(can’t see these photos properly? go here)
[flickr-gallery mode=”search” tags=”djorionweb_gigs, uu island” tag_mode=”all” ]
Fiilis this Sunday @ Night Kouvola. DJ Orion, Anselmi Kuusisto, Caro² & Mika Juhani sharing the decks.
Facebook event here.
Coast 2 Coast vs. The WhiteRoom – The White Home (DJ Orion re-edit)
Free Download here.
It was 2003 when John Digweed first visited Finland. Now he’s coming again.
Remember the video Screen Club made after the visit in 2003? It was state-of-the-art at that time and doesn’t look too bad today, either. I can’t believe it’s not on Youtube – seems like it’s up to you to put it there ;)
Here’s a direct link to the video anyway.
I heard this track for the first time on a mixtape of a Finnish DJ Kenjido Okiru back in 2004 or 2005. Kenjido was at that time one of the brightest rising stars in the Finnish prog scene and I – like many others – enjoyed his mixes & sets a lot.
It took me quite some time to get the name and artist right and hunt down the record (late thank yous to Kenjido for some trainspotting help:) at Juno, where I got the last copy.
The track itself is amazingly beautiful – really a big room prog track with literally massive vocals. I still love the moment when the chorus hits in.
This is one of those underrated gems at my collection and also one of those which still is digitally unavailable. I couldn’t even find a Youtube clip of this one – let me know if you did.
While waiting for a proper clip, here’s a Discogs link to the release.
Any thoughts of this record? Share them in the comments. See also the previous posts in “Picks from the crate” series.
With over 1 million copies sold globally after being released in 1983, this record is definitely not rare. However, it’s a very interesting one. The label – Factory – made a sleeve of the record so complicated that even though Blue Monday is the biggest selling single ever, the label lost money with every copy sold. That’s why the cover got less and less complicated with each new pressing and the latest pressings don’t even have the die-cut sleeves.
The color bar on the sleeve looks random, but it’s not. It actually spells out catalog number, band name and song titles.
I’m happy to have one of the earlier presses with a die-cut sleeve and black inner. The copy also has a pressing mistake – both sides (even though labeled correctly as “Blue Monday” and “The Beach”) contain Blue Monday on them.
Normally, you could expect an early pressing + some mistake to make the record actually worth something, but in this case – with 1 million copies sold – I really can’t believe that’d be the case. However, it would be interesting to know how many similar copies with the mistake are out there.
Any thoughts of this record? Share them in the comments. See also the previous posts in “Picks from the crate” series.
In the late 90’s and early ’00, the first Finnish superclub Screen brought in quite a bunch of prog house names who were enjoying their worldwide success when progressive house was darker and hotter than ever.
I spotted this tune on one of the videos or recordings made at the club (both, especially hi-quality video clips from clubs were relatively rare at that time) and as often those times, it took me months to get to know the name and the track and hunt down the vinyl copy.
Even though this definitely is an underrated gem, Nick Warren gave it some deserved publicity and added it on his Global Underground – Reykjavik compilation.
Listen to it below or on Youtube. Feelin’ the early 2000 vibe?
Any thoughts of this record? Share them in the comments. See also the previous posts in “Picks from the crate” series.
URB magazine writes about the 8 most famous rave crackdowns.
“[…] this is hardly the first time that electronic music, drugs and the authorities have had friction. If anything, the response in 2010 has been measured and thoughtful compared to years past. Here’s an overview of rave clampdowns over the past two decades.”
DJ Orion & J.Shore – Goodbye Earth EP is out now on Beatport. Some selected bits of feedback above & below.
Silk Sofa will also release later a Goodbye Earth remix EP, which includes remixes from Alex Rize, Tokyo Boulevard and Xerxes.
(can’t see these photos properly? go here)
[flickr-gallery mode=”search” tags=”djorionweb_gigs, uu island” tag_mode=”all” ]
DJ Orion @ YleX 06.09.2010 – The Finnish Showdown
Tracklist
01. Hans Zimmer – Inception (Junkie XL remix) (Warner)
02. Mark Knight – Devil Walking (Toolroom)
03. Pryda vs. Tensnake – Catboy (CDr)
04. Something Good & Tom Fall – Reflections (Silk Royal)
05. Heikki L & Lovetone – Air Guitar (Spinnin’)
06. Heikki L & DJ Orion – Playing With Knives (UU Island mix) (CDr)
07. Joonas Hahmo – Mojito (More Sugar Mix) (Hahmo)
08. Super8&Tab – Empire (Lovetone remix) (Anjunabeats)
09. Labtracks – Space Odyssey 3001 (Nellie)
10. Pryda – Niton (Pryda)
11. Sami Saari & Timo Juuti – L.D.N (Wicked)
12. Tempo Giusto – Flamingo (Echelon)
Listen again on YleX Areena (works in Finland only):
http://areena.yle.fi/haku/uusimmat/hakusana/dj
DJ Orion’s podcast
iTunes: http://bit.ly/orionpodcast
Feed: http://bit.ly/orionpodfeed
DJ Orion @ YleX – 6.9.2010 – The Finnish Showdown.
