What would life be without house music? When I’m up and when I’m down, when I’m working hard or chilling out, it’s always been there… when I need it the most and even when I don’t. House music is my security blanket, my crutch and unconditional friend. It’s everything I want and need it to be and thankfully it’s something that will forever just be.

But even house music can be overdone. I honestly believe I’ve overdosed on beats more than once. Many times I’ve had to pick myself up and tuck the headphones away because my body and mind have told me in unison I’ve listened too much.

It’s a weird sensation to get so totally locked into the groove that you lose all concept of where you are and what you’re doing. I guess too much of anything isn’t good for anyone and unfortunately for me, house music is no exception to this rule.

I had one of these “Oh my God this is way too much!” moments while jamming to this Fresh Beats mix from Hernan Cerbello. I was at my desk working on some mundane shit and before I know it I’m coming around with the kick calling my name from behind. Let me tell you it’s super embarrassing to be caught in your cubical, totally zoned out with your head bouncing around in the middle of the afternoon… by your coordinator! Who knows how long I was doing that for and if others may have come and gone before? All I know is my desktop was a mess when I finally got back to being focused on work. Fine example I am.

It doesn’t really matter because I can’t help but be excited that progressive house DJs like Hernan aren’t sitting around sulking over the explosion of techno like I’ve been. They’re embracing it and incorporating cool tech sounds into their program and whether I can believe it or not, I’m actually totally digging it.

I remember in Lisa’s Inside the IM with Naveen G he quoted Lee Burridge saying that Lee doesn’t play progressive, he plays music progressively. Hernan is one of these super cool artists that are following Lee’s lead and it’s really opening my ears to tracks that I might not have ever given a second listen if they weren’t so clinically fit into a progressive mix.

I asked Hernan to make this promo because I think it’s amazing how he’s adapted to the sounds of today and even more incredible how that music continues to impact my life. If I strip it all down to just the tunes, all of this influence is positive… even if I’m caught making a fool of myself within the process.

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Hernan Cerbello – bringthebeats – August 2010

Last weekend, after a four year hiatus, we returned to the floor of the most fantastic club we’ve ever had the privilege to dance in. Stereo in Montreal is a shrine to everything we love about the nightclub scene, and it’s only become more incredible after renovations that were initiated by a devastating fire in the summer of 2008.

The analogue based sound is unbelievably exceptional, one of a kind. Being amidst its delicate power can easily trigger an out of body experience; it has for me many times. The classy and sophisticated décor is absolutely how we’d outfit an underground space and the clubbers the Stereo legend attracts are seriously intent on an uninterrupted session of non stop grooves. Picture the super sexy people of Montreal, armed with running shoes and cool, comfortable styles; Stereo is most definitely our kind of place, hosting our kind of people.

Unfortunately for us, the bliss ends there. Outside a couple inconveniently scheduled appearances by Danny Howells, a few Harem Records parties and a rare underground booking of Claude Von Stroke, Stereo simply doesn’t give a second look to the fresh talent of progressive house. Yes, over the past four years we could have traveled for a commercialized Sander Kleinenberg or any of Stereo’s old school New York House residents, but the thought of being back inside the newly renovated temple of sound and not enjoying what was coming from the speakers was (and is now confirmed) a completely empty feeling.

This most recent return came out of the blue as our trip was planned for months and it was only a spur of the moment decision that we attended Danny Tenaglia’s 20 years of DJing anniversary. I’ll try not to waste too much of this post complaining about Danny’s skills, track selection and total lack of direction, because that’s not what the piece is supposed to be about. But I have to say every minute of our time inside Stereo was spent consumed with unfulfilled dreams of developing a proper music policy for such a legendary venue.

Knowing this Fresh Beats promo from Fran Bortolossi was on its way, many of my thoughts revolved around the quality sound we were sure to expect within this mix. I imagined the groups of people hovering around each other actually facing the booth and not one another. I tried to feel the melodies and smooth grooves of Fran’s selections heard over the warmest sound system in the world, not the banging and monotonous build ups that were effectively wearing me down and were the only way Danny could get through a mix. I yearned for a DJ who would be paid a fraction of Tenaglia’s fee but would perform to a level actually deserving of the coolest club on the planet.

