Värka Kru » Review

Dj Ivarzz

Dr Gorazd — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:53:32 +0000

AutumnMix2009 by ivarzz

Very nice techno mix by Ivarzz, my reccomendations, as well you can log on TikTak Radio, recently, they are in a kind of retro mood for the old school techno. Listen the stream, or download another Ivarzz mix – Autumn mix is along with some other nice mixes. Check it out!

Mr Zivs feat. Ron White and Kurt

Dr Gorazd — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:40:30 +0000

Check dis out! The new dubplate from dread Mr Zivs and Ron White with Kurt.
download/listen Reggae call

Big bad bass artists and explicit lyricist are coming!

Dr Gorazd — Mon, 05 May 2008 21:15:27 +0000

The Bug from Reflex and Mc Lady Warrior Queen are going to get
Riga with their show!
Don’t miss that show! I promise, if there is an good sound system,
they will set it on fire! Trust me! I know what I’m talking about!
If you are really keen on a heavy raw dub-like bass line, this show is for you.
The famous The Bug, formerly know as Techno Alien, can be named as one of the main
godfathers of British heavy dub and breakcore! He explores the tasty sides of the bass
serving it the best way possible, spiced with a good number of amens! You will never regret it!
Just be prepared for the real dirty wine with A-bomb powered lady Warrior Queen on the mic.
Literally. She will burn up the atmosphere. She can deliver all the wickedness possible of the mad African woman!
This English bass scientist with hot Caribbean rhymes – are a toxic combination of the post drum and bass era.
I hope the organizers will manage to deliver their show at full power. Technically speaking – Take care!

festival SKAŅU MEŽS’2008 3., 7., 9.un 10.maijā, Grīvas Mēbelēs, Daugavgrīvas ielā 31k-3.

DJ Krush and Dj Vadim in Koko. Report from the concert.

Dr Gorazd — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 04:29:56 +0000

flickr photo uploaded by bingpoint

I just came back from the concert. Tired but happy. So, please, excuse me my English.
I haven’t imagined that I can afford to go for this show that time. But deep in my heart I got strong desire to see and to feel it. And my wish was granted! I got my ticket in a bit tricky way. One friend of mine have called me and asked me do I want to have a ticket for this show? It was really good timing. Yes I do! So I got my ticket and now I must to make two websites for that. It’s ok, because it worth it!
Night Camden Town has it own charm. I have arrived on time, and even got a moment to bring some praises to Almighty and wonderful time. So I have passed inside the Koko club, but my camera isn’t. So here will be no photo report by me. Fortunately, you can see some camera phone images from an Last.fm user. I have found his pictures on event page of last.fm. Thanks to mr. Bingpoint. Events calendar are very useful options in modern social networking. Next time I should get myself an Press Card. I need more practice in live photogaphy.
What can I say about the concert? The words of my broken English can’t describe all the magic of Great Beat Masters vibes. It was massive! Music, performance expression, good PA system, light and venue itself. I wish you were there! In time when I have finished sorting out the clock room business the Shadow Orchestra was performing. It was last 1.5 songs, but I get positive impressions from it! Memory 9 – one man on stage with an powerful control surface and macbook have continued to warming up of the crowd. He have showed his good knowledge in composing of few popular music styles. Nice try. Last composition was pretty fast. Recently I really enjoy such fast music – around 135Bpm and more.
Then Dj Krush has arrived on stage and cooled down the public with his famous abstract intro. It was wonderful! If the concert was just this part, I shouldn’t be disappointed. I have squeezed in a bit closer to try to catch his hands movements. Nearly impossible. Sounds flow like an waterfall. Incredible! He can twist the sound wherever he likes to. Delay and reverb work well under his control. Eventually the beat goes down. Nice music. Deep and strong. With precise samurai’s cuts and scratches. His set was very stylish. For me, in his set was more than 50% of riddims was new. Old tunes and accapellas in a new mix rock as well. Solid respect! Dj Krush one of the greatest turntablist and mixologist on Earth! True!
Than another hip-hop scene monster, Dj Vadim has arrived on stage. Not alone, with two women on the mics! One, more than expected, full of energy, magnificent Yarah Bravo and another jazz queen lady. I didn’t catch her name. She have great vocal, jazzy singing in a black music style, although she was white one. That collective of veteran of UK-USA hip-hop scene and freestyle girls really go out of definitions. Breaking though the borders. Rocking and raging. Bringing the message of love from the real underground. No pop music. True! And all of this with good, loud sound and fat bass.
Only one moment was a bit hard to cope with. Too much people and many of them are mad! Pushing everybody around and crying out loud in sick animal way. Louder than a soundsystem. It made me tired. Too much hassles.
But in overall show was really good. I really enjoyed. I need to take a rest now. Dread out!

