James Holden *

[underwaterplanet]

James Holden is far from your average DJ-producer. With his can't-be-arsed-to-make-an-appointment-with-my-hairdresser shaggy hair and vintage Judas Priest t-shirts (with authentic holes) he sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the clean-cut short-haired bloke's bloke DJs whose unremarkable faces adorn the pages of the dance music press. ("I don't trust anyone who is cleaner than myself!" jokes James).

Musically he is also a million miles from the faceless repetitive beats mentality of so many of his peers, much more likely to be listening to leftfield albums from the likes of Mogwai, Four Tet or Boards of Canada than the latest essential mix CD. James Holden is a young man plotting a course through the music world all of his very own, putting some personality back into dance music and refusing to stay in the pigeonholes where other people seem so keen to shove him.

If an artist like James hadn't been into music from an early age you'd be seriously worried, so we shan't bore you with the details, suffice to say it involved his dad teaching him piano, a man called Mr Draycott teaching him violin, an (un)healthy appetite for the music of Queen, early dabblings on his first proto-computer and the unlikely musical guidance of his A-level physics teacher towards all things electronic.

The stuff everyone is really interested in begins aged 19, with a track called "Horizons". Written during his summer holidays from his maths degree at Oxford University on a £500 PC and a piece of revolutionary music software called Buzz (a freeware internet download), this crossover anthem of the summer of 1999 propelled young James and his bedroom set-up into the top flight of dance music production. The rest, as they say, is history.

To this day, James' DIY studio set-up remains largely unchanged since those early efforts, bar a few computer upgrades here and there. Despite initial whispers throughout the establishment about "analogue warmth", the days of the twenty grand studio entry level into the world of production were numbered. James had already opened the door for a new generation of talented young bedroom producer-punks who bolted after him, whilst those very same doubters are left scrambling to catch up to the digital revolution which threatened to pass them by. Meanwhile, James has taken his computer production to a whole other level, exploiting the full potential which the new software opens up and unleashing a life of its own where others merely try to recreate what you could do on conventional studio equipment.

"There's always going to be these people who are going to say, 'You just don't get that sound unless it's analogue'," explains James. "And it's just complete rubbish. You just get a different sound. And I personally prefer the sound out of a computer to the sound out of a load of rotting analogue equipment. You just need to know where to inject the life into it, and how to, and then the computer can become an instrument just like any other. Where I'm at now is trying to make my music feel less like a cheesy sequencer Lego building and more like I'm playing the computer like it is a guitar or something... more human and raw."

What James has created with this trusty PC is an edit-heavy hybrid sound all of his own, which crosses traditional genre boundaries and has found him fans in almost every scene. Holden tracks slot seamlessly into the sets of techno, trance, progressive and electro DJs alike. From pixie-trance to leftfield dance music, new wave house to melodic techno, the genre-classifiers have yet to find a label which accurately captures the unique yet universally appealing nature of Holden's music. And although he has spawned many an imitator, Holden's constantly evolving sound and rigorous attention to detail has been equalled by none.

To a music world overly obsessed by scenes, the James Holden success story reads like a catalogue of contradictions. 2003's collaboration with vocalist Julie Thompson, "Nothing", was picked up by legendary UK house label Loaded, yet proclaimed by trance legend Tiesto to be his tune of the year. James has remixed everything from Crosstown Rebels electro-house to Positiva dance-pop; New Order to Britney Spears; Timo Maas dirty breaks to System 7 psy-trance; fast-rising young upstart Nathan Fake to Kirsty Hawkshaw's timeless classic "Fine Day". Meanwhile "A Break in the Clouds", the debut release on his own Border Community label, has become an underground European techno classic, still selling by the thousand a whole year after release, making its way onto compilations from Luke Slater and Monika Kruse, and winning Holden a firm following amongst the ever forward-thinking German dance fraternity.