Fran is without a doubt a perfect example of the new breed that should be given the opportunity to express their interpretation of today’s electronic music in the marquee clubs of the industry. No, he won’t be playing for 30 hours over a weekend, but he’d give you five hours of undivided attention and focus. He’d tap into every bit of the musical training he’s developed since the age of eight and would respectfully pay homage to his greats, influences like Nick Warren, Hernan Cattaneo, Sasha & John Digweed. Fran would provide the South American soul that is so desperately lacking in the North American sound and I know the Stereo faithful would absolutely adore what he’d do for them.

I’m under no illusion that for now Fran Bortolossi at Stereo is anything but a dream, but for just one hour humour me. Close your eyes and listen to this mix in your headphones. Envision yourself in Stereo or simply on your favourite dance floor and truly embrace the emotion created by this budding Brazilian superstar. If you’re anything like me I think you’ll agree, this is the music that should be heard in the right place at the right time.

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Fran Bortolossi – bringthebeats – July 2010

Electronic Dance is the World Cup of music. No other style connects the four corners of the earth like EDM, just as no other tournament in sports has more global appeal than the World Cup. By far the best thing about being deeply entrenched in this industry is the bonds we’ve formed with passionate fans from all over the planet.

We can virtually watch every game of the World Cup and have allegiances to one or both of the teams because of someone we’ve met in the house music scene. There’s no better example of this than Sunday’s match between Mexico and Argentina, a rematch of the top contest of Germany ‘06.

Of course our bond with the Argentinians is no secret and our trip to Buenos Aires in 2006 created lasting memories of a beautiful, lively city inhabited by equally gorgeous and energizing people. But our friends in the Northern part of the Americas are just as amazing and if anyone deserves a victory on the world’s stage it’s the Mexicans, especially after what they had to endure with the H1N1 bullshit.

Gabriel Sordo is the original Mexican in the bringthebeats crew. For a few years now Gabby’s been providing us with some of the most musical and intricate compilations we’ve hosted. This mix may be the most complex to date, as I believe it’s the first ambient set we’ve promoted on the site. What makes it increasingly special is that he made it with our audience in mind, knowing we would definitely appreciate such a work of art… and we absolutely do!

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Gabriel Sordo – bringthebeats – June 2010

Ironically we were introduced to Memo Insua through Ricky Ryan, and on Sunday the two will be cheering from opposite sides of the pitch (Ricky literally speaking as he and his bro are in South Africa for the games). We approached Memo for this submission after hearing the many incredible productions coming from his very active SoundCloud page. This guy is a straight up wizard when it comes to deep and funky tech house and this mix is no exception. If you were to ask me what the coolest and hottest sound is for me right now, I’d pass on this promo from Memo.

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Memo Insua – bringthebeats – June 2010

Best of luck to our Mexican and Argentinean friends this Sunday and to all who are cheering on their country in this amazing spectacle of sport and pride. As Canadians we know what its like to achieve greatness with our Olympic success in Vancouver, it must be  just as fantastic for all who are locked into the World Cup.

I can’t say music is my life, but it’s certainly shaped much of it. My styles, my friends and my attitude have always been a reflection of the tunes I’m currently listening to. I was a baggy pant wearing, b-balling hip hopper as a teen, a plaid drunken grunger in university and an angry punk the couple years after.

It wasn’t until I found house music that I finally felt good, acted good and in the most humble sense, looked good. I contribute this to a scene where you’re allowed to be yourself, with nobody telling you how to act, what to wear or who to hang with. You just make peace with who you are and on the dance floor you can be whoever you want to be.

It’s in the club environment where I’ve made my deepest connections with the like-minded. When you’re in a room listening to a DJ you love, there’s a great chance the people around you are from the same kind of crew. So as you can imagine, listening to Luke Fair for so many years has introduced us to some of our coolest and closet friends.

The BroKen DJs, Jon Passey and Jamie Scott, are two such dudes. Some of our highlight memories from Miami’s past are with these guys and it all came together through our mutual love for what Luke Fair does. Extremely modest and incredibly fun, Jon and Jamie have transitioned their overwhelmingly positive energy into a disco deep, funky progressive house sound. Go figure, that’s exactly what we’re looking for.

