Which isn’t to say they make headbanging music – the “funk” part of their pitch black techno war funk is as important as anything, and their tracks have a good healthy dose of bump’n'grind running through them, even if that grinding is as much angle-grinder as bogling.

The raw edges, thick-layered sound and general old-school soundsystem-in-an-industrial-building kick has leapt out amidst the minimal orthodoxy, creating a massive buzz over a few beautifully marbled pieces of vinyl with medieval etchings on the labels, and prompting suggestions of a new industrial forward movement in the techno scene.

Younger brother of WARP artist Squarepusher, Ceephax, AKA Andy Jenkinson, is quite simply one of the most fun artists in electronic music today. Often appearing to not quite know what he’s doing on stage, Andy never fails to deliver pure entertainment.

He’s an established name on the UK. festival circuit, he’s the creator of crazily-named tracks like “Eastenders Acid”, and has released on Aphex Twin’s RephlexRecords. His last full length album “United Acid Emirates”, was released on Planet Mu and featured Ceephax riding a magic carpet on the album cover – just to give an idea of the humour involved.

No laptops or checking email on the stage, Ceephax rocks out with a full rig of old vintage gear, 101 – 303 – 808 – 909 etc – that means no backup CD, no computer, no tricks, just old-school ROLAND technology direct to your brain via the sound system.

Ceephax Acid Crew

with support from the Void Collective
Saturday May 19 at The Shelter
5 Yongfu Lu near Fuxing Lu
50 RMB on the door

www.ceephax.co.uk

I’m actually more back on the techno buzz again, reflecting a couple of recent 12″ releases on the Snork and Slidebar labels from Germany. I still like mixing it up but more with 4/4 styles of late. Garage and electro. I’ve actually just had an entertaining studio week making new versions of Beltram’s Energy Flash (listen here) from 91 and Blake Baxters, Sexuality, (check it here)

Are you going to be dropping any new and unreleased material? What can we look forward to?

Yeh from the Explicit Six ep on Slidebar and Munich 72 on Snork records. Both German labels. Also I have a new 12″ in the can for Killekill in Berlin. All quite future acid and techno styles…..

Looking a bit further back, you spent a few years living in New York in the late 90s and early 2000s and at the time you spoke about wanting to live somewhere different to soak up influences and ideas from living in different urban environment to your hometown, Edinburgh. How did New York influence the development of your sound and do you get the same kind of vibe from Shanghai, which is another huge metropolis?

Yeah New York has a big effect I think. It certainly opened me up to broken beat and a more hip hop studio mentality. Also the world music side of things is strong in New York with latin rhythms and Jamaican beats. Plus in New York you can hook up with many different musicians and studios. I think perhaps more importantly the mood of New York seeped into my music, particularly the last two LP’s on Tresor and the 12″s on Scandinavia.

I was blown away by Shanghai during my last visit and it certainly made me think if i was in my 20′s Id move there in a shot. It would be hard to predict what outcome the Shanghai environment would have on my music though, I’d probably just be distracted for months…

Do you feel the gentrification of certain areas of New York spoiled its inspirational qualities? Is this an inevitable path all cities follow as they develop?

No i dont think so. New York is so much more than the hipsters. I preferred the Boroughs anyway like Hollis, Queens which is my home from home. Yes I think the whole gentrification cycle is endemic to big city living… Just look at London or New York. It goes round and round. Great if you can spot the cycle and signs and buy up property.

As someone inspired by the locations you visit, do you think urban planners should consider abstract concepts like how an area or place may inspire creativity when planning city developments? Does this already happen in some places, or is it badly lacking?

I think when you visit the Netherlands you see very interesting spaces and creatively inspired architecture which make the whole place seem bright and interesting. Bright colours and interesting building materials go a long way in making a place feel like a nice place to live. Denmark is great for this also.

Staying on the geography theme…. you named one of your earlier albums “Bedrooms and Cities” based on your experiences of travelling all over the place and staying in random hotels, rooms, sofas etc, whilst gigging in Europe and the US and Japan. You’ve travelled far and wide and have a real feel for how the flavour of different locations affects an artist. Now that you’ve branched out into China, can you give us a rough comparison of Edinburgh, New York and Shanghai?

Stodgy chips with salt n sauce – thick deli pastrami sandwiches – noodles and soy.

About your show itself – you’re playing live. In previous years you were known for taking a lot of hardware on the road to play with at your shows. How much of your VOID show will be hardware-based, what kind of sound can we expect?

Yeh still dragging the hardware around with me but a macbook has crept in. To be honest having the laptop is an extra pair of hands. I love the Elektron machines and use a Machinedrum and Monomachine as the backbone of my set… High quality direct audio straight to the soundsystem.. The macbook is great for roadtesting new tracks and other random bits of audio i collect and can through in the mix.

