Editors letter First and foremost, I would like to say a massive thank you to those of you who helped my vision come alive. Thank you to Emmanuelle LY for your drawings have helped my words come to life. Thank you to graphic designer Lukas Zabek, helping the vinyl sleeve and the fanzine come alive colours and design. And a thank you to Gillian Fewins, for guiding me along with way with editing. The support MadTech Records and the artists involved have showed with this publication have meant the world to me and reminded me every day why I am doing this. For The Love Of Music, I think, offers a different kind of reading material and creates a unique relationship with music. I invite everyone with open arms to the event, which is to be held at the end of May. If you love Mad Tech then you will not want to miss out. The very first issue is about what music can do for us. How it can make us feel and why it means so much to many of us. But it’s also to show appreciation for MadTech Records. Without a doubt, Kerri Chandler has inspired many different artists from his unique soulful style, to his labels and I hope I can give something back to you fans. I want you to remember exactly why we follow our favourite artists across the globe and I want you to remember why we love the music we do. And lastly, a small tribute to Mr Frankie Knuckles. A true pioneer to house music and has had a massive influence on artists and music today. He has influenced Kerri enormously, and it a real treat to be able to write his story. For The Love of Music opens its arms to everyone. If I can encourage you to buy a piece of much I’ve done my job. If I can get you to think of music differently, I have succeeded. Each piece of writing is personal to me and I hope you can gain a lot and reflect from on it.
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For the very first issue of For The Love Of Music, the spotlight is on MadTech records. I wanted to get inside the record label and speak to them about the workings of this beautiful empire Kerri has created. It started in 2012 as an output for more darker and techier sounds of house music.
How many people work at MT How much of Kerri Chandler’s HQ? influence and mark is made on the label today? There are six of us who at the label in total. The roles are Kerri Chandler is a daily inA&R, Label Manager, Event spiration on the label and for Planner, PR, promotion team, all the artists we are working Lawyer and Accountant with.
If you were to describe the la- What’s been the biggest selling bel in three words, what would track Madhouse Records is the parthey be? ent label and has been in hiNo Artificial Colours, Crying atus for almost 10 years from We consider our selves to be Wolf. This track really took 2002 to 2011 due to other pri- forward-thinking, profession- off. It’s so infectious with some orities and commitments. The al and unique great vocals too. label was revitalized in 2011 with new releases and whole If Mad Tech was a feeling, How much of an influence do new website. Madhouse bewhat would it be? you think music has on cities came predominantly an outin the UK? let for Kerri Chandlers music Madness! and tracks from his producer Obviously a lot, events draw friends as well as tracks he What has been the biggest crowds, students are drawn to came across through his exmilestone in MT history? events etc. one big cycle tensive DJ experience. The sound of the label was rooted Our first ever event! That’s If you were to give anyone in Deep and Soulful House, in- when things really took off. advice about wanting to get strumentals but on the whole, Then probably, the first radio into the music industry, what full of deep vocal tracks. The show and release. would it be? first release on the label was How does the label keep Perseverance. Just keep on a 6-track sampler entitled evolving? trying poeple. “A Basement, A Red Light & A Feelin’” which showcased some of the artists and releas- Always being visible is so, so MT were to collaborate with es and sold excess of 100,000 important. Things like radio another fashion brand, who shows and social media. Even would it be and why? copies on vinyl alone. events. They are such good fun So what makes this label tick? and create massive exposure. Probably some cool upcoming brands we like Tealer. Check Who and what exactly are the them out! Super cool. drivers behind it? I was luckily What are the inspirations for the artwork for the label? enough to find out. We have an amazing artworker called Mathilda Finn, who is the photographer for mixmag fashion and also a music video director for Aluna george, etc
So, What is next for MT? Global domination
In my opinion, music is one of the few, if not the only tools, which we use to take us back to a certain place or ear in our lives. It feeds our emotions and takes us back to times we’d rather forget, or times which we could live over and over again. It’s a nostalgic device, which is one of the main reasons why I love music so much. I can escape the real world and re-live some of the best times I have ever had. The attachment that every single person has with a certain sound of music is so unique. As soon as music takes you to a place or time, it stops being a piece created by one person and becomes a milestone in your life. Remember the song you listened to at that stage in your life? That’s what I’m talking about. Music has the ability to make us cry, smile, or in many cases, make us love. There are endless definitions of what music is. Perhaps your definition is: a series of beats and pulses, which make you progressively tap your foot as you work, or perhaps it is something you debate. Two people with conflicting views make for a scorching disagreement, and nothing will preoccupy you like it. Over the past couple of years I’ve witnessed many contretemps surrounding a certain genre of music, these arguments have started some of the most interesting disputes and will no doubt go on to shape the history of music. Music does the talking for us, it has certainly helped me start and form many friendships and numerous conversations. In many cases it connects the world and the people in it. With music we share something very personal, our lowest lows and many of our highest highs. I cannot face a day without music, and I’m certain, neither can you.
