Wez G - Shaman of the Tribe

Wez G - Shaman of the Tribe

In ancient times, every tribe had a shaman who was the medecine man and spiritual leader of the community. Often under the influence of locally produced drugs such as Mescaline or Ayahuasca or Iboga, in ecstatic trances, the shaman would bring back from the spiritual world key knowledge that would help his fellow tribesmen. As society developed, so did organised religion and the shamen were locked up and kept away as 'madmen' while priests and vicars served the rulers and books took over from the ancient medecines. In recent times we have seen club culture develop and society has taken an about turn. Banging to the beat of a shamanic drum, DJs have taken the place of the local choirs as people seek to trance out in the company of others in raves and nightclubs. We have gone full circle and today's shaman is the DJ. Welcome to a mix of tribal sounds from the 21st Century. Go into a trance and in your state of bliss remember the ancients...

1. Blue States & The Adi Tribe - Hello Kombai [Kensaltown Records]
2. Saint Etienne - Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Foxbase Beta Mix) [White]
3. Primal Scream - Loaded (Terry Farley Re-Mix) [Junior Boys Own]
4. Cosmic Boogie - Railroad Man (Ashley Beedle's Soul Train Edit) [White]
5. Black Science Orchestra - New Jersey Deep [Junior Boys Own]
6. Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy (Kamouflage Loves Fred remix) [White]
7. Last Rhythm - Last Rhythm (Tom Middleton Mix) [White]
8. Armand Van Helden - The Witch Doctor (Eddie Thoenick remix) [White]
9. Bon Jovi - Living on a Prayer (Denis A remix) [White]
10. Little Boots - Earthquake (Sasha remix) [679 Recordings]
11. Denis A - Heaven [Plastic Music]
12. The Luna Project - I Wanna Be Free (Original Factory Mix) [White]
13. Adam Freeland & The Suri Tribe - Kin [Kensaltown Records]
14. Hybrid & The Suri Tribe - Komoru [Kensaltown Records]
15. Moodswings - Redemption Song [React]

:::BUY VINYL::: @ http://www.plastic-music.co.uk

http://soundcloud.com/wezg/wez-g-shaman-of-the-tribe
http://wezg.podomatic.com/entry/2009-12-16T16_11_38-08_00
http://www.last.fm/music/Wez+G/_/Shaman+of+the+Tribe
http://www.mediafire.com/?z0iyjnennzd

Wez G - On The Road

Wez G - On The Road

‘… one night we suddenly went mad together again; we went to see Slim Gaillard in a little Frisco nightclub. Slim Gaillard is a tall, thin Negro with big sad eyes who’s always saying ‘Right-orooni’ and ‘How ’bout a little bourbon-arooni.’ In Frisco great eager crowds of young semi-intellectuals sat at his feet and listened to him on the piano, guitar and bongo drums. When he gets warmed up he takes off his undershirt and really goes. He does and says anything that comes into his head. He’ll sing ‘Cement Mixer, Put-ti Put-ti’ and suddenly slow down the beat and brood over his bongos with fingertips barely tapping the skin as everybody leans forward breathlessly to hear; you think he’ll do this for a minute or so, but he goes right on, for as long as an hour, making an imperceptible little noise with the tips of his fingernails, smaller and smaller all the time till you can’t hear it any more and sounds of traffic come in the open door. Then he slowly gets up and takes the mike and says, very slowly, ‘Great-orooni … fine-ovauti … hello-orooni … bourbon-orooni … all-orooni …how are the boys in the front row making out with their girls-orooni … orooni … vauti … oroonirooni …”

'Jack Kerouac' in "On The Road".

Kerouac was part of the Beat Generation, a group of poets and writers who toured 1950s America. My old boss used to call me a 'Beatnik' and in a way I am a bit of a modern day hippy. DJs are today's beat generation and this mix suggests a journey, so hop on your bike, in your car, on your plane, boat or helicopter and turn on, tune in and drop out...

