I awake to a pop and immediately think a gunshot in the not so far off distance. It’s pitch black and cold. Flakes of light snow flurry around me. I feel the dampness as they melt on my face yet cannot feel their cold. My fingers and hands sting trembling uncontrollably. I cannot feel them as I touch my face and arms. I raise my head and notice I lie between a wooden fence and a building that seems to create a tunnel to the outside world. I’m completely lost yet have a deep pit in my stomach that I’ve been here before. My vision is blurred and my eyes continuously go in and out of focus. I hardly make out distant shapes as white trails from snowflakes seem to hang indefinitely. My heart drops as a wave of panic consumes. I hear a faint siren in the distance.

I make it to my feet, light headed, leaning to the fence as the blood rushes through my body. I can feel the warmth of the blood travel from my face. My instinct is to run but I can hardly pick my feet out of the snow. My bones are lead as my legs move dragging my feet. My throat feels crushed and my mouth dry with an overwhelming metallic taste. The siren is growing closer.

I break my way into the opening of the tunnel flooded with lights from an overwhelming structure. The only thing familiar is a fresh, white blanket of snow. I turn to get away from the structure, the sirens, the gun. I can hardly hold my head trying to gain a footing on where I am, where I should be going. Footprints in the snow give me a sense of direction, a sense of hope. I follow the tracks using every ounce of strength to lift my head and make my way out. Suddenly I’m faced with two bright, perfectly round, entrancing circles beyond the wall. I can’t help but drag my body closer, desperate to escape into the unknown. I cannot evade these two bright eyes gleaming in the distance, coxing me closer into the darkness. The sirens are nearly here.

Teaser video for the new techno industrial album entitled Awakening from BlakeAndrew. Video features the tracks “Reconnaissance” and “The War Within” off the album. The album is due for release in April 2012 and will first be available exclusively through Bandcamp. Tracks will be available to stream soon on Soundcloud as well as a few free downloads. Visit the website for updates.

You can also check out the first Awakening album teaser video featuring “Deepening”

Sandwell District has called it quits. The techno record label / collective from the likes of Regis, Function, Silent Servent and Female has apparently decided to go into a new direction and possibly cease to release music all together. Beatportal and FACT have also recently reported on the matter.

On December 30th, 2011 Sandwell District first posted on their Tumblr account there would be a new Sandwell District release from Rrose out soon. The same day they also posted the following message (below) which stats that “regular audio communications from Sandwell District will cease.” Which sounds about as mysterious as their regular audio communications… Sounds to me like they are taking a break to see WhereNext? Maybe they’ll release something here or there or book some live events or some of the core members will part and something new will emerge. The label seemingly started to take a different path after the release of their full length album Feed Forward with a new (yet still mysteriously unknown) addition to the roster, Rrose. You could also sense the implosion of the collective from this recent Wire article. To top off on December 31th, 2011 they made a new Sandwell District mix tape available for free download.

R.I.P Sandwell District 2005-2011

Brother and sister team The Knife are now recording a new album to be released in 2012 (via their website). This will be their fist studio album since 2006 Silent Shout though they have been busy. The two collaborated on the electro-opera Tomorrow, In A Year, Olof had a string of 12′ techno releases as Oni Ayhum and, of course, Karin released her Fever Ray solo album in 2009.

A slew of new acts (about 58) have been added to the Movement 2011, the Detroit Electronic Music Festival (DEMF),  lineup. Notable additions to the already impressive Movement 2011 lineup include:  Monolake aka Robert Henke, co-creator of Ableton Live who recently released The Granulator Instrument, an Max for Live instrument based on granular synthesis available as a free download, Adam Beyer, Aux 88, Flying Lotus and Richie Hawtin (who healined Movement last year as Plastikman Live) backed by Minus artists Marc Houle, Heartthrob, JPLS, Ambivalent and Gaiser.

Additions to the Movement 2011 Lineup:
Adam Beyer
Ambivalent
Anthony Attalla
Aril Brikha
Ataxia
Aux 88
B. Bravo
Brian “Starski” Gillespie
Boo Williams
Calvertron and Figure
Chuck Daniels
Clark Warner
Com Truise
Dabura
Daedalus
Deniz Kurtel
District 909
DJ Cent
DJ Godfather
DJ Three
DJ X-Change
Eric Johnson
Erika Sherman
Flying Lotus
Gaiser
Glenn Underground
Heartthrob
John Collins
JPLS
Justin Martin
Little Dragon
Livio & Roby
Marc Houle
Margaret Dygas
Mark Flash
Matthew Hawtin
Michael Geiger
Mike Brown
Mike Servito
Minx
Monolake
N-Ter
Nospectacle with Markus Guentner
Paranormal Tek
Paul Kalkbrenner
Pearson Sound/Ramadanman
Richard Devine
Richie Hawtin
Sammy Dee
Secrets
Skrillex
Space Dimension Controller
Space Time Continuum
Terrence Parker
The Siege
Tortured Soul
Venetian Snares
Victor Calderone

