Strongarm Sessions Xmas Special 2010

It's been a cracking year at Force Fields & I'm currently celebrating my 6th Beatport #1 of the year with the Chasing Shadows Revamp as well as hitting the Top 10 in four different genres this year. I couldn't have done it without your help & support & the only way I know of saying thank you, is through more music!

So, as is now something of a tradition, the Strongarm Sessions mix series (now in it's 9th year) comes correct with a belting Xmas Special that begins & ends with a Wurlitzer but melts your frozen face off somewhere in the middle.

SOUNDCLOUD / TRACKLISTING
DIRECT DOWNLOAD LINK

Happy Xmas to all of you,

s

Going Nowhere

-4C / 2.40pm / Home

It's been a week that 's hardly started, and here I am in the final throes.

Music production's a strange old beast - with the best will in the world I need time-blocks to ENGAGE with the groove, but it's been so fractured with the cold-weather chaos I've barely hit first base. Each time I return to the screens, there's the same leaden, uninspiring sequences of zeroes & ones & before I hit my stride there's a new, inevitable array of jobs to do ... the chickens need the ice breaking on their water, the car needs digging out of the driveway's thick compacted snow, the sheep are grumpy & need more hay bringing down from the barn.

Unfortunately the arctic blast has also now claimed my DJ show for the weekend, where I was hoping to indulge in some post-Burning Man shenanigans at the London De:Compression party.

The show goes on, but sadly I won't be able to make the trip - the roads are still virtually impassable down here and with a severe weather warning in place for heavy rain / sleet / snow it means I have no choice other than to sit this one out & wish everyone well with what will surely be an amazing party - I hope to make it next year!

Meanwhile I'm excited about the release of the Final Revamps 2010 EP on Monday on U&A. I've been pretty prolific this year and this is the final piece in a jigsaw that began back in March with the release of the first single from the Revamped album. I hope you'll grab a copy on Monday when it hits Beatport :)

PREVIEW THE WHOLE EP HERE & have a great weekend.

Fractured days on the Arctic Farm

I wish I could report a triumph of creativity over adversity in these savage conditions, but the truth is that the deep freeze brings life back to simpler times, to basics. In the UK we can routinely go through an entire winter without so much as a snowflake falling from the sky, which makes this current situation all the more exceptional.


Last night we had the largest single dump of snow I can remember in the UK (and certainly on our farm) ... when it finally wound down this lunchtime we'd had an additional 12 inches (30cm) on top of the 6 inches that was already cloaking the farm. My wife had an urgent court case in London, which meant we were all up before 6am, shovelling, digging, defrosting & layering up for a chaotic ride to the station. As the 4x4 spun & reeled, gracelessly on the driveway it was soon clear this was a complete non-starter for both us & our childcare (snowbound too).

I am bemused though by the *outcry* that goes up every time an event as rare as this unfolds, as if we should somehow be expected to be as prepared as our Canadian or Scandinavian cousins. We have 18 inches of snow on the ground in places & it means putting our lives, and in my place the sonics I so enjoy fashioning, on hold for a few days; but it's also a timely chance to enjoy some quality family time in an exceptionally 'changed' landscape free from the norms that govern the every day.

Cold weather proving an almost total distraction here at the Luna Module.

Full bail out yesterday which included rescuing stranded drivers, eating pub fayre at lunchtime, sledging with the nipper in the afternoon. Out raking snow this morning from chicken's run today, smashing sheep's water & feeding with hay then removing 6 inches of snow from greenhouse roof.