1. Kate Bush - Running up That Hill [EMI Records]
2. Luke Chable - Melburn (Original) [Bedrock Breaks]
3. Wez G - D for Damager [Shuffle Records] FREE DOWNLOAD: http://www.last.fm/music/Wez+G/_/D+for+Damager
4. Nick Muir - G Platz (James Harcourt Remix) [Audio Therapy]
5. The Junkies - Quartro Uno Sei (Original Mix) [Noir Music]
6. Erphun - Tu Sueno [Rekluse]
7. Danny Howells - GVibe [Dig Deeper]
8. Bent - Always (Ashley Beedle's Black Mahavishnu Remix) [Godlike and Electric]
9. The Ravens - Strange Little Girl [White]
10. Doves - Jetstream (Sasha Subdub) [White]
11. Syco - Danaka [Additive Records]
12. X-Press 2 - Tranz Euro Xpress (The Ride) [Junior Boys Own]
13. Giorgos Gatzgristos - Pencils for the Weak [Bedrock]
14. Stanton Warriors - Good Vibrations [White]

:::BUY VINYL::: @ http://www.plastic-music.co.uk

http://soundcloud.com/wezg/ontheroad
http://wezg.podomatic.com/entry/2009-12-06T23_09_36-08_00
http://www.last.fm/music/Wez+G/_/On+The+Road
http://www.mediafire.com/?zmmmyzdmmhi

Wez G - Jetstream Psychosis

It's easy to fly into the clouds and I seem to spend half my life dreaming in the Jetstream. There's been a break in the podcast so here it is back and mad as ever to steer you like a rocket through the atmosphere on a psychotic journey of house music. Starting with some mellow Bent classics the mix steers into some first class progressive beats. Enjoy the Jetstream Psychosis...

http://soundcloud.com/wezg/jetstream-psychosis
http://wezg.podomatic.com/entry/2009-11-13T12_02_55-08_00
http://www.last.fm/music/Wez+G/_/Jetstream+Psychosis
http://www.mediafire.com/?zmjwzzhjzgn

:::TRACKLISTING:::

1. Bent - Comin' Back (Reverso 68 dub) [Godlike and Electric]
2. X-Press 2 - Enjoy the Ride (Ashley's Magic Session Remix) [White]
3. Bent - Magic Love (Ashley Beedle's Black Magic Vocal Remix) [Godlike and Electric]
4. Sandee - Notice Me [DA Records]
5. Royksopp - This Must Be It (Rex The Dog's K-Dart Remix) [Wall of Sound]
6. Fedde Le Grand - Scared of Me (Hardwell Mix) [White]
7. BT - Rose of Jericho (Sultan & Ned Shepherd Remix) [White]
8. Pole Folder - Hate Myself (Sasha Instrumental) [La Tour]
9. Doves - Jetstream (Sasha Remix) [White]
10. Danny Howells - Psychotic Bump [Dig Deeper]
11. Giorgos Gatzgristos - Binary Star System [Bedrock]
12. Erphun - Order of Chaos [Rekluse]
13. Stanton Warriors - Young MC Booty [White]

:::BUY VINYL::: @ http://www.plastic-music.co.uk

Wez G - Ten Foot Tahitian

This is a blast from the past. I recorded it in November 2005 though it contains tracks from much earlier. I named the mix after the massive waves that roll into Tahiti which lays claim to being the place where surfing began. It recreates part of the six hour set I did when I played at Tikisoft in Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia. It was a perfect day. The sun was shining. I went swimming with the sharks and stingrays in the morning and then got stuck into the island's decks for a marathon set. The mix is summery and reflects the sounds of one of the earth's best untouched paradises. House Music. It's a global groove...