More recent developments on the studio front include new Holden & Thompson track "Come To Me", scheduled for release next year, and, after a couple of years respite from remixing, a fistful of new Holden remixes: the nintendo acid and tripped out vocal mixes of Britney Spears' "Breathe on Me"; a psychedelic electro-trance version of Nathan Fake's "The Sky Was Pink"; the dancefloor dub of System 7's "Planet 7"; and the frantic animals of Andre Kraml's "Safari" for Crosstown Rebels. Also poised on the horizon is an EP worth of new Holden tracks and, following on from 2002's "Bloodlock" co-write on none other than Sasha's "Airdrawndagger" album, a couple of collaborations with scene stalwarts Ashley Casselle and Slacker.

James' own DJ sets embrace the same spirit of eclecticism as his productions, uniting his own tracks and remixes with acid house, techno, electro and downtempo melodies, as demonstrated on last year's groundbreaking Balance 005 mix CD. "Aphex Twin doing Ferry Corsten up the bum" is James' current (rather unsavoury) description of choice. On the borders of everything yet at the same time accessible enough to be slap bang in the middle of it all, Holden's own steadfast musical vision and his often unorthodox fusion of tracks which the purists have traditionally grouped into distinct genres have won him dedicated followiers the world over. One of a handful of young DJs who have been allowed to rise up the ranks in recent years whose age bears more relation to that of the majority of club punters, the coming year promises business as usual, taking in every corner of Europe, a tour of Australia and Asia and regular trips to the USA.

James' sets are always topped off with a huge helping of previously unheard fresh young production talent, many of whom have found a home on his Border Community label. In just one year the label has gained a reputation as a breeding ground for similarly free-spirited genre-benders, with every release fusing solid dancefloor rockers with leftfield ambient interpretations and handy dj tools. "Border Community is my favourite thing that I do at the moment," says James. "It is really rewarding seeing the young artists we release go on to do great things." Names like Nathan Fake, Petter and The MFA are now following James' lead and already beginning to leave their own unique indellible imprints on the production world. James is also keen to take his troop of multi-talented live acts and DJs on the road with him, bringing the Border Community roadshow to a town near you.

Still only 25 years old, James Holden now finds himself exactly where he wants to be. As the digital producer par excellence he is blazing a trail through as yet unchartered territory, showing those who follow in his wake how it can, and should, be done. As a DJ he gets to travel the world, surprising and delighting in equal measures, and enlarging his band of followers at every port of call. And at the helm of his own buzz label Border Community he is proving himself to be quite the A&R man, discovering like-minded souls to help turn his musical vision into reality and peddling something a little different to the record-buying public. Underlying the three components of the James Holden recipe for success is an unerring belief in his own vision and a refusal to do things the way others tell him they always have been done. He is well into the process of carving out a niche all of his very own, and is not about to let anyone stop him now.

[tante nay]

i love "come to me"
         " nothing "
        "revelation "
         
james holden agak sama karakternya sama kosmas epsilon yaa... 
ada yg mau datengin jkt ga ya??

[underwaterplanet]

ada yg mau datengin jkt ga ya??

sabar ya tante .. 


- k -

[secret admirer]

i love "come to me"
         " nothing "
        "revelation "
         
james holden agak sama karakternya sama kosmas epsilon yaa... 
ada yg mau datengin jkt ga ya??

Gw kira beda banget....James Holden kalo spinning sound yg dipake ama dia sound yg dibuang oleh Dj lain....kalo Kosmas soundnya sound yg lazim dipake oleh para Dj...hehehe.....correct me if I'm Wrong....

[tante nay]

maksud gw dark dan alurnya mereka hampir sama.....
setipe..
innocent thoughtsnya kosmas epsilon dan nothing nya holden 

seperti eric prydz dan pryza yg setipe..atau roland klinkenberg dan markus schulz yg sewarna   

masalah spinning sound, im not a DJ so i just go with their music...not into their technic 

CheeRZ and RespeCt

[funkytechnotribe]

ada yg mau datengin jkt ga ya??

sabar ya tante .. 


