Straight Oughtta The Hague: I-F & TLR
I-F – Secret Desire
Mr. Clavio – Call Me Mr. Falcon
Cold Crush are seriously fucking excited to present two of our favorite DJs in the world live on the Technics: I-F for his first ever Australian show, and returning crowd favorite TLR. Two cats who have played a big part in the shape of electronic music today while at the same time staying completely underground — no sell out shit baby.
I-F (Viewlexx / Murdercapital / Intergalactic FM)
I-F & his cat Zorlex at Intergalactic FM HQ
I-F is one of the most important and influential people in electronic music today. Despite a reputation as being one of The Men You’ll Never See, earned due to his anti-commercial attitude and the fact he shuns most media attention, I-F has forefront of Europe’s electro scene since the early 90s, as a musician, DJ, record label boss and most recently his foray into internet radio with CBS and Intergalactic FM.
He is probably best known as being the catalyst behind the dare we say, trend of Italo disco today. His Mixed Up In The Hague mixes have worldwide notoriety, featuring an obscure and eclectic (yet flawlessly mixed) selection of old school hip hop, Italo disco and bboy electro jams, it was Mixed Up In The Hague that opened the world’s ears to the sounds of Italian disco and non-Italian music inspired by it. As Morgan Geist said: “I think people need to realize that this stuff wasn’t this huge thing before that I-F CD. I don’t think people credit him enough. And he’s also so underground that he’s not going to go and try to claim any throne*.”
Then, of course, there’s Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass. Released on his own label Viewlexx in ’97, it became a huge underground hit worldwide, and subsequently the sound was ripped off and watered down by Fischerspooner for their biggest hit Emerge, thus the electro-clash sound was born — something I-F was quick to distance himself from. But I-F’s own productions didn’t stop (or start) with Space Invaders. I-F had been producing tracks since the early 90s, starting out in The Hague’s squat party scene producing hardcore acid jams as Beverly Hills 808303 and with Unit Moebius. He also released Portrait Of a Dead Girl — one of the darkest and most violent electro records of all time, as well as the more dancefloor friendly Italo records as the Parallax Corporation, with his friend Intergalactic Gary.
I-F also ran some of the most important and influential labels to come out of Europe. His label Viewlexx and it’s sublabels Murder Capital and Holographic have released over 50 records between the mid 90s and now, covering a huge range of underground sounds, with records from I-F himself, to the electro funk and bboy jams of Novamen and the spaced out Italo sounds of Alden Tyrell and the Parallax Corporation, just to name a few. Along with fellow Dutch labels Bunker, Creme Organization and Clone, Viewlexx have always been light years ahead of what was going on in electronic music — the ones to set musical trends not to follow them.
I-F Mixes:
Mixed Up In The Hague Part 1
Mixed Up In The Hague Part 2
I-F – Secret Desire
Film clip to Secret Desire, shot by Nukubus and starring Guy Taveras of Bunker Records/Orange Sunshine on drums
TLR (Crème Organization / Crème Jak / Intergalactic FM)
TLR: A mighty record collection
and an even mightier beard
The Lone Ranger, or TLR as his nom de disco would have it, is no stranger to Australia, having visited our sunny shores several times over the past few years to rock shows with various artists from his label Crème Organization — cats like Legowelt, Orgue Electronique, Bangkok Impact & Italo-disco legend Alexander Robotnik. The man TLR never fails to work the crowd up to boiling point, with a masterful cross-genre track selection of obscure shit none of us have ever heard of mixed with well timed classics — all mixed with such finesse that you have no choice but to lose control and make you do the freak baby.
TLR is the man behind Hague label Crème Organization and it’s sublabels Crème Eclipse and Crème Jak. Despite their sardonic catchphrase Are We Too Late For The Trend? (itself appropriated from a late 70s punk compilation) Crème, like Viewlexx are one of the behind the scenes underground labels which set the trends in electronic music, not follow them. Since starting out with humble beginnings — TLR had written some music with Legowelt under the moniker Mr. Clavio, and wanted to release it himself — Crème has released close to 100 records since the early 2000s, from Italo influenced disco jams, to raw electro, film scores and Chicago slam jack acid house. In fact, Crème Jak, together with fellow Dutch labels Bunker Records and Clone were instrumental in bringing back the JACK sound, bringing back those classic Chicago box jam sounds which have been blowing up again in the club scene.
Crème own mission statement tells you more about the label in a paragraph than we could ever hope to tell you:
“No more tasteless designer music by and for mindless jocks and inbred consumers, but deep and RAW Jams to tear your brain back to where it’s at! The Crème Organization is dedicated to the stripped down pulsating sick sound of the 808, the epileptic seizure inducing trance of the strobe and fog and the no holds barred slamjack freakout of Chicago’s Music Box, where the only pretence of the music is to make you loooooose control!”
Damn straight son! Needless to say, shit is going to get completely loose at Tone in February. I-F & TLR will be joined by The Cold Crush Wreckin’ Cru; featuring Simon Caldwell, OSC-001, RETALI8 and QLD’s Mattamation, and special guest disco perverts Slow Blow and NHJ from Melbourne party wrecking crew Meccanoid.
I-F & TLR Australia tour dates 2011
Sydney: Friday February 11
I-F & TLR, Cold Crush DJs (Simon Caldwell, OSC-001, RETALI8 & Mattamation), Slow Blow & NHJ (Meccanoid Melbourne)
Tone, 16 Wentworth Ave Surry Hills
Tickets: Moshtix (coming soon) | Facebook
Melbourne: Saturday February 19
I-F & TLR, NHJ & Hysteric
Tickets: Moshtix | Facebook
I-F – Secret Desire
Mr. Clavio – Call Me Mr. Falcon
*source: Stylus Magazine
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