The full Movement (DEMF) 2011 Lineup:
69 (Carl Craig) – live
Adam Beyer
Al Ester
Ambivalent
Ana Sia
Anthony Attalla
Aril Brikha
Art Department
Ataxia
Aux 88
B. Bravo
Beardyman – live
Ben Klock
Boo Williams
Brian “Starski” Gillespie
Bruce Bailey
Calvertron and Figure
Chuck Daniels
Cio D’Or
Clark Warner
Claude Young
Com Truise
Dabura
Daedalus
Dam-Funk & Master Blazter (live)
Deniz Kurtel
District 909
DJ Cent
DJ Godfather
DJ Harvey
DJ T-1000
DJ Three
DJ X-Change
Dr. Atmo
DTM 5×5 (DJ Seoul, T.Linder, Neil V, Darkcube, DJ Psycho)
Dubfire
Echospace (live)
Elliot Lipp – live
Eric Johnson
Erika Sherman
Fatboy Slim
Felix Da Housecat
Flying Lotus
Franki Juncaj aka DJ 3000
Gaiser
Gaslamp Killer
Glenn Underground
Goldie
Green Velvet (live)
Guti – live
Heartthrob
Hudson Mohawke – live
James Zabiela
John Collins
JPLS
Justin Martin
Kero – live
Kerri Chandler
Little Dragon
Livio & Roby
Livio & Roby
Loco Dice
Marc Houle
Marcel Dettman
Margaret Dygas
Mark Flash
Martin Buttrich – live
Matt Clarke
Matthew Hawtin
Metro Area
Michael Geiger
Mike Brown
Mike Servito
Mike Servito
MiM0SA
Minx
Monolake
Nospectacle with Markus Guentner
N-Ter
Paranormal Tek
Paul Kalkbrenner
Pearson Sound/Ramadanman
Pulshar – live
Reference
Richard Devine
Richie Hawtin
Ryan Elliott
Sammy Dee
Scuba
Secrets
Shlomi Aber
Skrillex
Skrillex (live)
Soul Clap
Space Dimension Controller
Space Time Continuum
Steve Rachmad
Sven Väth
Terrence Parker
The Siege
tINI
Tortured Soul
Traversable Wormhole aka Adam X – live
Venetian Snares
Victor Calderone
Visionquest (live / DJ)

More headlining artists have been added to Movement, Detroit Electronic Music Festival (DEMF) 2011 lineup. Most notable for myself and crew are the addition of Berghain resident, Ostgut Ton regular, Klockworks label boss, and in demand remixer Ben Klock. It’s also good to see Traversable Wormhole live at the festival. This is a project from long-time Sonic Groove label and record store owner, and brother to Brooklyn’s own Frankie Bones, Adam-X. 2010-2011 has been a great time for Adam-X. Traversable Wormhole gained much respect in the global techno community while it was still a mystery to who the producer was. Once the cat was outta the bag Adam finally started to see some much needed respect himself. Chris Liebing ended up re-released the entire Traversable Wormhole catalog, along with remixes from some of the best in the industry, on his CLR label. This has also given Adam the opportunity for further releases and re-releases on labels as Adam-X. Another notable addition is Steve Rachmad, which may be his first appearance at the actual festival, though he straight rocked an afterparty quite a few years back (which also happened to be his first performance in the US).

I believe the aforementioned additions as well as: 69 (Carl Craig) – live, Claude Young, Loco Dice, and Kero – live are really shaping Movement 2011 into a great festival lineup. These new 29 acts are of course in addition to the initial lineup including Cio D’Or, Marcel Dettman, Scuba and more.

For those of you who voiced your opinion on Movement’s lackluster lineup as compared to Ultra or Electric Zoo, maybe the chosen mainstage headliners like international success Fatboy Slim or two-time Grammy Award Nominee Felix Da Housecat are commercial enough for you to spend money on.

Other performs that may bring heads into the festival include: DJ Harvey, Dubfire, Gaslamp Killer, Ramadanman, Goldie, Soulclap, and Sven Väth.

