Playground Podcast 009 by Gon on Mixcloud

Great mix and interview from Gon courtesy of of Playground

We head to the kingdom for ids004. The baton is passed to Kerry selector CJ Fitz.
He’s been spinning tech house and techno down in Kerry for over a decade aswell as gigs at Electric Underground, Viva, TEST, Electric City, won IDJ Magazine ‘Mixape of the Month‘ in October ‘07 and is now, slowly but surely trying to introduce dubstep to the natives.

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into the music and DJ-ing ?

I started mixing on my brother’s decks about ten or twelve years ago and I eventually ‘borrowed’ them permanently from him. Then in 2002 I entered at DJ competition in Transmission, Tralee, and ended up winning it. From then on I became a regular spinner there, and that led to gigs in Cork, Dublin and Limerick. At the moment I’m living in Birmingham, studying to become a Sound Engineer, following the Villa all over the country, and struggling to get gigs.

Can you tell us a bit about the buzz below in Kerry and down south for anyone not familiar?

The buzz in Tralee has changed a lot in the last few years. Transmission nights aren’t as regular as they once were, and the sound that has replaced it isn’t really my thing. Transmission influenced me hugely, but now the love for proper house and techno in Tralee is pretty much gone and I’ve often actually got verbal abuse for playing less obvious music. People don’t understand the concept of the warm-up DJ actually having to ‘warm up’; they just want ‘banging tunes from the off.
There are a couple of decent nights in The Osborne pub, which is also in Tralee, but the majority of what in Kerry is cheese, regurgitated anthems, and hard house masquerading as techno.

Can you tell us a bit about the mix?

The mix is pretty much like any of my mixes; regardless of genre, its starts quite deep, and just builds and builds. I really like to try and keep a constant flow in my mixes; just keep upping the tempo bit by bit. I spent a lot of time gathering tunes for this mix, so I hope the flow and programming are spot on
The mix was recorded in one take, in my flat in Birmingham, using two 1210’s, an Allen & Heath Xone 42, and a combination of records and Traktor Scratch.

Who would win in a fight ?
Six partially blind Macaques one half  swinging nunchucks and the other three brandishing lengths of waven pipe VS. four snaggle toothed wolverines that only have the ability to move forward or backward along the tropic of Capricorn ?

Come here, I’m going to Life for the June weekend, and if you can get me a few grams of whatever you were on when you thought up that scenario, then I’d be most grateful!

What’s your favorite kind of cheese ?

I’m not really a huge cheese man, so I’d have to say a mild cheddar or mozzarella.

Can I just thank Matt Osborne for the use of his photo – you can find his work here:

ids:004 / CJ Fitz

Lysergene -ʻSub Ritualʼ / AREA
Thesis -ʻProgressoʼ / BASSWEIGHT
DFRNT -ʻDark Jazzʼ / ON THE EDGE
An On Bast -ʻUpon The Dew Dropsʼ Inanna & C Dubs mix / LA FOLIA
K3bee -ʻDark Whisperʼ / DUB CULTURE
Mala -ʻSinnersʼ / RINGO
Furesshu -ʻ1993ʼ / PROJECT SQUARED
Dark Arx -ʻBlood Veinʼ / DARK ARX
Asusu -ʻTogethernessʼ / IMMERSE
Distal -ʻAttempt At Yellowʼ /EMBASSY
Filtercutter -ʻ1upʼ Ramadanman mix / SVATLANA INDUSTRIES
Headhunter & Djunya -ʻEl Presidenteʼ / SUREFIRE SOUND
Instra:mental -ʻVicodinʼ / [NAKEDLUNCH]
Chasing Voices -ʻAcidbathoryʼ /CHASING VOICES
Marcel Dettman -ʻHomeʼ / OSTGUT TON
Furesshu -‘Horizons’ Asusu mix / IMMERSE
Kpk -ʻChill Winstonʼ / DUB:IOUZ
Blawan -ʻFramʼ / HESSLE AUDIO
Aqf -ʻIn The Bull Runʼ / AQF

Second in the series comes from DJ/Producer and former record peddler Gon. You  may have come across him on the interweb before when his mighty  ‘Dub vs Dubstep’ mix was doing the rounds. His tunes have been gaining  alot of attention in the last few months resulting in two house tracks coming out on Infrasonics. He’s done a fine job here and I have to give him extra kudos for the strong irish contingent in this mix.

