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Features
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| Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! | | N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood! | | Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna | | A Catch Up with John Phantasm ahead of his upcoming set at the Tribal Village 4 Day Outdoor Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! | | 'The Maestro that is Tristan talks barn owls, Shazamming and keeping it Psychedelic ahead of his upcoming performance at the Tribal Village 4 Day Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! | | DJ talk with Psyrenzo ahead of his debut set at Tribal Village, the Steelyard this Friday 14th January 2022! | | TENZO aka Overdrive talks freely about launching his new act which will be showcased at Tribal Village, Steelyard on 14 January 2022! | | A long overdue catch up with JourneyOM ahead of his next Tribal Village party this Friday 14th January 2022 at the Steelyard, London! | | Goa based party animal and artist extraordinaire Nirmal talks punk concerts, metal sculptures, flying and rippin' it up on a High Tide! | | DJ Wired talks to us about the Rise of the Hope and parties, ahead of his upcoming set at Tribal Village on 14th January 2022! |
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From Oz to AM: a look at the past year & 2006 with James Nardi
Reported by Toomz
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Submitted 09-11-05 13:56
Over the past few years, James Nardi has been working hard in the studio, with production partners Nick Irwin and Julian Dywer to make their mark and push their individual style on the hard house scene. It has been a long, hard ride but recent releases show it has definatly been worth it, with the tracks being picked up by some of the top record labels at the present time, including Tripoli Trax, Short Circuit & Toolbox. These tracks have also been gaining great support by some of the most prominent DJs in the scene; Paul Glazby, Justin Bourne & Ian M to name but a few. More recently, James’ name has been appearing on flyers up & down the country, and abroad, in a bid to spread the Aftermath & Killer Hurts sounds. These gigs include playing at his own co-promoted event, Insekt, which is rapidly approaching its 1st birthday this month. James is here to give us the lowdown on what he has been up to on his travels and fill us in on the recent developments at Insekt, ahead of the birthday celebrations next weekend.
James Nardi
Hi James. You have recently returned from a 3 week tour of Australia & New Zealand, playing some large events & even local radio stations. Have you ever played abroad before and how was the trip... any amusing stories?
I’ve played abroad before in Cape Town, South Africa and Rimini in Italy, but this trip was my first time down under. The whole tour went really well. I played for Vertigo in Christchurch, NZ, Fevah in Wellington, NZ, Fresh FM Radio and Club Pressure Point in Adelaide, Australia. All the gigs were rammed and the crowds were all so up for it. The Pressure Point gig was probably the highlight as it was so big. There were probably about 1500 people, in an unused warehouse building. Karim was also flown over for this gig & Banga Matt was playing as he now lives in Adelaide.
I’m afraid I can’t really repeat the main of the amusing story of the tour. Let’s just say me and the boys in Wellington had some devastating laughs at the after party. I'd like to thank Merse, Emily, Bella, Mr Ree, Disturbed & Anthony for making my first tour down under one to remember! The return leg for early next year is already being planned.
How does the scene down under compare to the UK? Can you see any major differences between them?
There aren’t really too many differences to be honest. The crowds are probably a bit friendlier and more up for it than in the UK. That’s about it though. Actually, I was asked to sign a number of posters, records & a couple of girls tops which I haven’t done before.
New Zealand tour flyer
On your return we find your promotion Insekt has branched out into the after party scene with Insekt:AM, providing a hard room for the existing F party @ Fire. It is now a couple of weeks since its launch, how has it all been going?
Yeah, it all happened pretty quickly and as I was on the other side of the planet it wasn’t the easiest situation to deal with. We didn’t even have time to get any flyers printed or advertising done for October. It’s been going really well though. Our room has been busy every week and November should see us make the party better known as our flyers, posters & magazine adverts will be in place.
As a result of this, you have had to give up your Twist residency on Sunday mornings. Was it a hard decision to make and do you have a parting message for the Twist faithful?
Yes, I felt stepping down from Twist was the right thing to do, as both venues are within a couple of minutes walk from each other and the music policies are similar. It was a hard decision to make, I was very grateful to Twist for my residency, but at the end of the day it’s business and the promotion I run and believe in has to come first over everything else. It wouldn’t be right for Twist or Insekt if I was involved in both parties. When Twist was at Fire it was untouchable in my opinion and I supported it for a long time. But for I never really enjoyed clubbing or DJing at Factory.