- k -

udah pernah main di jkt...
di the gate 2002 / 2003 gitu lupa gw....setnya proggresive,tech,breaks .....keren bgt asli

[underwaterplanet]

New James Holden mix CD -  "At the Controls"

After setting a difficult benchmark with his Balance 005 compilation, the mathematician DJ, James Holden, returns with a double cd which in typical Holden flavor, is so different that you are forced to love it, or hate it.

CD 1 opens with the spacious and enchanting sounds of Apparat's 'Wooden', a beautiful ambient number with some surreal, echoing vocals and beats that fall into Plastikman's Cor Ten. I will warn from now that these disks are not intended for a main room dance floor, perhaps for meditation, reflection and personal time, but as a whole would do little but bore a 1.00am 'happy' crowd. There is little 'mixing' as such in the first half of this disk with many of the tracks eloquently melting into on another like the etheric 'Angel Blues' of Kate Wax into the 'Anita Berber'. The energy lifts a notch around this mark as 'Some Polyphony' craws and sneaks into the mix in a bizzare ecstasy of blare. This is one of my favorite tracks in this album and shows once again the versatility and consistency of Petter as a producer.

Although, there is not a selection of big room monsters in this first CD, or particularly tight mixing, the artistry is found in the track selection and ability to weave some sort of journey with such assorted tracks and differing 'genres'. In fact the cliché journey just seems like a dive into murky minds
of psychedelic fractals with no set rules or respect for a 'normal' CD. 'Trace Function', 'Median' and 'Lump' all deserve a particular mention in the first disk as they in their own rights, they are quality tunes that have their place, time and home in this cd as well as in the bags and decks of DJ across the globe.

CD 2, takes off at higher pace than the fist disks with immediate beats and druggy drones of '1939' and Paul Kalkbrenner's 'Gebrunn Gebrunn'. Somehow the hugely dreamy and down tempo 'Xtal' by Aphex Twin is squeezed in before the tribalesque sounds of 'Afum Klo' take us over. There is a really unique sound that is produced in these two CDs. A sound that is innovate and daring. A sound that attempts to evolve what we expect and understand to be a mixed CD. There is a new paradigm being formed, one that has no place for standards and average club tracks. As 'Big City' by Lazy Fat People gurns through my speakers I feel that even though this may not be the best selling CD, it will nonetheless be a guide and generate ideas for new producers and DJs to say "oh....so we don't have to mix like that".

Holden's own production and label, Boarder Community feature well in this double CD. His mix of Blackstrobe's 'Nazi Trance Fuck Off!' is a definite highlight and in classic warped, skylarking, twisted style sums up much of what this CD is like. It sounds like an awesome collection of sounds that people call music.

"The other thing about this CD is how I put it together. It's not just geek-toy-love, because how you make music always affects the outcome. Using a DJ controller I've been developing with some engineering friends, along with a heap of software and custom hacks of things, I managed to make a setup where I could make a good representation of what my style (as a producer and as a club DJ) is about, and could do it live. So the CD has a few mistakes in it but that's totally unimportant, because the feel of it is right and the noise and chaos suits me. More importantly the music is right - the way things go together and how one track leads you to the next. Which is the point of a mix CD, I think. All this music, to me, belongs together. It doesn't matter that I've mixed from psy-trance into 70s krautrock because the feel of those songs makes it make sense. They make each other better by being together musically. In that way (as well as the gratuitous digital noise) the CD fits with me too - I dont want to fit into any scene either." - James Holden

DISC 1
1. Wooden - Apparat
2. Cor Ten - Plastikman
3. Trinity Dub (Three) - Massive Attack & The Mad Professor
4. Angle Blues - Wax, Kate
5. Anita Berber - Death In Vegas
6. Some Polyphony - Petter
7. Metro Pop - Vox Sala
8. Hotter Now - Issakidis
9. Lump - Holden (1)
10. Trace Function - Midimiliz
11. Watussi - Harmonia (2)
12. 10101 - Holden, James
13. Medean - Skugge & Stavostrand
14. Charlie's House - Fake, Nathan
15. Angels On Your Body - Lucky Pierre
16. Perlandine Friday - Christ.
17. Rivers Of Sand - Fennesz