Today Madhouse is known worldwide for its deep, soulful element.
For some they slip into a blacked out world with only their thoughts and headphones for company. It creates the perfect thinking environment, the right song to reflect your current mood and what could be better then that? Listening to music alone has been regarded as one of the nicest pleasures in life. It creates the perfect opportunity to unwind and you can take time to fully appreciate what you are listening to. Sometimes, there are no words. Sometimes it’s remembering that feeling you once had, that place you once went to. Being able to listen to music on completely on your own, in your own home, can be somewhat of a mood enhancer. Perhaps to many of us a way to diminish. Maybe for some, a way to disregard all social interaction and this is the time we look forward to at the end of our busy day which nobody to argue: ‘that’s not music you’re listening to, its noise.’ We have only our selves to please and our selves to think about in this place. Listening alone to music is maybe just what we need after a long day and it gives us every way and opportunity to allow ourselves to become antisocial.
There’s something very interesting to me about the study of the human brain and music. Have you ever wondered what happens to you brain when you listen to a piece of music? Or even wondered why we love a certain piece of music? Music and science can work beautifully together if we allow it to. Mixing the two lets us understand our brains and feelings. Why do we rush to the saddest songs when we face a break up we don’t feel we will ever recover from?
its variable. The elements of music can themselves in unlikely places and it brings us closer to the artform a barrier to appreciation of a new piece of mu- ist.” People can feel a huge connection with music. sic. Obviously, if music is too loud or too soft, this can be problematic. But even the dynamic range of The rhythm and rhythmic patters can also influence a piece can cause people to reject it. This can be our liability to appreciate a given musical genre of especially true for people who use music to regulate piece. Levitin uses Latin music for example. As an their mood in a specific way. “Someone who wants outsider to the genre of this music, he cannot apmusic to calm her down or someone else who wants preciate the music to its full, however to someone to music to pep him up for a with knowledge and a love of workout, is probably not going this genre Latin music soon “On the other hand, if we all First of all, let’s try to work out what music is and to want to hear a musical piece becomes a ‘world of interesting means to you. What pitch does it have, is it a rhythm that runs the loudness scale all complexity’. He suggests that hear the music in the same of notes and what way do they group together? the way from very soft to very some people genuinely enjoy way, how can we account for What tempo is it? Is it very fast, of very slow? Do loud, or emotionally from sad Latin music because they canwide differences in musical you have your music loud? Psychophysicists- sci- to exhilarating.” not tell Latin music and Latin preferencewhy is it that entists, who study the way our brain interoperates rhythms apart, but others find one man’s Mozart is another with the physical world, have shown that these fac- Music and past experiences them ‘complicated and unpreman’s Madonna?” tors are distinguishable. The different between mu- also play a key part in working dictable’ and this becomes a sic and a random disorder of a set of noise has to do out why we love what we love. turnoff for them. But I think with these different factors and the way they form It’s about what we have expethis is true of many genres a relationship with each other in an expressive way. rienced before and how positive or even negative of music which we don’t understand. Perhaps we the outcome was. Remember when you drank too should be more open minded to different styles of So why do we like the music we like? Daniel J. Levitin, much of that drink and you were sick because of it music, myself included in this. There have been a Neuroscientist Musician Author suggests, that the last month? That’s what I mean. It made you sick numerous of times when people have said to me: orderly relationship between complexity and liking once, so now, naturally, you will become very wary ‘But this all sounds the same.’ Perhaps it might. But a piece of music is referred to as ‘the inverted-U of it. However, if you’ve only had a few, but mostly I know the difference. The tone, the tempo and the function’ this is because of the way a graph is drawn positive experiences encounters with broccoli, you rhythmic pattern. that relates to two factors: how much we like music might be willing to try more. The one positive expeand how complicated it appears to be to us. So I ask rience creates others. “Someone who wants music to calm her down or you to picture this. Imagine a graph in which the someone else who wants to music to pep him up x-axis is how complicated you Music can feed on our emo- for a workout, is probably not going to want to hear find a piece of music to be, and tions more then we may realise. a musical piece that runs the loudness scale all the “Like science, music over the y-axis is how much you, perLevitin suggests that music, to way from very soft to very loud, or emotionally sonally, like it. At the bottom left the years has proved to be some people, can act as a kind from sad to exhilarating.” an adventure, never expe- of safety net. Some people and I of this graph, close to the origin, there would be a point for music rience exactly the same way even included myself in this, use I want to encourage everyone to listen to a new that is very simple and your retwice. It has been a source music as a tool of expression. We piece of music. As Levitin stated: ‘Trying to appreaction being that you don’t like of continual surprised and allow music to do all the talking ciate new music can be like contemplating a new it. However, as the music conwhen perhaps sometimes we friendship in that it takes time, and sometimes satisfaction for me. It turns tinues in complexity, your likcannot. We allow music to into there is nothing you can do to speed it up.’ If you out science and music aring increases as well. However, our minds. It could last 30 sec- listen to a new piece of music enough times it will en’t such a bag mix” at some point or another, as we onds or even 30 minutes but we finally develop in our brains and grow landmarks. increase complexity, the music connect with the music. There is So make a new friendship today, buy music you becomes too complex and your liking for it begins without a doubt a huge sense of vulnerability with usually wouldn’t, or better still, encourage someone to decrease, until you cross another threshold and music for it has captured us at our best and our very else to. Enough time, patience and anything is posyou no longer like the music at all. Too complex and worst. We listen to music to inspire us, lift us and sible. Be enthusiastic, be honest and dance. you hate the music. The shape of the graph soon bring us right back down again. Wet let the music turns from a smooth ‘U’ smile to a very unhappy, in through the headphones we are wearing and we viscous, sharp looking ‘V’. But I must add, this the- do not connect with anybody else. We wouldn’t let ory is not meant to imply that the only reason you ourselves becomes so vulnerable with a stranger, so may like or dislike a piece of music is because how music, could be the greatest companion for times of ‘simple’ it may seem. It is intended to account for sadness. As Levitin suggests “We hear vulnerability
Kerris inspiration for Mad Tech was DJ and Producer Jerome Sydenham who gave Kerri a collection of tracks that although he wanted to release did not quite reflect the tone of Madhouse.
MadTech will repeat Madhouse history by bringing the quality of music youve come to know and love from a bountiful source of emerging artists each with their own individual sound an experimental plaform for new talent, mentored and guided by Kerri himself. With a list of new releases ready to go from talented artists such as Citizen, Voyeur, Kashii, Lakosa and many others MadTech promises to bring you the ultimate in new music for years to come.
This is a tale of different cities and one house music godfather who helped shaped them in the early 1970s, 80s and 90s. This year house music lost one of its most important faces, American disc jokey, Frankie Knuckles. We want to take you on one of music’s longest journeys, the history of house music starring some of the greatest names and clubs in the business. Frankie Knuckles became an inspiration to so many DJs and created the club scene as we know it today. He died at the young age of 59 and played at Ministry Of Sound, London every Saturday.
