Free podcast mix/episode: Download now (Duration: 4:38 — 10.6MB)

KRAFTY KUTS (Against the Grain, Finger Lickin’, UK)

Leading artists like Krafty Kuts have understood the mobile computing platform and brought their musical vision to them. We asked him a few questions so you can get a sense of the genius of this artist. We also used his iPhone app and now bring you what we think about both. They’re brilliant!

DJ tools are the most fundamental of sampling instruments. Kool Herc invented the breakbeat by using other records as his DJ tools to play sounds, samples, and rhythms that could be played together to create an entirely new track. Similarly, Krafty Kuts has put together an effects palette of 108 sounds which are so easy to navigate, select, and play – that Kool Herc himself would be dumbfounded.

These sounds are for DJs who want to transform an otherwise ordinary set of other people’s music to a personalized set. This app would not be appropriate for DJs who keep their eyes fixated on the mixer and turntables. This is an app specifically built for the DJ to engage and interact with the crowd. It seems especially fit, not so surprisingly, for breaks sets.

The idea is that you launch the application, and then plug your iPhone into any available channel on your mixing board. The application interface is seamless and a breeze to manipulate. There are 9 pages to scroll through and 12 buttons per page; each labeled with a brief description of what the sample is.

The buttons range from electronic sounds such as Laser, Woosh, and Squelch to vocal samples like “Now Hear Dis” and “Make Some Noise”. Another cool feature is that it splits up phrases such as “Ain’t no trick my DJ can’t do” into separate samples for “Ain’t” “No” “Trick” “My” “DJ” “Can’t” “Do” – which is perfect for adjusting to tracks with different tempos and builds.

Krafty Kuts iPhone app fits in your pocket, plugs into any mixer, and is a steal for $4.99 USD (£2.99). Up the ante next time you play to an eager crowd of trainspotters… “Wait, that’s not in the original tune”!!

Krafty Kuts, when did you or your family notice your interest in music?
I grew up in the UK and discovered music in the early 90’s when listening to The Specials, The Beat, ska, and 2 tone. Later, found electro, hip-hop, and loved the whole movement and culture. I taught myself to break dance and DJ. Then, the world of music opened up and my life changed from that moment.

When did you get interested or exposed to electronic dance music?
Also in the early 90’s, I started buying records like the Street Sounds Electro compilations and going to car boot sales and 2^nd hand record stores collecting funk and disco. It became an obsession to have the biggest and best collection. I would spend every spare minute travelling around the country finding those ultimate rare gems. I built up an awesome record collection.

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Elite Force, one of the many identities of Simon Shackleton, is known worldwide for destroying dancefloors with a hybrid mix of house, techno, breakbeat, dubstep, electro and everything in between… tech-funk is one way of putting it… another is: pure quality, pure class. As a producer, Shack has been recognized by his peers as a virtuoso… a master of the craft… honing his sound to a wicked blend of underground influences and engineered with a scientist ear. He keeps it fresh. Shack sets the standard.

On his just-released compilation album Re:Vamped (March 8—my birthday, no less!), Shack revisits some of the classic tunes and sounds of the past several years—mashing them up, remixing them, slicing them, blending them, and spitting them out into pure dancefloor rapture. Injected into this madness are some new tracks – including breakbeat juggernaut “The Law of Life”.

JR: So Shack, tell us, when did the idea for Re:Vamped come about?
EF: The idea to actually release the tracks came about around August of of last year. They were all originally intended just for use in my own DJ sets, but then I realised that there would be a good chance of being able to get licenses for a lot of the tracks I’d used, so we set about doing that … and man, it was a mission! We got there in the end though, even though some of the more ’snooty’ dubstep and techno labels weren’t willing to play ball.

JR: Is it any accident that much of this record is getting back to your breakbeat roots? Is it a fair assumption to say your roots are in breakbeat??
EF: I think that’s what people’s perception is yes. My own personal roots pre-date releasing or making any music really, and the first things I put out were techno 12″s and rock/rap crossover tracks with an extra helping of industrial yowwwlllll. But yes, I think most people know me more for my breaks productions than anything, and it just happens that a big chunk of this album is beats-orientated, as that was the stuff I felt was lacking from my own sets.

