Velcro City Records

Artist Name?
Lefo X

Where are you from?
I am from a suburb of Athens in Greece.

What upcoming projects are in the works?
I have several new originals on the way.

The first is almost done and it’s called “Sum of all days” which is a collaboration with the singer of CYANNA , Spyrea Sid and the help of my friend Dimitri Karpouza from Lizard Sound Recordings.

As for the others is too early to say…

Any production tips for new producers?
Always experiment with new sounds and try to work with different musicians, singers or producers, you always gain things from such experiences.

Also, never hesitate to think outside the box and apply new things to your music.

What’s your favorite track at the moment?
Yonderboi – Were you thinking of me? (Gary and Paul Remix)

Who is your favorite artist at the moment?
Moderat

What / when is your next release?
My next release will be out on 11^th of May and it is called “Different”  featuring on vocals Gary Frad from Full Tattoo. And straight after that , I have one more called “Cycle” again with Gary.

What’s your take on the music industry at the moment?
No comment.

Any Upcoming Gigs to be on the look out for?
I don’t have anything planned for the moment but I hope I’ll be able to play in some gigs during the summer. I’ll let you know…

How did you get into producing?
I started writing music at an early age ,back in ‘96 ,and I needed some way to record my tracks at home so I started working on my PC with an early edition of Cakewalk! So I begun to wonder how things work and since then I never stopped trying new plug ins , sequencers , hardware and experimenting on blending different genres of music.

If you could work with any one artist, who would it be?
Only one?! Then it would have to be Trent Reznor.

What instruments do you play?
Guitar, Bass guitar and keys.

What are your goals and what do you expect to achieve with music production?
I believe that in “our line of work” the best thing that you can hope for, is your music to be heard and appreciated and to be able to make music for as long as you can…

What do you have that is new / innovative that you bring to the table?
I think it would be better to leave this one for others to say.

What does your family think about the music you produce, how have they supported you?
My brother and my girlfriend are the first people who listen to my new tracks before anyone else and tell me what they think, even if I don’t like what I hear!!! They are also the ones that encouraged me and supported me throughout the years in any way they could.

What is your favorite meal and who makes it for you?
I am a big fan of Italian cuisine and I cook it myself….!!!

What do you like to do in your free time?
I don’t have a lot of free time but when I do have, I watch a movie, go to a nice restaurant or grab a drink with friends.

Where do you find your main source of support comes from?
From my friends, family and collaborators mostly.

Is there anything that you would like to say to your fans or the people who support your music?
I would like to thank them for their support so far and I also would like to take this opportunity to thank the whole VCR family for their love and support you showed to me and my music.

Previews

Here are  the original mix and Lefo’s Different Aspect Mix of Different. Dropping May 11th on Velcro City Records

LEFO X FT. GARY FRAD – DIFFERENT (ORIGINAL MIX) by Lefo X

LEFO X FT. GARY FRAD – DIFFERENT (DIFFERENT ASPECT REMIX) by Lefo X

You like what you hear?

Keep up with Lefo X on:
Facebook
Soundcloud
Last FM
Jumping Fish

Artist Name?
Dj Vanish

Where are you from?
Denver

What upcoming music projects are in the works?
Remixes for Mynx & Devoe, Joman, and more remixes, remixes, remixes.

Any production tips for new producers?
Grab a Spectrum Analyzer and compare your songs with commercial products. If you are a visual learner than this method can become very useful. Of course your ears are still your best friend and worst critic.

What’s one of your favorite plug ins or pieces of hardware to use in your production?
The Novation SL MK II

What / when is your next release?
The Search for Signature EP just dropped on December 8th but I am trying to meet the deadline for Joman’s newest electro smasher Mad Monkey.

What’s your take on the music industry at the moment?
How much time can I have?

Short and sweet answer: It’s pretty tough but we keep trucking along.

Any Upcoming Gigs to be on the look out for?
Holding down our monthly in Denver at Headrush, playing a retro vinyl only night on the 29^th of December at the Funky Buddha and some more stuff is in the pipeline.

I am becoming far choosier at which gigs I will actually play in my old age

How did you get into producing?
To me it was a natural progression, after DJing for so long and being so obsessed with this music, I eventual just dove in and started learning and figuring things out.

If you could work with any one artist, who would it be?
The almighty Russ Chimes.

The guy is absolutely brilliant!!

What instruments do you play?
MIDI

What are your goals and what do you expect to achieve with music production?
A better understanding of myself and some creations to leave behind.

What do you have that is new / innovative that you bring to the table?
I refuse to pigeonhole myself. I like making what I like making. I don’t have this exact formula to the creative process. I think it’s more of an evolving process.

What do you see being the next trend in the dance music scene?
We are already seeing the major corporate players starting to book electronic shows just like overseas. AEG & Livenation must have gotten the memo.

