We get to listen to so much music at Dropout Towers, but every so often a label stands out above the rest, and in the last year we've come to love Berlin label Lucidflow. Run by Nadja Lind and Helmut Ebritsch, it's been putting out some stunning house and techno over the last three years with a clutch of local artists and established remixers, with Steve Rachmad, Silicone Soul and Terry Francis sitting alongside the likes of joining Klartraum, Terje Saether, Lind and Ebritsch.

Berlin may be more famous for uber-labels like Mobilee, Minus and the like, but Lucidflow is proof that amazing music can come out of the city without A-list DJs behind it, and they're on our 'must-listen' list for 2012. Check out their website and their brilliant new EP, reviewed below.

Breed EP by Terje Saether reviewed on 4clubbers.net: http://www.4clubbers.net/2012/music-reviews-23/

Lucidflow's website: www.lucidflow.de.

So, you’re hanging up your cans for the last time on the 4th. What’s the next chapter for you in music?

I’ve achieved everything I wanted to in dance music, and then some. I never dreamt at 17 that I would get to do some of the things I have, and i’ve only scratched the surface. I don’t feel I can contribute a huge amount any more as a DJ. I still plan on continuing to produce dance music, as I am still hugely passionate about the music, but I have loyalties elsewhere now.

I am a guitar player of over 15 years, in fact, it was my first love before electronic music. I have always wanted to be a drummer and am investing the next 2 years in learning the drums to a level that I can play in a gigging band. I get such a buzz out of it and it has given me a new lease of life in music. One door closes, another opens. I can’t say I will never DJ again, if the opportunity presents itself, but I am no longer represented by management nor am I actively seeking gigs. I’m glad i’m bowing out with friends and choosing to call it a day on my terms, rather than fading into obscurity and clinging on for dear life.

Who would you model yourself on drumming? Dave Grohl? Mick Fleetwood? Chad Smith?

If I could get to even 10% of their ability, i’ll have done well! Dave Grohl and Joey Castillo are probably my favourite drummers. Neil Peart can do some incredible things.

Over the years, what have been some of your favourite music gigs?

Wow, i’ve been to some amazing gigs. Fleetwood Mac’s reunion tour, Foo Fighters at Wembley Arena, U2 at Glastonbury, Eric Clapton & Jeff Beck – i’ve been to hundreds and hundreds of gigs, big and small. I really enjoyed Cast’s reunion gig in London last year; I got to see the band soundcheck and have a beer with them in the dressing room before the gig! Top lads.

What’s been your most memorable nights behind the decks?

I can’t give just one, but I can give you the best 4; the first time I played The Arches in Glasgow, first time I played Global Club in Lithuania, the 2^nd night of playing La Mania in Romania and headlining the Friday of the Baltic Beach Party. They were all a riot. Happy days.

You’re a massive football fan. If you could score the winner in the Old Firm derby to win the league, or make a seminal record that’s remembered for 20 years, which would you choose?

With the state of the Old Firm these days, I could probably get a game! If you were to change that question and put “score the winner for Leeds to win the league”, then it would be that every time, no question. It’s every schoolboy’s dream to score for his team isn’t it?! Sadly it will be a long time before my lot are challenging for the league again!

Where would you like to think you’d be in a year, musically? Drumming regularly and writing music with the band?

Perhaps a year is a bit soon, but certainly within two, I would like to be a competent live drummer and hopefully find a band to gig and write with. Even if it was just the pub circuit, one step at a time!

Are there any nailed-on records you can confirm for the set on the 4th?

As with any gig, I will adjust according to the night and the crowd. While it’s my last gig, what I play has to be in keeping with the ethos of the night. I’m sure there’ll be a couple of oldies and a surprise or two, but I’ll be keeping the set as ‘current’ as possible.

Anything else you’ve got up your sleeve for the night?

I’m going to DJ naked with David Guetta’s name drawn on my cock.

Head to www.stuhirst.com if you want more, and just come down on the night and see him in the flesh.