Happy, unproductive days :)

'Hard Flaw' - Acperience (2010) Revamp *FREE DOWNLOAD*

Hard Flaw - Acperience (2010) Revamp *FREE DOWNLOAD*

This track is one of the reasons I make the music I do. I can remember exactly where I was on the dancefloor back in 1992 when I first heard this acid anthem. I'd been into acid house for 3 years or so, particularly the pHuture-style raw filth that to me was the PUNK of it's day. Acid House liberated people and politicized them in a way that's hard to understand nowadays ... going out dancing at the weekend was more often than not a political act, a statement of intent. This actually came out after the Criminal Justice Act became law in the UK (if I remember rightly) so it didn't necessarily soundtrack the rucks & riots & outrage that came with liking & consuming this music, but for me it was a symbol of that joyous moment of total abandonment where you forget everything and simply allow yourself to DROWN in the music. This is acid house at it's finest - an organic symphony of machines.

This version is dead simple. It's about letting the track breathe and evolve how it was always intended too. It's not about meddling, it's about gently giving it a slightly different context - a lot of work went into getting the production elements to sit comfortably and in bringing out certain elements of the original and using the stereo field to decent effect to do this. It's not rocket science, it's just an excuse to dig out this gem and play it in a current context.

You can download the full 320 right here, where it forms part of a special webpage I set up to showcase my experiences at the amazing SHAMBHALA FESTIVAL in Canada this summer.

http://www.eliteforcemusic.com/hardflaw.htm

If you dig it, show your support by dropping a comment on the track & joining the 12,000 strong family on Facebook > http://www.facebook.com/djeliteforce

sHack

Bitrok - Push The Envelope (Elite Force Mix) *OUT NOW*

First new thing from me for a couple of months is out now on Beatport & it's a bigroom breakbeat BOOMER.


BITROK - Push The Envelope (Elite Force Remix)

Check the rest of the EP too - the Original Mix is a fat & fresh Electro Houser whilst The Loops of Fury provide a stellar techno-electro remix of 'Closest Stranger'.

Motorstorm Apocalypse - Soundtracking The End of the World

The embargo has been lifted & I can announce that the Games Soundtrack I've been working on for the past few weeks is none other than the third installment of MOTORSTORM. Code-named 'APOCALYPSE' this is a proper, next-level game for the new decade ... with a futuristic city crumbling around you, an assortment of mutant vehicles battle for supremacy & survival in a series of riotous road-scraps.

An original score was written by KLAUS BADELT (Pirates of the Caribbean / Gladiator) & recorded with a 75-piece orchestra at Abbey Road & I've been throwing those (frankly amazing!) sounds into the electronic blender to create something akin to the 'Sound of the World Ending'.

Motorstorm Apocalypse is due out early 2011.

Elite Force Top 10 (Beatport) [Sept 2010]

Elite Force Beatport Top 10 (Sept 2010) > Burnt Out & Blown Away >
http://bit.ly/aLj6Du

Loops of Fury's Remix pack is *OUT NOW* on U&A, exclusively at Beatport.

Devastating floor-burners from Zodiac Cartel, Bambounou, Vandal & Maelstrom >

http://ping.fm/hiQ8s

Zodiac Cartel Remixes Loops of Fury > Preview here > http://bit.ly/d9GRId (OUT Monday 27th Sept on Beatport)

Live b2b Set with Meat Katie for Download

Finally got around to setting this one free as we approach Burning Man 2010. This is a 2-hr plus set from mine & Meat Katie's Saturday night B2B set at Opulent Temple, warts & all.

DOWNLOAD LINK

As ever, your comments are much loved, and much appreciated. Leave them HERE.
See you on the Playa!
s

Killing Kendal Calling

Had a tremendous time on Friday night at the Kendal Calling festival & just wanted to say a big HEY to everyone who rammed the Glow tent. The whole festival was awesome - properly well thought out, intimate, well programmed, beautiful location ... hope they'll ask me back sooner rather than later :)

Check the VIDEO (and amuse yourself at my falling over a monitor in front of 3,000 people!)

Bring on the Wickerman.