What does your family think about the music you produce, how have they supported you?
My Mom loves my stuff and has been at quite a few VIP tables in support of me. She is always rocking out and taste-making her friends and coworkers. My beautiful queen (the Wife) and my  Brother have always been down for support and they are both brutally honest to me, which is a good thing.

What do you like to do in your free time?
Not exactly sure what “free time” is but I do my best at running a label

Where do you find your main source of support comes from?
The wife, the twin brother, my Mother, my close friends and of course the wonderful VCR family.

We also dusted off some free tunes from Vanish.

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Pony Pony Run Run – Hey You (Dj Vanish Remix)

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Case by Case – Everyone (Dj Vanish Remix)

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Dj Vanish – AM Love (Original Mix)

Artist Name?
Arete & Kaution

Where are you from?
Denver Baby!

What upcoming projects are in the works?
Currently we are finishing up a full-length remix album, which will be releasing free to our fans this October. The album includes remixes of The Black Eyed Peas, Jamiroquai, Imogen Heap among others. We also have a number of original tracks in the works that we are really excited about. In addition, we are beginning production on our second album for the infamous Denver-based hip-hop group, “White Fudge”. Finally, we are expanding our live performances with the inclusion of live percussion and next-generation custom visualizations.

Any production tips for new producers?
For new producers, we highly recommend fully learning the ins and outs of all of your plug-ins and DAW’s. Make a point to gain a fundamental understanding of whatever you are working with at the time. This will increase your work-flow and prevent you from getting bogged down and frustrated. This can be done by taking advantage of the wealth of YouTube tutorials, forums, articles (Sound on Sound articles especially) available for free online. We also try to stay true to the mantra that “well begun is half done”; focus on organization of your sound libraries and setting obtainable goals throughout your creative process. Finally, it is essential to learn (or find someone who knows how) to properly mix and master your material. No matter how much you dig your tracks, if they aren’t there sonically, it is unlikely that it will translate well to the ears of your listeners. Ultimately, it is about experience, literally how many hours you put in the seat, that will determine your success.

What’s one of your favorite plug ins or pieces of hardware to use in your production?
Being live performers, we are avid Ableton Live users and highly recommend it both for live applications and as a primary DAW. Concerning plug-ins, Native Instruments Massive is a fantastic tool for sculpting synth and bass sounds. The level of control is exceptional and the user interface, while daunting at first, is intuitive and easy to navigate; Massive is exactly that in all respects.

What’s your favorite track at the moment?
The XX – Crystalised

What’s your favorite artist at the moment?
ill.Gates, no question. ill is not only a pioneer and an outstanding producer, but one hell of a great guy as well. If you get a chance to either see him live, or better, attend one of his producer workshops, grab it!

What’s your take on the music industry at the moment?
No doubt, it’s a different world. Beneficially, there is a greater amount and better music out there than ever before, but it can be difficult to find the gems amongst the overwhelming amount of music being released. Artists are able to reach out to a broader fan-base than ever before, but with digital distribution, it’s important for new artists to do something truly remarkable to set themselves above the rest. Our primary goal, and the goal of many producers at the moment, is to release music with genuine heart and soul, regardless of genre. If a talented artist is fully committed, in it for the right reasons and has the drive and dedication necessary, then they will be successful regardless of the hurdles faced in the music industry.

Any Upcoming Gigs to be on the lookout for?
Yes, we’re really excited to play Global Fridays at The Church on October 15th! We have a ton of new material that is sure to put some dents in the dance floor

What are your thoughts on the future of EDM?
A quarter-century on and EDM is stronger than ever. We are stoked to see an enthusiastic new generation of dance music lovers and genres. Furthermore, we are overjoyed at the vitality of the EDM community in the Mile High City! We have always had a solid scene, but we are now one of the dominant cities in the industry, largely because of the supportive nature of our artists, performers, independent record labels (Velcro City Records above all) and the undeniable contribution of Beatport and Beta Nightclub, which regularly bring the best talent in the world to the Mile High City!

How did you get into producing?

Adam Arete:
My father ensured that I tried as many musical instruments as possible: violin, piano, guitar, mandolin and even accordion He and I co-wrote the Colorado Rockies theme song “Play Ball” and were fortunate enough to perform it with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, which was a huge inspiration. Later, I focused primarily on playing keyboard, but not until I started sequencing on my ancient Korg 01/Wfd did I grasp the possibilities of multi-tracking. I DJ’d  (DJ Tantra) in the phenomenal Denver rave scene of the mid 1990’s and was bless to have some great mentors who encouraged me to write more original material. I made the leap to solely producing music as the early DAW’s and software became available, Rebirth gets honorable mention, and it’s evolved ever since. I give a ton of thanks to Mark Orosz, who taught me to DJ, Jim Stout (formerly Nebula 9) for sharing his vast knowledge of synthesis and to BT for introducing me to Ableton early on.