Stu’s been DJing for over a decade and releasing records almost as long. His breakout track – Rhythmique – caught the attention of Steve Lawler and Pete Tong, and landed on Lawler’s Lights Out compilation in 2005 and since then he’s released on some of the scene’s biggest imprints, from GU Music to Harlem, Baroque and Viva to Cr2 and Plastic Fantastic. He brings a pedigree of music with a party-starting character that fits our template perfectly. Ben Gomori will be a tough act to follow, but we’ll be throwing everything at it as we enter our fifth year. Expect house music of the highest order alongside residents Guy Hornsby, Jamie Richards and Stef Lesik.

As ever, the serious effort goes into Dropout’s commitment to shit-hot music, free from big club pretention. It’s all getting back to good quality music in a venue that cares more about the beats than the boat shoes. So welcome 2012 in style at The Star Of Bethnal Green on the 4th February to turn on, tune in and Dropout.

Stu Hirst (Global Underground,Gung-Ho)

Stu Hirst is one of the hardest-working producers around, an artist that’s appeared on an avalanche of labels since his first EP on Harlem in 2005, and continues to do in 2012 with recent work out on Gung-Ho. With close to fifty releases over the years, his appetite for making music is undimmed and it’s a passion that’s evident in his DJ sets over the course of his career, with Stu always showing his character behind the decks, the epicentre of each energetic gig, whether he’s playing at Space in Ibiza, festivals in Eastern Europe or one of his many gigs in the capital over the last ten years.
We’re honoured that he’s chosen Dropout to hang up his cans after over a decade playing music to clubbers across the globe. With his bi-weekly Global Underground radio show on Ministry and a slew of tracks on the go, (not to mention fitting in time to be a drummer in a band!) his career will continue to flourish, but we can be sure he’s going to give Dropout a send-off set to remember, so we can’t wait to get the Scotsman down to lift the roof off one of East London’s best venues. One of dance music’s good guys, Stu Hirst should ensure it’s one of our best ever parties.

Guy Hornsby (Dropout/Sideways Recordings)

Guy’s fifteen-year love affair with house music has taken him on a winding path from a house music epiphany at university in Sheffield to London, through sub-genres, numerous fashion crimes and many of the country’s best-loved dancefloors. In the twelfth year of his DJ career, the Londoner’s firmly settled on a blend of deep, groovy and techy house, always aimed at moving feet, not stroking chins, and has put needle to vinyl at almost every one of the capital’s major dancefloors.

After ten years of promoting everywhere from SeOne to Ministry, he’s settled on the less suffocating surroundings of Shoreditch as one third of Dropout’s laid-back posse, bringing forward-thinking music to Saturday’s demanding hordes. In 2009 he took in the sunny climes of Croatia’s Petracane at the Airbound festival alongside London dates. With a number of productions under his belt on Landed, Drag’n’Drop and L:Music, and an EP and remix out on Sideways Recordings last summer, it’s a production career that’s slowly gaining momentum and garnering him attention in the city he calls home. It is, as they say, a marathon, not a sprint.

Jamie Richards (Dropout)

Jamie Richards has covered a good deal of ground on his electronic odyssey so far – relocating to Leeds in his late teens and forming StefJam with partner in crime Stefan Lesik – Jamie rocked a plethora of dance floors throughout the city. Then, returning to the capital as a resident at DropOut, a forward thinking party focusing on good sounds, good times and a no pretension mentality.

2009 was a frenetic and exciting year for Jamie, holding down a full time career, a residency and a number of guest sets at parties across London. Over the next two years Jamie has been tinkering in the studio, working on a smorgasbord of deep, warm, rhythmic house that is ready for a full dancefloor assault as summer edges into view. Watch this space….

Stef Lesik (Dropout)

From rocking the dancefloors at his home town in Cambridge at the age of 17, to holding down a number of residencies in Leeds and London, Stefan Lesik has continued to take on slots at some of the country’s most established venues.

Teaming up up with Jamie Richards in 2004 to form StefJam, the rumbunctious duo hit on a winning formula providing Leeds and beyond with a fresh and vibrant approach to house music. Now living in North London, web designer and music lover Stefan is concentrating all his might on Dropout – based in Shoreditch and is guaranteed to make a lasting impression…

Dropout feat. Stu Hirst

Saturday 4th February 2012
The Star Of Bethnal Green,
359 Bethnal Green Road,
London E2 6LG
9pm-2am
£4 early bird/£5 after and on the door

www.dropout-london.co.uk

Dropout feat. Stu Hirst - 4th Feb 2012

Ben Gomori

Seeing as we’ve got another sterling guest down at Dropout Towers we thought it’d only be right to big up Ben Gomori. The Londoner’s done it all really, resident at legendary venues like Turnmills, The Key and the Cross, but outlived the lot. He’s been producing for a few years now, with tracks across Black Sheep Trax, Baker Street, Berwick Street, Seamless Black and Plastica amongst others, and sets at the Secret Garden Party, Escape In The Park and recently, Oxjam.

