Jack The Box

This year something special happened.

The Particle People set out to do something a little more risky than normal (knowing us you would know we like to take these kinds of risks) *wink wink*

So,  it all started with an idea to throw a Berghain related after hrs in Detroit, we had no idea it would become what it has today.

Shortly after investigating and setting up this idea we realized it would be much more fun to have more friends involved…

With Minneapolis’s Particle People MPLS, San Francisco’s [KONTROL] and Detroit’s Beretta Music came on board and soon after Pittsburgh’s Humanaut Crew. We all knew at that moment that this was much more than a party but much more like a major production and event.

With tons of craziness, lots and lots of organization, full support from Paxahau, Metroplex, and others we were finally able to assemble a true Techno Voltron!

I honestly can not be more excited to announce what many people are calling The top after hrs for Saturday night, and very proud to be a part of something as monumental as this.

Dan Bell, Ben Klock, Levon Vincent, DVS1, all the dj’s from Particle People, [Kontrol], Beretta and Humanaut…  how can you not be excited?!

SO……

As an extra added bonus to this weeks Jack The Box,  I was able to sneak a few min from Dan Bell for a quick Q-A

*You’ve been in Berlin for nearly 10 years now. Safe to say this is where you will be for a while now? Any plans to return to the US?
When I’m not traveling I spend most of my time in New York.  I’ve been back and forth between the U.S. and Germany for some time now. It’s hard for me to say where I’ll be living in a few years – I like to keep my options open.

* What is it about Berlin that keeps you there?
It’s the center for electronic music.  I don’t think anybody would dispute that.  Also, it’s an easy city to live in… relatively stress free when compared to other cities it’s size.  The only bad point is the weather.  If Berlin was on the Mediterranean I would never leave.

* While on the discussion of Cities, What is your favorite US city to play and why? (its ok if you say Minneapolis) *wink wink*
I like to dj everywhere in the U.S…. some of the smaller cities have been the most fun.  Last weekend I did a 9 hour set at the Compound in San Francisco and there was still a good amount of people there until 8 or 9 in the morning who were totally up for it.  So for that reason I have to go with SF

*OK,  OK,  So Minneapolis inst the fave (I will have to change that in post, j/k)  One thing I have been wanting know for some time now is….

Seventh City: In your RA interview in May of 08 you mentioned a revival of the label and of DBX… Any chance that this will be coming back? if not..  why not?
I would like nothing more than to invest my time into making music and working on the labels and maybe sometime soon I will take a break from djing to do that.

* follow-up to question #4 -You seem to have a way with developing and exposing new artists, if there are no plans to resurrect Seventh City, Are there any plans to start another label?
There is no plans to start another label.  It will only be Accelerate, Elevate and Seventh City from here on out. None of those labels are finished – there will still be new releases coming from all of them.

*That has to be the best news I’ve heard this year!!  Any new up and coming artists we should keep an eye out for?
It’s funny but I find the guys who have been around forever are putting out the more interesting music be it Baby Ford, Delano Smith, KDJ, Shake etc.  There have been some exceptions but the a lot of “newer”  music is lacking that bite when compared to different eras.

* What excites you most about coming back to Detroit this year?
Seeing old friends and making new ones..

*We can NOT WAIT to hear what you have in store for us Thank you Dan for taking the time and chatting with us!

People – DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW in DETROIT!!!  Thank you for the support.

Words and post by Aaron Bliss

// CONNECT // Beatport :: Discogs :: Ostgut Ton / Berghain :: MDR

// CONNECT // Beatport :: Discogs :: Ostgut Ton / Berghain :: Klockworks

// CONNECT // Beatport :: Discogs :: Accelerate :: 7th City Records

// CONNECT // Beatport :: Discogs :: Novel Sound :: Deconstruct

:: Presale Tickets ::

Click to purchase Presales at ShowClix

:: Venue ::

Google

Maps

:: Sound ::

Line array spec sheet

Sub spec sheet

:: Lighting and Decoration ::

Max Macdougal

:: Promoters ::

[KONTROL]

Humanaut

Beretta Music

Particle People MPLS

Black MPLS

Jack the Box is proud to announce the arrival of a new EP by not only one of our own but also from a label that is as home grown as the artist who wrote it…

Timefog 04 – DVS1 Flight to No Where EP (w/ Drumcell vs. Audio Injection rmx)

