DRM035: Chris Mitchell

Chris Mitchell, Tampa Bay Techno tactician and Vanguard Sound label owner drops the 35th installment in the Deeply Rooted Mixtape series - - which features exclusive mixes by both local and international DJs and producers.

Another post on Tampa Bay producer and character-to-watch Chris Mitchell, who, along with Amir Alexander owns and operates the vinyl-pressing label Vanguard Sound!  We are currently waiting on a vinyl promo from this hot little label, which should be here any minute now.  Chris Mitchell is a man on a mission, a brilliant artist with releases on Plan B Recordings that we have featured on the page a couple of times for his work in both the realms of Techno and Deep House.  If you haven't heard his work before, make sure you read our previous articles on his music by clicking here and here and here.  The links will give you a taste of his solo work as well as his productions with Lady Blacktronika as the duo known as the Ikenga Project - - which we might add, have a new EP coming out on Lady B's label Sound Kemystry.  You can taste this upcoming release below, and then put in your pre-order here.

Ikenga Project - Snow EP >>> [Pre-order it]

While on the topic of Ikenga, we would like to throw out some love to our friend Lady Blacktronika and congratulate her on her recent landmark experience in Berlin, where she played at the world famous Panorama Bar.  You can listen to her set by clicking the following link to her soundcloud.  She has come a long way in her DJ'ing skills since we first had her play a Deep North event last year before she played the Pride weekend here in Toronto.

Chris Mitchell - Phrenetic! >>> VS002

Back to Mr. Mitchell though... here is his fantastic DRM035 mixtape for the Deep North's long-running mix series, which has seen a number of incredible mixes from both local and international DJs and producers.  Make sure you follow Chris on Soundcloud and browse the Vanguard Sound Website for more music and mixes by Chris and his homies Amir Alexander, Hakim Murphy, Dakini9, DJ Spider and more!  Thanks for the mix Chris, and keep cranking out those big bad daddies!

DRM035: CHRIS MITCHELL - THE EXCLUSIVE VANGUARD ARRIVAL MIX 

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TRACKLISTING: We should hopefully be getting a Tracklisting soon from Chris.  Hold Tight

Hakim Murphy - Essential
G Marcell - Excites Me
Chris Mitchell - Lonely Nights
Amir Alexadner - Sanctuary
Chris Mitchell - Y.I.C.U.
Chris Mitchell - Snakes, Heat and Concrete
Hakim Murphy - Space Impediment
G Marcell - Renegade Rampage
Amir Alexander - Deep and Raw
DJ Spider - Tribal Mechanism
Chris Mitchell - Phrenetic
Amir Alexander - Violence
Hakim Murphy - EMPB
Dakini 9 - The Weight of Disbelief

DRM026: Sacha Robotti

DRM026 comes from Sacha "Ricotti" Robotti: a cheese loving, pasta making, music producer of the finest grade.

Deeply Rooted Mixtape Number 26 comes to us by way of Berlin, from a dear friend of ours Sacha Robotti, who we recently had the pleasure of hosting in Toronto last December for Late & Deep #8.  We flew Sacha into Toronto purely on the gut instinct that the producer must make a serious spaghetti Bolognese, given that he has some real Italian tomato sauce in his blood.  Luckily we were right, and a beautiful friendship was forged out of hearty pasta sauce, freestyle sessions and a serious love for beats.

But all bullshit aside, the Klasse Recordings artist turned out to be a great dude, and we got a long just fine.  Recently, Sacha has been putting out some serious dancefloor grease, both as one half of Robosonic, and on his own.  As Robosonic, and through Jackmode Agency's imprint of the same name, Sacha released "The Sweetness EP" which is a smooth groovin release with a remix by the talented J. Phlip.

Robosonic - The Sweetness (Original Mix) >>> [BUY IT]  

On his home label Klasse Recordings - - a favourite of ours here in the pit - - Sacha and label boss Luca Lozano team up for their Joyride EP which samples some classic Tears for Fears bits for a thick serving of heat, much like his home made Ragu.

Luca Lozano, Sacha Robotti - Joyride >>> [BUY IT]  

Equally tasty was the news Sacha recieved while in our company that his longtime favourite imprint - - VonStroke's Dirtybird - - would be releasing his funky tune "The Major" on the commemorative "Hatched Part 1" compilation.  This is a solid release which features the fine work of Claude VonStroke, Eats Everything, Kingdom and A1 Bassline.  Check it out.

