Glad to have my track Relax included on this epic compilation ​via Urban Distortions.
In support of One Tree Planted.
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URBAN DISTORTIONS is so delighted to announce this huge compilation of 30 Electro producers from allover the globe to support "One Tree Planted", a non-profit organization that plants trees around the world and works with amazing reforestation local partners.

All of these great artists unite to take an action against the deforestation, in order to save our planet for the next generations.
That's why "ELECTRO for FUTURE" = Thanks to all the artists involved that make this happen.

ELECTRO for FUTURE includes tracks from MANDROID, Will Web, W1b0, Alavux, AE35, Aliensextoy, Ascension Électronique, Carlos Sicrock, CYBEREIGN, Dark Prophet, Dark Vektor, Deemphasis, Drox, Fleck E.S.C, g13ck, Gravitational Effect, Jay Mass, Kedwic Inc., Kim Cosmik, Konerytmi, Mutex, Myoptik, Paul Blackford, PL_anet, Riuozami, Robertiano Filigrano, SLAKER, Sound Synthesis, TECHcontrol, and X-Truder.
The download package also includes HD cover picture file with the original artwork from Fets69.

Was excited when asked to put together this mix for Serotonin Records. Something a little bit different with excellent visuals put together by VJ Flik. Keep an eye out for the premiere of the mix on the Serotonin Records twitch channel. 

Here is what they had to say about the mix: "Drox contribution to the Neurotransmitters series is a wild ride through all the schools"

You can check out the mix with visuals on youtube below or just audio via soundcloud.

The lovely people from the SHED: crew asked me recently to put together a mix for their new mix series.
I generally gravitate towards more broken beats and textures but decided to change it up a bit with this mix. Still has those vibes but with a bit of a twist. I hope you enjoy it. Includes some great new tracks from Tim Jackiw, Martin Mueller & w1b0 along with some old favourites as well.

Here is what they had to say about the mix: "Big upzzz to Drox for jumping on the mix. A mainstay of Sydney's Techno + Electro Scene for many many years, Drox has carved out an imposing yet super humble etching on our local scene.

​Drox and the Analog Cabin ethos are an inspiration to us here in the SHED: A truly bright, guiding light brings some blistering heat to the series, we hope you NJOI xxx"

New huge 40 track V/A from Solemne Records including Blue Gums from my Drox project alongside a diverse group of dope producers like Alavux, Octal Industries, OHM and many others. Well worth checking out.

New compilation via Natural Expressions including a dubby Drox track (alongside some other quality dub techno / dubby house) out on cassette July 6. Clips up online and preorders on Bandcamp.
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Big thanks to Dark Science Electro for having me put together a mix of some of the deeper side of electro I've been enjoying recently.

Drox is a DJ/producer who has been honing his skills for over a decade and is one of the founders of the Analog Cabin Recording Studio and label based in Sydney, Australia specialising in deep electronic sounds.
In 2018 he established the Recreational Therapy : Podcast
which is a series of guest DJ mixes and live sets from producers, live acts, and DJs leaning towards underground and experimental sounds.

I put together a mix a little while back for my fav incognito party crew Energy Workshop which I think turned out pretty good. It includes blend of a bunch of stuff I have been enjoying lately. Some old dusties, along with some brand new releases like the opening track from the new
Simon Mann Music Four Directions EP on Analog Cabin.
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Here is what they had to say about the mix "Higher-vibe gratitude to Drox for blessing us with Danceportal 5. Two hours of stone cold-pressed crystal juice to get K-rossFit wit. Some serious grooves proving that Androids do dream of electro sheep but only at the right BPMs. Big ups Drox ?"
​

Simon Mann

The Four Directions EP manages to strike a fine balance between the home listening experience and solid club material.Four solid cuts showcase his trademark textural detail while exploring deep synthetic dub techno alongside breakbeat electronica and concrete dance-floor rhythms.
Interview
Hi Simon, Thanks for taking the time to chat. What a great E.P. Great to have you represented on the label.

Hi, Thank you! I’m super excited to have the opportunity to release music with Analog Cabin. And I love supporting local labels so it’s great to be repping with a Sydney crew.

I know a lot of Analog Cabin fans are particularly interested in the production process so let’s talk shop for a bit.

The first thing that jumps out at me in Cathartic Rhythmia is the solid kick drum playing against the rhythmic side stick pattern. The constant tick tock of this rhythm is contrasted by sparser elements such as rich gongs and swelling pads. Talk us through your approach to this track, was there an inspiration behind it?

