Vibelung: Circuitflu - Now available at Beatport.com

Changing things up a bit, Academik's second EP veers into techno territory with the contagious vibe of Circuitflu.

The original mix is a mutant hybrid of minimal techno fused with hints of clever IDM, courtesy of Dallas-based electro/techno DJ, Vibelung (aka Jimmy Freer). With Circuitflu, Freer's approach to minimal blends clever robot voices with pounding 808-style kicks and a synth riff that evokes the Knight Rider theme without reeking of irony or litigation.

Francis Prève's reinterpretation of Circuitflu turns up the boom with his infectious brand of techno, gene-spliced with a strand of DNA from the better strains of electro. Starting with a handclap-heavy dark groove reminiscent of classic Peace Division, Prève's remix builds to a massive peak that bounces and throbs its way into one of Preve's trademark rising leads. The result is a big room monster that's guaranteed to pack summer floors both at peak-time and after-hours.

Here's what some of the world's top DJs are saying about the Circuitflu EP:

William A: Alpha - Now available at Beatport.com

In case you missed it last week, my label - Academik Records - just released its first EP: William A's new single, "Alpha", which is now available at Beatport.com

Here's what some of the world's top DJs are saying about "Alpha":

Academik - Exclusive Preview: William A - "Alpha"

Academik Records posted an exclusive preview of our first release.

We're getting support from an amazing array of the world's top DJs.

Really proud of this package. So if you dig it too, please spread the word!

Academik SXSW Launch Event Update

Man, this week is just cuh-razy. Planning a label launch is hard work...

That said, the Ableton t-shirts are in. The Korg Monotrons are here, as are the Bleeplabs Thingamagoop 2s. The Avid/M-Audio Venom is looking pretty in its box - and we've got a ton of Propellerhead beanies to go along with the copies of Reason Record Duo we're giving away. It looks like a friggin' Guitar Center at Academik HQ.

But that's how we like it :)

Just as cool - maybe moreso - the Secret Panda Society played me some of their newest tracks and well, I'm more than a little blown away by what I'm hearing. Today and tomorrow, we're working on a couple of tech house collabs in The Danger Room. Seriously good stuff. Brace yourself for an amazing show this Friday.

Buzz is growing. Tweets are flowing.

More event info here.

How To Launch Your Own Record Label :)

Introducing Academik Records...

This & That #6

I've been too busy working on this to worry about that.

Back in the saddle after SXSW. Promise.

This & That #4

Musicradar.com posted a wonderful history of Roland synths, with tons of sexy pictures. Naturally, someone took all that gear porn and made a seizure-inducing animated GIF.

Create Digital Music has a brilliant tutorial on turning that old cassette deck in your closet into a nifty little analog saturation effect.

One of the artists I'm working with these days is an extraordinary guitarist, DJ, producer, teacher, and Zen badass named Shreddward. He has some top-notch tech house tracks in the pipeline and recently added some moody guitar parts to a track I'm working on. Now, he's got his own blog too.

It's been a fun week for free stuff too... More info after the jump.

William A - Push The Umbrella (free MP3)

One of my star pupils and Armada artist, William A, had a bunch of great releases last year: "Tall Glass", "Shot Glass", "Umbrella", along with quite a few well-received remixes.

Maybe I'm a tad biased, 'cause we've spent so much time hanging out in the studio - but it's obvious that I'm not the only one who's into his sound, since he's received support from superstars like Pete Tong and Dave Seaman.

For my February minimix, I played his latest bootleg, "Push The Umbrella", which mashes up William's "Umbrella" with Nightcrawlers' "Push The Feeling On" - a totally unexpected combo that works really, really well.

I asked William if he'd post it to his SoundCloud account, so I could share it with ya and he was 100% down, so here it is.

Download William A - Push The Umbrella

Academik Records? Really?

Coming soon...