"None of us can ever give the exact measure of his needs or his thoughts or his sorrows, for language is a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to dance to, while all the time we long to move the stars to pity." -Gustave Flaubert
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The long-awaited album by Butane on Alphahouse Records features 7 pieces of dark, detail-oriented contemporary techno music. From his roots in the afterhours basements of St. Louis to his current place among the worlds most in-demand DJ's, here he presents an insightful look into his
singular vision within the recording studio.
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German producer Christian Burkhardt teams up with fellow countrymen Chris Wood & Meat for a three-track release on Jamie Jones’ Hottrax this May. Burkhardt has been flying the flag for minimalist electronic music for a decade now, releasing on labels such as Cocoon, Oslo and Pressure Traxx. Likewise, Freebase Records founders Meat + Chris Wood have been purveying deep and minimal cuts individually since the ‘00s, joining forces in 2009 before releasing on labels like Desolat, Housewax and Tiefschwarz’ Souvenir. Between the three of them they’ve continually garnered support from the upper echelons of House and Techno, making regular appearances in the sets of names like Ricardo Villalobos, Sven Väth, Seth Troxler and Jamie Jones. Intricate percussion and a compelling bassline make up the foundation of ‘Closer 2 U’ as an echoing vocal and tense strings operate throughout. Meanwhile, ‘Plain’ is a more downtempo cut in comparison with its dusky atmospherics and distorted spoken word samples that subtly permeate throughout the mix. On the flip, ‘Trumpad’ is deep and dubby whilst integrating trippy synths and mesmerizing effects for a rhythmic conclusion. More

Swiss duo ME & her join the Hottrax roster with a robust release featuring British duo Dense & Pika and Detroit’s DJ Bone on remix duties. With recent appearances on Deeperfect, Natura Viva and Clarisse Records, the rising duo has quickly cemented a reputation as ones to watch since making their production debut back in 2014. Joining them on the release is Dense & Pika, who have been taking the world by storm whilst releasing on leading labels such as Adam Beyer’s Drumcode, Scuba’s Hotflush, not to mention renowned UK imprint Hypercolour. Meanwhile, DJ Bone needs little introduction having paved the way for quality techno for over two decades including running his renowned Subject Detroit imprint. Sturdy kicks and intricate effects drive ‘Wild Rage’ forward before introducing metallic snares and animated melodies. On the other hand, ‘Thunderstruck’ is a dusky production composed of heady stabs and echoing elements that together generate a compelling groove. Dense & Pika’s shuffling remix of ‘Wild Rage’ shines a spotlight on a tantalizing synth as eerie nuances operate throughout, before DJ Bone concludes the package with a trippy and percussive reinterpretation of his own. More

Motion (Newcastle) co-founder and resident Richie Steedman makes his debut on Jamie Jones’ Hottrax imprint with three groove-centered productions this November. A key component in the North of England’s electronic music scene, Steedman has had a deep-rooted passion for house and techno since becoming au fait with a pair of turntables at merely 12 years old. Since then the British DJ launched Newcastle’s Motion event series back in 2010, where he’s a resident alongside fellow Hottrax producer Patrick Topping. He now joins a roster spanning the likes of Yousef, Harry Romero, wAFF, Mat.Joe and more. Echoing chopped vocals, crunchy percussion and a meandering bassline form the basis of ‘Stitcher’ before undulating drums join a medley of squelches, pops and whirrs in ‘Chance It’. Concluding the package, ‘Slip’ incorporates infectious open hi-hats and a stuttering vox for a moody and mesmerising finale. More

Circus Recordings boss Yousef teams up with renowned New York producer Harry Romero on Jamie Jones’ Hottrax featuring a remix from 8 Sided Dice founder Alan Fitzpatrick. Liverpool’s Yousef has cemented a solid reputation as a reputable DJ-producer who’s released on Cocoon, Desolat, Bpitch Control and Defected, remixed the likes of Chaka Khan, Sven Vath, Moby, Four Tet and Carl Cox, and is also the brain behind distinguished events brand and record label Circus. Meanwhile, Harry Romero has been a force within house music for over two decades, with appearances on Ovum Recordings, Subliminal and Suara, whilst Alan Fitzpatrick has done recent remixes for Prime Numbers, Hot Flush and Hypercolour when not releasing regularly on Drumcode, Cocoon and Dusky’s 17 Steps. Arriving on Hottrax, the artists join a roster spanning Patrick Topping, wAFF, Mat.Joe and Jamie Jones himself. A purring bassline drives ‘I’m Behind You’ forward whilst intricate percussion joins echoing notes to generate a low-slung groove. Recent Fabric mix series inductee Alan Fitzpatrick’s remix then ups the tempo by utilising heady piano melodies and piercing stabs before Yousef concludes the package with a crunchy solo outing titled ‘Tightrope’ that boasts energetic drums and stuttering vocal snippets.