As for a parting message... well it’s a shame things couldn't be kept more civil between the two parties. Apparently I handled the situation in an unprofessional manner, even though I was in Australia on tour and I let Twist know as soon as I knew 100% what was going on. There was not anything else I could have done given the circumstances. I admit I have stirred things online, but only after underhand tactics had been used over the weekend. You can’t please everyone all the time, hey!!
Is this the start of Insekt growing as a brand after a year of storming Saturday night events, or are two parties enough for now?
Insekt is defiantly growing as a brand. We are still doing our Saturday night monthly parties, as well as Insekt:AM weekly on Sunday mornings. We are also about to host an Insekt room for Frantic presents More at SEOne on November 26th, then the following morning Insekt:AM hosts the Official I Love VC Afterparty at Fire.
In December we are teaming up with another of London’s top promotions for a one off night, not to mention some special all-nighters at Fire in conjunction with F and a couple of very special Christmas & New Year parties to be announced soon. All this in less than a year is pretty impressive for a new promotion in my opinion.
James & Nick Irwin
Over the past 18 months you have been one of the busiest producers in the scene, with various tracks & remixes alongside your production partners Nick Irwin & Julian Dwyer. How are you finding the busy workload and do you think you’re keeping up with the demand for fresh new tracks?
Thanks. I’m enjoying the workload to be honest. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t. I still work full time, so making time for the studio is always hard, but you only get out what you put in. I hope the tracks we’re doing are staying fresh. I’m always trying new ideas and incorporating different sounds.
How would you describe the Aftermath & Killer Hurts sounds? Do they each have a different ethos?
Aftermath is the production name that Nick & I have used for the past couple of years & Killer Hurts is Julian & I. The Aftermath tracks are normally hard & funky and a distinctive deep, driving bassline, although we have done a couple of techno based tracks too.
Killer Hurts was set up mainly as a guise for a couple of bootlegs we wanted to do. The success of those bootlegs took us completely by surprise and they have led onto other things. First we were asked by the 99th Floor Elevators if we would remix their Top 40 hit ‘I’ll Be There’ which was then picked up by Toolbox and licensed to the Hard Dance Republic album mixed by Paul Glazby. More recently we were asked to supply a Killer Hurts remix for Vicious Circle as one of the Ten Commandments, but the date the remix had to go off to cut was when I was in Australia so we didn’t have time to get it started. From what I hear Superfast Oz has done a sound effort on the remix.
We understand that you are a big fan of the legendary Trade. Do you think the sound at these events has influenced your production & DJ'ing?
I used to love going to Trade. A group of us used to go every week. I really don’t think any other promotion has come close to being as instrumental within the club scene as Trade. Hearing the likes of Tony De Vit, Pete Wardman, Steve Thomas, Ian M & Malcolm Duffy week in week out has left a lasting impression on me.
A very dashing Jim Nardi
Do you have any exciting new releases or projects coming up?
My forthcoming releases include:
2Slags — 'Restless’ — Tripoli Trax (J.Nardi & J.Dwyer Remix)
Restless is an old track by Karim & Fidel which I have been playing out for years. I was thrilled when I was asked to remix it for the legendary Tripoli Trax.
J.Nardi & J.Dwyer — ‘Mad Dogs’ — Flashpoint (inc. Ben Stevens Remix)
This track is brutal with a proper eerie break down. Ben has turned in an awesome remix of it.
J.Nardi & J.Dwyer — ‘Deeper’ — Operation9
Operation9 is a new label which has seen recent releases from Sam Townend & Narc.
Aftermath — ‘You Got Me’ — Deprived of Funk
Hed Kandi meets hard house from Aftermath. Proper swing your pants stuff.
Julian & I have also done a house remix of ‘I'll Be There’ which clocks in at 130bm and is soon to be released on Toolbox House, not under our own names though.... Watch this space.
What other styles of music are you into? Have you ever tried your hand at producing in these areas?
