We’re very pleased to be hooking up with our friends from ART this coming Saturday night and we’re also equally buzzing to showcase a debut at FACE with up & coming London-based house chemist - CITIZEN. With his love for 90′s house and hip-hop, two Boiler Room sessions alongside the likes of Kerri Chandler and Krystal Klear, a string of energetic releases including ‘Room Service’ and his debut EP on Kerri Chandler’s MadTech label. We caught up with him a few days ago to bring you this nice little interview, below (so read on).

//You can buy tickets HERE btw.

You’re now a firm member for Kerri Chandlers MadTech records, what is like having your music loved by the great man himself?

Well he’s an absolute hero of mine so it’s a real honour of course. Makes me work harder. Try harder.

Do you have any thoughts on his recent blast at The Rex Club towards electro acts like David Guetta?

Ha! No, not really – Just one of those moments, I wasn’t there so I can’t comment – But the sentiment expressed I totally agree with – and fuck it, whatever, it’s Kerri he can say what he likes, twice.

What further releases can we expect from you in the near future?

My next Love Fever Release is incoming this month. The next Madtech is coming out in April and a rather large project to be announced fairly soon, as well as multiple collaborations and side decks. Busy Busy Busy!

Being invited on The Boiler Room was a clear sign of your musical talents, what was the experience like? 

Hot and sweaty, I can still taste the Red Stripe. Family vibes, on both occasions. I was in great company, that always helps.

You have a lot of huge gigs coming up, none more so than your debut at FACE here in Birmingham, are you excited for the show? 

Yeah I’m excited, I have a bunch of friends in Birmingham so I reckon it’ll be great – heard amazing things about it – Plus Lakosa is from there and we’re gonna do shots.

What can we expect from a Citizen set?

Communication.

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Ahead of his dj set this coming Saturday as part of the Lower Agency event along with Rebel & Jamie Trench, we caught up with Lee Brinx (one of the co-owners of the label) for his views on how things are going and what he has to look forward to in the very near future…

Your musical knowledge stems way further than just dance music, your very instrumental and I hear you were brought up on Motown and Soul, what made you step over to dance music originally?

A visit to my cousins house at the age of 12 was the turning point. He had a set of turntables and was mixing hardcore and jungle, I’d never heard it before and was facinated.  I was intrigued but the complexity of the beats, it go me hooked straight away.  I left that day with a bag full of tape packs and within 6 months had traded my guitar in for a set of decks!

Lower East has rapidly become one of the most talked about labels in the UK, how have you developed over the last couple of years?

By constantly trying to up our game. We started off simply releasing our own music and that of our friends.  We then started to pull in various artists we respected for remix duties and quality of product increased. We constantly strive to improve our output, to find better, more forward thinking music.

Your latest release on the label has had huge props (with a nice Droog remix too) how would you describe it? 

The original of Listen is a raw, emotive deep house track with a contemporary forward thinking aesthetic. Heady, shuffling drum rhythms lead the way alongside elongated, warbling sub-bass and a tight blend of vocal lines, all intricately delayed and modulated to create an intense evolving dynamic. The Droog remix takes on the form of dark, melody driven house as expected from the  LA based Culprits. The second track, ‘Stalker’, embraces a brighter, deep-house feel with swung 909 drums and a bumping tom-driven bass-line. Cozzy cleverly manipulates an amalgamation of vocal one-shots to create their own melody entirely, further fueling the weighty groove.

What can we expect in 2013?

We have some great packages lined up for this year so far including remixes from the likes of MK (Marc Kitchen) and Timo Maas.

You will also return to FACE in Birmingham this month, you must be excited for the show?

Yeah for sure, I look forward to every show to be honest, my set for Face last year was well received, so I’m hopefully this year will be no different.

Why do you think FACE has become one of the leading brands?

The forward thinking booking process, great venue, vision and drive of Lee, Elliott, Scott and the Team.

Finally where else can we see the label and yourself in the Winter?

Over the next few months I’ll be in London, Kent, Moscow and and I have a tour of South America planned.

You can catch Lee and the guys playing this coming saturday as mentioned. We’re really looking forward to it, it’ll be a nice vibe in our Courtyard for sure.

YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

We cant tell you just how excited we are for this event. All 3 of the artists that make up the French trio Apollonia, namely Dan Ghenacia, Dyed Soundorom & Shonky have all made an individual appearance at FACE in the past couple of years but… to have them play – one vinyl each, back to back & together in our fantastic little Courtyard is something quite special indeed.

It launches the first in a series of **Exclusive Allnighters** and we’re really pleased to be starting them off with a 6 hour Set from these guys on Saturday 2nd February. Read on for more information, plus you can snap tickets up here as per usual – TICKETS!

APOLLONIA Fan Page

Closest allies Shonky, Dan Ghenacia and Dyed Soundorom showcase the sounds of their Record Label and back2back2back DJ outfit – Apollonia.

Look out for an interview with the guys coming soon. In the meantime, here is just a few examples of their sound and i’m sure you’re aware that they do indeed take their music all over the world playing live sets at the most respected parties including the likes of DC10, Fabric, Panorama Bar, BPM Festival and so many more.

Folks for our next big show we are indeed returning to The Rainbow Warehouse on Sat 29th Dec, nicely sat between Christmas & New Year. If you attended our 3rd Birthday event then you know just how we like to do these Warehouse shows. The show itself will also be in connection with our Club Partnership with Snowbombing and what with Mosca & Dusky playing at the festival in April next year its certainly a very appropriate warm up party here in our home town of Birmigham. To add to all of this, we can now confirm that yet another artist & close friend of The Rainbow has also now been added to the bill, this is of course non other than Richy Ahmed. Richy has been making some serious waves in the house scene for a while now but this summer has seen him really turn a few heads and become the talk of Paradise in Ibiza with his well appreciated sets & buzz. We’re looking forward to his return to FACE then for our next Warehouse Rave and as you can see its an extremely strong line up across both rooms and the buzz for it (as Dizzee Rascal might say) is… BONKERS! // We hope you’ll be joining us.

YOU CAN CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS BY THE WAY!

RICHY AHMED BIOGRAPHY

RICHY AHMED ON SOUNDCLOUD

BOOK THROUGH OUR PAGE FOR A FREE T SHIRT & A FREE TICKET TO OUR 29TH DEC WAREHOUSE RAVE…

CLICK HERE TO BOOK WITH US!

Contact us NOW if ou have any questions by emailing: scott@faceevent.co.uk

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After hosting The Garden last Saturday, FACE resumes back to its normal affair of weekly vibes in the Courtyard, Cellar & Pub with the usual suspects all round. The normal entry fees apply of course (grab your tickets here) and as a cherry on the cake – this week we welcome back our friends No Artificial Colours for what will no doubt be a bangin set from them in the Courtyard. The week after sees us team up with Birminghams finest after party 2.31 on the 1st Dec and following this a guest appearance from wAFF on the 8th Dec. Check out the video’s below for an idea of their sounds if you dont know them already!

NO ARTIFICIAL COLOURS on Soundcloud

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wAFF on Soundcloud

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Back in October 2010 we filmed a pranky one hoping to tricycle our way through Selfridges in Birmingham on a busy Saturday afternoon. Within seconds of being in the building we were immediately escorted back out again by half laughing  half vexed security. They thought we were some kind of threat or just generally a bit loopy. Its funny how you cant even take a photo in that place apparantly. We moved on, got mobbed by over a hundred emo’s and nearly had our video camera snatched by chavs but its all worthwhile and we’re looking forward to doing many more in the future. So look our for them and if you havent seen the others we have done, then please go and have a browse of them in the video section. We hope to see you next week. Its a biggy! and we’re hiring a haunted house / ghost train! Aaaaaaaaaa love Halloween!

Here’s a re-edit linking in our 2012 event…

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Well that truly was an amazing show. We spent a hell of a lot of time planning it and the hard work of many and you yourselves the audience certainly made it a very special 3rd birthday occasion and we want to thank you all for your support. We were testing the waters too. The show proved that FACE can indeed (from time to time & to mix things up) switch venues away from its humble home and successfully pull off a pretty sweet Warehouse Rave! Something that we hoped would happen and something that we actually had a nice degree of confidence in. This being said, we can immediately reveal our next Warehouse party. We’re sure you’ll agree its an absolute corker and the only real way to follow on from the last. We hope you like this selection of artists (again spread across The Warehouse & Garden)…

FACE Warehouse Rave – SAT 29TH DEC

CLICK THIS FOR – £10 EARLY BIRDS NOW ON SALE!

Feat.

THE MARTINEZ BROTHERS

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LAURA JONES

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DUSKY

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MOSCA

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Although we can’t quite believe it, FACE is 3 already. Over the past few years the night has established itself as one of the finest in the Midlands, bringing label showcases, city debuts and so much more to Birmingham with a reasonably fantastic smiley crowd too, week in week out. Now we celebrate our 3rd Birthday with Matthias Tanzmann, Davide Squillace, Joy Orbison and Scuba. This is a very special line up and something we are very proud to be shouting about. We hope you’ll be there this Saturday night celebrating with us. Here is some more info about the event, the artists and where you can buy tickets…

SET TIMES IN THE WAREHOUSE:

9pm – 10.30pm : Paddy Lopaski & Serene

10.30pm – 11.30pm : Ernest

11.30pm – 1am : BBC

1am – 4am : Matthias Tanzmann & Davide Squillace

4am – 6am : Smak Pony

MATTHIAS TANZMANN & DAVIDE SQUILLACE

Click here to view the embedded video.

SET TIMES IN THE GARDEN:

9pm – 12.30am : Bunka Dj’s – Matt Tilley, Paolo Riozzi, Jon Gilday & Jordan Fitz

12.30am – 2.30am : Joy Orbison

2.30am – 4.30am : Scuba

4.30am – 6.00am : Bunka Dj’s - Matt Tilley / Paolo Riozzi / Jon Gilday / Jordan Fitz

SCUBA

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JOY ORBISON

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Click here to view the embedded video.

SET TIMES IN THE INNER WAREHOUSE ROOM:

9pm – 12am : Hasselbaink Dj’s

12am – 1am : Tom Shorterz

1am – 2am : Hasselbaink Dj’s

2am – 3am : Escape

3am – 5am : Seedy Sonics Dj’s – LFM & Mali

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TICKETS:

THE TICKET SELLERS

SKIDDLE

RESIDENT ADVISOR

Paper tickets: are also available with NO BOOKING FEE’S from our friends…

URBAN OUFITTERS in Birmingham City Centre & ZEN in Digbeth.

Birmingham based DJ and producer Paddy Lopaski, found himself bounded in House music at a very tender age, One of the newest FACE residents, he is very excited to show the city what he has to offer. His productions have already been turning heads and he is working to his debut release. Through years of binding his style and picking up his first set aged 14 he quickly learnt how to work a dance floor. Sound Engineer graduate and a meticulous enthusiast, Paddy spends hours experimenting in the studio perfecting his sound that is formulated with lots of swing and rolling basslines. FACE is very pleased to welcome him as our newest resident.

http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/paddylopaski

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You can catch Paddy play at the following event as his debut as FACE resident…

Being Ernest…

Originality, groove and creativity are the driving forces of his sets, which he has been crafting out in various clubs around Birmingham. His passion for the music has given him opportunities to play at some of the best underground parties in 2012 in Birmingham, Berlin, London and at Snowbombing.

A memorable debut set from his no.1 insipiration, legendary Sunday daytime party Below, has been a massive highlight so far this year. After such a promising start to the year he is rolling with the momentum by delving deeper into music and working hard to consistently bring a deep, chunky, grooving house sound to the dancefloor.

This side of the year sees Ernest bringing something to the table creatively by working on a series of edits and tools to use during his energetic house sets.

If he isn’t playing behind the decks you’ll find him grinning and stomping away on the dancefloor. It’s completely all about the music for this DJ and nothing else. It’s this love that has got him this far. His bond with solid, creative music seems only to be growing stronger, meaning there’s plenty more to come from this young Birmingham based DJ.