with ‘Your Love’, better known in the UK as the backing track for The Source’s hit remix of Candi Staton’s You Got The Love. Alongside imports, Knuckles began playing fresh edits of disco tunes that were already a few years old. Frankie Knuckles soon became something of a god to gay and black males in Chicago. The crowd were predominately gay and black and they were joined at around 4am by dancers from Broadway, whose high kicking and twirls would cause dance-offs around the floor. Disco came out of the underground by 1977 and the whole world was captured by Saturday Night Fever. People were so eager to get the latest sounds that they heard in The Warehouse nightclub in Frankie Knuckles is known for remixing tracks by Michael Jackson and Chicago, the style of music soon became known as ‘house.’ It was about old Whitney Houston, as well as his own songs. Francis Nicholls was born tunes. The rarer the better. In Chicago, only record stores such as Importes on January 18th 1955 in New York. He learned his craft in New York Etc., State Street Records, JR’s Music shop and Gramaphone Records were City, where he was mentored by club DJ Larry Levan while studying tex- the primary suppliers of this music. Quickly DJs became more creative with tile design at the city’s Fashion Institute of Technology in the Seventies. their mixing; teasing out the sound, manipulating the records, bringing clips His story starts at Chicago, where he was a resident at The Warehouse night- in and out and this is how we got to know ‘house’ today. In the 80s, Frankclub. For its first couple of years, The Warehouse was one of Chicago’s wildest ie became the first dance music superstar DJ and more famous residencies discos, but it wasn’t until 1979 that it began to embody a distinctive scene. in NYC followed, at seminal clubs such as the Sound Factory, where FrankFrankie’s distinctive style was taking his favourite funky disco grooves snip ie would preach to his disciples from Saturday night through to mid-Sunand edit them to create something new. You maybe more familiar with this day morning, with his trademark gospel vocals, tough basslines and beats with ‘Your Love’, better known in the UK as the backing track for The Source’s programmed to make you a better dancer than you ever imagined possible. He went on to play at worldwide clubs such as the Hahit remix of Candi Staton’s You Got The Love. Alongside cienda in Manchester and Delirium in London. His imports, Knuckles began playing fresh edits of disco tunes that were already a few years old. Frankie Knuckles soon be“I'm gonna miss your humour sound, style and culture trickled its way into London and all over the North. It fed into the 1980s Northcame something of a god to gay and black males in Chicago. most of all. Rest in peace, ern Soul all night culture perfectly. Some of the bigThe crowd were predominately gay and black and they were joined at around 4am by dancers from Broadway, whose Frankie Knuckles. Your love gest nightclubs have been inspired and modelled on for music started us all.” different clubs around America; Manchester’s Hacienhigh kicking and twirls would cause dance-offs around the da’s club design was based around a clubs in New York. floor. Disco came out of the underground by 1977 and the Frankie went on to DJ for parties at Sauer’s, Pyramid, whole world was captured by Saturday Night Fever. People Kerri Chandler. Annex 2, The Smart Bar and Metro. Acid house turned were so eager to get the latest sounds that they heard in The Knuckles from a local legend to a real star, although one Warehouse nightclub in Chicago, the style of music soon became known as ‘house.’ It was about old tunes. The rarer the better. In Chicago, who never really had a hit of his own, his biggest success in Britain, the subonly record stores such as Importes Etc., State Street Records, JR’s Music shop lime Whistle Song, got to number 17 in 1991. He was one of the opening DJs and Gramaphone Records were the primary suppliers of this music. Quickly at the major London venue Ministry of Sound (which had been inspired by DJs became more creative with their mixing; teasing out the sound, manipulat- Paradise Garage) and in 1987, when the Power Plant closed, Knuckles played ing the records, bringing clips in and out and this is how we got to know ‘house’ a four-month residency at Delirium, a club night held at London’s Astoria. He today. In the 80s, Frankie became the first dance music superstar DJ and more was later signed to Virgin Records, where he remixed or produced such artists famous residencies in NYC followed, at seminal clubs such as the Sound Facto- as Mary J Blige, Janet Jackson, Pet Shop Boys, Diana Ross, Luther Vandross ry, where Frankie would preach to his disciples from Saturday night through to and Toni Braxton, and won a Grammy for best remixer of the year in 1997. mid-Sunday morning, with his trademark gospel vocals, tough basslines and Inducted to the Dance Music Hall of Fame in 2005, Knuckles also had a Chibeats programmed to make you a better dancer than you ever imagined possible. cago street named after him in 2004, on the former site of the Warehouse club. Frankie Knuckles is known for remixing tracks by Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston, as well as his own songs. Francis Nicholls was born This story is the blueprint of how and what we know to be club culture today. on January 18th 1955 in New York. He learned his craft in New York The cities, the people, the attitudes and the music, they all played a key role. City, where he was mentored by club DJ Larry Levan while studying tex- Frankie Knuckles became a true pioneer of his time and did something brand tile design at the city’s Fashion Institute of Technology in the Seventies. new in the clubs of Chicago. Rest in peace, Frankie. You will never be forgotten. His story starts at Chicago, where he was a resident at The Warehouse nightclub. For its first couple of years, The Warehouse was one of Chicago’s wildest discos, but it wasn’t until 1979 that it began to embody a distinctive scene. Frankie’s distinctive style was taking his favourite funky disco grooves snip and edit them to create something new. You maybe more familiar with this