The entire list of 29 new acts announced for Movement (DEMF) 2011:

• 69 (Carl Craig) – live
• Al Ester
• Beardyman – live
• Ben Klock
• Claude Young
• DJ Harvey
• Dr. Atmo
• DTM 5×5 (DJ Seoul, T.Linder, Neil V, Darkcube, DJ Psycho)
• Dubfire
• Elliot Lipp – live
• Fatboy Slim
• Felix Da Housecat
• Franki Juncaj aka DJ 3000
• Gaslamp Killer
• Guti – live
• Hudson Mohawke – live
• James Zabiela
• Kero – live
• Livio & Roby
• Loco Dice
• Martin Buttrich – live
• Matt Clarke
• Metro Area
• Mike Servito
• Pulshar – live
• Ramadanman
• Ryan Elliott
• Steve Rachmad
• Traversable Wormhole aka Adam X – live

In addition to the initial Movement 2011 Lineup:

Ana Sia
Art Department
Bruce Bailey
Cio D’Or
Dam-Funk & Master Blazter (live)
DJ T-1000
Echospace (live)
Goldie
Green Velvet (live)
Kerri Chandler
Marcel Dettman
Mimosa
Reference
Scuba
Shlomi Aber
Skrillex (live)
Soul Clap
Sven Väth
Tini
Visionquest (live / DJ)

(via Resident Advisor)

After 27 years in business, Record Time, one of Detroit’s most well-loved record shops, will close for good next month.

“The writing has been on the wall for a while,” owner and founder Mike Himes said on Tuesday. “We were sinking fast, I knew it was time put the white flag up and call it a day.”

The shop has long been a centerpiece of Detroit’s music scene. It opened its doors in 1983, and has sold CDs and vinyl from a variety of locations since then, settling into its current Roseville spot in 1996. Over the years, it became a Detroit landmark for traveling musicians, from DJs in town for Movement (or DEMF), to celebrities like Dave Grohl and Ol’ Dirty Bastard. It was a hub for local musicians too: according to Himes, an adolescent Eminem used to stalk the aisles, taunting customers with his freestyle raps (some years he later, drew more than 700 people to the shop for an in-store performance).

But the thing that gave Record Time its global reputation was electronic music, which Himes kept cordoned off in the now legendary “dance room.” He first heard techno in the early ’90s, but didn’t realize how much of it was being made in his neighborhood. He contacted a few labels to find out where he could get more, and soon artists were bringing their records to the shop personally. Before long the dance room was like a club house for Detroit’s house and techno community, not least in the staff itself; Himes counts Mike Huckaby, Rick Wilhite, Magda, Claude Young, Rick Wade and Dan Bell among his former employees (“I’m probably forgetting some”).

“The best years were probably 1990 to 2000,” he says. “That’s when everything was happening. The dance room was so huge and influential, we had Record Time distribution going, selling Detroit electronic music universally, throughout the world, it was just crazy. Such a special time because we had a relationship with the people producing that music, and putting it out. It was fun, the golden years in my eyes, just being part of that.”

Himes admits Record Time has unusually high overhead costs—it occupies an 8,500 square foot space—but he still blames the store’s downturn mostly on digital music. Over the past few years, sales got so low that the dance room had to close, and soon after the the shop stopped selling new music altogether. “We just can’t turn people onto new music like we used to.” Though he thinks Record Time might have survived in a smaller space, he doesn’t see himself setting up a new location. “Maybe I’ll miss it, maybe I won’t. Right now it’s just not in the works.”

Record Time will remain open until (around) March 10th, and at the moment all of its stock is 75% off.

“It’s tough to let go,” says Himes. “Record Time was such a huge part of my life, and a lot of other people’s lives… We provide a service that will be missed.”

The highly anticipated full length compilation album, Feed Forward, from the Sandwell District record label collective has been delayed. I first began to wonder when online record stores had the album cataloged with a set release date of 10/25. The date had come and gone and so had the listing of the record. With earlier rumors that the Sandwell District collective, comprised of Regis, Funtion and Silent Servent, was not going to set an official release date and Feed Forwardwould just appear for release, I belived the disappearing listing played into the mystery of the the ominous techno label. Which it still may, but Sandwell District has officially announced “The Sandwell District compilation LP Feed Forward has been delayed due to issues with our processing plant. It has been scheduled for release in late November of 2010,” as noted below.

Here’s a brief look inside the mansion studio the new LCD Soundsystem album was recorded. Some of James Murphy’s thoughts. Some new album sounds. And is that a Will Ferrell impression at the end? James also announced a tour and made a few promises:

“here’s a promise: i’m not going to make many expensive videos. know why? no one plays videos. another promise: i will fall over and injure myself at some point on this tour. this is a promise i hope i can bail on, but it’s unlikely, considering my track record of falling over and injuring myself. if you are unaware of my track record, here it is: i fall over and hurt myself. somewhat regularly.”

Hmm. Sounds like a drunk girlfriend.