A rich tension has always existed between machine-made sounds and human emotions. One the one hand, there is equipment – exact, untiring, dispassionate, icy. On the other, there is the human heart – hot, messy, inconstant, yearning. This textural disjoint has made for decades of great pop music, from disco through house to Bjork and beyond.
French techno genius Agoria has been announced as the next in line to mix a volume for EQ Recordings’ Balance series. Following hot on the heels of critically acclaimed releases from Joris Voorn and Will Saul. Talking about Balance 016 Agoria explained that he took the name of the series quite literally when compiling the mix. “In my mind a balance is not a middle position; it’s a perfect equilibrium…” he said. “I have tried to find this fine line where the balance is just right. In the end, more than a DJ compilation, this is a manifesto of my passion for music and for mixing.”
Founded in 1995 by Robert Henke and Gerhard Behles, Monolake quickly stood out from their peers, drawing influence not only from minimal techno and drum ‘n bass but also the “sonic richness and sophistication of academic computer music”. Their first releases were on the Basic Channel-affiliated Chain Reaction label, and since then they’ve become a hugely respected and influential fixture in the electronic music firmament, releasing several classic albums including Hongkong (1997) and Polygon Cities (2005) and becoming renowned for their distinctive installation and live performance work.
For the first time in its history, Sónar, the International Festival of Advanced Music and Multimedia Art, will be split between two venues. As part of the Xacobeo Jubilee Year, Sónar travels along the Way of Saint James, and will take place simultaneously in A Coruña and Barcelona. As a result, there will be a double helping of Sónar, the annual Barcelona festival and this one-off event, which will be called Sónar Galicia.
Built on the same bi-directional and adaptable platform as the Ohm64, Block provides a powerful interface for creating and interacting with sound in a small easy-to-transport body. Sixty four backlight led buttons provide endless possibilities for visual feedback with the instrument by connecting it to Ableton Live, Max/Msp, our open source sounds apps, or any other software that supports MIDI.