Jonty Skrufff's Blog

Live @ D-Edge (Sao Paulo) 2008

Upcoming electro-tech DJ and pioneering blogger Jonty Skrufff has delivered a turbo-charged remix of British techno newcomer Dare & Haste’s new single Ghost Machine, which comes out on Advanced Records in March (listen to the remix on Soundcloud here)

His high octane crunchy electro-tech version (dubbed the Gothic Horror Remix) has gained the immediate and enthusiastic support of DJs including Judge Jules, acid house pioneer DJ Pierre and French techno hero Laurent Garnier following an ultra-limited initial mail-out to a wildly eclectic bunch of just 25 DJs and tastemakers.

While Bedrock guru Nick Muir praised its ‘spacey and haunting rock solid sounds and unexpected twists and turns’ and alternative legends Tom Tom Club gave props (I’d love to hear it in a club on a proper PA’), Judge Jules tore up his radio playlist.

“Thanks for the tune, I think the music is excellent,” said Jules, “I’m going to play it on tonight’s Radio 1 show.”

Spinning Ghost Machine last Friday (January 29th) Jules played it at the beginning of his show as his second track, just five minutes into his broadcast (click here to listen)

Live in Prague (Roxy) 2008

Jules’ enthusiastic support matched that of media tipsters including Billboard’s Gary Smith (‘relentlessly and unapologetically inventive’) and Neale Lytollis from Germany’s Electronic Beats Magazine who hailed its ‘fat and heavy beats and ‘howling electro hell hound sounds’.

Dare & Haste is the alter ego persona of Birmingham based new techno producer Martin Radcliffe, whose appropriately titled debut album ‘The Sinister Sound System’ came out in October on Advanced Records. Dark, twisted, uncompromisingly hard and fast, the album attracted immediate critical acclaim from the likes of Slam (‘tough shit’), Chris Liberator (‘stunningly produced’) and XFM (‘Ghost Machine is really rocky’) and even mainstream newspaper the Sunday Times.

“Proper techno. I didn’t know they still made it. Lovely,” the British newspaper enthused, “Weird how you can make decent techno now that’s not really any different from how it was in ‘94, and it still sounds bang up to date.”

Dare & Haste’s version of Ghost Machine, a take-no-prisoners, uncompromising analogue 135 bpm stormer, fits the Sunday Times’ assessment perfectly, while Jonty Skrufff cuts the tempo down to a Berlin friendly 127bpm pace, restoring its driving power with crunchy cut up electro beats, acid stabs and killer sub-bass.

Brighton based producer Michael Morph similarly rebuilds Dare & Haste’s original in a radically different, noir-ish techno direction as do mystery producers Mutant. Additional remixes come from Swedish duo Lowing & Skogehall (the Acid Mix) and Horizon Blu (the Sinister Dub Rmx) completing Advanced Records’ new techno package.

Listen to Jonty Skrufff’s Gothic Horror Remix remix on Soundcloud here

Gothic Horror (October 09)

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Jonty Skrufff Production Biography details:

Pioneering dance music journalist/ blogger Jonty Skrufff (who continues to publish daily stories at http://skrufff.com) started DJing just five years ago though has since gone on to travel the world, spinning in 25 countries with numerous repeat bookings and return trips.

Touring the likes of China, Czech Republic and Brazil (where he’s toured six times and returns every 8 months) he’s also a regular in Ibiza, where he’s played Judgement Sunday and Pacha for the last 3 years running, gaining a prestigious residency at Pacha in Summer 2009.

Starting production the same year, his first track Train Wreck was immediately picked up by Judge Jules, appearing on Jules’ artist album Bring The Noise as a joint production (via Maelstrom Records). His next production, a ferocious floor-friendly remake of techno-rockers Motor’s single ‘Death Rave’, had an even higher impact, gaining support from the likes of the Chemical Brothers (nice one on the track’) and Soulwax (‘LOVE it, will play for sure’) and from scores more high profile DJs.

The Motor remix (called Jonty Skrufff’s Revved Up Remix) came out on T Raumschmiere’s Shitkatapult in Europe and Steve Aoki’s Dimmak Records in the US and was the only remix released by each label when the single was released last summer.

In January 2010, acclaimed French independent music/ arts organisation Qwartz selected his Death Rave remix as one of seven nominees for their Best Track of 2009 award in their ‘Dancefloor/ Clubbing’ category, out of 4,077 tracks Qwartz’ judges first listened to. Voters will decide who wins, via the web (http://tinyurl.com/y96ot5) with the winner announced in April.

live at X2, Jakarta (December 09)

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