Full moon madness

Dr Gorazd — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 16:18:47 +0000

Last Saturday was the night of full moon. So we went out. I and my squat brothers. One of them, Anton, have been invited by his old time Lithuanian mates, to play on the event. The Datablender squat event. I was also invited to play, but I refused in order to take a closer look, for the first time visit of the venue. Because, you never know, what kind of squat you will see if you don`t know the people. The quality of sound system is very important to me too. I won’t waste any of my time on a bad sound, I rather stay at home and listen 8 bit music collection from 10 years ago. So, we made up our trip from North London squat, to South London squat. Night Brixton is wonderful, full of all kind of events. Especially, dancehall and so called black music, but our one was different. We easily have found the location by the bassline pumping out from wood boarded windows of an ex-pub. The place was lovely! Comfortable bar room with kind Japanese stuff and sofas. Dark dancefloor with two pillars of speakers taller than me. And VIP chillout upstairs. Very cosy! All starts from techno and retro electro by my mate Anton and slighty turns to harder sound from Lithuanian dj Saga and Co. Eventually, I get stoned more and more and music became more funny for me. Until Japanese djs comes to control. They made most of this sound system. They blast it up with real tekno and hardcore sounds. Usually I`m not big fan of such kind of music, but in that atmosphere it’s really get me! Thanks to my Sennhiser headphones I have saved my ears from total destructions. The same people who was kindly help me with Japanese studies, was raging mad on a decks. It was fine to me. Energy flow like in thunder lights storm. And all was really positive! No freaky gate crashers. Free drinks later on, when bar stuff gets busy dancin’ and playin’. Prefect match for Saturday night! Real underground movement. I like it! Big respect to the people who managed such club kind of squat activity. You can visit their web on datablender.net Next time don`t miss it if you are in London town. Feel the difference from commercial club factories. Dread Out.

P.S. I wondering to make an tekno set as well, with elements of noise and breacore.

Drawing Restraint 9

Dr Gorazd — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 01:09:37 +0000

I was watching an movie today – Drawing Restraint 9 (18)

Director: Matthew Barney Origin: Japan, United States Year: 2005 Duration: 160 Starring: Bjork and Matthew Barney. Watch trailer.

filmed in Nagasaki and sea islands around. From Gate cinemapage :

“DRAWING RESTRAINT 9, a film by Matthew Barney with a soundtrack composed by Björk, represents the first creative collaboration of two of the most protean, dynamic forces in music and fine art. DRAWING RESTRAINT 9 stars the artist and his longtime partner Björk as two occidental guests who board a Japanese whaling ship in Nagasaki Bay. Similarly poised and celebrated within the world of contemporary art as Björk is within her own field, Matthew Barney is a visual artist whose ambitious, rigorous multimedia work encodes esoteric meanings while providing lushly immediate aesthetic rewards. Best known for The Cremaster Cycle, Matthew Barney’s work is multimedia in execution but singularly focused in conception.”

I can say, it’s one of the most crazy art project I ever seen. Movie like no other! A bit like Cremaster but different. After being on Matthew Barney’s exhibition, that movie just get me in a strange way. Have you seen it? Watch it and tell me what do you think. Wakata? Link to Bjork’s page about this project http://unit.bjork.com/specials/dr9/