Kaution:
I was introduced to the early Denver rave scene and then stared DJ’ing at Tracks 2000 in the late 1990’s. In 1999, I was approached to write an original track specially for the club and the thrill of the writing process hooked me. I began producing regularly with my cousin, Adam Arete, using floor stereo speakers and Sonic Foundry Acid, but then began DJ’ing exclusively and put production on the back burner. I teamed back up with Adam Arete in 2009 to co-produce and co-engineer the White Fudge album “Colfax of Life” (a big thank you to DJ Hero and Ricardo Blanco for the engineering tips). Throughout the rest of 2009 we began to produce and build the catalog of music that we now play in our live act, Arete & Kaution.

If you could work with any one artist, who would it be?

Adam Arete: Jimi Hendrix

Kaution: John Lennon

(In) EDM: BT, hands down. Not only is he a revolutionary producer but his humility, openness and passion are second to none. He is the nerd godfather

What instruments do you play?
Piano, Drums, Guitar and all things electronic!

What are your goals and what do you expect to achieve with music production?
To continue to put out the most original, innovative,  funky, dirty, soul-grabbing dance music possible. To push the limits of the combined power of audio and visualization. To continue to build our fan base by being truly ourselves and having an open and genuine rapport with our fans. And, within a short time, to play the major EDM festivals both here in the states and abroad.

What do you have that is new / innovative that you bring to the table?
Our full show consists of completely original Live PA duo with incorporated video synthesis, live vocals, instrumentation and performance art. We are blessed to know some of Denver’s most talented musicians and performance artists as well as video and lighting engineers. This allows us to have an to have an ever-changing live performance tailored to venue, theme and audience.

If you could play at any venue or event, where would it be and why?
Red Rocks at the end of a world tour

What is your favorite meal and who makes it for you?
Adam Arete: What’s that stuff, we used to eat it all the time back in the day?
Kaution: Old Chicago Pizza!

What do you like to do in your free time?

A&K: Free Time?

Adam Arete: Travel above all! I also study the humanities, especially history.

Kaution: BBQ and Disc Golf.

Adam Arete: Oh yea, BBQ and Disc Golf too

Where do you find your main source of support comes from?

Adam Arete: My lovely wife, Lady Shanime, she has supported me on this journey for over twelve years and I couldn’t do it without her. She performs with us as well as doing vocals on many of our tracks. My entire family, including Kaution, are the earth beneath my feet and I am blessed beyond words to have them all. Finally, my VCR family. I couldn’t have asked for more inspiring and wonderful group of people with whom to work.

Kaution: Same as above, but replace lovely wife with partner Gary Skogen.

Is there anything that you would like to say to your fans or the people who support your music?
Thank you! Your love and support truly mean the world to us. You are why we do what we do!

Much Love,

Arete & Kaution

Go Fan Arete & Kaution on their new Facebook Page  ->
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Arete-and-Kaution/190452975807

A&K were kind enough to load us up with tons of free tunes for your ear pleasure. Stream and download below.

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Arete & Kaution – Diana Ross vs. Basement Jaxx (Original Mix).mp3

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Black Eyed Peas – Hey Mama (Arete & Kaution Remix).mp3

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Imogen Heap – Headlock (Arete & Kaution Remix).mp3

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Jamiroquai – Deeper Underground (Arete & Kaution Remix).mp3

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Peaches – F_ck The Pain Away (Arete & Kaution Remix).mp3

and check out their other work on Beatport.com

Artist Name?
Dubba Jonny

Where are you from?
Bournemouth, UK

What instruments do you play?
I (Brian) play guitar and keys and Nick plays drums (being the drummer!) and a bit of guitar.

What’s your favorite track at the moment?
Bar 9 – Piano Tune

What upcoming projects are in the works?
We’re currently working on some new material, trying to mix things up a bit, got some heavier stuff coming out as well as some much more chilled tunes. We’re also finishing up some new remixes that should be making their way out soon with a bit of luck.

What / when is your next release?
Our first original release – Home is coming out on the 16^th (of June), which we’re really excited about, we’ve been waiting to get this out to people for ages!

How did you get into producing?
It all started when I was about 13, I asked my mum to get me some software to record my guitar on and I ended up with fruity loops, I started messing around with, trying to make piss take dance music, but got really into my IDM which developed into DNB and trip hop and then dubstep.

If you could work with any one artist, who would it be?
Maynard James Keenan – everything that guy gets involved in is just ridiculously awesome. I couldn’t imagine him being a big dubstep fan though!