The duo has found great success DJing in and around their home base in the UK. Their residency for Neustra Casa, one of London’s most revered house nights, has landed them in the booth at some of the city’s most renowned nightclubs including Ministry of Sound and the sorely missed Turnmills. They’ve also secured gigs in Norway and will be playing in Lithuania later this summer.

This Fresh Beats exclusive has been compiled with our warm weather in mind. Knowing we love the poolside vibes 24/7, 365 days a year, Jon and Jamie have provided a mix that is super groovy, expectedly smooth and absolutely guaranteed to put you in a great mood. So without further ado, we introduce to you introduce to you the BroKen DJs and their perfectly suited bringthebeats debut.

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BroKen DJs – bringthebeats – June 2010

You can’t have one great thing without the other. Hosting a Fresh Beats w/ Mike Haddad and not following it up with one from his Witty Tunes partner Royce Haven would be like scoring chocolate without the peanut butter. Alone they’re sweet, but together they’re delicious!

Add Dr. Kucho! to the mix and you have a potent production trio who sat in Beatport’s Top 10 downloads last week with their release ‘Lloraras’ on Haiti Groove Recordings. Yes, things are looking pretty great for Royce Haven right now and it couldn’t be happening to a cooler guy.

Of course we’re completely bias. Royce and Mike were two guys that made an incredibly positive impression on us while meeting them for the first time at this year’s WMC. Royce is a zany dude, with phenomenal energy. You can’t stop the smile while in his zone. I can’t emphasize enough how much fun we had at the Witty Tunes / Add2Basket Rooftop Party and I contribute a lot of our good times to the amazing attitudes of the hosts.

But what really astonishes me about this guy is the versatility of his music. When reading over some of the supporters of his production, the likes of Roger Sanchez, Chus, Richard Dinsdale, Saeed Younan, Sandy Rivera, Kris Menace and Pablo Ceballos, you wouldn’t think his sound would have much cross over appeal to our preferred brand of progressive house. But it does and that is definitely reflected in the Fresh Beats mix Royce has made exclusively for us.

Royce has hit it right on the nose when it comes to the btb vibe. This is funky progressive house at its finest – with a heavy emphasis on ‘house’ – exactly how we love it. It begins with a smooth chug and a sweet female vocal sample, then transitions into some groovy horns and back to some sexy lady, booty shaking rhythms. Mid way he moves into some grittier, more driving selections and concludes back on the soulful tip, but with a little dirtier undertone.

As you can tell, this is a promo that has definitely caught my ear in a big way. I’ve honestly had it on repeat for days. What I utterly appreciate is that Royce catered the mix specifically to our crew. It’s a sign of a true professional when an artist takes notice of the crowd he’s playing for and in this case, he’s reached expert status through his keen observation. Fresh Beats w/ Royce Haven is a truly tasty treat for bringthebeats.

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Royce Haven – bringthebeats – May 2010

This site is pretty much made up of music from DJs we’d love to book if we lived in a perfect world. A world consisting of open minded, funk loving, house music junkies… a world filled with more Witty Tunes. Continuing on with our WMC inspired desire to explore our dreams, we present to you Washington DC’s Mike Haddad, a dude near the very top of our list of DJs we’d love to host in the very near future.

Let’s face it; North Americans haven’t taken to funky progressive like clubbers have in other parts of the world. We’re a small niche in this continent, so we need to stick together and support each other whenever we can.

This past year we’ve helped spread the word about the  ‘Jody Wisternoff Remix Competition’ put on by Mike and Royce Haven’s super successful Witty Tunes label. And we supported and attended the ‘Witty Tunes / Add2Basket WMC Rooftop Party’ where we finally met the entire Witty crew in all their styles. It was definitely a highlight of our week; for sure the funkiest, coolest music we heard start to finish at any event. Now Mike’s returned the favour by compiling this spectacular club-ready promo exclusively for bringthebeats.

In the brief time we were able to talk shop in Miami, Mike and I realized we have a lot in common when it comes to our struggles pushing underground sounds in our respective cities. But it also became clear we don’t only feel each other’s pain, but we also share an identical love for proper progressive house.  After listening to this mix,  I can confidently confirm we’re on the same page about this.

Mike my brother, thanks a lot for taking time out from your extremely busy schedule  as a new pops to put together this phenomenal example of how pumping tunes are groovier, sexier and smoother on our side of the underground. Let’s hope we can get our dance floor rolling with these ultra Fresh Beats very, very soon.