DISC 2
. Opening Titles - Meta.83
2. Gebrunn Gebrunn - Kalkbrenner, Paul
3. 1939 - Motiivi:Tuntematon
4. Solemn Thirsty - Middleton, Malcolm
5. Xtal - Aphex Twin
6. Sun Spots - Milky Globe & Holden
7. Aufm Klo - Kalabrese
8. Big City - Lazy Fat People
9. Lottotron Reboot - Water Lily
10. Cold War - Trans Am (2)
11. Poppy Seed - Slag Boom Van Loon
12. Live At Sirius Prime - Egoexpress
13. Nazi Trance Fuck Off - Black Strobe
14. Cor Ten - Plastikman
15. Every Day - AFX


- K -

[bonsaikitty]

ho oh, james holden udh pnh main di the gate, jkt, taon 2002 kali ya.. crowd yg dateng bubaran cepet banget waktu itu, jam 3an udah mulai sepi.. jam 4? jangan ditanya.. dah kosong melompong, tinggal duikit banget orangnya, karena yg dtg-in holden itu temen gue, jadi gue stay ampe abis set nya, dan poto-poto bareng holden.. ehehehehe..     

[tante nay]

ho oh, james holden udh pnh main di the gate, jkt, taon 2002 kali ya.. crowd yg dateng bubaran cepet banget waktu itu, jam 3an udah mulai sepi.. jam 4? jangan ditanya.. dah kosong melompong, tinggal duikit banget orangnya, karena yg dtg-in holden itu temen gue, jadi gue stay ampe abis set nya, dan poto-poto bareng holden.. ehehehehe..     

hmm... apakah music dia 2002 dulu trlalu dark? atau trlalu psychedelic?..atau trlalu atmospheric? apa saat itu ada party di tempat lain yg lebih happening? mungkin 2002 eranya house dan prog kali yaa? eh tapi dia 2002 mainin apa emang? apa skg 2006 ikutan electro juga? atau tetep dark dan atmospheris ala holdennya?
any news guys?

[bonsaikitty]

dulu holden masih cenderung progressive. tapi kalo sekarang, kata temen gue, holden mainnya makin minimal, minimal techno..  gue dulu aja udah cukup puyeng dengerin holden, kalo setnya holden yang sekarang? making puyengggg... hihihi..    soalnya set-nya holden itu agak complicated buat dicerna, ngga kayak trance, lebih friendly & semua orang bisa denger.. 

[underwaterplanet]

ho oh, james holden udh pnh main di the gate, jkt, taon 2002 kali ya.. crowd yg dateng bubaran cepet banget waktu itu, jam 3an udah mulai sepi.. jam 4? jangan ditanya.. dah kosong melompong, tinggal duikit banget orangnya, karena yg dtg-in holden itu temen gue, jadi gue stay ampe abis set nya, dan poto-poto bareng holden.. ehehehehe..     

hmm... apakah music dia 2002 dulu trlalu dark? atau trlalu psychedelic?..atau trlalu atmospheric? apa saat itu ada party di tempat lain yg lebih happening? mungkin 2002 eranya house dan prog kali yaa? eh tapi dia 2002 mainin apa emang? apa skg 2006 ikutan electro juga? atau tetep dark dan atmospheris ala holdennya?
any news guys?

hmm..susah jg sih kalo mau ngejelasin dia dikategorikan ke genre apaan. Malah di post gw sblmnya gw masukin quote dari dia sendiri kalo dia ngga pengen fit into particular genre. Mungkin buat orang sejenius dia ngga pengen soundnya dibatesin. Unsur "fluffy" nya kentel bgt. Serasa di awan    
Tapi bener kata Bonsaikitty kalo sekarang unsur minimalnya kuat bgt, walaupun tetep melayang layang
Tapi yang pastinya mau apapun lagu yang dia bawain punya ciri khas tersendiri.
Waktu dia kesini thn 2002 itu gw blm ada di Indonesia. Gw gak tau the Gate tuh tempatnya kayak gimana, tapi yang pasti Holden bukan tipe big room DJ. Lebih effective buat Holden main di tempat kecil yg cuma berkapasitas 200an orang.

