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Techno/House dj & producer - Nicolas Vazquez (a.k.a Digital Mind / Licuadora System) is a young electronic dance music talent from Montevideo, Uruguay. He delivers quality techno/house music variations following a minimalistic groovy line, using also hypnotic melodies as well as dub percussive arrangements, influenced by jazz, deep, funky & soulful sounds. Don't miss tonight his new entry at 19:00 (+2 GMT).

Nicolas has performed in the best Uruguayan clubs & bars such as Key (ex-milenio), W Lounge, Alexander, La Penultima. He has performed in different timeslots such as warm ups, afterhours & main dancefloor hours in several underground event ocassions such as streets, parks, beaches, houses, urban raves, skateparks and events from P!Nk collective and ALA group as well. He has shared booth with the most respected Uruguayan djs such as: Koolt, Z@p, Paco, Fede Lijt, M.i.n, Rush n/Attack, Dich, Santa Cruz, Logiztik Sounds, etc.

His production alias "Licuadora System" is already supported by: Laurent Garnier, Richie Hawtin, Ana (Harry Klein), Dubfire, Dave Clarke, Christian Burkhardt, Bloody Mary, Someone Else, Paco Osuna, Chris Lake, Audiojack, Moog Conspiracy, Amo + Navas, Matt Star, Evan Baggs, Dj Misjah, Ken Ishii, Punisher (Detroit), Angel Alanis, Vadim Lankov, Ascii Disco, Kev Obrien, DJ Lembrouille, Plaupez, Figueroa, Danny Tenaglia, Lewis Ryder (space ibiza), Martin Huergo, Dich, Fede Giust, Tomaz, Nicolas Duvoisin, Wesley S (toolroom), Jamie Le Vack, Goncalo, Ronan Portela, Juan Zolbaran, Mikel Curcio, Donald Glaude, Chris Sonaxx, Dom Kane, Plastic Fantastic, Chuck Flask, Harvey Mckay, Inert, JxtcSound, Monoman, Pierre Deutschmann, Tim Thaler, Tyler Stadius, Val, Xantiago B, Zeil100.

Licuadora System has shared compilations with artists such as: Hermanez, Mihai Popoviciu, Oliver Moldan, Tiger Stripes, Francisco Allendes, Matthias Meyer, Plaupez, Obando, Glitter, Federico Luchetti, Wally Lopez, Dr. Kucho, Andy Kohlmann, Moonbeam, Flutuance, Matheo Velez, Pitt Larsen.

Licuadora System has worked & collaborated with the following labels & netlabels:

labels:
- Alma Soul music (spain)
- Trebol records (colombia)
- Zarek records (uruguay)
- Fairlads digital records (hungria)
- Quimika records (uruguay)
- Menomale records (uk)
- Random Access recordings (usa)
- Lemans recordings (germany)
- Gato Negro music (argentina)
- Atmosfera recordings (colombia)

netlabels:
- inoQuo (spain)
- Sweet Noise (argentina)

He has released music on both vinyl & digital formats. Also been releasing dj mixes & compilation cds since 2005 that you can download them all at his dj alias soundcloud site (soundcloud.com/digital-mind).



Licuadora System DISCOGRAPHY

RELEASES:
[inoquo 042] Licuadora System - always moving EP
[trebol records 041] Licuadora System - mi jardin EP
[gato negro music 007] Licuadora System - Illusions EP
[quimika records 022] Licuadora System - His Funk Machine EP
[inoquo 048] Licuadora System - Elementos EP
[random access recordings catalogue 007] LicuadoraSystem Fracture EP
[trebol records 059] Licuadora System - Good EP
[quimika records 051] Licuadora System - Take Me EP
[trebol records 087] Licuadora System - Plazita EP
[menomale 015] Licuadora System - Virus EP (inc. After & Shave remix)
[zarek 005] Licuadora System - Inside EP (inc. Dich & Kudach remixes)

REMIXES:

[fairlads digital] Plaupez - Blood Drunk RMX
[sweet noise 002] Dich - Mi Viejo Piano RMX
[quimika records 018] Thee-O - Its like this RMX
[alma 001] Plaupez - L'ame d'un singe RMX (12")
[zarek 006] Monolow - My Check RMX
[soon] Plaupez - Cabbages RMX