A DJ Diary

kone — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 04:15:25 +0000

What a buisy week. I’ve performed 4 gigs, and will do 5th tomorrow.
Tonight was one of the best, so i desided to write a bit of my impressions, ususlly i don’t write. Want to share my emotions.
I didn’t expect to play tonight. Dj Moire, Riga junglist booked me for tonight junge party in Peahen, Andreisala, but it was cancelled, due to place owner changed mood. I thought i will rest, but then Miks called aske if I can play with him, downstares in Pulkvedis. “Yes, of couse” I replyed. I love to play with Miks. I learned a lot of things from him. He’s the club co-owner, he collect vynils like mad, having biggest collection in Riga as I know. I don’t tell you how much, it’s betvean one and ten thouthand records. Can you imagine? He buy everething, a lot of jazz, wich is one third of the collection, which he never play, but listen at home. Than all that funky breaks stuff, like Skeewiff (by the way I introduced this collective to him), Finger Licking, Fort Knox Five. He loves rock. 80′s stuff. Like Pixies, The Cure, Joy Division. All the best records you may think of from 80′s he have. He buy some rare records for 80 US dollars. Crazy guy. Respect.
So I vas one hour late, as allways, sorry. Miks feels wasted and asleep, so he asked me to play alone. “Yes!”. As he played funky breaks, I started with similar, played some Balkan stuff which I’m really into now, some Latino, some Afro, Balkans again. There was 3 beautifull Latvian ladies with Arab-like looking guy. He asked me to play Balkan stuff again, they asked for latino. I love such a gentle and clever [zapros]. Nice. That a one thing I learned from mik for instance. Listen to wat they say. Often they ask some reaaly stupid thing. Sometimes nice things which I do with pleasure. But you have ti listen anyway, pay a bit of respect. Sometimes I just say, ok I will play that tune, but I don’t. Little trick. Sometimes I play with pleasure. Sometimes I say “No!”, when that tiny girl asked to plat Tiesto. God! Why him? I never play that shit no matter how big star he is and how many thouthand of stupis heads visit his shows. “NO!” And I make [grimase] shoving that it’s a very very bad taste. Ok. Latino, Balkans, Gossip remix, Breaks, Balkans again. People start to hang out around me, its getting crowder. At the ebginning danceflor downstares was empty. Upstares, where a dj payed MTV style “hip-hop”, or rather pop RNB, wa some people. So slowly I grab tham all to me, leaving his dancefloor almost empty, as promoter (beautifull Andra) telled me later. Nice. I love when people are crowded, nice audience it was. I love this small kind of competition betwean djs in Pulkvedis (upstares/downstares). Today is 31st of August, just before 1 September, students come back to Riga, a lot of beautifull young girls and boys, some foreigners. I’m geting heavier, hard and sharp electrohouse, uplifting sound. That what moves this crowd tonight. Not a minimal sound, which I’m much into for last year, but more pop electro. Ok, no problem, I compromise. [C] remix, which I made a hit in Pulkvedis, Swen Webber remix of “It’s never too late to be a different”, some other similar. Its kinda minimal too, in terms of composition, just one really heavy and sharp sound and the drums. But it moves people in Riga the most now. Magority is not ready for minial yet. Also, electro is much louder, harder, and intence. I love to mix electrohouse with minimal. Hard, hader, mo egharder, crazy harder, and than boom – i play eally mellow minimal tune, loke “W” by Coblestone Jazz, everybody exausted and relaxed and nice melodic feelings again here. You know? Than some minimal, to let them relax, but not let them go away. As some people leave, i returm back to electro. My tips and tricks I dont see that beautifull short haired lady which danced with arab man. She was cute and smiled to me, asked even for something to get crazy. They left, but it’s all right, they helped me to build the groove at the beginning. Thanx. Than French friends appeared, I gues they for in Embassy or Culture center, nice beautifull gentle people, two ladies and a man. I love when they come to my sets. They ealy feel the music, scream, smile, we’re shaking hands and look to each other time to time, a contact. Thank you, french! Comon sava? TThan I see two girls, friens of mine, one was working as waitress in Casablanca bar before. They often come to my sets, I enjoy to play when friend are here. It’s much easier, they know my tines, I try to give them new ones allways to impress them with quality new stuff, but not hesitate to play well known hits too. They might sound boring for me (Imagine playing the same great track during a year, it’s great, but I played it so many times. But people love it, so I ready to compromise. people I love you! I will play you all my best stuff, all the world best stuff, no matter how ald it is. I will make you crazy and beautifull at same time. Just come and be open minded. And we build it together again. You know what I mean? You know! So here we go, I change from harder tunes to mellow tunes, to vocal tunes, to melamholoc tunes, to uplifting tunes, to crazu heavy tunes, like that “Crack or Speed” B-side. It’s so crazy and heavy and dirty and stupid, but it so beautifull at same time. I play it only at very special time, when the crowd is ready, and when they want even harder than hard! Unexpectadly, I bought that records for A-side, which is good too, beautifull melodic uplifting minimal techno, but this B-side! Its crazy, I would never buy it by listening to that aone and half clip from Juno.co.uk. Never! This dirty hard style is not for me! But when I played it once, experimentaly, I understood the power ow this Tune! That’s what I like about vynyls: you can get some tracks as a surprise. B-sides, Paul (Murphy) you remember? That “Sha La La” B-side. Ok, its different story, jazzy latino brea-beat something, completely different from what I’m playing now in Pulkvedis. People wonder (and me too) how can I incorporate so different styles in my sets? It may sounds strange, but it so natural for me, TO BE DIFFERENT. I really enjoy all jazz/latino/funky stuff, its nice to play ot in Cuba Cafe. Music is not loud at all, but the mood is so mellow and sweet, people start to dance anyway, they can’t resist. Or reggae and dancehall stuff, I play in Depo or Cuba as well. Yes, its completely different side of the Moon, but its warmest feelings from our planet. I have to play it. I have to oorder that bad pressed seven inches. Its all our world of music. Music is so wide now. And people too, tahy spectre of influences is limitless. They listen to everething now. So do I. It’s seems so natural. Sorry, one style guys. I wish you to wider your view in short future, you will anyway. Thats life and my experience too. Or Jungle movemant. Fabio, nighty Fabio, respect, man you still pushing liquid funk so nice! Or drumfunk, which is quite opposite side of drum’n'bass, but its so interesting in terms of composition, I think most intelligent form of drum’n'bass now, the most interesting. So how can I resist to play it too? No way! But off couse, drumfunk is for drumfunk heads only. Crowd must be prepeared for this music. Its very small and very intelectual, and quite young too. Not here, in Pulkvedis. here we love electro and minimal now. …….. I got to go, I will finish this story later, and spell all the mistakes with automatic spell checker, may be not, tomorrow is another story, Betons and me will drive to Venspils, where we’re going to play reggae in the most posh restaurant (!) of the town. Oh crazy week, I love my life, I enjoy my DJ carrier, (its not a a carrier at all), … I’m getting so buisy sometimes, …. see you again. Unlimited love to everyone at tonight dancefloor and beyound Dance is something very important. Very important. Sure. And love. And smile. See you.