Hardwax described DVS1’s debut on Ben Klock’s Klockworks label as “Pure and crafty techno”. The EP stormed techno charts from Derrick May, Samuel Sessions, Luke Slater, James Ruskin, Stephan Goldman, Funktion, Dj Deep, Tommy Four Seven, Tamo Sumo, Martin Landsky, Efdemin, Dustin Zahn, Dario Zenker, Ryan Elliot, Insideout, Jonass Kopp, Par Grindvik, James Ruskin, Marcel Fengler, Kevin Gormann, Tobi Neumann, Monika Kruse, Dos Santos, Kevin Saunderson, Mike Shannon, Ben Klock, Rejected, Camea, the Oct09 “Best of Beatport” chart, and on and on! This Minneapolis-based artist’s Timefog release proves to be equally pure and crafty, with more powerful raw emotions explored at the edges of the spectrum. With projects in the works for Derrick May’s Transmat label as well, DVS1 is one to watch!

Falling –

 
An urgent, taut kick and rusty switchblade high hats snap to attention, sliding on titanium railways, as clanking, alien sonic flotsam rattles upward through your vertebrae. Cavernous toms pick up the cadence as the lights get lower. Flickering red lightbulbs overhead signal that liftoff is about to commence! Sure to be a hit with the likes of Ben Klock and Marcel Dettmann.

Falling (Drumcell and Audio Injections Finally Falling Mix) –

 
The DROID crew from Los Angeles delivers a remix from Drumcell and Audio Injection. Profound bass and a sleek polish shine the rusty robots into gleaming machines, firing in a dramatic, powerful, linear trajectory through a parallel universe.

Departure –

 
This is serious, deceptively simple big room techno at its finest, dry as dust. Taking a confident jump into faster BPMs, this is a track for people who still like to be pounded sometimes. Badly behaving robots drop like comets on a misaligned course into a pit of steamy bodies, heaving sweat, and nihilistic abandon as the synths growl their approval. Claps and saw blade cymbals punctuate the mayhem with authority, and the hook will certainly be one to remember…

Arrival (with break) –

 
The runway lights appear in the distance as gauges click into place. The fasten your seatbelt sign has miraculously been turned off as beautiful silhouettes increase the cabin pressure. A warm yet melancholic descending bassline and spacious breakdown welcome us back to a lucid, womb-like reality as euphoric pads linger in the dream of the escape.

Arrival (No Break) –

 
The same feel with no breakdown, for those who aren’t ready to land just yet!

Support is coming from all over!  Support from: Laurent Garnier, Par Grindvik, AlexiDelano, Chris Liebing, Luke Slater, Len Faki, Alland Byallo, Dustin Zahn, Paco Osuna, Slam, Jacob Hoffman, Aaron Bliss, Jesse Jakob, Butane, and on and on…..

Click the Link here and be sure to check out our interview with DVS1 and podcast featuring a number of DVS1’s amazing material!

Back in April The Particle People were visited by Ben Klock. While on a short visit to the US (NYC and Minneapolis only) with a special night at BLACK we were able to find out why he was on the tip of everyone’s tongue. He was modest, nice and simply blew the dance floor away with an amazing mix of new and classic techno and house. This set was a perfect example of the raw gritty underground sound of US (mostly Midwest) and German dance music coming from Berlin at the moment, most noticeably a little club you may have heard of recently called Berghain.

While in Minneapolis Ben not only was able to see what the Midwest was about, Ben even took home a little piece of Minneapolis by signing our very own DVS1 for KlockWorks005. While here he interviewed for Tanya Norman from IPR and recently with us at Jack The Box for a followup. What Follows is the followup interview and below is the original interview from Tanya and Ben Klock from April.

To top it all off we were also able to get hold of a recording of that night for JackCast002 Ben Klock Live@BLACK…

 

Right Click and save here for Direct Download

You recently visited  Minneapolis, What were your impressions of the American Techno scene before coming and what are your impressions now? Specifically  Minneapolis …
Well I have to say before I had the impression that it’s a very small scene there and this was approved. But in the end it’s more about quality than quantity. And there were some people who were really into it – especially in Minneapolis. And it was great fun playing there, because people seemed to really appreciate.

