Exit Records are back this Tuesday with a suitably colossal line-up to celebrate the recently dropped They Live Cancel Standard LP. For those who are still in the dark about this drum and bass/electro duo, They Live is the alias of a relatively new collaborative project between two members of the Autonomic camp, Consequence and Joe Seven.

The Cancel Standard LP carries the self-imposed caution – to be listened to as a whole – and chugs along at a markedly slower speed than the pair’s usual 170 BPM productions. Having received pleasing reviews in music media, it’s time for the public to get their hands this experimental 12-track project so the Exit Records camp is welcoming Youngsta, dBridge and a whole host of their blossoming roster to the The Nest for a midweek, celebratory knees up.

Ahead of the album launch, They Live have kindly given us a free download of their ‘Dimark’ track. Opening to an ominous industrial atmosphere of unsettling metallic grating and short bursts of static, ‘Dimark’ breathes with celestial life from the off. Driving sub bass keeps you locked all the way through to a characteristically abrupt They Live end so don’t be a fool; kop it before it kops you! Tickets for this Tuesday’s Exit Records residency are available here

Dimark by The Nest

This Saturday sees the pro-vegan writer and transcendental electronic music producer, Moby, headline The Nest in Dalston for a one off DJ set ahead of his gig at The Roundhouse at the end of May. Steering clear of the promotional tour for his new album, Destroyed, Moby will be remaining faithful to his “no allegiance to any style of music” policy, playing a rave set to keep dance floor dwellers going until the early hours.

Eager to play a small basement venue in Dalston, and excited by The Nest’s Saturday downtempo house, techno and disco vibes, Moby will be selecting alongside the MAKE ME camp with sets from Scott Dickie (wildkats), Rubin and Rupes.

We’ve selected 5 Moby tracks from his extensive back catalogue to get you reminiscing about times bygone. Both Moby’s finest moments and obvious family favourites feature so if these don’t get you in the mood for Saturday, perhaps only a surreal sighting of the tiny electronic genius in a Dalston basement will…

Moby’s rework of Brian Eno’s ‘Fractal Zoom’ from 1992 is the artist’s self-proclaimed “favourite remix”. It’s all expansive space and distant vibes…

We don’t know why your heart feels so bad, but we certainly hope it heals itself soon! This track is a perfect example of the “affecting” music Moby strives to create for his listeners.

As Moby’s favourite musician of all time, the producer’s David Bowie remixes make up some of his most highly revered tracks. Whilst we’re all for Moby’s ‘Sunday’ edit, the unabashed house vibes of ‘Dead Man Walking’ never fail to get your feet itching for the floor.

‘Porcelain’ needs no introduction. There was definitely a point back in the day when what seems like every high-end advert licensed a Moby production for the soundtrack.

Unofficial videos interpreting old Moby tracks are easy to come by on youtube. This attempt, set to “Whispering Wind”, has awe-inducing slow shots of all that’s inspiring and fearful in Mother Nature (and the customary moving quotations penned by its insightful director.) I’d personally be more inclined to set this track to a montage of youtube cat videos…

This Friday sees The Lonely Hertz Club takeover our basement disco for a night of unabashed bass and boogie. While live sets come from the likes of Den Haan and Gyratory System, Numbers mainstay, Deadboy, is set to lead the pack with all the gliding synths, impassioned breakdowns and vocal alterations he’s famous for.

The Brockley based beat-master is on the brink of dropping his second EP, ‘Here’, on the renowned Scottish imprint Numbers. With such across the board success from his debut EP ‘U Cheated/If U Want Me’ (being vocalled by Katy B and Boy Better Know and dropped at the Berlin’s techno bastion, Berghain), hype surrounding his next release is building at a crazy rate. It’s the refined mix between broken house, disco and that distinctive South London garage sound that makes Deadboy’s original productions and delectable rnb edits so irresistible on the ears; his ‘Night Air’ remix arguably brought more ambient, nocturnal vibes to the track with the London-magic evoking neon synths than Woon’s original.

We asked Deadboy to send over some tracks representing what we might expect from this Friday’s showdown and we uploaded them to a nifty new online app to create a TUBE TAPE – basically all the delights of a mixtape with none of the licensing issues. Touching on a plethora of genres including grime, one of the main catalysts that inspired Deadboy to produce, this is a great little teaser to get you through the Monday melancholy and ready for Friday. Link the image below to be directed to the mix, it’s a moesh people!



Dark Sky’s stock rose quicker than a cynic’s eyebrow in 2010, with both their original productions and quirky edits getting major airplay on the biggest, bass friendly radio stations. The South London trio, whose interest in creating bass driven electronica stemmed from a teenage appreciation of UK garage, has carved a unique and experimental sound mixing meandering tech-synth with propelling snares, Night Slugs-esque neon bright melodies and the underground’s favourite 808s.

