Jimi Jaxon here! And this is my new mix alongsideMachinedrumin Seattle! In awe that this is the third show I’ve played with Travis Stewart. I consider him to be one of the best artists around, a serious gift to the universe. Disco Droppings draws influence from this dude, and I intend to continue holding my light for diverse sounds such as these.
Wide range, reppin’ allies from this site, 7 Deadly Records, and my local area ++
I remember the first time I interacted with Machinedrum aka Travis Stewart. I was given the opportunity to perform at Decibel Festival 2012’s Warp Records Showcase, opening up the night for Jimmy Edgar, Clark and Travis. It was the highest profile show I had played so far, and the challenge was just what I needed to think bigger and further develop my own voice. I remember him coming on stage towards the end of my set when I was playing some Slick Shoota, bobbing his head and singing along. From then on, I become more and more enamored by this man, both for his hefty amount of quality productions, and his friendly demeanor. Daft Punk are still my main dudes, but I watch them from afar. It’s just a pure gift to cross paths with Machinedrum over the years since that Warp show. He is truly one of the most talented and visionary artists around. I was there at the Vapor City Live debut at dB Fest 2013, the Jets show that same year, Vapor City live in Portland in 2014, and now this Machinedrum show at Crocodile in 2015. Once again, I felt like this was a culmination of everything I had learned, and another challenge to better myself and add my own energy into the night. This wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for the artists creating these songs. Followers of this site should recognize a few friends that have come through in interviews over the years. Big shout-out to my favorite producer to come thru Disco Droppings, XI, whose on the very first track of the mix. Shout-outs to Embassy Recordings, Broodlings, Slick Shoota, HxdB and WD4D, who you’ll also hear. And respect to DJ Rashad and the Teklife family, who you’ll see represented..
It was a total joy to work with The Crocodile on this show. Thank you to all the staff, and especially Shaina for allowing my intern Beck Ninneman and I to bring in additional lights, and granting us some brand new subs. The vibes were fierce and rowdy. It was that show I’ve dreamed about since I started, where everything just clicks.
Tracklist
XI – Trinary
The Bug – Skeng (Kode9 Remix)
Broodlings – Two, Three (Embassy Recordings)
Stray – Chatterbox (Original Mix)
WD4D & Suttikeeree – Up On Something (Unreleased)
At The Drive-In – Pattern Against User
Ital Tek – Challenger Deep
Nine Inch Nails – Survivalism (Jimi Jaxon Remix) (Version 1)
DJ Rashad – Ride Dis Dikk (DJ Earl Remix)
HxdB & DJ Cure Feat. MC ThinkTank – Sound The Alarm (Firestar Soundsystem Remix)
Mincha & Ghost Town – Aberdeen (Howie Lee Remix)
Drake – All Me (DJ Paypal x DJ Taye)
Fracture – Loving Touch (Original Mix)
Rvdical The Kid – Tokyo
DRJ – With You
Etherwood – Unfolding (feat. Laurelle Robichaud)
SpectraSoul – Light In The Dark (Feat. Terri Walker)
DJ Jy – Kesha Wif The Fatty ;] (Drippin x Slick Shoota Remix)
Pascal – P-Funk Era (Original Remix)
DJ Rashad, DJ Spinn, Alix Perez – Make It Worth (Original Mix)
I recently wrote a quick piece on Graze for Bottom Forty, but one feature just isn’t enough. I cannot stay away from this debut Graze EP. So now, I go further into the depths of my admiration here on Disco Droppings. Anyone who follows me knows I’m a die hard lover of XI. He’s joined forces with Adam Marshall, head of the phenomenal label, New Kanada for Graze. As a production pair so far, they’ve brought 6 productions to life .
In a rad new interview with Truants, Marshall talked about the idea behind this powerhouse group. After first hearing XI he said..”I heard some of Christian’s (XI) music and I didn’t know what to call it, but it was quite innovative.” Both felt a strong connection to the music each of them represented and produced. With Graze they, “wanted to get a project together to specifically perform live. That was the plan, assuming it all worked. The underlying idea was to get something we could tour, jam and perform live with.” Impressively, their first show was at Mutek 2013 in Montreal.
The very deliberate intentions with Graze are perfectly understood by me, after hearing the music. The pieces and structure of each track sound like they can be cut and pasted live with ease; reworked and tweaked into a unique live experience. I can hear Marshall’s techno style in the tracks stable nature, and I can hear some of XI’s signature drums and percussion as well as his alien sonic textures. Stay tuned for a full length Graze release, coming soon..