Your latest release on Klockworks (klockworks 005) is from one of our own locals and is very exciting for us.  Is klockworks005 the first release from artists other than you?
Yes it’s the first release from someone else. So it’s something special for me too. I was really impressed by Zak (DVS1). He is minimalistic in it’s original sense. And very energetic. I loved his short but intense performance he did at that party in Minneapolis. And I’m glad I didn’t go straight home after my set and had the chance to meet this guy. I will bring him over to play at Berghain in February.

Do you plan on bringing more artists into the Klockworks roster?
Always depends on the music. If I find something that really fits into the concept that I have in mind for Klockworks then maybe there will be other artists. In fact I’m just planning something with a new artist but it’s to early to tell more.

Do you plan on visiting the  US  in 2010?
I’m not sure about that yet. We’ll see.

You are known for playing a very wide range of records. I remember hearing a number of classics in your set from your visit.  What is your favorite dance floor track, the one you almost never leave home without?
Yes I like mixing old and new stuff. But it always changes. I can’t tell you the one favorite classic. There are too many great records. But if you ask me which one never left the bag since I bought it in 1995 it’s Tyree on Dance Mania: Nuthin Wrong.

Are you currently working on any new music projects that we should keep an eye out for?
I’ve only been doing remixes since my album came out in February this year. Brand new in the stores is a remix for Function on Sandwell District.
And then there will be a record on Deeply Rooted House, distributed by PlanetE with two older tracks of mine coming out before the end of this year.

One of the things we love to talk about on this Blog is gear. Some people are gear enthusiasts and some are minimalists.  What is your current preferred DJ and music production set up?
I’m sorry to disappoint you if you expect a large analog production park. For my productions I’m using Logic Pro on a Mac and lot’s of digital plug Ins. That’s all I need at the moment. For me it’s more about music than loving machines. My DJ set up is two turntables and two Pioneer CDJs 1000 and a Soundbite loop player.

Thank you Ben!  Interview by Aaron Bliss for Jack the Box.

Below is the interview by Tanya Norman the night Ben Klock Played in Minneapolis.

Particle People Bring Ben Klock To First Ave VIP Room by Tanya Norman

On April 4, 2009 local promoters Particle People welcomed Ben Klock to the First Ave VIP Room. Coming to the USA all the way from Berghain Club in Berlin, this respected producer and deejay was here to promote his new album One and EP Before One out now on BeatPort and where vinyl is sold. Ben was kind enough to grant Tanya Norman an interview opportunity, allowing a glimpse inside his world of Berlin techno and sharing insight into why sometimes less is more…

TN: Who inspires you?  Mentors in music?

BK: I don’t know where to begin.  I’ve been making music all my life.  I listened to all kinds of music.  In the 80’s I loved Prince.  In the beginning of the 90’s I was beginning to look for new sounds.  There are some heroes: old US guys, Jeff Mills, Carl Craig, Robert Hood.  Basically, that’s where it comes from.

TN: What kind of technology and tools do you use?  Describe your studio.

BK:  It’s not that interesting. [laughs] I changed to complete digital. I really like total recall recording.  When I worked on my album I worked on different tracks at the same time.  I don’t want to have to reconnect cables…..with digital you can really do a lot of things.  I use Logic, a little Ableton… usually a Logic user.  And some plug-ins.

TN: Your current record label, Ostgut Ton, how long have you been with them?

BK: Since I’ve been a resident DJ at Berghain, about 3 years. Ostgut Ton is the label of Berghain. The venue they had before the Berghain was called Ostgut, that is why the label is called Ostgut Ton.

TN: You’ve been deejaying for over 10 years now?

BK: For a little over 10 years.  The international bookings started about 4 years ago, coinciding with the beginning of my residency at Berghain.

TN: Did you play any instruments as a child?

BK: When I was a kid I played piano. Before I became a DJ I also played in a band and did some songwriting, playing guitar and singing…

TN:  Did you find those experiences helpful with your current productions?

BK: Yes and no.  Sometimes it is not helpful when you are too educated in music and you want to make a good techno track…you don’t want it cluttered with too many solo parts, well, iIdon’t want it… [laughs]
See the full Interview at…
http://www.ipr.edu/blog/2009/04/particle-people-bring-ben-klock-to-first-ave-vip-room/

Be sure to see Tanya’s post for video and pictures from the night as well as visit Particle People on RA for more pictures here…

http://www.residentadvisor.net/photo-gallery.aspx?set=6248

and on http://www.myspace.com/particlepeoplempls