dcp84: Recent Episodes

dcp84

20 years exploring the art, science and philosophy of collecting records and playing them to other people. Selected recordings documenting this endeavour are showcased here.

For original music, please visit screamelectric: soundcloud.com/screamelectric

Novichok by dcp84

Disciple of D'Sparil by dcp84

Ethics Gradient by dcp84

After the collapse of formulaic Dutch-Trance, by the mid-2000s Tech-Trance had ascended to be the dominant style within the Trance genre. Taking influences from the genre’s roots it fused the atmosphere and ethereal qualities of Dutch-Trance with the repetitive uncompromising rhythms of Techno. Though sharing some aesthetics, Tech-Trance retained a sensibility sorely missing from Hard-NRG and Hard-Trance alike. At its peak, British based Nukleuz, with heavy support from Italy’s BXR, were the unconquerable masters of Tech-Trance. A release on its Green imprint was almost guaranteed to feature in the playlists of the top commercial club DJs. Ten years later, with Nukleuz a shadow of its former self, the style was almost completely absent from the headlines of major events as Trance shifted away from atmosphere towards heavily produced melodic recordings. Tech-Trance’s forgotten audio territory was reclaimed comprehensively in 2016 when FSOE Clandestine released its first single. The sub-label offered a darker techno influenced sound and provided a welcome counterpoint to the light and bright mainstream trance provided by the bigger labels. The opening single, Lunacy, from the world renowned German duo Stoneface & Terminal firmly established the label’s sound. The pair would also provide A&R duties to the new imprint ensuring a solid audio niche was carved by the label. Five years and over 125 releases later, this recording offers an introduction to the selected works of FSOE Clandestine.

Anderson – Redwood (Extended Mix) [Multiverse EP] [FSOEC : FSOEC102A] (2020)
Casey Rasch – New Beginnings (Extended Mix) [FSOEC : FSOEC105A] (2020)
Mauro Picotto & Devid – Pyramid Soundwall (Extended Mix) [FSOEC : FSOEC075A] (2019)
Stoneface & Terminal – Culture Clash (Extended Mix) [FSOEC : FSOEC059A] (2019)
Effen – Cause & Effect (Extended Mix) [FSOEC : FSOEC039A] (2018)
Liam Wilson – Get On The Floor (Extended Mix) [FSOEC : FSOEC064A] (2019)
Allan Morrow – Scrap (Extended Mix) [FSOEC : FSOEC069A] (2019)
Alex Wright – Midnight Feast (Extended Mix) [FSOEC : FSOEC046A] (2018)
Stoneface & Terminal – Lunacy (Extended Mix) [FSOEC : FSOEC001A] (2016)
Project 8 – Reset (Extended Mix) [FSOEC : FSOEC049A] (2018)
Paul Webster & Casey Rasch – Silencer (Extended Mix) [FSOEC : FSOEC048A] (2018)
David Forbes & Paul Denton – Blizzard (Extended Mix) [FSOEC : FSOEC026A] (2018)
Smith & Brown – Tilt (EverLight's Blackout Extended Remix) [FSOEC : FSOEC100P2] (2020)
Stoneface & Terminal – Analog21 (Extended Mix) [FSOEC : FSOEC009A] (2017)

dcp84-020:2020-12-30

Veterans of the infamous JudgeJules Archive forum, Aza & Dan, have combined forces to record a high energy retrospective mix in homage to Judge Jules and Eddie Halliwell.

Jules had a 25-year career span at Radio 1 becoming one of the most iconic names in dance music. Debuting on the world-famous Essential Mix in 1994 he later became a full time presenter in 1997 with the "Saturday Warm Up". Quickly establishing himself as a "gateway DJ", Jules drew in audiences by reflecting current clubland trends before expanding their musical horizons with the introduction of wider influences. A keen ear for talent, during his peak he was one of the most influential figures in global dance music.

In 2002, in a special end-of-year round-up broadcast, Jules featured several internationally renowned DJs, including Tiësto and Paul Van Dyk, where each would pick a special track. Having already heard of an up-and-coming DJ who was making waves, Jules offered a unique 15-minute segment to 24 year old (electric) Eddie Halliwell. This exposure would help catapult Eddie to the global stage.

