Africa Hitech is more than a name; it is an ideology - one that embodies its members’ passions for an eclectic diaspora of electronic styles, from soul, dub and acid to UK garage, grime, techno, house and Jamaican dancehall. Mark Pritchard and Steve Spacek stand at the intersection of all these styles and the result is a synthesizer fuelled syncopated percussion and bass madness.
Alabama 3 are a band originating from Brixton, England, their music incorporates elements of country, acid house, blues and gospel. Named for the Alabama 2, a legal case in the American deep South during the 1930s, in which two black men were hanged for allegedly raping a white woman. The name is also a nod to other victims of injustice like the Birmingham 6 and Guildford 4. In the United States, they are known as A3, after they were sued by the legendary country outfit Alabama.
Tunng are an experimental folk band which formed in 2003 in London, England. They are often associated with the folktronica genre due to the electronic influences evident in some of their work. The band consists of Mike Lindsay (vocals, guitar), Sam Genders (vocals, guitar), Becky Jacobs (vocals, percussion, mandolin), Ashley Bates (banjo, guitar), Phil Winter (electronics, sampling, keyboards) and Martin Smith (percussion, shells)
Official Website - http://www.re-e.net re:enactment are a five piece band from Brisbane, Australia. They have a dense sound that combines jagged guitar with big droning synths and heavy IDM influences. The resultant sound is electronic pop rock, with some unusual effects and musical ideas thrown in. They have self-released two EP's at present, entitled Kittens & Regicide (which was also released as a limited edition USB stick featuring 18 songs & remix files)
Crystal Castles is an experimental electronic band which formed in 2003 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and consists of producer Ethan Kath and vocalist Alice Glass. They are named after the lyrics "The fate of the world is safe in Crystal Castles" and "Crystal Castles, the source of all power" both from the theme song for She-Ra's fortress. They are known for their melancholic lo-fi sound and their explosive live shows. Their debut album was included in NME's "Top 50 Albums of the Decade".
It all started when Sofie, age 15, borrowed an old synthesiser from a friend. Intrigued and beguiled by its puzzling menu layout and strangely labelled functions, she was destined to ask "what does that button do?". Thus began a long and sordid love affair with electronics and music. Visit Sofie's myspace page for more info. http://myspace.com/sofieloizoumusic
Berlin-based Booka Shade (Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier) leapt to the forefront of contemporary dance music in 2005 with their classic singles “Body Language” (with M.A.N.D.Y.) and “Mandarine Girl”, and their debut full-length Memento. Since then they’ve released a string of hit singles, become one of the world’s most sought-after electronic live acts and developed their unique sound on the acclaimed albums Movements and The Sun & The Neon Light.
Producer and DJ, Jacques Renault, was a post-punk Washington D.C. native who moved to Chicago in 1997 to continue his studies of viola, but in turn got an education in dance music. Tapping into the well established Drum n' Bass scene, he held a residency at Smart Bar and became a buyer at the legendary Gramaphone Records. This broad, raw exposure to House lead him straight back to the classics of Disco and to it's heart, New York City, where he landed in 2002.
Considered a prominent figure in the development of instrumental hip-hop, DJ Shadow (real name Josh Davis) has proven himself with groundbreaking, genre-defining solo output on such respected labels as Solesides and Mo' Wax. Although Shadow's earlier works, especially 'Endtroducing.....', are known for their innovation in genres such as hip-hop, ambient, and trip-hop, his latest album, The Outsider, had several tracks dedicated to Hyphy.