope artists on the label also, tell us about how you hooked up with Udachi and B.Rich?

I've known those guys for like 10 years or something. They're both very talented and creative producers. we used to play raves and make happy hardcore together! Don't tell anyone about that.

You’ve also got a Botnek remix on ‘Believe Me’ also, they’re remixes are causing havoc on our UK radio shows, especially for British DJ’s such as Kissy Sell Out, how did you hook up with them?

I heard their EP on Discobelle and was playing it a lot. I bigged them up on twitter, then ended up playing a show with them in Montreal and they are great guys, with really good ideas about music. They're going to be a huge name if they want to be.

On the remix side of things, what’s the process you go through? Is there a particular artist you’re feeling at the moment that you haven’t collaborated with?

I listen to the track, then go through and pick out the elements i like and try to translate the song hopefully into a peak-time dance floor song. I love rap and I want to collab with more rappers.

And finally, 3 things you know and can we say ‘like/love’ about London?

The fashion, the girls & the music scene. I love London.

So, A-TRAK, a future welcome back to the UK, last time you played at XOYO you caused a road block! Does it mean a lot to you that clearly you're so loved on this side of the Atlantic?

I hope we get another roadblock this time! I never take any of this for granted. But to answer your question, yes it does mean a lot to me to have what seems to be a healthy following in the UK and Europe. I've been touring there for over 10 years and it's great to see new fans every time, as well as the old fans growing with me musically. Lately with the success of Duck Sauce there's been a whole new push it seems, because I've never had songs high up in the charts before that.

Fool's Gold Records, a joint venture between yourself and Nick Catchdubs, does that creative freedom mean a lot to you?

Absolutely, Nick and I are the creative directors, the A&R's, our vision and our ears guide the company and that's basically what defines Fool's Gold's identity.

Yourself and your label have been synonymous with the notion of bringing together hip-hop and electronica, would you say this is accurate? Could there be scope of fusing other elements on future Fool's Gold releases?

Yes I'd say that's accurate. It doesn't mean that those genres are the only ones we dabble in – in fact lately Fool's Gold has been expanding a lot musically. But I think what makes us unique is how, at the basis of it all, we stand at that intersection of hip hop and dance music.

Do you think the health of the music industry is improving with artist run labels?

I wouldn't go as far as saying that artist-run labels are saving the music industry but I think labels that are mostly independent, that are lifestyle brands and not just record companies, and that adapt and grow side-by-side with the consumers are the future of the music industry. The fact that we're artist-run just gives us a bit more profile. I think it also creates a good camaraderie with the roster.

Would you say that that Brooklyn is a prominent influence on yourself and Fool's Gold? Relating to its rich creative heritage...

I would say that New York as a whole does, yes. And within New York we call Brooklyn home. But New York's history of cross-pollination, of hip hop, of entrepreneurship are all embedded in us.

Is there any specific collaboration you would love to be involved with? Whether it's in terms of music, the label, or visually, (having seen your new stage set up!)

I think I already work with the best people around. I'm thankful for that.

How's the upcoming Duck Sauce album coming along? Can you give us a little insight as to when it'll come out?

It's great, it's essentially a comedy album. It also feels more like a hip hop album than a dance album, to me. I'd say we're 90% done. I can't speak on a release date just yet, we're working that out with our label partners.

Are there any other projects that you're working on to be released this year apart from Duck Sauce?

Definitely, but you probably know that I don't like to spoil surprises.

And finally, we've seen some of your hotel reviews online, how's London fared up on recent travels?

I'm actually looking for some new hotels to try out in London. I've been at the same ones too many times. Maybe your readers can give me a few suggestions.