JR: While we’re discussing genre, you’ve had a lot to say about this matter on your Beatport blog, do you find that others are embracing your anti-genre position as you travel the globe?
EF: I honestly don’t think it matters that much to people on the ground — if the dancefloor’s moving and people are happy with the night and the sounds, then the job is done … it’s only when you delve into the darker corners of the internet on a Monday morning that you hear whispers of discontent from the self-appointed taste police and I’m done being bothered with all that.

JR: What are your impressions of where the US scene is at right now?
EF: It’s a tricky one to answer really given I don’t spend all that much time out there (I hope that will change after this album’s been released), but the opportunities to come out & play in cities other than San Francisco have been very thin on the ground over the past few years. I think it’s always going to be tricky in the US … there’s no cohesive national radio, each city has it’s own identity, the over 21 drinking rules are stupidly repressive and without serious tour support behind you to do what the likes of Crystal Method have done over the years, it’s very hard to make an impact. That being said, it’s been really inspiring to see what Bassnectar has been doing out there using his own unique vision of how to connect with people, and to an extent that’s been a lead I’ve been following in the last few months in establishing my own way of doing things, and the project has grown exponentially during that time!

JR: Was 2009 your first experience playing at Burning Man? What was that like?
EF: It was my first time, yes, and it’s a struggle to put it into words, even after months away from the Playa. I’m certainly not a religious person, but there was a spiritual element to Burning Man which really floored me & whilst I’m not 100% sure I’ll be able to go back this year, it’s very hard to imagine not being there again. The DJ sets out there were a lot of fun and full of spine-tingling energy, but they were only a small part of the experience for me.

JR: About three years ago, we were chatting pre-show at Mighty (SF) about how to stand out as a producer. You mentioned that you receive countless demos and that aspiring producers really must understand how high the quality has to be. Do you have any advice on how aspiring producers (such as myself)—even those of us with some limited success on other labels—can take their game to the next level?
EF:It’s evolution not revolution for 99.9% of people. I think people’s expectations as producers tend to be unduly high and this usually means that people are unwilling to really listen to critical opinion on their music. The fact is that even a relatively successful release will only give you a slight bump in your profile, and if you’re not ready to follow it up with more material at regular intervals, you will find yourself sliding back each time you make a little progress, so it’s important that you are very organized and you follow up and follow through with any positives that come from your work. Use the networks heavily and creatively:  Twitter, Facebook, iLike, LastFM, Blogs, MySpace, E-Mail databases all have roles to play, so make sure your time is well spent and be prepared for a long hard slog with a LOT more hard work than most people imagine!

JR: The first time i heard “Mad as Hell” by Vandal was at Opulent Temple at Burning Man 2005 – Lee Coombs dropped it on an unsuspecting Saturday night crowd and completely changed the universe at that moment. As an example from this album – how on earth did Hatiras, JELO, and Stanton Warriors enter the equation on M.A.D? The result is amazing.
EF: Well when I was messing around with some ideas for new tracks & mashups for the album, I tended to have 30 or 40 tracks loaded up in Ableton in the same key as one another and just started experimenting with taking basslines form here, leads from there and big breakdowns from here … the basic principal was that ‘There are No Rules’ and no copyright (seeing as none of it was going to be released), and the result was a very liberating & fresh approach to the source material. If I ever did another one of these albums (which I may well do) i think it would be hard to be able to think quite as liberally as I could on this one, given that I’d be thinking about licensing restrictions & suchlike.

JR: Congratulations on all the success of your label U&A. What does the future hold?
EF:More of the same really. Developing the label as a brand a little more with some dedicated label nights, bringing through some of the younger artists I’ve been working with and giving them the best possible platform for the world to hear their music, and also looking forward at ever more creative ways of releasing music and communicating with people.

We would like to thank Shack for stopping by to answer some of our questions… and seriously people, do not waste time – pick yourself up a copy of this record on Beatport right away. Even by Elite Force-standards – this album is the fucking b.o.m.b. GO NOW!!

