Memory Tree

Throw this in your car stereo for a late night drive down a long road in the brush. The mood has been set for this, Mike Shannon’s third full-length artist album, Memory Tree. That is, if you’re scouring the hills for roots techno that’s soft, mellow and glitchy. This record should have a place in your collection for nights to relax by the figurative fireplace. Shannon makes his entrance unassumingly with the low crackling audio of “Beyond Incubation,” reminding us of the mood warm vinyl can set. The album carries on into cleaner and more defined sounds that resemble brilliantly shined metal. The third track, “Wolf Module,” continues down the urban road, creating a musical backdrop for a factory filled with underground mechanics and gears. “Dr X” brings in sounds cavernous and upbeat that would mix into any deep house set in a club that pays homage to the classics. Memory Tree is airy, luminescent, deep and rhythmic. It holds elements of many electronic styles — Detroit techno, ambient and house — bringing them all together in this warm place where a genre is merely a noun, and music never ceased to be real.

In what way could the music industry in Canada show more support for techno?
The industry in Canada can’t realistically support techno more than it already is. Techno has always been a relatively underground thing in Canada but recognized worldwide as a quality breeding ground for some great labels and acts. Plus 8 and Minus are technically Canadian labels, for example. There aren’t any other outlets to support techno in Canada that aren’t already being exploited. I mean, I guess editors at magazines like yours could give myself or other artists a cover once in a while [laughs]. And I guess the majors could take electronic music a little more seriously and sign something that doesn’t sound like it belongs in every other Molson Canadian commercial. Look at what the Dutch did with Tiesto. Maybe the Canadian majors can try the same thing with some good-looking kid from Winnipeg or Yellowknife.

What sparked the creation of Memory Tree?
The Memory Tree seed was planted when I was arriving in Berlin. I just set up a new studio and a lot of ideas started to flow. A lot of things personally were happening that inspired a lot of the tracks. It just made sense to compile things and work on a new album for 2008 but I didn’t know where or how it would exactly end up when I started working on it. I personally wanted to write a collection of tracks that broke some new ground for myself, shying away from the ultra-minimal and trying to write some more soulful techno.

And what was your experience finally releasing a record with Plus 8/Minus?
Working with Plus 8 was like a childhood dream of mine coming true. I always had a ton of respect for Rich, John and the artists involved with the label. Some of the first techno records I owned were on Plus 8 and to be a part of that as a Canadian was a milestone in my career. Running a label, my experience working with Rich and the Minus guys has been an interesting and inspiring. Just seeing how the whole machine works and how it’s possible to create a label like this that’s almost completely independent and compromise-free. Rich most definitely tries to follow through with things so that they work out exactly the way he had planned it. Of course, things are never perfect every time but they certainly plan them to be and go to great lengths to make sure it comes out looking that way. (Plus 8)

Up and coming Calgarian Andrew F is ready to rock MacEwan Hall with Reckless Abandon

If you haven't heard of Andrew F yet, listen up.

At just 17, he's well on his way to becoming one of the most downloaded, Googled, YouTubed and radio-requested local musicians of the decade.

He's been No. 1 on the Canadian Billboards Emerging Artists Chart for the past five weeks and assumed a comfortable spot in the Top 10 list of iTunes downloads for the past six weeks.

He's just finished filming the videos for his first two singles The End and Crash and Burn and is catching the attention of music industry insiders and execs like crazy.

On top of it all, Andrew F is an affable high school kid from Calgary with an overdeveloped interest in helping others.


Click here to find out more!

Together with his bandmates Dennis Hann, Sean Abercrombie and Matt Boutin, Andrew Franks will be lighting up the MacEwan Hall Ballroom Friday night in one of those shows that you'll surely be bragging about seeing years down the road when they make it big. Special guests Calm Asa Coma and Crystal Kid will be opening.

Friday night's concert also marks the CD release party for his debut album, Reckless Abandon. For every ticket sold to the show, Andrew will donate $5 to the Calgary Food Bank. Considering tickets are only $22 to begin with, it's an offer that tops the generosity of many older, supposedly wiser, philanthropist types.

With a capacity of 1,000 people, this rising teen rocker could very well raise $5,000 for the Food Bank without breaking a sweat.