I guess with Cathartic Rhythmia I wanted to break up the 4/4 pattern a bit and play with polyrhythms. The side stick you mention is the MFB Kraftzwerg being CV sequenced by the Analog 4’s arpeggio. From what I recall I used a weird timing on a few instruments so the percussion moves around over the length of the track. The overall vibe I was going for started with the pads, which are the Minilogue, which I played live. I wanted the laid back ambient sounds juxtaposed against a heavy but organic beat to get a sort of spacey new age feel. I find a lot of inspiration in the space and ambience of this track.

The title track Four Directions is a return to classic four on the floor complete with jacking hats, sci-fi blips and bleeps underpinned by a classic steady rising chord progression. When the melodic toy piano type riff kicks in midway through it has an almost eerie quality overplayed over the top of the filtered vocals. It is a really builder of a tune. Did you envisage this as more of a dance floor number when you wrote it? What kind of sound sources where you using on this one?

Four Directions is a homage to House music. It’s got that Detriot-ish lead chord progression, vocals, albeit disembodied, and the scratching, which I’ve always felts appropriate to deep soulful house. And what is a House track without a piano? I'm not sure I ever write music for a dance floor. Surely different vibes would be more suited to dancing but I generally frame my production around a sound rather than a purpose. As far as sounds go, the chord progression is the Korg Miniologue, The building acid line is a Roland TB-03. The synthesized scratching, bassline and toy piano are the Analog 4. The percussion and beats are the TR-8 and Drumbrute. Finally the sample is Ekhart Tolle talking about the nature of addiction, though it’s heavily processed.

Ordinary Life is another deep and steady offering. Really dubby and probably the deepest cut on the E.P. You have put out a few dubby numbers in your time. Compared to your older stuff, how has your sound evolved? Do you find yourself revisiting certain production techniques in the studio? How do you keep your production process feeling fresh?

Regarding my dubby explorations, I guess because Dub Techno is all about the delays and reverb tails, I am always trying to use a different reverb or delay technique to get a more spacious atmosphere. It’s very easy to find one dub technique and stick to it, which was a bad habit I’ve had in the past. Ordinary Life has 3 different chord patterns playing at different times, they each have a common delay and reverb chain, then each channel has a unique effects chain again. I’m using unsynced LFO’s linked to cutoff frequencies and reverb tails to change the patterns over time. I like evolving movement in my tracks and in the past, have relied on a single loop, whereas now I generally use a lot of loops, more sparsely. My older stuff was very linear, I find these days I like messing with trigger probability and layering odd length patterns to give my programs an unexpected/random element.

The name Ordinary Life is there meaning behind that? Would it be safe to say your music transports you to another place and gives you an escape from daily life? Tell me about the feelings you get when you produce?

I called the track Ordinary Life because the original sample I’ve used was Terrence McKenna talking about how his upbringing had been such an ordinary life. Anyone who knows Terence’s work will know it’s far from ordinary. I do use my music as an escape from normal life, both when I make music and listen back to it. I live a pretty normal life, married with kids, in suburbia. I find my music is so far removed from that life, I can’t help but travel somewhere else when I make it. Electronic music and the places it gets played is so far removed from my ordinary life, it’s actually a blessing to be able to have my feet in two worlds, one where the love of a family is so nurturing and one where escapism, freedom and creative expression are the sustenance I need in both worlds. I guess you could say that making music and being creative fuels my ordinary life.

Finally, Primal Space. A really percussive groove with a cheeky swing to it. It has a low end that almost growls at you like an animal. I really like it. And the acid squelches and cinematic string elements really bring you into the environment. Talk us through your process for this one. Are you using the same instruments through the E.P.? Or do you change it up with each track?

That low end growl you mention is the ‘primal’, the strings and pads are the ‘space’ Primal Space is all about the minimalism for me. Sparse elements and minimal beats, the swing and the acid, the atmosphere, this is pretty much was minimal house music means to me, but I wanted a bit of a darker twist so there’s that tribal element too.

Thanks for the interesting questions and of course the release on Analog Cabin, I can’t wait to share the music and the label. It’s a release I have been looking forward to for a long time, so thank you.


Find more from Simon on via Facebook and Soundcloud

I put together a mix of loads of my unreleased tracks, remixes and some collabs from the last few years over the weekend.