Tell us abit about yourself and how you got into the music and djing ?
I was always into music growing up in Italy, everyone else was obsessed with football but I was into NBA and making mixtapes.  Then I moved to London for a few months in 1999 where I discovered the clubbing scene.  Came to Ireland shortly after that (originally on a 2 week holiday) and I’ve been here ever since!  Started DJing here and making my own tunes and was lucky enough to work for 7 years in Freebird Records which sadly closed down in November last year.

Can tell us a bit about Freebird for anyone who hasn’t visited ?
Freebird is one of the oldest independent record stores in Dublin, open since 1978. It’s still operating on a smaller scale, the shop I worked in has closed but the branch in Wicklow St is still going strong. What I mostly remember is the loony customers that used to come in, if you want to see a cross-section of society, go into a music shop!  Fondest memories are of the endless after-work scratch sessions with Goldy, the live sets from local DJs in the shop and of course the days when all the regular heads would turn up at the same time listening to and discussing the latest arrivals, and creating a great buzz.

Along with the fall in interest in playing vinyl, the internet has played a big part in the demise of record shops. The big online stores and discogs have a large share of the market now and the community and networking that would have been done in your local shop has migrated to forums and blogs. But what aspects do think are lost now that internet cant replace ?
Well obviously, human contact is something that the online shops cannot replace, meeting like minded people, recommendations from the person behind the counter that knows your taste etc. At the same time, some people actually prefer it that way, the freedom of listening to hundreds of tunes online and not having to worry about the shop manager scrutinising your ‘in-store behaviour’. Some record stores can be a daunting place for the uninitiated, lol!

Spatial is putting out your tracks ‘Riddance’ and ‘Chaka Mad’ on Infrasonics soon. Its good to see some good funky coming out of the auld sod. What you think of all the ‘house’ coming out of London at the moment ? Its good to see everything getting mashed up again.
Massive props to Spatial for believing in my tunes, I met him last month for the first time in London, really nice dude. There are so many amazing records coming out of the UK these days and plenty of cross-over sounds. It’s hard to know what to call anything anymore genre-wise but it’s all good music and thanks to the internet, you don’t necessarily have to live in London to be influenced by it (still would love to move there…)

The Rhythm’ has got a good recaction over on carbon logic. It sounds like  Bristol  to me to me for some reason. Can you tell us a bit about whats happening with that track ?
That track was made before I was even fully into the UK scene and it sat on my PC for a couple of years until one day I listened back and it sounded better than I remembered so i mixed it down, mastered it and uploaded it to Soundcloud. Then my friend AK suggested I should enter some of my tracks for the Carbon Logic competition, I did, and that one got picked up for the ‘Grassroots LP’ final 15.  It’s now available digitally in all the usual spots, Boomkat, Beatport, Juno etc.

Who would win in a fight ?  A silverback gorilla riding on the back of a Indian elephant or three one armed baboons on the back of a white rhino.
Sheeeeeeeeeeeit…., you must be smoking some really good stuff over in Galway…

Whats your favorite kind of cheese ?
Pecorino cheese with my aunt’s homemade green tomato jam spread on top, close friends that have tried it can tell you, it’s the dog’s boll*x …