Today sees the much awaited release of Dark Sky’s Nelly Furtado edit, ‘Promiscuous Gyal’; a vinyl only, 140BPM smasher with all the sexy vocals and a reinterpretation of the Timberland production that’ll get your toes a-tapping. We had a quick chat with the Dark Sky boys ahead of their set this Friday at Stop.Drop.Roll alongside Chef and Doc Daneeka. The interview below is peppered with sonic treats from the boys to get you in the mood for this weekend, enjoy!

The Nest: Hello Dark Sky! What’s it like when your trio of creative minds gets in the studio? What is the group dynamic like when it comes to production? Do you all have different strengths?

Dark Sky: Definitely, all of us try and bring our personal life experiences and skills to the table so the beats are always changing. Arguing and compromising is basically how we come up with the music! Sadly there are lots of tunes that will never get released because we can’t all agree on them.

TN: Are you currently working on any solo projects? If so, how do they differ from the Dark Sky sound?

DS: No solo projects at the moment.

TN: Can we expect a Dark Sky LP in 2011?

DS: No plans for an album as of yet. For 2011 we intend to release at least two four track EPs, one of which will be coming soon on Black Acre, a split 12” with Sbtrkt for Modeselektor’s 50 Weapons, two tracks on Blunted Robots, a remix for Ninja Tune and hopefully more.

TN: It’s often the case that DJ duos/trios like the same tracks but do you find that completely different aspects of certain beats attract you as individuals?

DS: Definitely, with the three of us combined, we end up listening to a massive spectrum of different stuff leading to lots of inspiration from different places.

TN: You’ve mentioned pirate radio as being an important catalyst that sparked your interest in garage. Do you play on radio now and how do you see platforms such as Rinse and the Boiler Room in terms of their impact on the UK scene?

DS: They play a massive part in pushing things forward for the UK and the rest of the world. These are the places where you will often hear the newest material by new artists, which in turn go on to inspire the next wave of artists creating a global but quite intimate community of like-minded people. It also acts as a platform for pushing sound into unknown territories which people may be inclined to follow or not.

TN: You’re on the brink of dropping a vinyl-only, previously unreleased edit that’s been making big waves. Tell us a bit more about ‘Promiscuous Girl’ and why you’ve opted for a physical-only release.

DS: Legal issues in terms of copyright and ownership is the simple answer. We are very happy that it will see the light of day and a vinyl only release makes it that bit more special.
Dark Sky – Promiscuous Gyal by Dark Sky

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Hervé is perhaps better known for his genre-mashing party productions and high energy DJ sets rather than his quick wit, but he managed to get a good five jokes in this quick email interview we did with him last week so we’ll allow him to add “Funny Man” to his long list of accomplishments. He will be headlining this Friday alongside Nest favourite, Reset!, and with talks of Hervé’s label Cheap Thrills hosting its residency within our Stoke Newington disco, we’re sure this will be the first of many cataclysmic rave ups. If you care about what Hervé’s new album is sounding like and what sorts of snacks he eats in the studio read on… More info and ticket links for Scandalism feat. Hervé, Reset! and Stripes available after the jump!

The Nest: Hello Hervé, welcome to The Nest blog. Are you excited about headlining The Nest? Do you enjoy playing dingy basement club spaces?

Hervé: Yeah, I’ve never played before but I’ve heard loadsa great things. I’m hoping to do a regular Cheap Thrills night there, but you say its dingy? Jack Beats have chronic OCD issues with dirt so I may not be able to get them down unless you clean your god damn selves up!

TN: I meant dark rather than dusty Hervé, we’re as clean as a whistle so don’t worry! You’re in the midst of a big album project at the moment, are you going out of your mind?

H: Yeah, I’m writing my solo album which is massive fun. It’s great getting 30 – 40 tracks and just trying to distil it down to11 or 12 tracks of pure unfiltered Hervé perfection There will be more tracks than that but all will be revealed at a later date. It is driving me a little crazy but luckily Charlie Sheen has been calling to give me advice and he reckons I’m winning.

TN: What’s it sounding like? Give us a bit of juicy aural gossip…

H: I’m just trying to capture my sound ghetto-bass-indie-rave-electronica-jungle and other such nonsense.

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What follows is a lengthy yet stimulating interview with Andy Blake, broken up by carefully nurtured ‘House in slow motion’ mix ahead of his 6 hour set at our basement disco this Saturday. Keeping introductions short and sweet so you can enjoy the journalistic enchantment below, Andy Blake is a veteran DJ and producer of heavy house and disco strand of UK output, the founder of the Dissident imprint and the man behind South London’s reticently popular World Unknown parties. We urge you to get your download on and allow this Nest exclusive to help dispel your Monday blues, and check out the interview if you enjoy reading the candid and insightful thoughts of an intelligent DJ.

The Nest: I’ve read about your slight aversion to all the East London hype and can’t quite believe you’ll be venturing to our Stoke Newington basement on 19th March… what were you thinking?

Andy Blake: It’s not just east London hype I’m not keen on. Hype in all colours is so ridiculously passé now that I find it hard to believe that anyone still has anything to do with it. And in your Stokey basement you’ve got a good space of a nice size with a decent sound system and I get to play proper deep house, boogie and heavy disco for 6 hours. All in all, a situation that makes me very happy indeed.

TN: Tell us a bit more about your World Unknown parties. Would you argue that your stripped back take on the events – focusing on good music, venue and sound and little else –  is what keeps punters coming back for more?

AB: We’re doing something fairly different to everyone else so I suspect it’s basically that and the decent music, the really friendly and up for it crowd and somewhat odd but cool environment of the venue that keeps people coming back. What is quite odd though is that we have a great core crowd and get lots of people booking flights and trains to come from all over Europe and the UK every month, yet there are lots of people, including good friends of mine, who seem to find it impossible to come to a party that’s just a couple of miles away. But that’s classic new-school London and the magnetic pull of the east I guess. And it’s probably a good job too really, we can only fit a couple of hundred in so if everyone who said they were going to come actually did, we’d find ourselves somewhat under siege.

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German duo, Spieltrieb, form part of the relative new school within the UK underground house and techno circuit. Joining forces in 2009 over a shared love of electronic music with a deep touch, Leo and Gordi moved to London and immediately started making waves. A unique blend of tech house was created, enhanced by Leo’s DJ skills and Gordi’s proficiency in electro and hip hop production.

This Saturday sees Spieltrieb take over our basement brickwork along with Progress promoter, Russ Tannen,  and special guests Harry James (Snap Crackle & Pop) and John Green (Vikings) for a night of heart-beat bass, deep melodies, highs and… bigger highs. In anticipation of Progress invasion, Spieltrieb have kindly given us a super-exclusive sneak peak at how their new Weekdays EP is shaping up. Available on The Nest blog for two weeks only, you can stream the record in full below.

The record meanders from Sunday through to Wednesday with a mix of heavy grooving rhythmical percussion and playful melodies. The creation is an intimate sound, playing around with field recording and self recorded instruments. “Any Given Sunday”  sees Spieltrieb insinuate an early morning club atmosphere, with a lovely distorted e-piano and commanding drops. Following on are three more tracks each with their own character and charm; in all a four-track debut that sets the scene for what’s yet to come.

Weekdays is set for release on Jamie Anderson’s Artform imprint, a label championed by the likes of Richie Hawtin, DJ Sneak and Derrick May and whose first release came from long term friend-of-The-Nest, Jesse Rose.

Tickets for this Saturday’s PROGRESS feat. Spieltrieb + Harry James + Russ Tannen + James Asquith are available here.

Weekdays EP – Spieltrieb by The Nest

The queen of batty bass has kindly given us three copies of her new compilation album, Batty Bass presents Return to Planet Batty, which dropped on 27th February. A showcase of her nearest and dearest label mates and new-found protégés, Batty Bass presents… is a selection of banging beats from start to finish. For a chance to nab yourself a copy, email the address below with “HANNAH HOLLAND COMP” in the subject box, and the answer to this simple question:

What was the name of Hannah Holland’s first single?

EMAIL ANSWERS TO: sophie@thecolumbogroup.com

Hannah Holland and friends take over The Nest this Friday with their strain of batty bass, bleeps and beats. Tickets and more information available here

Danton Eeprom is set to kick off his monthly Saturday residency at The Nest this weekend and we’re all pretty hyped about it. Now recognised as a skilled, underground French techno DJ, Danton has set his mind to many a musical endeavour in his time. Forming part of a modern rock act soon led to an experimental, rock inspired electronic project that saw memorably mind-distorting live sets and a highly acclaimed album, Yes is More, charge through the heart of the scene.

Nowadays, Danton spends time seeking to undercover the most creative pathway in the act of DJing, flitting between surprisingly unhurried BPM rates of around 118-132. Momentum is never compromised and what results is nothing short of a packed, engaged dancefloor locked in until the lights go up. Mr Eeprom has prepared a characteristically slomo mix especially for The Nest where every sound layer comes to the fore, and primitive and tropical minimalism is the name of the game.

THE NEST: First of all, welcome to The Nest Danton! What has attracted you about our club as a space to hold your monthly residency?

DANTON EEPROM: Well, I liked the feel of the club, the slighty dirty / sexy atmosphere, and the sound system is definitely one of the best around… So it wasn’t too difficult a choice, really.

TN: You once said you see DJing as “telling a story”. What do you mean by this and what sort of journey will you be taking our dance-floor dwellers on?

DE: It is especially true with long sets like the ones I do at The Nest. Long sets allow you to take the dancers on a journey, and go through a multitude of emotions. At the same time, it is the kind of story you can jump on at any time without being lost because you missed the beginning.

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