We are delighted to have Ernest on the residential team and welcome him with a smile and a tummy tickle. Look out for forthcoming appearances approaching real soon and in the meantime you check out Ernest’s latest mix here, especially made for FACE in mind. Tap that DL button its badboy! Thank you Ernest…

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Kerri ‘Kaoz’ Chandler, one of deep house music’s originators, has been injecting soul into music since the early nineties. An ambassador of the natural and instinctive 4/4 beat, Kerri’s influences can be traced back to New Jersey growing up in a family of jazz musicians.  If you think all house music sounds the same, has no soul and is just four to the floor, then I suggest you do some rethinking and check out Kerri Chandler’s latest releases and back catalogue. You’ll be glad you did!

FACE talks to Kerri…

What is house music to you? How does it make you feel?

It is my voice, the way I speak and express my heart and soul; I love the entire process of making music to playing music.

What are some tracks which best some up house music for you?

There are way too many, and I am a very moody guy, but there is a tune for every reason

Do you think it had a halcyon period or is it as strong as it’s ever been?

I feel it’s in cycles every 7 to 10 years, new kids new energy to keep this thing alive and vibrant; I have a love of everyone and just try to add my take on it.

Do you think new producers/people to the scene should learn of its history? Is it necessary knowledge in order to become a respected artist do you think?

I think everyone young and old should embrace everything, music, culture and life; House is such an amazing art form, the feeling of the music cuts right though to the heart.

What should people expect when you play at Face on September 8th?

I play how I feel and I always play like it will be my last gig ever anywhere I am, I give 110 percent, becausetomorrow isn’t promised to you and I wouldn’t want to ever do anything else.

I hear you do keen sound checks before every gig, is that true? Is sound generally as good as it has ever been do you think, or are standards slipping?

I feel technology is changing so maintenance for a sound system is key, if its sound for hire I absolutely make sure I have sound checks to make sure everything is correct, I am very hands on with my sound, because if something goes wrong most people won’t blame the sound system they will blame the DJ, and as far as what it sounds like I don’t want to feel limited on what I can or cannot play because of a sound system.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

On Sat 8th Sept Kerri plays a very exclusive 5 hour set for us at FACE, and is joined by One Records main man and Below head honcho Adam Shelton who plays all over the world, at fabric, for Cocoon, in Berlin, Ibiza and other such esteemed places.

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS TO THE SHOW

Details of when these artists are playing coming soon. Plus there are also more to be added which we know you’ll be happy about…

SeRene has been into the dance music now for quite some time, with him obtaining his first set of turntables at just 14 and from being influenced by his mothers Tuff Jam CD’s he wanted to try his hand at the art of mixing vinyl. It was from here on mixing beats was something of an obsession for him.

By the age of 19 SeRene started to get involved with the Birmingham clubbing scene playing at various clubs including Hidden, Moon Lounge and Subway City along with obtaining some guest appearances on Birmingham’s pirate radio station SIlk City FM.

Over the past few years SeRene has been a resident of some of Birmingham’s biggest parties and rocked most of the well known dance floors such as FACE, 02:31, If.. U Want It, GLAS, B1, SNO and The Sunday Club. 2012 brings something fresh for SeRene as he turns his hand to the art of producing with his first few tracks having some great feedback and club plays by some of the industries well known artists.

Having already played on line-ups alongside the likes of DJ Sneak, Andy Baxter, Jesse Rose, Coat Of Arms plus more and had the opportunity to play in Croatia at The Garden Festival last year things are only set to go onwards and upwards for SeRene in the coming years so look out for his productions/mixes and catch him at his new home FACE at The Rainbow.

Check out all of Serene’s music here including downloadable mixes…

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Catch Serene playing at his next gig here…

Every week on our blog we will be focusing an individual post on each one of our FACE resident dj’s. We’re really buzzing to have them on board and indeed they certainly know what the FACE crowd want to hear from one week to the next. Each article will feature their biogs & web links along with a free downloadable mix which we are sure you’ll be happy to place onto your pod / phone for those boring journeys to & from work and when getting yourself in the mood for a barmy night out. Our first feature introduces our good friend and brand new resident Neil Parkes…

As an avid clubber determined to squeeze every last drop of the rave out of each weekend, Neil regularly covered the length and width of the country visiting various House nights and numerous after-parties. Starting on a Friday and rarely finishing before a Sunday evening, it was during these prolonged weekends that Neil’s passion for music developed, eventually leading him to pursue his dream and purchase his first set of decks.

