Nov 8, 2015

Sundaze 1545

Hello, by far the biggest post sizewise this year, almost 6 hours of Sundaze.


Seasoned DJ and producer Nick Brennan aka Tripswitch aka Codemonkey is a man with many hats, having honed his studio craft over an auspicious 12 year career of releases and touring, establishing a reputation as one of the UK's foremost downtempo electronica artists under his Tripswitch moniker. His productions are renowned for their intricate attention to detail and luxurious sense of space, attracting top reviews in the music press and national dailies  .  .... N'joy

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Nick Brennan’s musical history is long and varied - he studied piano from the age of 5, dabbled briefly with the trumpet for a year, and moved onto the guitar at the age of 12 which he studied profusely throughout his teens in both classical discipline and rock, blues and jazz improvisation. Having spent the latter half of the eighties playing in everything from punk, rock and even blues and jazz bands, Nick discovered acid house music in 1989 when he started going to the now legendary DiY raves around Nottingham. Seduced by the hazy hedonism and good vibes of those early raves, he moved more and more away from his rock roots, abandoning his guitar for a pair of decks in 1992.

His interest in acid house and hardcore was counterbalanced with a new-found love for dub reggae and the psychedelic sound of the Ozric Tentacles, which became his everyday soundtrack for life in 1991-92. Moreover the early days of progressive house and the emerging Frankfurt trance scene had a profound effect on him and he became increasingly interested in production. Artists like Jam & Spoon, Sven Vath and particularly A.C. Boutsen (who released under a wide range of names including CygnusX and Brainchild for Eye Q and Harthouse), helped to cement his interest in trance music. As the scene and the music evolved and diversified Nick aligned himself firmly at the progressive end of the spectrum, where the sounds were deeper, more expansive and melodic and the production values were that bit more important.

He bought his first Juno 106 synth for £100 in 1996, and over the next few years he partied hard while developing his production skills and expanding his studio. In 1998 he went into business with close friend Dave Eserin, setting up Vivid Audio, a recording studio and rehearsal rooms in Kennington, South London. Here they taught themselves recording and production techniques recording demos for live bands, and Nick spent his spare time writing trance with a number of collaborators. He also put on a series of legendary ‘Club Tiny’ parties at the studio, which were host to an auspicious cross section of DJ’s from the London scene.
In 2000 NZ DJ Pied Piper Paul , whom Nick was living with at the time, passed a CD of his early chillout experiments to Humphrey Bacchus , A&R for Liquid Sound Design, who immediately snapped up one of the tracks for his next LSD compilation, Mana Medicine. The compilation received rave reviews, and interest in Nick’s music started to build. The next LSD compilation, ‘Butterfly Dawn’, included 2 Tripswitch tracks and was hailed as a downtempo classic. The track ‘Silver’ in particular received a great deal of positive press and the 2004 remix by dub maestro Ott went into the Top 30 reader’s list of Russian music magazine PLAY. Recent releases have included a remix of Ott’s ‘Escape from Tulse Hell’ on LSD’s ‘Wider Horizons’ and an inclusion on the debut compilation of Italian label Neurobiotic ‘s new chill-out sister, Indica.

Nick’s debut full length album, ‘Circuit Breaker’, was released in April 2005 and received widespread critical acclaim, with tracks being picked up by the likes of José Padilla and DJ Ravin (Buddha Bar) for forthcoming compilations. Since it’s release Nick has been inundated with requests for new material, remix work and club and festival appearances. After in a busy summer in Europe, Nick has a tour of North America planned for October/November 05 with Bluetech. In addition to his established chill-out activity, Nick is currently working on some progressive breaks which will see him tap into his darker side. He is also throwing around some breaks ideas via DSL with Seb Taylor (of Shakta/Digitalis/Angel Tears/Kaya Project fame), and will shortly be expanding his collaborations with Gaudi to produce a full length album.

