ARTISTS / DJS
Martinez Gonzalez
Martinez Gonzalez (real name: Mārtiņš “Gonzo” Strautnieks) is a sonic wizard from Latvia, well known in the local musical circuits and beyond. He genuinely mixes up different flavours in a harmonic, impulsive and funky way, thus creating highly distinctive melodic breweries.
M. Gonzalez has been involved in the local music scene since the mid 90s, when he started as a singer in a band Lolitas Brīnumputns. Soon after he got hooked on the seemingly unlimited possibilities of music production software. As a professionally trained pianist, M. Gonzalez was still demanded as a keyboardist (he took part in numerous Latvian indie bands, e.g. T-Plox, Sirke, Kuba), nevertheless his solo, more electronic music side gradually took over. His album “Dakstiņš” has been published by a Russian record label Lagunamuch, whereas his “Nice That We Have Met” EP has been released by a Latvian netlabel and culture centre Dirty Deal. Additionally, M. Gonzalez has contributed with his music to various films, videos and installations.
www.myspace.com/martinsgonzalez
Max Brannslokker
Max Brannslokker is definitely one of the brightest and the most published electronic music producers hailing from Latvia. Since his breakthrough releases in the year 2006, Brannslokkers tracks regularly appear on such international imprints as i220, Nomor, Globox, Salto, DeFchild, Fenou, Kostbar Musik, Supersoul Recordings etc. No matter whether it is an epic, melodic journey, an electro-inspired club stomper or a more delicate, minimal or even experimental track, his tradmark sound have mighty basslines, somewhat melancholic feel and interesting production techniques.
www.myspace.com/maxbrannslokker
NGC-5128
NGC-5128 is not just a galaxy in the constellation Centaurus, but also an alias of Kristaps Lagzdiņš — an experienced electronic music producer, DJ and urban dreamer from Latvia. He has been known as a persistent and adventurous explorer of the techno soul for years. NGC-5128s music is futuristic, synthetic, yet melodic, owing much to Detroits techno and tech-funk of the 90s. He is inspired by things and ideas from different domains, where reality and fiction co-exist — from actual abandoned factories to intergalactic space fantasies, from scientific theories to urban poetry.
NGC-5128 is deeply involved in Latvian electronic music community, he regularly performs at different clubs and events and actively promotes various electronic music events, like Techno Carnival. His tracks are included on some Latvian e-music compilations, and besides producing his own music he has done a handful of remixes. Apart from the local scene, NGC-5128 has performed in Finland, Russia and Lithuania, his track Xenoid Base was aired in the legendary John Peels show on BBC Radio 1, and in 2006 his Cyan Colony EP was released by Romanian netlabel Exposed Audio.
-=UHU=-
Although the man behind the -=UHU=- project — Gatis Pastars — has been producing music since 1997, he had a breakthrough only recently when his track Jupiter Family was put on the Gigolo CD 8 compilation. That was followed by the Constellation Mixes EP on the same International Deejay Gigolo Records, which received very positive responses from many well-known DJs and producers from all over the world. -=UHU=- creates a futuristic, robotic electro, reminiscent of the classic electro sound of Detroit and Hague.
DV5
Jānis Lankovskis a.k.a. DV5 is a producer from Latvia focussing on deep and rather minimal tech-house. He has remarkable skills and talent as a producer, but so far his music has been kept underground — being released just on limited CD-Rs given away to friends. Apart from music production, DV5 is a DJ, mostly playing records that could be filed under Berlin contemporary dance music.
Cliché
Cliché is an alter ego of Latvian drum&bass/dubstep DJ, promoter and producer Fee.nix-z (the real name: Mārtiņš Bergmanis). He is a well known person in the Baltic drum&bass community, regularly DJ-ing in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, have also performed in Sweden. The most known track was released by now defunct Disturbed Records — a lovely drum&bass piece co-produced with Brain, another member of Bio.codes crew. Since 2003 Mārtiņš has been hosting a radioshow Bio.Ritmi on Radio Naba, probably the most known radioshow in Latvia that is devoted to drum&bass culture.
As Cliché he produces more IDM, electronica and tech-funk related music that is sometimes compared to the Warp Records output of the mid 90s. A couple of his creations are included in electronica@*.lv compilations, and his track also appears in the film Monotonija.
Casual Violence
Birthed in Manchester, UK, Casual Violence is steadily gaining a reputation for deep, pensive and emotionally dark techno based music. He is very much inspired by negative social issues and the abstract side of art and sees himself rather as an artist than a producer.
Casual Violence has been released on Dutch label ARMS, as well as numerous netlabels (Biomechanics, AntiRasa, Ground Effect Records etc.), and there are some more releases in the pipeline. Together with another techno producer Grovskopa, he has formed Wolfbagged project.
www.myspace.com/stecasualviolence
LXC
LXC (real name: Axel Weber) is a Leipzig based broken beats producer since 1993, who runs his own Alphacut Records, set up to deliver experimental drumnbass and forward-looking electronic beats (he has coined his own term fakecore).
His own records can be found in catalogues of such record labels as Death$ucker, Offshore, Subtle Audio, Santorin, Sozialistischer Plattenbau, Dhyana, Minorlabel, Phantomnoise, Trash Tapes.
http://www.lxc808.com
Esse
Andrej Stech a.k.a. Esse is a DJ and producer from Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Although Esse prefers to avoid exact stylistic descriptions, most of his productions fall into the realm of melodic and moody deep house/techno.
Despite his young age, Esse is a prolific producer already having a very solid discography. For instance, his music has been released on such critically acclaimed records labels as German Night Drive Music and 3rd Wave Music.
www.myspace.com/essekomfort
Veste
Veste is an electronic music producer, DJ and a records nerd from Luxemburg. He likes it raw, dubby and analogue, sometimes even awkward and experimental. His another passion is vintage studio equipment and electronics. Vestes tracks have been included in a few compilations where the latest release is a limited edition (300 units) split 7inch together with Flaaps on his very own C90rulesok! label.
obsoletetechnology.wordpress.com
www.myspace.com/vesteelectronics
Z99
Z99 is an artist and counterculture activist from Latvia, currently residing in UK. VJ-ing, tagging, the demoscene, electronic music… whatever he does has a personal and underground touch. Z99 is deeply involved in the Latvian underground electronic music scene, being a part of Ritmika and Bio.Codes labels. Apart from a few tracks included in very limited compilations, Netcords 003 is his public debut in music production.
www.myspace.com/zeeninetynine