1.Late Night Alumni - Nothing Left to Say [Hed Kandi]
2.Hysterix - Talk to Me [Deconstruction]
3.Seelenluft feat. Michael Smith - Manila [Backyard Recordings]
4.Playgroup - Behind the Wheel (dj-kicks electroca$h mix) [Global Underground]
5.Desert - Moods [Stress]
6.Yello - To The Sea [Mercury]
7.Chemical Brothers - Hold Tight London [Freestyle Dust]
8.Adam Johnson - Four squares [Global Underground]
9.Paul Oakenfold - Southern Sun (Gabriel & Dresden mix) [Perfecto]
10.Leftfield featuring John Lydon - Open Up [Hard Hands]
11.Underworld - Dark and Long [Ministry of Sound]
12.Kelli Ali - Kids (Rui Da Silva remix) [One Little Indian]
13.Trafik feat. Rachel Lamb - Surrender [Global Underground]
14.Ultraviolet - Kites [Big Life]

http://wezg.podomatic.com/entry/2009-08-01T07_08_33-07_00
http://soundcloud.com/wezg/wez-g-ten-foot-tahitian
http://www.last.fm/music/Wez+G/Wez+G+-+Ten+Foot+Tahitian
http://www.mediafire.com/?9wmh9ltzkhn

Wez G on the Web http://djwezg.com

:::BUY VINYL::: @ http://plastic-music.co.uk

Wez G - Shufflin' It Up

This mix is a little different to usual. I've been having some Ableton lessons from DirtBox Crew ( http://artist.to/dirtboxcrew ) who play Spiral Tekno & Drum n Bass. I thought it would be nice to whack one of their tunes into the podcast... Trouble is - I usually play about 130bpm house and their music is 180bpm, so there's a few pitch shifts in this mix. Goes from house to Techno to drum n bass and ends with some nice old skool hardcore. At Shuffle ( http://groups.to/shuffle ) we try to be musically openminded and hate the pigeon-holing and stuck-up-yer-arse attitude that is all too prevalent in the music industry. So here you have Wez G, Shufflin' It Up. Hope you enjoy! http://djwezg.com

http://wezg.podomatic.com/entry/2009-07-24T06_49_14-07_00

http://soundcloud.com/wezg/shufflin-it-up

http://www.last.fm/music/Wez+G/_/Shufflin'+It+Up

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?mgwgkzzze2w

:::TRACKLISTING:::

1.Radiohead - Street Spirit (Funkagenda Mix) [White]

2.Johan Ilves - Wrong Number (Greg Kobe Remix) [Whoop Records]

3. Moby - Pale Horses (Gui Boratto's Last Window Remix) [Little Idiot]

4. Stan Kolev - Shana (Deep Cinema Mix) [Plastica]

5. Sasha - Chemistry [White]

6. Sam Ball - Kamekaze (Original) [i-fi Music]

7. Erphun - 2wo Butterflies (Quivver Remix) [Therapy Music]

8. Ulrich Schnauss - On My Own [Global Underground]

9. Dirtbox Crew - Dirty Data Recorders [Kaotek Wreckords]

10. Die - Play it for Me [V Recordings]

11. Roni Size - Brown Paper Bag (Original) [Talkin' Loud Classics]

12. Roni Size & Die - The Calling [V Recordings]

13. Rhythm Quest - Closer to Your Dreams (Hybrid Mix) [Network Records]

:::BUY VINYL::: @ http://www.plastic-music.co.uk

Wez G - Summer Shiftin'

Wez G - Summer Shiftin'

http://wezg.podomatic.com/

entry/2009-07-02T11_56_02-

07_00

http://djwezg.com

http://www.mediafire.com/d

ownload.php?1nyhojmzyhk

http://www.last.fm/music/W

ez+G/_/Summer+Shiftin'

Summer is upon us. Festival season, bar-b-q's, beaches and sunshine. This mix has a lot of remixes of big bands and also showcases some of the talent we are working with at Shuffle. Following the tracklisting are links to buy some of the tracks. Also - this is the first mix which includes a Wez G production... Doesn't quite fit with the standard of the rest of the music but I'm happy with Paptrap at this early stage. Get a loud sound system, load up on some bevvies and blast your neighbours away to the sounds of 'Summer Shiftin'!

