First cuddle with your chérie - then do whatever it is you cannot abstain from.

That’s the idea of the “The Cuddle and Cum (split) EP”. The first track “Liebling Password Kuscheln” (Sweetheart, Password Cuddle) is all about grooving smoothly with your sweetheart. Whether it be publicly - i.e. in Café Liebling, Berlin, Prenzlauer Berg - or in private (password required).
The second track is all about what’s happened after your password was accepted and you are logged “in”. But listen to the cheesy vocals yourself. Both tracks’ lyrics share a similar sense for the irony of it all. Whatever that “all” may be (relationships, rituals, sex - you name it). The ‘Cuddle And Come’ EP (GO GO G 3) tracklist:

1. Hagen B. & Zuckermann feat. Très charmante Magali ‘Liebling Password Kuscheln’

Download the tune as mp3

2. Lousy Lovers ‘Sex in Progress’ (Zuckermann Remix)

Download the tune as mp3

Hagen B. & Zuckermann
Hagen B. started his career in Tresor club, the old one - of course. He soon became resident of that institution but was rather attracted to the (housy) “Globus” floor at ground level than the techno torture chamber downstairs. Now he’s back in the studio after a long break and shares his passion for cool, hot House grooves with Zuckermann, Stalking Go Go Girls’ CEO/CFO/CCO/CSO (Chief Sex… okokok) and whatever you want to.
The latter also used to be Maria am Ostbahnhof Berlin resident plus resident of the incredible “Cinetrip” parties in good ol’ Budapest (mostly in the Rudazs bath, and if we say bath - it was IN the bath and a watery orgy). He played in France and Japan too and had a number of releases on rather breaks oriented labels using obscure pseudos that he thought were cool back then. Now he’s back again too and working with Hagen on the always exciting “new” idea of House: classic sounds mixed with some contemporary ideas, kling-klangs and sexy whims to produce an altogether fresh House sound. And so the redefinition of House continues…

Lousy Lovers is a project of 2 audio stars from Berlin, one of which is above mentioned Zuckermann, the other one now based in Marseille, Southern France. After they had debated the advantages of Berlin Coolness vs. French Hardcore long enough, they decided to clash these influences instead and create “eine elektronische-erotische Tanzkapelle”.
Lousy Lovers was born, transforming both the Southern way of making love - too fierce, too short - and the Northern one - too uptight, too short too - into something of an entirely different quality. Whether you’ll like that might depend on the girl(s) of course.
Their clash “très particulier” of influences merges into a unique House sound, which combines Minimal with fever and heat with not taking oneself too seriously, cheers.

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Ok, after “Spin Doctor” Zuckermann got carried away in the fine world of “da(ft)” fine arts lately, my other self is back now with “something complety different” (stop!-laughing-Mr.-Cleese!).

1. The Trouble With Harry ‘Woow… Hoouse…!’ (GO GO G 2) Tracklist:

Download the tune as mp3

The Trouble With Harry
is a collaboration of Harry Seldom (Organic Domain) and Zuckermann (Stalking Go Go Girls). Their collaboration is about re-defining classical House patterns thus making them fit for those reeeeally outspaced moments of today’s disco nights. No matter whether these are Berlin afterhours, Barcelona beach parties, or Beijing glitz nights. It’s the state of mind that counts….

Harry Seldom was born as Hari Seldon in the 11.988th year of the Galactic Era. He decided to flee from the boredom of the future - namely Asimov’s Foundation “sagas”. Once arrived, he turned his journey into the track “Don’t Look Back”. It instantly became the hit caché of Tigerskins “Organic Domain” label, selling hundreds of copies even without a “Galactic DJ Magazine” review. Shame on you, ignorant (future) markets (oops, my stocks rumble in the background). So, NOW it’s your time.

Zuckermann is the master caster of Stalking Go Go Girls. He likes to post - and its writes. Read some of his musings or muse some of his readings in our blog section. Apart from his literay career here on Stalking Go Go Girls, he produces music for those states of mind referred to above - thaaat kind of hypnotic House that let’s you forget where your house is. The same ‘Black Holing’ applies to his DJ sets after which sometimes only the Goddess of DJs can mercifully make him find his own house.

___________________________________________________________

More on thaaat House soon with other releases by our artists.

