Jamie.

I've been catching up on these Interview magazines I've got stacked up here and there's this column where Sir Elton John picks hot new artists to watch. Lo and behold he bigs up Jamie Lidell's new album "Multiply." He's getting a lot of hype off this album. I haven't heard it yet. Jamie's really good-looking, too. With nice hair. And tall. Grrr. And super-cool on top of that. Really nice cat. And he can sing. We met him in Berlin back in 2001, back when he was doing the Super_collider thing with Vogel.

I'd hate him but he's so damn cool =)

Other than Jamie, Elton picks cheeseballs like Jamie (another Jamie!) Cullum. Only in 2005 would you have a young artist in his '20s who sounds like some boring old guy. If I wanted to hear Billy Joel, I'd go back and listen to his old records. And that damn James (another one!) Blunt, I'd rather poke my eyes out than hear that damn "You're Beautiful" track again.

Chuckle at the '80s all you want, but those artists were exciting, angry and different. No two bands from back then sounded alike. Duran Duran didn't sound like The Cure, who didn't sound like the Psychedelic Furs, who didn't sound like Heaven 17, who didn't sound like Blancmange, who didn't sound like Visage, who didn't sound like Gang of Four, who didn't sound like The Specials, who didn't sound like Depeche Mode.

I mean, shit, Vince Clarke was in Depeche, Yaz, AND Erasure, and none sounded like the other!

And none of them sounded like old artists from the past.

No wonder music is so boring today.

In The Studio With Alan Oldham.

Hey. Christmas went and snuck up on me. Bouncing from country to country will do that to you. So let me wish everybody a Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and Happy New Year a few days in advance.

Was in the studio all day, hooking up MIDI cables and tracing signal paths. I also managed to finish another lowtempo track for the trip-hop project. I've got to hurry up and finish, Emilie's own music is heating up and soon she'll be too busy to work on our stuff. She sent me a vocal demo of her working out on two of my tracks when I was in Berlin, and it's hot. I'll try to get this thing out sometime next year. I'm treating it like a real record, so the production's got to be tight. Yes, there's a band name, but don't wanna reveal it too soon.

After this, gotta get back to some bangin' 4/4 tracks. I've got a ton of ideas.

I'm thinking about giving away this "Elektrofive" track online for free at puresonikrecords.net. There are DJ K-1 and Ultradyne remixes, too, which I'll also give away. It's a cool track, very different for me, but doesn't fit into what I'm doing now. I'll talk it over with a few people before I decide.

Holy shit, there's a blog that linked to mine called thenakedlady.blogspot.com. Just what it says, naked chicks. Cut and paste that URL! Consider it a Christmas gift from me to you. You're welcome!

Back in the USA.

Came home last night for the holidays. The only thing I can say so far is that it's FREEZING COLD in the Chi. Like your nose hairs freeze up when you breathe cold. It was almost balmy in Berlin by comparison! Now I'm just decompressing and unpacking from the long flight and getting used to my surroundings again. I'm back in the studio tomorrow and am planning to have sessions all week. I also spent the whole day cleaning up. Giaxia may be a great web designer and business partner, but she was hell on my apartment.

Oh, Saskia sent over a "Raw" album and CD. They were waiting for me when I got home. Man, the art really pops. They spent some money on this thing. Go out and buy it.

Listened to two good mixes recently. First, Joey Beltram "Live at Womb." It's been out for awhile but I'm just now hearing it. That CD is literally the best live mix CD I've heard since Jeff's. Beltram comes out slammin' and doesn't let go. Well recommended! Then today I heard a Rino Cerrone mix ripped off the 'net. He's really good, but he does the three-deck thing a bit too much, parts are very busy! But he keeps a good tempo and definitely rocks a show. But then again, I like all the guys from Naples (Gaetano, Markantonio, Danilo, etc.)

Jeanette.

There's this pop star here in Germany named Jeanette Biedermann. Last night I dreamt I went on a date with her. It was all innocent. We sat in the middle of her bedroom floor and listened to CDs. I remember in my dream thinking about how normal she was. I asked her if I could do a remix on her sometime and she said "sure."

I don't know what to make of it.

The Italian Job.

Just back from Rome last night. I flew over with my "tour manager" Kati from Tresor. That's her in the first pic. She's a cute thing, isn't she? It was my understanding that she was Italian. She speaks and looks Italian, but I was surprised to learn she's really German! She was actually complimented by the fact I thought she was Italian.