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Originally from Hannover, Mat.Joe are up next on Hot Trax with a release that is straight up raw techno at it’s best. German production duo delivers two killer new tracks for a great Hottrax double-header. Nonstop Nonsense is a massive barnstormer of a track, that’s been massive for Jamie Jones; it’s a bit of a beast! Dat Cream is a refreshing bass driven rib rattler of a track grabbing you by the scruff of the neck and shaking you senseless. Joining forces to create a formidable duo are best friends Matze and Johannes. After bonding over a mutual love for hip-hop, breakdance and skateboarding they soon started to produce music together. Having previously released on Defected, Snatch!, Gruuv and OFF Recordings among others, this release is their debut on the grittier Hot Trax imprint. More

Following a year hiatus, Hottrax returns to make serious impact with ‘Eno Minimal’ from U.S. native DMS12. Veteran techno producer The Model is also onboard to remix delivering a high energy cut of futuristic electronica. Label boss Jamie Jones rediscovered the original track explaining “I had it in a playlist in 2015 for ages and finally dropped it in my all night long session with Seth Troxler at The Warehouse Project. The place went crazy and Seth asked me “what the f**k is this?" I’ve since played it on some huge stages and it’s insane, no matter where I am it grabs people and slaps them into space.” DMS12 is a DJ and producer from New York. The Model is a DJ and producer from Romania, founder and owner of the label Adult Central. More

wAFF is now a firm fixture in the clan of hot creative hedonists. Back with ‘Puke It Up’ this time on darker, club-focused off-shoot label Hot Trax, wAFF delivers more of the dense techno material he so clearly relishes making. A pair of head-tripping and immaculately crafted techno cuts; both ‘Puke It Up’ and B-side ‘Love’ (a swinging tropical acid-synth meltdown) will do serious damage on the dancefloor no question about it. Hold on tight because you’re in for a ride on wAFF’s big, bad and heavy bass train. Leeds boy wAFF has in the past year gained lofty recognition for this industrious and dextrous talents winning the accolade of best single of 2012 in the DJ Mag awards with ‘Jo Johnson’ from his debut summer smash ‘Rainbows EP’ on Hot Creations. With a list of admirers including Luciano, Loco Dice and Sven Vath (who included Jo Johnson on his ´The Sound Of The 13th Season´ compilation) and with Jamie Jones and Carl Cox already hammering ‘Puke It Up’ ; the 24 year old wAFF has also quickly reached the status of hotly in-demand global DJ - smashing into the big league within months of his first EP release but armed with a talent he’s been harbouring since his mid-teens. Second Hot Creations release came in the winter of 2012 with the ‘Eclipse EP’, another masterstroke, followed by a massive remix of Digitaria’s ‘Shine’ earlier this year - all further proof of wAFF’s raw and unstoppable talent. Inviting wAFF to play a couple of Paradise gigs last year, Jamie Jones and co. are holding on to their wonderboy making him a resident at the night this season as well as bagging these essential new cuts for Hot Trax. More

Hot Trax is back with its third release ‘9 Weeks’, from first class female producer Davina. Injecting her sexy and seductive French touch she delivers two distinguished tracks aimed firmly at the dance floor holding onto a classic house vibe yet pushing creative boundaries and showcasing her immaculate production skills. The A Side ‘9 Weeks’ is a hooky driving groover of a track. Getting heavy rotation from the Jamie Jones it’s proving mainstay of his sets. This is a surefire crowd pleaser. On the flip and ‘Moskitoes Cries’ gets low-slung a dirty, great little vocal fills and stabs effectively punctuate the heavy rolling rhythms to keep them dancing. Originally from New Caledonia, a French island between Australia and New Zealand, Davina is now resident in Ibiza. A successful DJ and live performing artist as well as being one of the worlds most in demand music technology tutors, she has recently had several releases on Push Push record, but has delivered a great two tracker on HOTTRAX.
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Jamie Jones launches his new subsidiary label of Hot Creations, HOTTRAX with a three track EP of upfront dance floor business. The label will be dedicated to a more underground dance floor orientated aesthetic, only for the headstrong! This three track features phenomenal ‘Changes’. Jamie has championed it all summer and as soon as you hear it you’ll realize why. It’s a heady hypnotic brew of oscillator-funk and ghetto-groove, arpeggiating synths bubble hypnotically under the rising ebb and flow of the melody as infectious groove drives you on.. the truth is we are all going through changes! On the flip and Jamie jacks the groove on the ‘Road To The Studio’. Incessant chanting and looped vocals are cleverly layered upon each other creating a impending sense of explosive anticipation as the rhythm effortlessly builds to maximum effect. Finally, the irresistibly charming ‘No Rush’ plays upon retro garage feel while the minor keys serve to create a sense eeriness on the floor. A great closure to a superb three track EP, and what a way to kick off the new label in style. Watch out for HOTTRAX releases in 2013..
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