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Mike Haddad – bringthebeats – April 2010

Music truly transcends borders; in electronic music more than any other style without a doubt. Nobody I know outside the scene has developed global connections like we have in the underground. It’s amazing that we’ve developed relations with people from all over the globe; most of whom we’ve never even spoken to face to face.

It’s the common ground of funky melody and deep bass that instantly makes an artist our friend. It’s listening to a set and realizing that the person who compiled it actually ‘gets it’. It’s when you know, that they know it should be heading somewhere and you have enough trust to allow this relative stranger take you there. That’s a bond as strong as I’ve ever known.

Gabriel Sordo was the one who formally introduced us to Luis Caparroso, one half of the legendary Columbian duo Liluca, alongside Farid Char Yidi. But it was through both Ricky Ryan and Luke Fair that we first heard of these genius music makers.

See I don’t know anything when it comes to production or individual tracks. I’m one of those guys that reference a tune by “the twenty-fifth minute of the Summer Promo” or “the second track on the Balance.” I most enjoy music in the flow of a compilation, so I’m left to pry info on the best producers from guys like Luke and Ricky and on multiple occasions the name Liluca has come up in conversation.

Thank God it has because I feel like we’ve hit the jackpot scoring a set from these two. In the game together since 1998, Luis and Faird are production heroes to many our favourite DJs including Tom Morgan, Desyn Masiello and Add2Basket. As live performers Liluca’s held residencies at clubs Gotica, Cha Cha and Cinema in their hometown of Bogotá and have appeared at the Summer Dance Festival and Ultra Music Festival in Cartagena.

They’ve traveled for gigs in Mexico and Guatemala and will be making their second appearance at the WMC in Miami aboard the Sunrise at The Bay cruise headlined by SOS, Paolo Mojo and Jody Wisternoff. It’s going to be amazing to strike Liluca’s name off the list of artists we love but have yet to meet in person. It’s one of the things we’re most looking forward to at this year’s conference.

The word that first comes to mind when describing this exclusive is “crisp”. The beats, the mixing and the programming are so tight they’re “crisp”. It moves from ambient techno to pure house to pure techno and mid way there are some massive floor-filling bombs. There’s hip hop influence and smooth groovy progressive house. It’s surely one of the most eclectic mixes we’ve hosted and absolutely one of the best. You’re in for a treat with Liluca’s debut on bringthebeats.

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Liluca – bringthebeats – March 2010

I know we’re sounding like a dirty CD going on and on about these young South American upstarts spinning and producing unbelievably mature house sounds. But the world will never stop talking about the football skills and slick styles of the people of this region, so neither will we when it comes to the underground.

I was full on into the high school party scene when Leonardo Tou was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1989 (okay now I’ve seriously aged myself… ugh). At the incredibly raw age of eight, Leo was learning piano and guitar and being influenced by seminal acts of the ages including Pink Floyd, Joy Division and Brian Eno.

By 16 his electronic arousal was in full bloom through productions supported by Satoshi Tomiie, Jimmy Van M and Hernan Cattaneo… an absolute prodigy indeed. Over time other superstars of our scene including Eelke Kleijn, Demi and Chloe Harris have regularly played out Leonardo Tou tunes on highly respected labels such as Avangardia, Fat&Blind and In4mation Records.

As a DJ he’s travelled throughout Argentina, from Buenos Aires to Rosario and Cordoba, as well as international gigs in Uruguay and Chile. His promos have been heard all over the internet airwaves with features on Proton Radio, Digitally Imported, friskyRadio and Danceradio in Greece. All of these accomplishments before he’s even legally able to order a drink in the USA… it boggles my mind!

This exclusive mix is true to the style description in his bio, the first I’ve ever read with the aid of Google Translate I might add. It’s a dynamic groove meant to surprise with originality, absolutely without monotony. It’s a fusion of house and techno; I feel a little tribal influence as well. From start to finish its deep and soooo smooth. It’s a mix for the connoisseur, serious music from a seriously talented dude.