Flew Air Berlin for the first time, too. A brand-new Airbus. I signed up for a frequent-flyer card.

The party was a blast for a Thursday night. People were going off! What a great crowd. Lots of dancing and smiles. Sound system perfect. A couple of people brought copies of "Progress" for me to sign. And although I didn't catch up with Marco Passarani, another Marco--Micheli--showed up. He was one of the Italian guys that hung out with us back in '93 when I was there, and he's in a bunch of the pictures I took from back then, so I recognized him instantly. A few more pounds (like all of us!) but still the same face.

The set itself was recorded, but it being Rome, I couldn't get a CD copy of it before I left. I'm gonna see if Kati can get me a copy (she stayed in Italy to meet Nico aka DJ Dry in Florence for another Tresor date). Meanwhile, I'm sure it'll pop up on the Internet soon so look out for it.

Oh, and check out the latest TRAX magazine with Hawtin on the cover, there's a write-up on me in there. It's in French, though.

Dimitri.

Staying at Dimitri's house in Kreuzberg for a couple of days. He's the owner of Tresor, a mad genius, and he's got great taste in life. Sitting here listening to an Art Tatum CD and just finished reading a Helmut Newton book. He's also got Miles Davis "The Complete Prestige Recordings," the box set. This is so fucking cool. I wish it could be like this all the time. Tresor is looking after me like a little lost lamb.

Talked to Buzz Goree from Detroit earlier. He's here for a few days. He was giving me all the latest drama from the crib. I'm so glad I left. We're hooking up for lunch tomorrow.

The Big Adventure.

Yesterday was one of those adventure days where you leave the house and don't come back for hours and hours.

Started by going to Space Hall to buy records. There was this certain one that Giaxia wanted so I was on a mission. Ended up spending too much money buying records for myself, too. Not a snobby, minimal record shop, Space Hall has everything you want in dancefloor techno. I also love that they aren't all in your grill bringing you a pile of records you know you won't like. They just leave you alone to shop.

Down the street is Groser Unfug, the shop that sells American comics. I didn't buy anything, though. I am so far behind on comics that I didn't know what to get. Plus, they cost so much more here. I'd just as soon wait 'till I got home.

Then I caught the train to visit these girls who have a shoe shop on Uhlandstr. I met them on the way back from Tel Aviv. There was a layover in Milan on the way back and that's where I noticed them; they had been on my flight going, too. There had been some shows in Milan where they introduced the new shoes and they'd gone to it. Bebe and Daniela, very sweet Turkish women, fabulously dressed. They ended up sitting next to me going back. We chatted all the way home.

Anyway, on my way there I stumbled onto an art opening. Nice stuff. This older woman named Jutta was showing who did a lot of stuff using paper, wax and other random elements. Her stuff ranged from '50s style modern (her stuff wouldn't have been out of place on a Blue Note album cover) to stuff that looked like ancient texts. She was really nice and explained the work to me. They even had hot tea and cookies; I hadn't eaten.

Got to the shoe shop and it was closed, dammit. It wasn't even 4:00. But with the prices of those shoes, I guess if you sell one pair, you can take a week off.

Walking home I decided to stop into Lacoste. They don't have Lacoste stores in the USA anymore. I wore Lacoste all through high school. Turns out they were serving free champagne. I was getting all my needs met. Don't ask me how but I struck up a conversation with the security guard, a black brother from Angola. You could tell he was just dying to talk to another black person. He started talking about Africa, colonization, how he had to come to Europe to learn about history, why us black people never work together, all that stuff. It got kinda deep and he was striking many familiar chords. I was into it, though, 'cause I don't know any Africans at all, and am curious these days about the Motherland. I've been damn near everywhere in Europe so I'd like to visit there one day.

We exchanged e-mail addresses. He told me that one day he'd invite me to his homeland. That would be the shit.

I noticed the Tommy Hilfiger store had a live DJ there. I asked the manager if they were taking CD demos. He told me that the DJ there had a contract and that he played there every Saturday, no guests. I was impressed. The guy was job-protected.

Kurfurstendamm was pretty. All the Christmas lights were up. The shops were all lit up. Pretty, well-to-do people were shopping, having dinner, having coffee, going about their day. The streets were bustling. Berlin can really be nice. I notice a lot of these angry, I-hate-Starbucks, I-hate-McDonalds, I-hate-Ikea, blah blah blah kind of people down that kind of scene, but I like the rich atmosphere. Instead of downing it, I'm trying to be as much like them as possible. They look happy to me. It's called the good life.

