I’m always delighted when there’s a new Miguel Puente mix to add a bit of funk to my day in the office, and a quick flick through this one assures me it’s just as damn good as I’d expected, with tracks like the beautiful Equal Responsibilty by Climbers (7 mins in, so very very lovely), and Eliphino’s More Than Me (28 mins). Yum.
2012 is going to be the year of Digital Delight, starting on 31 January when they release their tenth EP X, a thirteen-track tonne of hot new talent featuring Death on the Balcony, Miguel Puente, Sishi Rösch and Will Crawshaw.
Their brand of ‘music for adults’ began in 2010 and was honed throughout 2011 by releases such as Rebel‘s Grass Roots EP and Lati & Jonny Cruz‘s storming Up In Smoke, complete with the magic ingredient to any nu-sleaze-bass package, a remix by Miguel Puente. Only fitting, then, that the tenth release should be a collaboration between their wider family, new and old, such as Wildkats joining with The 112.
Catch their guest-mixed podcast series here, and their Barcelona, UK and Mexico parties here, and preview the release below.
Digital Delight “X” by Digital Delight
When I think of the WildKats I feel like that little boy in the John Lewis advert. There’s this amazing gift all wrapped up and ready to give (although a lot of people have been saying the parcel in the advert is a suspiciously similar size and shape to a certain sinister present in Se7en) but it can’t be shared until the right time. It’s been a long wait but since last year when Edinburgh’s Stuart Sandeman and Scott Dickie met US visitor Corey Baker in East London there’s been a buzz of under-the-surface activity, honing re-edits and basslines, getting noticed by the movers and shakers at the right labels and the press that follow them. Making sure everything is ready. In fact, one of my favourite tracks Your A Freak has been on soundcloud for nearly a year now without a release date.
Your A Freak by WILDKATS
System Crank- Russ Yallop & Wildkats by WILDKATS
Well Christmas is here, and we have not one but three very special presents. Your A Freak is to be released later this month on Hourglass Records, the mighty System Crank with Russ Yallop is coming in December on Hot Creations, and the smooth WildKats & Tboy To Be EP (with a Miguel Puente remix just to put the icing on the cake) was released last week on Neim.
Wildkats & Tboy – To Be EP – Neim Records by WILDKATS
And that’s not the only Miguel Puente link – both artists were rightly picked for Hot Creations’ Hot Waves 2, released yesterday, Puente for After Midnight in Your Bed and WildKats for the N.W.A.’s Express Yourself sampling Perpetrating.
Wildkats – Perpetrating – Hot Waves Sampler Vol 2 by WILDKATS
On top of a whole host more releases on labels including Akbal Music, Stranjjur and Lower East taking us well into 2012, there are a few gigs to get yourselves down to, including the Hourglass Records showcase at a secret East London venue on 16 December alongside Puente & Rosch, and all-terrain promoter legends Fresh Out the Box‘s Gottwood warm-up at Basing House 20 January 2012. Unleash the WildKat!
I’ve been sitting on this for ages and I regret not posting it sooner, because then you could have had as many listens as we’ve had in the last couple of weeks. Great from start to finish, especially the second hour, enjoy.
Lower East Podcast 007 – Cozzy D
01. Til Von Sein – Dynamite
02. James Pople – Keep It Up
03. Cozzy D – Cruiser (Original Mix)
04. Lee Brinx Feat. Tina Geru – Over You (WildKats Remix)
05. Cozzy D – Labyrinth
06. Djebali – Reputation
07. Catz N Dogz & SLG – Polska 84
08. Cozzy D – Medusa
09. Prompt – Dune
10. Cozzy D & Dodha – White Lightning
11. Coat of Arms – Lovin’ Together
12. Moser – Keep Rules
13. Inxec & Droog – Unhinged
14. Floyd Lavine Feat. Mey – Fallin’ Rose (Cozzy D Remix)
15. Trickski Feat. Ernesto – Good Time To Pray (Axel Boman Remix)
16. Will Saul & Tam Cooper – Sequential Cooper (Konrad Black Remix)
17. Cozzy D & Michael Jansons
18. Cozzy D – Aphrodite
19. Puente & Rosch – This Feeling (Original Mix)
20. Tanner Ross & Soul Clap – M.E.S (Deniz Kurtel & Gadi Mizrahi Freestyle Mix)
21. SBTRKT – Hold On
Well pinch-punch-first-of-the-month, which as usual means that there are way too many good nights and not enough time. And as for you with the birthdays, there are DJs to see!
So, tonight, go old school with Marshall Jefferson at Fairchild (car park rave), or go see Waifs & Strays for free at That Mixmag Thing #15 at Queen of Hoxton. Oooh and I’ve just noticed Sishi Rösch is playing at the Horse and Groom for Coconut Ritz. Miguel Puente drew my attention to him and together they’re pretty unstoppable (more dates for both of them in London please!). To give you an example, here’s a little video from one of their Sonar appearances. I’ve been waiting for an excuse to post this as it sounds sweeeeeeet, and I’d pretty much kill to see either and both of them play anywhere at the moment.
Hessle Audio are at Fabric, with Pearson Sound and Joy Orbison, and you could keep it Fabric (we are) by attending the mammoth 5 Years of Leftroom there tomorrow night, with Matt Tolfrey and the Leftroom crew in Room 2 and Hot Natured (Lee Foss and Jamie Jones) in Room 3. We had great fun at Soul Clap’s 90s Jam with Lee Foss at the Star of Bethnal Green on Wednesday, and in between the two Lee’s off to play in Naples, at Gottwood Festival in Wales and DC10 in Ibiza. He was asking anyone on Facebook if he could borrow a pillow…
Glimpse and Miguel Campbell are playing The CAMP for Mutant Disco, Stopmakingme and The Deadstock 33s are playing the Lemonade Launch Party at The Nest, and if you’re headed towards the slightly more hardcore then Spectrum have their Summer Warehouse Party at Ewer Street Car Park with Nero, Kissy Sell Out, Chase and Status and Sinden.
I always tell myself I’m going to get out of the city in July as much as possible, and it never happens, simply because the July line ups are ridiculous for the whole month every single year. 2011 is heading that way too, with Nicolas Jaar coming live two days in a row at Fabric at the end of the month, Lovebox bringing everyone I love into Victoria Park, and The Nest continuing a fantastic booking job, with Julio Bashmore and Riton next weekend. Bloody good work London.
Bassheads – Is Anybody Out There (Greg Wilson Edit) – a walk down memory lane. Huge thanks to Greg for giving this away on soundcloud this week
Joakim – Forever Young (Discodeine Remix)
Jacques Greene – Lay It Down (Nacho Lovers Remix) the original of this is worth your pennies fo sho.
Theophilius London – Flying Overseas (Soul Clap EFunk Remix)
Toddla T – Watch Me Dance (SebastiAn Remix) Also worth your money for the whole release as all the remixes are great.
Lucky Paul – Thought We Were Alone (Gang Colours Remix)
Rainbow Arabia – Blind (Salva Remix) Rainbow Arabia have just announced a summer tour including the Shoreditch 1,2,3,4 festival next week 9th July.
We just can’t get enough of Miguel Puente. He’s one of those people you hear about, download all his mixes, can’t get enough of them, and feel a little bit like you’ve discovered him yourself, only to find everyone else in the know feels exactly the same as you.
Jozif and J Phlip have praised his mixes and productions, his Serious Compassion track featured on Soul Clap‘s Social Experiment 002, and Lee Foss obviously agrees, as he’s signed the next Miguel Puente EP to Hot Creations. What I love most is that there seems to be so many productions in the pipeline – my favourite tracks on his mixes are his own and soon to be released, so expect lots more from Miguel Puente this year.
Puente & Rosch – Serious Compassion by Miguel Puente
He’s based in Barcelona, and I’m not even sure how to describe the excitement brewing as One From The Vaults are off to see the boy-wonder (and a few other people besides) play on- and off- Sonar next week. We caught up with him for a few party tips and a delve into his ‘futuristic gangsta club’ sound.
So first things first – can you introduce yourself for our readers? How did it all begin and how would you characterise your sound?
Regarding electronic music, it began in Montreal in 2005 when I was living there for about 7 months. Back in Monterrey (my home city) if you wanted to listen to electronic music there was basically only one place to go, so I was never very attached because it was just the same music all the time. So Montreal showed me a lot; so many options to listen to, and all of them good, plus I was really lucky to always have friends who could tell me a thing or two, let me use their turntables or give me tips for my productions later on.
As for my sound if you come up with a description let me know, because I really don’t have a tag for it, but I like to call it “futuristic gangsta club” if I should call it anything… Futuristic because even though it has quite a few different influences it sounds so fresh to me that as I said I don’t know what to call it, gangsta because it always makes you lean back, and club because I don’t really like to use the terms house or techno, so this way it tells you it’s for the dace floor while being a bit forward-thinking…
You’re based in Barcelona, what’s the kind of sound that characterises the Barcelona clubbing scene?
I would have to say cave man’s techno…
Berlin’s deep and minimal house and that bouncy Dirtybird sound is really taking off in the US. Where else would you work if it wasn’t in Barcelona?