Analog Cabin are excited to announce a FREE event on 7th February within the confines of Tokyo Sing Song in Newtown. The night will feature an array of talent from the Analog Cabin roster.
Expect a diverse dance floor soundtrack curated by some of Sydney’s finest selectors.
The whole crew will of course be your spirit guides bringing you tunes from another time and another dimension.
Joining them we have the illest humandroid this side of the crab nebula - Illbot bringing the intergalactic house and techno future to your ears.
Alongside all-round legend, Mike Witcombe after returning from a few shows in NZ showcasing his driving style.
Dr.Ox : A new alias from a known associate, the good doctor explores exotic sounds and rhythms. If it’s a little bit off kilter and has a vibe, it’s on the platter.
Felix Warmuth : Felix has been twisting minds and nodding heads with his machine driven sounds since the late 90's. Felix’s diverse and eclectic style will take your mind on a journey and give your feet a work out.
Warm up tunes provided by Angelika
Friendly people + People friendly . You know the deal
​Facebook Event

We would like to acknowledge that this event happens on stolen land, and wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Gadigal people of the Eora nation and their Elders past, present, and emerging.
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Analog Cabin & High Side present
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Firewater Long Weekend Day/Night Dance
BYO Warehouse / Rooftop 3PM - Late
All profits go towards Bushfire Relief with The First Nations Communities fund and WIRES Wildlife rescue
$10 presale via HUMANTIX and $15 on the door
Analog Cabin & High Side would like to acknowledge that this event, and all of the work that we undertake as a collective, takes place on stolen land. We wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Gadigal people of the Eora nation and their Elders past, present, and emerging.
Come early to enjoy afternoon rooftop party vibes which will feature guests DJ Goanna (SHED), Nadia Struiwigh (NL), Vini Martins (BR) & Jac Frier along with an array of talent from the Analog Cabin roster.
Expect a diverse dance floor soundtrack curated by some of our favourite selectors over two levels with a lush rooftop in Inner City Sydney and an indoor chill out space for those that want to escape the heat.
Your spirit guides bringing you tunes from another time and another dimension. Serving up Techno, House, Afrobeat, Reggae and Outer-national heat to the dance floors.
Nadia Struiwigh (NL) (CPU / Mord)
Vini Martins (BRAZIL)
DJ Goanna (SHED)
Mike Witcombe
Jac Frier
Mystico
Dr.OX
Illbot
Angelika
BYO
$10 presale via HUMANTIX and $15 on the door
Address will be sent to ticket holders at 1pm on the day of the event
Direct donations can be made to to the following GoFundMe campaign https://au.gofundme.com/.../fire-relief-fund-for-first... and WIRES Wildlife rescue: https://www.wires.org.au/donate/emergency-fund
Big thank-you...
to getitmade.com.au for supplying the sound systems.

A dastardly display of techno at biblical proportions. We are very excited to return to our home The Bridge Hotel - for another music|dance revolt. This time, lead by the king of darkness - Maksim Dark
- featuring exclusively at Church of Techno for his only NSW show on his debut Australian tour. A sermon not to be missed.
• 14 hours of mischief
• 5 international / interstate guest artists
• 3 stages - outdoor and indoor
Facebook Event 

Recorded on a friday night, this one has a bit of a peak time vibe via berlin based Tooflez Muzik
Includes some new music from dynArec, UNDERGROUND RESISTANCE, a nice reissue from R. Campana & D. Reggi on A Colourful Storm, alongside some favs from Daniele Paduano, SAQUN, Nasty King Kurl & Nancy Fortune among others.

Join Happy Mag at the Marlborough Hotel in Sydney for the launch of Issue 12: our inaugural Sex Issue.
Come for a free night of killer live music, and be amongst the first to get your mitts on a copy of the Sex Issue. 
Happy Mag Article / Facebook Event with more info here. 

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Pretty happy how this one turned out. A bunch of styles I am digging! Some old rave and acid numbers, old and new electro from The Exaltics, Boska, Move D, Metope & CEM3340 (with a sneak peek of a forthcoming release by Ouxh via Lou Karsh / LKR RECORDS next month).

Please check it out if you have an hour spare, you can also find more episodes via the Quality Electronics facebook group

Another guest mix I am pretty happy with, Electro and EBM vibes for OSC KINS's Shubzin show on Vandelay Radio in the UK. Thanks for asking me to put something together, I had loads of fun.

You can listen to the show archive below with me in the mix for the first hour and OSC KINS for the 2nd hour. of the show. If you are in London and would like to hear more of these sort of vibes keep an eye out for his Subsidise Ldnwww.facebook.com/subsidiseldn/ gigs also.

I've been listening to the Analogue Interface Radio show broadcast on 89.7 in Perth via the show archives on soundcloud for a little while now.

When they asked me to put together something for episode 60 I decided to focus on some more abstract tracks and a few electro artists that I think deserve a bit more attention with the great music they are releasing. You can listen to the archive of the show which was aired on Thursday. 

If you are looking for something fresh to listen to the show archives and artist interviewscan all be found via the Analogue Interface website.