However, it wasn’t until an unexpected visit to Ibiza, and the subsequent four months of manic Mondays spent at DC10 and Cocoon, that Neil’s musical direction took a turn. Inspired by the Deep tech sound synonymous with Balearic terrace parties, his love of electronic music started to blossom and develop into the familiar sound he is recognised for today. Ensuing summers spent on the white isle followed but it wasn’t until returning to the UK in 2004 that his career behind the decks really started to gather pace.

Landing his first gig for Abattoir at Manchester’s Sankey’s Soap, Neil quickly made a name for himself. As well as showcasing his undeniable talent, his gigs have enabled him to rub shoulders with some of the very DJs who’d inspired him all those years ago in Ibiza. Jamie Jones, Clive Henry, Damian Lazarus, Matthias Tanzmann, Matt Tolfrey, Richy Ahmed, Subb-An, Tiefschwarz and Timo Mass, make up just some of the names he’s now had the pleasure to play alongside.

Neil starts his residency for FACE at The Rainbow, Birmingham on Sat 1st September, and also has solo productions coming out, and collaborations with Adam Curtain.

Check out Neils exclusive FACE mix here and tap that DL button…

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This summer FACE has been showcasing some **exclusive** line ups in its intimate Courtyard to sold out audiences. The 1st occasion being that of the VIVa showcase back in June closely followed up with our friends from FUSE for the 2nd event. Both of them were bangin and everyone seemed buzzin!

Now this Saturday ‘The Return of the Rainbow Courtyard’ brings you a very special Part 3 as we welcome and bring together 2 of the finest comtemporary house & techno labels on the planet. Its an event that we’ve been looking forward to since January when it was first planned. Its a real biggy and will also be very well supported by The Sunday Club crew in the cellar too. CLICK THE IMAGE TO BUY TICKETS or read on to learn more…

On August 11th we welcome two of the finest contemporary house and tech house labels to The Rainbow. The first is LA’s steamy and sultry house outlet Culprit run by DJ trio Droog, and the second is Matt Tolfrey’s London based imprint Leftroom.

FACE IS EXTREMELY EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE ITS 3RD BIRTHDAY LINE UP!

Although we can’t quite believe it FACE is three already. Over the past years, the night has established itself as the finest in the West Midlands & beyond, bringing label showcases, city debuts and so much more to Birmingham. Now we celebrate our next birthday with a real eye opener of an event with the likes of Matthias Tanzmann, Davide Squillace, Joy Orbison and Scuba. We are so buzzing to have these guys confirmed for these very reasons…

Matthias Tanzmann started his DJ and production career in the mid nineties in Leipzig, playing regularly at the renowned club ‘Distillery’. These early days saw his first release as ‘Gamat 3000′ on Dessous Recordings, which was quickly followed by releases on Freude Am Tanzen, Lo-Fi Stereo and FM Musik.  In 2000 he founded Moon Harbour Recordings, and since then scores of Moon Harbour releases have been play listed by renowned DJs all over the world. The label rapidly became synonymous with quality deep-house and tech-house, and has released many of Matthias Tanzmann’s own records as well as those from the likes of Luna City Express, Marlow, Martinez and Dan Drastic.

When you hear the name Davide Squillace you think ‘DJ’ and ‘DC:10’.  That’s doing something of a disservice to the Barcelona based Italian, though, because he’s not only a fine spinner at the Ibiza club… but he also runs his own labels (Hideout most avidly in 2011) but so too does he have a long back catalogue of productions starting in 1998 which includes imprints like Supernature, Sci + Tec and Loco Dice’s Desolat.

Scuba meanwhile, is the head of one of the hottest bass labels in the world, Hot Flush, releasing his own great LPs and EPs as well as those from Locked Groove, Guy Andrews, Paul Woolford and more.  Based in Berlin, he regularly plays Berghain and in fact has his own Sub: stance night at the club.