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Bergmann zu Fuss ‘Slow’ EP (GO GO G 1) Tracklist:

1. Bergman zu Fuss ‘Slow’

Download the tune as mp3

2. Bergman zu Fuss ‘Slow 2 Go’

Download the tune as mp3

3. Bergman zu Fuss ‘Slow 2 Go’ (Traumzucker Edit)

Download the tune as mp3

‘Bergmann zu Fuss’ is a Berlin DJ and producer double that is about essence. Their “essance-to-dance”-formula: shake, stir, and distill the hottest classical House ingredients, then mix with a veeeery selected choice of todays sounds until a total concentrate is reached. Result: your fuss (=feet) will be moved and your mind will follow…

‘Traumzucker’, also known as former Tresor resident ‘Hagen B’ and ‘Bergmann’ has a rather emotional approach to club music. As ‘Traumzucker’ he is interested in technically inspired poetry and a dreamy distance to “normal” melodic expression, deconstructing it sweetly and neatly. Niiiice.

More Zucker (Zuckermann and Traumzucker) on Stalking Go Go Girls soon.

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Take Beatport, probably the most respected mp3-shop brand in the whole club music industry. Partners with Native Instruments - one of THE music software makers of planet Earth -, promoted by highly credible artists like Richie Hawtin, better linked to digital DJ tools like Final Scratch/ Traktor Scratch/ Traktor than any other platform - and now this:

In a very revealing article about his review work for Beatport, the creator of Test Industries tells us the story of his ever declining relationship with Beatport. Not only was he asked to work for free to begin with, but also to only send in positive reviews. As if this wasn’t enough, he finally got the offer to sell (out) his blog entirely to Beatport - without mentioning the word “Sale” at all of course, since the price involved would have meant “gift” rather than a business transaction.

All this we find incredible and completely impertinent, thus totally inacceptable!

So much about the “we are the good guys” mantra of the “independent” music industry. Obviously these people haven’t learned a bit from the PR and business desasters of the major companies. Marketing is all about building (justified) trust and business about serving ones customers in an efficient, respectful and unbureaucratic way.
Not only is Beatport taking their customers for dumbheads (thus treating them very disrespectfully) in allowing only for “top” reviews, but also are they destroying any good faith and trust in the portal, thus destroying their very business model.

If any company is losing its passion for what it is doing and only becomes a “business model” it is dead indeed. Particularly in the so called creative businesses.

Result: I’ll buy my mp3s elsewhere - having hated the non standard Beatport interface and the sloppy tagging particularly with albums anyway.

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Always weird to see other people apprehend and (re-)interpret one’s very own creations. It can make them appear strange to oneself since their context has changed altogether. Fate of the “electronic/ club music” producer? Certainly! The more so on the web where a certain DJ Gnu (this guy who is one and many at the same time) often is not putting your music “in” its right place (clubbing), but “out” of it (listening).

So this said, we don’t like to deprive you of some of our Go Go Girls meeting some other folks (girls? hmmm…??) in two new mixes. Enjoy and share if you like what you hear.

The first one comes from the famous Italian Deep in Dub Posse, namely DJ Mitch - we’ve just come back from a holiday in Italy the day he posted the mix. What a nice coincidence since I didn’t even twitter about it. The mix is pretty much what the promo text says - “The third mix of a series dedicated to ” Beach House ” music, sounds warm and deep, you will dance throughout the summer 2008″. So yeah, we like the first class selection a lot (NO concealed self-praise meant;-). The mixing though has quite a, well, Italian charme to it - we just looove Italian laisser-aller, pasta and the greatest café in da world;-)): Beach House 2008 (Deepindub Mix).

The  second mix dates from March and comes from the Russian netlabel mag netlabels.ru - and you certainly can tell the difference. Here we go for a much more introverted view of things. Also for a broader one, musically speaking, since a very interesting and sometimes even weird selection makes this mix a worthwhile trip. So if you are in a rather melancholic or dreamy daringly spirit in spite or because of Europes spring that finally sprung (and the quasi absence of mixing) go for this one: Audiomania podcast: March 2008 Urban Pleasures Selection.

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Check this post on a German advertising blog about the what will cause the death of the music “industry”. Particularly go for the comments, it’s there where it get’s interesting.

PS: Alas fpr your english-only heads out there, it’s in German ;-). Peace

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Ok, it might be a bit late to review Hendrik Schwarz’s K7 mix. Also, the Cobblestone Jazz album came out last year sometime already. But it might be good to let the hype die down for 23 seconds before actually trying to talk about “Jazz” (an incredibly wide universe) and “club music” (an incredibly…) - and the way these two styles may merge in the work of these two artists.