There’s been a lot of activity on this blog in 2012. Not having a search bar on here, I feel that some interviews have been overlooked. I want to highlight 10 conversations I’ve had in 2012 that left a lasting impact. I also want to say how much I appreciate all of you that read and support Disco Droppings. WordPress sent me my annual statistics report for this blog, and in 2012, people from 135 countries came through; America being number one, followed by the UK and Canada. I haven’t traveled outside of America, besides Canada and Mexico. It’s inspiring and humbling that my features have reached people as far away as Mongolia, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Sri Lanka. Onward and upward..
10.Distal (Atlanta, Georgia) – We talked about his acceptance into RBMA 2013, his fantastic Boiler Room set, his label Embassy Recordings, along with books and films he’s been into recently.
9. Bosstone(Melbourne, Australia) – Started off this post with his epic tune “Lean”, off his Gun Club EP via Paradisiaca Recordings. Also profiled his remixes of Pryda’s “Miami To Atlanta” and Amerie’s “1 Thing”.
8. Alex Bau (Germany) – I was super hyped to talk with Alex, as he’s my favorite techno producer. We discuss his huge output of releases in 2012, where to go out in Germany, why he calls his remixes “Repaints” and what “The Holy Bassdrum” means to him.
7. Jonny Dub / Hoya:Hoya (Manchester, UK) – Jonny is a resident DJ and co-founder of Hoya:Hoya, one of the top club nights in the world, which has hosted Kode9, Actress and Hudson Mohawke to name a few. I loved his “Hoya:Hoya Podcast Mix #2”, and chat with him about the club night, who he’s inspired by and the dynamics between Illum Sphere (co-founder of Hoya) and himself.
6. Mosca (London, UK) – It was quite a challenge, coming up with questions for such a razor-sharp producer like Mosca. He gives advice to young producers like myself, and talks about his Eva Mendes EP for Hypercolour.
5. Slick Shoota (Oslo, Norway) – I had such a good time talking with Slick back in May. For the rest of the year I’ve watched his tunes be exposed to more and more people, through his touring schedule and support from high-profile artists. His tracks were featured on “Diplo and Friends” for BBC Radio 1 and Machinedrum has been regularly playing his remix of Bambounou’s “Alpha”. We talk about his “Percussion Skank” EP, his favorite juke phrases and his “Windbreaker” collaboration with Cedaa.
4. Ghostdad (Brooklyn, New York) – This dude put together some of the coolest visuals I’ve ever seen for Porter Robinson. When I traveled to Las Vegas back in June for EDC, my favorite set hands down came from Porter. At 19 years old, he played the main stage (which was the biggest stage in North America to date) on the third day. Ghostdad’s visuals for the show combined anime, video games, nature, space and mayan/egyptian imagery. He also accompanied Porter Robinson as a VJ on his Language Tour.
3. Lucid (Melbourne, Australia) – By far the most in-depth interview I’ve done so far. I got to know Lucid for weeks through AIM leading up to the interview. This is pretty close to his life story, documented on Disco Droppings. Everything from Tupac to N64 to his “cry/lovemaking” dream set is included here.
2. XI (Berlin, Germany) – This conversation flowed so easily. Christian is a very special man; he talks passionately about Actress, videogame soundtracks and what a game soundtracked by XI would look like.
1. Alana Watson of Nero (London, UK) – The beautiful and lovely Alana. I got her perspective as the vocalist for Nero. She talked with me about her headlining show in Seattle for Resolution 2012, Daft Punk’s Alive 2007 show and her favorite Nero track.
For those venturing up to Canada for New Years Eve, this event caught my attention. In their words, “Mansion is a collective of music-lovers that devote their efforts towards throwing quality events in non-traditional settings. Our mission has been to open the city’s doors to the very best international producers/performers, support the initiative of innovate local talent and bring concepts to life that our guests have never experienced before, in spaces such as lofts, galleries, warehouses, churches, and Chinese restaurants, as well as, legitimate venues.”. The Metropolis venue for Mansion’s NYE 2013 is industrial as fuck. Perfect choice.
I’ve said before and I’ll say it again, XI is the shit and definitely my favorite artist to bring onto Disco Droppings so far. He is incredibly underrated. The alien quality of his music draws me in on a daily basis, and his tunes have become a staple in my DJ sets. He is joined by the mighty Machinedrum, who needs no introduction. Lately he’s been running around with Jimmy Edgar; their combined efforts as Jets can be heard on this self-titled EP via Leisure System. They’ve also put together a Fact Mix. John Roman is a Toronto local, throwing down techno and tribal rhythms, two of my favorite things.
Packages for this event are sold out, but tickets are still available HERE.
dd 