I’m into all sorts of music at the moment . . . anything from hip hop, RnB, jazz, pop, drum & bass. A bit of everything helps keep the mind fresh. I’ve only really produced house, hard house, techno & one or two old trance numbers.
With the recent influx of new labels to the scene, which ones have impressed you the most and do you have any favourite new producers of whose tracks you have been playing?
There have been quite a few new labels appearing over the past year. Some of them are good, but loads of them aren’t and are just an outlet for peoples own material that they can’t get signed. I’ve recently been playing tracks by Digital Kid, Tim Clewz. Steve Maynard, Sam Townend & Richard Toomz. All of these lads are making some good sounds!!
Where do you hope to take your DJing & producing career in 2006 and where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
Well my return leg to Australia & New Zealand is being planned already. This time I’ll be taking in more cities. I’m also in talks with promoters in Canada & America, so hopefully I’ll be heading out there at some point next year too. Back in the UK I’ve already got dates in London, Manchester & Leeds.
I’d like to start producing more house music as well as the hard stuff. I love Deep Dish, Mylo & Dirty Vegas so maybe a few tracks in that vein will appear. And no, I’m not band wagon jumping... I was playing out house music about 6 years ago as well as the hard stuff. As for 5 years time... well I can’t even plan what I’ll be doing in 5 months time lol Who knows??
Crowd at Pressure Point gig, Australia
What has been your favourite gig that you have played since you have begun DJ’ing?
Probably playing for Savage in London Bridge back in 1998. I played the set before Blu Peter who was one of the true NRG/Trance pioneers. That was 7 years ago and I was pretty young at the time.
With Insekt’s first birthday just weeks away, how do think it’s all been going, looking back on the past year? Are you and the guys pleased with what you have achieved so far?
Like I replied to one of the earlier questions. There is no way I thought we would be doing as many parties as we are within the first year. Let’s hope it continues...
The event on Nov 19th sees a b2b special, with production buddies Justin Bourne & Dynamic Intervention playing together for the first time in years, and also yourself teaming up with London favourite Lady Bianca. Have you played together before & what will you have in store for us on the night?
Bianca is a good friend, but we haven’t yet played a back to back set. We’re playing second so we should get the place nicely rockin. I can’t wait to catch Justin & Mik. Both of these guys are responsible for a massive chunk of quality hard house & NRG that’s been rockin dance floors for the past few years. Not to be missed!
Photos courtesy of James Nardi, Queensharona & Vicious Circle Recordings.
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Insekt 1st Birthday!
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On:
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Saturday 19th November 2005
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At:
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Fire [map]
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From:
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2200 - 0500
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Cost:
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£10 Concs
£15 OTD
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Website:
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www.insekt.co.uk
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Ticket Info:
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£10 concession guest list email full names to: guestlist@insekt.co.uk
Info:
Marc Johnson / 07946 311204 / marc@insekt.co.uk
James Nardi / 07779 634820 / james@insekt.co.uk
George E / 07961 942307 / george@insekt.co.uk
Chris Comben / 07866626838 / chris@insekt.co.uk
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More:
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This month please join all at Insekt and celebrate our 1st Birthday in the only way you know how.
The past year has seen Insekt grow into the leading monthly party for hard house lovers from all over the country. With the growing success of our Saturday night monthly parties, we have recently started Insekt:AM @ Fire Club, every Sunday morning.
No other promotion has brought you anywhere near the same caliber line ups month after month, after month. We’ve hosted nights in conjunction with Vicious Circle, Short Circuit, Kaktai Records and we are now 1 year old.
For this special night we are honored to have two of the most successful producers & DJs in the country play a very rare Back 2 Back set. Almost every hard house record buyer would be lying if they said they didn’t own any of their classic studio productions, we give you - Justin Bourne & Dynamic Intervention!
3 rooms of music, free exclusive mix cd give aways.
Insekt - "Let the music do the talking.... & the party do the rockin"
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Flyer:
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Other Features By Toomz:
Insekt preview with Simon Paul & Housewives Choice.
Insekt preview: crowd rockin with Ben Stevens
An interview with Flash Point's quiet man Jupe.
Insekt preview: interview with George E
An update on a Vicious year for Insekt’s early riser, Marc Johnson
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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