That night I went to Polar TV to see Saskia. Turns out the place is walking distance from my flat, literally! Sas is a little older now but essentially hasn't changed. Amazingly enough, I'd never heard her play before. She plays like Rush, hard. Too hard for Berlin these days, though. A lot of the people went to the house/minimal room while she was on. There were still a fair amount of diehards who stayed with her, though. Funny thing was, they were older, like 40 or so. This isn't the first time I've seen this here. The old ones from the rave era still go for it; the younger ones act like they're old.

I also met DJ Rok. Heard of him for years. Really cool guy.

Sas brought a copy of "Raw" the new record she did with my artwork in it. The shit looks incredible. I did a full comic book in it, blown up to 12" x 12". It pops right out at you. I could have done a little better with the art, but it was a rush job, like all of Saskia's projects.

Now let me tell you about the chicks there last night. These German women were fucking serious. They ranged from the thick little 5' 5 " shorties to the super-tall amazons, like 5' 10" and up in flats (!). I didn't see any skinny women at all. Really strappin'. These were the kind of women in days of old could pop out 13 kids then strap on a plow and work the land, build a log cabin bare-handed, fight Indians, then make dinner all in one day. The days are modern now, but those genes are still there, and hanging out in clubs.

And I guess the tanning booth is a new thing here, too. Ladies: you're leaning on it too much.

Anyway, hung out 'till 7 am., stumbled home, crashed into bed, slept, and here I am. It was getting dark when I woke up. Dark City.

Rome this Thursday (can't wait), then back to the USA for awhile. I am dying to make new music. as you can see, there's plenty of inspiration here.

Dark City.

Have you ever seen the movie "Dark City," where Rufus Sewell asks John Hurt "Do you ever remember it being daytime?" Well, Berlin is like that now. I've been waking up super-late these past few days (the DJ life), and it's completely dark by 4:30. 6 pm seems like 9:30.

I'm wasting time here in Kreuzberg now. Nothing up for tonight at all, just this Miss Djax gig tomorrow. I got an e-mail from Saskia today confirming I'm on the guest-list. I love being me. Sometimes.

So yeah, in 2006, we will resume putting out new records and products just for you. I've been thinking long and hard about new directions to explore in music and presentation. It'll be more than just techno this time. I hope you all come along for the ride. More news after the first of the year.

OK, enough blather from me. Have a good weekend!

Maria Last Night.

ACH, MEIN LIEBER GOTT! Maria was a fucking blast last night, unbelievable! I rocked if I do say so myself, and I do =) The crowd was amazing! There weren't that many people dancing when I started, but the dancefloor started to get full by the third track or so. As promised, I played hard, around 138-140 all night. It felt so good not to have to water my shit down for some tired, jaded techno snob crowd. I mean, it's Tresor night, baby! Party people, 100%. The funny thing is, a lot of the people who like the Tresor style are over 40! There were a lot of older people there last night, men and women, dancing their asses off! Lots of smiles, too, including me. That's what it's all about.

Maria had the newer decks that went up to +15, so I was able to drop some Detroit classics like "Art of Stalking" into my set; that track is usually too slow to play.

Also banged out "Groove La Chord" and "Velocity Funk (Stacey Pullen Remix)", those tracks I have no problem working in =) Also my own stuff as usual, "Loop and Destroy," "Made to Phase," and "'Bout to Bang It (original)".

Fuck, I wish I had recorded that set, man. It was perfect. I usually mess up a few times here and there, but the whole thing was just ON. Then again if I had recorded it, the night wouldn't have ended up so perfect. Murphy's law.

Miss Djax is playing this weekend at Polar TV here in Mitte. I'm gonna try to see her. I haven't seen her face-to-face since the early '90s if you can believe it. Like '93, '94 or so.

The Return.

Quiet week in Mitte, I've been to all the parties, museums and galleries, now I've been chillin' out, watching TV. After a month off, I finally play tonight at Maria. I can't wait. I'm gonna rip some shit. I don't care if the dancefloor likes it or not. I can't play slow. I have a lot of frustration to work out. I hate being off for long periods of time, but that's the market right now.

Rome next week then back to Chicago for the holidays. Don't know if I'm looking forward to the weather there, though, it's freezing according to CNN.