Viva La Electronica Magazine

Dubfire
Reboot
Tiefschwarz
Rodriguez Jr. (live)
Martin Landsky

DUBFIRE
Ali Shirazinia; known by his stage name Dubfire, left the comforts of a storied career as one-half of Grammy-winning duo Deep Dish in order to pursue new life as a producer of "jet-black, polished chrome techno." Such daring reinvention is not for the faint of heart - yet Dubfire in just three short years has emerged as a technological innovator, an acclaimed producer, and the owner of the lauded SCI+TEC Digital Audio record label.

REBOOT
Reboot is known to lay down tracks that are so visceral they’re positively orgasmic. His approach to performance and production is based around what he calls ‘complex polyrhythmic architecture’ – not forgetting a musical heritage that spans house, techno, world music and jazz. With proven releases on such labels as Below, Cadenza and Cocoon, an explosive live show and a DJ career that’s more versatile than many imagine, Reboot has earned every inch of his reputation as a speaker-freaker. In fact, he now spearheads what others are calling the new sound of Frankfurt, alongside friends like Chris Tietjen, Robert Dietz and Markus Fix. Aachen-born Frank moved to the Frankfurt-Offenbach area when he was just six years old. Here, he received a classical music education and picked up a range of instruments. These ranged from the melodica and accordion to organs and keyboards. However, a lifelong love affair with electronic music commenced and flourished after he first made contact through radio. Aged 13, he began DJing and by 14 he was producing his own tracks using kit that he’d bought with pocket money. Officially, he was too young to go clubbing but that didn’t stop him. After all, it was the early-90s and the techno radiating from this region was more than the talk of the town. Later, a friend smuggled him into Sven Väth’s seminal Omen club and boom – his electronic ambition was cemented. He also, as they say, ‘forgot to go home’… In 1992 Frank and Marco Delle Donne formed Delle & Heinrich: a longstanding production and performance partnership that was never about going pro but more about having fun. Together they explored the scene and had a couple of releases (on Combi Int. and i220) before finally parting in 2006. During this period Frank also continued to work solo, experimenting with warmer sounds outside the increasingly tough techno of the clubs. To this end, he would also play in lounges and bars, mixing all kinds of music, whether he was simply DJing or jamming live, fusing his knowledge into a compelling show that went way beyond a laptop/midi controller. Naturally, such intrinsic ‘world’ flavours as African and Latin rhythms continue to infuse his sound to this day. Seemingly hard-wired for success from the get-go, Frank’s Reboot moniker came to life in 2005. This was the perfect platform for his DJing, evolving live shows and productions that he wrote, engineered – the whole shebang – using traditional analogue machines as well as a laptop. In 2007, the hypnotic, melodic ‘Charlotte’, his first production as Reboot, was released by his friends at Below. It shone a light on his skills and saw his profile soar like never before. He then realised another ambition when he made his debut on Cadenza with ‘Be Tougher’, a much darker offspring that Luciano adopted on his Fabric 41 mix. Another massive hit for Reboot was the mind-warp of ‘Vandong’, which blew up as part of his Sidekick EP. All the time, Frank carried on pushing the possibilities of DJing and live performance as Reboot. And thus his barrage of booty-shaking beats spread rapidly around the globe, from Robert-Johnson and Cocoon Club in Germany, to Womb in Japan, D-Edge in Brazil and Fabric in the UK. Using mostly his own material, he also locked a groove on Cocoon’s 2008 Disco Invaders mix compilation, alongside compadres Johnny D and Chris Tietjen. Frank continues his sensory assault into 2009 with an abundance of productions and live/DJ sets. He has furthermore joined Luciano’s dynamic Æther project, which is like a Cadenza live electronic band, complete with visuals. So enjoy the ride, because the Reboot recipe for a good time is (and always has been) about melding the cerebral with the visceral to detonate our gut reactions to dance, to connect and to get in-sync.

TIEFSCHWARZ
In a world of ever recycled trends, Tiefschwarz (deep black) is that most classic of shades. Its timeless style is testament to its staying power, and with a DJ and production career spanning over 14 years, this German deep house duo have proven just how apt a moniker can be.

Born and bred in Stuttgart, brothers Ali and Basti Schwarz’s passion for techno and deep house flourished their initial experience as DJs in the early 90’s at the now legendary clubs that Ali ran in their home town, ON –U and Red Dog. This led to the formation of Tiefschwarz in 1997, from which they found rapid success with their debut single ‘Music’ (on Francois K’s Wave Music label) and album Ral 9005. By 2001, this had been licensed to the London label Classic Recordings from where they springboarded to international recognition. They decided to make the move to Berlin, at the time fast becoming the epicentre of a true electronic music renaissance, from where they pursued a hectic touring schedule and remixing the likes of Cassius, The Rapture, Missy Elliott, Kelis and their personal heroes Masters At Work. They then scored a double whammy with their all-conquering crossover hit remix of Spektrum’s ‘Kinda New’ and the single ‘Isst’ off their 2005 long-player, ‘Eat Books’. This was also the year that electrohouse dominated the charts and minimal the clubs, but Tiefschwarz have never allowed themselves to be tied down to a certain sound, staying true to their love of melody as demonstrated on their contribution to the Fabric mix series that year.

Olivier Mateu’s wide-ranging inspirations and interests find their ultimate outlet as Rodriguez Jr., positioning him as Mobilee’s new master of eclecticism.

RODRIGUEZ JR.
As one half of French electro act The Youngsters – best known for their two studio albums and singles for Laurent Garnier’s F-Communications – Mateu has already received enough plaudits and praise to last a lifetime. The Youngsters’ award-winning productions catapulted them into the international arena, taking them to some of the biggest clubs and festivals around the world.

Rodriguez Jr. reveals a different incarnation of Mateu’s musical psyche, one that strides ahead, guided only by his kaleidoscopic vision; moving through shimmering, contemplative electronica, to deep and urgent techno, leftfield melodic accents and quirky pop refrains, Rodriguez Jr. is the by-product of an untamed brand of creativity and a thirst for the new and unexpected. Drawing inspiration from artists as diverse as Stockhausen, LFO, Carl Craig, Eric Satie, Kraftwerk, and Michael Polnareff, Rodriguez Jr.’s spirit of adventure translates as soaring creativity, and music that cannot be pigeonholed.
Mateu manifests Rodriguez Jr. in his MLab Mk5 studio, which brims with vintage synthesizers and dusty analog gear. Acclaimed Rodriguez Jr. releases for imprints such as Mothership, Boxer Records and Giant Wheels, prefaced the quirky melodies of his bass-driven house hit Princess Guacamole for mobilee records, and the tropical techno of Kids of Hula for it’s sister label Leena Music. Drawing both pleasure and inspiration from live performance, Rodriguez Jr. relishes the opportunity to realize his project on the stage, and has done extensively throughout Europe and America.
As he restlessly seeks out the ultimate intersection between all of his disparate influences, Mateu explains it best: “Good electronic music is not a jail,” he says, “It should be enjoyable everywhere, from dancefloors to living rooms, and by everybody.” Now an integral part of the mobilee family, Mateu will continue to channel his vision, passion, and love of music into all that he does, and all that will come.