He’s a man about town that knows how to bring his party with him wherever he goes, and we, for one, can’t wait to have him down on Saturday night.

If you want to get stuck in even more, here’s some more of Ben in various forms:

www.benzmixes.com
http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/bengomori
http://www.myspace.com/bengomorimusic
http://twitter.com/#!/bengomori

Seth Troxler - The Lab 03 - NRK Records

We’re big fans of the Visionquest crew, with their take on house that wobbles from disco to full-on rave, and their main man, Seth Troxler, is about to release a new compilation for the legendary NRK imprint. Lab 03 is a two-disc album of weird and wonderful house music and it’s out this week. For all the info, have a look here:

http://www.nrkrecords.co.uk/thelab/

and there’s a recent review of mine up on the 4clubbers.net website here:

http://www.4clubbers.net/2011/music-reviews-12/

Enjoy!

Ben’s had a string of releases recently on the likes of Black Sheep, Baker Street and Bigger Deer and we’re delighted to get him down for what will be our second last party of the year. After last time’s 3rd birthday highpoint we’ve got a tough act to follow, but we’ll be filling the Star with all the four corners of house music as we enter our fourth year. Expect house music of the highest order alongside residents Guy Hornsby, Jamie Richards and Stef Lesik.

As ever, the serious effort goes into Dropout’s commitment to shit-hot music, free from big club pretention. It’s all getting back to good quality music in a venue that cares more about the beats than the boat shoes. So welcome the summer in style and come down and help us blow out the candles at The Star Of Bethnal Green on the 11th June to turn on, tune in and Dropout.

Ben Gomori (Baker Street/We Love…. Fresh Blood)

And for broader horizons, we’ve got a guest that’s more than a match for the new venue. Dean Muhsin is the man behind Bearweasel. One half of a production duo that’s had deep and hypnotic tracks and remixes out on the likes of Murmur, Soma, Steadfast, Classic and most recently on Tsuba’s 5 Year EPs, and 100% of the DJ, with recent gigs at Fabric, Harlem Nights and in Oslo, and upcoming gigs at Weekend, Cargo, 333 and Cable, we’re drooling over the prospect of having him down to grace the decks at our birthday. Expect house music of the highest order alongside residents Guy Hornsby, Jamie Richards and Stef Lesik.

As ever, the serious effort goes into Dropout’s commitment to shit-hot music, free from big club pretention. It’s all getting back to good quality music in a venue that cares more about the beats than the boat shoes. So welcome the summer in style and come down and help us blow out the candles at The Star Of Bethnal Green on the 11th June to turn on, tune in and Dropout.

Bearweasel (Tsuba)

From the early days lapping up UK rave on tired old cassettes via pouring over every last word in Future Music Magazine and perennial weekend sessions soundtracked by the likes of Newcastle¹s Shindig and master jocks including DJ Sneak, Stacey Pullen and Green Velvet, music has always been Dean Muhsin¹s porn of choice. Now one half of production duo Bearweasel alongside Louisa Page, Dean has quietly gone about his way, earning the respect of his peers and the love of those he plays to courtesy of consistently classy DJ sets and tracks and remixes for the likes of Tsuba, Supernature, Classic, Soma, Brendon Moeller and Stevie Kotey’s Hairy Claw.

Whilst the chirpy Geordie may deprecatingly refer to his own musical taste, those who embark on a sonic journey with him will always disagree: it would be foolish to undersell considered and carefully crafted sets which balance progress with precision, subtlety with style. Much more so they’re tasteful excursions into the deepest caverns of house music which attack both the head and the heel, and do so without unnecessary fuss. Striking such a balance is what Dean does best; his obsession with residencies and the demands of such a job show a dedication to his art and to the music he plays.

£4 Early bird / £5 Second release 

Buy tickets for this event

It’s hard to wade through the new music that hits Dropout’s inbox some weeks, but then others it’s a mountain of amazing tunes.