Nick launched Section Records in 2010 with the release of the long-awaited Tripswitch follow-up album 'Geometry'. evolving his sound beyond the understated psychedelia of 'Circuit Breaker', Geometry presented a lush and rich journey through new territories, accessible and balanced with a healthy dose of Nick's trademark blend of live guitars and electronica. A series of remix eps and singles with contributions from the likes of Luke Chable, Shiloh, Nick Warren, Fiord, Solar Fields and Soundprank through 2011 established Section Records as a potential force to be reckoned with in the dance, bass and downtempo markets. Regular radio play on stations worldwide including RTE, Music Choice, Ninja Tunes Solid Steel and the Kiss FM breakfast show, and extensive coverage in the press including great reviews in Mixmag, iDJ and DJ mag, features in Tillate and Freeze magazines and recently a contribution to Computer Music's 101 studio tips from the pros are ensuring that word of Section Records and Nick's alter egos is currently spreading like wildfire. His reputation for intricate attention to detail and luxurious sense of space has also made him him a remixer of choice when a release needs that elegant downtempo angle. He has released on a wide range of labels including Renaissance, Global Underground, Cocoon, Resist, System Recordings, Malicious Damage, Iboga, Dragonfly, Interchill, Ultimae, Plusquam and of course his own label Section Records.

 Nick has been touring the Tripswitch live act for the past 12 years on the European festival circuit and is a firm favourite with the punters. recognised as a must-have fixture for the sunset slot, the Tripswitch sound is perfectly suited to those balmy summer evenings where the crowds are building themselves up to a night of dancing on the main floor. 2012/13 has been Nick’s busiest year yet on the road, taking him to North, Central and South America, Asia and Australasia in addition to blistering sets at the largest European festivals. Those who’ve witnessed one of these sets have been among the first to dance to the new, mid-tempo progressive sound which Nick has been quietly developing over the past year.

 Nick's Codemonkey project fuses the heavy bottom end of dubstep with the delicate production he's known for to produce something truly unique in the bass music market. His first few releases on Section under this name have been well received with name djs and radio stations alike, and nick is working solidly over the coming months preparing a Codemonkey album & live set for late 2013 / early 2014.

 Nick's varied dj sets are noted for his skill in creating a journey for the audience, seamlessly beat-mixed with a melodic flair that moves the crowd from start to finish. He regularly guests on Alex Paterson (The Orb)'s Chilled Chewy Choosedays show on Fnoob and has performed mixes for Ninja Tunes Solid Steel, RTE Pulse and Camden Roundhouse Radio, is a key contributor to Nick Warren's sync music library Coachhouse, and also works closely with pioneer as a tester for their pro dj line of equipment.



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Tripswitch is Nick Brennan from the UK. He has previously released several great tracks on various compilations, mostly on Liquid Sound Design, the chilled side of Dragonfly Records. Now he is finally out with his debut album called Circuit Breaker on Liquid Sound Design. As usual, we get another masterpiece from this label, perfect timing before the summer.

First out is the Exiled track originally released on the Butterfly Dawn compilation. Here we get a remix of it. This one has very mystic, almost dramatic vibes, with chilled Indian vocals and slow drums. Deep and beautiful. Track 2 called Shamanic Tea was is also released on the Mana Medicine compilation on LSD in 2001. This is another classic masterpiece, which has been played a lot by chill out dj’s around the world. It continues the mystic soundscapes, here with more dubby sounds and beats. The melody in this one is just incredible, almost trippy. The female Indian vocals we get here are also beautiful! Then we get a new previously unreleased track. This is among my many favourites on this album. Trippy vibes, relaxed down tempo rhythms, deep bass, great melodies and beautiful vocals. A track we will for sure hear a lot this summer. Roll Your Own goes another direction. Totally relaxing, with some spacey acoustic guitar. Very dreamy track, with some loungy vibes. Quite light and happy chill out. Nice one. Tachyon has some echoing voice samples.

Cartwheel goes back to mystic, floating soundscapes. This track is very melanocholic, with some really beautiful melodies. It builds up a little, and after a while we get some relaxing beats too. Summer chill for sure. Track 7 is a great track called Silver, which was released as an Ott version on the Wider Horizons compilation on LSD last year. Here we get another version called Robot Baby version. We actually get a voice in there that sounds like a baby... This version is very slow and relaxing, with a chilled down tempo beat in parts of the track. Sounds pretty nice and organic. On Tomahna we get dubby vibes again, mixed with some relaxing guitar sounds. This reminds me of some music from Hawai or something, but in an electronic version. Perfect for chilling out on the beach. Track 9 is previously released on the Namaskar compilation on Indica Music. This is almost a progressive trance track, still very relaxing, deep and quite trippy. An atmospheric, drifting track. The last track on this album, Deer Park, takes us further into a chilled mood. This one is floating all the way through. This is for sure one of the best chill out albums of 2005. An album that will fit perfect for your chilled moments this summer. Pure quality all the way through. The only down side I can point out, is that some of these tracks are released before.



