Gerard presents The Hit List episode 27 on Scientific Sound Asia, with Ne.Hau featured in the first hour and Gerard in the second. Scientific Sound Asia is an Asian electronic music radio station, promoter, DJ agency and music-news platform connecting audiences across Asia and internationally.
Gerard, who appears in the second hour, is a Deep House, Deep Tech, Tech House and Techno producer and DJ from Angeles City in the United States with a definite passion for electronic music. His approach to creating music is central to his style of play and production, through which he seeks to contribute to House music and its culture.
At the time of publication, Gerard had returned to Florida, USA, after a period in South East Asia and leaving China following the virus outbreak. He works with Scientific Sound Asia's DJ agency, is Nu-Disco manager for Brasbeat, Latin America's first and only digital source for electronic music, and hosts a regular podcast and mix show of his monthly charted music.
Guest DJs, first hour: Ne.Hau
The first-hour guests are Ne.Hau, a duo comprising Danny Marin and Ren Albieri, from Denver and Austin respectively. Their combined experience in music has informed a finely tuned signature sound.
Ne.Hau work within minimal music while using contemporary production methods and taking calculated creative risks. The DJ and producer duo bring their own perspective to the house and techno spectrum.
Their singles include Little Humans and the Christian Thomas collaboration I Believe, released through Circus Digital Records and Draft Ltd respectively. Their 2016 Kill Switch EP, which included the latter track, stayed in Beatport's Minimal Top 10 for roughly two weeks.
Each release shows close attention to sound quality and a clear commitment to the production process. Organic and instrumental elements feature alongside crisp stereo imaging, and the duo have incorporated such material into their live shows.
Marin was born in Ventura, California, and relocated to Fort Collins, Colorado, as a child. He learned to DJ from friends, became interested in turntablism at 13, and discovered electronic music while crate-digging at a local record shop where he later worked.
Leftfield, DJ Icey and The Crystal Method formed part of the soundtrack to Marin's formative years, before he became a fixture at Boulder venues including The Root and Soma. In the mid-2000s, he also DJed at Denver bottle-service clubs including Suite 200, The Purple Martini and Taboo.
Albieri was born in São Paulo, Brazil, grew up with his mother in Dallas, Texas, and returned intermittently to São Paulo to visit his father, a club owner. Having already been behind the decks at 13, he became a DJ and producer.
His father later became head of security at Pacha, Ibiza, which gave Albieri exposure to club culture abroad and confirmed his path as a musician. Marin and Albieri later met at a point where both were reassessing their musical directions.
In 2009, Marin experienced an identity crisis after working within what he considered a disingenuous part of the music scene, while Albieri had left school in Portland, Oregon. In 2010, they independently enrolled on audio-engineering courses at the Phoenix Conservatory of Music and connected immediately, beginning their collaborative friendship.
After developing their studio process, Marin and Albieri launched Ne.Hau in 2016. Following their debut single Plurality, they released a remix of P-rez's Watcha Do through Denied Music.
Another landmark Ne.Hau track, Little Humans, was released on Circles Digital Records. Its featured vocalist Nubu became a regular part of their live shows in Denver and Austin, helping to define the duo's eclectic signature sound.
The Christian Thomas collaboration I Believe arrived through Draft Ltd and gained more exposure than the duo's earlier releases. Its dark, primal production was a notable part of their catalogue at the time.
Ne.Hau use advanced techniques including subtractive and negative EQing in layered, three-dimensional productions. Their work brings detailed studio construction to house and techno without losing the character of their live presentation.
In 2017 and beyond, electronic music listeners could expect Ne.Hau to increase their pace of releases as their body of work extended across minimal styles. The first hour of this programme showcases their music.
Gerard's The Hit List 27 featuring Ne.Hau opens with Ne.Hau and Zenti's Woke-A-Late, before Ne.Hau's Hauling Ass brings Tech House from Still Play Records into focus. Ne.Hau then move through the Deep Tech House of Beautiful World on Superfreq and Control on Priroslin Recordings.
Scatterbrain on Denied Music and GAS on Priroslin Recordings extend that deep-tech approach through successive Ne.Hau productions. Meal Ticket, released by Mavic Music, raises the pressure with Peak Time Techno before Rock Bottom returns to Tech House on Still Play Records.
Ne.Hau's Golden Touch sits between this material and the later run of their productions. Bright Side, featuring Dolly Deura, appears on Beyond the Music, while Release the Coward Within, Found, Crazy and YOU draw the first hour back through Deep Tech House releases from Superfreq, Beyond the Music and Priroslin Recordings.
Gerard's second hour begins with Anthony Mea's Jazz Miles on Mole Music, adding Deep House to the programme. Bekzin Terris's Unity on MoBlack Records follows with Afro House rhythms, setting up B Show and Lilocox's Union on Kazukuta Records.
Kek'star's Nobody Cares on Azania Digital Records keeps the Afro House emphasis in place before Oliver Schories's Piu on Voltaire Music changes the texture. Ryan Davis and Alex Banks later return with Sequence 1 on Just This, and both selections introduce Melodic House and Techno.
Golden Dawn Arkestra's JKriv remix of Cosmic Dancer, released by Razor-N-Tape Records, brings in Nu-Disco. AFFKT's Hoydelight on Mobilee Records then turns towards Indie Dance, while Dave Mech's Corrosion provides the final techno-focused record.
The Hit List episode 27 24th of March 2020
NeHau (first hour)
Ne.Hau & Zenti - Woke-A-Late
Ne.Hau - Hauling Ass
Ne.Hau - Beautiful World
Ne.Hau - Control
Ne.Hau - Scatterbrain
Ne.Hau - GAS
Ne.Hau - Meal Ticket
Ne.Hau - Rock Bottom
Ne.Hau - Golden Touch
Ne.Hau - Bright Side
Ne.Hau - Release the Coward Within
Ne.Hau - Found
Ne.Hau - Crazy
Ne.Hau - YOU
Gerard (second hour)
Anthony Mea - Jazz Miles (Original Mix)
Bekzin Terris - Unity (Original Mix)
B Show & Lilocox - Union (Original Mix)
Kek'star - Nobody Cares (Original Mix)
Oliver Schories - Piu (Original Mix)
Cyberking & Durban Roots - Last Samurai (African Electronic Mix)
Golden Dawn Arkestra - Cosmic Dancer (JKriv Remix)
Ryan Davis & Alex Banks - Sequence 1 (Original Mix)
AFFKT - Hoydelight (Original Mix)
Dave Mech - Corrosion (Original Mix)
Listen on Mixcloud here.