Album Review:

March 8 2010 sees Elite Force, one of Dance Music’s most admired artists, unshackle his brand new album, Re:Vamped, a jaw-dropping mix of bespoke refixes and re-edits that will redefine the art form.

Right from the word go, when Simon ‘Shack’ Shackleton created Elite Force the moniker became synonymous not only with gilt-edged class but also with the ability to deliver guaranteed club carnage time and time again. Straddling styles and riding roughshod across genre lines, both as a DJ and producer, Elite Force has carved an enviable reputation as an innovator, never staying still creatively long enough to be pigeon holed or trapped in a single scene.

The strength of his own musical output led to a series of critically lauded remixes for the likes of Miles Dyson, UNKLE, Groove Armada,Crystal Method Dylan Rhymes and Grandmaster Flash, that continue to cement his reputation as an aural trailblazer with a distinctive take on music. Already famed within DJ circles for his on-point re-edits that have drawn heavy praise from the likes of Fatboy Slim, James Zabiela, Laurent Garnier and Sasha, Elite Force has moved on from the simple restructuring of tunes to fit his set, viewing the tracks sent to him as raw material to be reshaped, retuned, chopped and reborn as something new, something fresh.

As sHack puts it himself: “I decided to embark on a whole new extension of the re-edit idea looking at creating a number of brand new tracks out of components taken from older tunes… proper mash-ups. Some were born out of simple live jams that evolved into finely tuned studio creations, whilst others were ground-up rebuilds where I was effectively writing new pieces of music using samples from other tracks. There was no fixed way of working and no sacred cows that went un-plundered.”

The result of this new approach is Re:Vamped a seamless excursion through Elite Force’s unique record bag taking in artists as diverse as Danielle Papini, Hugg & Pepp, Classixx and Bassbin Twins. Kicking off with the pounding kicks of Final Whistle sHack takes to the task with relish fusing French funksters Popof and Delon & Daclan with Lee Coombs & Dylan Rhymes before slipping into the euphoric energy of Red Lights & Lasers. Barbar Blaze’s bouncing b-line takes no prisoners as Palmer Brown’s searing a capella from Blaze’s ‘Do You Remember House?’ takes the track into the realms of uncharted mayhem, Harness The Nonsense sees sHack doing just that, entering heads down territory for a run of superlative cuts reassembling recent clubbing history into a whole that effortlessly transcends the sum of its parts. Dissecting elements of Propellerheads, Blatta & Inesha, Wolfgang Gartner and Meat Katie and assimilating them into a world of fierce subs, cavernous beats and incessant leads, before stitching them back together with consummate ease, Re:Vamped is brought to a heavyweight close with a re-reading of Bar9’s Shaolin Style that underlines Elite Force’s musical vision faultlessly.

In all twenty-eight mash-ups have made their way into Elite Force’s sets since the project’s inception, 16 of which appear on Pre-vamped. Several of those that didn’t make the mix have become part of the ‘Pre:Vamped’ project, a series of monthly free downloads that are set to become available across a massive network of online blogs & mailing lists. Keep checking http://soundcloud.com/elite-force for more information.

http://www.eliteforcemusic.com
http://soundcloud.com/elite-force

FULL RE:VAMPED TRACKLISTING:

1. Intro
2. The Final Whistle (Elite Force, Popof, Delon & Dalcan, Lee Coombs, Dylan Rhymes)
3. Red Lights & Lasers (Elite Force, Redlight, Meat Katie, Toob)
4. Barbar Blaze (Elite Force, Blaze, Hugg & Pepp)
5. Harness The Nonsense (Elite Force, Daniele Papini, Tim Green, Harnessnoise)
6. Reclaim Control (Elite Force, Calvertron)
7. Annihilate (Elite Force, 6Blocc)
8. The Law Of Life (Elite Force)
9. Rhythm Rocks The Blue (Elite Force, Stanton Warriors, Bassbin Twins, Dopamine)
10. M.A.D. (Elite Force, Hatiras, JELO, Stanton Warriors)
11. Cali Sk8r (Elite Force, Propellerheads)
12. Bring The Panic (Elite Force, Blatta & Inesha, Hijack, Rogue Element, Meat Katie)
13. Divine Act (Elite Force, Classixx, Wolfgang Gartner, Meat Katie, Roland Clarke)
14. Scrammed (Elite Force, Plump DJs)
15. Calypso (Elite Force, Datsik, Excision)
16. Shaolin Style (Elite Force, Bar9)