Sacha Robotti - The Major (Original Mix) >>> [BUY IT] 

We are super fucking stoked to have a third exclusive from the Klasse Family - - along with DRM008 by Mr. Ho and DRM010 by BUBBA), and I must say that this one is one of my favourite submissions to date.  This shit has been on heat street's re-peat reel for real.  This is the fucking Ragu, right here.  Better then this, only comes from seeing the monster that is Sacha Robotti playing live.

Thanks Sacha, this one is Ace!

DRM026:  SACHA ROBOTTI'S EXCLUSIVE DEEP NORTH MIXTAPE

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...by Dick Diamonds

DRM021: Marco Grassi

DRM021 Comes From Italy's Marco Grassi, Member Of 3Angle and King Club ResidentA few weeks back we had a number of new exclusive Deeply Rooted Mixtapes (DRM) come through in short succession and we decided to take a short break before releasing any new mixes on the site.  Afterall, we don't want people to get sick of us shoving brand new exclusive mixes down their throats.  Just kidding (insert "lol" here).

The twenty-first mix in our exclusive series is a special one, as it comes from our good friend Marco Grassi of Livorno, Italy.  Marco heard Phantom Ambulance's remix of The Weeknd's song "What You Need" back in May and put it in one of his mixes.  Shortly afterwards, the Italian DJ/producer got in touch with our resident Max the Fax - - one half of the duo, which is now signed to Thoughtless Music - - and shared his mix with us.  Since then, we have been good friends with the King Club resident, even posting a tribute mix - - done with friend Jody - - on the blog which was dedicated to his dear friend "SV", who unfortunately passed away not too long ago.

Marco is a humble man with a big heart, and it is my pleasure to share his newest mix exclusively with the readers of our blog.  The hour and a half mix - - a DJ set Marco recorded while playing at a private afterparty on October 3rd - - has a number of delicious deep house tunes on it, most of which are quite new.  We post this mix and raise a glass to Marco Grassi's project with Gianrico Leoni and Dario Dee  called 3Angle, which has just signed their first track "Self Confidence ft. Ali Roots" to the UK's Maskik imprint.  I recieved two of the three versions being released, and I suggest everyone keep looking out for their debut release this December, available through digital retailers everywhere.  Now, get greased with the Grassi!!

Get the tracklist for this mix & see who else has submitted a DRM here.

DRM021 - Marco Grassi - The Private & Exclusive Deep North Afterparty Mix 

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...by DICK DIAMONDS

Exclusive Guest Mix: Boots Boogie

Boots Boogie - - aka Derek Brian Williamson - - is the man behind DRM005, and fortunately for us, he is back again.  This time he brings us more heat, in the form of his Hillary Banks Minimix.  This thirty-one minute mix is a good little dinger to load onto your ipod for those long commutes to work, especially when the subway is full of chatty weirdo's trying to get all up in your shit.  For more mixes by Boots, make sure you check out his House Mixes page - - lots of boot booging potential with these suckers!!

The tracklist for this mix can be found in the ID3 tags for this song on iTunes.

Boots Boogie - The Hillary Banks Minimix >>> [EXCLUSIVE @ THE DEEP NORTH]

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...by Dick Diamonds

DRM020: O-God

Picture by the wonderful Merry Somers. Click to visit her site.

Finally recovered from that seven hour period we call Late & Deep.  The Night was wonderful and two floors shook with basslines fighting for aural supremacy in a late night battle between long wavelengths and human flesh.  At least ten DJs unleashed their Fury upon wooden dancefloors surrounded by brick walls caked in white paint and glistening with the sweat of the latenight crowd.

The headliner of the second floor's Tech Room was our good pal DJ O-God, a party rocking DJ who made waves across the world with his recreation of last years summer favourite Barbara Striesand.  This man can play almost any genre and is a member of the Major Rager and Plugged Not Thugged camp.  Known for his signature chuckle, fullback baseball caps and love for that late night hustle, it was not a suprise that Owen Zahara approached me and asked if he could play one of our events.  I couldn't say anything but yes to a guy who loves rocking the dance floor while having a total blast, definitely something we value here at The Deep North.

We dropped two wicked mixes -- by Alicia Hush and the White Lions last week in anticipation of the monthly Jam, and since he was the 3rd to submit, we are packing his late night Tech House mix in now with the others as a promotional mix for the L & D Series.  You can catch our boy this coming Saturday for the Major Rager 2-Year Anniversary at Andy Poolhall, where he will spin alongside the other Major Rager residents Billionaire, Mandelephant, Mickey D and Ballistik.