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Leonardo Tou – bringthebeats – February 2010

It’s no coincidence that our favourite DJs end up being the ones that promote their music with the sole purpose of having it heard. There’s no strings attached in their messages, just beautiful house music coming from a like-minded ally. I guess as you get on in the scene, approach becomes as important as presentation.

From our initial introduction, till the moment he delivered this exclusive, Pedro Bueno has been a picture perfect portrait of our vibe. The initial discovery was made through the wonders of internet radio, as our good friend Lonnie Bynch, who’s currently hanging in the Far East, caught a segment of his Dirty Kitchen show on Proton Radio. She immediately heard the sound and knew he’d be ideal for our style. Lonnie chatted with Pedro, loved his spirit and passed on his deets to us. Before we could touch base, he sent some music, and then some more, and the relationship was born.

Not so oddly enough, Pedro hails from South America, where he’s one of the hottest talents in the Brazilian club scene. His debut original production “Timmy’s Song” was signed to Ricky Ryan’s Avangardia and he’s recently founded his own label, Fat&Blind Records with his mates Bruno Conti and Junior Paiva. Pedro’s joined by the likes of the The Timewriter, Terry Lee Brown Jr., Sultan, Lucas Abadi, Hernan Cerbello and a host of other amazing artists on Up Front Sounds DJ Management roster and has scored a residency for the Audiochic Project at Wish Club in São Paulo.

His sound is self-proclaimed as deep, funky disco to progressive house, we couldn’t have wrote it up better ourselves; literally music for bringthebeats’ ears. So without further adieu, here’s Pedro Bueno’s btb debut…

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Pedro Bueno – bringthebeats – January 2010

Since I’ve been working in the scene more I’ve been lucky enough to receive a lot of emails from really nice people with really great music inside. This is how I was introduced to Jacob Henry. I could sense from his first email that Jacob was genuine, so I’ve paid close attention to everything he’s sent and I’ve taken the time to listen to all of his sets.

Jacob fell in love with house music after listening to music from acts such as Chicane, BT and Robert Miles. He is now DJing his own style of very melodic house, which he showcases on his radio show ‘Silk Royal Showcase’ which airs every third Tuesday of the month on Proton Radio.

On top of DJing he is a producer and a label manager for Silk Royal Records, which is focused on giving the dance floor atmospheric, yet energetic house music. Recent releases such as those from PROFF and Solarity do just that, so I expect to hear a lot of great new stuff from Silk Royal in the future!

Jacob has put together a very smooth set representative of his melodic sound. Turn it on and turn it up; I think you’ll enjoy it!

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Jacob Henry – bringthebeats – December 2009

When my life is running around in circles; when work is insane, parties are firing up, family, friends… responsibility… blah, blah, blah… I just never get enough time to get these btb Beats posts up. Because the great beats keep coming and thanks to all these cool cats sending them our way, the music continues to be there to escort me through the nutty times.

I especially love it when we have the chance to debut artists on the site; when a random email becomes hours of head bopping and a burnt CD. The two diamonds we have going down here have provided much of the fun for the month and finally I’ve found a minute to share the goods.

Shlomi B was born in Jerusalem, Israel. He’s 28 years old and for the last five years has been living in Queens, New York. He’s not been playing in the big city much (got married +1) but every two months he returns home for his residency night at the Gotham Club in Jerusalem where`s he spun alongside the likes of the Flash Brothers, Rollo, Guy Gerber and Shlomi Aber.

It sounds like our interest in his choons might motivate him to get into the game in NYC and if he continues to put out cool promos like the one we have here, the Big Apple is in for a treat with Shlomi in the hood.

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DJ Shlomi B – Promo Mix – April 2009

Often I slip back into my Happy Place on the Lokitas dance floor in Cordoba, Argentina in November 2006. Though the next night at Pacha in Buenos Aries was a massive party never to be forgotten, the Lokitas night possessed a magical vibe that embedded the feeling that remains at the core of my judgment on what a truly great party is supposed to be all about.

Opening for Luke at that event was Rodrigo Vacis. Buddy was locked into this deep, sexy down-tempo groove that allowed Luke to step up and take over exactly where he wanted to and had the 800 plus on the packed dance floor properly incubating the room. Total pro, incredibly wicked dude; I`m so pumped he`s still got it going on and that we have something to share with the crew.

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Rodri Vacis – Last Summer (Smells Like Sunny)