4am start tomorrow for the 9-hour drive to Wickerman in Scotland with the family & dogs in tow. Ouch. Gonna be a great weekend though - Zodiac Cartel, Calvertron, Vandal, Loops of Fury, Mike Hulme, Rektchordz & Resistance all kickin' it in the U&A big top over two tech-funk-fuelled nights :))

Will report back on Monday ... if I make it!!

Thames? Smashed.

Well that was fun! On Saturday night, we took to the Thames for the Sold Out Boat Party and it couldn't have been a more glorious evening to chug up the river. Despite the odd minor issue with limiters that cut the power once or twice, the boat was filled to the rafters and it really was a killer killer vibe all night.

So a big thank you to Ben & the Supatronix crew & their awesome soundman (full PA loaded on board, wired up & ready to go in under 25 minutes), The Loops of Fury for smashing it (as they do), VJ Air for turning day to night with some immense visuals, and of course to everyone that turned out & supported the event and the after-party.

Next year anyone??

After-Party This Saturday (London)

Well with the Boat Party long since sold out, just wanted to give you a quick heads up on the After-Party featuring myself and the Supatronix crew right up until 6am.

There are still a handful of tickets left, but this looks likely to be a sellout too ... you can grab yours from the link below:

http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=398089

The fun kicks off at RoadTrip/Workshop, 243 Old St, from 11.30pm (the upstairs bar is open from earlier).

Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow!

Midnight Juggernauts - Tombstone (Elite Force Vs Dilemn Revamp)

Several months back now, I ran a little competition on my Facebook Page to ask for suggestions on new tracks to Revamp, with the winner grabbing one of the top-end 'Revamped' packages from the Elite Force site.

There were literally hundreds of suggestions that were thrown up, some of which I may well come back to at a later date, but the winning entry came from Ivano Knight who suggested Midnight Juggernauts' 'Tombstone' and now's the time to grab the FREE 320 DOWNLOAD of the Revamping.

Enjoy the summer pressie :)

Law of Life Remixes go LIVE

We've put together a series of BANGING reworks of 'The Law of Life' taken from the Revamped album, split over two releases, the first of which is dropping as a pre-release exclusively on BEATPORT today (Mon 21st June), just prior to my Glastonbury show on Thursday.

PRE-RELEASE BEATPORT LINK

This first package features cracking re-works from Zodiac Cartel (fresh from remixing Moby, Lee Coombs & Emanuel Kosh) and electro-techno wunderkid, Mike Hulme who smashes it with his dark & deadly, snaking technoid re-take. We also include a HUGE new 'bonus' track in 'Fear The Pain', which slams home hard with a tech-funk-grinder which is already enjoying early support from James Zabiela, Stanton Warriors, Slam, Krafty Kuts, Crystal Method, DJ Dan, Annie Nightingale and Meat Katie amongst others.

NEW MUSIC : Fear The Pain (coming soon ...)

Some new music for you ...

Elite Force - Fear The Pain (Beatport Pre-Release June 2010, U&A)
SOUNDCLOUD PREVIEW

New 40-min DJ Mix (May 2010)

First new DJ mix from me in a while ... loads of exclusives in here, this was done specially for the Socialeyes crew who are presenting a MASSIVE London show with myself, Justin Robertson & Bar 9 amongst others, on Saturday 29th May. I'd strongly urge ALL of you to some along ... it's going to be an amazing night :)

For full details of the party check the LINK TO THE MIX

Playing for free on 2nd July

On Friday 2nd July I am looking to play for FREE at a party of your own making. I'm asking for suggestions & looking for a great, imaginative location (could be a forest, a cave, a wood, a warehouse, a beach, a house!). You will be expected to provide sound, lights & DJ gear as well as covering travel & accommodation & I will play for free. Hit me up with your suggestions on the following FACEBOOK THREAD and I will be contacting you for more information if your idea gets shortlisted!

There are no geographical limits to where this party might take place, although with anything too long haul the logistics will become a lot more complex (and expensive!).