Get the tracklist and see the other DRM mixes over here,

DRM020 - O-God's Late & Deep Crunchers Mix >>> Right Click, "Save As..."

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...by DICK DIAMONDS

DRM019: White Lions

You know that feeling you get when you feel like something is going to be big?  The feeling that follows that moment when you stop in your tracks, you experience a surge of excitement which makes you school-girl type giddy, and you say to yourself "holy fuck! This is amazzzzzzing!"

Well that is how I have felt for the past year about the White Lions, a Toronto trio that has been quietly developing into a dance floor wrecking ball that is about to come crashing through the walls of hipsterville's house.  The pride is made up of Sean Roman, Cody LG and Rob Steal, a motley crew of house heads united through their passion for making sex-inducing indie dance music that floats near the deep end of the pool.  With the present state of toronto's sizzling EDM scene looking like it's not going to stop heating up anytime soon, expect to see these guys making big moves over this coming year.  Tdot's EDM community has been developing international chart toppers, and have sent a handful of hopefuls  - - such as Art Department, James Teej and Azari & III - - into the fray.  Hopefuls who are attracting the attention of the world to the talent in our City's - - hardly new - - house scene.

White Lions - I Need A Rythmn (Original Mix) >>> [Unsigned]

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White Lions - H-Job (Original Mix) >>> [Unsigned]

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 With Sean Roman's recent shift in focus from soul-touched feel good DnB (see: DJ MUTT) to daylight-free, hipster friendly indie dance music with some bite, the White Lions are steadily moving along the track to worldwide recognition.  These dudes are ready to rock the world's dance floors with their sexy yet gnarly, not-too-deep and just-dirty-enough four to the floor leg moving music.  The eyes of respected label owners and producers on top of "what's cool", such as Lee Foss, Gadi Mizrahi and Jamie Jones  - - who included the trio's MFR release DePalma on the latest Fabric 59 compilation - - are set on the White Lions and Sean Roman.  Now it's it is just a matter of time before you start hearing about how these dudes you didn't even know were from your hometown are blowing up - - everywhere you go.

DEEP NORTH EXCLUSIVE 320kbps:

Sean Roman - All The Girls (Original Mix) >>> [Unsigned, Deep North Exclusive Track]

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 If you are in the area and able to hit up Late & Deep this weekend to catch the White Lions throw down a two hour audio/visual set - - alongside Alicia Hush, O-God and the Deep North crew - - I strongly suggest you do.  Don't sleep on this, because at their rate, it might be the last time you get to see them play...outside of Europe.  Below is an exclusive mix from the Lions, a lootbag filled with indie dance goodies, bass-driven deep house and no audible shortage of sexy vocal cuts.  Dust those lootbags kids.

If you are not too weak in the knees after that aural fingerbang, check out the latest mix from Sean Roman over at our homeboys blog, Channel One.  Still need more?  Then take a listen to the mix they did for my old home plugged not thugged about a year ago.  Launch!

The tracklist can be found here.

DRM019 - WHITE LIONS - EXCLUSIVE NORTH & DEEP MIXTAPE >>> A Deep North Exclusive Joint.

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Thank you for the great stuff Sean, Cody & Rob, full support from us all day!!

....by dick diamonds

DRM017: Matthus Raman

It took me a while to finally post this one, so I would like to apologize to my good friend and french connect, producer Matthus Raman.  It's incredible how busy things have become here at the Deep North's HQ.  Anyways, a few weeks ago I posted a very strong remix Matthus did of the track Concrete by another French producer, Remain - - who, by the way, has an upcoming EP release on My Favourite Robot Records, the party for which we will be hosting on October 21st here in Toronto.  In case you missed my post on this excellent remix, here it is again.

Remain - Concrete (Matthus Raman Remix) >>> [BUY IT]

Shortly after posting this remix, Matthus and I came into contact with one another, and it turns out that the upcoming techno producer and Family N.A.M.E. resident is an extremely nice guy.  Without hesitation, Matthus said he would be happy to make us an exclusive mix.  Well, he was he was not lying , because the mix was done within a couple of days.  Matthus has released a few dark and dirty remixes under the Family Name imprint, including one of Elagua's track Cambia La Vida, and one of Clement Meyer's tune Piece by Piece - - both which can be heard below through YouTube.