Hendrik’s approach is coined by his origins in the West London style. A music which normally has nothing to contribute to anything because it is stuck with standard formulas of old time Jazz trying to melt these into mostly mediocre electronically produced tracks. That style might have had its moment in time in the mid nineties, trying to emancipate itself from that overhyped and just too abvious “Acid Jazz”. But even back in the days, I never understood the hype about Jazzanova and their superficial lounge approach, mostly lacking any sign of deepness, real soul, or innovation - let alone real Jazz, House, or Techno.
So enter Hendrik Schwarz; unfortunately his “Leave My Head Alone Brain” surprise hit just came up with the same old clichés - in a more contemporary and a bit more sophisticated disguise though. And so does his live mix, what’s that gotta do with Jazz (the melange of which with club music, the mix was so praised for among other things)? Jazz, namely improvisation, ensemble play, complexity of rhythm, richness of harmonies and a mastery of the instrument? Nothing, but really nothing can be found here. It’s a superficial and typically post-modern (if that wouldn’t be so cliché itself) half-baked mess of boring formulas. Out of context citations of standard Techno and House chords, famous drum patterns and otherwise atmospheric synth pads mixed with obviously black vocals (I am almost tempted to say “Negro” vocals, because that’s what they are reduced to here), dumb lyrics and some Jazz and Blues trash. The mostly too harsh and stump kicks round up the picture. It’s what I would call the ultimate caffé latteism of club music.

On the other hand we have the Cobblestone Jazz ensemble and their live versions of their studio album “23 seconds” (unfortunately I missed their gig in Berlin). Although it is quite clearly a club music act and therefore might have not sooo much of an appeal to classic Jazz audiences, it’s the best ever merger of Club and Jazz imho. Of course do they work with classic Club and Jazz formulas like Schwarz, but it’s not the “What”, it’s the “How” that counts (sorry for that standard formula). Cobblestone Jazz just manages to walk this very thin line while making you completely forget that a merger is actually performed here: complex and danceble, rich in harmonies and one chord only, subtle and in ya face, an endless flow and a form, improvised and formula - I could go on. Ony Hancock’s “Head Hunters” or Miles Davies late electric phase come to mind here - from the other side of the fence though.

So I guess I made my preference clear - but it’s beyond taste really, it’s rather about the flat vs. the phat. And that even counts in the club. Just check out that video piece: Cobblestone Jazz @ The End, London.

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This is a rather associative follow-up on my recent ‘Vinyl is Dead‘ post. I just happened to have quite an unusal discussion with one of the guys from the Melbourne born mnml ssgs blog. The whole thing started on the occasion of a mnml ssgs post about Rozzo. It is a rather long but imho quite fun to read threat with a lot meandering going on. About politics, “the” media, a lot about rules of hype and finally also about the actual subject which the headline suggests. Thanks for PC’s interesting and original views indeed.

I recommend strongly reading PC’s (my main thread partner) musings about vinyl before starting to read the actual thread. Cheers

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Lately we had an email conversation with a guy working for a club music mag here in Berlin. Let’s simply say, for one of the two important mags in town. After having stated that he liked our stuff, he said in the very same mail, that he’d be sorry but that the mag doesn’t usually review neither mp3 labels nor releases. Apart from the fact that he might not have liked our stuff and that he wanted to hide behind the unspoken of policies of the house, we found that statement sooo typical - but sooo bizarre at the same time.

Fact is, in spite of todays myspace and iPod generation, or world reknown DJs like Dave Angel who use DVS systems or - God forbid! - even a laptop only to spin, many of the influential German club music media more or less ignore the devellish mp3 medium. We honestly wonder why?

Well mixed and mastered mp3s sound as good in the club as any vinyl. Plus they sound much better than badly mastered lo-fi vinyls, lots of which are still produced and spit out on the market every f***in’ day.

The burden of carrying heavy crates with felt TONS of the black gold in them is a real mothafuckin’ pain in the ass.

DJing is about to change radically anyway. Already today, many DJs open for this change include their own effect units like the Mini Kaoss Pad, use some sound producing live gear along their DJing, or go for the above mentioned DVS solutions like NI’s Traktor Scratch to be able to be more flexible, spontaneous and innovative than the oldskool kings. In fact; DJing and Liveact(ing) become one.

And to speak of the oldskool and put that into a historic perspektive: without the boldness and openess for new things of  innovators like Grandmaster Flash or Kool Herc, DJing as we know it wouldn’t even exist.