As well as releasing one of the most critically acclaimed demo CD recording for Mixmag, BOSH!, it wasn't long before Radio 1 had Eddie back on air for his first ever Essential Mix, LIVE! Eddie went on to complete over 6 more and landed a resident DJ show with the station. Jules, having held down 33 Essential Mixes, must be close to a record!

At the time, many commentators tipped Eddie to become a successor to Jules as the UK’s foremost ambassador for UK dance music. While their paths would eventually diverge, in turn both would hold residencies at the iconic Gatecrasher, share coveted Radio 1 airtime, headline major festivals together and despite differing mixing styles, feature considerable playlist overlap.

From this point on, Aza and Dan were both hooked and big fans of both DJs. Over 20 years later, the genres of Trance and Hard Dance they used to spin has since moved on but still holds a special place in their hearts. As loyal fans to some of their idol DJs - and DJ friends in common, they've combined forces to deliver an 'Essential Mix-esque old skool classic set'. This back-to-back set is testament of their admiration, passion and recognition to this whole scene of clubland.

Ariel - A9 (Original Mix) [Essential : ESX15] (2000)
Cosmic Gate - Fire Wire (Original Mix) [Data : DATA24T] (2001)
Ricky Effe - Sector.30 (Sector Mix) [NoiseMaker Volume Four] [Nukleuz : NUKP0187] (1999)
Signum - What Ya Got 4 Me (Original 12" Vocal) [Tidy Trax : TIDY118T2] (1998)
VPL - T-Break (Steve Murano Remix) [Closet : CLOS07] (2002)
TNT - First Match (Technoboy Mix) [Titanic : TTC012] (2002)
Brainbug ‎– Nightmare (Judge Jules Remix) [Positiva : BBUG01] (2003)
Hi-Gate - Caned And Unable [Incentive : CENT9T] (2000)
Airwave - [Bonzai Trance Progressive : BTP0862002] (2002)
Frank Biazzi ‎– Turbulence [Lupp ‎: LUPP004] (2002)
DK8 - Murder Was The Bass (Original) [DK : DK8] (2003)
Dark Alliance - Genetic (Aza vs. Eddie's Essential 3 Deck Edit) [White : Unknown] (2012)
The Clergy - The Oboe Song (The Green Martian Remix) [Double F Double R ‎: DFXX005] (2002)
Team SR ‎– Leaving London (Original Mix) [Five AM ‎: FAM054] (2006)
Citizen Caned - The Journey (Original 12") [Serious : SERR029T] (2001)
Marzz - Orbiter [Detox : TOX0003] (2003)
Cirez D - Control Freak [Mouseville : MOUSE001] (2004)
Legend B - Lost In Love (Paul Janes Mix) [Bulletproof : PROOF11] (2001)

https://soundcloud.com/aza-dj https://soundcloud.com/dcp84 https://soundcloud.com/eddiehalliwell https://soundcloud.com/realjudgejules

Avatar - Red Planet (Reverb's Mix) [ILLUMINATE Records : ILLUM200619] (2002)
Blank & Jones - A Forest (Ron Van Den Beuken Remix) [Spinnin : WL009] (2003)
Marc Dawn - Expander (Flutlicht Remix) [Logport : LOG2006] (2002)
Ratty - Sunrise (Here I Am) [Monster Classics : CLASSICS002] (2004)
G&M Project - Sunday Afternoon (Nu NRG Mix) [Be Your Self : 7007415] (2004)
Absolom - Stars (Headz On Trance Remix) [A&S : ASD009] (2000)
Saltwater - The Legacy (Alphazone Remix) [Zenith : ZEN3001] (2003)
ATN - Miss A Day [Mondo : MND011CD] (2002)
dcp84 - PBD [White Label : Nil] (2020)

dcp84-018:2020-04-05

dcp84 - E1M1 [White Label : Nil] (2019) Slam - Scorpion [Soma : SOMA540D] (2019) Phutek - Violator (Chicago Loop Remix) [Eclipse : ECLR164] (2018) Symmetrical Behaviour - Deformation Gradient [Distorting Influence EP] [Soma : SOMA532D] (2018) Chris Liebing - Disorder & Chaos (Titanium Remix) [CLR : 4250121400210] (2004) Transa - Prophase '02 [White Label : Nil] (2019) Chicago Loop - Draconis (Luca Gaeta Remix) [Orange : ORANGE079B] (2018) Ricardo Garduno - No Existen (Original Mix) [Unpolished : 9120042334749] (2018) Oliver Lieb - Stream of Pearls [Violet Sky EP] [Tronic : TR314] (2019) Agnelli & Nelson - El Niño (Original Mix) [Xtravaganza : 0091570EXT] (1998)