VARIOUS ARTISTS:
[trebol records 051] Green
[inoquo 050] Kvindek
[alma 008] Pet Zoo
[atmosfera] Showcase 01
[lemans] Mind The Gap - New Electronic House

TRACK APPEARANCES:
[Deep House Proposal] Podcast Episode 12 Mixed by Dynch (cokko)
[Defocus 09] Revy Inoquo Mix (not deep enough & playing with sticks)
Tomaz@SudioBrussel,SwitchTechno23-01-2010(licuadora system remix)
Sergio Soroa - Pulse Musical Compilation III (el es tan lindo (licuadora system remix))
[sonic walker mix 096] Harald Walker - inoQuo Revisted (playing with sticks)
[sonic walker mix 062] DJ L'Embrouille - Netlabel Mix 2008 Week 32 (bad bel)
[serxxi records 003-s] Carlo Montoro - Special Sessions 3 (angry for now sad forever & bad bel)
[pinksilver edition] Markojux - Drowned In Sound June 3rd, 2008 (not deep enough & bad bel)
[mantis 020] DVNT - Showcase from Nymate Association August 2nd 2008 (not deep enough)
[proton radio show] Sharon Schael & Jake R. Kaiser - der Schall 14-6-08 (angry for now sad forever)
[labomix 04] Foton - Netlabel Mix (angry for now sad forever)
[zimmer mix 026] psycoded - Metaware 2009 (bad bel)
[tooltime fm] Vadim Lankov - Special DJmix 23.07.08 (bring your percs)
[loopzilla 078] Frenzy Shit - Less Shit (bring your percs)
[netdj 017] choplin - netlabels mix 11.2008 (angry for now sad forever)
[netdj 018] choplin - netlabels mix 090607 (playing with sticks)

Autechre are an English electronic music duo consisting of Rob Brown and Sean Booth, both natives of Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1987, they are one of the most prominent acts signed to Warp Records, a label known for its pioneering electronic music and through which all Autechre albums have been released. They are performing among numerous other artists in Reworks Festival in Greece, on 18 September 2010.

While heavily associated with IDM (intelligent dance music), Booth and Brown are not determined to relate their sound to established genres. Their music has exhibited a gradual shift in aesthetic throughout their career, from their earlier work with clear roots in techno, electro and hip hop to later albums that are often considered experimental in nature, featuring complex patterns of rhythm and subdued melodies. Autechre have also recorded under various pseudonyms. One of the duo's earliest recordings was a 12" under the alias Lego Feet, released in 1991 on Skam Records. The majority of releases by the mysterious "umbrella project" Gescom, most of them on Skam, have been attributed to Booth and Brown, among other artists.

Booth and Brown pronounce the name Autechre with a Rochdale accent (/ɔːˈtɛkər/ aw-TEK-ər). However, they have explained that the name can be pronounced in any way one sees fit. Booth explains: "The first two letters were intentional, because there was an 'au' sound in the track, and the rest of the letters were bashed randomly on the keyboard. We had this track title for ages, and we had written it on a cassette, with some graphics. It looked good, and we began using it as our name." They are also referred to by the monikers "Ae" and "æ".

In 1993 Warp released their debut album, Incunabula, which became a surprise success, reaching the top of the UK Indie Chart. The album had a cool, calculated feel, with clear techno and electro roots, but also showed hints of the rhythmic flourishes and tuned percussion that would later become an important feature of their work. An EP of remixes of Incunabula's "Basscadet" was released the following year. 1994 also saw the release of Amber, an album featuring a more ambient, less percussive approach than their debut.

The Anti EP was released shortly before Amber and is as yet the only Autechre release to have an explicit purpose: it was a protest against the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, which would prohibit raves, defined as any gathering of nine or more people where rave music is played. Rave music was defined as music which "includes sounds wholly or predominantly characterised by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats". The record came wrapped in a seal, on which was printed a legal warning: "Flutter has been programmed in such a way that no bars contain identical beats and can therefore be played at both forty five and thirty three revolutions under the proposed new law. However we advise DJs to have a lawyer and musicologist present at all times to confirm the non repetitive nature of the music in the event of police harassment."