Free podcast mix/episode: Download now (Duration: 50:42 — 58.7MB)

DYLAN RHYMES (dylanrhymes.com/Lot49, UK)

I first heard the name Dylan Rhymes when I discovered Whole9Yards – the UK record label that would forever change my taste in electronic music. It started with Dark Globe, then I discovered Meat Katie and Elite Force. I knew Lee Coombs from Fingerlickin’… but this was the beginning of my love-affair with all things tech-funk.

The record store I frequented the most in LA at the time was on Melrose Avenue… one of the shop DJs knew I was into breaks and ordered me all kinds of great stuff from the UK. After moving from LA to Chicago and Gramophone Records being my new home for music – it didn’t take long for the shop to know all Lot49 music would be purchased (at $12 per 12″) by yours truly.

Almost as quickly as I had discovered this music, I made my first visit to San Francisco – where a talented young DJ named shOOey was playing Salty at a small bar in the Mission. I knew at that moment that this town “got it”… not less than 4 hours later I would hear Melyss play my all-time favorite Rhymes track Party People at an underground Opel event. This was May of 2005. It was decided: we had to move to San Francisco.

It is fitting that we feature Dylan Rhymes this week – the 8th anniversary of Opel is this weekend. I know SF has become as special of a place to Marvin as it has to me, so I decided to ask him a little about his experiences in the city on the bay:

JR: When did you first hear about breaks being popular in San Francisco?
DR: Before my first trip, which seems an age ago now, I had heard there was a big party scene in SF. For such a relatively small city I was amazed at how many people were in to the whole underground culture. Luckily having always worked with Opel promotions there I wasn’t DJing to a one genre crowd. They were very accepting of all styles of dance music which was great for me as I play a lot of different music.

JR: What is the most special about visiting and/or playing in San Francisco for you?
DR: I love going to SF because it is one of the most welcoming places I have ever been to. There is a great spirit amongst the people that live there and I have made some amazing friends. The shows are always fantastic but you gotta prepare for the after party onslaught

JR: Can you share with us a memorable moment from your gigs at Opel over the past several years?
DR: One of many special moments I can remember was playing @ Mezzanine with my Label partner Meat Katie. Prior to the party there was a fashion show of all local talented designers and manufacturers. It blew my mind the work and effort that went in to this production and how well it went. It was only my 2nd or 3rd time in SF and this experience cemented the fact that it would be my number 1 destination to play.

JR: What is it like playing at Opulent Temple at Burning Man?
DR: It is an experience which I find hard to describe as every time I think about it I conjure up different moods and memories. You have to go to Burning Man to fully comprehend and appreciate the hedonism of it all. I guess the easiest way I can describe playing there is to imagine thousands of people in front of you that are having the best time of their life and you are responsible. At the risk of sounding like a Trance DJ, I would say EUPHORIC…if that’s allowed?

JR: What is different about playing in SF compared to other cities around the world?
DR: The main differences are the crowd is very open to different styles and they are out to party. It’s a very simple process for the Bay Area people……they go out…..they get down……they enjoy themselves! SIMPLE!

I would like to thank Marvin for participating in this years “Take Five” (we did a five question interview with Syd Gris last year prior to the Opel 7 year anniversary). His music has been an inspiration to me and I am thrilled we could feature an amazing mix of his this week on Jungo Road.