​Tracklist
ITPDWIP - I Am Not Him [Lobster Theramin]
The Octagon Man - Vidd [Electron Industries]
London Modular Alliance - Lucid (Drox Remix)
Eon - I Live! [k]rack-troni[k] ‎                         
Shawn Rudiman  - Electro Days [Pittsburgh Tracks]
Cygnus - Intrastellar Cyberpunk [Biosoft Records]
CEM3340 - East 7 Miles [RotterHague Records]
Drox - N Sonic [Drox Industries]
Anthony Shake Shakir - Frictional Beat No.4 [Rush Hour Recordings]
FFT - sensory_hyperlinkfft_3abstract1 [Uncertainty Principle]
J Shaw - Levels Of Space                 
SAQUN- TK421
Tracey - CCLRT [Dial Records]          
Marco Bernardi - Junkie Bastard [Frustrated Funk]
Noord Halle - 8r care [BAKK]                  
Anthony Shake Shakir  - Space Probes [Morphine Records]
B.C. - Stronghold [i.t.p. recordings]
Chaos - Untitled? [Underground Resistance]
Linkwood - Fresh Gildans [Firecracker Recordings]
Shapeshiftr & The Sentinel - Electrik City [Southern Outpost]
Double Dutch - Tonight Is Your Night [Clone]

Not too long ago I came across the Hjärngymnastik mix series via a post on the discogs forums. 
The concept is simple a weekly mix from the host Kiskelfacit and in some of the more recent episodes include guest mixes also, one hour mix of electronic music that is released prior to 1999.

"There's so much good music from this part of the musical world that only got pressed on a specific cd compilation or a twelve inch release and did not get wider recognition when released. I'm trying to find as many of them as I can and will be presenting them in hour-long mixes. 

Some mixes will have more focused themes such as ambient techno, acid, bleep, electro, glitchy ambient, idm or detroit techno but most of them will contain tracks currently occupying my mind, regardless of style and genre."

Something I really like about the series is that so much interesting music came out and a lot of it is overlooked and can be picked up for a few dollars if you really dig to find something you like. 

The original artwork that compliments each episode is unique, two brains playing various sports in his unique style.
I was very excited to be asked to put something together to submit to the series.

I spent a good amount of time digging through my records and included a diverse range of sounds which hopefully blends well. Some of the records I included are the first I ever purchased, alongside some that I have only picked up in the last couple of weeks. 

I highly recommend checking out the mixes if you are looking for something to listen to. Recent guest mixes from Erell Ranson, Derek Carr and Placid are well worth checking out along with Kiskelfacit's episode 5 which I really enjoyed.

Tracklist

1. Steve Stoll - Surface Tension [Sm:)e Communications 1997]
2. Claude Young - Wind Up [7th City 1995]
3. XON - Dissonance [Network Records 1991]
4. The Scientist - Spiral Symphony [Kickin Records 1991]
5. Techno Grooves - Hiawa [Stealth Records 1990]
6. Luke Slater’s 7th Plain - Orient [Superstition ‎1994]
7. Graphite - Vibes [New Electronica 1995]
8. MaX 404 - May the force be with us! [Eevo Lute Muzique 1992]
9. Reese - Funky Funky Funk [Fragile Records ‎1991]
10. Infiniti - Flash Flood [Tresor 1995]
11. Patrick Lyndsey - Loony Loom [Harthouse 1996]
12. Norken - P.Fox [REEL Discs 1997]
13. Morgan Geist - Airpour [Environ 1995]
14. Psyance - Gates Of Heaven [ Plus 8 Records 1992]
15. Titonton - Metaphysical [Metamorphic Recordings 1995]
16. Paul Mac - Something [Fragmented Records 1998]

I'm pretty excited to be playing alongside IV drip & Estée Louder before an epic liveset from Hieroglyphic Being on Friday night.
Come along it will be an excellent party with top shelf electronic music leaning towards the experimental side of things:

​Hieroglyphic Being (Live) [Ninja Tune / Warp]
Drox
IV drip
Estée Louder

Headlining the night is a live set from Hieroglyphic Being, AKA Jamal Moss, one of the relatively unsung legends of the Chicago underground who’s been instrumental in keeping the Chi-Town sound alive for decades as DJ, promoter, radio host and experimental artist; his discography includes releases on Ghostly, Ninja Tune and Jeff Mills’s Axis Mission 6277. His fierce live sound takes acid back to its Chicago roots and into the future at the same time.

He’ll be supported by a trio of local heroes who will reinforce the night’s theme of bubbly acid, trippy synth experiments and hard-hitting drums: Analog Cabin co-founder and ledge Drox, IV Drip and Estée Louder (Control). It’s gonna be straight fire all night long!

More event info here : Resident Advisor / Facebook