dcp84-017:2020-01-04

M.I.K.E. Push & Robert Nickson - Tachyon (Extended Mix) [FSOE : FSOE229A] (2017) Umek - Side Missions [Environs EP] [Tronic : TR306] (2018) Dusky - Bowed [Cold Heart EP] [17 Steps : 17STEPS014] (2017) Alex Stein - Catalyst [Hostage EP] [Tronic : TR292] (2018)

dcp84-016:2019-05-06

With every musical genre, simply ask any number of DJs and you will receive any number of responses each proclaiming they possess the true definition of a genre. Enter Tech-House. Whilst intuitively a simple cross-pollination of House and Techno, eventually sound design clichés and pre-determined structures creep in. The best strategy of course is to recognise genre labels simply as adjectives and not nouns. This recording of Shuffle selects three more melodic selections to offer one possible interpretation of what Tech-House is.

Equipment:

Traktor Pro 2 Pioneer DJM 600 Native Instruments Traktor Kontrol X1 MK2 Sennheiser HD 25

Acid Bitchez - Thinking About Acid (Jori Hulkkonen Remix) [Turbo : TURBO176] (2016) Cajmere & Wayne Williams - Acid House (Original Mix) [Cajual : CAJ366] (2014) Boston 168 - Terror Acid [Involve : INV 009] (2015)

dcp84-015:2019-04-11

Moral panics and music fit hand in glove; drill today and Acid House in the 80s. With the simple combination of the ubiquitous 303 and solo drum machine which defined the first wave of Acid House largely a memory, contemporary recordings predominantly feature emulation as opposed to hardware. Whilst the sonic pallet has also somewhat expanded, tightly programmed acid lines remain the distinguishing audio motif. Though the momentary resurgence towards the end of the 2000s proved wanting, these contemporary Acid cuts suggest that the addictive sound of Roland’s 38 year old synth still has resonance.

Mauro Picotto - Tell Me Something (Introvox) [Meganite EP] [Alchemy : ALC005] (2004) Coefficient - D-Meson [Purple Spirit EP] [KRLF : KRLF003] (2017) Chris Liebing - String Theory (Mauro Picotto & Ricardo Ferri Remix) [CLR : 4250121400203] (2003) Mauro Picotto - Greens (Riccardo Ferri Mix) [Meganite EP] [Alchemy : ALC005] (2004)

dcp84-014:2019-02-20

The elitist DJs and faux intellectual tunespotters of Techno were furious when Italian Techno first elicited substantial recognition outside of the Roman peninsula. With protectionist fervour, they disavowed the sound immediately, denouncing with abhorrence as “Trance” by another name. By refusing to see past the commercial success of Picotto’s tracks like Komodo or Iguana, they failed to see that the vein of commercial awareness coupled with a dark uncompromising production style employed by the BXR entourage was bringing Techno to new ears. Picotto was introducing the genre to the next generation. Indeed, no other sound would be more influential on me as a DJ or producer. When sat in front of a DAW, striving to emulate and create new in equal measure, the target was clear; this is what “good” sounds like.

Florian Meindl - Metaphysics [Flash : FLASH194] (2018) Antonio Ruscito - Trance 3017 (dRM18) [Edit Select : EDITSELECT32] (2018) VII Circle - Eternal [Rapid Eye Movement : REM003] (2018)

dcp84-013:2019-02-10

By the late 1990s the commercial sound of Trance has been crystallised by the arpeggiated super-saws of the Roland JP-8000. However, the stylistic origins of the genre go much deeper; hard repetitive Techno rhythms mixed with psychedelic synthesised pads and chord progressions. Trance was essentially a sub-genre of Techno fine tuned for it mesmerising effects. Edition 013 of Shuffle revisits this formula with three Techno selections that recreate the hypnotic mesmerism Trance has long lost yet would be wise to rediscover.