A little more about our friend Marvin…

Dance music has been the biggest part of Rhyme’s life from a young age. Inspired by early hip hop and electro a la Kraftwerk and Doug E. Fresh, Marvin purchased his first set of decks at 15 and caught the bug in a bad way. Rhythm Design Studios in Uxbridge became the birthplace of Outsiders, Drake and Beaver’s much-lauded project for Junior Boy’s Own Chicago influenced Jus Trax label. Friend, DJ and London mainstay Clive Henry then joined the team and the trio became Peace Division, a project that gained props from every corner of dance music without exception.

Since then he has cemented his reputation as one of the leaders of the breakbeat and tech house scenes through his output through Kingsize Records, Meat Katie’s Whole9Yards and Lot49 labels and his own Blue Black imprint. Besides original work, Beaver has also remixed the likes of Deep Dish, Infusion, Dave Gahan, BT, Overseer, Unkle and Puretone while he has collaborated with Meat Katie, Christian J, Force Mass Motion (as Silencer) and Anthony J Gorry (on his 2004 album, Dead Famous).

Catch Dylan Rhymes in the US over the next month or so starting this Saturday February 27th at Mighty (SF) for the Opel 8 Year Anniversary, March 6th in Tucson, AZ at The Rock, and then March 16th & 18th at SXSW as part of Lot49’s Texas invasion!

More about Dylan Rhymes on his site, Lot49, MySpace, SoundCloud, and Twitter.

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1. Dylan Rhymes + Meat Katie – ONLY YOU (Haggstrom remix)
2. Etienne De Crecy – Move
3. Zoo Brazil – FANCY (Popof remix)
4. Andreas Henneberg, Simon2 – BOLINGO GRINGO
5. Dylan Rhymes + Meat Katie – ONLY YOU (Echo Vacio Remix)
6. Reset Robot – v3
7. Thomas Schumacher – HEAT IT UP
8. G.e.R.M. – GLITTERBALL (Dylan Rhymes re-shift)
9. Odissi – DIRTY SECRETS
10. Cirez D – On Off + Depeche Mode – PEACE (Accapella)

Free podcast mix/episode: Download now (Duration: 1:01:28 — 69.1MB)

SMOOVE (Newsbreakz, SF)

Rising out of the 90’s Drum ‘n Bass scene in San Francisco, Smoove quickly became a fixture on the underground Breakz circuit in 2001 DJ’ing with Space Cowboys and their mighty Unimog. These days his signature power-funk Breakz sound can be heard every weekend all over San Francisco’s night life, from underground warehouse parties to his residencies at The End Up, 1015 and Mighty.

All his hard work in the night club trenches has earned him membership in nitevibe.com’s DJ Dream Team since 2004 and was voted Best DJ 2008 by the readers of the S.F. Bay Guardian in their annual “Best of the Bay” issue. Taking his sound to the airwaves, Smoove has been featured on XM Satellite Radio’s Thump Funk show (XM 80) as well as Below Zero on Energy 92.7 and was a frequent guest on Future Breaks on KUSF.

Currently, he can be heard on Fog City Funk every Wednesday night at 8pm PST on Nu Skool Breaks Radio (nsbradio.co.uk) In 2004 he, along with Donna Matrix, started publishing the underground magazine NewsBreakz and more recently launched NBz 2.0 (newsbreakz.com) the on-line version in late 2008.

Simply put, Smoove is one of the quintessential taste makers in the San Francisco Breakz scene today and can always be relied on to bring a big party fun sound that makes the crowd go giddy on the dance floor.

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1:  Tomcraft / Tim Healey feat DJ Assault – “Real Smooth”  Tasted Germany
2:  Unknown  “Don’t Push”  Party Style
3: DJ Dan  “I Don’t Care”  (Hot Mouth Remix) In Stereo US
4:  Unknown  “Take It To The House ” Cut & Run
5:  Shystie “Nu Style”  (Deekline & Ed Solo Remix)  Rat Records UK
6:  Plaza De Funk “Do It!” Global Underground
7: Accsex Denied  “Cookie Boogie Jar”  Party Style
8:  DJ Hero  “Return To The Rave” (Farace Remix)  Kaleidoscope Music
9:  The Loops Of Fury  “Flick A Switch”  (Krafty Kuts Re-Rub)  Against The Grain
10:  D. Marley “Hey Girl”  Malpractice
11:  Beat Assassins “Gun Clip”  Mofo Recordings
12:  Unknown “You Got The Love”  Crisp Biscuits
13: Slyde “Benga Dose” (Unreleased Remix)  White Label
14: Stanton Warriors “Boot Vibrations”  Punks