Mungkin Ekspektasi orang orang tentang Holden pada waktu itu salah. Atau kurang ada info tentang dia sebelumnya. Jadinya orang orang yang dateng pada kecewa.

HHmmm...effect sampingnya kalo terlalu idealis. Susah diterima banyak orang. Bahkan Holden sekalipun. Tapi kenapa dia bisa masuk ke 50 besar DJ dunia, itu udah cukup membuktikan kalo dibalik soundnya yang complicated dia punya kelebihan yg luar biasa. 

Hint: Dengerin set nya Holden itu kaya nonton Film. Kalo ditinggal dikit masih gak terlalu ketinggalan cerita. Tapi Kalo ditinggal kelamaan harus di rewind lagi. 

Cheers,

- K -

[eternalflame]

ho oh, james holden udh pnh main di the gate, jkt, taon 2002 kali ya.. crowd yg dateng bubaran cepet banget waktu itu, jam 3an udah mulai sepi.. jam 4? jangan ditanya.. dah kosong melompong, tinggal duikit banget orangnya, karena yg dtg-in holden itu temen gue, jadi gue stay ampe abis set nya, dan poto-poto bareng holden.. ehehehehe..     

hmm... apakah music dia 2002 dulu trlalu dark? atau trlalu psychedelic?..atau trlalu atmospheric? apa saat itu ada party di tempat lain yg lebih happening? mungkin 2002 eranya house dan prog kali yaa? eh tapi dia 2002 mainin apa emang? apa skg 2006 ikutan electro juga? atau tetep dark dan atmospheris ala holdennya?
any news guys?

hmm..susah jg sih kalo mau ngejelasin dia dikategorikan ke genre apaan. Malah di post gw sblmnya gw masukin quote dari dia sendiri kalo dia ngga pengen fit into particular genre. Mungkin buat orang sejenius dia ngga pengen soundnya dibatesin. Unsur "fluffy" nya kentel bgt. Serasa di awan    
Tapi bener kata Bonsaikitty kalo sekarang unsur minimalnya kuat bgt, walaupun tetep melayang layang
Tapi yang pastinya mau apapun lagu yang dia bawain punya ciri khas tersendiri.
Waktu dia kesini thn 2002 itu gw blm ada di Indonesia. Gw gak tau the Gate tuh tempatnya kayak gimana, tapi yang pasti Holden bukan tipe big room DJ. Lebih effective buat Holden main di tempat kecil yg cuma berkapasitas 200an orang.

Mungkin Ekspektasi orang orang tentang Holden pada waktu itu salah. Atau kurang ada info tentang dia sebelumnya. Jadinya orang orang yang dateng pada kecewa.

HHmmm...effect sampingnya kalo terlalu idealis. Susah diterima banyak orang. Bahkan Holden sekalipun. Tapi kenapa dia bisa masuk ke 50 besar DJ dunia, itu udah cukup membuktikan kalo dibalik soundnya yang complicated dia punya kelebihan yg luar biasa. 

Hint: Dengerin set nya Holden itu kaya nonton Film. Kalo ditinggal dikit masih gak terlalu ketinggalan cerita. Tapi Kalo ditinggal kelamaan harus di rewind lagi. 

Cheers,

- K -

typical genius ,begitu juga dgn zabiela ,mereka sangat di cintai oleh sasha & digweed

[egg.]

gw belum denger mix ini,cuma beberapa artisnya emang favorit gw,kaya Fennesz,Plastikman,Trans Am,Kalabrese,Meta.83.gw gak tau banyak tentang James Holden tapi label Border Community-nya layak buat di cek, rilisannya gawat2! (baru tau label itu punyanya Mr.James ) mayan penasaran juga nih sama mix ini... 

