First off, thanks to everyone that made it out to the debut of KONTROL
on June 18th. We reached capacity by 11:30 and the music was
absolutely amazing! Thanks again to our Swiss guests from
Bruchstuecke, and be sure to check out the archives on our website for
pics and audio from the night (Galoppierende Zuversicht's live set is
up and ready for download!)
http://www.KONTROLsf.com/
Before we get on to this month's party, we'd like to quickly tip you
off to a friend's party coming up on July 9th. Concept SF this month
will feature Jeff Samuel from Seattle, along with Shawn Rudiman LIVE
and locals Sammy D and JZ. Jeff Samuel is friggin' amazing…highly
recommended! Details at:
http://www.conceptsf.com/
This month at KONTROL we are excited to feature a 2 hour performance
by underground tech-house hero KENNETH GRAHAM of Los Angeles. He is a
20+ year veteran of the electronic music scene who has produced with
the likes of Terry Francis, David Alvarado, Casey Hogan, and Rithma,
and has releases on too many labels to mention, but some highlights
being Peacefrog, Ovum, Spectral, Immigrant, Plastic City, Stickmen,
Jump, and his own imprint, called appropriately enough Controlteam!
Kenneth, while not technically performing "live", will be playing 100%
original material, over half of which is brand new and unreleased. If
you've never heard Kenneth Graham's productions before, you are in for
a treat. We are huge fans of his work and promise he will not
disappoint!
Kenneth Graham's Discography:
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Kenneth+Graham/
More info and downloadable tracks:
http://www.epitonic.com/artists/kennethgraham.html/
Supporting Kenneth is the SF debut LIVE performance by Marc Barrite,
a.k.a. DAVE AJU. Strange…feels like I've typed this before…hmm. Marc
is a longtime Bay Area music head, DJ, promoter, and producer, and is
truly an undiscovered gem amongst us, with both excellent taste and a
wealth of talent. He has releases on Circus Company out of Paris
(think Ark, Cabanne, Kean, Mossa), and Context, the Bay Area label run
by Seth Horvitz (Sutekh). Although he's played live in Europe to
great response, this will be his first legit live performance on his
home court of San Francisco. We're stoked to be the ones unleashing
him on the city!
Dave Aju's Discography:
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Dave+Aju
More on Dave Aju:
http://www.context.fm/artists_dave.html
More on Kenneth Graham: (courtesy of the overeasyrecords.com website)
Emerging from the endless stretches of Los Angeles with a sound
vision. Like others of his creed, Kenneth Graham's cynicism about the
state of the underground manifests itself in a creative flow. The
transcendental core of his approach frees him of the aesthetic
constraints that limit most and propels him across the frontiers of
experimental electronic music, establishing a diversity and range
sparsely discovered. One of the defining traits of great artists is
that their work is instantly recognizable. Even to the untrained eye,
a Picasso always leaps off a canvas. Further, the sounds of Miles
Davis' trumpet, regardless of what style he is playing, would never be
mistaken for anyone else. So too can it be said of Kenneth Graham's
music-his touch is evident to both novice and connoisseur fans of
electronic music. Always infinitely combining equal elements of mind
and machine, resulting in a sound that is both clinical and funky.
It's no surprise that since his introduction to electronic music in
1984, Kenneth has gone on to become one of the most influential dance
music producers, which is evidenced by being named in URB Magazine's
"Next 100" for 2000. But Graham's music exceeds the limitations of
restrictive titles and is simply good music. "For those producers that
have a gift for anticipating the future, and belief in that vision,
then it is only a matter of time before the masses jock your sound."
Apparently they are, for as "Underground" as Graham strives to be, he
has collectively sold over 100,000 units worldwide. Acknowledgment of
Graham's contribution as a producer and performer in the underground
electronic music movement continues to grow. Further, a personal idea
is reflected in his sound. Graham's inspiration, objective, and result
aspire toward the eternal. Graham is primarily driven by a desire to
create timeless moments and the diversity of his sound is simply a
reflection of that same desire.
More on Dave Aju: (courtesy of the booking.tv website)
The character known as Dave Aju was created by Marc David Barrite, who
began cultivating his passion for music and sounds at an early age,
being exposed to jazz by his father, and punk, rock, soul, and disco
by his elder siblings. After finding himself uninspired by traditional
instruments, he started learning to DJ from his brother back in 1985,
accompanying him at house parties as resident b-boy, breaking to a mix
of early hip-hop, electro, and what soon became known as house music.
Once he became a DJ in his own right (and could no longer spin on his
head), Marc discovered the underground scene and the minimal techno
sounds coming out of Detroit, immediately incorporating them into his
diverse DJ sets. Upon studying art and music in college, he became
interested in the philosophies and methods of Dada, surrealism,
musique concrete, and American avant-garde/minimalist composers such
as John Cage, La Monte Young, and Steve Reich. In 1997, the alias Dave
Aju (i.e. the opposite of déjà vu) was created as a means to combine
these influences with his love for quality dance music. In his
hometown of San Francisco, he is known to expose unsuspecting ears to
the Dave Aju sound through his notorious DJ sets. He has recently
joined forces with Context Free Media in San Francisco and Circus
Company in Paris to unleash some of his production ideas onto
dancefloors around the world.
http://www.KONTROLsf.com/