Elite Force Vs The Gossip

Look out for a FREE 320 coming your way in the next few hours featuring the much requested Elite Force Vs The Gossip mashup 'Control The Engine' ... first place it will be dropping is the Tech-Funk Manifesto so keep your eyes peeled!

Miami Cancellations

Since getting back from Toulouse on Sunday I've been running a fever of 102+ and have been diagnosed with viral tonsilitis, which the doctor told me to 'take very seriously' & advised at least 7 days rest & recuperation.

The upshot is that with GREAT regret I've had to withdraw from all WMC shows this week in Miami. Completely gutted and my apologies go out to everyone who was planning to come out to see me. :(

Elite Force DJ Shows (includes WMC)

If you're in the South of France or out in Miami at WMC and fancy taking in some Elite Force action, then I will be playing at the following parties ...

20 Mar Bounce 5th Anniversary, Toulouse, FRANCE
24 Mar Project Mayhem, Bar 721, MIAMI, USA
25 Mar Call & Response, Purdey Lounge, MIAMI, USA
26 Mar Future Sound of Breaks @ Mekka, MIAMI, USA
27 Mar Ultra Music Festival, MIAMI, USA

Revamped hits the heights!

Last week was a terrific week for me as an artist. The Revamped album was released and hit heights I genuinely hadn't expected & to see every track from the album inside the Top 50 at Beatport at one stage was an immense thrill, and as far as I know, unprecedented on the site as a whole! Equally exciting was to see the album tracks dominate the breaks chart for the whole week, claiming every place from #1 - #12 (an honour it still holds as I write!). I can't thank you all enough for your support for this project ... it's a fantastic feeling to see something you've worked on for a number of months come to fruition.

For those of you who haven't yet snagged a copy, then here's the QUICK LINK to Beatport ... let's keep it riding high!!

Revamped is OUT NOW :))

Revamped is OUT :))

Whoa. What a trip it's been getting all of this together. Sometimes people don't realise that this is basically a two-man operation (without Tom I'd never have managed half of this!) ... but it's done and I really am dead proud of the whole project and completely blown away by the amount of quality feedback from everyone.

The album's available as individual & bundled downloads at Beatport, and we just opened the Revamped store which I would LOVE you to check out as it's where all the *real* fun stuff lives :)

Thanks so much to everyone for supporting this project throughout!

Party Phenomenon

This Monday (1st March) the first of the Revamped tracks, 'Party Phenomenon' was released digitally on Beatport and the response has been fantastic ... so much so that within 48-hours of going on sale, it has already hit the #1 spot on the site, which means it has sold more in 2 days than any other breaks track has in the past week!

So many, many thanks to everyone for supporting it and look out the the MAJOR DROP on Monday 8th, when all 14 of the Revamped tracks will be released on digital, along with the CD and the full DJ Mix.

Karma Roma

Hope everyone's having a fine weekend. I've just about recovered from Fabric on Thursday night ... a big thank you goes out to everyone who stuck around to the close - was dead chuffed to see so many people doing just that :)

Today I'm off to Roma to play at Qube - can't wait to play in Italy again as it's been years & years since I played the legendary Agatha club & it's gonna be fascinating to see what the good people are into. Will report back on Monday, when 'Party Phenomenon' is also released on Beatport ... this is the first track from the Revamped project to get a full digital release. Exciting times!

Breakspoll @ Fabric tonight

Hopefully will run into a lot of familiar faces at Fabric tonight for the Breakspoll party. If you are coming down then PLEASE try to pace yourselves (yeah right!) as I'm not on until 5am, closing out Room One, and I'd be gutted if my Room One debut was to a handful of weary bar-staff and a couple of corpses :)

(Only kidding - do what u gotta do)

See you down the front anyhow, and once again I was thrilled to get nominated for Best Producer and Best Single this year so many many thanks to everyone who voted for me (and Mark).

Manchester - a big thank you!