On 13 January 2010, Warp Records announced Oversteps, Autechre's tenth album. Originally slated to be released in March, it was released a month early in digital form on Bleep.com to those who preordered it; the CD and deluxe vinyl editions were released on 22 March 2010. A two-month European tour occurred in support of the album, followed by limited shows in Japan and Australia, the latter breaking a 15 year absence. The sound of Oversteps, as with Quaristice, is greatly eclectic, though it is perhaps their most noticeably ambient release since 1994's Amber. Autechre then compiled a mix for the magazine FACT, released in February of the same year, that consisted of tracks by artists as diverse as J Dilla and Necrophagist. On 25 May 2010, Warp Records announced the ten track Move of Ten, an EP by the duo in conjunction with the release of Oversteps. The digipack CD and the two 12" vinyl version, as well as a high quality download, was released on 12 July 2010.

Official site

Myspace

Discogs

It’s easy to go over old ground when interviewing legends. Discussing past glories, what it used to be like, you know, back in the day, is a trap fallen into by journalists and artists alike. With Jeff Mills, this is simply not a concern: so relentlessly driven is he by a desire to push boundaries, to create, to never stand still. Now 47, Mills has seen and done more than most, from his early days growing up in Detroit and his influential role in the nascent Berlin scene that still resonates today, to a life travelling the world to preach his vision of techno as true art. Read the interesting interview below, on his new film score, his ambitious projects for 2011 and taking Axis digital.

Firstly I’d like to talk to you about the recent Something In The Sky series – what was the idea or concept behind it?
The concept refers back to a time when DJs would search out music that they could reconstruct and modify themselves, for the purposes of a set. DJs would extract certain parts of songs and expand upon it and create loops or sounds that would become seeds in the DJ set, to make it more personal. After looking and searching around at record shops, I realised that we have moved away from that, or maybe moved beyond that, and I thought it would be quite refreshing to release beats and drum patterns in a way that a  DJ could very easily modify them no matter where their skill is. So it’s mainly for practical reasons.

So the releases are a way of encouraging newer DJs to learn the manual skills of their craft?
Well, humans have accomplished a lot with computers and computer software, and as such the idea of using your hands to achieve something physically has been pushed away. But in the art of DJing I think there’s enough room for computer DJs as well as people who mix with records or CDs in their hands. I also think we would understand more about how to use computers if we first understand where the limitations are when using our hands. In my generation we learned differently from the way most DJs are learning now. Most of us came into DJing from being musicians, so when we thought about tracks to play, we were thinking about song structure – we had musical structure to refer to. I’m just trying to create a much more balanced view of what DJing is all about.

You’ve also recently completed the Drummer series. It’s both an interesting concept and contrast – naming tracks after jazz and rock drummers and then making tracks that were totally stripped down to an 808…
I used to be a drummer myself before I became a DJ and I was very passionate about fusion jazz, and fusion rock, guys like Stanley Clarke and Billy Cobham. I just thought as musicians, these guys were the absolute top of human capacity, you know, they had mastered their instruments. I think that’s something that should never die away. Those people should be remembered. Drums have always been part of the culture and evolution of humans, and these guys were maybe the most advanced in terms of human ability so I thought referencing these tracks to great drummers would bring some attention to their skill, their legacy and what they’ve done with percussion.

You referred to pushing things to the extent of human capacity – that seems to be an ideal you try to adhere to in your own work, right?
I think it has a lot to do with how I got into music in the first place, and the timing of it. Growing up in Detroit it was very competitive, so every little neighbourhood was very much trying to be the best in what they did. If you played drums you had to learn to rudiments and learn the more complicated side of hand control, or if you skateboarded you had to know the tricks, and so I was always striving to enhance my ability as much as I possibly could. I think it’s a natural instinct after coming from those circumstances, and I can still see even today amongst the guys from Detroit that when we meet each other, when we play at the same gigs, that competitive edge is still pretty much there (laughs). There’s competition to go beyond, to modify your sets to a point to where they become something else. It’s also about the idea of not looking for outside sources for power and control but looking inwards, towards yourself, and learning the things that make you become better, as opposed to using better software, better computers and better sequencers. Perhaps the most powerful piece of equipment I have isn’t something that can be plugged in, but a collection of books, or collection of movies or something that will give me the inspiration to create.