Magicbag’s may only be a few releases old, but the Leeds label’s put out some brilliant music so far, from their own Death On The Balcony, to dOP and Youandewan. This month is all Ewan Smith’s, with the fantastic Meet Me In Teufelsberg EP, a four tracker that’s got everything from downbeat electronics to euphoric techno.

‘One to watch’ is often overused, but in this case, Youandewan, and Magicbag will be fulfilling this in 2011.

Heading to Alexandra Palace on 11th November we got a double-header of two of the best bands around at the moment: LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip. Having seen both this year already (in fact Hot Chip are my most-seen band now, clocking up 6 gigs since Lovebox in 2006) at Sonar, it was great to see them together, and while the venue’s organisation left a bit of be desired, the sound and vision from the two groups were, as ever, brilliant. Hot Chip may not click live for some people, but I love them as a real work-in-progress style of performance: there’s so much going on, so many instruments involved, and they look like they’re having the time of their lives (as much as uber-electro-geeks can do anyway). Hearing a lot of their new album One Life Stand was great. Brothers and One Life Stand always get to me.

But it was even more poignant seeing LCD Soundsystem, as it is probably the last time (certainly for a long time, possibly for ever) that they’ll play in London. Having started up as a one-album experiment by James Murphy and Pat Mahoney – with Nancy Whang joining them as well as a roll-call of concert and album collaborators (including, aptly, Hot Chip’s Al Doyle) – they’ve been possibly one of the bands that’s dominated the decade’s music since their eponymous album in 2005. It’s hard to think it’s only been 5 years since I first heard Daft Punk Is Playing In My House. I was captivated, and wanted to know who this band was, that played rough and scuzzy pop that sounded alternatively like house music, garage rock and lo-fi electronic wistfulness.

Since then, they’ve been the soundtrack to mine and many others’ lives, each album being able to pinpoint various events, be it trips to Ibiza, Sonar, roasting London Summers or grey wet winters. It’s obviously sad they’re going their seperate ways, but you can’t blame James Murphy. He’s so full of ideas that it’s almost criminal to keep him on one thing, and he passed up producing Arcade Fire’s last album (Neon Bible) when he was caught up on Sound Of Silver. They leave a legacy of amazing records, and resounding memories, and as a live band they’re up there with the best.

Sadly for the gig, James’ voice was suffering, but he still made it a night to remember, one which is – as is now ever more popular – now also available on CD. It’s a way for bands to get extra income against the illegal downloads that hit their record sales, and to the music fan it’s an official modern-day version of the concert bootleg that becomes a perfect memory of a night that may have been hazy in the coming weeks.

So, goodbye to LCD, I’m sure we’ve not heard the last of them.

Even more incredible was 1st December, and finally seeing Arcade Fire after 7 years of failed attempts. Words don’t really do the band or gig justice, but suffice to say they took a venue that I hate – the o2 – and turned it into a majestic backdrop for one of the top 5 gigs of my reasonable life.

Many times you’ll build up the event that you’ve been waiting so long to see until it’s at a level of anticipation that it can’t possibly top, but in this case, it sailed past that and way beyond. Having loved all three albums with reverence, I knew it would be impossible to include every song I’d want to hear, but they almost achieved it. Adding a raw energy to the studio sound, especially rocking the walls down to Month Of May (they’re not violin-wielding folksters when they don’t want to be) and closing with a fantatsic encore of We Used To Wait and Wake Up (the cherry on the proverbial cake) I shuffled into the cold floating on air.

It’s at times like this that you realise live music is really without challenger for an emotional, physical and aural experience. Let’s hope we’re still saying this in 2020.

Millionhands - the Don of t-shirt makers

Dropout’s long been fans of Millionhands work, whether it’s their blog on music, fashion and oddities, or their world-beating range of t-shirts. Whether it’s their own O Face design, or channelling a bit of Grace Jones, David Byrne and Kenny Dope, listing their favourite artists, or simply showing some love, they make t-shirts that feel like a silken glove (and come in organic cotton for the green amongst us). Many of Dropout’s parties have been graced by their threads so far, and many more will in future.

So have a look at their shop, and have a read of their blog. We love them, and we’re sure you will too.