When and why did you quit DJing to move to performing your own music live only?

It was new year 2002 i think. Id just had enough of DJ-ing. I was OK at it but never really felt entirely comfortable with it. I lost my confidence with it and decided to go back
to just making live performances with gear. Just how I started out in 1992.

Your last visit to China was VOID’s first birthday party. Your reading material for the journey to Shanghai was a novel about the second world war, which you kindly shared with your fellow guest that night, Berlin techno producer Pacou. What will you be reading this time?

I’ve just read Shaun Ryder’s autobiography which was an amazing read. Really funny, honest and tied up a lot of loose end on the whole Manchester / Factory scene which I am very interested in…. Not sure what i will be reading yet on this trip…. I’ll have to dig deep into the Landstrumm library and dig out a classic.

 
Who and what are your biggest influences musically?

Northern Bass n Bleep period 1989-91
Happy Mondays and the warehouse rave culture surrounding them
Jamaican Dub and Reggae
Djax records (the early years)
Chicago
New York
Pure and Wave (infamous Edinburgh techno nights).
Weed

What do you think about the tradition of “anonymous techno”? None of your albums have featured pictures of yourself – was that deliberate, or was it just fun to indulge in faceless techno bollocks?

Yes I subscribe to the “faceless techno bollocks” philosophy. I dont really think anyone wants a picture of me on a record… plus it should be about the music not the personality in my book.

Your sound has changed over the past few years, moving away from 4/4 forms of techno to more dubstep and breakbeat influenced sounds. Where do you see your sound going in the future?

I’ve definitely headed back to 4/4 after a loooonnngg break. Who knows. I dont really set the rules I just follow my nose.
What have you got in the pipeline release-wise? Any new album or EPs coming? Which labels?

Yes loads at the moment. Theres a 12″ with J D Twitch from Optimo under new project name, Doubleheart out this week on UK label NonPlus records, ‘Salsa Apocolypso e.p.’ Munich 72-Snork Records, Germany, Explicit Six- Slidebar records Germany, Night Train- Killekille , Berlin in January 2012, and a new 12″ for Sonic Groove which im just in the process of putting together.

What do you think of the current popular trend of “Beatport techno” – that is, all those releases with 3-4 breakdowns in one track and loads of whoosing sounds?

Pish.

Is it a good or bad thing that music making technology is so much more accessible than before?

Both good and bad. Its very easy to make an average but well produced track but very occasionally real gems come through. The kids are alright.

Complete this sentence: “One night in Shanghai City……..”

Equals a hangover and jelly botty in the morning.

Neil Landstrumm appears LIVE at the Shelter on Saturday night with support from Void resident DJs Kunming Ultra, MHP, Nat Alexander, Zammo and Tzu Sing.

50RMB // 10pm // The Shelter // Basement of 5 Yongfu Lu, near Fuxing Xi Lu 永福路5号, 近复兴西路

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 26

@ THE SHELTER, 5 YONGFU LU NEAR XINGFU LU (MAP AND DIRECTIONS)

Check out the true UK street sound in Shanghai for one night – Scottish techno and dubstep star Neil Landstrumm returns to Shanghai for another exclusive 100% LIVE set at VOID.

He’s a man constantly ahead of the curve – whatever is cool elsewhere, Landstrumm’s been there, seen that and done it already and is busy sharpening his sonic tools to cut the next edge.

Combining futuristic sounds with a nod to Bleeps & Bass, UK Rave, Breakbeat, “wonky” techno and acid house – it’s all in there and Landstrumm’s going to bring it once more,

He started releasing deep, funked-out techno in the mid-90s on labels such as Peacefrog and Tresor, but his latest outings have ventured into grime and dubstep territory with back-to-back album releases on Planet Mu.

Last time he had the Shelter dancefloor heaving with gut-pounding sub-bass attack frequencies – this time, Landstrumm’s got even more in store for you, as be brings a selection of carefully-chosen hardware boxes and infernal devices to Shanghai in a display of shock and awe for the dancefloor.

Sexuality (Cover Version) by Neil Landstrumm

Landstrummm – he’s been miles ahead of the game for years and is a leading pioneer in the development of the dubstep sound – some of the earliest seeds of this most modern of genres were first sown on his album “She took a bullet meant for me” released on Tresor back in 2000. Indeed, he’s a bridge between techno and dubstep, and his output over the last few years represents a cross-pollination between these genres.