DŽUNGĻURAUTS (Kandava, July 21 2007)

kone — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 18:56:25 +0000

.

This was really nice event! beautifull place (unfinished hotel with squat feeling), nice positive people, good soundsystem, and yes,
THE DJs!
ROOTSMANIAN (WLOVI soundsystem, France) played rots reggae, easy and deep style, Fee.Nix-Z vs. Brain, startded with “Tear-red fet. Puma” and continued with hot drum’n'bass wich make everyone jump mad, Melnizz, played strictly deep drum+funk, and Mixmaster AG, played drum’n'bass set, very interesting selection!!!, Crystral Soundsystem, respect, reggae on next day afterparty in town garden, and ELVI (DVĒS’LES SISTĒMAS), reggae, dancehall. Me too, witj MC Aklais on mic, with da hottest jungle tunes. Nice Nice Nice! More please…

More info (in Latvian)

ROOTSMANIAN

Ignat Gorazd’s July: short tour report

Dr Gorazd — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 23:34:10 +0000

Mine recent tour just over. My friends and promoters Crystrals records done good job. Girls have arranged busy time for me and Italian crew – Djs Ka:lu and Kykla and Vj Fat Cat. We were boarded same plain at Stansted airport 05 07 07 and our wonderful journey into Latvia has started. Exploring the country, filling it with roots, reggae, minimal and drum`n`bass sound. It was lovely. Good expiriens for me. We arrive straight to latvian jungle. We spent 3days in Sigulda on BMX festival. Than was night in Depo with an open mic on my set featuring an hip-hop head from Liverpool, me, Mc Aklais, Mc Zivs etc. Than Andrejsala`s banch of venues. Than was an open air event in Bauzlande. Crazy one, with rock stage and no bass on our tent and crazy shower all night long. And finally we hold on fire whole club in Liepaja. Fontaine Palace. Jammin and pushing the bass until the sun comes up. It was hottest event in tour. Thank everyone, my friends for support and help. Now I`m back to cool London and looking forward to see sunny Italy tomorrow.

Dj Kone and Dj Blindmc aka Aklais at Dirty Deals cafe, Andrejsala, Riga, LV

Dj Kalu and Vj Fat Cat, my lv tour mates.

more pictures will come later

Summer BMX festival. Part II

Dr Gorazd — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 04:41:58 +0000

Last night was great. Crazy mix of all styles on in our stage. From roots reggae, to techno, drum and bass to industrial. I really enjoy. Youth of Latvia in local jungle. Worldwide connection. Massive. One more day to go … Continue reading →