CITINITE + OPTIGRAM

Here’s a podcast I made for Juno Plus. If you live in London you can also catch me on September 15th at this.

Citinite is five! To celebrate, I’ve put together a compilation entitled Some Walk By Nite. You can download it from the new Citinite site.

Peace, Love and Funk.

C I T I N I T E . C O M

Citinite now has a new website for new and past releases. Check it out.

F A S T   L I F E   P R E V I E W

Here’s a preview of Fast Life, the forthcoming EP by Drive Me Home, featuring vocals from Olivier Daysoul, Spoek Mathambo and Riky Rick, plus remixes from Machinedrum and Computer Jay. Out on vinyl and digital this summer. Can’t wait!

Fast Life EP preview by Citinite

N I T E T R A X   E D I T I O N   3

Here’s the flyer for the third edition of Nitetrax, and a Mixcloud link for the second edition which was broadcast on 19th May. Lots of new music, including Ossie, Om’Mas Keith, Machinedrum, Jesse Boykins III, Ikonika, Jimmy Edgar, Sweat.X and Anti-G.

So that this Citinite page doesn’t get turned into a Nitetrax radio page, I’ve set up a Nitetrax site where I’ll be archiving all links and playlists from now on. And the flyers look pretty.

N I T E - 1 6   D I G I T A L

The Sexual Harrassment EP is now also available on digital via these stores: Turntable Lab; Bleep; Boomkat; Zero-Inch; Juno; Clone.

Check post below for vinyl links.

N I T E T R A X   E D I T I O N   2

Last Thursday’s launch edition of Nitetrax on NTS was great fun. It featured exclusives from Mynk Rychardz, Jimmy Edgar, Azealia Banks (produced by Machinedrum) and Drive Me Home. In case you missed it, here’s the NTS upload of the show, plus I’ve uploaded a music-only version over at the Citinite Mixcloud.

The second show is on Thursday 19th May (flyer above).

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After over two years of development, the Sexual Harrassment covers EP is finally out! It features fantastic versions by Dâm-Funk & Lil’ Kenny, Sweat.X, Jimmy Edgar & G.rizo, and Robert O’Dell.

Available now on vinyl from our distributors, Rubadub, and coming to other good vinyl stores within the next few days (I’ll add links as I get them). The digital release will be available from the 25th April.

USA: Turntable Lab (with review); Groove; Amoeba;

UK: Piccadilly (with review intercut with press release); Bleep (with review); Boomkat (with review); Phonica; Juno; Beatdown; Redeye; Rough Trade;

Europe: Word and Sound; Clone; Rush Hour; Deejay; Vinyl Distribution; iMusic; HHV;

Japan: Technique (with review); Newtone; Jetset.

Here’s a preview of all four tracks:

Give It To Me Hot EP preview by Citinite

More information, taken from the press release:

Give It To Me Hot is a 4-track EP that pays tribute to one of the hottest, raunchiest (but sadly short-lived) funk/punk groups from the early 80s, Sexual Harrassment.

Sexual Harrassment was started by radio DJ Lynn Tolliver whilst he was working at MCA Records, and the Cleveland-based group had a gold single on the Heat/Montage label. Their rarer 6-track album from 1983 has become a collector’s item.

To do their tracks justice, we asked modern day artists who are synonymous with a sex-driven funk attitude to either cover or reinterpret the originals.

LA-based vocalist Lil’ Kenny starts us off with a sweat-inducing rendition of ‘You Are My Sexual Connection’. Backed by limit-pushing production from modern funketeer Dâm-Funk, the powerful bassline, searing rides and deep-throated vocals are as honest and uncompromising as we could have hoped for.

Sweat.X’s interpretation of Sexual Harrassment’s most famous track, ‘I Need A Freak’, follows. Spoek Mathambo and Markus Wormstorm’s compulsively dark vision, with its broody, frustrated funk sound, riffs on themes of unsated desire and pleasure-pain.

Jimmy Edgar contributes a backing track unlike anything he has ever done before for little known gem, ‘Exercise Your Ass Off’. Combined with the energising vocals from G.rizo, the track reminds us of the 70s New York alt music scene whilst simultaneously feeling like the beginning of the next wave.

