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Interview with DE$iGNATED

DE$iGNATED

DE$iGNATED is the new project from young and talented electronic duo Nima Bazrcar and Rory Bowyer. First hitting the scene with their single “Valentine” featuring vocals from Kyiki of Crystal Fighters, the UK-based pair return with a brand new track called “The Cure”. Sample “The Cure” below and check out this recent Q&A with DE$iGNATED and B3SCI correspondent Brian Litwin.

B3SCI: There’s not much known about DE$iGNATED. Can you introduce yourselves to the readers and tell us a little about how DE$iGNATED came to be?

Nima: Hi my name is Nima, I’m 18 years old and I live in South London, I am 1/2 of DE$iGNATED.

Rory: Yo, my name is Rory, I am 18 too and I live in Hampshire, I am the other half of DE$iGNATED.

Nima: DE$iGNATED started last summer, when I thought it would be a cool idea to start a duo with my friend Rory (who was living down my road at this time) as we was always chilling together, making beats listening to the same music.

B3SCI: I love this time of year when almost every weekend there is a different festival happening somewhere around the world. Is there one in particular that both of you think stands above the rest?

Nima: I’m not too sure as I haven’t really experienced a festival, Gottwood & Outlook look very good though, I would love to go to Outlook next year.

Rory: I haven’t been to alot of fesivals, but I’ve enjoyed attending Reading festival yearly.

B3SCI: Being so young, have you both always exclusively created electronic music? Have you ever wanted to experiment with another particular instrument or style of music?

Nima: I was in a band called “KINGS OF THE CITY” playing keys and co-producing since I was 13, I’m dropped from the image of the band and I dont play keys for them anymore as I am concentrating on this project but I still do co-production fo them. Before that I started making grime when I was 11 and never stopped making tunes really. Rory comes from a band background, playing in a couple indie bands (last one called KoHo Knights) until taking up production a year and a half ago. I miss Rory’s band gigs, they were really fun.

B3SCI: How does your collaboration process as a DJ/Producer duo work? Is it easier for you two to create a track together or separately?

Nima: We tend to create tracks separatley, rather then together, we find it easier this way as we are both producing in our bedrooms and so it isn’t the best enviroment.

B3SCI: We were blown away with “Valentine”. Is there a story behind the lyrical and musical genesis of the track?

Nima: Erm sort of, it was one of the only tracks me and Rory have fully created together in a room, it was created last summer when we was starting up DE$iGNATED in our first batch of tunes, it was meant to be an instrumental only track with chopped vocals, but I thought it was right to be restructured and have a singer fit on it. The lyrical aspect comes solely down to Kyiki on this one, she knew where she wanted to go with it and I was very happy with the end product.

B3SCI: Who brought in Kyiki from Crystal Fighters to work on “Valentine”?

Nima: We got hooked up with Kyiki from a very nice and helpful A&R from my college, I go to the Academy Of Contemporary Music in Guildford and they have been very helpful towards the project and I am greatful for that, Rory is going there from September too so we should be together more.

B3SCI: We also recently interviewed producer Kyogi, who threw together a great reworking of “Valentine”. Can we expect more tracks between the two of you?

Nima: We’ve talked about collaborations before, but decided on its not the right time at the moment, so maybe one day in the future!

B3SCI: What’s DE$iGNATED listening to right now?

Nima: Hybrid Theory’s “So High” is my jam right now, I have quite a wide musical taste but I’ve been pretty addicted to garage for a long time.

Rory: Been listening to alot of Kaytranada, I’m mainly listening to alot of old school garage at the moment.

B3SCI: In the ever-evolving genre of electronic music, is there anything that you guys anticipate as the next ‘big sound’ to catch wave?

Nima: Post Future HouseStep.

B3SCI: If you had your choice of having anyone come in to remix one of your tracks, who would it be and why?

Nima: Oooh there’s a few people, I think if I wanted anyone right now for a remix it would be Flume, You never know what to expect with his songs, they are truly amazing.

Rory: Two Inch Punch would be sick cause his remixes are sick and that.

B3SCI: What does the future look like for DE$iGNATED?

Nima: Hopefully looking well, I live by the saying “hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard”, as long as we work hard enough I think we can achieve our goals and aspirations with this project.