Tripswitch - Circuit Breaker  (flac 425mb)

01 Exiled (Manta Mix) 9:10
02 Shamanic Tea 7:06
03 Indigo 8:39
04 Roll Your Own 6:39
05 Tachyon 2:37
06 Cartwheel 6:04
07 Silver (Robot Baby Mix) 8:06
08 Tomahna 5:33
09 Viscous 7:14
10 Deer Park 10:21

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Tripswitch - Circuit Breaker Rewired (flac 458mb)

01 Exiled (Gaudi Rmx) 6:22
02 Shamanic Tea (Manasseh Rmx) 6:17
03 Indigo (Androcell Rmx) 7:19
04 Roll Your Own (Youth Vs Subsonar Rmx) 7:13
05 Tachyon (Codemonkey's Cosmic Rumba Rmx) 6:48
06 Cartwheel (Mirror System Rmx) 8:52
07 Silver (Shiloh's Futureprog Rmx) 8:48
08 Tomahna (Kuba Rmx) 5:54
09 Viscous (Eat Static's Jumbled Noise Rmx) 7:16
10 Deer Park (Digitalis' Back In The Day Rmx) 8:16

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Geometry is the long-awaited second full length album from Nick Brennan. A natural evolution from the ultra-melodic, psychedelic masterpiece that was 'Circuit Breaker', an album widely considered to be one of the landmark productions in the psy-chill scene, Geometry turns the page and presents a fresh view of Nick's trademark sound, a combination of intricate electronic composition and live instrumentation. Still with the same lush production values as it's older brother, Geometry strips back the sound and rebuilds it with elements of breakbeat, shoegaze, dub and downtempo synth-pop to create a heady flow between downtempo genres with a precision that's faithful to it's title. With a number of single remixes on the way from some killer artists, Geometry is the perfect introduction to the world for Section Records and a welcome return to the scene for one of it's early leading lights.
Review

Downtempo dance, glossy chilled electronica. Geometry is a smooth, unwinding album of classy chillout that meanders up and down in intensity around a tight flowing core. Establishing a tasteful balance between melodic warmth and psychedelic minimalism, Geometry charges the air with electrical intricacies and bathes the listener in lush layers of consonant pattern. Hi-tech touches and ethnic hints embellish the inviting beats that tend to inhabit the danceable end of the downtempo spectrum; although the pace drops from the euphoric heights of heaving downbeat psychedelia right down to near ambient tranquility in places. There are plenty of deeply effected guitar forms among the synths and some graceful piano lines, plenty of variety in palette, pace and power. Geometry sees Tripswitch refining his sound in all the right directions: very rich and deeply saturated, catchy yet restrained; very relaxing without ever becoming sugary.



Tripswitch - Geometry (flac 419mb)

01 Circularity 7:24
02 Concentric Circles (Voc Natasha Taylor) 8:57
03 Goldbach's Conjecture 6:34
04 Floating Point 7:12
05 Strange Parallels 7:21
06 Tesselation 8:04
07 Harmonic Mean 9:10
08 Stereogram 7:14
09 Glide Reflection 8:04

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Section Records slams into 2011 with it's first single release, an EP of stunning remixes of "Strange Parallels", one of Tripswitch aka Nick Brennan's most iconic productions to date. The track gets a much-anticipated airing of its own with a selection of killer remixes spanning several genres. The mixes Remix 1 is from Prog-meister Purple and godfather of electro-house Tim Healey, whose slamming mix gives Dadalife and Dirtyloud a good run for their money. Canadian legends Shiloh give the track the progressive house treatment on Remix 2, creating a melodic journey pulled along by pristine beats and pulsating sub-bass with a breakdown of epic proportions. Remix 3 showcases upcoming Japanese producer Aurtas, Section Records's first signing, who shows his skill with this progressive floor-filler combining a hi-def bassline with classic Way Out West-style progressions which keep surprising you right to the end. Nick Tripswitch's alter-ego Codemonkey brings the track into atmospheric dubstep territory for Remix 4, where a rumbling bassline combines with intricate beats and spacious atmospherics to create a powerful and evocative journey to the dark side. For Remix 5, Russian producers Koan produce a euphoric mid-tempo trance mix powered by driving beats and soaring synth leads which gives a firm nod back to the glory days of trance music while keeping the sound current. Cape Town-based Indidginus takes us in an old-school psy-trance direction for Remix 6, southern hemisphere-style, and on Remix 7 Scorb collaborators ODT give us a cheeky, full-powered psytrance mix with driving 303 lines and a dark, brooding ending. The package is rounded off by the original Tripswitch mix, combining intricate, multi-layered beats, ethereal pads, smooth sub bass, shoegaze guitar washes and a truly epic and memorable guitar melody.