Throw in a few nods to the old skool ravers, and that is the ever-evolving and always stunning sound of Neil Landstrumm…

….the King of UK Bass music.
Support from all the Void Residents:

Kunming Ultra
MHP
Nat Alexander
Zammo
Tzu Sing

50 RMB on the door

Scandinavia Records

Following last month’s unfortunate shenanigans which led to him not coming to China because of visa issues, Void is proud to welcome another Detroit legend. DJ T-1000  will appear with Void at the Shelter on Friday November 4 – see details below. Another classic night beckons….

Void Presents: DJ T-1000 aka Alan Oldham (DETROIT)

@ The Shelter, 5 Yongfu Lu near Fuxing Xi Lu

Friday November 4, 10pm – late

50 RMB on the door

Line up: DJ T-1000, NAT ALEXANDER, MHP, ZAMMO

Void keep the beats banging at their next party by flying in a special international guest all the way from Detroit, Michigan. As usual for Void, its all about quality and pedigree  – this time they welcome DJ T-1000 aka Alan Oldham. This means underground house and techno lovers in Shanghai have a further opportunity to be mesmerized by another master innovator from the spiritual home of techno music.

A veteran of the Detroit Techno scene since the beginning, DJ T-1000 is a name which regularly features on the line-ups of Europe’s big electronic music festivals. Legions of electronic music fans have learned to associate his name with pulsating and thrilling DJ sets. His powerful motor city funk sound, honed during his formative years as a member of the imfamous Underground Resistance collective, has shaken dancefloors all over the world for quite some time now – with is long-standing experience, he can rock any crowd any which way he pleases.
Now based in Berlin, this purveyor of hard, motor city funk is a man of multiple talents. He’s  Not content with burning up floors with his powerful grooves, he’s also a visual artist, having created label art for esteemed imprints such as Derrick May’s Transmat label, and D-Jax Up Beats, run by Amsterdam’s Miss D-Jax. His illustrative talents extend beyond the realm of music and into comic books, drawing and writing his own strips. He’s also branched into exhibiting his works at art galleries in Chicago, Paris, Amsterdam, Los Angeles and Berlin.

Stand by for DJ T-1000 – “Black man from the future.”

LINKS

official myspace

Interview with elektrax

Interview with Resident Advisor

Void’s very own Shanghai Ultra arises from the deep to unleash sonic hell on the dance floor with a very, very rare and absolutely unique display of 100% live Detroit-inspired techno music. Its rare because its been almost a year since his last performance. Unique, because every set is unlike what passed before. This is not his usual DJ performance!

Stand ready for a full-on work out of energy techno for the floor – fueled by pure adrenalin and mad bass beats and noises. Whether you just like getting on down to the pumping beats, or watching obscure masked figures twiddling knobs and buttons, you’ll find quality entertainment for all the hedz.

With a wealth of new material, including several tunes you heard at Shanghai’s leading underground house and techno party before, the Void point man emerges from the shadows with an array of sonic weapons, including the vintage ROLAND TR-909 drum machine and SH-101 mono monster synth. His musical equipment arsenal spans the ancient and modern – CV gates, MIDI, USB keep the beat on track in concert with the master mainframe running ABLETON live for a trip into alternative reality. Space atmospheres, tech funk, subtle percussion and a driving groove are his aural hallmarks.

Stepping up to support are the loyal and true Void resident boys – MHP, ZAMMO and NAT ALEXANDER.

Void – The Underground Doesn’t Stop.

NOISE NOISE & VJ INK (Live)

SATURDAY MAY 5 @ THE SHELTER, 5 YONG FU LU, NEAR FUXING LU - 40 RMB ON THE DOOR.

It's absolutely different to anything else to come out of the Chinese music scene - sex robots, nuclear bombs, funny voices and fascist fantasies. You've never heard or seen anything like this before - two masked Beijing guys shocking the crowd with dark and twisted old-school electro beats. Void is pleased to present Noise Noise and VJ Ink who bring their live show to Shanghai for the first time.

This new and fresh act represent the sound of the Beijing underground.

Active for over two years, Noise Noise is playing music quite unsuitable for mainstream clubs - its raw, in-your-face, out-of-this-world, and delivered with tongue-in-cheek humour.

He cites his influences from legendary Detroit electro acts Drexciya and Dopplereffekt, as well as the grand-daddies of all electronic music, Kraftwerk. Noise Noise's sound is a combination of weird sci-fi themes and lo-fi synthesized musical mayhem.

Noise Noise is accompanied by VJ Ink, who bombards the crowd with stunning and surreal imagery to visually enhance the bizarre beats. Together they offer a true combination of creative power and an artistic reflection of modern China.

Support from the rest of the crew as always, Zammo, MHP and Shanghai Ultra.

40 RMB on the door