If by work you mean by djing, I can DJ wherever- I love going to new places and showing my sound to new people. But if you mean work as in where I have my studio it definitely has to be a place with good weather! I really like Berlin but I couldn’t live there in the Winter… I feel really good right now in Barcelona, it gets better with time. I guess if I was in America I would be in Mexico because I don’t have to worry about a visa, plus great food and beaches, and you’re just right next to the US.
Where can we see you play?
Barcelona most of the time, Sonar is coming and I will be playing in the One Illusion party at the Hotel W on Thursday 16th, and also in the Culprit vs Leftroom on Sunday 19th at Catalonia Plaza hotel. I work with some friends organising events and parties over here under the name Digital Delight, and we have a party on Friday 17th with S.A.S, Jay Shepheard, Daniel Maloso, Death On The Balcony, Miguel Campbell and few others in a really cool outdoor venue with a pool. I’m not playing on this one but worked a lot to make it happen.
Also, I’m really happy to be playing my UK debut on 30 July in Leeds with the guys from Nest!
Death On The Balcony – Niteclub of the Future (Miguel Puente Remix) by Miguel Puente
We’re heading over for Sonar and catching you play alongside Maceo Plex, Robert James and Rob Mello. How does the city change during Sonar festival? What’s your best Sonar memory?
Yes I’m really excited about this party as well: massive line up, awsome venue, everything you see there is just the perfect combination… The city changes a lot as its the best week of the year fo’ shoo its awesome!!! and for some reason my memory when it comes down to Sonar is really blurry…
What are your ‘must-sees’ for Sonar 2011?
Daniel Maloso doing a different live act to his normal show, he will be with another guy that will be playing drums live. He’s an exclusive at the Digital Delight/Struments party on Sonar Week, keep an eye on him!!
How did the releases come about – were you DJ-then-producer or always both? How did the labels first get hold of your stuff?
Yes, I was DJing before I started doing music so the flow just developed naturally. I have just been sending tracks to the people I’ve been meeting lately, no special tricks…
I first noticed your Proton Radio show when J Phlip commented on it on Soundcloud. Do you find that you are getting lots of feedback from other DJs?
Well not lots but I’m definitely getting more feedback then before, some of it by people that I’m being influenced at the moment or have been influenced by…
Any collaborations in the pipeline?
The only collaboration I’m doing right now is with my mate Sishi Rösch, half Guatemalan half Italian and one of my best friends here in Barcelona. I help him with the parties we are doing as Digital Delight but apart from the parties its also his label. He also has another label (Sultry Vibes) which we just released a hip hop EP on, with 2 west coast tracks that I really love … so right now its the only serious collaboration I’m working on.
What’s the next project or release for 2011?
Well i got a few tracks signed by Hot Creations and No.19 so hopefully the EPs will come out this year but I have no dates on any of them still.
Miguel Puente’s latest EP West Coast Feel with Sishi Rösch came out last week – buy it on Beatport here.
Here’s some great great chilled housey disco for a Thursday. Proton Radio for some time has been a base I’ve relied on for a nice mixes, chilled and easy; they used to be big players of vintage Sasha in the 2004, 2005, 2006 period, and that made me happy.
I love this Miguel Puente mix from start to finish; it’s full of Lee Foss/Hot Waves greats. Enjoy.
Miguel Puente Adults Only Proton Radio Show (May 2011)
Tracklist:
01. Ost, Kjex – Bluecheeseblues [WPP]
02. Soul Clap – 3 Wheel E [Airdrop]
03. Larse – The More I Want [Lany Recordings]
04. Josh T – Green Suprises [Hot Waves]
05. Mark E – R&B Drunkie [Golf Channel]
06. Fred Everything, 20for7, Vanessa Baker – Friday [Lazy Days]
07. La Pena – Wanna Dance [La Pena]
08. Miguel Puente – Disco Thing (Puente & Rosch Gangsta Rework) [Striments]
09. The Sleaze – Key Of Love
10. Alexis Raphael – Spaceship [Hot Waves]
11. Delia Ros – Draw Me A Smile (Miguel Puente’s Ova The Bridge Mix) [Akbal Music]
12. Madonna – Music (Draw Goes Pop Edit)
13. Cosmic Kids – Reginald’s Groove [Throne Of Blood]
14. Miguel Puente – Invaded
15. Robert Owens – I’ll Be Your Friend (Jamie Jones Burning Boat mix) [1Trax]
16. Puente & Rosch – This Feeling
17. Wildkats – Your A Freak
18. Kid Bliss – Discoshit [Get Physical]
19. Art Department – We Call Love Feat. Soul Clap & Osunlade [Crosstown Rebels]
20. Miguel Puente – Late
21. Miguel Puente – I Get Ya
22. Miguel Puente – Save Each Other
23. Manik – Queensboro [Ovum]
24. Miguel Puente – Its Been So Long