Gon soundcloud / Fast Metabolism blog

ids Podcast 002: Divshare

Darkstar – Dead to me – [2010]
Darkstar – Squeeze my lime – [Hyperdub]
James Blake – Give a man a rod – [Hessle Audio]
Lewis B – Take – [Smokin' Sessions]
Major Grave – Dilettantism – [Forthcoming Standard]
Hyetal & Shortstuff – Ice cream – [Punch Drunk]
Jamie Grind – Balloon – [Forthcoming Infrasonics]
Spatial – 100319 – [Dub]
Chesus – Me n you – [Dub]
Gon – Gotta have you – [Forthcoming Standard]
Major Grave – Memories (A-Force Rmx) – [Dub]
Colz – Pleasure control – [Demo]
Major Grave – Lights (Colz Rmx) – [Standard]
Gon – Chaka Mad – [Forthcoming Infrasonics]
Deadboy – If you want me – [Numbers]
Cassius – Feeling 4 u (Dragon Rmx) [Free Download]
Once was nice – What could I do (Wideboys Rmx)  – [Dubz For Klubz]
Tivannagh – Live & learn – [Dub]
Myd – Noria (Dubbel Dutch Rmx) – [Dub]
Monkey Steak – Harlem drift – [Steakhouse]
DVA – Natty – [Hyperdub]
Pier – Six million dollar man – [Dub]
T-woc – The window – [Forthcoming Alphabet Set]
Gon – The rythm – [Forthcoming Carbon Logic]

Irishdubstep.com’s maiden podcast comes from outa Carlow from [nakedlunch] boss Pressure.
Micky set up the label two years ago after returning from Holland.
He’s put out records from Cosmin TRG, Jus’wan, Scuba, Breakage and the latest from Instra:mental is out later this month on 10″. This first mix clocking in at just under ninety minutes is a good snapshot of things at the minute, a few unrealeased bits and plenty of wot do you call it moments…

Your five release in now, Are you looking to go in any particular
direction or sound with [NakedLunch] or just concentrating on putting out
stuff you like ?

I don’t have any direction in mind for the label , im just putting out stuff that I really
like and which I am confident will sell… so far I have been right,
lets hope i can keep it consistent.

Are you feeling all the cross pollination going at the moment ?
Everybodys playing and making things that maybe they wouldn’t
have few years back.

I think its a good thing and its good to know music listeners are
open minded , but playing multiple genres in a club is hard as
dancefloor punters tend to be very narrow minded… in the majority of
cases they want full on mid-range wobble all night and im to old for
all that shite.

Whats gonna happen next , Any tips on who we should be watching this year?

Just keep watching instra:mental they got some serious music in the works,
what you’re hearing now is the tip of the iceberg

Whats your favorite cheese ?

Anything except cheddar , im sick to death of it… is it to much
from a man to ask for a bit of red leicester or double gloucester to
be in the supermarket??

ids Podcast 001: Divshare / Sendspace

Augustus Pablo – East Of The river Nile //Shanachie
Clouds- Timekeeper Dave Aju Remix // Ramp
Joy Orbison – Brklyn Clln (Michna’s Brooklyn Bridge remix)
Unknown – Untitled
Thriller- Hubble // Thriller
Kowton – Clack Clack Clack
2000 And One – Funk That // Intacto
Badawai – DstryPrfts Feat Vengeance Tenfold (Shackleton Remix) // The Index
Jack Sparrow – Terminal // Tectonic
Unknown – Untitled
DVA – Ganja // Hyperdub
Roska – Holograph // white (Fantastic 4 EP)
Doc Daneeka – Drums In The Deep // Fabric
DJ Sdunkero – Choosinglove // Sdunkero Sounds
Mosca – Gold Bricks // Fabric
Unknown – Untitled
Shackleton – Moon Over Joseph’s Burial // Perlon
Instra:mental – Vicodin // [Nakedlunch]
Pariah – ?
José James – Warriors (jus wan remix) // Brownswood
Sigha – Untitled
Ramadanman – I Beg You // forthcoming Hessle Audio
Unknown – Untitled
Lv & Untold – Beacon // forthcoming Hemlock 007
2562- Narita – Tectonic
Sigha – Shapes // forthcoming Hotflush
Ramadanman – No Swing – forthcoming Hessle Audio
Illum Sphere – Titan – 3024