1. Minus Blue ft. Emma Saville - Be As One (Original) [Phunctional Loungin]

2. Chris Reece - Overflow (Original Mix) [Enormous Tunes]

3. Chris Isaak - Dubbed Out Games (Trentmoller Remix) [White]

4. Telefon Tel Aviv - You Are The Worst Thing in the World (Sasha Invol2ver remix) [White]

5. DJ Lion - Mania (Underground Sound of Bulgaria) [Remixator Records]

6. Wez G - Paptrap [Shuffle Records]

7. Andrelli Blue - Transparent feat. Hila (Jody Wisternoff Remix) [Armada Music]

8. Victor Imbres & Tricia Lee Kelshall - Feel That (Original Mix) [Greenlight Recordings]

9. PJ Doherty - The Voice [Harlem Trax]

10. Radiohead - Everything in its Right Place (Paul Oakenfold New 2008 Remix) [White]

11. Danny Howells - Laid Out (Fully Horizontal Mix) [Dig Deeper]

12. Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal (Acapella) [White]

13. Denis A - Cuba (Original Mix) [DAR]

14. Michael Jackson - Mama Say, Mama Say (Wanna Be StartinG Something Sample Loop) [White]

15. U2 - With Out U Or With U 2008 (S.T. Unreleased Remix) [White]

You can buy/download the following tracks using the links:

Wez G - Paptrap - Free Download: http://www.last.fm/music/W

ez+G/_/Paptrap

Victor Imbres & Tricia Lee Kelshall - Feel That - http://tinyurl.com/tlk10 (itunes)

Minus Blue ft. Emma Saville - Be As One - http://tinyurl.com/mblue1 (itunes)

Getting digitized?

As I’ve clearly stated in the past: I’m a vinyl junkie. An analogue dinosaur. In the field of dance music we have often been the very first genre to embrace new technology. Indeed, more than any other musical variety, dance music and audio technology are intertwined. I have watched all this change and although it interests me a lot, when it comes to performance I am an absolute Luddite. Turning up at clubs to watch my dancefloor heroes play on CD decks makes me want to send the sparkling lights and fancy buttons hurling to the ground. Like a nineteenth century cotton mill, the pioneer CDJs 1000, lying in bits would bring a smile of satisfaction to my face. I’m told they’re sexy. I just feel that CD DJing is cheating – not so much the technology aspect, as in principal it is the same technique as vinyl DJing, but that the audience is cheated. I watch with horror as my favourite record shops close down as everyone turns to the cheaper alternative… Anyway – I have stuck to my guns regarding CDs and remain a vinylist.

However, it’s not just CDs that have changed the face of DJing. One of my favourite DJs is Sasha. I remember reading several years ago how he was embracing Ableton for production. I remember picking up a (vinyl) copy of Involver in 2004 and being blown away by the ‘new’ sound. The thick bass, the really electronic feel, floor-friendly loops, perfectly cut vocals… It is an ambition to produce music and I’ve always liked the sound of Ableton. I dabbled with Cubase a few years ago but Ableton seems to be the software daddy. Shock horror – I realised that Ableton could be used for DJing. I was at a gig at the Q bar, Cardiff, and the DJ had a laptop and a complex looking MIDI controller. He was playing an Ableton Live DJ set… I trainspotted for a bit, to check how it all works… DJs are anoraks at heart and get a high watching others at work. It is the quickest way to improve your style, by studying others in action. I started to interrupt the guy by bombarding him with questions. It all looked posh and he seemed a bit snobbish, with all his fancy equipment… He was very vague and seemed to be avoiding my answers. I didn’t appear to be spending much time at all cueing… OK – fair enough… Some DJs don’t need to cue much. I’ve seen Norman Jay cue a record, when someone dropped a glass from the balcony onto the decks at Ministry of Sound, in literally under 2 seconds, without a glitch in the music. Jeff Mills is notorious for spinning about 5 records every minute throughout the duration of a DJ set, bunging the vinyl over his shoulder as he slams in dub plate after dub plate of the most experimental techno. Thing is – as I soon learnt. You DON’T beat match with Ableton. It is all automatic. How can this be DJing? I felt properly cheated. It’s like losing your lifesavings in Las Vegas then realising you have been playing with a marked deck.