Finally Robert O’Dell rides in with his unique style for ‘If I Gave You A Party’. Co-produced by Jeppe Loverman, this version is by turns unsettling and thrilling and has proved to be the most popular on the EP amongst DJs we promoed the tracks to.

It’s a fine way to close an EP that we hope stays true to the candid, fun and untempered spirit of the originals.

N I T E T R A X   E D I T I O N   1

I’m excited (and a little nervous) to be launching a monthly radio show later this April on the new internet station, NTS. The two-hour show will be called Nitetrax and the first edition will go out on Thursday 21st April, starting at 10pm UK time (2pm Pacific, 5pm Eastern if you’re in the USA).

Expect non-stop futuristic sounds, ranging from influential classics, modern tracks and unreleased exclusives. There’s a Facebook event page for it here. Hope to have you with me.

D R I V E   M E   H O M E   A R T W O R K

Here’s the Optigram artwork for the release which follows the Sexual Harrassment EP. It’s the debut Citinite release from Drive Me Home and features Olivier Daysoul, Spoek Mathambo and Riky Rick on vocals. The EP also includes dope remixes by Machinedrum and Computer Jay.

We’re also shooting a video for one of the tracks, and as this will be the first Citinite video, I am doubly excited. More news on that very soon.

A D   B O U R K E   U P D A T E

This week AD Bourke makes his much anticipated return to the UK with two live shows and a radio session.

On Thursday 24th February he’ll be performing in London with Onra and Royalty, and on Friday 25th February he’ll be in Bristol joining Darkstar. Both nights are going to be huge.

Then on Saturday 26th February he’ll be live on ResonanceFM; the show starts at 9:30pm.

To get you in the mood, AD Bourke has prepared the latest instalment in Citinite’s Nitecasting series which can now be streamed over at Mixcloud, and Inverted Audio where they also have an interview.

Finally, the RBMA is hosting a fantastic new remix by AD Bourke for Amalia’s debut album, Art Slave, on Tokyo Dawn.

AD Bourke’s Mirage EP is now also available through TurntableLab.

S E X U A L   H A R R A S S M E N T   I N T E R V I E W

An interview with Lynn Tolliver, the man behind the original Sexual Harrassment tracks, is now up at the Citinite blog.

G I V E   I T   T O   M E   H O T   P R E V I E W

Here’s a sneak preview of all four tracks on the next Citinite release, the Sexual Harrassment covers EP.

Give It To Me Hot EP preview by Citinite

B A C K   C A T A L O G U E

Just a heads up that a selection of Citinite back catalogue is now available through Bandcamp.

S E X U A L   H A R R A S S M E N T   A R T W O R K

2011 is going to be a busy year for Citinite, and first up is Give It To Me Hot, a remix project featuring Dâm-Funk, Lil’ Kenny, Sweat.X, Jimmy Edgar, G.rizo and Robert O’Dell. The four tracks on the EP are cover versions of tracks originally by the 80s funk group Sexual Harrassment, whose most famous tracks were ‘I Need A Freak’ and ‘If I Gave You A Party’.

There’ll be more info about the release very soon, but in the meantime I wanted to put up the artwork, this time by the great Sheela Rahman from San Francisco.

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AD Bourke’s Mirage EP is now available on digital from Bleep, Juno, Boomkat, TurntableLab, Clone and Zero-Inch. (Vinyl links in previous post.)

Here’s a couple of Soundcloud audios too:

AD Bourke - Cosmic Connection (feat. Amalia) by Citinite

AD Bourke - 100 by Citinite

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Finally, after much anticipation (and a couple of production setbacks which delayed things), we have the finished copies of AD Bourke’s Mirage EP. Our distributor Rubadub is the best place to order from as they will always have stock (until they totally sell out), but it is also available from these fine stores:

USA: Turntable Lab (with review); Groove;

UK: Bleep (with review); Boomkat (with review); Piccadilly (with review); Sounds of the Universe; Phonica; Juno; Rough Trade; Chemical; Beatdown; Rhythm Online;

Europe: Clone; Rush Hour; Deejay; Vinyl Distribution; iMusik; HHV; Hum;

Japan: Japonica (with review); Dovewax (with review); Jetset; Technique; Newtone.

