For this edition of Jack The Box, we’ve decided to part ways from our standard interview and really delve into the boxes (or laptops) of our next guests at Black. Dustin Zahn and Steve Centrific will be doing a special 4 hour back to back set this Saturday and we have to say, we’re pretty excited about this pairing…Zahn is at the forefront of a talented new crop of US artists that are beginning to make waves in the international techno community and Centrific hands down is one of the best DJ’s in the Midwest techno community.
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Dustin has released music on notable labels such as Adam Beyer’s Drumcode and Truesoul labels as well as Radioslave’s Rekids imprint. (Len Faki’s remix of his track Stranger (to stability) has been charted by pretty much everybody this year). Having two heavyweights like Beyer and RS in your corner really speaks volumes to what Dustin has accomplished. Fresh off his first gig at Berghain this past Saturday, we caught up with Dustin to see just what music the Enemy label boss is digging right now.
Dennis Ferrer - Hey Hey
Dennis Ferrer – Hey Hey (dub) – Objektivity
I don’t really give a shit about deep house, but I rate Dennis Ferrer fairly highly. While more recent tracks of his like ‘Transitions’ and ‘Sinfonia Della Notte’ were undeniably heavy on the sunshine emphasis, this track sounds like Carl Craig went on a 3-day bender at Berghain. The vocal version is a bit too mainstream for me so having the instrumental available is great. The bassline is epic (in a good way) and the white noise blasts don’t make me want to shoot myself. I will be playing this for a while.
Gary Beck - Over to You
Gary Beck – Over to You – BekAudio
I have been playing about 5-6 of Gary’s tracks in each set the past few months and they’re equally great. I picked this because it’s the debut for his new label and he deserves some free publicity. Honestly, Gary’s tracks aren’t rewriting techno and they’re not completely innovative, but they’re still great stripped down, hypnotic club tools that fit very nicely into my sets. What can I say? They’re just cool! They’re jams and I will take quality jams over hits any day of the week! He and Edit-Select are also teaming up for a remix on my label which I am very happy about. Stay tuned.
Newworldaquarium - The Force
Newworldaquarium – The Force (Ame Remixes)
Here’s the problem, with Ame…’Rej’ was such a huge hit that much of their work released after it has been under appreciated. I’ve been playing the dance floor mix from this record, and when it hits me at the right time, it’s one of my favorite tracks of my set. The synth falls in that weird category of neo-Detroit/soul/whatever and the percussion is more reminiscent of jazz or funk band rather than a 909 workout. When it comes to the classic definition of techno, “man vs. machine” this is arguably the most “techno” record I’m reviewing here. The reality is, most techno heads will pass over it for the latest side-chained white noise fest on Beatport.
The Detroit Experiment - Think Twice
The Detroit Experiment – Think Twice (Henrik Schwarz Remixes)
This record isn’t new…it came out in February but for me, it’s the record of the year. The only people I’ve seen play this record besides myself were the Wighnomy Bros at DEMF ‘09, and it was a show stopper. Henrik Schwarz is an amazing producer but he always puts cheesy vocals over his tracks so I can’t really play them. With this EP, he skips the vocals and heads straight for the jazz-techno explosion. Saxamaphones and techno can go sour real quickly, but I have watched even the toughest critics lose it once the track climaxes about 2/3 of the way through. While most producers rely on the typical tricks of big reverbs, whitenoise, delays, filters, and more to create dynamic tension (admittedly myself included), Schwarz proves that all it takes is a little human funk to blow the place up.
Levon Vincent - Late Night Jam
Levon Vincent – Late Night Jam – Ostgut Ton
Levon has been making quite the name for himself lately. Like Dennis Ferrer, he generally surrounds himself in the deep house scene but lately his productions have taken more of a techno turn. Much like “Snakes On A Plane,” the title is a literal description of what it really is. A track like this probably doesn’t stand a chance of catching on here in the states. It’s long, drawn out, and substitutes consistent groove for dynamics. In my opinion, that’s a perfect formula for making a stand out, show-stopping track to play mid-set during the early morning hours. Don’t let this description fool you, it’s about as big room as big room gets. I love it!
Gary Beck - Yah Yah - Figure
Gary Beck – Yah Yah – Figure
Another record from Gary that should be out soon. It’s the flip side to a record shared with Edit-Select and also contains a digital only, “Lime wire” or some shit like that. Anyway, it’s total “in the zone” hypnotic techno which is exactly what I prefer to play when I’m out of town. This one has sampled some sort of super weird record, possibly from the 30s or 40s is my guess. It may not be for everybody, but it’s for me and it’s perfect for those times of the night where everything no longer makes any sense.
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Steve’s Centrific’s production career kicked off with releases on seminal midwest label, Drop Bass Network. Dark, hard, mindbending, midwest acid techno at it’s finest. Steve is a DJ’s DJ…long known around these parts for his marathon sets and the ability to pull tracks that not many others would, and make it work. Steve is also the man behind Intellephunk, one of the Midwest’s longest running event crews. We now get to take a little sneak peak into what goes into a Centrific set…
Speedy J - Klave
Speedy J & Chris Liebing – Klave – Rekids
Speedy J tracks are always a huge tool for me! I am always excited for a new one to appear….
Just as much as I love an old forgotten one to resurface!!!!
This new one is the best!!! F**K a cowbell, more Klave!!!
Dustin Zahn – Bees
Dustin Zahn – Bees – True Soul
Zahn and I have been collaborating throwing events etc since 2003. But I didn’t always play many of Zahn’s tracks.
Then about 2 years ago his tracks became a huge part of my sets. This one really has been my fave for several months because it sounds like a rattle snake! I could loop up the intro to this forever before playing the rest.
DVS1 – Running
DVS1 – Running – Klockworks
I have always loved Zak’s DJ sets. Over the last couple of years his music has become better and better.
I’m glad the rest of the world will finally know how talented he has become. This whole release makes me shiver, and sometimes it rules to be from Minneapolis!
Jpls - Combination02
Jpls – Combination-02 – Minus
This track has also been looped forever in most of my sets for the last 6 months or so.
Super hypnotic in such a cryptic way!
I really connect with this track, It takes me where I wanna go and has a sort of vertigo effect on my brain!
Willie and the Family "live"
Willie and the Family “live” -Whiskey River- Columbia
I know its a country record but its no mere country record really trust me!
I always love to play a fish out of water at the right time. I played a at a psy trance campout
a few months ago. Every few hours we would crank this gem up and drink from a bottle of “Jack Daniels”….
It made for a great time I have to say!
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Be sure to Join us this Saturday for Zahn and Centrific, amazing vibe and tons of sound and a chance to get one of our new Black shirts!!
Link to FaceBook invite
Particle People Present - BLACK
**Post by Aaron Bliss, Jesse Jakob, Centrific and Dustin Zahn**