Just wanted to quickly thank everyone for coming out to play on Saturday night at the U&A night in Manchester. The Lowdown & Dirty crew did a great job in promoting the night & dressing the venue, VJ Air supplied some great visuals (although they couldn't be showcased in all their glory because the venue is still under construction it's that new!) and everyone who played did a superb job ... many thanks on that score to Resistance, Steve Thorpe and Meat Katie for smashing it.

Last but not least, you, the crowd, were AWESOME. Look out for more U&A nights in the very near future....

Beatport Chart (February 2010 Breakspoll Chart)

Brand new chart just gone up at Beatport with a bunch of bombs for February :)

CHECK THE TOP 10 HERE

Guestlist : Manchester 20/Feb

Looking forward to another BIG one this weekend with a massive Revamped launch / U&A label night going off at Sound Control in Manchester (1 New Wakefield Street). My guest for the evening is Meat Katie and I'll be doing a 2-hour set with my A/V wizz VJ Air. There will also be a copy of the Tech:Funk Vol#1 compilation given out to the first 50 people through the door on the night ... so get there early!!

The first person to email me right now at eliteforceuk (at) btinternet (dot) com now will get a guestlist place with a +1. Make sure you include your full name in the BODY of the message and make sure the SUBJECT of the message is 'GUESTLIST : MANCHESTER'

Revamped Vinyl#2 : Test Pressings Sell Out / Vinyl Released Monday

The test Pressings actually sold out in 15 minutes yesterday before I'd even had a chance to post up in the News section on here!

The track 'M.A.D.' has been an absolute mainstay of my DJ sets over the past year or so, and on Monday, for the first time it's being released to genpop along with the hitherto unheard re-working of The Propellerheads' 'Take California' and a ferocious dubstepbreaks re-fix of Datsik & Excision's massive 'Calypso'. You can check these now in the player up top ^^^^

All time 10-in-10-minutes mix for 'The Remix' on XFM

Something very different for you here and a project I had a lot of fun (and head-scratching) in putting together for The Remix, Eddy Temple-Morris's excellent long-running show 'The Remix' on XFM.

The brief was simple - to create a 10-minute mix featuring a minimum of 10 of your ALL-TIME favourite songs (from any genre). Once I started to get my head around it I was gutted by how many tracks I wanted to include but failed to find the time or space ... as it was I managed to fit 30 of my all-time favourite tracks in there.

Check the full post & download links here >

http://techfunkmanifesto.blogspot.com/2010/02/elite-force-mix-remix-xfm-feb-2010.html

Breakspoll Guestlist Places!

I wanted to offer up an opportunity for a VIP GUESTLIST for one person (with a +1, so two passes) to go to this year's BREAKSPOLL awards on 25th February at Fabric in London. I'm closing out the party in room one and the line-up is a veritable who's who from the world of breaks & beats .. check their website for full details HERE and while you're there I'd REALLY appreciate the odd vote here & there > http://breakspoll.com/vote.asp

To enter, simply follow me on Twitter at this link http://www.twitter.com/eliteforce and tweet the following:

2 VIP passes for @ Breakspoll at Fabric on 25/2. Follow @eliteforce & Retweet this to enter. Winner selected on 11/2 :) RT!

Datsik - Retreat (Elite Force Remix) *OUT NOW*

I've had so many mails about this one over the past few months I've lost track of them, but am glad to announce that the remix of Datsik's dubstep destroyer 'Retreat' is *Out Now* on Rottun Recordings.

GRAB IT HERE >
http://www.beatport.com/artists/elite+force

Firefly in Nottingham this weekend ...

Firefly in Nottingham this Saturday is about to sell out so if you're planning on coming down PLEASE make sure you get an advance ticket. It's me, Dusty Kid and The Hacker at the Marcus Garvey Centre.