I’m giving the vinyl a fortnight’s head start over the digital, and I’ll put the links up for those when they’re up.

Here’s a quick preview of the EP:

Mirage EP preview by AD Bourke

Here’s the press release bit:

Mirage is the first Citinite EP from the Rome-based producer, AD Bourke. Combining soul chords, hip hop beats and funk phrasing, he invites us on a trip full of light and expansion.

The track which begins our journey, ‘Cosmic Connection’, is the perfect introduction to Bourke’s cosmic boogie style, with its relaxed rhythms overlayed by fizzing funk synthwork. It’s perhaps worth pointing out right from the start that Bourke’s music studio has only one window, and it looks straight up into the sky.

‘100’ then drops with heavier, more club-oriented beats. This was the track that first came to our attention via Benji B’s Deviation show and which motivated us to sign Bourke.

The electrically off-beat ‘Chillin on Rhea’ which follows is one of two MP3-only Bourke productions on the EP (the other being end-track, ‘Janus’). ‘Solar Commuter’ with its fun acid bass is the newest track of the set, and along with the title track ‘Mirage’ which opens side B of the vinyl version, is more uptempo.

‘Diff Star’ was recorded whilst Bourke was living in Brooklyn (and ‘One For Me’ and ‘100’ were recorded shortly after his return to Rome) and you can hear how that Brooklyn summer spirit left its mark.

‘Mirage’ and ‘Light Echoes’ were both written just after Bourke had agreed to work with us and both tracks are full of positive energy. (‘Light Echoes’ has also been remixed by London-based Ulysses82. Their remix has proved extremely popular, with Bourke using it to close out his live shows, and is included as an extra bonus on the digital release.)

The last track on the vinyl is the incredible vocal version of ‘Cosmic Connection’ featuring Stockholm-based singer Amalia. With great attitude and a dynamic delivery she steals the track and makes it her own. Finally ‘Janus’ is more dub influenced and is a chilled closer to the digital version.

We’re truly excited to be able to introduce Bourke’s music to a wider audience and hope he takes his place at the forefront of the new funk sound.

A M A L I A

Featuring on AD Bourke’s Mirage EP on the track ‘Cosmic Connection’ is the awesome Amalia:

Originally from Vancouver but now based in Stockholm, Amalia has performed at several festivals, including the Montreal and Vancouver Jazz Festivals and the Notting Hill Carnival, and was nominated for the Juno Best Contemporary Jazz Album award. She has previously collaborated with Domu and Altered Natives and has just completed a new album with her partner, Opolopo.

I recently heard her new album and was fully blown away by it. She’s the real deal. Look out for it in 2011 on the Tokyo Dawn label. You can keep up to date at her Facebook fan page.

A D   B O U R K E

For those wanting a bit of background on our man AD Bourke, here’s the text from the Mirage press release:

AD Bourke (AD is pronounced as one word, “Ad”, as it is short for Adam) was born and bred in Rome with an English father, growing up with the sounds and melodies of soul music. Well known as a DJ in Rome, Bourke has emerged as a producer who blends the emotions of soul and funk in a futuristic key.

In 2008 he released a beat-tape EP on Domu’s Treble O Records, and Bourke’s music aroused the interest of BBC Radio DJs, Gilles Peterson and Benji B. He has since perfomed live extensively throughout Italy at clubs and festivals, and was recently featured in the Italian edition of Rolling Stone magazine.

A participant at the London 2010 Red Bull Music Academy, Bourke played live at the Taste of Sonar event at The Roundhouse in Camden, and was also part of Red Bull’s showcase at Sonar in Barcelona. Two of Bourke’s tracks from his Citinite EP were featured in Dâm-Funk’s ‘Future Sound of Modern Funk’ mix broadcast recently on Mary Anne-Hobbs’ radio show.

For booking enquiries please contact Andrea at DNA Concerti.