[danzadanzi]

james holden ...keren sob

mungkin sekedar buat rekomendasi klo lu mau beli mix album dr james holden ;
1. Balance 005 , keren abeeeeez , 2 cd , semua track pilihannya tuh seeedap n penuh surprise . Ngebawa bangeeet deh journey ni mix album. Mood ni  album : gak terlalu dark, indah,n masih kedengeran semangat progressive house nya, masih layak lah untuk lu denger setiap saat bisa di mobil or di kamar. Must have album - sayang di jakarta belum pernah ketemu ( order aja mungkin lwt amazon)

2. AT THE CONTROL , experiment . Ketebak dr pilihan tracknya ada Plastikman (aka Richie Hawtin), Aphex twins,nathan fake, gw butuh seminggu untuk nemuin nikmat n brilliantnya ni mix album. Gak kebayang ada DJ yg kaya akan sound n imajinativ ( like sasha do) . Mood ni album : dark,experiment, void, ngajak mikir. Buat yg demen sama experiment or musik yg "aneh2"  mungkin ni album bisa melepas dahaga lu2 pada ( apa seh?). Di Jakarta sdh banyak tuh di jual .. lu bisa nemuin di Duta Suara, Bearz (plaza EX). It takes time to feel the experience from this latest holden mix album.. when you find the good in it .. MOKSHA

boarder comunity emang top...
gw penasaran tuh sama livesets dr nathan fake



ENJOY

[fyong]

ho oh, james holden udh pnh main di the gate, jkt, taon 2002 kali ya.. crowd yg dateng bubaran cepet banget waktu itu, jam 3an udah mulai sepi.. jam 4? jangan ditanya.. dah kosong melompong, tinggal duikit banget orangnya, karena yg dtg-in holden itu temen gue, jadi gue stay ampe abis set nya, dan poto-poto bareng holden.. ehehehehe..     

hmm... apakah music dia 2002 dulu trlalu dark? atau trlalu psychedelic?..atau trlalu atmospheric? apa saat itu ada party di tempat lain yg lebih happening? mungkin 2002 eranya house dan prog kali yaa? eh tapi dia 2002 mainin apa emang? apa skg 2006 ikutan electro juga? atau tetep dark dan atmospheris ala holdennya?
any news guys?

hmm..susah jg sih kalo mau ngejelasin dia dikategorikan ke genre apaan. Malah di post gw sblmnya gw masukin quote dari dia sendiri kalo dia ngga pengen fit into particular genre. Mungkin buat orang sejenius dia ngga pengen soundnya dibatesin. Unsur "fluffy" nya kentel bgt. Serasa di awan    
Tapi bener kata Bonsaikitty kalo sekarang unsur minimalnya kuat bgt, walaupun tetep melayang layang
Tapi yang pastinya mau apapun lagu yang dia bawain punya ciri khas tersendiri.
Waktu dia kesini thn 2002 itu gw blm ada di Indonesia. Gw gak tau the Gate tuh tempatnya kayak gimana, tapi yang pasti Holden bukan tipe big room DJ. Lebih effective buat Holden main di tempat kecil yg cuma berkapasitas 200an orang.

Mungkin Ekspektasi orang orang tentang Holden pada waktu itu salah. Atau kurang ada info tentang dia sebelumnya. Jadinya orang orang yang dateng pada kecewa.

HHmmm...effect sampingnya kalo terlalu idealis. Susah diterima banyak orang. Bahkan Holden sekalipun. Tapi kenapa dia bisa masuk ke 50 besar DJ dunia, itu udah cukup membuktikan kalo dibalik soundnya yang complicated dia punya kelebihan yg luar biasa. 

Hint: Dengerin set nya Holden itu kaya nonton Film. Kalo ditinggal dikit masih gak terlalu ketinggalan cerita. Tapi Kalo ditinggal kelamaan harus di rewind lagi. 

Cheers,

- K -

typical genius ,begitu juga dgn zabiela ,mereka sangat di cintai oleh sasha & digweed

the milenium dj

[Ucil]

Was there when holden came to jakarta.....and was not disappointed at all!!!!! trus berapa bulan lalu sempet liat dia di home sydney (sama seaman and pappa) and was not disappointed again, never disappointed with holden, big respect for his music !!!!!!!!