aaamusic | On 20, Mar 2011

INSTRA:MENTAL ‘RESOLUTION 653’ ALBUM LAUNCH PARTY

INSTRA:MENTAL

(NonPlus+/Club Autonomic)

DJ STINGRAY

(Micron/Rephlex/Urban Tribe/Planet E/Mo Wax)

KASSEM MOSSE

(Mikrodisko/NonPlus+)

dBRIDGE

(Exit Records/Club Autonomic)
SATURDAY 9TH APRIL
10PM – 6AM / £10 ADVANCE, £12 DOOR

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London promoter Black Atlantic has started the year in fine form, presenting performances from the likes of Space Dimension Controller, Daedelus, Tokimonsta, Lazer Sword, Lone, Kerri Chandler, Ben UFO, Linkwood, Juan Atkins, DMX Krew and more in the space of two short months. For the first of two Black Atlantic shows in April Black Atlantic teams up with arguably the most innovative crew operating in UK dance music, Instra:mental, to celebrate the launch of their debut LP, ‘Resolution 635’, released on April 11^th on their own NonPlus+ label. Alongside them Instra:mental and Black Atlantic welcome DJ Stingray, dBridge and Kassem Mosse to party in one of London’s best-kept underground secrets.

INSTRA:MENTAL – ‘RESOLUTION 653’ (NONPLUS+) ALBUM LAUNCH

No-one could’ve predicted the irreversible revolution Instra:mental would incite. And not a soul could’ve imagined the colourful sonic platform that Alex Green (aka Bleeky) and Damon Kirkham (aka Drama) would end up developing. Somewhere between D&B, electro, techno and off-kilter hip hop, with a warm, analogue feel throughout, the two forward-thinking producers have created a kaleidoscopic sound that brilliantly conveys, as they put it “electronic emotion.”

The Instra:mental takeover kicked off in earnest in 2009, a year which ended with Instra:mental being named ‘Best Breakthrough Producers’ in DJ Mag’s Best of British Awards (followed in 2010 with ‘Best Compilation’ for their FABRICLIVE 50 mix CD) on top of becoming Autonomic residents (with dBridge) for the decks of London’s institution fabric, and for the airwaves of the revered Rinse FM. Soon came the the launch of their untouchable label NonPlus+, with releases from imaginative leaders across the electronica dial, including Skream, Jimmy Edgar, Werk Discs’ boss Actress, Autonomic podcast star ASC and Kassem Mosse. Recently the pair have begun to flex their individual creativity even further with releases under their Boddika and Jon Convex monikers too, another manifestation of a duo bursting with ideas.

‘Resolution 653’ is their debut Instra:mental album however, released soon on their own NonPlus+ imprint. Minimalist yet intricately complex, spacious yet immersive, Instra:mental create darkly lit soundworlds that blur all genre lines and stand strong in their own groove. Its a reflection of where they’re at right now, not an amalgamation of influences, though their guests tonight can all be said to have played an influential role in their careers to date.

DJ Stingray (Sherard Ingram) has been an active member in Detroit’s electronic music community for nearly 25 years now, stretching back all the way to his first release as NASA on cult Detroit imprint Express Records alongside Scan 7’s Trackmaster Lou. Never shy of a collaboration, Ingram spent much of the ’90s teaming up with Carl Craig, Anthony ‘Shake’ Shakir and Kenny Dixon Jr. to create a rich downtempo sound as Urban Tribe on James Lavelle’s Mo Wax label, with culminated in the release of 1998’s much-lauded The Collapse of Modern Culture album. He was then recruited to be the tour DJ for Drexciya in their final days, taking to the decks as DJ Stingray and masking his face from the audience, something he continues to do for all of his DJ appearances.

In recent years, his production work—as DJ Stingray, Mystic Tribe A.I., and Urban Tribe—has focused much more on his solo talents, and is now grounded in the futuristic electro style that is associated with his DJ sets. If anything, Ingram’s skills behind the desk are improving with age, whilst remaining true to their Drexciyan descent through remorseless innovation in electro aesthetics.. 2009 also saw Ingram launch his Micron Audio label and 2010 was busy year for the label with the vinyl release of First Wave along with a multitude of additional 12-inches including the Sphere of Influence EP for Naked Lunch.

Now a firmly established ally to the Instra duo dBridge recently celebrated the release of the Mosaic compilation on his own Exit Records – another landmark release for one of the most forward-thinking and open-minded producers in the game. He’s worked alongside Instra:mental for a number of years, originally teaming up to mesh their collective interests and influences, which resulted in some game-changing productions (including ‘Wonder Where’ and the now-classic ‘Watching You’) and the incontestable Autonomic podcasts. The series became a veritable online phenomenon, with each podcast (or “layer”) receiving well over 60,000 unique subscribers/downloads. Their residency at fabric and a FABRICLIVE Mix followed for the crew under the Autonomic name and they continue to forge new paths and destroy genre tags with apparent ease.

Completing the line-up, and flying in from Leipzig, Germany, Kassem Mosse (aka Gunnar Wendel) has had an incredible couple of years. His productions have received international recognition with their unusual amalgamation of various electronic styles, ranging from Electro to Deep House and Techno – a sound that has been compared to anything from Theo Parrish, Andy Stott, Basic Channel, Nightmares on Wax and “Surgeon played at the wrong speed” (boomkat.com). He seems equally prone to switching things ups and challenging preconceptions as the Instra:mental boys themselves, whilst releasing tracks on labels such as FXHE, Laid, Mikrodisko, Spectral Sound and Kinda Soul, he’s also ventured further into the leftfield with output on Meatlheadz, Doldrums and Instra:mental’s own NonPlus+. Podcasts aplenty, steady touring and a huge remix from Omar-S have seen his popularity rise significantly over the past 12 months – don’t miss out on this opportunity to catch him in London…