Your soundtrack of the classic film Cyborg 2087 is not far away according to your MySpace page. Can you tell us a bit about that?
A few years ago, as a matter of interest, I pinpointed a year in the future, and it was 2087. I began to write down all the things that I thought would be the circumstances of that year based on economics, weather, humans and society. I began to write a soundtrack to that scenario, and it wasn’t until later that I found out there was a move called Cyborg 2087, which was slightly different but it pointed in the same direction as what I was doing. So I thought I would soundtrack that instead – it’s in production now, but I’ve gone back and changed it twice already so it’s delayed a little bit, but it will eventually come out this year.

Your score of Metropolis is regarded as a seminal work – do you have a process you follow for scoring a film? How does it differ from your other production work?
Well there’s a template that’s given, because you have a movie, and you have an original soundtrack. And there’s not just the plot, but the circumstances surrounding the movie to consider. I generally read about the director and writer of the story, to at least find out a little bit about who they were and their circumstances when they wrote the story, to find out what was happening in the world. I mean a lot of things that were written in the 60s were somehow related to what was going on in the world at that time, there was lots of unrest. And once I have looked at the biographical information, I look into what was most unique about the story – what was most controversial, what the pre screening responses were and what the reviews were. Then I get into the movie itself; I watch it numerous times, break it down into different sections and make sound sketches for each section, choose the one that is most appropriate and add it to the movie or perform it live. Most of it is actually research. The more research I do, the more I understand how to make the soundtrack, which is what I did for Metropolis and it really gave me a great template to work from.

Do you plan to perform the score to Cyborg 2087 live?
I could…I haven’t planned anything just yet. At first I was just going to make a 12” release, but after watching the movie a couple of times I decided to make a soundtrack for the entire movie, so it could be performed if the opportunity arises.

I’d like to ask you about the Axis catalogue going digital. How important do you think it is to make this transition, and what do you think the future holds for vinyl?
Well actually I didn’t like it at the beginning (laughs). It took me a while to even move to CDs, I was using vinyl for quite some time after CDs arrived, because I didn’t like the feel of the machine. I didn’t like the fact that I couldn’t see the label design spinning, and you couldn’t see the grooves in the record. But then I began to work with CDs and learned ways to modify the tracks and do things that I couldn’t do with vinyl. So I’ve gone as far as CDs – I haven’t gone to computer software, and I probably won’t. I’m not against it, but for myself I have to be able to play a physical role in the programming of the music. But I have seen and heard some incredible things (from digital DJs) and with the new technology. It’s going to take us into a completely different realm if we can make it more open so regular people understand how this technology really works. There seems to be a great divide between the DJs that use this technology and the audience, because I don’t think the general audience knows how digital DJing works. I think most people in the audience assume that the DJ is still mixing, even though they are using computers. Once they understand what is happening, it will probably take a turn…these next couple of years will be very interesting to see how that develops.

Your old Tresor releases, such as the Extremist and the Waveform Transmissions, have come out digitally for the first time in 2010. What are your thoughts on this – are you glad they will be available to a new generation in a new format?
When we first released it back in the mid 90s, we thought, ‘yeah this is underground music’. I was always telling Tresor it was best played on vinyl because the limitations of vinyl were actually factored into the sound of the music; at some point I wanted the vinyl to distort from playing it so much. I thought that was more complementary to the sound, but after a while I realised that most of the DJs these days don’t use vinyl, so in order to be able to keep these releases available we had to move with the format. Those releases, Waveform Transmission 1, 2 and 3, had been available for so many years on vinyl already. It was time to expand upon it.