Free podcast mix/episode: Download now (Duration: 1:10:15 — 60.5MB)

ROBOSAPIENS (Deadfamous Records, UK)

Born in 2004, marrying skills and tastes from different musical backgrounds to push for a common cause, Robosapiens have moved with the landscape around them, evolving through technology and pressing their sound forward, never following, but forging their own path. Not content with sitting still, Robosapiens have a desire to transcend genres, to produce music to an ethos, not to a trend…music for an altered consciousness, for an adrenaline overdose.

The combination of a drum ‘n’ bass graduate and a techno survivor, Robosapiens uncovered a mutual interest in breaks that has lead to some memorable gigs and studio successes. The Robo/Sapiens – Jamie Flukes and Steve Kyte – met while DJing breaks at parties around Bristol, a club scene both knew well from years of service in the city.

Jamie had previously earned his stripes as a resident for Drive By, Bristol’s leading drum ‘n’ bass night, as well as gigs for other promoters including Bulletproof in Cardiff and Pink Lime in Bristol. Jamie has pushed the Robosapiens sound abroad with regular visits to Japan playing Tokyo’s prestigous WOMB.

Formerly one half of techno outfit Pranksterz, Steve is no stranger to the studio or club environment and has DJ’d throughout the UK and Europe, not to mention releases on major dance music compilations and countless releases on his own numerous labels.

Robosapiens journey so far has seen them travel the world, taking their sound from the studio and impregnating it into people first-hand. Their appeal has been far-reaching, leading to remixes for many labels, name-checks from producers as a major influence, and a set for Annie Nightingale on Radio 1 played again on her Christmas show, and called her best mix of the year. Their music draws on their former styles, adding a tech edge to rolling breaks with some deep tracks and some upbeat ones – all capable of igniting dancefloors.

Keep up to date on Robosapiens’ live performances at their websites below and the Jungo Road calendar.

More about Robosapiens on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud and their own website.

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Purchase Robosapiens Tracks on Beatport

Stream the mix and support the musicians by purchasing the tracks and hearing them played live! You can also download this full podcast mix above.

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1. FIORD – GET UP JUDE(BECKERS RMX)- EVAPOUR8
2. SIC – WE ARE NOT ALONE(ROBOSAPIENS RMX) – AUX CDR
3. INFUSION – DOGTOWN(BECKERS DNOX RMX)-OMNIS
4. MARC D PULSE – PS YOU ROCK(SPEKTRE RMX) – SK SUPREME RECORDS
5. UMEK – SLAP – 1605
6. ROBOSAPIENS – THE 9 – DEADFAMOUS
7. ROBOSAPIENS – BODIES – DEADFAMOUS
8. FUSSYBOY – JONNI(ROBOSAPIENS RMX)- LOT49 CDR
9. UMEK – DEMENTIA (ALEX DI STEPHANO AND DYNA RMX) – HELL YEAH
10. MOTEM – SCANNERS(AUDIOPHASE RMX)- CDR
11. SLEVEN – DEMENTIA -CRESCENT RECORDINGS
12. DEPECHE MODE – HOLE TO FEED(POPOF VOCAL RMX)- MUTE
13. ROBOSAPIENS – NEW WORLD ORDER(KULTAR COLUMBO RMX) – DEADFAMOUS CDR

Free podcast mix/episode: Download now (Duration: 55:15 — 62.8MB)

Ming (Hood Famous Records, NYC)

With a musical and business insight that transcends everyday definitions of trend and genre, Aaron Albano, a.k.a Ming, is an inspired, talented, and hard-hitting producer, songwriter, and performer known from London to Los Angeles. Thirteen years of touring and production experience has given Ming uncontested credibility as an enduring source for fresh and distinctive sounds.

In 1996, Ming opened the record label and recording studio Madhattan Studios in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City with former partner FS. Over the course of ten years, the legendary break beat duo Ming+FS played over 1000 shows in the United States and abroad, opening for acts such as Sting, Run DMC and Moby, released four albums and a series of EP’s, and countless 12 inches and remixes. During his tenure with Ming+FS, Ming earned the reputation as an innovative talent, racking up writing, producing, and remixing credits for artists such as P. Diddy, Suzanne Vega, and Toby Lightman.

Ming’s business acumen led him to expand his career to commercial music. He mastered the nuances of licensing and film scoring through years of creating content for television and film, eventually leading to musical credits including syndicated shows such as CSI: NY, CSI: Miami, Sex In The City, Showtime’s Weeds, BBC America’s series Dinner Take All (title score and cues), and the BBC/TLC series Travel Spies (title score and cues). Ming+FS’s music also found an audience with the gaming community when Sony enlisted the group to provide tracks for their PlayStation games Wipeout Pure and Tourist Trophy. EA Sports has also used original tracks from Ming+FS in their game NBA Ballers.

Ming’s work at Madhattan Studios firmly established him as a pioneer and a true professional; a music person of the first order. In 2006, seeking to add to his success in the music industry, Ming left his accomplished group and label to open his production company, Hood Famous Music (HFM).

HFM fills an industry gap: a full service production house that develops emerging artists who match Ming’s intense drive and unique musical vision. Some standout projects include the metal band Bazaar Royale, Hip Hop and R&B maestro Michael Lynche, and NYC’s electro-rock outfit 33hz. Ming has found kindred spirits in 33Hz and recently joined the group as the guitarist and continues to write and produce material for the group’s forthcoming second album and will hit the road with the boys upon its release.

Under HFM, Ming has created a large catalog of varied and distinctive music licensed mostly by popular companies to help define their brand. MTV, a regular client of HFM, recognizes Ming’s distinctive style as part of their own ethos, relying on him for exclusive tracks for shows such as The Real World, Cribs, Becoming, and Beauty at the Beach. Rockstar Games, currently the hottest gaming company, placed Ming’s mix of 33hz’s “I Feel Alive” in the top selling game Midnight Club LA.

With the success of HFM, Ming is extending his brand with Habitat Music, a new venture providing original music for the advertising community as well as film and television. The creation of Habitat is a testament to Ming’s innate work ethic and drive to always challenge himself: “What’s propelled me to stay in music has been the endless creative freedom – learning different musical styles, instruments, and even businesses.” He continues, “If you want to be a successful music producer, you have to challenge yourself to to stay current and keep your ear to the ground.”

Aaron “Ming” Albano has seen serious success in an industry where few even make it out of the starting gate. He declares, “I’ve been an artist and a label owner. I know what it means to make a record. I know what it is to grind something out for 10 years, and I know what it is to stay true your own vision.” He concludes, “Music has been the thread that holds everything together in my life. I’m always trying to push myself to do something innovative. Sharing that creative moment with someone; struggling over a song and then breaking through – these are the eureka moments. When you push hard enough, great things happen.”

www.hoodfamousmusic.com

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1. Delphic – Doubt (Riton Rerub)
2. Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce – Telephone (Ming vs Chad North Remix)
3. Neelix – Disco Decay (Felguk Mix)
4. Lee Coombs & Uberzone – Right Now
5. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – Moon Hits the Mirrorball
6. Jewlez – Spacer Women
7. 30 Seconds to Mars – Kings and Queens (Chad North Mix)
8. Classix – I’m On It
9. Rogue Element – Panic (King Roc Remix)
10. Stuffa – A Million Secrets (Stuffa Club Mix)
11. Stonewash & Fagault – Violet (Lazy Rich Remix)
12. Sawgood – Ctrl Ur Brain (Calvertron’s Jedi Mind Trick Mix)
13. Wolfgang Gartner – Fire Power
14. Trabant – The One (Filthy Dukes Dub)