To finally pay our respects to more of these real DJs, namely the scratch wizzards (”what is a DJ, if he can’t scratch”). These always have used every possible angle to manipulate a vinyl in every un-thinkable way. And today even these hardcore vinylistst use control records of a DVS system AND other gear.

So hey, maybe we should stop to limit ourselves to what’s still widely seen as the only way of playing music in a club (or for that matter, elsewhere). Also, we cannot help but to feel that this is not only lazyness of thought, but that there are tangible business interests at stake also. Since, apart from ideologically triggered beliefs, isn’t it pure lazyness of action that the club music industry is unable to think about new business models and so to re-invent itself? They, who don’t stop critizing the majors for their immobility and the RIAA for its demonization of their very customers can’t come up with more than to sell sound-storage-media? A business model which will be dead by the end of the decade!

Some people at least understood. Beatport.com, Junodownloads - and even some artists like Jay Haze with his wrong context thing whatever net label approach a couple of years ago (sorry, Jay;). But even the latter could only make some waves with his netlabel because he had some vinyl releases out in the first place.

Well, it’s time for a reboot guys. And not only so, because today you’ll only get a distribution deal as a label newcomer if you know the distributor in person plus book him on your parties. No, it’s because vinyl is dead.

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Apart from the challenge to fully understand and master the new OS (not as easy as the average Mac evangelist will tell you – even if you don’t ask…) as well as Win XP Pro, it appeared that the hardware didn’t live fully up to its design. Unfortunately it’s only then that you take all the forum remarks about the MacBook’s bug list seriously… A striking body temperature (yes, we all know that we like it hot, but hot on metal surfaces is too hot) and the noise level of a fan that doesn’t like to stop working rank among its most prominent features.
Plus Boot Camp 1.1 was far from being a stable matter. And since all our music software ran on windows, that was a problem. We installed Cubase SX 3 and finished a production anyway. We began asking ourselves though, whether we had been overrun by Apples wonderful marketing machinery. The “liberty” to work on both systems at native speed turned into a completely unnerving experience. Windows and OS X just don’t go along well. Just a few examples; indeed it is possible to READ an NTFS partition under OS X – but WRITING is impossible (unless you find a reliable 3rd party software). Then it turned out that Bootcamp can’t establish more than two partitions, one for Win, one for Mac. No 3rd data partition possible. By that time the comments of some long term Mac users not to bother, because his holiness Steve in his endless wisdom had created such a stable system that a data partition is just not needed, OS X will never crash and become useless like Window, didn’t appear to be very trustworthy after we did have some inexplicable system crashes. Having partly been turned into Mac heads nevertheless, our hearts were filled with great expectations regarding the final Bootcamp version under Leopard. Alas, that problem persisted…

Which means an external hard drive is rather indispensable. O yes, and it must be Firewire of course, since the 2 USB ports on our 15,4’’ MacBook “ “Pro” are not so Pro after all and more importantly, completely insufficient in a Studio environment. But thanks for the otherwise completely useless Firewire 800 port.

At least the keyboard was legible, due to the illuminated keys. Very cool! So here we finally had some reason to rejoice. The display was also very well received. Non-reflective, with LED’s (which a lot of PC notebooks still don’t have to offer), an ok resolution of 1440 x 900, and fully legible even when working directly in the sun. So some flaws aside, the hardware did its job. But changing the OS all the time was frustrating in the long run. After a lot of discussions we consequently opted for a radical system change, and so our studio became fully Xed. At the moment of decision, nobody could foresee the consequences, though…
Excerpt: …Cubase behaves very unstable on Mac. The program quits for no reason (unlike Reason) – and it can do so any time. To make a long story short, we are looking into buying Logic now… Many plug-ins were never written for the Mac, so go, get some new ones. One unwanted consequence of that is a lacking compatibility to older projects of course. Etc., etc., etc….

So yeah, time is relative – particularly in relation to the desired results. Since we really, really liked the hardware – and some of the charms Mac OS X has to offer - we had a lot of patience with the Mac and even enjoyed problem solving for some time. But after a while it sucked big time, bottom line being that with a Windows notebook we had spent much more time making music instead of finding out, that Windows on a Mac via Bootcamp is just some kind of a half heartedly implemented compromise. So the only USP of the Mac stays its hardware. And even that is not fully true music wise.

Our résumé: think more than twice before you consider a switch from Windows to Mac in your studio because Bootcamp is out there. Particularly if the only reason you want to change for is the legibility on the keyboard….

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