DE$iGNATED england (Facebook)

reviewed by
08-01-13

RAVE’S FAVE: Pet Shop Boys – Love Is A Bourgeois Construct

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Electro tastemakers are calling Electric the most impressive Pet Shop Boys album in decades and I’d agree. Their #3 debut on the UK album charts might not surprise you, but their #26 US debut was their best in twenty years. “Love Is A Bourgeois Construct” shows the guys still capable of a hooky dance romp that could have come during their prime in the 80’s, with deep lyrics to boot. By Bruce Rave

Pet Shop Boys – Love Is A Bourgeois Construct

Pet Shop Boys (Facebook)

* Links and playlists from Rave’s weekly new music show can be found on his blog and be sure follow Bruce on Twitter too!

reviewed by
08-01-13

Bipolar Sunshine – Fire (FTSE FUCKED IT MIX)

bipolar sunshine ftse remix

UK artist Bipolar Sunshine’s great “Fire” gets blessed w/ the “hand of FTSE” on this latest remix winner from the fast rising artist/producer.

FTSE england (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.2

brown8

reviewed by
07-31-13

Sailor & I – Tough Love (Pablo Nouvelle Remix)

Sailor & I - Tough Love (Pablo Nouvelle Remix)

We can’t get enough of this (and we’re going to go with “godlike” for the genre) new edit of one of 2012’s best track’s Sailor & I’s “Tough Love” by Swiss-based producer Pablo Nouvelle. We’ve not been able to get this mix off repeat all day.

Pablo Nouvelle (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.6

reviewed by
07-31-13

DIANA – Perpetual Surrender (Four Tet Remix)

diana Perpetual Surrender (Four Tet Remix)

…And the internet lost its mind. DIANA’s already great track for “Perpetual Surrender” gets a spectacular brilliantly and wonderfully percussive new mix from UK electronic old hand Four Tet.

Four Tet england (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.2

brown8

reviewed by
07-31-13

Bastille – Things We Lost In The Fire (SaneBeats Remix)

Bastille - Things We Lost In The Fire (SaneBeats Remix)

UK producer SaneBeats styles up Bastille’s “Things We Lost In The Fire” into a sea of thumping bass and cinematic sweeps of synth and percussion on this brand new official remix. Bastille’s Bad Blood LP is out now.

SaneBeats (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.2

brown8

reviewed by
07-29-13

Phoenix – Trying To Be Cool (Maestro Remix)

Phoenix_Behind_The_Scenes_Trying_To_Be_Cool_video_shoot1

We’re digging this nu-disco re-styling of Phoenix’s “Trying To Be Cool” by Icelandic DJ Maestro. Sample the track below and join us in dreaming about be-iced discotheques and “tryna be cool”.

Maestro iceland (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.3

brown8

reviewed by
07-29-13

Gangplans – Bust The Way You Were (feat. Unravel)

gangplans

A digital stamp has always been there, but the evolution of L.A.-based NazcarNation into Gangplans, brings about a duo that shifts out of indie haze-pop to highlight their production and collaboration skills. Gangplans’ track, “Bust The Way You Were” (feat. Unravel), keeps the coastal warmth and youthful energy of their former band, and brings in cool, ethereal layers of electronic and laid-back beats. By Desiree Autobee

Gangplans california (Facebook)

Rating 8.4

brown8

reviewed by
07-27-13

Looking Back: Lightning In A Bottle Festival 2013 @ Lake Skinner in Temecula, CA July 11th – 15th

LIB 2013 Jesse Wright 1

Review by Brian Litwin
Photos by Jesse Wright

We recently spent a weekend in Temecula, California at Lake Skinner for Lightning In A Bottle 2013. For the lack of a better term, this festival is different compared to others. With a main stage being construed around a tree, workshops regarding Yoga and healthier living, free water, and an assortment of art installations, LIB (as it’s referred to) was nothing short of a memorable experience. Here’s a collection of musical and photo highlights from the festival.

Purity Ring – Thanks to typical L.A. traffic on a Friday, getting into the secluded area of Lake Skinner where LIB was taking place was a bit of a challenge. Nevertheless, we arrived in time to catch Edmonton electronic duo Purity Ring’s set. Corin Roddick and Megan James seemed to be on a mission to please the crowd that night, with their noted stage lighting and drum pad pods. Though the set seemed a bit short of the midnight ending, Purity Ring played the majority of their 2012 release Shrines.