You also recently released The Occurrence on Third Ear Japan, which has a CD on one side and vinyl on the other. It’s definitely one of the more intriguing releases I’ve seen.
I had thought about it for quite a few years and the idea kept coming and going, and I had seen a few other labels release formats like that. I thought the timing was right, as there seems to be a divide between the people who really want to keep vinyl and people that want to move on to other formats, and I thought this gesture would show you don’t have to choose between one and the other. You can have both. Clubs and venues don’t have to take out the turntables, they can leave integrated with all the other plugins and CD players. It’s actually better to give DJs more options rather than to limit them. I hope people got the message – it doesn’t have to be a black and white debate.

I saw you recently gave out a free mix to a website, which is a rarity for you. How important is it for producers of your generation to keep up with these practices in an age of free podcasts and mixes?
I have always been against giving music away for free. I’m totally for the idea of giving everything but free music (laughs), but at the moment I’m dealing with a different sound of music, and I though maybe the best way to try to inform the people about what this sounds like is to put it all together in a mix. You can mix music conceptually, if it’s selected and chosen in a certain way, so I thought it would be the best way to showcase it – to put it out for free, for a limited time, not indefinitely. Normally I wouldn’t do it, because people try to sell the same music they give away for free, and I am against that. As for new DJs, I kind of go back on forth on that too, it can be OK. It’s alright in terms of demos, but nothing is better than physically showing someone your skill. When I used to try to be a DJ and audition for clubs in Detroit, they would prefer to have you there DJing in front of them, as opposed to just giving them a tape. And that made a big difference – it showed that you had control over the equipment, that you had control over the crowd, that you had good eye contact, that your timing was based on what you see…all those things. And I think that if I was a club owner and I was hiring a DJ, a tape or a CD would not be enough.

In terms of DJ gigs, you’ve got a relentlessly busy touring schedule this year. How does DJing now compare to your early days?
It’s different now, after all I am 47 (laughs). There was one generation before mine which was the Frankie Knuckles, Tony Humphries, David Morales era, but it was our generation that really started travelling extensively, travelling hard, like going to Japan for one day to play and then flying back. I’m beginning to see that it’s starting to affect the body; my eyesight isn’t as good as it used to be, my hearing is not as good. The body will naturally slow down if you’re moving too fast, so there is a point where it is going to change. You’re not going to feel 25 all the time, and that has affected the way that I DJ. I try to conserve my energy more, and put more care into the structure of the music so that it is more hypnotic or more psychedelic and takes the listener on a journey or a trip…so I’m conforming to the limitations that are put on me physically.
“You just know it can happen anywhere at any time, and there aren’t any places that can continuously have a great scene all the time. There are fluctuations, like a wave that goes across the globe from city to city”

How have the places you enjoy playing changed over the years?
It changes. You know, sometimes Rome is hot, and sometimes Rome is not. It changes depending on the enthusiasm of a collection of people that are within a particular city or scene. I’ve seen this pop up in Berlin, then it’s Madrid, then Tokyo and you just know it can happen anywhere at any time – there aren’t any places that can continuously have a great scene all the time. There are fluctuations, like a wave that goes across the globe from city to city. You try to keep up with what’s happening, who’s doing what, who’s going against the grain.

Are you working on any other projects at the moment that you’d like to share with us?
Yeah there are a couple of things. There’s a project that I’m working on at the moment called Tomorrow Plus X, which will happen in 2011. It’s about positive and negative forces, in a musical sense. It will be a DJ performance in which I only use vinyls of a particular colour. There will be a series of 30 vinyls, with roughly four tracks on each 12”, which will only be used for this performance. We’re in the process of creating the staging and display. The tracks will be made specifically to create a certain type of performance.

It sounds like there will be a significant visual element?
Yes – each record represents a particular phase of night. My idea is to fuse art and DJing, mix the two together, so we are looking at vinyl in a way that they are art, but usable art. When you put the record back into the case it becomes art, when you take it out and put it back on the turntable it becomes DJ art form. I’m also doing another movie soundtrack for the Fantastic Voyage from 1966, and that will be performed in Paris at the Cinémathèque in May 2011. And I’m almost done with the The Power, which is the next Sleeper Wakes album. That should be out in January 2011.