Mono - Rise (Original Mix) [Mondo : MND005CD] (2006) John Askew - Fade To Black [Discover : DISCOVERCD08] (2008) John O'Callaghan feat. Audrey Gallagher - Big Sky (Agnelli & Nelson Remix) [Armind : ARMD1047] (2007)

dcp84-012:2019-01-20

The Shuffle series returns in 2019 with a melancholic collection of Trance recordings from the mid to late 2000s. As a genre, despite 2004's welcomed upturn in quality, Trance was in progressive decline from the heights it had enjoyed as the dominant dance music genre at the turn of the Millennium. The USA’s 'EDM' was now in the ascendance. Nevertheless, while countless are drawn to Trance for moments of ‘euphoria’ this should be regarded as only the most superficial and readily accessible layer of this complex genre. Search further and many of the most powerful Trance recordings possess a compulsive mixture of melancholy tinged with only traces euphoria as demonstrated by these three selections.

DNS Project - Whiteglow Airbourne [Monster Tunes : MONSAMP008] (2008) Ron Van Den Beuken - Timeless (Ron Van Den Beuken Remix) [Liquid : LQ034] (2003) David Forbes & Paul Denton - Blizzard (Extended Mix) [FSOE Clandestine : FSOEC026A] (2018)

dcp84-011:2018-08-26

Umek - Certain Trace [Tronic : TR273] (2018) Mauro Picotto & Devid - Blue Dot [Alchemy : ALCDG072] (2016) Noir & Olivier Giacomotto - Reste (Raxon Remix) [Tronic : TR212] (2016)

dcp84-010:2018-08-19

James Nardi - Nightbreed (The Forbidden Remix) [Vamp : VP06] (2015) Leighton Smith & Jenni G vs Steve Hewitt - Medicated [Premonition : PDHH056] (2016) Masmada vs Gary Cooke - Warp (Paul Glazby Remix) [Deprivation : DVR012] (2005)

dcp84-009:2018-08-05

M.I.K.E. - Turn Out The Lights (Original Version) [Armind : ARMD1002] (2003) Will Atkinson - Numb The Pain [Subculture : SUBC081] (2015) Above & Beyond - Alone Tonight (Above & Beyond's Club Mix) [Anjunabeats : ANJ-059] (2006)

dcp84-008:2018-06-02

SCAM - Obscure Acid River [Saturn Consequence EP] [Black Sam : BSD 004] (2013) Regal - Repeat [Alma Matter EP] [Involve : INV 008] (2015) Joey Beltram - Shaking Trees [Harthouse : HHMA023-8] (2008)

dcp84-006:2018-04-15

Leighton Smith - Terrified (Original Mix) [Vicious Circle : VCR243] (2017) Discam - Exonerate (Original Mix) [Vicious Circle : VCR259] (2018) Paul Glazby - I'm Your Nightmare (Glazby's 2008 Off Beat Mega Death Remix) [Tidy : TIDYML005] (2008)

dcp84-005:2018-04-07 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohX8uX6UQUo

Sub Focus - Scarecrow [Ram : RAMM54D] (2005) Psidream - Quasar [Red Light : RL012] (2007) Ram Trilogy - Scanners [Chapter 1] [Ram : RAMM22] (1998)

dcp84-004:2018-03-25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJhKvTJzuks

Push - Universal Nation [Inferno : CDFERNLP3] (2002) Soundcheck - Minddrive [Tsunami : TSU_6011] (1999) Airwave - Another Dimension [Bonzai : BTP-086-2002] (2002)

dcp84-003:2018-03-17

Jokke Ilsoe - Feeling Good (Trentemøller Remix) [Namnam : NAMEP 1]
ARLE - Close To You (Stray Beast Remix) [SubSoul : SUB 010B]
Hysteric Ego - Want Love [EGO : EGO 001]

dcp84-002:2018-03-03

Exium - Nucleoid (A Sensible Alternative To Emotion) [Polegroup : POLEGROUP016]
DYAD - From Another Place (Original Mix) [DYAD : DYAD 001]
Mauro Picotto & Riccardo Ferri - My Friend Tesla (Original Mix) [Alchemy : ALCDG051]

dcp84-001:2018-02-19 https://youtu.be/kFJmB73xR9c https://mensch-maschine.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/shuffle-001-techno.html