Back in 2006 Erol was named by Mixmag as the DJ of the year, and, before then, a select few of us knew him from his residency at Trash, The End (now replaced by Durr Durr where he makes an odd appearance here and there). It was exciting to see him play in such intimate spaces; there was a definitive buzz surrounding his sets; a distinct feeling that we have something special to hold on to here that hasn’t quite blown up yet. The widespread accolades and praise that arrived at the end of 2006 and beginning of 2007 put an end to that. He was no longer your underground DJ who you could proudly show-off to your mates, and probably end up having a chat with. He’s now massive, picking up headline slots at festivals and being booked at anywhere thats anywhere. There’s no doubting he’s still part of a niche, and the same trendy scenesters can still be seen at his sets, sporting all kinds of over-priced tshirts, but now the lager-louts are present too – the ones usually best left in the trance tent at Creamfields, and who wedgy you severely for those skinny jeans you thought would go down so well…
No… but seriously, it’s brilliant that Erol has received the widespread acknowledment that he so clearly deserves. But I cant help but feel slightly sad that our little secret (Erol Alkan) is now out in the open. I always feel protective about these things. Furthemore, where are all of his remixes that made 2005 and 2006 such a treat? What exactly has that towering Erol of ours been doing?
Well, alot actually. He hasnt let all the success get to his head. While he’s still ripping up small and large venues alike (playing the likes of Toronto, then Berlin, then to California in matters of days), he’s been very busy producing full length albums for The Long Blondes and The Mystery Jets. He’s also lent his masterly hands to smaller projects, such as Late Of The Pier’s ‘Bathroom Gurgle’ and ‘The Bears Are Coming’ (as well as an ardent and accomplished collaboration with Switch):
It was the
Game Over blog that alerted me to this
divine collaboration between Switch, The Mystery Jets and Erol Alkan (see the video
here), and subsequently had me scrabbling around for a digital copy. With Switch on remixing duty and Erol on production, it had to be a sure-fire hit. It starts with vocals layered over some fizzing distortion, and the track changes tack half way through dropping into an infectious round-and-round whirring sound, stripped of all vocals. This will be
big:
Mystery Jets’s second album ’21′ was released on March 24th. I personally have never been into their original material – though it is certainly inventive – but prefer the remixes. Their music is techinically classed as prog due to their variety of instruments and music-making methods. If anyone has been to see them live, you will have seen the Mystery Jets greeted by their fans by a boisterous chanting of ‘ZOO TIME, ZOO TIME, ZOO TIME’, in reference to one of their first popular tracks. Most interesting of all, however, is that one of the band members’ father plays with them. Blaine Harris is the lead vocalist and guitarist, while his father, Henry, plays the guitar, keyboards, percussion as well as providing some additional vocal.
Their proggy style is ripe for remixing, and there have been plenty of fine remixes that have gone before this brilliant Switch/Erol output. Justice added some jazzy distortion to ‘You Can’t Fool Me Dennis’, and focus heavily on the repetition of those vocals. Their most successful single, ‘The Boy Who Ran Away’, was remixed by retro-electro master Riton. Riton infuses some dominating, pounding bass that fits neatly alongside those vocals. A near-perfect remix. Their latest single (‘Young Love’, out last month) receives a charming little electro remix from The Shoes. They add some subtle and adept tweaks that make it an altogether more accessible track. Once again, LA Riots manage to add their golden touch – this time to ‘Diamonds In The Dark’ – with lots of intertwining tweaks, with drum-beats, gnarled sythns and rasping basslines, transforming it into an unexpected dancefloor stormer.
Erol, like all overworked mad-geniuses, has a side-project to keep him even busier: both him and his pal Richard Norris make up Beyond The Wizard’s Sleeve (and have done for a couple of years now). It’s a gloriously bizarre project filled with 60s and 70s rock samples, fused with soft, melodic electronica. It all smacks of a nostalgia for a time long gone… This is what the chilled-out-hippies of the 60s would be listening to if they could get their hands on abletonlive or some modern synthesisers. It is – dare I say it – beatiful music; a slight departure for Pelski in comparison to the face-melting bangers often posted here. Its psychedelic, soft and pleasing to the ears. So now we have Erol’s other project to get all over-protective about – and I’m sure this wont blow up like Erol has (unless the mass-consumption of LSD sees a revival in 2008)…you just have a listen…
And here are a couple of pretty scrappy vids I made about a year or two ago when I saw Erol at The End in London and The Plug in Sheffield (Erol claims on his myspace blog that his set at The Plug was his greatest of 2007, and I would agree, having seen him five times that year – this was superior in terms of mixing, music and atmosphere).
Back in 2006 Erol was named by Mixmag as the DJ of the year, and, before then, a select few of us knew him from his residency at Trash, The End (now replaced by Durr Durr where he makes an odd appearance here and there). It was exciting to see him play in such intimate spaces; there was a definitive buzz surrounding his sets; a distinct feeling that we have something special to hold on to here that hasn’t quite blown up yet. The widespread accolades and praise that arrived at the end of 2006 and beginning of 2007 put an end to that. He was no longer your underground DJ who you could proudly show-off to your mates, and probably end up having a chat with. He’s now massive, picking up headline slots at festivals and being booked at anywhere thats anywhere. There’s no doubting he’s still part of a niche, and the same trendy scenesters can still be seen at his sets, sporting all kinds of over-priced tshirts, but now the lager-louts are present too – the ones usually best left in the trance tent at Creamfields, and who wedgy you severely for those skinny jeans you thought would go down so well…
No… but seriously, it’s brilliant that Erol has received the widespread acknowledment that he so clearly deserves. But I cant help but feel slightly sad that our little secret (Erol Alkan) is now out in the open. I always feel protective about these things. Furthemore, where are all of his remixes that made 2005 and 2006 such a treat? What exactly has that towering Erol of ours been doing?
Mystery Jets’s second album ’21′ was released on March 24th. I personally have never been into their original material – though it is certainly inventive – but prefer the remixes. Their music is techinically classed as prog due to their variety of instruments and music-making methods. If anyone has been to see them live, you will have seen the Mystery Jets greeted by their fans by a boisterous chanting of ‘ZOO TIME, ZOO TIME, ZOO TIME’, in reference to one of their first popular tracks. Most interesting of all, however, is that one of the band members’ father plays with them. Blaine Harris is the lead vocalist and guitarist, while his father, Henry, plays the guitar, keyboards, percussion as well as providing some additional vocal.