Odesza – Seattle duo Odesza threw down. Playing from their free album Summer’s Gone and ending with new tunes, as yet to be release, there was good reason why these guys were one of my 5 to see acts at LIB. Also, they played on a stage constructed with Bamboo (pretty awesome stuff).

Blackbird Blackbird – Over at the Lightning Stage, San Francisco based Mikey Maramag made some noise himself. Mixing in his “folktronica” sound with trap and some house, Blackbird Blackbird turned some heads. This was my first time seeing this guy live, but it won’t be the last.

Nicolas Jaar – This NY/Chile native is extremely talented and very young. His set featured loads of house and it will surely have people remembering his name long after LIB. Side note: his track “The Ego” with Theatre Roosevelt may be a single that has gone under the radar for way too long.

GRiZ – Speaking of young talent, GRiZ, aka Grant Kwiecinski from Detroit, MI, is younger than Nicolas Jaar and also plays saxophone over his produced beats. GRiZ also brought guitar player Dan Hacker on stage for some tracks. Playing selected songs off of Mad Liberation and End of The World Party releases, GRiZ ended Saturday night nicely.

Goldroom – Their sound has Southern California written all over it. It is radio ready and instead of being just the solo project of Josh Legg, it’s now a full band with Mereki Beach singing lead vocals. I saw Gold Room at Dim Mak for a DJ set and also live while during SXSW. “Fifteen”, “Only You Can Show Me”, “Morgan’s Bay” and “Angeles” should be in your next beach mixtape, and they sounded great live at LIB.

Giraffage – This is a no brainer. We love this kid. Throwing down crowd pleasers like “Close 2 Me” and his stellar remix of Janet Jackson’s “Someone To Call My Lover” really got the party started. Later, Giraffage mixed in possibly the best remix of 2013 (so far) and a personal favorite Stardust’s “Music Sounds Better With You”. However, the biggest reaction was the drop to “Money” and with friends on stage throwing out fake hundreds to the unique trap stylings of Mr. Yin, the crowd was floored. Do yourselves a favor and see this man live

gLAdiator – The LA production duo, Danl Goodman and Ian Johnson, may have had the surprise set of LIB. I had heard of them, but didn’t know what was about to transpire at this festival. How foolish of me. Their trap heavy set created so much noise that they pulled fans from other stages, who came to see what the commotion was all about. gLAdiator have a nice run of dates in the future, including a set in LA for HARD Summer. Do not miss these guys.

TychoDive might be one of the more complete albums of recent history and Scott Hansen, project leader, clearly has a great and well defined artistic vision for Tycho. Stunning live visuals were set to all of the tracks. The tightness of the band evoked an energy that flowed calmly from the speakers to the crowd, capping off the perfect set to wrap up the festival. Tycho also performed a new track that had similar vibes to Dive but was much more bass and house influenced.

Lightning In A Bottle Festival california (Info)

LIB 2013 Jesse Wright 2

LIB 2013 Jesse Wright 3

LIB 2013 Jesse Wright 4

LIB 2013 Jesse Wright Gold Room

LIB 2013 Jesse Wright Griaffage

LIB 2013 Jesse Wright Purity Ring

reviewed by
07-27-13

The Hics – Tangle

the hics

South London band The Hics offer beautiful and sweeping indie-leaning R&B on new track “Tangle”. The track is previewed here from the band’s forthcoming EP of the same name which is out August 19th on Nero Records UK.

The Hics england (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.5

brown8

reviewed by
07-26-13

Ejeca – Rosario

ejeca

All the bros and blokes trying to make 2013 house-arage, start taking notes. “Rosario” new from Loft Records UK artist Ejeca is that aforementioned genre’s perfection realized. You, your heart, your mind, your soul; you need this track in your life right now.

Ejeca england (Soundcloud)

Rating 8.5

brown8

reviewed by
07-24-13

Dashius Clay – Jezebel

Dashius Clay - Jezebel

Dashius Clay suggests you sample his latest track a 2013 quiet storm re-imaging of Sade’s “Jezebel” as “the finishing touch to a glass of wine and good company.” So sample the track while we break the seal on this 2008 Malbec.

Dashius Clay (Facebook)

Rating 8

reviewed by
07-24-13