I also have just ONE guest-list spot (with a +1) for the first person to message me on eliteforceuk (at) gmail (dot) com. Be sure to include your full name in the Body of the email message and if you're the to get back to me I'll respond with an email to let you know!

Breakspoll 2010

For the past couple of years I've not had much in the way of 'breaks' out there, but with an album coming out next month and with my sets and some releases this year gravitating back towards breakbeat again, I thought I'd reach out & ask you to vote in this year's Breakspoll awards in several categories. It takes all of two minutes and even if you don't fancy throwing a vote or two my way, the more people that do vote, the more balanced the results are ... so here's where you vote, followed by a couple of 'hints' :)

http://www.breakspoll.com/vote.asp

Best Track : Elite Force & Meat Katie - Dark & Deep / Believe

Best Label : U&A Recordings

Best Remix : Rektchordz - Feed Your Head (Elite Force Mix)

Best Producer & DJ : Do I really need to spell it out :)

Rareities, Remix Parts :: Re:Visit No Turning Back

RE:VISIT WEBSTORE > NO TURNING BACK
http://www.eliteforcemusic.com/storentb.htm

So excited about this new development for Elite Force, U&A and Zodiac Cartel. We've been putting together the first of a series of 'themed' online stores over the Xmas period which are set to serve up a whole load of exclusive content for you & hopefully create a new 'bar' when it comes to hooking you up with a wicked combination of exclusives, rareities, remix parts & much more (including gig tickets as of next month).

The first of these brand new online 'stores' is based around the 'No Turning Back' album, and we have a whole load of bonus features built into different packages such as:

- Limited Signed copies of out-of-print vinyl
- Limited Signed copies of out-of-print CDs
- Remix parts for no fewer than 7 original album tracks
- High Quality artwork pdfs
- DRM-free CD quality downloads

Love to know your thoughts ... and if you're after a copy of Bundle 6, you'd best hurry as there are only two left :)

Washington DC Show (8 Jan) CANCELLED

Many many apologies to everyone involved in putting this event on this weekend, but since returning from Australia early this week I've been laid low with an extremely nasty bout of flu and have been strongly advised by the doctor to rest up & recouperate, so I am afraid I won't be able to play this weekend.

The promoters have been very understanding and I have promised to re-schedule with them as soon as possible this year.

s

Beatport Blog > Eclectic Selector Dec '09 Edition

New Eclectic Selector Column is up now on Beatport's 'Beatportal' site, including a whole bunch of recommendations > READ IT HERE

A poetic essay for my Perth-People (NYE 2010)

I took a walk up from the hotel at 11pm. I figured it might be the only chance I'd get to see the city on this, the second time through Perth in under a week. The streets were quiet in the CBD, and the only 'accosting' I had were from a couple of young ladies asking if I had any jump leads (either that was a euphemism for something quite different or it was a request borne out of over-revelled confusion). Either way, I didn't & couldn't help. I was focused on getting to Ambar in one piece.

The club was packed. A warm throng of frugging shapes melted across the dancefoor, whilst a seamless mix of molten beats showered all & sundry with the gift of the groove.

I rolled with the striking of 12 with a bespoke blend of Big Ben, Hell's Bells and Abba's 'Happy New Year' mashed together into a foolish techy intro and moved straight into the re-fix of Pendulum's Voodoo People mix from a few years back. Touch paper lit, chaos ensued.

Two hours passed with a blink ... much of the first hour focused more on new tracks & edits (one I did on the flight out from Melbourne), whilst the second featured a large chunk of ReVamped goodies that will soon be out in the public domain. I finished up hard, with a number of the dubstep refixes that have been integral to the latter part of 2009, and then it was done, dusted, finished for another year.

As the booming echoes of another soundsystem danced around my head in the harsh light of the lobby-morning, a fierce and ragged girl appeared out of nowhere. "These", she said "are Method Man's socks!" She looked me straight in the eye, and in a moment of strange tenderness asked, "do you want them?".

I didn't.