What’s your take on the music industry at the moment?
It’s been in a really weird place for quite some time now, what with the net making it so easy for artists to get out there but achieve nothing. The amount of people who can get half a million people to follow them online but couldn’t sell out a pub gig is nuts. I wouldn’t complain about it though, it’s as much of a good thing as it is a bad thing in my opinion. At least on the internet things don’t get so political, I whine about how brutally political the dubstep scene is on a daily basis, it bores the shit out of everyone so I’ll leave it at that!

What is your favorite meal and who makes it for you?
Fry up. We do this thing when we’re hungover called double fry up day and we eat 2 fry ups each in one day and that is it. I make it, I get too scared if someone else cooks it, they’ll break the yolks on my eggs or mix the beans up with everything or something!

What’s one of your favorite plug-ins or pieces of hardware to use in your production?
It’s so standard I know, but N.I Massive. It can just do anything, I lose hours and hours of my life to it on a very regular basis.

If you could play at any venue or event, where would it be and why?
It sounds ridiculous, but the worlds biggest house party. We still play so many house parties where we live and they are just the funnest gigs ever.

Where do you find your main source of support comes from?
A lot of it comes from other artists, swapping half baked tunes, picking up tips off each other etc really helps you stay on top of your game. Our fans are so bloody keen too, that’s pretty awesome.

What does your family think about the music you produce, how have they supported you?They helped me a hell of a lot when I was younger, sorting me out with stuff I could just never afford, buying my CD’s etc. but I reckon they think I’m running around like this mental wannabe, trying to chase some crazy dream of getting really rich and famous through a genre they probably think I made up! “Dub – what!? You’re playing reggae??”
I’m sure it’s exactly the same with Nick too. We stopped off at his mums place on the way back from a gig the other day and she asked to hear some of her stuff,  about 10 seconds into Home she said “…I’ll listen to it later!’
What are your goals and what do you expect to achieve with music production?
Just to be able to do this full time, no jobs, just loads and loads of music! I’d like to be able to say we’ve brought something new to the genre too, get a few people thinking ‘aaah I didn’t think of doing that!’ whether or not we expect to actually influence the scene at all I don’t know, but it would be pretty bangin!

What do you see being the next trend in the dance music scene?
I reckon dubstep influence is gonna start to creep into other genres, everyone will whine but that’s what I think is gonna happen, seems to be creeping in there already!
———————-

We have a clever rework of Dolly Parton for free from Dubba Jonny.

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Dolly Parton – Jolene (Dubba Jonny Refix).mp3

And be sure to be on the look out for Dubba Jonny – Home droppin June 16th exclusively on Beatport.com through Velcro City Records with remixes by Deep Focus, InContext, & Rumblejazz

InContext

Artist Name?
InContext

Where are you from?
Northamptonshire, UK

What upcoming projects are in the works?
I have recently polished off the five tracks for my EP. Aside from that I have a remix of Dubba Jonny’s huge track “Home” coming along nicely and I have  started working on a remix of Joman’s track “Bounce Castle” as well.

Any production tips for new producers?
From my own experience I can say that Reason is a great piece of software for people starting out, It has a very user friendly interface and you can easily bridge over to Logic or Cubase by rewiring. In general I would say you need good patience and enough free time, keep checking your mixes against other artists and constantly scrutinize your own production to make sure you are always improving.

What’s one of your favorite plug ins or pieces of hardware to use in your production?
Its going to have to be Massive by Native Instruments, its a brilliant synth for thick bass-lines and lead synths. Another favorite is the Izotope Ozone plug-in, its a nice mastering plug-in with a decent Limiter that I use a lot.

What’s your favorite track at the moment?
Empire Of The Sun – We Are The People (Sub Focus Remix). Nice bass-line, nice drums, can’t go wrong really.

What’s your favorite artist at the moment?
Definitely Shock One, still love his track “Polygon”.

What / when is your next release?
My EP which is due to drop on the 19th of May [on Velcro City Records] .

How did you get into producing?
With my dad being a pretty keen musician my home has always been littered with various instruments and recording equipment. I remember when I was around fifteen recording tracks with my next door neighbor on an old Tascam. I started taking it more seriously in my second year of university. With one of my flat mates being a drum & bass head it doesn’t surprise me that I have ended up here.

If you could work with any one artist, who would it be?
Shock One, he can pack some serious energy into his tracks.

What instruments do you play?
I have played bass and guitar for around eight years, but I would really like to start playing piano.

What is your favorite meal and who makes it for you?
My other half Jessica makes a pretty mean Chilli Bake.

What do you like to do in your free time?
Being in good company with good conversation and good food, getting the acoustic out and attempting to play some Andy McKee and learning interesting science facts.

Is there anything that you would like to say to your fans or the people who support your music?
A big thanks to everyone for their continued support, especially to Maris and Luke who run two of the biggest drum & bass channels on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Liquicity
http://www.youtube.com/user/UKFDrumandBass

Free Tune

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InContext – Flutter (Re-Mastered).mp3

Find InContext on