#18 - Dirt Crew

Following Prague based British DJs Tuco & Quime from Meanbucket Music we now welcome new school house heroes Dirt Crew to the EPM Podcast series with a sublime, deep mix that drops ahead of the labels milestone 50^th release. Featuring tracks from The Revenge, Vakula, Kindred Spirits, E.S.P., Gay Marvin, Linkwood, fellow Dirt Crew label mates Plan D'Aqua, Till von Sein & Tigerskin, Chymera and Mano Le Tough the duo also unleash two new exclusive tracks from the EPM 10 Compilation featuring themselves and new Norwegian producer Marius.

2004 Dirt Crew aka James Flavour and Break 3000 released their first EP ‘Cleaning up the Ghetto Part I’ on MBF (My Best Friend) and got respect from DJ/Producers like Trevor Jackson, Ata, Ivan Smagghe and Sasse. After the follow up release, ‘Cleaning Up The Ghetto II’, the track ‘Rok Da House’ and their remix for Naomi by M.A.N.D.Y. on MBF, everything fell into place and Dirt Crew began to receive worldwide recognition on the dancefloors. Around this time Moodmusic expressed interest in their music - the result of which were two tracks on the label with ‘808 Lazerbeam’ and ‘Darkside’ – cementing the duo’s reputation.

In 2007 they released their first artist album "Raw" and they changed their sound to house again which has always been the main influence on Dirt Crew’s music and two years later "Blow" their second album was released on Moodmusic. "An absolutely blistering collection of Chicago-influenced future house with more jack than you can shake a stick at". DJ Mag.

In the 7 years since the Dirt Crew’s inception they have mastered the art of mixing old school house, new school deep house and minimal funky techno… and then some! Along the way they’ve succeeded in unleashing a flurry of floor stompers that have got people preaching the good news in every town they touch down in.

Now, on 28 March DIrt Crew present their 50th release with a compilation including exclusive tracks and remixes by Iron Curtis, Chymera, Mano Le Tough, Dirt Crew, The Tortoise, Yosa, Plan D'aqua, The Runners, Mdione, Tigerskin, Soul Minority, Sasse & James Flavour, Elef, Nick Harris and Till von Sein.

EPM Podcast 18 – Dirt Crew

Tracklist:

1.Plan D'Aqua | House Orchid | Dirt Crew Recordings (Out Soon)
2.The Revenge | Forever in their Debt (Pitched Down Mix) | Home Taping Is Killing Music
3.Vakula | Different Tone | Firecracker
4.Till von Sein & Tigerskin | Sirene | Dirt Crew Recordings
5.Dirt Crew | The Sound | EPM
6.E.S.P. | It's You | DJ International
7.Kindred Spirits Ensemble | Shining Liberation featuring Pete Philly (Dub Mix) | Kindred Spirits
8.Gay Marvin | I Wish we all were Nude | Secret Mixes Fixes
9.Marius | Jet Set (Original Version) | EPM
10.Chymera | Curl | Dirt Crew Recordings
11.Linkwood | Barely Eagle | Firecracker
12.Mano Le Tough | Baby Let's Love | Dirt Crew Recordings

All tracks used in the mix are digitally distributed by EPM Music www.epm-music.com. You can subscribe to all of EPM’s podcasts via iTunes.

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Q&A with Dirt Crew

1. Please give us a quick walk through your selection. Why did you choose these tracks for the mix?

Well…the first track is taken from our upcoming 50th birthday compilation on Dirt Crew and it's a great slow disco track ala The Revenge...those guys are from Holland and it's the first track they composed, we truly love it! For that reason maybe a Revenge track would fit perfectly afterwards :) Than that great Vakula track that uses the same sample as the follow up by Till von Sein & Tigerskin so this is also a perfect and sneaky match as the tracks blend in perfectly this way. As this is the celebration also of EPM's tenth birthday of course our exclusive track on the compilation should be in here as well as the awesome Marius track. Furthermore we have some of Dirt Crews most successful releases of the past year in the mix as is Chymera's "Curl" with it's great old school Piano and Mano Le Tough's "baby let's love". Overall we love Disco and therefore threw in Gay Marvin's "prince" edit and Linkwood's "like an eagle" edit.

2. Dirt Crew are truly international with a Dutch man (Peter) and a German (Felix) at the helm. How did you both end up working together?

We met for the first time in Berlin in '99 when I (Peter) was attending the Redbull Music Academy over here... but we started to make music together for the first time in 2003.

3. You reach a milestone release this spring with Dirt Crew’s 50th release – an exclusive label compilation. What have been the highlights for you so far?

Oh luckily we had a lot of great releases and we discovered a lot of young talent and put out some of their first releases, like Adultnapper, Tensnake, Martinez and more recently Mic Newman. Also we are very happy to have Tigerskin as one of our main artists... we had some big hits with him "Peter's secret weapon" and "Neontrance" were huge. But as we are always into new artists we are very happy with the compilation that features Elef, Mano Le Tough, The Tortoise, Iron Curtis and Plan D'aqua.. all upcoming artists that the world will hear a lot more from in the near future...And one recent milestone is of course the Massive "Curl" by Chymera! one of our biggest hits to date.

4. Where have you DJed over the years that most surprised you?

This is most certainly the Soundwave festival on Vancouver Island in Canada. Since our first gig there in 2004 we have been going back to that wonderful place every year! So this year will be our seventh year in a row that we spend our summer over there... just wonderfull nature and people, paradise!  We became half Canadians ;)

5. Berlin seems to party 24/7. How do you escape for a quiet weekend?

I am very happy to live in a nice quite neighborhood here in Berlin, so I have wonderful easy weekends if I don't leave the house :) Berlin is a great city with lots of nature close to the city, lakes and forests ... so when I'm not DJ'ng I wont go out.. and of course stay away from Bar25 and Panorama Bar ! Else your doomed ;)

6. What are your musical backgrounds? Do you both share a lot of common history?

Actually old school Deep House is the main background we have.. I started way earlier with electronic music as Felix so I even made Trance back in 91-92... and got really into Drum N Bass and breaks, Electro in the mid 90's. But that’s the good combination in Dirt Crew, Electro and Deep house...or as they did catagorise us back in 2004 as Electro-House.. a much hated term nowadays :)

7. How do you see the label developing over the next fifty releases?

Keep on digging for new talent and right now we are more focussed on deep house and disco stuff..so not too much techy things.. I think we will keep that.

8. Dirt Crew – who is the dirtiest?

In what way you may ask ;) well sometimes me and sometimes Felix...

9. Which record do you wish you had made?

hhmmm.. good question..  I can only speak for myself.. as far as House music E.S.P. - It's You, this song is also in our mix and for me one of the best house trax ever! ... but as far as Music in general I would have to pick "Dark side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd or "Avalon" by Roxy Music.

10. Please give us your top 5 ‘All Time House Producers’.

1. Giorgio Moroder (not really House but maybe the biggest dance producer of all times.)
2. Kerry Chandler
3. Murk Boys
4. Bobby Konders
5. Todd Terry