Elagua - Cambia La Vida (Matthus Raman Remix) >>> [BUY IT]

Clement Meyer - Piece by Piece (Matthus Raman Remix) >>> [BUY IT]

Before I post the exclusive mix, I wanted to share some interesting information I got from Raman a week ago.  Along with Loran Valdek and Andreas Tome, Raman has plans to launch his own label called Konflict Records in early 2012.  The label will focus on pushing sounds that reflect the feelings and emotions that arise when people experience internal conflict - - a day-to-day occurance for not only him, but all of us.  Now that is deep!

Enough with the chitter-chatter, let's get at-her. The tracklist can be found in the "lyrics" section of the ID3 tags on iTunes.

DRM017 - Matthus Raman's Exclusive Northern Conflict Mix >>> Right Click, "Save As"

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DICK DIAMONDS

DRM 016: DJ FAME

Photograph courteousy of Merry Sommers, Click the image to visit her site.

It's a hot, sunny friday afternoon here in Toronto and you would not even think that the Autumn season is before us, because it feels like this amazing summer will truely be an endless one.  As if the sweet weather was not enough to keep up this ultra-dope high, we are going to inject this day with some more party-power: an exclusive mix from DJ Fame, who will be coming up from Brooklyn to party with us at Bunda Lounge on Saturday night - - the first official return for the Dubsided artist since he brought down the house at the now-defunct Circa a couple of years ago.

Anyhow, DJ Fame is gonna be doing something a bit different for this gig - - and this mix - - than most are accustomed to.  We are stoked to announce that DRM 016 is super special in that our homie has embraced the chance to go deeper and play some stuff he loves but doesn't get to run on the regs: deep house, nu-disco and techno.  Definitely something we are stoked on!!

Check out this super sweet exclusive from the New York native, and come out on Saturday if you're in the area!

DRM016 - DJ Fame Goes North & Goes Deep: An Exclusive Mix >>> Right Click, "Save As"

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DICK DIAMONDS

DRM 014: Noah Pred

The 14th submission in our exclusive DRM mix series comes from Noah Pred, a great producer, DJ, buinessman and leader in the Canadian Techno scene and beyond.  The owner of the successful Thoughtless music imprint is a very busy guy who -- despite his constant hustle -- always finds the tme to invest in the well being of the artists on his label, put together fun events to help promote those artists and also to help those who have helped help him in the past.  With releases on Thoughtless, My Favourite Robot and New Kanada, among others, Noah Pred has established himself among the top techno producers out there.

Take a moment to download this wonderful exclusive mix that Noah sent us.  The mix is actually a live recording of a recent set Noah did at Li'ly, a Toronto bar & afterhours club - - one which sees a number of top producers and DJs rock out at.  Noah was also kind enough to share two amazing tracks with the readers of the Deep North, Milk Thistle and my personal favourite Unsung FWD Dub, both released on the Thoughless imprint. Enjoy!

Noah Pred - Milk Thistle >>> [BUY]

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Noah Pred - Unsung FWD Dub >>> [BUY Original]

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DRM 014 - Noah Pred's Exclusive Live Set, Recorded @ Li'ly on July 29, 2011 

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DICK DIAMONDS

DRM 013: Zaid Edghaim

What a hectic week.  I hope everyone is as stoked as I am to see Deepchild, Noah Pred, Alicia Hush and our very own Phantom Ambulance tonight at Li'ly resto lounge for the official Phantom Ambulance Medicine EP release party.  I just wish that our friend and Thoughtless Music artist Zaid Edghaim would also be in attendance, because word on the street is that he won't be making it.

Like they say, there is something good to be found in every bad situation.  So, while Zaid won't be there to celebrate with us tonight, the good news is that we have a new exclusive mix from him to add to our blazing hot Deeply Rooted Mixtape collection.  I got this sweet set from Zaid over a week ago, but the unstoppable DRM transport trucks have been unloading hot mix after mix on us, causing a serious roadblock of mixes on the trans-northern musical highway.

Get ready for a sweet journey through the deep, minimalist reaches of heaven.  People, this mix is nothing short of amazing, so buckle up, and keep your hands and feet out of the aisle.

DRM 013 - Zaid Edghaim's Exclusive Deeply Rooted Mixtape <<< Right Click, "Save As"

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For more great music by Zaid, check out his soundcloud page.

DICK DIAMONDS