Finally, little needs to be said of Joy Orbison. As well as kick starting the garage revival with ‘Hyph Mngo’ a few years ago, he now runs his own label Hinge Finger, and collaborates with Boddike for some of the biggest house/bass/techno tracks around, including ‘Elipses’ and Faint’. His DJ sets take in house, garage, bass and more and are something to behold.

Far more information will be released over the coming months but indeed you can now buy the EARLY BIRD tickets for a limited time only and you can get them here…

TICKETS

Thank you and we hope you are as excited as we are.

Having DJed at every major festival and club in the world alongside his label mates, Crosstown and Hot Creations associate Richy Ahmed knows a thing or two about moving the dancefloor. He plays for us on July 28th alongside Below main man Adam Shelton (get tickets here) so we thought we’d introduce him a little more.

Richy Ahmed is at the forefront of a new breed of British DJs, who are re-defining house music taking cues from disco, techno, funk and hip-hop. Over the last year British house music has been through a renaissance with a whole new generation of DJs and producers like Robert James, Subb-an, Russ Yallop and Maya Jane Coles quickly making names for themselves. In the midst of this surge of homegrown talent is Richy Ahmed, Hot Natured resident and part of the Hot Creations inner circle. Richy has spent the last two summers cutting his teeth at some world’s best parties including, Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival, Sonar in Barcelona, The Nexus at Burning Man in the middle of the Nevada desert, Glastonbury Festival’s 40th Anniversary, Kubicle’s legendary toilet parties in London and We Love at Space in Ibiza. Playing alongside some of house music’s biggest stars, Richy is regularly tipped as one to watch by the likes of Jamie Jones, Damian Lazarus, Clive Henry and Seth Troxler. Hailing from Newcastle in the north of the UK, he still makes regular appearances at events across the UK such as Below in Birmingham, MuMu in Liverpool, The Breakfast Club in Bristol and London’s notorious Sunday afterhours institution Kubicle.

Check out this recent video interview with Richy…

This Saturday June 30th, we welcome the likes of Campbell, Danny Fry and more to Face, with headline duties being handed over to our good friend Tom Craven. Tom is the head honcho at Illusion Recordings, a young but hugely auspicious label that has turned plenty of heads with its first few releases. Get your tickets for the event here, then check out the music Tom will surely be sharing come Saturday…

The imprint co run with James Cotterill is distributed by the mighty Rotterdam based Clone outfit, and has been going since 2010. As well as coming with some beautifully boutique cover art, the music enclosed within is also very special, joining the dots between deep house, disco, techno and more.

The first release was a various artists EP featuring tunes from DJ Ali, Acid Mondays and more. This is the pick of the bunch if you ask us:

The next release was a debut EP from Gary Todd. Entitled The Life & Time Of The California Hat EP it included two originals and two killer remixes. The taught tech lines and retro drum fills of ’24 Hour Party Sausage’ is our pick.

And so to the biggest release on the label to date, NY Stomp’s (aka Gerd) Can You Feel It? EP complete with remix from hotter than hot young producer Nicholas. Harking back to 90s New York, its a revivalist deep house banger that has been heard all over the world in recent months. Great work!

Check out the label here… see you Saturday!

German producer Andre Lodemann plays for us on June 16th when Face meets Uber. You can get tickets here, but first learn some more about our headliner. Lodemann is a rather underrated talent. In part explaining that is the fact he’s never been associated with any one scene, instead recording for a cluster of quality labels like Freerange, Buzzin Fly and Simple. Even so, there’s a stirringly emotive aesthetic to his often-grandiose deep house that deserves more attention than it gets. Hopefully rectifying the situation is his debut album, Fragments, released this month, which is a mixture of new works and past gems (CD1) as well as selected remixes (CD2).

At the heart of the first disc is 2011’s ‘Riven Reminiscences’. It sums up Lodemann’s elegant style perfectly: strummed harps (or something) feathery pianos and sweeping, heart-swelling pads are all pinned to a dreamy deep house groove with not a single tired sample or over-familiar sound anywhere. Modern classic ‘Where Are You Now’ follows with just as much élan, and the new cuts, too, are seriously classy: what a debut. Check out some tracks from the album below.