Tripswitch - Strange Parallels  (flac  430mb)

01 Strange Parallels (Purple VS Tim Healey Re-Rub) 6:19
02 Strange Parallels (Shiloh Remix) 7:53
03 Strange Parallels (Aurtas Remix) 7:54
04 Strange Parallels (Codemonkey Remix) 7:28
05 Strange Parallels (Koan Remix) 9:41
06 Strange Parallels (Indidginus Simulacrum Remix) 7:21
07 Strange Parallels (ODT Remix) 8:09
08 Strange Parallels (Original Edit)7:27

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Following on from the success of January's "Strange Parallels" single, which bagged support from Orbital, Groove Armada, Matt Darey, Mumdance and Kiss FM, and a 9/10 recommendation in iDJ mag, Section Records brings you two fresh packages of remixes of Tripswitch's euphoric track 'Stereogram'. Another piece of cinematic beauty picked from the 2010 album 'Geometry', the original edit is driven along by a hypnotic guitar strum and a catchy bassline, building with layer upon layer of pads and synths, until warped guitar washes and a Schnauss-esque lead at the breakdown blast you into a maelstrom of lushness and reggae chops. Another timeless Tripswitch melody which will keep this track in people's ears and minds long after release. Keeping the 'stereo' theme, Section is releasing 2 Stereogram packages this March. The first, nicknamed 'left hemisphere' (supposedly the practical side of the brain), is a collection of dance remixes headed up by the mighty Luke Chable, while the 'right hemisphere' (the creative side) is packed with downtempo interpretations from some of the leading lights in contemporary chillout. The original mix will be included as a free track in both releases. We're proud to have Luke Chable on board for the first mix of the "left hemisphere" package. A slab of classic Chable progressive, this melodic house monster is a guaranteed floor-filler with a rumbling but funky bass and intricate synth lines. The melody's turned on its head at the breakdown and we're treated to an explosion of old-school progressive house at its best. The producer behind Tripswitch, Nick Brennan gives a deeper progressive take for mix 2, layering the vocals of Natasha Chamberlain over a groovy bed of tranced-out house before a rude bassline kicks in at the drop and carries us through a nebula of ethereal analogue sounds. Section artist Aurtas follows up on his well-received remix for "Strange Parallels" with another rock-solid chunk of melodic house, which once again re-invents the original in unexpected and magical ways. Nick Brennan's other alter-ego Codemonkey rounds up the mixes with another super-deep, glitched-up dubsteppy re-lick for mix number 4, which with the help of a huge pillowy sub bass, fat guitar crunch, dub atmospherics and serious editing trickery, delivers a punch that's sure to take you by surprise.



Tripswitch - Stereogram (Left and Right Hemisphere)  (flac 472mb)

Stereogram (Left Hemisphere)
01 Stereogram (Luke Chable Remix) 7:46
02 Stereogram (Nick Brennan Remix) 8:12
03 Stereogram (Aurtas Remix) 8:04
04 Stereogram (Codemonkey Remix) 7:02
Stereogram (Right Hemisphere)
06 Stereogram (Solar Fields Remix) 7:40
07 Stereogram (Abakus Remix) 6:39
08 Stereogram (Adham Shaikh Remix) 6:01
09 Stereogram (Tripswitch 808 Remix) 7:17
10 Stereogram (Original Edit) 7:24

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Awesome! Thanks for sharing. Enjoy your Sunday, Rho

Anonymous said...

Thankyou. Happy Sundaze Rho.

Anonymous said...

Hi

Can you re-up Tripswitch?

thanks

Anonymous said...

Hi Rho

Would it be possible to re-up these?

Much appreciated!