And did we mention all who attend the show get his new CD for free? You don't even have to hear his music to like this kid. Rock on, Andrew F.

Visit www.andrew-f.com for more.

BEST OF SEPTEMBER:

A few great things that went down in Calgary this month:

- The annual ladies-only Peanut Butter Classic charity golf classic raised $72,000 for the Youville Residence Society of Alberta and 44 lb. of peanut butter for the Food Bank, making these chicks with sticks the Charity Superwomen of September.

- Best Bash on our radar this month was a tie between the ridiculously sold-out DJ Tiesto concert at Flames Central and Amanda Hehr's 30th birthday party at La Vita e Bella.

- Notable new additions for the palates of the people in September included Rush Restaurant on 9 Ave. S.W. and Olives in Arriva. And lest we forforget our new neighbourhood favourite -- Little Lebanon Pita and Donair on 17 Ave. S.W.

- Most underrated party place of the month: The Marquee Room -- made all the more fab this month thanks to the Film Fest.

Head to Six in the City to see what's on this week.

RENOVATION RUNDOWN

Unless you were living under an evening-news-hour rock last week, you likely heard about CTV's Operation Renovation initiative.

The annual event sees a local non-profit group benefit from a much-needed makeover, while all sorts of generous volunteers and local businesses roll their sleeves up to make it happen.

For the fourth year in a row, reno-experts Albi Renova and president Brian Mauer stepped up to bear the brunt of the designing, planning and interior finishing for the 2008 Operation Renovation charity of choice -- the Calgary Women's Emergency Shelter.

Home to as many as 40 women and children per night, the space has seen its fair share of wear and tear, and was in desperate need of an overall renovation.

After an entire week of CTV anchors, reporters, volunteers and personalities picking up a paint brush and pitching in their time, the front foyer, living room area, therapy room and kitchen were all revamped to be a place of light and hope.

While the reno has wrapped up, it's never too late to donate. To lend a hand, call 403-539-5130.

Tiesto triumphs at DJ Awards

Tiesto, Richie Hawtin and David Guetta were among the winners at last night’s DJ Awards, which took place in Ibiza.

Tiesto won the international DJ award, Hawtin triumphed in the techno category and Guetta won the house award.

Special awards were presented to those who have dedicated their services to the music industry including Bill Kelly, co-founder of the Miami Music Conference, and Beatport founder Jonas Tempel.

The awards were hosted by Capital DJ Des Paul and included live performances from Ron Carroll and Fragma.

The full list of winners can be found at www.djawards.com.

Lush! goes Elektrik...

LUSH! goes electric this Saturday night.
Or, to be precise, the venue will become an ‘Elektrik Playground"!

The genre bending Electrik Playground returns to the UK for the first event after a sell out season with Tiesto at the world’s biggest club, Privilege in Ibiza.

And that means that Riley and Durrant will be thrashing out a three hour set together with Carl Bryant and resident DJ Col Hamilton.

Few DJs and producers can claim as much diversity as Nick Riley and Andi Durrant. Their debut artist album “Research & Development” was released last summer, hitting the iTunes top 50 in the first month of sales, and receiving great critical acclaim for its unique genre-bending sound.

With support for their music coming from DJs as wide-ranging as Pete Tong to Armin Van Buuren and their tracks and remixes on record labels as far apart as trance imprints Black Hole and Maelstrom to house stalwarts CR2, Positiva and Data, the pair are one of the UKs most exciting electronic exports.

This year Andi was also awarded his second prestigious Sony Award, beating competition from Radio 1 and joining the ranks of previous winners Zane Lowe and Colin Murray as Music Broadcaster of the Year.

Riley & Durrant’s famed club night, Electrik Playground (run with Adam Sheridan) has taken the north of England by storm, and is now one of the most consistently packed-out nights at Leed’s finest venue Mission.

The Electrik Playground has just returned after a sell-out summer partnering Tiesto and hosting the infamous CocoLoco room at Privilege in Ibiza.

Last year Andi and Nick toured across Russia and the Far East, finishing off 2007 with a huge Riley & Durrant Soundsystem gig to 4,000 people on a beach in Malaysia.

Don’t miss their eagerly awaited appearance at Lush! this Saturday night...