It put me off Ableton. I’m a DJ, not a jukebox. However, I continued reading and reading about the program and it seems that virtually all of my production heroes are ranting religiously about its power. I knew that at some stage I would be on board. I’d have to be, if I want to actually make some decent tunes, realise the dream…

I picked up a book and got studying. Ableton 6 landed on my lap and I churned out a couple of tunes. Very basic, very nasty really, but an attempt nonetheless. It is a powerful program, for sure, it just gets very confusing. I let it fester on my PC for a while and decided to wait for a bit of inspiration. The social side of DJing is important. Swapping label notes in a grotty record shop, booth banter, interacting with off-their-face clubbers. I think that the growth of social networks has helped the whole dancefloor community. I have a DJ category for friends on facebook and there are over 200 people in there. I was a self-taught vinyl DJ but always absorbed advice from my peers which proved fundamental. I decided to invest in a bit of MIDI equipment for potential use with Ableton and through a mutual friend, managed to find the local Ableton guru. I needed to get sweaty in the studio with someone, and get shown how it all operates. A few tips wouldn’t go amiss. As boring as DJing may appear to non-musos, it really is an exciting subject and digesting books and technical manuals just isn’t the done thing.

So, I loaded up on tinnies and made my way out to visit Dave Wired, techno legend extraordinaire. When I was a teenager, I used to get off my box at the Muts Nuts @ The White Lion, Chepstow, where Dave usually hammered out the last set of Techno every Saturday night. The White Lion music agenda was very underground and for a sleepy Welsh village to host one of the cutting edge forums for Goa trance, minimal techno and esoteric electronic, was quite a blessing. Dave’s style influenced me in the first place so it was important that he would be my teacher.

DJ Wired’s style can be described, if I had to tag it, as ‘nosebleed techno’ which is pretty far removed from my 130 bpm progressive house or ‘handbag’ as my mates in the pub refer to it. 180bpm beats; four top the floor with some occasional breaks. It is fast stuff and not for the feint-hearted. I don’t play this music, or indeed listen to it much, but I do appreciate it. Dave stopped DJing two years ago. Hung up the headphones. He gigs all over the world – from Europe to South America. It’s all a LIVE Ableton set these days. Not DJing, but playing his own productions. Live manipulation of his own tracks in a set that smashes hell out of global festival audiences in the tens of thousands. To hear him talk, as a sceptic of the digital revolution, I was initially unimpressed. I still cannot get my head around the idea of a DJ not using vinyl. After a few beers, we headed into the studio. This is where I truly began to realise the power of Ableton. As I said, I’ve had a dabble. But – Dave loaded up a live set which was MASSIVE. He started it rolling and I was entranced as I witnessed what could only be described as a high voltage electric storm on his laptop screen. Beats, bass and the odd vocal, all dynamically shifting. It’s hard to keep track with your eyes what’s happening. The bass bins do the talking though. The music comes slamming out and sounds shit hot. Everything is done on the fly. You prepare each individual sound in the studio, load up a host of audio clips and mash them all up. Mixing, although everything is beat synched, takes on a whole new phenomenon. You can start the next track my clipping out, say, for example the hi-hats of the track playing, add in the hats from the next track, and start looping some vocal from your sample library. Ableton has a massive host of plugins and effects which makes the most expensive Allen&Heath mixer look primitive. Autopan the kicks of one track mirroring the one you’re mixing in, flange up the mids and whack in a few breaks to liven it up. Glitch a few beats, reverse them on the fly and some of the most amazingly complex mixes can be made. To be fair – there is no time for cueing up beats. As a DJ I often cite myself as an original artist for blending two tracks together, ‘in the mix’ to create something new. Very often though, I hardly even change the EQs. Seeming tracks together in an Ableton becomes a whole new mixing experience. It provides an endless challenge and the possibilities are infinite.

I am happy in a way as I try to learn this new technology. It will consume my entire life. I can see why Ableton can be classified as a religion and I am still a new convert. The sacrament may be sample editors and MIDI manuals but I think that the future of dance music really does lie with Ableton. I won’t be hanging up my headphones just yet, but the appeal of becoming a producer means that the digital lure is starting to bite. In a world of hypocrites I am just following nature’s path. If you are interested in electronic music then Ableton is the new drug of choice.