Interview: Aaron Coultate for Juno Plus

Today's new enrty is also the first female entry on ViaSound web Radio. Don't miss The Juks Show, which will be broadcasted the first and third Friday every month at 17:00-18:00  (+2 GMT) with house music being the main genre of her production, but with a touch of soul, funk, jazz and hip hop.
Juki: music producer/remixer, vocalist, keyboardist & DJ, born in Estonia, now settled in London. Juki was always involved in music some way or another. She developed her interest in music production at an age of 16 and recently established Juks Records to release all the work she’s been doing over the years, individually or in collaboration with other artists from around the world as a vocalist, producer, songwriter or sound engineer.
Juki spins around London regularly and her past gigs include venues like Ministry of Sound, Lightbox, 93 Feet East, Cafe 1001, Aquum, Inigo, Gigalum, Underbelly, Exit Bar, Adam St Club, Desmos Studios, Camden Rock, Brixton Bar & Grill, The Lane Bar and many others. 'The Juks Show' besides ViaSound web Radio, is hosted on Where's The Culture House Music Radio, on SS Radio and Housebox Radio. Stay tuned!

Links:
http://jukijuks.com
http://mixcloud.com/juki
http://www.soundcloud.com/juki
http://twitter.com/juksjuki
http://myspace.com/jukijukijuki
Facebook: Juki Juks

London-based dubstep/techno producer and pioneer Scuba's label Hotflush Recordings held the helm of one of three rooms at last week's infamous Eastern Electrics night. Getting together with the likes of San Francisco's Dirtybird label and Germany's Kompakt, Scuba played alongside the likes of Joy Orbison, whilst room two was be at the command of wonky tech-house legends Claude VonStroke, J. Phlip, and Justin Martin versus Mulletover and the main room was headlined by the legendary Michael Mayer. 52 year-old producer and musician Thomas Fehlmann supported alongside Robag Wruhme of the 'Wighnomy Brothers' - also performing together. He was intervied by Flora Yin-Wong for Dazed Digital.

DD: Do you think the merging of dubstep and Berghain techno was a natural progression in music for you, including the SCB stuff?
Scuba: Well the SCB stuff doesn’t have much to do with Dubstep to be honest. That whole project was really just a result of being out at clubs in Berlin, mainly Panorama Bar actually, and getting into the music and the atmosphere and taking that into the studio. Generally the whole dubstep/techno thing has become a bit of a cliché, it doesn’t really have much meaning any more. All the interesting things happening in electronic music at the moment are amalgamations of various different genres anyway, not just in a bilateral sense.

DD: Your music often tends to be quite dark (and epic), is this intentional? What were the inspirations behind this if so?
Scuba: I don’t really see it as dark, and actually I wouldn’t say the new album is dark at all. Maybe you could say it’s introspective, but I wouldn’t call it dark. Having said that, my DJ sets can get pretty dark but that’s a different thing entirely.

DD: In terms of your label, how do you pick your artists? Is there a common thread that runs through all your signings or a particular sound you're looking for?
Scuba: I’ve always been able to tell a Hotflush record pretty much straight away, but there isn’t a set process to choosing what to put out. A lot of the time it flows through what I’m playing as a DJ but I find that the less dogmatic you are about the whole thing the better. It’s a cliché but the only aim the label has is to release good music, regardless of the genre. I know it’s seen as being a dubstep label, but we’ve hardly released anything that most people would call dubstep in the last couple of years.  

DD: What/who are you listening to at the moment? Anyone you want to work with but haven't yet?
Scuba: I’m not listening to much electronic stuff really. I was just coming back from the studio and had the first New Young Pony Club album on, and on the way there I was listening to The Immaculate Collection, and that’s pretty typical at the moment. I do check a lot of tunes just to keep up with stuff but if I’m actually going to listen to something I tend to put on an album, and there’s hardly any electronic albums worth listening to. I haven’t worked with anyone on music for over ten years and I have plans to change that at the moment.

DD: What's next for 2010/11?
Scuba: Remixes I’ve done of Phil Kieran, Booka Shade and Will Saul will be out in the autumn, + a new SCB 12” and a special edition of Triangulation with a bonus CD of different interpretations of album tracks by myself and other producers.