Syyskuun ensimmäisessä YleX:n DJ-ohjelmassa käydään läpi loppukesän ja alkusyksyn parhaat Suomi-tuotannot. Lautasilla kisaavat kotimaiset tähdet Super8 & Tab, Heikki L, Joonas Hahmo, Something Good, Tom Fall, Anton Soninin projekti Lovetone, Timo Juuti, Sami Saari, Labtracks sekä Tempo Giusto. Ulkomaisista soittimeen eksyy Junkie XL Inception-elokuvan soundtrackin kimpussa, uusi Pryda-mashup sekä Mark Knight.
Tune in – nyt maanantaina klo 22-23.
Web-stream: http://areena.yle.fi/player/index.php?channel=2&language=fi
DJ Orion & J.Shore
Goodbye Earth
Genre: Downtempo,
Release Date: Sep 10 2010
Label: Silk Sofa Music
Tracklist:
1 DJ Orion & J.Shore – Your Highness (Original Mix)
2 DJ Orion & J.Shore – Deep Blue (Original Mix)
3 DJ Orion & J.Shore – When All The Ships Are Gone (Original Mix)
Track clips, YouTube link.
Release Info:
Silk Sofa is proud to welcome back the Finnish brothers DJ Orion & J.Shore, who have provided us with a gorgeous 3-track EP. They have had successful releases on labels such as Solaris, Mango Alley, and Lost Language, and while their tracks there have been released with accompanying remixes, it”s now time for their very first single EP to maximize the exposure of these great talents. The mighty “Your Highness” consists of stunning harmonies that really express this majestic feeling you get when listening to the song. The vast array of strings, piano riffs, and pizzicatos in the background all form a pleasant and unique soundscape, and it”s difficult to get one”s ears away from this.
A somber and haunting atmosphere introduces “Deep Blue”, and the floating cellos in the bac! kground help to enhance the soundscape even more. Halfway into the track, the energy builds to an unbelievably catchy and harmonic ambiance, supported by lush and frisky percussion elements.
A sublime intro starts off “When All The Ships Are Gone”; crickets, the wind in the background, and the charming piano line are just some of the ingredients here, and the various woodwinds and guitar notes add even more texture to the track. Imagine standing on a hill and looking at the sea – this is definitely the perfect “goodbye” song.
See the video above (if you can’t see it, check it on Youtube). Skip to 1:20 if you’re too lazy to see the bass tweaking in the beginning.
To refer what’s happening in the video: Steve Angello’s Beatport #1 hit “KNAS” is basically put together from samples taken directly from Vengeance Future House Vol.3 package. You could make the same track with Ableton Live in two minutes. (The “hit melody” riff is “VFH2 128BPM Capone Kit : VFH2 128BPM Capone Melody 2”)
I think it was Sebastian Leger who first wrote on his Twitter about it some weeks ago, DJ Flight retweeted it soon after and finally Beatportal covered it this morning. Interestingly, the Beatportal post was removed in a couple of hours, as well as the video explaining the stunt.
When Angello’s doing tracks like that, I really can’t tell if he is arrogant, lacking skills or just plain stupid. Or is it the customer who is stupid when buying anything offered under the name of Swedish House Mafia? I really can’t tell any other artist who could (or even would try to) bring a track to Beatport TOP10 which is put together just from Vengeance samples.
edit: On his Twitter, Steve Angello was defending himself saying: “Everyone can sample . Its about finding the sample , how you use the sample , how you produce the track .. Look at every single hip hop track from gang starr , kanye west , jay z , to anyone u can name .. They always sample but makes a hit out of it .. Look at daft punk , even prodigy & chemical brothers Its easy to judge after the sample is discovered. Be the first to use it or stop judging.”
Comparing KNAS kind of sampling to Prodigy and Chemical Brothers doesn’t make Steve really look any smarter. D’oh!
This Friday sees one of the most interesting club concepts in Helsinki in a while. Mysterious UU Theory brand puts up a party in Uunisaari, lightens up the whole island, throws in a full scale fireworks show and gathers together a club full of music enthusiasts.
The lineup includes me, Heikki L, Something Good boys and Tim & Tom. In case you missed it, the event also had a different but very fresh trailer and UU guys joined Heikki L and me in the studio and asked us to deliver a track for the night, which will see a full scale premiere at the club.
It’s Taiteiden Yö on Friday so in case you’re around, come join the fun. As I’m writing this, there should be still some tickets available. And for those of you looking for free-of-charge fun, the fireworks craziness starts at 22:00 and will be fully visible next to Uunisaari on Kaivopuisto side.
UU Island from UU Theory on Vimeo.
UU Island – In the Studio with Orion & Heikki L from UU Theory on Vimeo.
The most memorable moments of Summer 2010 roadtrippin’.
Best viewed full screen and HD-quality.
Read More
Some photos from Fantasia, Tropiclandia, Vaasa. Not seeing them correctly? Click here.
[flickr-gallery mode=”search” tags=”djorionweb_gigs, fantasia” tag_mode=”all” ]Photos by Rapiditypixels.
See also the Summer 2010 video, including some footage from the event: