Brixton based PhOtOmachine kick started his production career off the back of some influential studio time alongside garage mainstays MJ Cole and El-B. He’s been doing his thing for a while now, even though we only clocked him earlier this summer at a Moodymann and Joy O warehouse rave, and his soundcloud is brimming with a load of EP material and unreleased tracks to get your teeth stuck into. His production is undoubtedly dance floor focused yet with an affecting edge; it’s all techy cavernous space, skippy garage rhythms and irresistibly reworked vocals.

PhOtOmachine will be joined by Jam City and George Fitzgerald this Friday for The Nest’s first instalment of the LDN DC series. We caught up with the man behind the camera mask to chat 9-5s, new releases and dancing girls…

For more information on this Friday’s LDN DC, click here

Hey PhOtOmachine! We first saw you DJ early this summer alongside Moodymann and Joy O (and copped a mix of yours on Sonic Router a while back) but we unfortunately don’t know too much about you. Where have you come from and what are your intentions?

I’ve been lurking about for a while. That Moodymann party was fun and exposed me to people who didn’t know much about me.  I’ve been in clubs for years raving and enjoying the vibes which led to picking up some nice little bits of equipment.

You work a 9-5 at an independent label; does this affect the way you approach your own productions? I imagine the two professions can work as a match made in heaven and a horribly messy divorce, depending on the day…

Actually I’m a real muso at heart so it’s all good. I get to hang out with my favourite artists who are usually really passionate about music. I had dinner with one of my favourite producers the other week so it’s a good position to be in. I really think everyone who works in this business should make some sort of music. It gives me the full spectrum which is a rarity but the only downside is that time is serious premium. There are a couple of other people like Throwing Snow who work in the business too so he fully understands how important it is to time manage. However I try to keep both work and production as separate as possible.

With the day spent trawling through new music, would you say you are more inspired by your current industry peers, or more classic music that perhaps urged you to start producing in the first place?

Restraint is key. In theory I’d like to make everything from disco, punk, hip hop & Afro Beat but in reality it’s best to stick in one genre (for a while at least). Being surrounded by so much music, you’re bound to be inspired on a daily basis but I don’t take all those inspirations into the studio. I’m very nostalgic so classic tunes always have a special place in my heart.

Do you always produce with the dance floor in mind?

I always have an eye on the dance floor simply because I want to make girls dance, but I’m trying to hit that emotional hot spot too, but there’s no formula for that.  There’s pretty much been a formula to make people dance since the beginning of time. You can be in the middle of the Congo and hear drum rhythms and you’ll pretty much start dancing.

Do you get nervous about how your productions will be received?

I wouldn’t say nervous but I respect opinions.  First and foremost I respect my own opinion and judgement which I why I delivered a tune in the first place.  Every producer has made a tune they thought was dope and the next morning it sounds like a pile of shit.  I’m just hyper critical because I surround myself with so much good music – I see all the faults in mine which might not be that obvious to others.  But I’ve learnt because you don’t get a piece of music instantly doesn’t mean it’s a bad tune.

What can we expect from your set at The Nest this Friday?

I’m really looking forward to play at LDN DC this Friday because they’ve programmed a tidy line up so big up to those guys.  Expect to see girls dancing by the front.  I’m hoping to really get into this one so it should be a serious rave up.

Raw Mix 002 (Sonic Router Mix) by PhOtOmachine

Your Technicolour release on Raffertie’s Super imprint was really successful earlier this year. Have you got any imminent plans for more releases with the label, or any other projects we should know about?

Yeah there’s a new EP dropping on 20:20 Vision sometime soon and I’ve got other bits on the go for a few special friends. Keep an eye on the Soundcloud for 24hour previews.

www.soundcloud.com/photomachine

If you’ve been wondering why the sounds of deep, sultry house and disco have been emanating from Zone 2 South London lately, look no further than new DJ/producer Kiwi a.k.a. Alex Warren. Fully fledged Lemonade resident and brains behind parties like Orlando Boom and Kate Boss, Kiwi will be joining The Revenge this Friday in our dark and heady Dalston basement spinning vintage disco treasures and fresh, fist pumping nu-house edits alike.

He’s kindly offered us his October mix to get our teeth stuck into, full of silkily mixed selections including new Waifs & Strays, Soul Clap, Ben Westbeech and a Rick Astley dub to get the toes vigorously tapping. If that wasn’t enough, he’s also donated an exclusive free download of an old DJ Assault edit he’s been working on. ‘Sex on the Beach – Kiwi slow rub’ shares all the sub warmth and addictive acoustic guitar twangs of the original, while bringing the tempo and vocal down to a playfully slow speed perfect for the basement babes’ nu house two step boogie. One of these days Kiwi will be famous from bringing any death-bed dance floor back to life with his intrinsically rhythmic groove.

For more information on Friday’s Fly By Night with The Revenge, Pete Herbert, Toby Tobias and Kiwi, click here.

Kiwi october mix by Kiwi_

Sex on the beach (Kiwi slow-rub) by The Nest

Lemonade’s got a knack of welcoming superstar DJs to play its humble basement surroundings and this Saturday is set to maintain this trend. Assuming the headline slot this week will be Burns, a Scottish born DJ and producer recently signed to Calvin Harris’ Sony sub-label Deconstruction with a penchant for loud, proud electro party beats. Despite a ton of remixes for the likes of Kasabian, Dizzee Rascal, Gossip, Missy Elliot, Hurts, Wolfmother, White Lies and club hits like ‘So Many Nights’, ‘Teknique’ and ‘You Stopped Loving Me’ (with Fred Falke), his main focus is making his own album, which is now taking shape with everything from Neptunes-style hip hop to deep and emotional instrumentals, and, he hints, some guest spots from famous friends and even a spot on the mic himself.

Check out his latest mix for his new club night project, ESM, which coincidentally will be taking place at The Nest in mid-November.

For more information and ticket links, click here

ESM_ MIXTAPE_ SEPT/OCT2011 by THISISBURNS

This Saturday welcomes one of our exciting new Lemonade residents, Edwin Van Cleef, to the club for his debut set in our dark and dangerous basement. Even though everyone’s banging on about young Edwin, we thought it appropriate to put together a proper introduction to see what we can expect from the nu disco don in upcoming weeks. Read on for a glittering review from Mixmag, a quick Q&A and Edwin’s insanely popular October mix.

Edwin van Cleef – October Mix by Edwin van Cleef

“Edwin van Cleef is an electronic disco producer from Leeds, UK. If you’re a fan of the Mighty Mouse take on disco then you’ll undoubtedly love this guy. His driving, cosmic tracks are perfectly suited for nu-disco dancefloors and his production talents have led to him remixing John Legend, Shinichi Osawa and even Nelly Furtado. An amazing talent, who is set to become one of the most in demand disco DJs around.” – Mixmag

It seems like you do the majority of your gigs abroad. Do you think your sound is more sought after out of the UK? Do the crowds differ much from city to city?

I’d like to think my sound can’t just be narrowed down to certain geographical areas, it’s just the music I like and it’s amazing to me that people from places like Singapore, Ukraine and Sweden all want to hear what some guy from Leeds produces and plays. It’s weird how similar cities are though from country to country; you still get people everywhere telling you how you should play that obscure first song you ever made that maybe two people heard on myspace, but as long as I get people dancing it doesn’t really matter where I’m playing.

If you could live, play out and party anywhere in the world, where would it be?
At risk of completely contradicting myself with the last question, there are so many places I’d love to play! Maybe Australia, the US and any amazing festivals are joint top of the list. Some crazy beach party would be great too… Maybe just because I have some vision of amazing weather, hot girls and disgusting cocktails… I’m pretty damn hopeful I get to do all of this.

I believe you’re good friends with another Lemonade favourite, Grum. What’s your relationship like on a creative level? Do you share ideas, give each other constructive criticism etc?
Yeah we went to university together and now he lives just over the road from me so we’ll play each other bits and pieces from time to time to get some feedback which usually ends up with really nerdy chat about how the kick drum is slightly too poppy or something. I also get to steal his synths too so it’s probably more useful for me as I’m too cheap to buy my own.

How has 2011 been for you so far? Any defining moments? What have you got lined up for the rest of the year?
2011 has actually been a bit of a slow burner with me taking an age finishing the Never Be Alone At Night EP but now I’m working full on getting shit done, I’m actually working on my new EP right now which I’ve nearly got finished so no more two year waits between releases this time. I’m hopefully doing my first tour of the US and Canada in December this year too which will be just amazing.

Were you happy with the reaction your Never Be Alone at Night EP received? Would you say it’s your best output to date?
Oh definitely, I think I got a good mix of tracks on the EP which shows the kind of stuff I like. Never Be Alone At Night was the main track but Triton seemed to seriously smash it with DJs. Grum, Alex Metric, Russ Chimes etc all played the fuck out of it and Aeroplane’s included it on his September mix too. I’m hoping my new EP will eclipse it though, I’m always looking to improve on each new song.

Never Be Alone At Night EP. by Edwin van Cleef

I imagine your production style has opened the doors to loads of remix opportunities… How does your remix technique compare to your original production stuff? Do you prefer producing remixes or original material?
I’ve been lucky enough to remix for people like Chilly Gonzales, Shinichi Osawa and Housse De Racket so yeah I get to do some pretty awesome remix projects. I don’t think you can really compare producing remixes and original work. With remixes you already have ideas to work with that you can pick and choose or add your own. With producing for yourself you’ve just got to go with your own ideas and hope other people like them as much as you do.

We’re welcoming you as one of the first Lemonade residents at The Nest. What do you think of the club and what can we expect from your upcoming shows?
I think the main two adjectives I’ve heard describing The Nest are ‘dark’ and ’sweaty’! The people I know that have played there say it’s amazing though and I’m really looking forward to it. I love to play stuff that people don’t really expect, I don’t really subscribe to the view that DJs should just stick to one style as it can get pretty boring, I’ll basically play anything I think is awesome be it Disco, Deep House, French Touch, Garage, Ironic Bangers, Mariah Carey Step, Electro Dub Folk, etc.

For more information on this Saturday’s Lemonade, click here

Amongst The Nest birthday’s array of dope fine sets was one of the club’s favourite rising stars, Stripes. Originally hailing from the East Midlands, he’s a house producer with a new garage mentality and a background in drumming that shines through his beat work. With a bunch of remix work under his belt alongside studio partner CSY, including Detboi’s recently released ‘Sanctuary of Love’ remix on Hervé’s Cheap Thrills imprint, and a soon to come Penguin Prison reinterpretation, his stock is rising at an alarming rate and 2012 is looking more than promising.

Penguin Prison – Dont Fuck With My Money (CSY & Stripes Remix) by STRIPES

Where Stripes’ production work exudes all the melodic warmth and skilful sample twisting you want from a late night house tune, his behind-the-deck selections seem to have both old house heads and bass chasers locked until the lights come up. Don’t wait on downloading this chuck of deliciously mixed dance music; there’s even some garage classics for all the Archers and lemonade gals out there.

Stripes live @ The Nest 1st Birthday by The Nest

If you witnessed this bo-styles set at Lemonade on 17^th September you’ll know it needs little introduction. For those of you who missed it and can’t resist a bit of blurb, this is a slice of disco/house heaven full of everything from skilfully selected indie anthems, to nu disco edits and 4/4 groovers. Now, don’t say we never give you anything…

Grum @ The Nest Part 1 by The Nest

Grum @ The Nest Part 2 by The Nest

Blackstrobe (and the main man behind the project, Arnaud Rebotini) have touched upon practically every sub-strain of electronic music in their search for the perfect sound. From house, techno and electroclash to blues and disco, in both a live band and electronic production context, Blackstrobe’s hybrid, post-apocalyptic electronica remains as unique today as it was five years ago.

Joining us at this Saturday’s Lemonade, Blackstrobe will be behind the decks for the headline DJ set. To whet your appetite, they’ve put together a mix entitled ‘Me, Myself, My Friends and The Youth’. Download it below!

For more information on this Saturday’s Lemonade, click here

Black Strobe – September 2011 Me, Myself, My Friends, and The Youth by Blackstrobe Records